Livin it up!

Happy New Years! (technically not for another hour and 40 plus minutes- BUT the sentiment is the same!)

Here's how we're bringing in 2010...

Kwynnie is reading a book

Kynna is doing research on the computer

Pucca is drawing in her room

and John and I are 'nerding' out watching Hoarders (a seriously crazy disgusting series on A&E) and Dog the Bounty Hunter. Your so jealous, right! :)

We may forgo the annual setting of the alarm clock (waking us at midnight to express New year salutations and then immediately going back to sleep)...because we might actually do it this year...stay up until 12am. Hearing fireworks and cars honking- neighbors reveling in the excitement of 2010! But even as I'm typing this- I'm seriously doubting it. Either way- 2010 is coming...goodbye 2009!

Christmas 2009

Happy birthday GMA T!

John's lovely sweet little grandma turned 94 on Saturday. So we loaded up the family and Ems in John's little car and drove to Hastings to party party party! We had a bingo party with Tillie and her friends! Fun times!

We love you Gma T!

Poor Poor Bessie

I name my cars. (Doesn't everybody?)Everyone of them is called Bessie. (I didn't claim to be creative!) Bessie Blue was my little blue Ford Escort that I drove throughout highschool. Bess -tus (Bess for short) came next, my white stratus. Then came Ms. Bessie Vanne- we lovingly called her Bessie.

Poor Bessie was squished between two cars in a rush hour collision on Friday. A perfect mixture of a crappy intersection, an inexperienced driver and ill-placed stop lights.

For those of you who live in the same city as I...I am referencing the spot of 56th street just as you pass Don and Millie's and start back down the hill heading north . I was stopped at the Elkcrest stop light behind a number of other cars. The car behind me ran the Edgewood light and SMACK-ed into me. I then hit the lady in front of me. scrunched. poor poor bessie.

The girl who hit me was just a teenager and instantly became hysterical. I mean crocodile tears and sobs. I could barely understand her. Then she started hiccuping...you know the cry hiccups that come when your emotionally spent! The lady I hit... was not helping. She told us to look on the bright side- She didn't have to go to work tonight.

The girl went back into hysterics. At first I was mad...I didn't need this. My daughter was waiting outside of school waiting to be picked up...I was already running late...I needed my car to get us all back to GI town for the holidays...it was going to be paid off in two months for CRY and OUT LOUD! ughhhhh! But I suppressed all that anger and told the girl to breathe. It was going to be fine. I told her to get back in her car...it was freezing. As she's walking back to her car...the other lady mentions the police are on their way.

The girl proceeds to freak out again. I walk her back to her car and tell her to get in and wait. I needed to make some phone calls...to the school...to John...to the insurance company.

Obviously the girl was at fault for damage to all three vehicles. I was thankful when her dad finally arrived to help console her.

John went and picked up Kwynn and came back and waited for the police to finish. We pulled over on a side street to check out the damage better. Pieces of plastic and metal were falling off Bessie as she trudged along. She didn't sound so hot. And didn't look so hot.

We decided to take her home (we weren't far). I got her into the garage when I noticed a nasty smell. Bessie was smokin! There was some electrical damage and she was filling the garage with grey smoke.

John took her out and parked her in the drive way...an acceptable distance away from the house. We really didn't need a house fire too!

We quickly grabbed everything out of the van and watched with anticipation from the garage as John hit the lock button on the keychain. I don't know what we were all expecting...an explosion or something!? It was kind of funny. We all just looked at eachother, shut the garage door and went in the house.

Here she is...




and that's just her front end. Bessie sustained rear damage as well. Her back bumper is sagging, its scraped and dented and her hatch won't open and close properly. Poor girl...wish it didn't have to be this way!

We'll wait and see what the car docs say.

Christmas Traditions

With our new home (and it being our last home until we get shipped off to an old folks home by our children) and the aforementioned children growing older...I've really started thinking alot about family traditions. Family traditions from my childhood, from John's childhood, ones we've created and those we hope to create.

John and I work hard to keep old family traditions alive with the girls. We tell them stories and show them pictures of Christmas pasts. They love going through the ornaments and hearing about when it was made and by whom.

I wasn't completely sure that we (John and I) had started many traditions...I asked the girls what our family traditions were.

Going to GI town...spending time with Gma Ski, Gma Tillie, Gma and Gpa Kelly, and Gma Scarborough and gpa Gordie... baking goodies to share with our friends...going to the Vet's home to carol and hand out homemade Christmas cards...playing with cousins...

I asked what would happen if one year we decided not to go back to GI town for the holidays...what if we stayed in Lincoln?

I was bombarded with questions...

"Would everyone come here then?" "When would we see our grandparents?" "I don't think Lincoln has a Vet's home!" "What about the cousins?" "How would we get our gifts to everyone?" "Your going to totally confuse Santa! He knows we always go to GI!"

During the conversation I discovered that going to GI town and being with my family and John's is our Christmas tradition. And although its changed and had to tweaked to meet with our growing extended families...we prefer having the whole family together for the holidays. In any way that works! Whether it be in Nebraska, Kansas, Utah, Texas or even Hawaii... if it came down to it! (hint hint nudge nudge) As long as we're all together.

I can't remember ever having a Christmas when I wasn't with my grandparents...and I can't imagine it. I wouldn't want that for my children and now I know they feel the same way.

