WOW

Yes, wow is all I can say about the past 10 days or so. It has been a whirlwind week or so....

Last week the kids enjoyed snow cone days at school. The Student Council brought in $1400 by selling snow cones for 2 days at 50 cents a cone. Pretty amazing. Jake had soccer practice, I had a carnival meeting and a bridal shower last week as well.

Over the weekend, Jake played in the Cedar Valley Cup soccer tournament. Their team placed 4th & got a copper medal. They played 4 games in 2 days & Jake was exhausted by Sunday night. He did manage to sneak to the new Indiana Jones movie with Scott on Sunday evening, despite being exhausted.

Between soccer games on Saturday, the kids and I volunteered at Hansen. We spent a couple of hours loading supplies into a trailer. The trailer was taken to Butler County to distribute the items to those in need from the recent tornadoes that destroyed that area. Allie told me that it felt really good to help out people that don't even have homes. I guess maybe it is true that children learn by example...all of my years of volunteering are rubbing off on Allie.

Monday & Tuesday mornings brought the annual Hansen Talent Show. I co-chair the event and once again it went off without a hitch. Both of the kid's groups did great. Allie commented on Tuesday that she'd like to perform her routine again!!

Tuesday afternoon at Hansen was BUSY. Jake had his end of the year picnic on the playground. I was able to join his class, which was fun. After the picnic, Field Days was held...inside due to lots of recent rains. The kids still had a great time playing silly games. In the middle of Field Days, the entire school went outside to watch a military helicopter land on our football field. One of the teachers has a son in law that is being deployed to Iraq in August & he got permission to land the helicopter on our field. The kids went CRAZY. Each class had some time to climb in and out of the helicopter after it landed. They enjoyed bomb pops as the helicopter took off.

Wednesday brought the last day of school. I felt kind of sad that I would no longer have a Kindergartner or our beloved Miss Pins. Allie was a bit sad as well, she is excited to be called a 1st grader though. Jake was THRILLED to be on his way to 3rd grade, but says he'll miss Mr. Wagner. I was ready to be done with school too. I will miss my students, but am ready for a break. I'm not sure if I'll be in the same job next school year, I hope that I am though.

Wednesday also brought the annual awards assembly. Jake earned the Perfect Attendance Award and his mile time was within the Presidential standards! He got a certificate and his name was announced to the whole school. Allie enjoyed her last day of school picnic at the park. I was able to join her class and watch them play. Jake's class had ice cream sundaes as an end of the year party, again I was able to join them.

Last night both kids had sleepovers here. There was a thunderstorm that moved through at about 1:00, no kids woke up. I didn't sleep well...I kept listening for the sirens.


Allie's class at their picnic.
Jake's class by the helicopter.
Jake on the helicopter
The kids on the last day.
Arianna, Allie, Olivia, Kayleigh & Madison
Cassy, Allie, Madison, Andrea, Renee

Carter, Dylan, Parker, Nick, Jake, DeQuan, Kyle, Will & Austin
Allie during Field Days.
Jake during Field Days.
The helicopter landing.
Allie on the copter.

Katie, Allie & Jordyn reading to go on stage for the Talent Show. They danced to Chiquita Banana
Ben, Makenna, Paul, Sophie & Jake ready to dance to "The Evolution of Dance"
One of my favorite acts...they were a riot.
The teachers dancing to a High School Musical song (Jake is the man in the front & Allie's is the woman in the back)
Carter, Paul, Jake, Adam & Nick

The kids sleeping in the basement during a storm.
Allie with our disaster collections.
Sam, Brady, Luke, Matthew, Tate, Carter, Paul & Jake
The fireball fans! Vance, Molly & Allie
The Fireballs. Tate, Matthew, Paul, Carter, Brady, Sam, Luke & Jake. Coach Matt, Coach Todd, Coach Brad.

