Remembering Christmas past...

I was looking through my expansive Ofoto collections and I couldn't help but find enjoyment in the kids through the years - I thought I would share.

Christmas 2002: twins are 6 months old, Bug is 2(not in pic), H is 11

Christmas 2003: Twins are 1 and Bug is 3 but I don't have his picture :(

Christmas 2004: Twins are 2 and Bug is 4

Christmas 2005: Twins are 3 and Bug is 5

Christmas 2006: Twins are 4 and Bug is 6

Christmas 2007: Twins are 5 and Bug is 7 Holly is 16(Breakfast with Santa in our library)

Christmas 2008: Twins are 6, Bug is 8 and H is 17

Wow - time flies...

Happy holidays!

Cookie Grandma - how we miss you...

We sure are missin' our Cookie Grandma ~ the boys are outgrowing their pajamas and keep asking if there are any more, I can't make snicker doodles like her and I haven't had a turtle pie in a very long time. She always made 'raw' pies and freeze them so I could take them home and bake them whenever I wanted one. I baked the last one right before she pasted away - a peach pie. It was delicious...H is a good baker and makes Cookie Grandma chocolate, chocolate chip, chocolate sprinkle cookies and she makes her oatmeal cookies too - NO RAISINS :) We sure do miss Cookie Grandma...

The photo above makes me think of a lot of things ~ Christmas stockings, loud Grammy kisses, Christmas morning brunch in her apartment...so many things.

H is very sad ~ she cries for Cookie Grandma all the time. She was always brutally honest with H and the choices she would make and I think H respected her Grammy enough to listen. She feels a little bit lonely. Her son, my husband E is even more sad, he is difficult to comfort.

I miss stopping to see her before school, I miss picking up my coupons that she would save from the Sunday paper, I miss her telling me that she's so happy that I married her son, that he and H are better for having me in their life, I miss her telling secrets about the other family members, I miss the Christmas quilt she was going to make for me, I miss homemade chex mix, I miss picking up a complete meatloaf dinner for 12 people just because hamburger was on sale at Hegadorns, I miss her asking me to stop at BJ's to pick up her Depends but to come to her house first because she has a coupon for $1.00 off, I miss her buying me kitchen gadgets that I never use, I miss her yelling at me because I can't make pickles, I just miss her...

So, with the tears flowing down my face, I post this 'Merry Christmas Cookie Grammy' blog...we love you and miss you very much.

P.S. Enjoy your in-laws while they're still in your life...

Christmas is here...

So the tree is trimmed, the cob webs are almost gone, the garage cleared out and some presents are wrapped and either delivered or are under the tree. We are preparing for the V Christmas Party '08. Oh yeah, about 53 people in all - presents, dinner, football and more food :) It'll be fun - busy, but fun. I enjoy having everyone over but I need to learn how to RELAX - I'm always worried that someone will see how DIRTY my house really is - I have a reputation after all!

So the boys are still all about Santa...I'm so glad. Bug was a bit curious last year - asking me A MILLION questions. I had to remember what I said because he would remember and if I mis-spoke, he would call me out! Then Polar Express - the ultimate Santa movie revealed things that were a 180 from what I had always said...UHG, it was the longest movie I ever sat through! Question after question...

He's come a long way but when he was old enough to understand Santa he was VERY concerned that a man in a red suit was coming into the house...'that doesn't sound very safe Mom'. All of 2 years old and he's worried for our safety! He actually said that Santa should leave the gifts outside on the front deck...so, what were we to do but ask Santa to leave them on the deck.

He's over it now and Santa is welcome to come in to leave gifts, eat his treats and LEAVE...no lookin' at him while he sleeps! The twins were never that concerned...

This year the kids are getting 2 gifts each; one from Santa and one from us. They'll still get stockings with other gifts and gifts from each other but that'll be it. I'm looking forward to it after last years' disaster ...I bought and bought and bought until I had NO IDEA HOW MANY GIFTS I HAD PURCHASED. It was disgusting and I was physically sick to my stomach when I saw it all under the tree and extended out about 6 feet, piled one on top of the other. There wasn't even room to open them all. They were bored after 10 minutes and they accidentally opened their game boys first so not much attention was paid to the rest of the gifts...we actually took 3 breaks so they could get through it. UHG - disgusting and unnecessary! I feel better this year, I spent the same but the gifts are great and the morning will be easy and enjoyable. I already feel better!

