FROZEN DRIVEWAYS...YIPEE!

Before I caved and actually braved the cold, these two ingenious kids of mine riged up one of the sleds so that it could be pulled in the driveway outback...and it worked. They had a lot of fun, and then I went out in the front with them and caught them as they came down the hill..and before merging into oncoming traffic...gotta love the way we do things around here.

Basketball Diaries

Savannah participated in 5th grade basketball this year and did wonderfully. While she is built like a ballerina and was as graceful on the court as off, her athletic side shown through. She made several baskets throughout the short season, and did a great job running back and forth ont he court...those long legs can get her where she is trying to go...and fast!!! Can't wait till next year!

WE LOVE MINIATURE..TREES

I have never really had a big tree, and do so hope to someday..but this year I am surprisingly okay with my cute little tree perched in the dining room, and the kids seem to be to. Sydney, Vanny and Brock did some caroling around the tree amongst their other fun games, but if spontaneous caroling erupts around your miniature tree...you know you've done SOMETHING right. Can't wait till Christmas morning...I will wake up at like 6..put some yummies in the oven, make sure some cookies are eaten, fill the stockings, put presents round the tree, and last but most certainly not least start the Christmas music before sweetly waking them up to be filled with Christmas spirit..that is gift enough for me!

ALWAYS TIME FOR THE ARCADE

Me and Vanny playing the Jurassic Park game...it was actually pretty scary!!!

I didn't even have to put a coin in and he thought it was cool!

Van and Brock driving...ha!

A game for Brock..Savannah didn't think he was very good. lol

On Saturday, Brock, Vanny and I went to the Capital Mall arcade and had a blast..like really, a whole heck of a lot of fun!! Savannah won a bunch of tickets like she always does, and keeping constant, she got more things for her brother than she did for herself! I am so very thankful for the loving, warm and wonderful kids that I get to spend my days with, I so truly am!

Haha! I did the girls' hair and then vanny wanted to do mine, and I swear I had no idea what was going on with my "pipi" style pony until it was pointed out... It was so funny though!

IF I HAD WORDS TO MAKE A DAY FOR YOU...

If I had words to make a day for you
I'd sing you a morning golden and new
I would make this day last for all time
Give you a night deep in moonshine.

For reasons unknown to me, the puzzle peices of my life have scattered a bit over the coarse of a weekend. It has left me worn out and a bit desperate in heart. But at the same time I am always reminded by the good people around me, that those pieces will soon settle and find their new home, because of God's will. Today, I knew just what I needed. Savannah went on her yearly Christmas pottery making excursion with Aunt Shelly and Taylor, and Brock and I stayed at Grandpa's just basking in something that really has no words but is so dear and fleeting. After I showed Grandpa and Brock my impressive moves on dragon slayer, we went down stairs to watch a movie. The movie Grandpa was looking for was Babe..one of my all time favorites, and Brock had never seen it. He couldn't find it at first and put on a skatboarding toon, just because he knew his precious great-grandson would love it. It is so nice to see the way my grandpa looks at Brock...like looking onto a little one whom you hope the time you spend with him will affect him all of his days. But wait...Grandpa took another trip to the movie gallery (his stash of 3,000 movies) and found Babe, and let me tell you it was just what we all needed! Savannah was back at this time, her and I curled on the couch under a snuggly blanket, and Grandpa and Brock sitting in a rocking chair. Grandma came down at one time with some wonderful penut butter cookies and we were all able to finish the rest of the movie. The lyrics above are from the theme song of which I have always loved. I will admit it makes me cry, but it felt so good. I am sure you have heard it a 100,000 times before, but I will telL you another 100,000 that I love my grandparents with all my might...and they are what keeps this hot air balloon stationed and beautiful with hope.

BOOKERS ANONYMOUS

"Where naughty girls get novel"

I promise I will post about Thanksgiving once I get my computer back from being serviced..that is where all the turkey pics are. But for the mean time, I thought I would do a little "toast off" post to my newly created book club called Bookers Anonymous "Where naughty girls get novel". We had our kickoff last night and it was a blast. We had only 7 of the 15 members present, but the rest are ready and rearing to be at the next one. We are even getting jersey shirts made with the logo above and will have Friday night get togethers every month or so. I can't wait. The first book that was drawn out of the hat was "The five people you meet in heaven". So here is a toast to my new club...can't believe I didn't do it sooner.

CAN'T STOP HANGIN' WITH THE GRANDPARENTS!!

Grandma Judy planing her accordion oh so well, and the kids dancing..such a nice sight!

Syd and Brock plain' those keys...they aren't half bad actually.

Savannah and her friend Grace dressed as...well not sure what they are dressed as..oh and Waddles our visitor for the day.

SPECIAL LETTERS AND POWER BALL

Brock received a very special letter in the mail the other day, from Mr. Santa Claus himself! Brock has been trying really hard to be a good little boy, but the temptations of being mischievous always seems to get him in the end. I do wholly appreciate his adorable tries at being as good as he possibly can, and love him just the way that he is....awnry and all.