TORNADO

What a wild night we had last night. It was a nice day yesterday, warm & sunny...early in the evening, we were planning to go to Applebees for dinner because it started to look like rain & we were guessing our grilling plans would get washed out. We got a call from Alishia (our babysitter) telling us that there were tornado warnings in Black Hawk County & we should rethink our dinner plans. We turned on the TV & began watching the weather reports. Scott loves storms so he went outside to watch it blow in. It was really windy & the clouds were rolling in. The tornado whistles began to blow & Scott quickly came into the house to tell us to get to the basement. I could tell by the tone of his voice he didn't like what he saw. Once we were all in the basement, he said that the wind stopped suddenly & everything became still...just like what happens before a tornado hits. We stayed in the basement & were able to hear weather reports. We found out that a tornado destroyed a neighboring town (Parkersburg) and severely damaged several other small towns nearby (New Hartford, Dunkerton & North Cedar Falls). As the evening went on, we were under several more tornado/thunderstorm warnings so we opted to sleep in the basement to be safe.

Today we learned that the small town of Parkersburg was pretty much destroyed. Over 220 houses were leveled and 21 businesses were lost too. The school is gone & there were 6 casualties. The National Guard & US Marshalls are now enforcing a curfew in the town & not letting anyone but residents into the town. The pictures we've seen from the news are absolutely amazing & so sad. This town is about 15 miles from us...way too close to home.

We did go out to north Cedar Falls (5 miles or so from our house) and saw many damaged homes, uprooted trees & debris everywhere. It was a somber sight to say the least. We had friends that had lots of downed (large) trees that came very close to hitting their house. Another friend saw the tornado touch down in the field across the street from them, but their property was spared. A co-worker of mine lost some buildings on her farm, but their house & they are fine. We saw an RV dealership that had RV's on their tops, completely overturned by the wind. WOW, what an amazing sight.

Today, we feel very lucky. We have our house intact, our family and friends are safe & we had no clean up in our neighborhood...a very different situation just minutes from here though. You can view pictures/videos on MSN or KWWL of the storm damage if you are curious (you can probably Google Parkersburg tornado too).

OTHER STUFF

• Jake won his soccer game on Tuesday night. I can't remember the score, but it was a good game. Jake had several great passes that lead to goals.
• We had a noon dismissal on Wednesday. I held Talent Show practice here for Jake's group. Allie went to a friend's for practice.
• Jake had another soccer game on Wednesday night. They won 8-3. Jake scored a goal & the team looked awesome.
• Thursday/Friday were pretty quiet days/evenings. Jake said that he got 95% on his end of the year math test (it covers the whole year). He got another 100% on spelling.
• I spent the day on Saturday cleaning the house & catching up on laundry. The kids played all day long. Allie was in the paper this week...she gets in the local paper about once a month!
• This week brings Talent Show practice for both groups, a bridal shower for me to attend, volunteering in Allie's classroom, a carnival meeting, a end of the year staff meeting, setting up the stage for next week's Talent Show and this weekend is the Cedar Valley Cup...a soccer tournament for Jake...we have 4 scheduled games...I sure hope the weather cooperates.

SUMMER IS ON IT'S WAY

It is finally starting to feel nice outside. The kids and I are ready for school to be done...June 4th can't come quick enough. The kids are spending every free minute outside playing until I make them come in. I think I've devoloped allergies...I'm not liking that one bit!

Last week, Allie had her Kindergarten concert. The kids sang many different songs & did great. It was an adorable concert. My mom was able to come see Miss Allie perform & Allie was delighted to have an audience. Mom & I were able to have coffee on Tuesday morning before I went in to work.

Allie also had her last Daisy meeting last week. The girls each got a canvas bag with their Daisy petals & name on it. Her leader isn't able to continue next year, we were all sad.

The kids had a coin drive at school, they are raising money for Phase 2 of the playground. In 2 weeks the kids raised over $11,700! As their reward, the principal shaved his head and 7 teachers got pies in their faces. The students watched & enjoyed the festivities. It was also PJ Day so it was a fun filled day.