More to come...FaLaLa, LaLa La

No hearing - No surgery - No problem

E is my little trooper - being born with an ear deformity called Microcia hasn't slowed him down. We have come to a point in his short little life where it was time for him to have his Kitty Scan (CAT scan). The Dr's needed to have these pictures so they could see if there was any possibility of him hearing.

So, we had been going back and forth with the Dr's about Evan's ability to sit still through a Kitty Scan and that we were being encouraged to have him asleep for the procedure. Eventually, I scheduled it in November and when we arrived, the Dr suggested bade on his size, age and obvious maturity for his age, the we give it a try without sleepy meds but they would be available if he became too wiggly or nervous. Well - my little trooper went with Daddy to the big Kitty Scan room and no more than 5 minutes later he returned with big smiles - similar to the picture above :), stating that he stayed awake the whole time! OMG - I've never had a more proud moment!

The end of November, E and I went to the Dr to talk about the pictures. As we suspected the outer bones were deformed - obviously. The Dr said that the middle ear and inner ear photos were great but he couldn't see everything he wanted to and the next step was exploratory surgery but there were risks in E's case. His facial nerve had grown abnormally around the bones and there is significant risk of facial paralysis should they knick the nerve...well - that's NEVER going to happen!!! Many children with Microcia have facial deformities associated with Microcia - E does not and we will be keeping it that way.

I had his teacher conference this week and he's doing great! His skills in reading and math are at 2ND grade levels and he has numerous coping skills when he thinks he may have missed hearing something and is not afraid to ask the teacher to repeat. He has a lot of friends and not once has his teacher(s) heard him being made fun of. His speech is very good considering and he practices R sounds 3 times a week with Mrs. R.

We will investigate prosthetic ears in the future but for now, we love E just the way he is and he is thrilled that he's done with Dr's for awhile!

Bug's first sleepover...

So, Bug had his very first sleepover...at R's house. R's Mom picked him up from another party we were at and off they went. It was so SAD!!! H was laughing and making fun of me, "Are you going to be alright Mom?" It was like watching him go off to college for goodness sake. He's NEVER slept without me nearby. I know, I know...but still. It was really hard.

When I got home, I bathed, dressed and tucked in the twins and when I left their room I walked into Bug's room like I always do and stopped...his bed was empty and his B was GONE!!! OMG...I just about cried.

I called him at 8 to see how it was going - his normal bedtime is 7:30 so I was hoping he was on his way to lights out...NOPE, they were going to watch a movie. Uh, it's 8 and he needs 11 hours to function - this is what I'm thinking. "Well, I miss you." Bug's response "Yep, can I go now?" I retort "I LOVE YOU, I MISS YOU." "I'll see you tomorrow." Click and dial tone...UHG. I tell Daddy that he's fine and we go to bed too.

So, this morning at 10:15 he returned. I was so THRILLED! I wanted to hear all about his big night away from home. Unfortuantly, what was returned to me was a little boy who had less than 4 hours of sleep and was a mess - I got 1 word answers and "I'm going to my room to unpack my stuff and play my new DS game that R's Mom bought me." It was like a 16 year old was talking to me. I asked him to take a shower while he was up there and the tears started flowin'.

I left to go shopping with H for a few hours and evidentally, while I was away, Bug took a nap on the couch...

Oh yeah, he's still my little Bug.

I'm almost done with school - Whoo Hoo

I registered for my last 2 classes at Nazareth and I didn't forget to request a deferment form from Tuition reimbersement this time. Yes, a masters student and after 11 classes I FINALLY have the process down! Penny at Xerox Tuition Aide is very proud of me! She's says that she'll miss me - she's learned over the last 3 years how to do every work around imaginable to process my paper work - that's what I'm here for!

