FISCHER REUNION 2008

My dad's family gathered at my Uncle Dave & Aunt Gail's house last weekend for our annual get together. Since our last gathering in January 2007, we welcomed 3 new babies, had 2 marriages and there is another baby on the way! There are now 38 of us & only 6 couldn't be there (they live in Washington & California). We are all looking forward to our next get together in June for Grandma's 80th birthday!!

The Great Grandchildren with their Great Grandmother Left to Right: Ben, Harry, Jake, Leo, Ava, Grandma, Maddie, Allie, Ty & McKinzie (Karlee is missing)
The Fischer cousins: Back Row: Michael, Troy, Grandma, Tim, Will Front Row: Brooke, Maggie, Abbie, Katie, Mandy (Abe, Tricia & Marty are missing)
My siblings: Will, Me, Michael & Mandy
The older kids eating (Ben, Jake, Ty, Kinzie, Leo & Allie)

ALLIE'S ADVENTURE

I got called to the nurse's office because Allie had a stomach ache yesterday at the very end of the day. As I chatted with her, I found out that she opted to only eat a cookie for lunch yesterday! I sent her back to her class (there was only 20 minutes of school left). After school, we headed off to Allie's dance class, where she got sick. She ended up throwing up in my hands in the dressing room & we ran outside (outside was closer than the bathroom was) & she was on Main St. Cedar Falls throwing up into a garbage can...reminded me of a drunk as the bars are closing!! She felt fine after she got sick & has been fine ever since. We don't have school today due to "blizzard like conditions" so she'll have another day to get well.

JAKE'S NEWS

Jake took his mid-year math assessment last week. It came home on Friday & I was SO proud to see that he had only missed one. I went through the test & found the one that we needed to correct. When I saw what he did wrong, I wasn't pleased...HE FORGOT TO ANSWER THE QUESTION!!! Once again racing to be the first one done!! A hard lesson learned.

Jake started his Science Enrichment class yesterday & came home with a ton of new knowledge about Madame Currie, Albert Einstein & George Washington Carver. This class is right up his alley!

Jake had Scouts on Sunday night & earned his Geography belt loop. He & Scott will start working on his Derby car soon.
The Cub Scouts earned their Geography belt loop: Back Row: Paul, Jake & Aidan Front Row: Nicholas, Sam & Will.

YELLOW LIGHT

Allie's teacher has a green light, yellow light, red light system. If you are good, you stay on green light. If you need a few reminders/warnings, you will move to yellow light and if you are really naughty it is red light time.

Yesterday after school, Allie came to my classroom & announced that she didn't know who was on yellow light today. I reminded her that it isn't our business who is or isn't on yellow light (she likes to report the naughty kids to me). Anyway, it quickly dawned on me that she "couldn't remember" because SHE was probably moved to yellow light. So, I added "unless it is you that are on yellow light". Her head quickly dropped. I asked what happened & she said she didn't come in from recess because she didn't hear the whistle blow. I walked her down to her classroom & asked Miss Pins for her version...it was MUCH different from my little girl's version. Apparently, Allie & her friend Madeline were on a snow bank arguing about who got to go inside last & didn't line up with the rest of the class. Long story short, she was put on yellow light for fighting & not lining up. Here's the kicker...ALLIE HAD LIED TO ME!!! I was SO mad!! Long story short, she was punished & felt awful about lying (or getting caught). She sobbed & sobbed & sobbed.

A funny ending to this story is that when the kids get into trouble at school (which is rarely), they have to tell Scott what happened when he gets home. So, Jake was giving Allie advice..."look him in eyes, don't mumble AND tell the truth...it will all be fine". I thought it was cute that Jake was looking out for his baby sister...he must truly like her!

SO SICK OF SNOW!

The weatherman announced on the news the other night that we have had 28.5 inches of snow since December 1st. What??? No wonder I am sick of the white stuff!! We got another .6 inches yesterday, so we are over 29 inches...there's snow in the forecast for Monday & Tuesday...UGH!

