Saturday, November 21, 2009

Sisters

By: Abbie Voth
(a poem in process)
An important part of a loving family
Even though not always manly
A person we are told to love
A gift and blessing from above
A friend with which to cry and laugh
Share joy and sorrow along the path
A friend with which is fun to party
Whose food is almost always hearty
An ear which is always listening
To whatever you heart is missing
A flikering candle of love
As gentle and quiet as a dove

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Droppin' like flies

This morning Abbie & Noah woke up with fever, cough, and headache. It was inevitable, I suppose, but I was holding out hope that they wouldn't get sick. I have informed Phil that he's not allowed to get sick, which eventually led to the debate of whether men get more violently sick then women, or if they are just bigger babies. His brother agreed with his theory, but I informed them both that just because I was outnumbered, didn't make me any less right! ;)

Grammie WARNING!!
Don't even read this next part...what you don't know will keep you from worrying!

Grace is still running low-grade fever, but that hasn't stopped her from climbing up on the roof to help hand out shingles. I made the boys come down yesterday. They were running all around & the guys were completely oblivious! I was like, one little misstep or trip & down they roll...off the roof. I envisioned broken bones, ER visits, concussions, and things of that nature. Phil assured me they would no longer run on the roof, and soon put them to work hammering in nails. I'm all for family working together, I just like to do it a little closer to the earth.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Another one bites the dust

Grace woke up this morning...sick. She has been running fever, but despite feeling miserable, she still got up on the roof with her dad while he tore off shingles. She told me she even took a nap up there. :) Phil's brother, Matthew, came over from Springdale, AR to help re-shingle the roof. I'm looking forward to staying home tomorrow & caring for my sweet girl.

On another note...I have to brag on Abbie for a minute. The girls' team lost, but she didn't run from the ball (like she did last year), and she even SUNK A SHOOT! I was so proud! And she was beaming the rest of the game. I didn't get a picture though, as I forgot the camera at home. Oops. Oh, well. Try again Thursday.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Happy Halloween

The bookworm

The soccer player

The pirate


The football player

(The pumpkin...as himself. Grace carved the pumpkin @ a birthday party on Friday night. Cleaned it & carved it all by herself. He was a great addition to our Halloween pictures.)

Recuperating...

It's been slow going, but I'm recuperating from having H1N1 last week. I think. I still feel like I'm coughing up a lung...and I sound like I'm a chain smoker, but other than not being able to breathe, I'm fine. Really.

It wasn't the way I planned to spend my last week of teaching, stuck in bed for 6 days. My "official" last day is this Friday. I'm not teaching this week, and honestly, I'm kind of anxious about what this week will "look like" and trying not to think too much about it. Trying is the operative word. I'm not sure I'm succeeding. And every time I start to think about it, I'm pretty negative. Sad, but true.

So...on a positive note...the Hillsdale basketball tournament will be this week - Monday, Thursday & Saturday. I'll get to watch Abbie play basketball and then cheer during the boys' game. (I'll post pictures. She will be so thrilled. But she looks too cute in her cheerleading outfit. Even if her mother has issues with cheerleaders in general. Sorry...highschool.) And back to being positive...the preschool & kindergarten classes have a field trip to a local corn maze on Thursday. It was cancelled last week due to bad weather, so even though I was in bed, I won't miss out. Yeah! It will be a fun day that I get to spend with my students, and my son, and my fellow teacher who has become a dear friend. And Friday is a "Good-bye" party for me. I love parties. Even though I cry to think about having to say "good bye". And even though it's embarrassing to be the center of attention. I still like parties. And cake. Let there be cake.

Oh, and chili and cinnamon rolls is on the menu for Wednesday night at church. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but until you've eaten Cathy's cinnamon rolls, you have no idea what you're missing, and can therefore not make fun of me for getting excited about it. And then, after getting my sugar fix for the week, I get to go out to coffee with friends. We're an odd mix of women, and it's amazing that we all get along. But it's a lot of fun, and my cup is always filled up and running over...literally. Mostly because I'm a clutz and spilling on myself, or maybe it's because I can't stop laughing.

So now I have something to look forward to on everyday but Tuesday. I guess I'll just have to steal some of my kids' Halloween candy on Tuesday & that will redeem the day. Chocolate always does.

That's my pep talk to myself. Thanks for listening. And goodnight. This cough medicine is getting the best of me, I'm afraid.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

For fun...

How could I resist posting these pictures of my silly sons?



Camping...

We went camping in late September with two other familes & had a fun weekend together at Keystone Lake. On Saturday, we drove over to our "old" church for their Country Festival. The kids spent most of the morning at the petting zoo begging to bring an odd assortment of animals home with us.
Who gave these boys SUGAR? And WHAT were they THINKING?!?! :)
The barrel train
Grace found a kitten that looked just like Shadow
The kids fell in love with the ducks - AFLAC!
Obsessed with FIRE