WASILESKI BUNCH

Our Oklahoma Trip-part one

2009-07-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

It was a very hot trip to Oklahoma/Texas. One day it read 108!

While we were at my Dad's house, he and Pam babysat the kids so Alisha and Eric and Chad and I could go on a double date. We went to PF Chang's to eat, to an improv show called four day weekend and then to a dueling piano show. We had a blast. The kids had nachos and movies while we were gone and had so much fun with YaYa and PaPa

My sister and I took our husbands out for a night on the town in Fort Worth

Me and my little sister

Downtown Fort Worth

Alisha saw this interesting fellow at the dueling piano show and had to get a picture with him. He was very popular with the ladies..lol

The Improv was hilarious

Me and Alisha at the Improv show

Alisha with Katelynne

The next morning we went to breakfast with all 15 kids!! This is the first time in 8 years that my brothers and sister have been all together

Me and Chad :)

Mom

Alisha and Eric with Brynna, Elias, Parker, Skyler, and Chandler

JR and Nikki with Zach, Quintin, Katelynne, Quartin, Bradley, and Conner

Melissa, Brady, Daryl

JR, Alisha, Mom, Tina, Daryl

My mom with all her grandchildren

Front Row: Quintin, Katelynne, Brynna, Mom holding Bradley, Conner, Zachary, Quartin

Back Row: Elias, Jackson, Brady, Grayson, Reagan, Chandler, Parker, Skyler

Family time at my Aunt Evelyn's house for the 4th of July

Jackson and Daddy lighting fireworks
Reagan
Elias with his sparkler

On the way back...Mississippi River

The world's largest cross

Drove through the town where Carrie Underwood is from

The St. Louis Arch

Stopped at the oldest capital building in Illinois

Thought this was funny

The Great Wolf Lodge

2009-04-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Always the Joker :)

We took a mini vacation to The Great Wolf Lodge because Uncle Doug (Chad's brother) came to visit from Idaho and we wanted to take him some place fun.

It is an indoor waterpark hotel with lots of fun things to do. Here is a series of pictures of Reagan and Grayson going down the slide they have called "the toilet bowl"

The slide shoots you out of a tube into this bowl and you go round and round until it shoots you down the drain.

They loved this and went over and over again

Just a few pictures of the park

The gang..and of course we had to wait until I had wet hair slicked back in a bun after swimming..bleh! lol

Jackson was posing for this picture..lol He had fun in all the fountains

Chad and his brother Doug. I think they had more fun than the kids

Reagan and Grayson taking a break on the lazy river

Grayson jumping across the leapfrog pond

Reagan and Grayson racing across...guess who won!?

Jackson giving a "having a great time" thumbs up!

Jackson and Uncle Doug checking out the water park

Grayson with the wolf on the ouside of the hotel. It was really cool !

This kids sitting on the wolf...which is actually part of the building

The entrance of the hotel

Jackson in front of the clock tower animated show characters that are in the hotel lobby

We spent hours playing MagiQuest in the hotel

The kids had a fabulous time showing their "favorite hotel" to Uncle Doug and creating memories.

My wolf cubs

Gifts from Nana and Papa

2009-04-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

Jackson got some nice gifts from Nana and Papa.

Thank you Nana and Papa!!

Jackson turns 6 years old!!

2009-04-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

Jackson turns 6!! I cannot believe he is getting so big. We had his birthday party with his friends at Burger King.

Grayson, his friend Noah, and Jackson's buddy Tyler

Jackson opening gifts

With all his friends

Making a wish!

Reagan and her friend Alexis

Jackson's friends

Eating their burgers and nuggets.

My kiddos!

The party setup

My birthday boy!!

Super Mario Bros Party

Easter Sunday

2009-04-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

Me and my sweetie on Sunday morning getting ready to go to church.

Tina and Chad

My beautiful children

Jackson said he could not figure out a good smile :) lol

Reagan- 11

Grayson-9

Jackson- 6

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

We had an Easter egg hunt at church the Saturday before Easter. Here is a picture of Grayson's group.

Jackson just wanted all the candy.

Everyone emptying their eggs

Reagan with her basket full. It is sad that this will be her last egg hunt. Next year she will be the egg filler/hider.

Grayson and his best bud Noah found some golden eggs!

Jackson finding the eggs

He would shake them and if he did not like the sound, would throw it on the ground because he said it did not sound like the "good" candy. Lol

Jackson on the search

Look what I found!

So Proud!

2009-04-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Grayson got a student of the month award for cooperation! It came with a free frosty from Wendys. We were very proud of him!

Grayson's Birthday!!

2009-04-24T06:47:00.001-07:00

Grayson turns 9!!

We had a great day. We took some of his friends to the movies and then back to our house for pizza and cake. We watched Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D.

Getting ready to blow out the candles
Opening his gifts

Pizza time

Grayson's cake in the Tony Hawk theme

Hanging out getting ready for the movie.

The birthday boy!

I can't believe he is growing up to be such a handsome young man!

Volleyball

2009-04-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

We are having a great volleyball season. Reagan has great coaches and loves her team.

Reagan's team...the bulldogs
Down and ready!

Reagan...number 11!

She loves volleyball and has decided that this is her sport

Reagan turns 11!!