SNOW STINKS

I am sick of winter. I am really sick of the cold & I've had it with the snow that has fallen this winter. Last Thursday, we got about 4 inches of snow, yesterday it was almost 7 inches. We might get an inch tomorrow too. All of that combined with the unusually high amounts of snow and ice we got in December and the beginning of January has made for an unusually long winter. I can't wait for it to all melt away...although that probably won't happen until about June.

On a brighter note about the snow, once the temp gets above zero, I will take the kids out sledding & snowboarding. Hopefully, that will be sometime next week. Say a prayer!!

JAKE'S BIG NEWS

Jake has 2 big pieces of news. His proudest is that he climbed to the top of the rope in PE class. He got to add his name to the wall of kids that accomplished that this year, which for a 2nd grade boy is a HUGE deal (Allie swears that she almost made it to the top today too...I'm not so sure that I believe her).

His other big news (my proudest) is that Jacob has been invited to participate in a small group science enrichment program with the TAG (talented & gifted) teacher. He will get to use the scientific process to answer various questions such as "Is it possible for an egg to bounce without breaking?" Apparently, this unit is for kids that need an extra challenge...this doesn't mean that he has been identified as gifted...yet... :) Of course, I may be biased since he is my son.

IT'S FREAKISHLY COLD

I just checked the temp on the local news website and it is -1 degree with a windchill of -16. That is cold. When we left this morning to take Jake to his first morning of basketball, it was -24 with the wind. Wow!! Allie had a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese's this afternoon & there were very few parking spots, so I had to brave the cold to drop her off & pick her up....it was just brutal!!

So, now that I am at home I have turned on the fireplace, begun sipping on a cup of hot cocoa, covered myself with a warm blanket & decided to spend the afternoon on the couch playing on the laptop & watching Lifetime...did I mention that I don't have to leave the house until Tuesday morning?? I don't think that I will either!

Think warm thoughts, please!!

BAD TOOTH FAIRY

Imagine the look on my 8 year old's face this morning when he came in my room to let me know that the tooth fairy didn't take his tooth or leave him his money! Wow, I felt SO awful, I failed the tooth fairy job! I told Jake that maybe it was too snowy last night for the tooth fairy to get here, after all there is no school today because of the snow. He was still very disappointed, but o.k. with that explanation. I still felt terrible! I had even left $1 on the island to remind myself to get it tucked into his tooth pillow once he was asleep. Yeah, that obviously didn't work! Scott told me to leave a note from the tooth fairy with the $1 telling Jake that she didn't want to track snow through the house. I did it & Jake bought it & was thrilled!! Whew, Scott saved the day and the tooth fairy's reputation all before 8 in the morning.

NO SCHOOL TODAY

The snow has cancelled school for us today. While I am not looking forward to making the day up at the end of May, I have to admit that I am pretty happy! I have my house picked up...gifts from this weekend have a home, laundry is done & errands have been run. Bills are paid, appointments made, plants watered, I've begun gathering tax docs. I have dinner figured out for the weekend, I've started Jake's b-day thank you's and I've even worked on some volunteer obligations. However, I haven't run the vac, swept floors or cleaned bathrooms. What a perfect day to catch up on that stuff! Now I'll be able to enjoy the upcoming 3 day weekend without having those chores hanging over my head! YES!!

JACOB TURNS 8!



Jake turned 8 last Friday. He celebrated at school by bringing treats to his classmates (cookies). He got to choose where we ate that evening and he chose Tokyo, the Japanese steak house where they cook your meal in front of you. He loves their noodles & steak. After dinner we came home & Jake opened up a few gifts from us.


On Saturday, Mandy, Ben, Maddie, Kim & Michael came up to go to Jake's party with his friends at the Rec Center. The boys played "silly sports" and had a great time. The biggest kid of them all, Michael had so much fun he was sore that evening!!

On Sunday, we had Jake's family party and he enjoyed himself. We were all exhausted by Sunday night!


This week has brought dance class, running some errands to spend Jake's gift cards, religion tonight, Daisy's tomorrow night, basketball on Saturday and a b-day party for Allie on Saturday. Sunday appears to be free!! Jake & I are hoping for a snow day tomorrow (4-8 inches is in the forecast). Oh, and Jake lost another tooth this morning. Scott yanked it out for him.

