Christmas 2008

waiting patiently..... the mess afterwards

We have had a busy month with all the shopping, decorating, wrapping and holiday parties..........December 6th was Mike's mom's family party at his aunt's house.....We saw my Dad's side of the family on December 13th at my cousin's house.........Had a holiday gathering with some neighbors on the 19th......Mike's step-dad's family gathering was on the 20th at his parent's home......got together with some friends on the 21st (not a holiday gathering, but we only see them about twice a year since they live in North Carolina)........I took the boys to the Trotters on X-mas Eve. Mike had to work at the station and our friends were having a shin-dig at their house and were so kind to invite us over. Christmas Day we went to my parents for dinner and then Mike's parents came over in the evening..........It has been a busy month!

My boys were so excited for Christmas to come. Especially Parker....he sooooo wanted that IPOD nano he has been talking about. Since Mike was working on Christmas Eve, I was on my own for set up---if you know what I mean. I told the boys not to get up before 7 am......Parker is an early riser and I sure didn't want to be up before the sun. So 7:01 he comes into my room, all excited. We woke up the other 2 sleeping children and headed down to inspect the stocking contents and then (patiently) waited until Daddy arrived home from work at 7:25. Mason was cute--he would rip a corner of paper off of the present and start squealing without even knowing what was inside. Jackson and Parker were both happy to find presents and hand them out. Mean-while , Parker is looking for a reeeaaalllly small box under the tree that might contain an IPOD........ After all the presents were open--I sent them to the basement to get some gifts that I said i had left down there. Mike and my Dad quickly brought in the lego table for Jackson ( it was hidden in the garage). He walks up to it --wide eyed--and after I told him it was for him -he says "now I don't have to sit down!!" (this lego table is much taller and bigger than the one we had. Uncle Kenny made this table for us...Thanks Uncle Kenny!!!). Mason opens his present--which was the Geo-Trax airport and he says "the air-plane-port--that is what I was talking about!"......Parker opens up his itty bitty box and .......smiles......ah....it's the IPOD nano he wanted.......alll the kids are happy..........It has been a busy season. My kids are truely blessed and fortunate. They received MANY gifts that I now need to find places for. Parker's gifts were the IPOD, book, video games, board games, carnivorose plant kit, clothes, etc.....Jackson received video games, legos, legos and more legoes, lego table, board games, clothes, magna tiles, transformers........and Mason was given matchbox tracks, Geo-trax, Imaginext jungle, trucks , games, Mr. Potato Head, etc.........

Dear Santa--We've been good

Christmas is just around the corner.........and my kids are making their wish lists. Surprisingly -they don't have the "gimmies" too bad. Parker's main desire is for an IPOD nano----I keep hearing "I really want one" and "am I going to get it?". Jackson wants legos, magna-tiles and a Leapster game. Mason wants a "big truck and a big truck for mommy", and the Geo-trax airport. So, it will be an easy Christmas for us.....I just have had a difficult time giving out ideas to other family members. We first saw Santa on November 23rd at the mall. We had gone to get holiday pictures taken and Mason saw 2 kids with candy canes. He assumed the photographers would be giving him one once we were done with pictures. Not the case. They did not have candy canes. And so the sobbing started. I then had this bright idea that Santa might have candy canes. So I did this pep talk as we walked over to see him. I have never seen a 2 1/2 year old so anxious so see Santa. He walked right up to him. Santa reached out to Mason and wanted to put him on his lap. Me--being the protective parent-- shook my head. But Santa picked him up anyways and Mason willingly sat! And then told him what he wanted. I about fell over---NO TEARS. So the next time we went to the mall, he asked to go see Santa. We had a family party on the 6th and the big guy usually makes an appearance. However, this time Mason was not too keen on chatting with him. (this is where the picture is from) .

