Life in a Small Town

There's the lady who had her picture taken with Kyle Brady

This was one of those weekends that you wish would not end, but sadly here I sit at 10:09 pm blogging about the fun coming to an end :( 

Friday night started was spent chaperoning the Middle School Valentine's dance.  Oh let me tell you . . . I was never so glad to NOT be back in school as I was while chaperoning that dance.  Whew . . . what an awkward social time in one's life Middle School is.  Yikes.  Had a good time, though.  I am sure I'll be chaperoning again soon.

Saturday we headed to the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show with our good friends, John and Lynn.  We had a great time.  Laughed a lot.  Walked a lot.  Ate a lot.  We were sitting at the Comcast area just chillin' and relaxing and Jason saw somebody that he thought was famous because "look at those shoes".  No joke.  The men and Lynn figured it out to be Kyle Brady.  I am not a Jets fan, but since I work for PSU, I am a big PSU fan.  Soooo, Lynn dared me to ask him for a photo.  Never one to miss a potential chance of making a fool of myself, I walked up to him and asked to have a picture taken with him.  I know how all famous people LOVE to be bugged.  He agreed and his manager/PR dude asked if why I didn't ask for his picture.  I told him he could join us in the picture, but he just laughed.  Well, I did not get my picture with Kyle or his PR guy, but Lynn did.  My PR person, aka hubby, did not get the photo because when I wanted to get my photo Kyle's PR guy said, "We are at booth #____ (can't remember), so please stop by for a photo and autographed items."  In other words saying, "Look, we aren't doing this for free any longer."  Since, as stated previously, I am not a Jets fan, I passed.  First of all I had NO coupon (and I am the coupon queen) to get that deal cheaper and second, he didn't play for the Eagles.  So, we moved on to our next fun thing at the Sport Show.  :)

Our next fun thing was Hannah not feeling well and wanting to go to the truck to rest.  We made it as far as the Small Arena where we stopped to enjoy the dog training show.  It was quite brief, but long enough for her to miraculously feel a bit better.  On our way to the truck, before we got sidetracked to the Small Arena, I passed a guy and he said, "There's the lady that got her picture taken with Kyle Brady."  I was busting up.  I find it odd that anybody would remember me at all and even odder that it was tied to that picture with Kyle Brady that never happened!  So, clearly they had me confused with Lynn who is way more famous than me because she got her picture taken with Kyle and Michael Waddell.  Clearly she is the person to hang with if you want to meet a famous person!

Grandpa, check out my massive quantity of cotton candy!!!
Lynn's BFF, Kyle Brady.



This appears to be a trap to catch Big Foot.  This would make a great gift for John.  John and J would not pose for a picture with this enormous trap.

Had a great day.  Hated to see it end.

Sunday, we chilled out for most of the day.  Didn't go to Sunday School or Church because Hannah wasn't feeling well the evening before and so we all slept in.  Had a great Valentine's meal with a fabulous dessert.  Had a nice visit with MIL.  Visited with J's brother, SIL and kids.  Then took Jack with us on a walk with the dogs.  And finally got to meet dear, sweet Mischief :)

It was a great weekend.  Unfortunately, tomorrow is Monday.  Blah . . . Here's hoping everybody has a great week. 

All Access Pass to Fun!

Yesterday I neglected to securely close this cutie pie's crate door:

Let me tell you, he took full advantage of being home alone.  It appears he had the most fun in Katie's room:

YARN!  Oh what fun.  Let's see how many rooms this yearn can go through. (not sure why the picture won't upload in the correct format)

I hope she didn't want to finish this scarf.

So much yarn, so little time.

My boot began beside his crate, which is in our office/laundry room/multipurpose room which is in the back of the house and downstairs.  Katie's room is in the front of the house, upstairs.  So, let's follow the red yarn trail now, shall we?

From Katie's room, through the spare room.  Oh and look, there's the toilet paper. 

Took this off the hope chest in the spare room.

Yarn running down the stairs . . .

. . . through the kitchen.  Yep, that's more toilet paper and a throw rug.  And a hole in our floor that's been there forever, but usually strategically covered by that rug :)

From the kitchen into the dining room and . . .

around the dining room table a few times just for more fun!