2009-02-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

Reagan had her 11th birthday on February 11th!! She had a bowling party. We also went to dinner with a few of her friends and then shopping at Justice afterward. I can't believe she is growing up so fast!

Chowing down on some grub!
Opening gifts.

Reading card with lots of gift cards!

Not the most flattering picture of Reagan and her friend Emily

Blowing out 11 candles is hard!

Eating some pizza and cake

Reagan and her friend Jenna

Reagan and her best bud Kylie

Reagan and Alexis

G-man

Reagan and her best friend Caitlin

Reagan and her other friend Jenna

Reagan and Allison

The cool newly remodled bowling alley

Reagan's cake

Jackson kept trying to get in all the pictures lol

Even the mom got to bowl :)

Jackson checking out the score boards

Jackson and Alexis bowling

Reagan and Jackson are two peas in a pod

A Day At The Park

2009-01-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

We had a nice day last weekend and decided to visit a really cool park about 30 minutes from our house. The kids were really excited and glad to get some fresh air. They had a lot of fun.

Jackson in the tower
Reagan with her new scarf she got from Santa

The boys loved these tractor tires

My sweet boy. He always smiles as soon as he sees the camera. I cannot ever get candid photos of him. lol

My prince charming

The boys were hiding from Daddy who was chasing them through the wooden castle.

Reagan was actually trying to push her brother off, but they thought it was fun. lol

My sweet princess

My handsome boy

Jackson on the baby slide.. he can almost reach the ground. lol

I have no clue what my graceful daughter is doing.lol

Monkey boy

Having a race on the tires

Jackson lost :(

Grayson on his way back as Reagan is still on her way to the end lol

A random moment of kindness...helping out lil bro.

Grayson loved these swings... he called them the "Roller Coaster Swings"

Jackson loved them too.

Reagan was having fun

We then it the rock wall. A favorite

Jackson was afraid to go over, but there is that "cheeeese" smile I was telling you about. Never without a pose. lol

I was waiting to get the scared face, but no.... "Cheeese" lol He must have known I was waiting. lol

He kept saying " I am afraid of heights, I am afraid of heights.." the whole way over and down.

Grayson, up and over.

Reagan was afraid her belly was showing...MOM! lol

Reagan

Jackson liked this rock

Of course mommy had fun too! lol I was cracking up because Chad had the kids do an obstacle course.. and then it was my turn. I was laughing at how slow I was. lol

My beautiful girl

My sweet Grayson. You can really see how beautiful his eyes are here.

Happy New Year!!

2008-12-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone and tommorow will be a new year! It seems like the past year just flew by. We did not take any pictures on Christmas because I wanted to spend the time WITH the family instead of just taking pictures. I just got a new camera so there will be many pictures posted soon. We had a wonderful holiday. Santa was very good for all of us. The kids were bombarded with gifts from everyone and they were very happy. Thank you to all for the gifts. I will post more next week after I get some new pics to add. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Busy fall schedules!

2008-10-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

Since school started, we have been soooo busy. Our week is so compact with things it is not even funny. Here is a breakdown for you..

Monday- Reagan- Dinner theater practice in the morning(she has the leading roll) and Piano lessons

Tuesday- Reagan- HOTS -Higher order thinking skills(she goes to another school for the day for gifted and talented) and Choir practice-Volleyball
Grayson- Soccer
Jackson- Soccer

Wednesday- Reagan's student counsel meeting and All three church choir(Reagan has the leading roll in this performance too! yikes).

Thursday- Reagan- Volleball
Grayson- Soccer
Jackson-Soccer

Friday- Day Off!! (Unless there is a Cub Scout meeting)

Saturday- Reagan- Volleyball game

Sunday- Church ( I teach Sunday School-so have to prepare for that)

Did I mention that I work part time during the day, volunteer to read for Grayson's and Jackson's class on Monday and Tuesday, and find time to shop and make costumes and keep the house tidy while trying to look beautiful and keep my sanity! lol

Well, here are some cute pictures of the kids. They are the real reason I do all this.

Soccer time!

2008-10-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

Graysons team picture

Well, it is soccer time again. Grayson is doing really well and is playing on the big field now. He is learning positions and doing really good.
Score!
Going after the ball

Reagan's trip to Top Sail, NC

2008-09-13T19:30:00.001-07:00

I forgot to post the pictures of Reagan's trip to the beach with her friend this summer. She was asked by our minister and his wife and daughter to go on vacation with them to Top Sail, North Carolina. I was a little hesitant, but let her go on this adventure. She spent most of the time at the beach, but she also went to the turtle hospital and while walking on the beach actually got to witness turtles hatching and helped them out to the waves by scooting them along and guiding them in the right directions. They were getting confused by the porch lights while trying to find the reflection of the moon in the water to guide them. That was a once in a lifetime opportunity!! But, I am not sure who was more homesick, Reagan or me. I missed her soooo much and we were happy to have her back home. She had a blast though and was grateful that she was invited.

The girls picked up some friendship bracelets to signify their bond.

This was the beach house that they stayed in.
Getting some surfin time in!
They had to work on their tans also!
At night, they worked on some crafts.
They even included Reagan in their family pictures! They were wonderful to her.