Mandy & I hosted a baby shower for Kim on Saturday. It was fun getting together with my aunts & cousins on both sides of the family. Kim got LOTS of nice gifts. After the shower, we went to Kim & Michael's new house. WOW, it is nice. Allie met a new friend while visiting & apparently the little girl come knocking on Kim & Michael's door on Sunday...she wanted Allie to play.

While Allie & I were at the shower, Jake was at our neighbor's house. They took him to his soccer game, which ended in a tie. Once Scott got off of work, he & Jake had man night & watched movies. They got up early & went golfing on Sunday morning. That afternoon, we had Jake's end of the year Scout picnic/grill out. The boys had a ball playing & playing.

This week brings dance for Allie, 2 make up soccer games for Jake, volunteer in Allie's room, Talent Show practice for both kids, walk a thon at Hansen & volunteer with a fundraiser at Hansen. No big plans for Memorial Day weekend...washing windows, power washing the house & cleaning out the garage top the list.




Allie at her concert. She is on the top row.
Allie & her friends after the concert.
Katie, Allie & Jordyn with their Carmen Miranda hats & fruit earrings. They are dancing to the Chiquita Banana song for the talent show.
Ben, Sophie, Jake, Makenna & Jake with their new talent show shirts on. They are doing the Evolution of Dance.
Jake using the hula hoop
Allie at her last Daisy meeting.
Allie in her Hannah Montana PJ's for pajama day.
Some teachers with pies in their faces.
Dr. Reid getting his head shaved.
A very pregnant Kim & her diaper cake.

Got this in an email this morning & it made me laugh...

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says...'Oh shit....she's awake!!'

Happy Tuesday!!

ALLIE MAKES ME LAUGH

Allie & I snuggled into my bed last night to watch the movie "Enchanted". There is a scene where the princess sings out her window to get animals to come to her & help her with cleaning. Allie says to me "mom, I tried that and it doesn't work"
I replied "you really tried that"
She says "YES, and I was SCARED that I'd get the bees to come too, but no animals came".
This child was DEAD SERIOUS!!

In other news....

Jake's soccer team FINALLY won a game. They looked MUCH better & played like a team. Hopefully the rest of the season goes well.

The kids ran the mile at school last week. Jake's time was 7:50 and Allie's was 12:03. Jake said that he wasn't happy with his time...some one beat him. Allie didn't care, she did finish & thought that was great.

We had Talent Show practice this week for both kid's groups. They are starting to look good. Costumes should be in this week, which will be fun to see.

Allie was in the local paper with some friends & their May Day baskets.

Jake got 100% on his last math test over multiplication and division. He's on a roll with spelling too.

Allie got on "yellow" light this week. She got into an arguement with a classmate & pushed her! Nice! I asked her teacher about it & she said that Allie had just had it with this other child...which led me to believe the other child deserved it!

Jake went to a b-day party on Friday night. They went to the movie "Speed Racer". He seemed so old when I picked him and a friend up at 9:45 and took them home. They were hashing over the movie and laughing. It reminded me of being picked up on a Friday night after a movie...but I was much older!

I was off on Friday. I used up my last personal day. I spent the day running errands and managed to squeeze in a long lunch with a friend. It was a nice day.

We had a scare with Kim's pregnancy mid week. She had some major swelling in one of her legs and had to go to the ER. They suspected a blot clot, but thankfully that wasn't the case. She was put on temporary bed rest & is now just to watch the swelling and take it easy. Mid-June needs to hurry up and arrive.

Scott's b-day was yesterday. He worked all day. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and came home for some of his favorite dessert that the kids and I made (Heath Bar dessert).

I woke up this morning to many homemade cards/pictures from the kids for Mother's Day. They also made me breakfast in bed (a pop tart & Diet Dr. Pepper). It was sweet. I think Allie & I are going to hit the mall later for some fun.

