crazy month

February is almost gone and we have been very busy. Kole is getting ready for the Pinewood Derby this weekend. Kali had a solo contest with the National Federation Junior Music Festival and an afternoon and evening out with friends to a movie and a sleep over. Kaci is just trying to follow along..

We have brought home a new puppy. And of course our lives are busy. Boyd had some blood pressure issues that are now under control. He continues to be laid off and is still looking for work where he doesn't have to drive an hour to get there every day. The kids are doing well in school. Kole got his second yellow light of the school year. He was talking and playing instead of listening. This does not surprise me. He has a very good imagination and instead of sitting and watching a TV program, he will stand and watch in case the urge strikes him to play sword with the invisible people. He might even have to get a flying kick or cartwheel in there.

Kali got a Superior from her contest on Sunday! That is like getting a first division in IMEA.

Me, I have eaten way too many of my mom's cookies that she sent down. They are awesome! The one tin is nearly empty... the M&M cookies...

Drake is our new puppy. He is very smart and sometimes we think he is just too darn smart for his own good. Reiko is very good with him. Mia the doberman is scared of him, but getting better. You can tell Tasha is thinking, oh boy, here we go again.... lol

We will all be glad when this cold weather snaps and we have temps above 30 for more than a day.

Now for some pictures:

not keeping up on this blog very well

Let's see...
We have been keeping really busy and just getting through the winter. We are very eager for spring.

Just checked my last update and not much has changed! LOL We are just doing typical school stuff and keeping up with things at home.


Guess I could share some pics.







O.k. I have not been good with pictures either... Here is a pic of our new puppy that we get next week. He is the one looking at you from behind the bars with the look that says "let me out of here!"

January is almost gone!

I have been very bad about updating the blog lately. There has been a lot going on. Between school work, job, dance class, cub scouts, music lessons, scholastic bowl and play practice. It can be daunting finding time to update the blog. O.k. I know many of you probably see me on facebook. I am an addict. I love facebook and spend time on there chatting with friends instead of picking up the telephone. Easier for those of us who are becoming hearing challenged. Must be all the years of screaming, loud laughter, shouting and bagpipes...

Anyway for updates:

Kole: He is doing fantastic! I even had a phone call from his teacher telling me how awesome he has been doing in class. He loves Cub Scouts, can't say the same for his dad... He really enjoys the swordplay part of Wii Sports Resort. That was a very good investment. I had been told once that it takes the same amount of time that a child is in their country of birth before they become accustomed and adjusted to their life in a new home. Well, I think that is almost right on. Kole has been with us for almost 4 years. just a couple months shy of that and he is doing fantastic.

Kaci: Kaci is enjoying her dance class and getting ready for recital in June already! She love her hip hop dance class and is enjoying school. She is doing great. She has grown like a weed this past year and is nearly as tall as me. She is 5 foot tall and 10 years old. She also has enjoyed going to all the different places we have to go to on the weekends.

Kali: Kali has become our typical new teenager. One minute we are getting along great, the next butting heads. The most recent is dating... I tell her No and she gets defensive, then apologizes... then we are good. She loves her music lessons when she practices... lol she is playing Clarinet and Tenor Sax. She participates in band, jazz band and occasionally is called upon to help out with the high school pep band and concert band. She has found a true passion for Scholastic Bowl and loves the challenge and trivia. Time to bring out Trivial Pursuit again! She also auditioned for a part in the school play and is a Prisilla girl in the play Thoroughly Modern Millie (A flapper). She keeps us busy running her here and there.

Pets: Sweetpea went back to the Animal Protective League and now our home is quiet again. The poor little girl was just a bunch of nerves all the time.... The only time she was not was when it was just my mom here for a couple weeks. So hopefully now that we know more about Sweetpea they will be able to find her the home she needs.

Kendle will be coming home in February. He is a boston pup. Two Bostons in one house should be hysterical.

Mia is doing great and loves coming in at nights and hanging out where it is not cold.

Tasha is loving the cold.

Reiko is loving having the family all to himself. typical boston...

Tinkerbell has surprised us all by coming out of hiding and enjoying not being chased all the time.

Boyd is doing as well as can be said for someone who has been laid off for over a year now. Jobs are very hard to come by but we hope something turns up soon that does not require over the road truck driving...

Me, I am battling a bulging disk in my lower back and working full time and keeping the kids on schedule and trying to enjoy some quiet time from time to time. I need to lose a bunch of weight and stop eating junk. I am pre-diabetic and need to stop it before it becomes full blown. Some days I do well, some days not so good. I still substitute food for the cigarettes I gave up 17 years ago....