This is our room.  My coat belongs downstairs.  Not sure how he got it off the coat tree.  That TV belongs in the attic with the yard sale crap treasures.  Those snow pants need to go to the attic too.  He did not move that stuff, I  just need to clean up our room.

There is our garbage can and it had a garbage bag in it, but he had fun with that too.  There is our remote to our TV.  But he didn't destroy the charger to the laptop, so he's not so bad!

"Let me out.  I am not done having fun!"

Jason was the first to find this mess when he got home from work.  He called me and honestly I expected worse.  I couldn't stop laughing as I walked through the house and saw mess upon mess.  Truth is, it could have been a lot and I do mean A LOT worse.  No furniture was destroyed.  Nothing expensive was ruined.  He ruined a pair of Jason's "mandals" (as J's brother refers to them as), which were on a shelf with 2 pairs of Columbia hiking shoes and 2 pairs of Nike sneakers.  So, at least he picked the least expensive footwear to destroy.  And, Hannah's bedroom door was shut so he didn't have access to that room or this would have been way worse! 

He did also have a full diet of cat poop from the litter box.  That is super gross.  Plus there was dog pee on the kitchen floor, but we think that was from Dakota because that dog is a nervous nelly and I am sure he was peeing out of sheer fear that they'd all be deported to some desserted island when we got home. I can only imagine Dakota watching Cooper thinking, "Stop it you moron!"

That's our life with pets . . . you never know what's going to happen when you leave the house.  When Jason called to tell me about this mess I was trying not to laugh and then when we hung up the song "1999" by Prince came on the radio and I just busted up because I had visions of Cooper ransacking the house and now those images were set to, "So tonight we're going to party like it's 1999" . . . too much not to laugh.

On a more positive note the kitchen and bathroom floors got scrubbed last night and both dogs got baths.  Now this weekend I'll deep clean the carpets because the thought of them running through the house after peeing in the kitchen grosses me out.  So, this has forced me to clean more than I wanted to this weekend, but it's all good and all clean.

 

 

Snow Day!!!!

We had a snow day on Tuesday and what better way to spend the snow day then, well, in the snow!  So, we headed to PePa and MeMa's for some sledding excitement.

First there was the realization that the car may not accomodate the large tube, but where there is a will there is a way and hey, she is probably the safest person in the car at this point:

 

Then there was the need to ham it up for the camera:

 
We finally arrived at our destination.  We got off to a rough start:

 

But once we got rolling, there was no stopping the fun:

 

 
 
Unfortunately the walk back to the top is not nearly as fun as the slide down the hill:

 

But, if the walk makes you tired, you can always take a brief rest.  In the snow.  Face first:

 
And if at the end of a snow day your child looks like this:

 
You must seek medical attention quickly because clearly at this point, the cabin fever is in it's advanced stages and may be terminal!

All in all, it was a great time and we really enjoyed our visit with PePa, MeMa, Aunt Cheryl and puppy Bella. 

Lake Tobias Wildlife Park

Katie's friend and her mom invited us for a fun day at Lake Tobias.  It only took us about 6 weeks to finally make this happen, but the fun finally took place this past Tuesday.  We got there when it opened and it was already getting quite full.  It was perfect weather for a day to visit the animals.  When we wrapped up our fun at Lake Tobias we headed over to Joannie's for a lunch and some time in the pool.  I don't have pics of our time at their home because my camera battery died :(

We've been busy . . .

Swimming

Biking

Taking Walks

Eating ice cream

Catching lightening bugs

Jumping rope

Swinging

Walking Dakota

Enjoying our first 2 weeks of Summer break.

I promise to post a better update. SOON!

How are you enjoying Summer?

2009 Halloween Parade

Tonight was the Halloween Parade in "Small Town".  Katie was in the parade with the band while J, H and I were involved as spectators.  We had a good time enjoying the parade with Maranda, Jack, Cathy, Ron and many others. 

Here they come:

Raggedy Ann & Andy.  They were so cute.  I love Raggedy Ann & Andy so I think this may have been my favorite "float":

Mom, I took this picture for you.  I thought you might enjoy this cute snowman:

 

I thought this float was very creative:

Isn't this float great?:

 

Hannah and her friends, Dylan and Delaney:

Why do they insist upon having these Carts-O-Crap at all functions?  I hate these things.  Hannah always thinks she needs whatever they are selling.  Needless to say, nothing was purchased from these fine upstanding vendors:

Last night the girls baked a pumpkin pie and so tonight I planned to enjoy a slice of pie and some homemade cocoa with the girls while we talked about how much fun the parade was.  Unfortunately Katie spent the entire time on the phone with her mom :(  Hannah and I watched "ICarly".  Not exactly how I thought the night would go, but the parade was fun.  Hard to believe we are halfway through October already. 