Back to School!

2008-09-13T17:57:00.001-07:00

Well, it is that time of year again...back to school. I can't believe that I have a fifth grader, third grader, and now a kindergartener!! Jackson was very excited about starting kindergarten. He was happy to see some of his friends in his class.

Getting ready to start the first day of school!
On the way to school the first day
Reagan and Grayson started school a week before Jackson. They both love their new teachers.
Grayson, my big third grade boy! Grayson was happy to go to school. He is excited about third grade and all the friends that are in his class. His class has a reward system with play money and he gets the choice of prize for his earned bucks. This is very exciting for him and a great incentive for good work. He is starting soccer soon and is also in cub scouts this year. He will also be singing in the church children's choir. Reagan is starting out with a tough teacher, but she is up for the challenge. She is going to busy this year with a new gifted and talented pull out program called H.O.T.S (higher order thinking skills) where every Tuesday she goes to another school. She is also taking piano lessons, playing volleyball, joined two choirs, and student counsel. She decided not to be in girl scouts this year.
Jackson, my baby, is going to do great in kindergarten. He is so happy to be going to school like a big kid. He recently learned how to ride his bike without training wheels and is learning to tie his shoes. He is already an avid reader, but the social experience of kindergarten will be good.

Now with all the kids in school, I will be working. I have recently changed companies and now work for a company that only works for VA hospitals which makes my work that much more familiar and rewarding. I love it. I decided to only work part time so I can volunteer more at school and to keep my house running smoothly. So far, it has worked out great!

Reagan's New Haircut

2008-09-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

Reagan decided to start the new school year off with a fresh new look. We both love her haircut. Everyone compliments her all the time. It was a great idea!

Can you tell how happy she is with it.

Summertime

2008-09-13T09:58:00.001-07:00

We had a very busy summer this year and it went by too quick. Here are a few pictures that captured the fun.

One of the things we did this summer was attend the fourth and fifth grade lock-in at church. Reagan had a blast and stayed up until 4 am.

There were 16 kids and they had alot of fun.
We also went camping over labor day weekend at a christian family camp and got to see "One Time Blind" and they were really awesome. This is an overview picture of one part of the campers. There were basketball tournaments, volleyball, carpet ball, and swimming and boating. We all had a fun time.
We had the privelage of being invited with a friend and they had about 30 family members there and they welcomed us as part of their family and were really great. We shared food, campfire stories, and the kids met some new friends.

The girls also did face painting.

Here is a picture of some kids playing carpet ball. It is a fun game where you roll billiard balls down the board to knock your opponents into the trench.

Daisy had fun with the kids through the summer.
Jackson -5 years
Reagan-10 years old
Reagan and Daisy

This is the group shot of church camp for the kids. Reagan is straight up from the S in Christian in the grey sweatshirt. Grayson is the top right boy sitting next to the girl standing on the end in the pink. You can barely see his head.

The group of girls at the beginning of church camp that Reagan, her friend, and Grayson went to. It was at the same place the family camp was held. To see some pictures go to
Jenna and Reagan on their way to church camp
We also babysat the class turtle over the summer. His name was scrambles and we actually liked having a turtle as a pet. It was fun to feed him worms.

We also did alot of swimming. Here is a picture of Jackson with his friend at the pool.

The kids sang with the church choir for Relay For Life for the American Cancer Society.

I would have had more pictures, but we were too busy having fun!!

Great Wolf Lodge Vacation!

2008-06-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

On Memorial Day weekend, we went up to Mason, Ohio to The Great Wolf Lodge. It is an indoor water park with an arcade and is completely meant for kids and families. We had so much fun~ but it was exhausting!

One of the first things we did was play a game that they have in the hotel called "Magi Quest". You buy a wand and throughout the hotel are animated screens with instructions on the game and you are on a scavenger hunt to find all the things to earn certain stones. It was so fun.

First you have to start at the trees where the wizard gives you information about your quest.

You then walk down the halls of the hotel to find the clues which are in paintings, on the ceilings, in objects, and in treasure chests. You have to point your wand at it and that will activate a voice telling you if you are at the correct thing and it collects your points.

When you find the treasure, you get gold which you will give to the Pixies later on.

This is the man in the tree that tells you how many objects you have found so far.

Here is the Pixie treehouse where the pixie completes your reward for that particular quest.

We decided to take a break from Magi Quest and relax in the room.
Then Reagan and I went down to the spa for some mother-daughter time. We both got pedicures!

Reagan was proud of her red nail polish!
She got to go to the Scoops kids spa and her feet were lavished with icecream and chocolate scented soaps and lotions

In the hotel room, the kids had their own "tent" and this was Jackson's favorite painting.
There were many cute paintings.. Grayson liked the map.
Reagan thought the binocular painting was cool!
And I loved the little squirrels.
Their "tent" had bunk beds, a table, and their own TV.