I am thankful

I am now 37 years old. (to be technically correct, my birthday was actually a couple of days ago). I feel old, as I am quickly approaching 40 years old. But I have been sitting here reflecting on my life--where it has been and where it is going. I truly feel blessed in what God has provided me with. I have a wonderful husband who is a hard worker and a great dad. He strongly believes in having me home with the boys and works 2 jobs to support our family. He is actively involved in the boys school and sport activities. I have 3 wonderful, smart, happy and healthy boys who never cease to amaze me with their liveliness, curiosity, and love. I have 2 cute, smart, faithful dogs who are happy to see me and eager to please. We live in a beautiful home in a great neighborhood, with super neighbors. We belong to a fabulous Church that we are actively in involved in many of the ministries. And not to mention we have the best small group around! We have strong, loving, supportive family and friends! So as I sit and reflect......I am giving thanks for the past 37 years.........

My Little Builder

Jackson loves to build. He loves all kinds of building toys--Magna-tiles, legos, Magnetix, Tinker-toys, blocks......He is creative and builds all sorts of things. Usually they amount to ships of some kind....but it could be a home for a stuffed animal....a car....or some roads or bridges. If I cannot find him, he is bound to be up in his room building with legos. Maybe I will have an architect someday???

Nothing Special

I don't really have anything from the last two weeks that is exciting to blog about....so thought I would post a few pictures. Many of you on facebook have probably already seen these.......We actually had enough leaves to rake and make a pile (well- we did take some from the neighbors yard :) ). We enjoyed one of the last nice fall days raking, jumping in the pile and then throwing the leaves.

Fall Soccer

The fall soccer season is over. It was 9 weeks of soccer with practice held 4 nights a week. Jackson had practice on Mondays and Wednesdays and Parker had practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It was a bit overwhelming at times for me, the parent, in trying to fit it all in. Games were held on Saturdays mornings. Luckily, none of the game times for the boys conflicted. We had one day where it was 40 degrees for a game and it was quite chilly!! It was a tough season, although the boys played well. Parker assisted in quite a few goals for his team. He has learned some smooth soccer moves with manuevering his feet or blocking the ball with his body or head. When he wants-Jackson has some speed on the field and he is learning some of the skills.

Trick or Treat

Mike and Kristi

Mason with his "best friend" (as he says) Kira

with some neighbor kids

Parker (Beast), Mason (dragon), and Jackson (Ninja)

Halloween 2008- much like any other Halloween , except the weather was SOOOOOOOOOO beautiful. I cannot remember the last Halloween where it did not rain. The boys were anxious to trick or treat, so we left at exactly 4:00 (start time). We only went out for about an hour, as we had 2 Halloween parties to make appearances at. Considering the time frame--we ended up with a lot of candy. We then went over to our friends, the Trotters, who were having a party. Had good food, kids played a muumy game, did the limbo and freeze dance.......Then we were off to the Kapellas-where all the neighbors were hanging out. It was late night- we did not make it home until after 11-----but we had fun.

It's a Beautiful Day for a Hike

My boys love the outdoors.....I guess they are typical boys. We have been stuck inside lately due to the rain and cold weather. So when Sunday's weather was decent we decided to head over to McKinely Woods for a hike. Parker and Mason were excited----Jackson was a bit unsure...A few deer were spotted as soon as we got there. Mason took off running full speed on the trail....Jackson soon behind (a slight change in attitude here :) ) We soon came upon a older man, walking slowly...I felt sorry for him as I think we disturbed his peace and quiet. My boys soon found fallen trees---many fallen trees--and wanted to climb them. Being the good parents that we were-----we said "yes". They were so excited. One tree had fallen across some sort of a ravine (??). At the highest point --they were maybe 4 feet off the ground. Mike and I stood there with smiles on our faces as we watched them teeter with excitement across the logs...and as Jackson was yelling for Parker to move faster. Then as one point Jackson slipped----and fell about 3 feet down---he hit the ground, rolled over, jumped up ---and laughed! They loved the leaves, and rocks and walking on the bridges.

Camping---(again)

It has been 2 weeks since my last blog (GASP!)

