Heeeeeeeere's Daisy!

Today was Noelle's family party.

It appears she will be hitting the stores for some shopping. She got gift certificates to three different stores, (she was pretty excited about that) as well as a beautiful silver heart necklace. Her "Nancy Drew" collection continues to grow. She now has all but two of the games. The four of us play together and really enjoy it.

She gets to spend the day at the Nelson with special emphasis on the Egyptian section.

In August, she will be wearing Bella's Blue Jacket to school. If you have read "Twilight", you know who Bella is. If you've seen "Twilight", you know about the jacket.

Oh yeah, Noelle got a puppy! She is a Schnoodle, is all black, is nine weeks old and her name is Daisy. Michael and I had gone to Wal*Mart to pick up a gift for Noelle from him and a cake. As we pulled in, there was a fenced area with a "puppies for sale" sign.

Michael and I looked at each other and I parked the van. We went over and there in a box in the fence were four puppies. I asked what they were as I reached in to pick up this little black puppy with curly hair.Three of them had hair like a Schnauzer and one had hair like a poodle. Noelle had said she wanted her next dog to be a poodle and be black.

Before I came along, my parents had a Schnoodle named Spooky. He was black and white and looked like he was wearing a mask, hence, Spooky. (he also loved to sing)

We asked the price, called Sean and committed to the puppy. How could we not? It was black, part poodle and it was Noelle's birthday party.

This was Michael's gift to his sister. He has helped Noelle so much since Molly passed. It was so wonderful to see the excitement and love in his face when he gave Noelle his present.

Enjoy the pics.

Venting!!!

As a parent, I have to say, I'm sad when I think about the school experience I had and the one my kids are having.

When I was in school, we had two recesses, one after lunch and one in the afternoon. We could talk in the halls and at lunch. It wasn't the end of the world if we stood in a line that wasn't straight. Not only did we have a Halloween party, we had a CHRISTMAS party. We also had a Christmas program with, brace yourself, songs about CHRISTMAS. Field day meant something.

Now, there is one recess, sometimes, it is an hour or so after school starts! Don't speak above a whisper during lunch and NO TALKING in the halls. That line better be straight or they will be standing there until it is. It's a fall/harvest party and a winter party. Now it's a Winter program with only songs about snow. No competing in field day, everyone is a winner!!

(pardon me while I vent)

I loved the fact that I could talk with my friends at lunch and then 20 minutes later be playing with them. School officials wonder why kids are dragging after lunch...they are ready for a nap. It's half way through the day and they've just had a meal. Let them get some fresh air, burn off some built up energy.

NO TALKING IN THE HALLS!!! Please, show me any adult who can go all day without talking in the halls. How can you expect kids between the ages of 6-18 to stay silent~especially girls! It's kind of disheartening when you go into a school and basically have little robots walking down the hall, (keep that line straight) looking straight ahead. I've honestly seen some kids wave and then get a look of panic on their face.

Oh, the "political correctness" of parties and programs. What happened to the days of parents who felt so strongly about not letting their kids partake in a "Halloween" or "Christmas" party keeping their kids home? News flash: they're still a "Halloween" and "Christmas" party, only the names have changed.

Last but not least, field day. We would have a sign up sheet for every event at field day. We would all try out for different things such as; three-legged-race, 50 meter dash, pull ups etc. The class as a whole was on tug-of-war. We would all bring in a white t-shirt and, using markers, we would all sign our names on the back and have our "team name" on the front. Each class had cheerleaders, we would make posters and at the end of the day...they...gave...out...RIBBONS!!! (oh, the horror!!!)

Reality is, not everyone is a winner. Sometimes, I got a ribbon, sometimes, I didn't. You know what, I'm still alive and if anything, as I got older, competition made me try harder.

In the game of life, it's not always fair. There is a kid that Noelle goes to school with that has drunk the "it has to be fair to everyone" Kool-Aid, that he honestly freaks out when things don't go his way. How are these kids going to function in life?

There are winners and there are losers. You will not always come out on top. Things will not always go your way.
(end venting)

So, let summer begin. I get to spend about two and a half months teaching my kids reality before the re-brainwashing begins again.

She's A Teenager~WAAHH

I'm still not sure how it happened. It seems like only yesterday I had this little baby with so much hair it looked like she had a wig on. I blinked and she is 13.

She had a great day at school. Her friends decorated her locker and at the end of the day, the mom of one of her friends brought up a basket with candy and balloons.