This week brings:
Monday: Allie's dance, Allie's school concert, my mom visits
Tuesday: coffee with mom before work, soccer practice for Jake
Wednesday: volunteer in Allie's room, Talent Show practice & a few stray auditions
Thursday: Allie's Daisy meeting
Friday: PJ Day at Hansen, Jake soccer practice
Saturday: Kim's shower
Sunday: Jake's Scout picnic

WHERE THE HECK HAVE I BEEN??

Good question!! Life got crazy last week...here is a quick wrap up!

• Monday...Allie had dance. Jake & I ran errands
• Tuesday...Jake had soccer practice & Allie had a soccer game
• Wednesday...Beach day at school. Talent Show practice. Jake's last night of religion for the year.
• Thursday...MAY DAY!! We delivered and received LOTS of May baskets. I also spent the day in court as a character witness in a civil trial...UGH. Fundraiser night at Godfathers.
• Friday...Jake's first make up soccer game. They lost...Jake did score a goal!
• Saturday...Scott was off all weekend. Jake's first soccer game that wasn't cancelled this Spring..they lost AGAIN!
• Sunday...what a BEAUTIFUL day...we played outside most of the day. Scott worked with Allie on riding her 2 wheeler.
• Today...Scott was off & he surprised me by catching up on laundry, doing the dishes and a few other chores around the house. What a great surprise!! Allie had dance. Jake had Scout meeting. We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with dinner at Carlos tonight.
• Rest of the week...soccer practice for Jake, soccer game for Jake, Talent Show practice for both kids, registration for soccer for Fall for Jake, teacher appreciation celebrations at school, Allie reads to her class, I have a personal day on Friday & I'm sure I'm missing some other things!!

Enjoy the nice weather!

The kids with their May Day goodies
Allie & Scott...trying hard to learn to ride a 2 wheeler
Jake graduates to a Bear Scout
Allie at the tree planting at school
Allie at her soccer game
Allie with her friend Olivia at a sleepover
Jake & friend Paul at their sleepover
The kids on Beach day

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I'M BEAT

As I write this, I can't help but feel sorry for myself & admit that I'm beat...completely worn out! This is due to constantly being on the go and lack of sleep. I need a day off...I'm not sure how or when that will happen with how busy we keep our lives...I guess I can rest when the kids are moved out...maybe!!

One of the reasons why I'm so beat is my inability to say NO! When someone needs help with something, I can't say no...whether it is taking on an extra kid for the afternoon, a need for a volunteer for a project or something at work...I'm a sucker. Here's a great example from this week. I got a phone call asking me to co-chair the Teddy Bear Tea for Festival of Trees in November. I love the Teddy Bear Tea. Allie & I enjoy the entertainment, food, singing, Santa & of course the teddy bears...I love that event. Knowing full well that I have way too much on my plate in the fall, I still said YES!!
What?? Am I insane?? No, I just can't say no!!
I am already stressing about how I will be able to co-chair the Hansen carnival, be PTA secretary, continue on the Hansen fundraising committee, help with the PTA book fair, be the Popcorn Kernel for Scouts, lead Scout troops, get both kids to soccer games/practices, get Allie to dance, get Jake to football, get both kids to religion, get ready for Allie's dance recital, volunteer in my kid's classrooms, keep working at Hansen...This of course, doesn't include any meetings, playdates, parties, family commitments & so on. So let's add the Teddy Bear Tea...to my plate...DUH!!! Did I mention all of these events are from September to November???? No wonder I'm beat!

On a different note...things are quiet here this morning. Both kids had friends spend the night last night. Jake chose Paul & Allie chose Olivia. We took the crew to the OP for pizza and then came home to watch Alvin & the Chipmunks. All of the kids were asleep by 11:00 and they slept in until 7:00 this morning. Not bad. Scott was going mildly crazy...too much silliness and constant talking for him. He doesn't enjoy being around kids like I do, he is learning though!