Then it was onto the water park!! This was Jackson's favorite water slide. You can see Jackson's and Reagan's heads on the slides. They were having a race.
This was a giant bucket of water that filled up and then dumped on the kids who were standing underneath.
Chad, Reagan, and Grayson coming down from the Water Rollercoaster! It was awesome.
Grayson and Chad..you can barely see Grayson lying back.
Reagan

They love swimming! Grayson's eyes were so red from swimming that I made him wear his goggles.
Reagan
Jackson and his blue lips. The temperature was 85 degrees and he still had blue lips~ lol.
Reagan sitting on top of a floating mushroom
This is the treehouse ..the waterslides for Jackson are to the left of where this picture was taken. So much for him to do.

We decided to check out the outside pool but quickly went back into the warm pool. Still a slight breeze and freezing water.
Grayson on the snake in the pool. They spent a lot of "down" time here.

We also went to the arcade. The kids loved this roller coaster ride.

Of course I had to play Deal or No Deal and I WON!! I won 400 tickets because I got the biggest case and chanced it all to the very end!!
One side of the water park. Taken near the wave pool.
Grayson also liked the lazy river.

On Saturday, there was a magic show. They also had baby wolf pups for the kids to pet and a Wolf Walk where they played games as they toured the hotel.

This was the parents side of the hotel room
Kids tent
Grayson kept telling me this was the best place he had ever been.
Every evening, there was an animated storytime. It was in the lobby.

A view of the water park from the second floor of the hotel.

Jackson
Reagan
Grayson

This was one of the restaraunts in the hotel. We got to eat in a tent. The food was awesome!
We finally finished up our Magi Quest before we left the hotel. This is the dragon's lair with all the gold.
There was a certain pattern and timing to be able to beat the dragon and after about 45 minutes of all of us trying, we gave up. LOL
Can you see the exhaustion on our faces~! lol

All in all, it is the best place to take a mini vacation with your children! I highly recommend it

Webkinz crazy!

2008-06-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

Jackson is Webkinz crazy. Between the 3 kids they have 15 Webkinz. Jackson loves them and carries one around and becomes attached to it for about a week and then switches to a new one. I actually love playing online with them also and the games are fun and educational! He begged me to take this picture after he had set all of his webkinz in his chair.

Jackson's 5th Birthday!

2008-04-23T14:30:00.001-07:00

Jackson had a monkey beach party for his birthday. He invited all his preschool class and half of them showed up. We had a blast, but had to come inside because of the rain.

Jackson got a new haircut after his party! He had to get big kid hair.

We had a spongebob pinata

CANDY!
While everyone is singing happy birthday, he is pointing at himself~ lol

We had a fishing game which was a hit~

Opening gifts

This was his day at school on his actual birthday. He got to wear this necklace all day at school.

Jackson and his friends

COSI Museum

2008-03-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we went to COSI children's museum after church for Grayson's birthday. We did not get there until after 2pm, so we didnt get to see it all because it closed at 5pm. We did get to look around a little and watch a great 3-D Imax movie though. We ended up getting a membership so that we could go back a lot! It is an awesome museum.

This was my very favorite part.. it is a life size model of towns from different eras. Here is one store front.. the drug store
This was the Appliance repair store
Gas station... Grayson had to pump the gas! lol
This is Reagan in the newspaper room....where I am sure she will be someday!
This is a corner of the historic town
This is the 50s town street
Reagan and Jack at the diner... where is my order already!!

The Grocery Store front

Here we are in the gadgets area
The kids were trying to route the flow of water to the bowel and got wet in the process...lol
Reagan trying to pull her own body weight
Here is the historic town again.. the kids were pretending to play checkers for the camera! lol
Here is Reagan trying to explain how the old cash register works and Grayson just wanted to push the buttons! lol

They had a Goosebumps theme for the month and this was "fear of falling" so they strapped you to a table and it fell backward. Grayson DID NOT want to do this or anything in the Goosebumps area. He has major sensitivity issues and this was not up his alley! lol But after being razzed by Daddy and Reagan, he conquered his fear and did it.

Reagan loved it!

This is the last picture that I have... this is the under the sea room. Didnt get the pictures I wanted because we had to rush through the museum to go see the Imax movie. When we go next time, I will take tons of pics!

Grayson's 8th Birthday

2008-03-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Grayson's birthday party. He had a dinosaur party and had a blast! He got lots of cool gifts and he thought it was great how the icing turned everyone's mouth blue.

He also wanted a King Kong cake!

He had me set up all his dinosaur toys and books for his friends to see. lol.

Here are the decorations

Make a wish

My baby is 10!!!

2008-02-28T16:04:00.000-08:00

Reagan had her 10th birthday party and we decided to have a slumber party! Boy oh boy!! There were 11 girls total. It was a VERY LOUD but very fun party. The pictures are a little backward, sorry.

Opening gifts.
Blowing out candles.

Good night!!
The next morning
Dance Dance revolution contest. Pizza time!
DANCE TIME!
Painting jewerly boxes

The girls had alot of fun!

Jackson's first girlfriend!

2008-02-28T15:52:00.001-08:00

This is Jackson's first girlfriend. They adore each other and every day when I pick him up, they have a 5 minute hug session. For Valentine's day he gave her the biggest Valentine card just for her. Puppy Love!!

CUB SCOUT CAR DERBY

2008-01-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

Grayson just participated in the Cub Scout box car derby. He worked really hard on his car and ended up taking 2nd place!