Jake handing out in bed one morning with his football helmet & mouth guard on! Just in case a line backer attacked him??
Allie insisted on dressing like me one day for school. I'm just glad she still likes me!
Jake's friends at the Rec Center: Mason, Ben G, Ben P, Carter, Jake, Nick C, Paul & Nick B
Jake is ready to blow out his candles at his family party.

NEW YEAR

We rang in 2008 with our friends. We shared a sitter and went to dinner & out for drinks. We had a nice time. The kids stayed up past 1:30 & we beat on NY Day & the following day!

We are all back to work/school & still adapting to our schedule. 12 days is a long time to be off. This week brings dance, a PTA meeting, a book party, Jake's 8th b-day and 2 parties for him. Allie in her Hannah Montana wig from Aunt Kim & Uncle Michael. She is sporting her HM tee shirt & guitar as well.
Me & my friend Kristin on NY Eve at the martini bar. Scott took the picture & zoomed in on the naked lady painting behind us.
Allie & Scott.

FISCHER CHRISTMAS

Went went to my brother & his wife's house on Saturday night to spend the night since my parent's bathroom was torn up & there was no shower! When we got to Michael & Kim's house, Scott & Jake were pleased to find the end of the Patriot's game on TV & a fight ordered on pay per view. Michael also had some munchies ready for them. We had a nice evening with them just hanging out.

We headed to Mom & Dad's house for brunch on Sunday. After brunch we opened gifts & laughed & laughed at the kid's reactions & stories that we told. We had a wonderful time!! Allie got a Hannah Montana wig, a HM magic 8 ball, a HM diary, 2 HM Barbies, a Webkinz pink pony, a Webkinz bracelet & charm, 8 Junie B Jones books, 2 Xmas ornaments & money for her college account. Jake got a baseball bat, wide receiver gloves, football cards, a PS 2 NBA game, a Webkinz monkey, a Magic 8 ball, 2 ornaments, 6 Harry Potter books and money for his college account. Scott & I were blessed with very nice gifts as well. We headed back home around 3:00 & came home absolutely exhausted. Today I am unpacking slowly & gearing up for a fun NY Eve!!

My family: front row Jake & Allie, middle row Kim & Baby Fischer in her belly, Dad, Mom, Mandy, Maddie, Me back row Mike, Will, Scott, Michael & Ben

The Grinstead family
Allie & her new wig
Jake & his wide receiver gloves (which he hasn't taken off)

Maddie & Uncle Scott...she still absolutely loves him...he loves that it makes me mad!
Michael & Maddie at brunch...that child will eat anything!
Allie & Uncle Will
My family with my Grandma Marge included.
Ben & his dad wait to open their gifts.
Kim...it doesn't look like she has a belly, but she does. This was her first day in maternity clothes b/c her real clothes don't fit.

CHRISTMAS

We have had a wonderful Christmas week! The kids are at the perfect age, still believing 100% in Santa, his reindeer and of course the elves.

We spent Christmas Eve at home. I made tons of appetizers to munch on & of course baked lots of cookies. The kids helped me get ready for our feast while Scott was working. Once he arrived home, we had dinner & sat around the table talking away. The kids were SO excited! After dinner, I let the kids open up one present each from us (a new pair of PJ's...a tradition here). They also opened a new Christmas movie to watch that night (Elf) & decided to exchange gifts from each other. Allie gave Jake a football/water bottle set & Jake gave Allie 2 HS Musical Barbie dolls. We watched our movie, which was really funny. After the movie, we got cookies/milk out for Santa, wrote Santa some letters & read "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Then it was off to bed. The kids both fell asleep rather quickly, so Scott & I started our "Santa jobs" and began putting out gifts & filling stockings.