Friday in the wee hours of the night, we got hit hard with thunderstorms. It rained 4.74 inches in less than 24 hours. Over 3 of those inches came overnight. So, I had scared kids in my room & then of course I couldn't sleep due to the thunder & HEAVY rain. Scott spent from 3-4 a.m. watching the pit of our sump pump...just to be sure that it didn't overflow. He said that the water kept rising & rising. He even bailed some bucketfuls out, just to be safe! In the end, we were lucky & didn't get any water in our basement, unlike many other people in the area. We did have a lake in our yard & a small river as well. Scott is looking into have some work done to the yard to take care of the standing water...it is just too close to the foundation for our comfort.

The kids were able to enjoy a couple of nice days early in the week. We even got in 2 of Allie's soccer games & a practice for Jake. So far, his game for today is still on. It will be the first one of the season since the other 2 were cancelled.

I took a half day personal day on Thursday to go with Allie's class to see Winnie the Pooh at the Children's Theatre. It was cute. I enjoyed getting to spend time with her class.

Talent Show auditions are pretty much over. Just a handful to see in the next week or so. Now we start the scheduling process. We have 52 acts for the K-3 day and 25 acts for the 4-6 day.

Next week brings Allie's last 2 soccer games, Jake's 2 soccer practices and one make up game and a regularly scheduled game too, Jake's last night of religion, Allie's dance class, volunteering in Allie's classroom, Talent Show practice for both kids, Godfather's night, fundraising meetings & kick off's and Beach Day at school.

The kids activities are set for summer. Jake is playing baseball, which will involve more games than in the past. Allie is playing softball. Both kids are taking swimming lessons this summer. Jake opted out of golf...says he'll play with his dad. Allie wanted to take golf lessons & I said she needed to get out with Dad first & see if she likes it! We will of course get waterpark passes again this summer.

I'll post some pictures after Jake's game today...if it doesn't get cancelled for the 3rd week in a row.

FIFTHS DISEASE, SCOUTS, 1ST COMMUNION & BIRTHDAY PARTIES

It has been a long week. Talent Show auditions started this week. The kids and I spent each day after school watching kids audition for the Talent Show. Next we it is much more of the same.

Allie woke up Tuesday morning (Spring picture day) with extremely red cheeks. I didn't think much about it until my friend mentioned it looked like Fifths Disease. Sure enough it was. Turns out I had it a week ago (achy joints is the disease in adults) and I exposed my kids, Mandy's kids & everyone I came in contact with over the past 2 weeks. Jake came down with it mid-week and Ben got it on Saturday. We aren't sure but think that Scott, Dad & Mike may have had it too (all had extremely achy joints). We had quite the scare too, it is harmful to pregnant women who aren't immune & I exposed Kim. After waiting a couple of days, the results of her blood tests showed she has had the disease & wouldn't get it again. WHEW!!

Jake had 2 Scout meetings this week. We had a Pack meeting all about owls. The boys learned all about owls & wildlife conservation. We also celebrated Earth Day at Hartman Reserve with canoeing, fishing, hiking and looking at various wildlife. The boys loved it despite the mud & flooding at Hartman.

We had about 4 inches of rain on Thursday & Friday. Our backyard flooded & I must have checked our basement 30 times to make sure we weren't getting water. Thank God we didn't! The rain did cancel Jake's soccer game again this week. The field was under water.

We had a weekend full of celebrations. Ben turned 4, Maddie turns 1 and Jake made his 1st Communion. Michael, Kim, Mandy, Mike, Ben, Maddie, Mom & Dad came up to celebrate. We had a cook out on Saturday night & celebrated all of the events with cake! Today we went to Mass & watched Jake receive his 1st Communion. I can't believe how old he is!!