Showing off his car
Using the dremel to cut out the grooves

Painting the car like his model matchbox car beside him
The finished product

Our Vacation to Idaho

2008-01-09T18:58:00.001-08:00

Before we left for Idaho, Chad got "Guitar Hero" for his birthday. We have had so much fun with this game~

Reagan sang in the church choir before we left, she did so well and looked beautiful.
We let the kids open some gifts before we left.
The big kids got a Nintendo DS lite and Jackson got a Leapster.

Jackson loved the plane ride

Reagan slept alot on the plane

Grayson and Daddy across the aisle.
Here is the view from our little puddle jumper airplane from Seattle to Idaho~ It is kind of scary to look out your window to see that~ lol
On the pathway up to the cabin
On our way to town one day we saw some wild turkey!
There was LOTS of snow while we were there...a winter wonderland~
This is our view of Chicago on the way back home.

Christmas Eve

2008-01-09T18:38:00.001-08:00

We all got together for some family pictures before heading out to Grandma and Grandpa Pillers house for Christmas Eve dinner.

Jackson is always trying to do silly things in pictures these days!~

What a crazy family we have~ haha

But sometimes we can all act normal.

From back: Papa, Aunt Jackee, Uncle Doug,Uncle Mike, Tina, Chad, Reagan, Jackson, Nana, and Grayson
Great Grandpa Bob and Great Grandma Helen
Giving hugs
We love visiting them~

Opening our traditional Christmas Eve gift....Pajamas!
Wrestling with Uncle Doug
Standing by Great Grandma Janene
Uncle Mike giving pony rides~
We all had a nice time together that night~

We then went to Christmas Eve candlelight church service together.

Christmas Day

2008-01-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

It was so nice to wake up on Christmas morning at Nana and Papa's house!

We open stocking stuffers first! We always get cool stuff from Santa!

My secret santa (Mike) got me some bath and body works~ love that!~
Aunt Jackee loves the scarf that Reagan crocheted for her and the bookmark that Jackson made.
Doug got Papa a "coon skin cap"..as you could see, doug was laughing tears~ lol

Jackson was very excited to see all the things that Santa had brought~
WEBKINZ~~ Jackson was VERY happy~
Reagan is LOVING her gift from Nana and Papa-an acoustic guitar. She also got an electric guitar from Grandpa and MeeMee... we are in so much trouble~ lol
Uncle Mike in his MnM pants
This looks like a scene from "Star Trek"
The kids with Papa~

Mike also got me a wonderful family tree ornament...I LOVE IT!
So many presents!

Grayson got some transformers that keep him busy these days~

We had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas at Grandpa and MeeMee's House

2008-01-09T17:38:00.001-08:00

The kids with Grandpa and Mee Mee (Chad's dad and Stepmom)
Opening gifts
My handsome husband singing and playing guitar with his dad and brother.

Uncle Mike teaching the kids handstands in the house~ What are uncles for? lol
Reagan
Grayson- my skinny mini
Wasileski

Hanging out with Lily the bulldog

Oh my gosh!! Who made that stinky smell..LILY~

The word "fart" makes them laugh so hard..lol
MeeMee with Travis, his girlfriend Angela, and Kyle
What a handsome bunch of brothers! Mike, Kyle, Travis, Chad
The Wasileski Men
Jackson loves Ruby the pug!

They couldnt get enough of her.

Uncle Kyle in his new helmet from his girlfriend!
Uncle Travis with Ruby! He is so silly!

Sledding

2008-01-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

The kids couldn't pass up the chance to sled on some big hills near Nana and Papa's house. Here they are at the top of the hill.

First wipe out...Reagan (aka crash)
Jackson LOVED sledding
Grayson

Where are the breaks??
Whoooaa!
I love sledding!
But we don't like trekking back up the hill.
Reagan

A New Year is approaching...

2007-12-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast the past 11 years have gone!!

Cub Scout Cake Bake

2007-12-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

Chad and Grayson had to bake a cake for the cub scout father/son bake off

Pouring the cake batter

Chad adding the frosting

Finished product.... it is a "Campfire cake"

Grayson was ver proud and won "Best Scouting Theme"!

The boys doing the cub scout salute to their pack leader.
Grayson doing a little knot tying while the judging is taking place.

Eating the cake~ YUM!
All of the cakes

This is Grayson's Den leader.

They had a good time and this will be a great memory for the both of them!

Christmas time

2007-12-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say how thankful I am to have 3 wonderful children. I love them so much and am proud of them everyday. They are growing up so fast. It just seems like the time is slipping away. By spring, Reagan will be 10, Grayson 8, and Jackson 5!! It just seems like yesterday when I was bringing them home from the hospital as newborns. I guess I am just going to have to give them lots of hugs and kisses and let them grow up anyway! lol

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

2007-12-05T12:25:00.001-08:00

It is an official :::: SNOW DAY:::::: We woke up this morning to this! The kids went out for a little while this morning,but not long enough for me to get some pictures.

Here is the back yard and it is still snowing. BRRRRRRRR!!!