With Savannah's grade money she wanted me to buy a couple $5 scratch off tickets and pick her numbers for the powerball. Here is her ticket above. Although I am not sure what the first few numbers are related to (I have my guesses) the 14 is Brock's birthday, the 25th is her birthday and the powerball...well that is her Papa Pete's birthday! Although the ticket was not a winner, I am positive this little lady will be lucky in other areas of her life, and who knows, maybe one time those numbers will hit. She asked me one day "wouldn't it be great if we one two powerballs?" I was like..."uh, I think one would be just plenty honey!"...she replied..."yeah mom, but two would be better." I guess you have to set your sights high. : )

MY SUNSHINE!

Just a school picture of my first born, my back bone, my wisdom giver and my motivator. She is as sweet, sassy and smart as any little girl should be. She makes me smile everyday and is the most kind and generous person I know. I am luck to have been chosen to bring her into this world, and I hope she feels just as lucky for me to be chosen as her mother. We are quite opposites, but bring out the very best in each other. I love her, love her, love her!!!

MY SISTER...THE TOOTH FAIRY!

A friend of mine was kind enough to send me this shot of my sister doing one of the things she does best...clean teeth at Dr. Standlee's office. She is a favorite of all the patients of course do to her ultra sweet and friendly personality. One of her favorite lines is "brush the ones you want to keep". She always brings us new tooth brushes and gives quick looks in our mouths to make sure everything at least appears okay. She is a big advocate of oral health and gets me scared sometimes about all there is to know. Now if she could only get her sister in there...; )

BROCK'S BLOG

I know I have posted this before, but I believe the address changed. Sam has been keeping a great blog about all his adventures with Brock. They are always great posts, and worth checking out.

THE LEGEND OF SAMUEL BROCK

http://chiefly34.blogspot.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRANKLIN BEDFORD WALZ (PAPA PETE)!

Sam picked Brock up from school and took him to pick out a present for Papa Pete. He did a great job picking out a Happy Birthday balloon and a Dr. Suess card. Papa Pete loves anything from his little mini me......

Especially hugs!

Brock getting his gun ready for action. He was very rambunctious this night and had all his boy tricks out of his sleeve and on the table for all to see!

Me cutting up Brock's piece of cake that he had been asking for all night...ahhh dear sugar!

Me adoring my little man, such a sucker for anything Brock.

Me and my two precious angels, that make me proud and full to the brim.

Vanny and her grandpa who she adores so much, and who in turn thinks the sun and moon sets to her.

All of us surrounding the man who ties this family together.

Me and my little look-a-like...although there is no debate on who is cuter ; )

OH WHAT A FEELING...

Clearly by this picture (I had politley asked Brock to SMILE for the camera), Brock is quite a jokester and can go from serious to funny on a whim. So 7:30 on Friday morning it was my first Parent-Teacher confernce on his behalf at the Montessori School. I was prepared for anything, while of course hoping for only the best remarks regarding my darling little boy. I walked in at 7:30 sharp and Mrs. Dottie Dallmeyer (who I used to serve on the HP Commission with) was gingerly triming their herb garden by a sunny window. We casually chatted a bit about the neighborhood since being on the Commission you MUST have a love for historic houses, and then it was down to business. I already knew they had moved Brock up a class because they believed him to be more advanced, but I wasn't quite sure what else these wise ladies had observed in my son. She opens her little folder and the compliments began to pour. She informed me that Brock was an agreeable and even tempered child who was VERY well liked not only by his peers but by all the staff. That he was respectful, courteous, and a great listener. He had an impressive memory and worked as well alone as he does with others. She told me that he picks up on new concepts easily and is basically all around just a pleasure to have in class....ummm YES! YES! YES!!! A GREAT begining to such a long road of what I hope to be success for him. Brock is very talented in his motor skills, has a very funny wit about him, but to be good in school too, can I really be so lucky? I am with Savannah but I had prepared myself for possibly more of a challenge with Brock in that area, you know because of his likeness to Huck Finn and all. But my fears have been put to rest for now, and I will cruise along with him on his journey of knowlege and hope that his brain and behavior continues to match his oh so cute little outside.

DEDICATION AND LOVE

Me and my baby sis Kaycee..who gets her incredible wit and personality from me...lol

Me and my main man Grandpa Pete. I love my Grandpa sooo much! He has the best stories of anyone I have EVER known, and is an inspiration in so many ways!

Standing room only...Grandpa with the Jays line up. Big loss for the Jays..big win for the road trippers!

At Arby's after the game...I spilled some sauce and I swear there were NO napkins anywhere, so Grandpa was trying to scoop it into a cup. He's the cutest!