This week brings more Talent Show auditions, tree planting at school for Earth Day, dance (Allie), 3 soccer games (both kids), 2 soccer practices (Jake), volunteering in Allie's room, a field trip for Allie (& I get to go) and Religion.



Jake's Cub Scout den...Nicholas, Sam B, Will B, Jake, Paul, Will B, Will R, Sam R & Aidan
An owl from Monday's Scout meeting

The cakes from our parties this weekend (Jake's cross, Maddie's "1" and Ben's cake)
Ben blows his candle out
Maddie enjoying her cake
Jake with Father after his 1st Communion

Jake fishing at Hartman Reserve during the Earth Day celebration
Kristin, Paul & Jake canoeing at Hartman
Still canoeing
Scouts at the Hartman
Jake holding a snake at Hartman

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY!!

I'm sick of the rain. It has rained for 2 days straight. Last night it rained so hard that we had a small moat forming around our house....I thought about ordering a boat to get out. The good news is that our new sump pump kept up & we didn't get any water in our basement. I'm almost certain that our old pump wouldn't have kept up and we'd be dealing with our basement under water for the 3rd time. I was quite nervous & checked the pump over & over again.

The rain has now cancelled both of Jake's soccer practices and Allie's soccer game this week. Jake has a game scheduled for tomorrow, but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets cancelled. Typically they don't cancel for rain, but with the ground being SO saturated they just might. I'd guess the boy's soccer cleats would absolutely destroy the wet fields. I hope it does get cancelled, the thought of sitting in the cold, wet weather makes me sick!! I'm definitely a "fair weather fan".

Jake's Talent Show group got together this week to practice. They did really well. Allie's group finally decided on their song. If they go through with it, they will look really cute.

In other BIG news...Jake is now wearing deodorant. It seems WAY too early to me, but it was getting to be a necessity!!

I went with Jake's class to an opera. I wasn't too excited about it, but agreed to go. It was FABULOUS. It was the 3 Billy Goats Gruff & was a comedy opera. The kids loved it & the adults were amused as well. I'd love to see it again!!

No huge plans for the weekend. Next week looks crazy. Talent Show practices start after school each day & since I'm a chair I have to be there for them. Allie has dance pictures next week, Jake has 2 soccer practices & a soccer game, Allie has 2 soccer games, both kids have Scout meetings, Jake has religion, I volunteer in Allie's room and we have a busy weekend planned too.

A SPRING-LIKE WEEKEND (AND MORE)

Wow, what a nice Saturday we had. It was such a beautiful day! The kids and I went to Nana & Papa's house. Allie, Mandy, Nana & I went to Kim's first baby shower. We had a nice time & Kim received tons of wonderful gifts. Jake, Ben & Papa spent the entire day outside enjoying the gorgeous weather. They were out from 11:30 until after 8:00!! Allie joined the kids after the shower & we all walked to the park. It was a great time. When the kids came in (after dark) they were filthy...and exhausted.

Tonight was parent's night at dance. We got a glimpse of Allie's recital dance & the group looked good. Allie was asked to perform a "solo" part during the group performance. Those who know Allie know that she isn't graceful...I'm not sure how this solo ballet performance will turn out!!

Other events from last week include Jake's first soccer practice on Friday and sleepovers for both kids on Friday night...yes Scott and I were able to be alone!!

This week brings 2 soccer practices and a soccer game for Jake, 2 soccer games for Allie, a PTA meeting, volunteering in Al's classroom, a field trip with Jake's class, Religion class, Talent Show practice for Jake's group and First Communion pics for Jake.

Allie at her dance class
Allie hopped on Jake's back during "freeze dance"

Ben, Allie, Maddie & Jake
Allie on the monkey bars
Jake & Nana on the monkey bars
Allie, Mandy & Nana...that piece of equipment was one that I played on when I was little. Note Jake pushing Maddie in the swing in the background
All tuckered out...Jake, Ben & Allie