Daisy on the other hand LOVES the snow!!! :)

She is always digging her nose in the snow to sniff things. Look at those mischevious eyes! lol
This is her side profile... she is a supermodel! lol

Nap Time

2007-12-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

We have been trying to get a nap time routine scheduled for Jackson since the beginning of preschool. We haven't been too successful though. Well, today I decided that he HAS to have a nap and told him to lie down while I put laundry away. I told him that i was going to put some music on so I could listen while I worked (psst..it was a lullaby CD with womb sounds and heartbeat). He started crying saying "I dont want to slleeeeeeppp. This is sleepy music" I told him in a convincing tone that "this was just relaxing mommy music that helped me do the laundry" Still...more crying but he wasnt trying to get out of his bed..hmmm. Well, I told him that maybe "Teddy" could lay next to him and listen to the music. Then I hear from under the covers "It is okay Teddy, you don't have to go to sleep either." Awww! Then I look over and see this... my sweet little boy is still my baby no matter how big he gets..lol.

Cub Scout Space Derby

2007-12-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Grayson and Chad spent a whole day working on his rocket for the space derby. It ended up being a fighter jet because Grayson saw a picture of one and that is what he wanted. He sanded and sanded it. Then, they painted the details. All of that hard work really paid off because he won "Best in Show"!!

GOBLINS AND GHOSTS!

2007-11-01T16:03:00.001-07:00

On halloween night we got together with a group of our friends from church and had a group trick-or-treating with dinner after. It was so fun!

Here are some costumes

I will start with the adults-Cruela DeVil (Jodi), Vampire (Russ), Flapper (Me), Stepford wife (Cathy-the twin's mom)

Dorothy(don't know her),Darth Vader-Caleb (he is only 5! His Dad is 7' 2"), Geisha-Kyli (Reagan's best bud), Demon Rider (Grayson), Cowgirl (Jenna- She is Grayson's age! Caleb's sister), Zombie Princess ( Reagan),

Little Red Riding Hood (Alexis-Reagan's other best bud), Power Ranger (Tyler-he never leaves his sister's side), Football player (Andy), Bobo Fet's Dad(sp?)(Micheal), Skeleton (Todd), Double Draculas (Jason and Andrew), don't know the lion and cant see who is being him, then there is Larry the Cucumber (Jackson)

Chad dressed as GI Joe ;) , Ninja turtle (Titus), Larry the cucumber (Jackson), Darth Vader (Noah), Demon Rider (Grayson)

Jackson was afraid to take candy from him..lol

The group again

Tacha (she is a dalmation that goes with Cruela-the work together) and Grace as a Geisha!
Here are the girls trick or treating.
My sweet zombie!
If you look closely, you will see the maggots! eww
oooohhhhhh!!!!!!

Boys
Trick or Treat
Look at our candy
Brock ( a great friend of ours) and his boys!

FALL FESTIVAL

2007-11-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

We went on Saturday to a fall festival at Lake Hope. The kids had a blast and so did we!

Chad took the older two on the horse drawn hay ride
Picnic in the fall
My handsome boy!
Grayson sawing through a log! They had them stenciled and spray painted with a spooky face after they got it cut.
This was in place of trick or treating..having the kids dig through sawdust for the candy. What a mess.
More digging
Jackson,Grayson, and Reagn with the crazy hair with a spider in it.

This is Jackson's best friend (ahem girlfriend..heehee) from preschool.
FALL!
Daddy at the picnic table
Reagan helping Jackson saw
Reagan sawing!

SUPERSTART

2007-10-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

Reagan and I just got back from a wonderful trip to Indianapolis with our church's youth group. It was a christian retreat for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders to teach them and for them to have fun. I went with our youth minister and his wife to help chaparone. They are the best with the kids! It was a blast! We drove 4 1/2 hours to get there. The first day they had everyone sign up and divided us into "tribes" The theme was "ancient ruins of the ouibi tribe (who we be)" and we were the "powi" tribe. Each tribe was part of a competition. It was alot like survivor without the rats! lol They did a lesson on being yourself and being who God wants us to be. It was geared to their age and they did a wonderful job. They also had a christian rock singer named Yancy (http://www.yancynotnancy.com/) who was very "hip and cool" lol. We then had a pizza party that night and then headed back to the hotel. The next morning it started over again and then there was a break for play time at a local family fun center. Then we went back for the ending of the lesson. It was very inspiring to see children be excited about God.

Reagan getting her Yancy CD autographed.

Here is her music.. Album: Loud & Clear It is great for Reagan's age when the other teen role models are Britney Spears and Paris Hilton!

Our group of kids on the stage

Small group time when Brock gave them time to talk about the devotion.
Do I blend in? lol
At the putt putt course.
Tacha and the gang
Me and the kiddos..I am in the back

The trip up there...see what we had to deal with! lol
arent they cute! lol
We did a little face painting on the way
Reagan...making a face a mom..lol
The set...it was the ancient ruins! lol

OU HOMECOMING

2007-10-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

We now bleed green! We have season tickets for the Ohio University football games and have been going to home games since the season started. We purchased tickets with a group of friends from church. There are about 5 families that all sit together. We have a blast and the kids love playing together at the games. Last weekend was homecoming, so we all got up and went to the parade but first all met up at the coffee shop for some breakfast on the brisk morning. It was so fun!