Christmas Baking

The twins are in 'stu co' (the hip middle school way of saying student council). I'm really impressed with their student council program...they involve the kids in a number of philanthropic activities. In the last two months there have been Pennies for Peace (an ongoing effort one week a month throughout the school year to collect pennies to build schools in Africa) a book drive for impoverished children around Lincoln (the twins spent some of their own money and bought a total of 27 books- YAY, girls!), frequent trips to an old folks home to visit and treat the elderly, and the teacher Christmas cookie exchange (each child in stu co brings three dozen cookies so that each teacher at their middle school can mix and match a dozen to take home).

My children, the generous souls that they are (insert dramatic eye roll here), volunteered to each bring double. So twelve dozen goodies were made this weekend...thank goodness my friend Jess came over to help!


While we baked and mixed and covered everything resembling a cookie in almond bark- Pucca and Ms K played and played. Ms K is Jess's daughter...a sweet little thing that I was able to watch when Jess and her husband first moved back to NE.



Ms K is 2...uh going on 16. She's a little bit of a thing and talks like the girls. Sarcasm, attitude and a sweet little girly laugh that you never tire of. Pucca LOVES playing with her. At one point while Jess, the twins and I were in the kitchen baking, John went to check on them upstairs. He found them in our bathtub playing time out. They had also built a fort in John's closet...filling it with every stuffed animal and baby doll in the house. It was super cute!

It was totally worth all the work...when this morning I took in the treats and was greeted with huge smiles. 'ooohs' 'ahhhhhs' 'Don't those look yummy!' and 'thank you thank you' were more than enough.

Snow day

Today is the first snow day of the school year. I'm seriously guessing tomorrow will be one too, but that's just my mother's intuition speaking.

The kids were in desperate need of some energy expending activity- so I bundled them up and sent them out to explore the new backyard. It took a little ingenuity to get Pucca's broken foot all waterproofed and safe- but with a few plastic bags and duct tape...anythings possible! :) Thank you, MacGyver- I learned sooo much!

here are some pix to enjoy...by the way I snapped these from the door way with a telephoto lens...there was NO WAY I was going out in that stuff! 9 1/2 inches and counting..I measured with my yard stick!

OH MY OH MY

Its been a LONG week! Moving is EXHAUSTING! I've said it over a hundred times since last weekend...but here it goes again- "I'm NEVER NEVER NEVER moving again! EVER!"

Our kids will bring home dates to this house, get ready for dances at this house, have their graduation parties at this house, we'll celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary at this house, the girls will bring my grandchildren to visit at this house and God willing, maybe even my great grandchildren!

Now I just want to clarify! I'm never moving again...because this house is it...its all we've ever wanted and more. The actual moving part just solidified it.

I'm not going to post photos on here of the house...privacy issues and all. So you'll have to take my word for it! I love it! The girls love it. And John loves it!

Only a bazillion more boxes to go and I should probably start my Christmas shopping...take care!

Thanksgiving 2009

We made a mad dash to GI town for a quickie Thanksgiving with my side of the family. My big brother and his family were in from Utah- it was great having the cousins together. My little brother wasn't able to make it - missed ya, Trev!

The food was great! Loved the frog eye salad! And the conversations were hilarious! Lots of laughs!

My family didn't have alot growing up - which isn't always a bad thing. We have the BEST stories to tell! We're always laughing and surprising our spouses with most outrageous childhood secrets. I know my mom loves having all the kids together - but I think a part of her is actually a little leery of those occasions. For some reason, we always end up admitting something (like a huge hole in the wall behind a cabinet, skipping morning swim practice when we were young by hiding out in the tree house, that there was a homeless man that lived in our backyard for awhile. etc) that leaves my mom reeling in shock!

Craziness and chaos...do you think its in the genes?


Here are a few pix from yesterday!

This how we serve gravy...no piddley little gravy boat here..no way jose!

Littlest cousin B...looks EXACTLY like his father (see pic below)

all the girls (mine and cousin E)

Pucca and E playing catch...it was surprisingly nice outside! Gotta love that with so many kids running around.

The mashed spuds my little brother would have ate- had he been there!

Pucca and her 'friend' cousin C


And the older kids (the twins and cousins A and N)


It was fun- my mom cooked all the food and it was WONDERFUL! Love you all!

go go go

We made a quick visit to Rochester last week. Pucca had a check up at Mayo Clinic on her arm and shoulder. She's still doing remarkably well! The twins came with - which was nice. They now have a little better picture of what Pucca's surgery and recovery was all about. But don't get me wrong - they played the bored preteen role superbly!

Saturday night John and I went to the game with my little brother and his girlfriend, Maranda. They live in Kansas, but are definite HUSKER fans! John's uncle and cousin were also at the game! It was nice catching up.


Lastnight was the end of the year program for the AD girls (a group of girls ages 8-11 that I help with at church). The program went great! Kind of bittersweet for our family- with the move, we are in a different ward.

After the program, as I was cleaning up- I felt a little tug on my skirt. I looked down to see a little girl. She told me that Pucca was hurt. She rolled her ankle while playing with the other children. It swelled up really fast and she wouldn't let anyone touch it or move it- so we took her to the ER.

She has hairline fractures in her ankle. mostly on the growth plate. And a piece off the tip of her leg bone had fragmented off. She will get re x-rayed on Wed, but has a rigid splint and crutches for now. Poor thing.