We went camping with some great friends of ours over Columbus Day Weekend. The kids had a 4 day weekend from school, but unfortunately, Mike had to work 3 of those days. Our friends were going out to their club and I decided to take the boys and the dogs without Mike, as this would probably be the last camping trip until Spring. I was thinking maybe I could be Supermom! I packed ALL of the camping gear, clothes, food, etc, and then packed the entire van by myself! (Mike did come and meet us out there on his day off). It was cute becuase I had told the boys we were going camping and where we were going --as we had been there before. But when we pulled up to the gate Jackson gasps and yells in excitement- "This is where we are going?!?!" . The weather was beautiful (unlike the previous weekend) and we had a great time. Our good friends the Houcks, Szewczyks and Trotters were there. We were able to sleep in this HUGE motor home that the Trotters had borrowed for the weekend. The kids always have a great time--we are close tothe playground, there are real bathrooms and lots of kids to play with. We went on a boat ride, went fishing, carved pumpkins, went on a scavenger hunt, hung out by the bonfire, and got plenty of mosquito bites! The mosquitos were awful! We used bug spray, yard guard, mosquito sticks, citronella candles.......and nothing prevented those bites. Mason and Jackson had the worst of it--with each having at least 12 bites on their face alone. But all in all-- we had a good time, the boys were upset (and I was exhausted) when we left Sunday evening to head for home.

BRRR--It was cold

We went up to Kettle Moraine Wisconsin to see Mike's last mountain bike race of the season. Mike asked if I was going to blog his race--so here it is......Our original intentions were to camp, but the forecast was calling for some chilly weather and it was then decided I would sleep with Mason in my sisters' camper and Mike would sleep with the boys and the dogs in the tent. (this is because of Mason's allegies/asthma, we were told the cold night air would aggravate him). We arrived in WI at about 8:00, it was pitch black out because we were at a primitive campsite with no electricity. Mike and Ken put up the tent, came into the camper, and told us it was decided we were all sleeping in the camper-- it was WAY TOO COLD out there. But what to do with the dogs?? As it was- we were already cramming 9 people into a camper that sleeps 8....so my poor dogs slept in the car.....well- it was warmer than the tent. The boys were excited to sleep in the camper and I was excited at the thought of actually be a little bit warmer. When we awoke at 6:30 on Saturday morning, there was frost on the ground the kids put winter coats had gloves and hats on......it was chilly! We loaded up the cars and headed to the park where the race was. The kids-of course-enjoyed playing with their cousins. The weather warmed up as the day went on and we were able to shed our layers of clothes, only to start putting them back on again as the sun went down. Mike and his team had a good race--they placed 1st. The boys are trying to be like daddy and participated in a children's race. Parker had his first race crash after hitting large rock and loosing control of his bike, no injuries reported. We ended the weekend with a hike on the trails where we saw some beautiful scenery. And then a BBQ lunch at the park.

Dollingers Farm

We went to Dollingers Farm on Saturday. Unfortunately, Mike had to work so I took the boys so we could enjoy the beautiful weather while it was still here. We did the normal pumpkin farm stuff---petting zoo, hay ride, pick out pumpkins, play on park....etc......Jackson wanted the biggest pumpkin there, it was too big for me to pick up so I took him to the next size on down. Parker was all fascinated with the facts and tales he heard on the hay ride. He keeps asking me "Is that true?". They had "creatures" of some sort walking around with signs stating the Haunted barn was open---Mason was terrified, clung to me and buried his face in my neck. When the thing was gone he told me "I not like that scary guy".

Too Cute.

Family pictures.

We had family pictures taken in September. We asked my neighbor to take the pictures for us. It was very interesting to have pictures done with 15 people---7 of them being children under the age of 9. As you can see-some of them were pretty good. My favorites are the middle row on the right, and the bottom on the left. To list people I will go by the bottom, right picture: back row: my sister Kelly, her husband Ken, My Dad, my Mom, Sarah's husband Mike, Sarah

Front row: Jenna- age 6, Alissa age 4(both Kelly's kids), Me, Jackson in front of me- age 6 1/2, Parker-age 9, Mike with Mason(age 2 1/2) on his lap, Madison-age 6 and Brayden-age 4 (both Sarah''s kids)

Marshmallows

So I have a cute story to share. My mom and I were shopping at Target the other day, walking up and down the aisles and Mason yells "look Nana, MARSHMALLOWS!"..........However, they were not marshmallows------they were-----

-----cotton balls! TOO CUTE!!