After school, she got a perm. Noelle wants curly hair so badly. With all the curl I have, even Sean has waves to his hair, you'd think one of the kids would have curls or waves. Alas, no such luck.

When she was in dance, she would spend hours with her hair in rollers. I would use a can or two of hair spray and sometimes she would still have curls half way through the second number. So for her birthday, she got curls. (I've told her what a pain it is having curly hair and I know she's seen just how much fun it can be~I guess we always want what we don't have)

After getting her hair done, we went our to dinner at O'Charley's.

I've included a before and during photo's. The photo of her by the birthday sign is after her perm with her new curls.

Plus Four Fish, Minus One Boat

Yes, you read that right.

Dad and I went fishing Tuesday morning. It was absolutely beautiful. The day started off with dad in a t-shirt, sweatshirt and jacket. I started out with a long sleeved shirt, t-shirt and jacket. By the end of our fishing, we were both in our t-shirts.

Given our past history with the fish at the lake, we hoped the fish were biting...they were! Dad, as usual, caught the first fish. We were in a calm cove just kind of floating along when he caught it. I tried sitting, I tried standing and nothing seemed to help. I took off my jacket and BAM~I caught one!!!

It was a 16" croppie that was probably 1-2 pounds. If didn't practice "catch and release" dad said it would have been a keeper. Later we each caught what would best be called, bait.

When we were getting ready to leave, I thought I had tied the boat to the dock pretty tight. I was wrong. I helped dad load the poles and stuff in the car, turned around as the boat was floating away. As I ran to grab the end of the rope, it slid off the dock as if to say "nanny, nanny, boo, boo".

Dad was in the car getting ready to put the trailer in the water. I ran up to the passenger window and started tapping and yelling.
Dad puts the window down...

• Dad: "What?"
• Me: "The boat..."
• Dad: "What?"
• Me: "The boat, the boat, it's floating away!!!"
• Dad: "Huh?"
• Me: "The boat left!!!"
• Dad: "Shoot!!" (only a different "sh" word)

We stand at the dock watching the boat. Dad says he things we can use a lure and hook it. I look at him and start taking off my shoes. I know how cold the lake is, but what are we going to do. Suddenly, we hear a voice say "don't go in, I'll get it". Out of no where comes a "boat angel". The boat had floated over to the boat slip area and he was able to climb into the boat off of one of them. Oh, I was so happy, I was heading home in dry clothes.

Enjoy the pictures.

See Mom & Dad, I DO Update My Blog

Yeah, I'm a little behind.

This will be a busy week around here. The kids have their last day of school on Friday. Hard to believe it's here all ready. Due to the damn boundary changes, Noelle and Michael will have to say so long to several friends.

I'm not too worried about Noelle. As our youth pastor has said, "Noelle has never met a stranger". She can walk into a room and instantly find a buddy. I can remember taking her to the park when she was little. We would be there maybe five minutes and she would bring some little boy or girl over and introduce her new "fwend". It seems like every time we go to the store, there is someone who knows her.

While she will not being going to school with some of the people she has known since first grade, there is no doubt in my mind they will all stay connected. For them it will only be two years apart. (side note while I freak out and have a panic attack~that means only two years until high school!! for some reason, Sean felt the need to add "three years until she drives")

I know Michael will make friends as well, he just tends to be a little more reserved than Noelle. There is a group of about six or seven boys that Michael has hung out with since kindergarten. Of that group, Michael and two other boys will be going to a different school. (again, damn boundaries) It will be four years that these kids will be apart. I do have to say that while I'm pretty confidant that Noelle will keep in touch with her friends, Michael will move on and make new ones. It's funny how boys and girls are different like that.

There are some things that the kids are excited about regarding the schools they will now be attending. Michael's school is connected to the community center and that means swimming. Perfect for someone who is part fish! Noelle is excited about the size of the library and the auditorium for school plays. I'm glad they have both found something positive about the changes.

Also this week, Noelle turns~da, da, da~ 13!!! When did this happen, how can this be??? She sometimes has had the "attitude" that goes along with the age, just not the age itself. We are at times at the, "oh, I don't want to be seen with my parents" stage. I know the "my parents know nothing" is just around the corner.

Again, my parents just laugh and dad tends to add, "good, you got one just like you, sometimes wishes come true".

In my defence, I know they have to be talking about Amy.