The ultimate road trip:

So Grandma Judy called me up on Thursday..maybe Wednesday to ask me if I could take Grandpa to what could quit possibly be the last Jays game of the season. My first thought was "oh goodness, I am not a fan of long drives, night time driving, I am supposed to have Brock and not a huge fan of cold football games. The second thought that came to mind was "I would do ANYTHING for my grandpa", so my answer was of course YES...where do I sign! Then I thought, what a great opportunity for my mom and Kaycee to join in the fun that we were most certainly going to have, and the planner (me) did her thing. I was off work with Brock on Friday because of Parent-Teacher conferences (more of that later) and him and I had a wonderful day together, to be topped off with a short visit to the Grandparents where his daddy would pick him up after work. Savannah had her friend Abby over to stay at the grandparents, and I loaded everyone up and off we set to STL. The drive up was relatively uneventful and pleasurable, until we hit traffic and unfamiliar roads and my granny like reaction and panic set in. Mom had to take over once in STL and I needed the nearest gas station FAST for a cigarette refill. We got to the parking lot about 5 min till game time and hopped on the shuttle in the nick of time. Once there it was painfully obvious that sitting was not to be an option. No worries, we were with Mr. Optimistic himself, and if he didn't complain with bad knees, us girls had no right to..right? The game went swiftly, but unfortunately not in our favor. Those boys could have pulled it together better..but De Smet is a pretty tight team. Hopefully the Jays will come back with another Adkins like streak that we can all be proud of again. No matter though, Mr. Pete Walz has not missed even 1 home or away game since he played for the Jays and was a STAR! That type of dedication is one of the MANY things I admire about this man. A man who probably has no idea how many virtues he has passed along, because one of those virtues is humbleness..which leaves one blind to selfish accomplishments. The drive back we had great conversation and some debates while the teen girls slept, probably dreaming of some of the boys they pretended to ignore at the game. I pulled up to Grandpa's house a little after midnight, told him I loved him, and headed home with a heavy heart...full of of that warm fuzzy stuff that makes you so thankful for the ones you love.

CLOSE TO YOU

Why do birds suddenly appear, everytime you are near?

Just like me, they long to be, close to you.

Why do stars fall down from the sky, everytime you walk by?

Just like me, they long to be, close to you.

On the day that you were born the angels got together, and decided to create a dream come true... so they sprinkled moondust in your hair of gold, and starlight in your eyes of blue.

That is why all the girls in town, will follow you all around.

Just like me, they long to be, close to you.

CREATING A DAY OFF

I had the day off today with no kids...well until the evening. Although I could think of several things to do..clean, read a book, orgainze the basement...one particular idea lit up in my noggin.

I am especially fond of sentimental gifts and try to make them as often as I can for people. This year being so tight on money I have decided to do some collouges using some frames I picked up from my good friend Ashley Gates' garage sale. So I got Vanny off to safety patrol by 7:30, came home had my diet Dr. P and then did some turbo Jam (20 lbs weight loss goal by 2/10) and set up my craft table. The one thing I love so much about crafting is I get very intense and focused and it;s extremely thereputical for me...didn't realize how much I missed it. My back hurts more though, which is not a positive.

I decided to use the lyrics from Forever Young by Rod Stewart and I am very pleased with how it turned out. Now I have to do Sydney's (haven't picked a song yet), and my sissy were I will be using the lyrics from Dave Matthew's song Sister, such a lovely song. Then for everyone else I am going to Photoshop some picture into Lichtenberg pop style and frame them. Should be cool I think. So there you have it, one project down..many to go.

SUNDAY IS A DAY FOR...ICE CREAM AND ART!

At zesto's having some ice cream...my kids love ice cream and popscicles. I drove off with my sprite on the top of the car and it was still there when we got home...how cool! Is that like Quantum Physics or something? lol

Finished piece of Brock and Savannah's fall art piece. Vanny had an extra canvas she thougt shouldn't go to waste...so viola!

Brock and sissy glittering up the canvas and modge podgeing the leaves!

My little artists!! Both love to do crafts, and so do I, so i works out really well ya know?

They did a great job collecting all the nice yellow and golden leaves that were'nt too crunchy!

HARMONIES

A WALK IN THE PARK

What a beautiful day it was today..and in NOVEMBER! Right when Missouri weather is making you crazy, she'll throw in a beauty like today for good measure. And what is better to do on a day like that? Well go to the park of course! I decided I could get some stuff done for some awesome collouges I am going to do for the girls for Christmas. I set up my blanket workshop and managed to get a couple photos and videos before I let the kids free and put my idle mind to work. Brock is so funny because he walked up to at least three different people like they were old kin folk, striking up conversations and asking to borrow toys. He is definetly more outgoing than I am, so it rattles my cage a bit, but in a good way of course. Savannah made a friend named Paige that was home schooled. She thought that was so neat that she was home schooled and said "You would love to home school me wouldn't you mom?" Of course I replied that I would, and most likely that would be true, however, I am not sure all the things I would teach her would be textbook material. I would definetly have more of a unconventional approach, and the goal is to get her to "fit in" at least right now, and anyone who knows me knows I would be no help to that cause. So we were there for probably two hours, until Brock finally asked to go home...right after sissy helped him pee behind a tree.