That's it for the updates!

Christmas Morning!

O.k. the pic of Boyd with Reiko is not from this morning. LOL But is was so cute with him and Reiko. The rest are from this morning. The morning started at 2:30 am. Yes, you read that right. 2:30 am Kali comes in to wake us up and tell us there are presents! My exact words were "I don't give a damn if there are presents, GO TO BED!"
Well, here is what happened according to the kids.
Kali woke them all up and brought them out to see the presents, then tried to wake us up... (I don't think so). So, then they came out and started sorting all the gifts out. Then they got hungry, so they cooked Ramen Noodles and ate at 3:00 am.. (I didn't smell the noodles)...
Then they decided to fall asleep surrounded by presents. When I got up at 8:30 am.... I found them just like in the last picture..... No early morning picture of all the gifts under the tree.... darn. Oh well, they had fun! The girls have their new bed in a bag sheets on their beds... Qijia went back to bed and I think he is awake now.... not sure...
Kole has been playing with the Mario Kart Racing Wii game as have the girls. But Kali's all time favorite present this year was the used Samsung Eternity phone that Boyd found for her on Ebay. She didn't even get excited about the punching bag that she has asked for two years in a row! LOL Kali apparently had only slept for about 30 minutes last night.... the turd... Next year, I think I will cancel Christmas unless they keep their behinds in bed and get some sleep. I know some kids that are napping this afternoon! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all our friends and families far and near a wonderful merry Christmas! May the magic of Christmas be with you tonight and through the next year.

I have sat and thought what I could write about on the blog that hasn't already been said. Then I thought, maybe, I should put down my feelings this Christmas.


First, it has been a really tough time trying to get into the spirit for Christmas this year. I had tried all the things I normally do and just hadn't quite done it. I remember seeing Christmas decorations up in October this year! What the poo! Maybe the retailers started it too early for me. But then I am finding out that many of my family and friends are finding it very hard to get into the Christmas spirit. Maybe it is too commercial for me this year. I felt that I would have really rather helped others than buy a bunch of presents that will end up in the back room never to be played with.... We purchased gifts anyway, but not in the spirit that we would in the past. The kids will have nice things, and we will too. But where is that spirit I have been looking for. I think I know what it is that I will be doing. I have decided since I already donate to 4 charities year round that have to do with facial differences, that maybe I should be helping out in other ways.



Second, the kids have been good this year. Extremely wearing in some ways. We have Qijia staying with us. For the months he has been here, I have heard nothing from the kids that seemed to be positive for our family. One complaint after another, then we realize he just isn't getting into the life of an American Teenager. O.k. maybe that is good in many ways. But you know, it would be so nice to see him have friends and go out with them occasionally and get phone calls and not listen to the whining... Of course it comes from my other half as well as the kids. So, the agency is on a mission to find him a new home that is more accepting than my spoiled rotten kids can be and maybe he will find the atmosphere he needs.



Third, work has been very stressful. One of the people I have worked with for most of 20 years is retiring and moving away. He is brilliant on the applications we program and maintain. Now that job is falling onto my shoulders with the assistance of two others. It is a sadness that has set over me because not only am I losing a co-worker, he is a birthday buddy and without realizing it we have become good friends. Knowing that we won't hear "Enjoy" as we are leaving, or getting the " I think you need to research this" for something that is a once in a lifetime problem. LOL



Fourth, Boyd has been laid off for several months and is on his second extension of unemployment. He has been bothered by not being able to find work and the older he gets the harder it is to find a job. He did have an interview this week, so maybe we will have a Christmas miracle of a new job for the beginning of the New Year for him. He has really stepped up to the plate this year with the kids and they have noticed the difference.



Let's see, we have had to replace the microwave and now we need to replace the washer. We had to replace the dishwasher earlier this year and the dryer just a few months ago. Time to start saving for a new water heater too.



All in all we have had a good year. Busy, but good.

Christmas tree is decorated 17 days til Xmas

Tada! They are done!

Thanksgiving is over and on to Christmas

We had a very nice at home Thanksgiving with my mom and our family here. It was funny watching the animals all trying to help.. LOL The end of the second term of school and our first semester is over in a couple weeks and then Christmas break starts for the kids.

We have been busy with all the normal school stuff and being sneaky about Christmas shopping.

I need to the take the kids out to shop, but that will need to wait until next weekend. I did some black Friday shopping and started at the more reasonable hour of 8:30 am. I did very well and got some pretty good deals. Enjoy some pics from Thanksgiving and putting up the tree. We still need to put the other decorations on...