I am not sure what happened to the formatting of this post, but it's 11:49 p.m. and I could care less if the photos are not all centered.  :)  Time to hit the hay . . . the alarm will be blaring in 5 1/2 short hours.

Fantastic Fall Weekend

This was one of those weekends that I wouldn't mind repeating.  Friday the girls and I hit a local Farmer's Market and while we didn't really buy much, it was just a nice relaxing time for us to hang out together.  Following our time at the Market Hannah had a special time with her Youth Group watching "Monsters vs. Aliens".  The kids had an awesome time.  Thanks, Shannon.  She always has fun when she is spending time with the youth group.

Saturday was an 8:30 a.m. soccer game for Hannah followed by a very exciting 10:30 a.m. soccer game for Katie.  Katie's game was awesome.  No score for either team, but the two teams were so well matched that the game was just phenomenal.  GREAT job Katie.

Later on Saturday afternoon we traveled about an hour away and attended a band competition.  Some of us take our traveling very seriously:

Saturday night was a gorgeous Fall evening.  We got to enjoy this spectacular sunset:

Even though our band was not competing, it was a fantastic performance.  The other schools were judged, but our school was there for just an exhibition.  They did a great job:

 I am so proud of Katie.  During her performance I had some near tears moments when I realized just how fast she is growing up.  She is going to be 13 in just a few short days.  I can hardly believe it.  She was just 7 when I met her.  Where did the 6 years go?  And Hannah . . . I can hardly believe she is 6.  When I look at here I still see the little baby girl that I met when she was just 1 year old.  Man . . . it is  just too much to think about some days.  I miss the days that their world revolved around us, now we have to compete for their time among school, friends and other committments.  I must say, I am not digging that at the moment.  I wanted to run out on the field and drag Katie home with me and play "Sorry" like we used to when she was 7 after Hannah went to bed.  I thought I might get tackled by security before I got to her, but I saw security, I could have taken them.  I really think this whole growing up thing is way overrated!

Today the girls and I cleaned up the messy car, thanks girls!  After that we headed to a local nature center and enjoyed the gorgeous Fall scenery.  Dakota really enjoyed his time off the leash to explore nature as well. 

When we got home we decided to decorate some pumpkins:

Aren't they cool?  I got this idea from Martha Stewart.  Her pumpkins were a bit more formal, but I think our pumpkins are just too cute. 

This is my favorite one, the pink with green design.  I thought it turned out fantastic.  These things are taking forever to dry.  I am hoping that by tomorrow evening I can decorate with them.  Thank goodness that today was gorgeous so we could do all our glittering outside.  Glitter in the house is just too messy!

In between all our fun today I made a huge pot of beef vegetable soup and it's mighty tasty if I do say so myself.  I have been so hungry for beef vegetable soup! 

And sadly our weekend is now wrapped up.  It went by far too quickly and I miss the girls like crazy now that they are back at their mom's.  I also miss my hubby when he is not here.  I can't say I am a big fan of Sunday nights :( 

This week will be fun.  Katie is in our town's parade this Wednesday.  If you would like to come see her performance we'd love to have you.  Hannah wants to be in the parade too, but she is not.  That does not make her happy at all.

Well, I guess I'll go unwind for a bit before Monday rolls around way too fast. 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

Priceless

This week has been "one of those weeks".  To say this household is busy would be like saying there is a little water in the ocean.  Today has been CRAZY!  Today was a usual crazy day and then we threw dentist appointments into the mix to be sure there was no downtime whatsoever.  I got home and made a nutritious and scrumptious dinner sure to delight any working husband's heart of frozen pizza.  In the midst of the chaos I decided to bake the chocolate chip cookies that I mixed up last night.  Double batch, no less.  My mother in law dropped by for a visit and was so kind as to help Hannah get a bath!  THANK YOU!  That was one thing I could check off my "to do" list for the evening.  I greatly appreciated it.  Grandparents are just awesome.  They are so giving to the kids and these girls are mighty lucky to have such wonderful grandparents all the way around.