Mud, Mud please go away

So I am trying to find humor in this picture. I mean-- I walk outside and see Lucy, my dog, all muddy. She looked at me all cute and was thinking she was in trouble. She is still a puppy, I remind myself.....mischievious and curious like a puppy should be........deep breaths........so i don't scream at her. I am thinking where on earth am I going to put her to dry and how is she going to get clean???? I can't give her a bath, she is too big........Thank goodness the rain had stopped because I actually left her outside for about 2 hours. I talked to the important people at the Village of Minooka today and plans are done and work is supposed to begin in the back of my yard and the easement to help with the drainage problems. Hopefully this will help with the standing water in my yard and I won't have anymore muddy dogs. I can hope, right??

Rain, rain, please go away

Attached are pictures of the rain water we had in the last couple of days. But let me explain how irritating this all is. (this is the shortened version of the story) Since we have moved in here (July 2004), we have had drainage problems. Our sales lady flat out lied to us and told us that this water on the lot would be graded away. We repeatedly asked to speak to an engineer to confirm this. She would not grant our request. So we accepted her statement and went on with building the hosue. A berm was put in the back of my yard with some storm water inlets to help with drainage. My yard gets soppy with heavy rain, and the manhole covers the village put in to help the problem keep getting cloggd and covered with debris.

Then in August 2007 there was tons of heavy rain. A man-made damn up the hill broke and a gush of water came our way, flooded my next door neighbors basement with water and all sorts of much that the water brought her way. My yard was covered with what-ever the water brought--rocks, mulch, our large plastic house, etc. We have since been trying to get the village to remedy the situation. I mean--its only been a year---how long does this process take?? So this past weekend, we again had heavy rain. The water was rising over the berm and coming into my yard. (We were afraid it would soon head to the hosue). We probably had about ankle deep water in the grass. Behind the berm, it was up to our knees. Mike, my Dad and my neighbor Nate were out there trying to get the debris moved and put up logs and sandbags to block the water flow. Thankfully it worked. I went out to take more pictures so I can take them to the next village board meeting to ask them what the heck is going on.

Busy Busy Busy

We are so busy. I was trying to figure out why I have been so tired. I mean- I try to get to bed between 9:30 and 10 every night, so why am I exhausted?? The answer lies in our schedule. This is our life as of now:

I (Kristi) babysit on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (2-3 extra kids a day).

Tuesday mornings we all go to the story hour at the library

The 2nd and 4th Wednesdays I go to MOPS.

The 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month our Church has a moms group that I attend.

Parker has soccer practice on Thursday evenings and sometimes another weekday.

Jackson has soccer practice Monday and Wednesday evenings.

We are in a small group through Church that meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesday evenings.

Parker and Jackson have soccer games on Saturday mornings.

I volunteer in the Church toddler room the 1st and 2nd Sunday of the month.

I am in fitness class Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Mike works every 3rd day and night at the Fire house.

Mike also works his "off" week days at his office job.

Mike is helping my neighbor teach a running class on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings.

When scheduling allows- Mike attends a mens group ( Bible study) on Saturday mornings.

I am just getting started in a neighborhood playgroup every other Wednesday.

The boys have homework just about every weekday.

I am trying to atttend the school PTO meetings once a month.

Mike helps the Church with set-up the last Sunday of the month.

He also helps to run the Church computer system once a month.

And then when you add in all the playdates, doctor and vet appointments, grocery shopping, housework, birthday parties..........my calendar is FULL!

Whew- I am sure that was a boring post, but I had to get this down on "paper" to see the chaos.

My 9 year old

Today I am the mother of a 9 year old child. Yesterday he was 8 years old and 364 days........He is now 9 years old. Parker was born September 8, 1999, via c-section at 11:37 pm after 17 1/2 hours of labor. I was actually induced because he was due on the 7th and had decided he was not ready to come into the world. Although, that does not describe him now. He was not much of a sleeper as an infant and toddler. And is not one to sleep in late. He can be shy and quiet, but will open up once he gets to know someone. He is creative, inquisitive and asks LOTS of questions. He is sweet, sentimental and sensitive. He loves to swim, play video games, and create things. 9 years ago my life changed when I had him.......I am now called Mommy---one of the best names I have ever had. So Happy Birthday to you sweet child..............