We told the kids on Christmas Eve that they couldn't wake us up before 6:00. We awoke on Christmas morning to "MOM, DAD it is 6:02". Needless to say, they were really excited to see what Santa left for them. They were pleased with what Santa brought and it was so fun watching their reactions to their gifts. We then opened gifts from each other & had brunch. Mandy & her kids came around 2:00 (Mike had to work) and they spent the evening with us. We had steaks for dinner & a wild game of Clue after dinner (Santa left the kids the game).

Mandy & I took all 4 kids out bargain shopping on Wednesday. The kids were great, but the crowds were awful. I got what I went for...lots of wrapping paper for next year & some other small things. Mandy & the kids left Wednesday afternoon & I started putting away all of the gifts we received, cleaning up the kitchen & of course laundry!

Yesterday, I was in the mood to get all of my Christmas decorations put away (they'd been up since Thanksgiving). I got all of the knick knack type things taken down & decided to take a break. I took the kids to lunch at Carlo's and we went to see the movie "Enchanted" (it was great). Once we returned home, I took down all of the Christmas trees. Today I will dust, vac, & clean the house top to bottom. A good day to do it since we are getting snow.

We are celebrating Christmas with my family on Sunday. The kids can hardly wait. We weren't able to get together with Scott's family due to snow & bad roads last weekend. We are pretty sure that we finally found a sitter for NY Eve. We'll go to dinner & out for drinks with our neighbors. No plans for NY Day, which is fine. Then back to school/work on the 3rd.

Jake works on decorating some cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.
Allie gets her cookies decorated.
Jake opens a gift from Allie on Christmas Eve. It was the football that he really wanted.
Allie opens a gift on Christmas Eve.

The kids pose by the tree on Christmas Eve.
Jake leaves a note for Santa.
Allie leaves a note too.
Jake leaves Santa some fudge, which is Jake's favorite Christmas treat that I make.
Allie chooses a newly frosted cookie for Santa.
Here are the gifts that Santa left for Jake. A couple of movies, a football book, a CD player, Spiderman action figures, a new CF Tigers blanket, a skateboard, a CD, a Hawk's basketball jersey, slippers, a football tee, a Super Soaker squirt gun & a stocking full of stuff.

Santa stuffed our stockings. Note the pink football in Allie's stocking...she really wanted that!
Here is Allie's stuff from Santa. A Hannah Montana guitar, a HM camera, a HM art set, a HM mirror, a HM backstage closet (do you see a theme), slippers, a couple of Barbie things, a robe, some movies, Bath & Body Works stuff and more!
Here are the kids running downstairs checking out what Santa left them.
Not a great picture, but I love it...Jake with the new snowboard that Santa left for the kids to share.
Allie posing with her new Hannah Montana guitar.
Did a tornado go through our living room? No, it is Christmas morning!
Allie with her gifts from Dad & Mom.
Jake with his gifts from Dad & Mom.
Allie taking a picture of me taking a picture of her!
Cousins! They look like a rough crowd on the morning after Christmas.

WHAT'S NEW???

We've been keeping busy here & we are ready for Christmas. Hopefully I can start staying current on my blog once the holidays are over! Here are some pictures taken over the past week.

Here is Jake's class hanging out on the playground.
This is the Christmas tree in our living room.
Here is a little tree in our living room. It has all of my "Mom" & "Sister" ornaments on it.
Here is a little tree in our entry way. It has my Hallmark Wizard of Oz decorations on it.

Here is another tree in the entry way. It has lots of different Hallmark ornaments on it. Allie & her friend Madison making Xmas ornaments at their Daisy meeting.
Allie frosting cookies at the Daisy meeting.
Allie trying to get the candy cane into the glass jar without using her hands. We played that game at the Daisy meeting.
Allie eating a snack at her class party.
Allie's class at the party.
Jake ready to "slap" his ruler down while playing a game where the kids had to listen to a couple of lines from a Christmas carol & then finish the line. Jake got "We Wish you a Merry Christmas" and sang it well!
Jake & his friends dancing at their party.
Jake's class at the party.
Jake & his friends (Ben in blue & Caleb in red). Caleb's last day was Friday. His dad passed away at the beginning of November & he is moving to Idaho to be closer to his extended family. We will miss Caleb & his sister Catelyn (Allie's friend) a lot.