My son just wanted the candy and sat there the whole time eating what he caught from the parade!
Here are some of the kids waiting for the parade to get started again after a pause.
Here are some of the kids, my camera couldn't get them all.. the people in the background are our friends Jodi, her parents, and Tacha. The kids are as follows..Grayson, Grace, Kyli, Reagan, Allison, Jackson, and Titus.

Here are some of the boys that I couldnt get in the last picture. Micheal, Grayson, Noah with Allison, Kyli, and Reagan in the background. We are at the coffee shop having a cup of Joe (aka hot chocolate)
Here are Titus and Grace geared up for the game!
OU has the best band I have ever seen. They GET DOWN! They do the craziest routines and it is so fun to watch. I will try to get a video at the next game to post :)
This is the alumni band members and they also did the funky dances during the parade. It was so fun to watch!
Reagan watching the parade and waiting for CANDY!

Halloween Festivities

2007-10-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up for the fun of Halloween. Grayson wants to be a werewolf so he has been drawing lately. Here is one of his many werewolf drawings. I am impressed that he took the extra effort to make the letters spooky too :) Reagan is going to be a zombie princess and Jackson wants to be a tootsie roll..which I have to make. LOL I will be taking lots of pictures on Halloween to add to the blog!

Saddle up your horses, we've got a trail to blaze...

2007-10-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon we went to Uncle Buck's riding stables for a birthday party and I snapped some great pictures of the kids. We had a blast!

Jackson riding Abby.

Reagan and Abby the horse
Trotting along
Grayson's turn
I couldn't had set up a better picture if I tried. He was busy watching the kids and horses and I saw an awesome photo op! lol
Feeding the horses in the stables

Jackson was feeding the minature pony and it kept trying to stick it's whole hed through the gate.

They love horses and I have a feeling we will be visiting Uncle Buck's again :)

Soccer Time!

2007-10-03T12:06:00.001-07:00

Reagan and Grayson started playing fall soccer. They both love it and want to play every season now! I think this is our game :) Reagan like to play defense or goalie because she won't have to run as much! lol Grayson is all over that ball and don't want to stop running..lol. It is so hard for me not to yell and get excited! lol Here are some pictures

Reagan in her soccer gear.
Dodging the ref! lol
Coming in for half time
Sitting and having a lil water..She is #7!

Getting some H2O

Grayson's team is called "Black Venom"

He really sticks to that ball! lol

Grayson- Also #7 (cool huh!) Going for the goal
Grayson in the middle trying to free up the ball!

It has been a fun season so far!

A Beautiful Day!

2007-09-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

Today was such a beautiful day! Low 80s, clear blue skies, a breeze, and so crisp! The kids had an early release day at school today and so we decided to go on a bike ride and play on the playground.

Jackson saying CHEEEESSSEE
Go Go Jackson!
Look out..Reagan is driving the bus..! You know her nickname is "Crash"
Grayson on his bike!
Reagan trying to help Jackson. He wanted a scooter instead of a bike.

Two monkeys hangin around

My 3 wonderful children!

In mid-swing! LOL

Jackson can now do the monkey bars! What a big boy!!

Preschool Nature Walk

2007-09-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Jackson's preschool class went on a walk today and I had to go out and snap a picture from the deck! Yes...this is how close we are to the school. I LOVE IT! :) That way I can always keep an eye on them while they are on the playground..lol. Jackson's teacher is the one bending down to tie a shoe. The other is the teacher's helper. He loves his school!

School, School, School

2007-09-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

AHHHHHHHHH! Okay..feel a little better now. I am in the neverending zone of this medical transcription session of Orthopedic surgery. Although I find this exciting and interesting, it never seems to end. The picture above is what my desk looks like everytime I am working on school work. I have all my references out to look up that word that I have never heard or just can't quite make out. I am constantly kept up at night with words like esophogastroduodenoscopy and coracoacromial ligament running through my head! lol It would be okay if I could actually sit down and work on my school work nonstop but... after dropping the kids off at school, I take Daisy on a morning walk for about 30 minutes, I then work in the a.m. while the kids are at school (2 hours go by fast), pick up Jackson from preschool, fix lunch (while he always clicks my word program off with the report that I have been working on for 2 hours disappearing because I forgot to save it..grr..you would think I would remember to do that by now), work again to redo the report I already typed-but getting more practice-sheesh, try to play with him, clean house, do laundry and eat lunch all at the same time; work some more, get the kids snack, chores, and homework done when they get home from school, work a little while getting dinner ready and then maybe getting in a little time before bed. That is not to mention taking them to soccer, scout meetings, PTO meetings-volunteered my self on 2 commitees for fall fundraisers! ahh, church youth group planning since I volunteered to be the craft lady for that, choir practices, etc. I think I have piled my plate high enough to reach the ceiling and wonder why I have a tummy ache..lol. So... After I get through this session, I will have 3 more sessions to complete before January but my goal is to get them finished before our Christmas break trip to Idaho so I can come back in the New Year and start hunting for jobs! So....if you don't get calls or if I don't email you back right away, you will know why! HAHAHA!

Jackson's first day of Preschool!!