I started at Nazareth in Fall 2006 taking Quality Management. I WAS SO SCARED! Dr Morano still remembers me sitting in the room, 1/2 hour early, with a deer in the headlight look. "You must be new..." I shook my head yes. "Dean Zappia has told me all about you...". I reply, "He did, really - what did he say?" Dr. Morano laughs and says "I'm kidding, I have no idea who you are..." That was day one. There were improvements along the way - well not with Xerox process and paperwork but with school. I have a ton of new friends, young and old - well, mature I should say! I have new friends in every major corporation in the Rochester area, not for profit and for profit corporations and some of the tiniest little manufaturing plants you've never heard of that do some amazing R&D work in the area.

Total Earned Credits 24.00

Total Grade Points 90.00

Cumulative GPA 3.750

Commencement is May 9, 2009...WOW

Halloween - GRRRR

Halloween has never been my fav day of the year and I don't consider it a holiday. I wait until it passes and then start decorating for my FAVORITE holiday - Christmas!

So, Bug is Obi Wan from Star Wars - $39.99, E is Optimus Prime from Transformers -$12.88 and R WAS going to be Bumblebee from Transformers - $12.88 but decided that Bumblebee isn't cool so now he's Iron Man from, well, Iron Man - $12.88. BTW, he has no idea what or who Iron Man is because it's PG13 and as far as I know, Daddy hasn't let them see it - YET. I lost Bumblebee's receipt so I'm out $12.88 plus tax! We bought 3 pumpkins from Laganor Farms - $15 and while we were there bought loads of tickets for games and then bought ice cream and a baked apple for me :) $60. I need to buy treats for school parties and no doubt H will decide at the last minute that she will go to the "stupid Marion Halloween party" after all...

When all is said and done, the Walters will have spent around $200+ on my least favorite day of the year...That's a lot of Christmas decorations!!! GRRR

As I type this, I remember the first Hallowen I dressed the twins. They were 1 and they were twin Frankensteins and they were so cute. They hated the costumes, would NOT wear the hats and cried - they cried ALOT, they had their sippie cups in their mouths just SOBBING...

I bought them big so that they could wear them again the following year and guess what - SOBBING with cups in their mouths!!! At least they wore the hats...We'll see what this year brings...

The money pit

So, you'd think with the world economy going down the drain, the Walters family might tighten their purse strings...not a chance. "We have to finish the pole barn..." (This is E - not me). So, we bought 1 acre of property to the North of us in 2006 for the new pole barn. It was a totally wooded slope. No problem - we had it excavated.

The pole barn went up and we're thrilled. Now it needs a floor. Not just any floor - a radiant heated floor. The difference is about $10k. Then we need an office, a bathroom and a mezzanine. That's right - a mezzanine, for storage.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to move the office to the pole barn and I'm even more excited to have the bathroom out there too. The bathroom means 2 things; no more muddy boots doing a potty dance throughout the house and no more public peeing. They can use the bathroom in the pole barn! That's VERY cool. Drawback - I have to clean a 3rd bathroom!!!

Here are 3 pictures, all taken in the month of August - 2006, 2007 and 2008, the pole barn transformation!

My first post

I'm new at blogging, but it seems everyone is doing it. I love to stay in touch with people via their blogs, it helps me feel connected.

E and I have been married for 12 years~I can't believe it! We have 4 kids, an awesome house in Marion set on 12 beautiful acres with a NEW POLE BARN :) (That's a whole other post - stay tuned...) That's our waterfall feature above, it's right outside the kitchen! I love it...

I have a step-daughter, H - she's pretty awesome. She's 17 and a Sr. She's been living with us since September 07 and, as is with all teenagers, things are either EXCELLENT or CRAPPY. There is nothing in between. I love having another girl in the house. Hopefully she loves being with us. :)

I have 3 boys - Bug is 8, R and E are 6. They're a handful as you can see in the picture :) When I'm not tearing the house apart looking for the missing leaf green Pokemon game or the game boy itself I'm your everyday SUPER MOM. Okay, super is a bit over the top but hey, there are days I should wear a cape!!!

I can't wait to share stories - I crack my parents up all the time with funny things the boys do and say. My Mom is always telling me I should write it down - so I'm writing it down. Stay tuned for funny stories, sad stories and generally crazy ones too!