They are PRICELESS!

Circle 'O Death

We had quite an experience this past Friday at our local fair, to which I will probably never return.  I am not a big fan of fairs anyway because it just seems like a huge family reunion for weirdos and freaks to me, but I went to this particular fair because K was participating in the Cavalcade of Bands.  I thought I'd support her.  Little did I know it was almost at the expense of the life of H.  What started out as a fun day ended up being a horrible experience.  The day started out fun, by running through this maze:

Then all the kids decided that this ride would be fun:

H went on the ride with our friend, Shannon.  I hate spinning rides, so this plan worked for me.  K didn't go on because she too hates spinning rides.  So, K became a human cup holder for her friends.  The ride seemed to last forever and then when we thought it was done it went backwards.  It just NEVER stopped.  Then one of the riders spewed over the side and then, and only then, did the operators of the ride stop the ride.  They came out of their little booth laughing and saying they had "pukers on board".  Hmmm . . . who wouldn't puke when they are on a ride for 20 minutes STRAIGHT?  No joke and no exaggeration.  The kids were on the ride for 20 minutes.  I confronted this guy whose back is to the camera because surprisingly he became a bit shy when he saw this mad mama had a camera:

When I asked him why they were on the ride that long he said that's how long the ride is timed for.  Then he kept laughing, well he won't be laughing long when he gets news that I asked his boss for his termination along with his two buddies that were operating the ride. They told other parents they were in the bathroom while the ride was in motion.  Now I ask you, even if that was the truth (and it is not) does that sound valid?  Why would leaving a moving ride sound like a good idea?  Long story short, the Dept. of Ag is involved, the Fair Board of Directors is involved and Bartlebaugh Amusements (who own the rides) are involved.  You don't jeopardize children's safety and well being and then laugh about it. 

It took H awhile to recover, but she musterd up the courage to give this a try.  This seemed a much safer alternative to me:

The Cavalcade of Bands went on and they did great.  One boy didn't even make it to the event because he was too sick and after the show numerous kids passed out.  Yeah, those morons operating the ride were real cool:

That will probably be my last fair.  Ever.  I'll just have to find another place to buy my cotton candy and funnel cakes.  And I am ok with that.

A Day 'O Fun!

In an effort to give J as much peace and quiet as possible so he could rest while still getting used to the graveyard shift, the girls, Dakota and I packed up the 'ol family sedan and headed south to visit this crew:

Pops broke out the John Deere for some exciting entertainment:

Hannah driving, yikes!

 

Hang on boys!

 

Yeah, we lived!

 

Hannah and Maggie got to play quite a bit together today because Bobbi dropped by and we got to meet Reilly!

 

He is just to stinkin' cute.

 

4 lb. Reilly intimidated the fearless 40 lb. Dakota.  Sigh . . . I give up on having a brave dog!

 

Reilly did not intimidate Sadie.

 

Dad rescued these snapping turtles from his garden.  He nearly rototilled them under in the garden.  He and mom claim there are 18 in that tub, but I failed to find 18.  Can you?

 

When Ethan is behind the wheel of this 'Vette, LOOK OUT!  He'll smile at you while he attempts to run you over. 

 

These two were in a hurry to get to the picture session with Pops and Grandma. 

  

Oh it is a sad, sad day in history.  My brother and SIL are officially older than me . . . they have succumbed to the seduction and lure of the minivan!  That's right, they are no official soccer parents.  I will have to find one of those magnetic soccer ball stickers for their new ride.  I should probably also find one of those "my honor student is better than your slacker" stickers as well for them!  Yep, they are officially minivan owners now.  Good luck with that guys :) 

Tonight when I dropped the girls off at their mom's house I got to see this cool fort that they built with their stepbrothers.  In order to get to the fort, we used their 4-wheeler and guess who drove?  Katie!  I was a passenger with my 12 year old . . . oh man . . . I got a real hard and fast glimpse at my future with the kids.  How did she get old enough to be giving me rides somewhere?  It's insane how fast time flies.  She was a good driver too.  We only nearly ran over one neighborhood dog and 2 rabbits!  I consider that a success that all 3 animals are still alive and well :)