2007-08-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

My Big Boy :)

Hanging up his backpack...aww! He headed straight for the puzzles.
Grayson's classroom

Jackson was so excited this morning. His very first day of preschool! I am sitting here in an eerily quiet house not knowing what to do with myself...should I work on school, clean something, relax, what? lol His teacher if VERY sweet and I think that he likes her very much. He has already met a few new friends. I tried to give him a kiss goodbye, but he was too busy playing with puzzles. HA! I stopped by Grayson's class on my way out and snapped a picture of him in his class :)

Back to school!

2007-08-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of school for Reagan and Grayson. Jackson was so sad because he has to wait until Thursday to start school. His little heart was broken. You can see in the picture that he was trying to smile through the crying :( It was kind of rough getting up and out the door this morning. We never did a trial run and the kids didn't really start going to bed early until 2 days ago! oops! We were just enjoying our summer too much. My plan today is to have a fun day with Jackson and then work on cleaning and organizing for the rest of the week. I am going to try to get Jackson on a 12:30 nap schedule starting today. Hopefully that will work out. Tommorow he gets a 30 minute orientation with his teacher and to explore the class room. As we were walking by his classroom today he said "Can I just pleeeeaaasse go to preschool" Ugh! It broke my heart! lol He will be happy on Thursday morning when it is his time to be a big kid. Reagan was a little nervous about starting 4th grade. I can't believe she is that big! Where has the time gone? Grayson was happy to see that his best bud Bradley was in his class. He has spent all summer with Bradley and they are two peas in a pod. As we went to meet the teachers, I saw that there was alot of hyper boys in the class.. poor lady! lol Hopefully she will have full control of her class. HA I just can't believe how fast the summer went by, but we are all happy for a routine and schedule.

Girl Scout Family Camp

2007-08-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it is the end of summer and we wanted to do one last fun thing. Me,Reagan, and Jackson went to the lake campgrounds for a girl scout overnight camping trip. It was 100 degrees and not the best weather to camp in, but we had fun. She learned how to tie a knot for fishing line from the department of fish and game. We also went canoeing, sang campfire songs, made smores and campfire eclairs, and traded SWAPS(little crafty pins). We had fun but decided we were not really campers..lol.

Dinosaurs Live!

2007-08-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

Chad and Grayson had a "end of summer man's day out" and went to Dinosaurs Live. They had a blast. Grayson couldn't stop talking about it all day long.

American Idol concert

2007-08-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Reagan and I went to Columbus to the American Idol Concert! We had a blast. We went down early so we could hang out and just spend some time together. We ended up getting a hotel room that was 1 block from the stadium so we could walk there without having to deal with traffic. Chad had a golf tournament that day and the boys stayed with a sitter until he got home. They met us at the hotel that evening and had fun having a "guys night" swimming and hanging out at the hotel. After Reagan and I checked into the hotel and dropped off our bags, we went downtown to walk around and look at the shops. We went to the book store and found a few gifts for the boys. We then came back to the hotel and went to dinner at a restaurant next to the hotel and met another mom and daughter that were going to the concert. It was a nice chat. After dinner we walked to the stadium and hung out in the lobby buying posters and looking at all the fun things they had. Reagan sang karaoke and danced which was sooo fun and really got us pumped for the concert. She is a little superstar! lol Being on stage is definetly her thing. We eventually made it to our seats and I was a little disappointed at how far away from the stage they were, so the first half of the show I scanned the seats to find some empty seats that were closer. At intermission I decided that we were moving. Reagan was so concerned that we were going to get in trouble..lol. We found a whole row of empty seats right on the side of the stage. We ran down there and asked the people behind us if anyone was sitting there and they said no. COOL! So..we had a MUCH better view and way more fun in those seats, but Reagan was still concerned. LOL I wasn't going to sit in the back when I knew that the price of the empty seats were the same as what we had paid. :) I took lots of short videos, but my camera is horrible with indoor/low light pictures and I didn't get good pics. I will try to post a video or two on my page. We had so much fun and the best part was when Reagan said "I will remember this for the rest of my life". It was so special to have a mommy/daughter day, something that will be a great memory for us both.

Our Family Blog

2007-08-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

I decided to create a blog to keep our friends and family about our family since we are so busy that we always don't get to call or email. Hopefully I can blog a little every week. I am getting my house organized and getting school supplies and clothes bought for the upcoming school year. Reagan will be going into the 4th grade, Grayson into the 2nd, and Jackson into preschool! I have mixed feelings about my baby going to preschool. :( He will be the first of my 3 to be going. While I will miss my baby for the 3 hours/4 days a week he will be gone, I will also gain some much needed time for myself. While I would love to sit and watch Tv and eat bon bons..HA.. I will be busy working on school, cleaning house, paying bills, grocery shopping (which will be a luxury without small children running off, grabbing things, and whining)and hopefully going to the gym in the mornings. I will be graduating MTEC in January and will hopefully be working shortly after. My plan will be to work from home. If everything works out like I plan (ha) then I will start work at 7am, take the kids to school at 8:45am, pick Jackson up at 11:30am, feed him lunch and then down for a nap (please God) and he will sleep until the kids get home at 3:30pm. That will give me a full 8 hours of work and then I will have the rest of the afternoon to spend with the kids. We will see how this works! :) I will go ahead and sign off on this blog because I have laundry and clothes to sort through to see which things still fit. FUN!