Merry Christmas from the Muhlesteins!

A Salute to the Working Mom!

Last week I worked 40 hours on my feet the whole day long.
I am exhausted. I have two more days until my short term job comes to an end and let me just say to all those Moms who work outside the home, "You deserve a raise!"
When do you figure out what's for dinner?
When do you go grocery shopping?
When do you do your laundry?
Do you ever stay up past eight o'clock?
Here's to you, and to all mother's everywhere!

Up For a Good Laugh?

Please go here for a great laugh!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7trURFA3Xw8
Gotta love those pas de bourees!

Twilight.Saw Three Times. Already.

Okay, Here's my take on Twilight. After the third time, I'm seeing Edward in MY dreams. Take that Miss Bells!
Seriously, the first time was at the midnight showing and well, I was a tad bit tired and there were thousands of young(er) girls swooning and oogling over Edward. Yeah, yeah. Okay.
Then the second time was with Caroline (yes, I made her finish the book!) She kept telling me everything that was different from the book. We finally had to come to terms and realize "we" could not talk through the whole movie. (Right, Caroline, um humm)
The third took me completely by surprise because Chad wanted to go see it for a date!
I have never seen a movie more than once in the theater. I didn't start off loving it, but now I'm pretty sure we'll be buying the DVD!
Now, I'm off to shop the Black Friday deals. Gotta Go!

Happy Halloween!

GREETINGS FROM....

From Kirk, the IronMan

Jake's friend, Zack, and Jake
The Old Men

And
Caroline and her friend, Sara
The Bitty Baby Twins!


FYI: Skipper wouldn't keep a costume on
so helped Chad and Christian hand out candy.
He howled at EVERYONE!

HomeMadeApplesauce

A first grade class at Kirk's school made homemade applesauce

for Harvest Day yesterday. It smelled so good I decided to make some.

A bowl full of apples (probably a dozen med-large apples)

made about two cups of applesauce.

All I added was cinnamon, and it was so good!

It also made the house smell like I was cooking all day.

What did I learn?

It's way easy to make. Just core, peel and slice.

Throw in the crockpot with a shake or two of cinnamon and a half cup of water.

Cook until mushy, and then smash with a potato masher.

Eat it warm or cold, with a little vanilla ice cream or not. Yummy!

What else did I learn?

A dozen apples is not enough to provide enough applesauce for my clan.

No wonder applesauce is expensive. But...

Why is applesauce with sugar added less expensive than natural applesauce at the store?

Ponder that one for a minute!

Need a Good Laugh? Here You Go...

Mr. and Mrs. Fenton are retired, and Mrs. Fenton insists
her husband go with her to Walmart,
but he gets bored with all the shopping trips.
He prefers to get in and get out, but Mrs. Fenton loves to browse.
Here's a letter sent to Mrs. Fenton------

Dear Mrs. Fenton,
Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and may ban both of you from our stores. We have documented all incidents on our video surveillance equipment. All complaints against Mr. Fenton are listed below.
Things Mr. Bill Fenton has done while his spouse was shopping in Walmart:

June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.

July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals

July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the restrooms.

July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, 'Code 3' in housewares..... and watched what happened.

August 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.

September 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.

September 23: When a clerk asks if they can help him, he begins to cry and asks, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'

October 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, and picked his nose.

November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, asked the clerk if he knows where the antidepressants are.

December 3: Darted around the store suspiciously loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.

December 6: In the auto department, practiced his "Madonna look" using different size funnels.

December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browse through, yelled "PICK ME!" "PICK ME!"

December 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumes the fetal position and screams "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"

And last, but not least .....

December 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

Regards, Walmart

My JAKE is FOURTEEN!

Look at him! Isn't he just about the cutest 14 year old you ever did see? I let JAKE stay home for his birthday today. He slept in, got up around 10:00am (because he stayed up until 2:30am), then we went to lunch. Just me and my JAKE. Then we checked out the various Guitar Heros (Aerosmith versus Rock Legends), made our purchase (He says thank you to Grammie & Papa for his birthday present, by the way), then we came home. Skipper is begging to come in and play Guitar Hero with him. Too bad, Skipper.
Happy 14th Birthday, JAKE!
We Love You!
(JAKE is his preferred name of choice these days, FYI)

Two and a Half Weeks and Counting!

To answer Natalie's questions,
Yes, Skipper is still here. We have had a few rough howling spells, but have finally figured out that he simply likes the front yard better than the back. That works for me. He has not been snuck into the house yet, however, Chad goes out of town Thursday and we'll have to see what happens then! Personally, I think Skipper likes being our "Guard Dog" of the front yard. Anyway, I promise the next blog
will not be about Skipper, even though he is pretty cute!

Skipper Is Still Here!

Skipper came close to going back to his previous owners last thursday. I opened the garage door and PU it stunk. Then the SPCA came out because someone complained about his howling. But Chad and Caroline gave him a bath and threw out his old blankie (I know, I'm surprised Caroline let that happen, too) and the garage didn't stink anymore. Then we figured out that he doesn't bark if we put him in the garage. He really is a good doggie. He just wants to be with us. Oh, and Chad took him for a ride and he loved it! He knows that I am the one with the treats, because I've been using treats to cut out the barking. His tail wags when he sees me. Kirk, I think, is feeling a little displaced. We're trying really hard not to pay more attention to the dog, but even he has to go see Skipper (pronounced "Skippa" by Kirk) before he goes to school. I still can't believe we have a dog. Atleast, it gives me something to blog about, right!

The Muhlesteins Have a Dog?

Meet our new addition to the Muhlestein Family!

He's a two year old beagle who likes to "howl."

The kids are in love with him,

There is just no other way to put it!

His name is Skipper!

No Ben. No Carlo. Sad.

You can't imagine the sorry at our home today. After spending all day Monday building a home for either Ben or Carlo, we found out Tuesday that they won't let us adopt a dog. "Why?" you ask. Because we were going to keep the dog outside. Now, we weren't going to let him freeze outside. And we wouldn't let him sweat it out in the sweltering heat. Dogs were not put on this earth to live inside the home. They are animals; they started on this earth living in a den, outside. You know, like wolves. So, I don't get it! Someone please explain. I have four very upset young people at my house.

I thought maybe it was just the "Humane Society" because, well, they like to be humane. But then I called the SPCA.
"We don't generally let them go to homes where they live outside," they said.
"Is it a DE law that they can't live outside," I asked.
"No, it's just our policy," they said.
"So, let me get this straight," I said, "You have dozens of dogs who need a home, but instead of letting them live outside with a family who feeds them, etc., you euthenize the ones that have been there too long? That's what your website claims."
No answer. I hung up. I'm not even an "animal lover" and I'm disgusted.

This will not derail us. We will find a dog!
Anyone know a good beagle breeder?

By the way...Carlo had been adopted already. Yeah Carlo.

Carlo or Ben?

The whole family went to the Delaware Humane Society today.

That was an eye opener!

We took a look at about 25 dogs big, medium and small.

We picked Carlo, and the worker guy brought out Ben.

We romped and ran with both.

The kids were in heaven! Chad and I were in shock that we were looking at dogs!

This is Ben. He is two years old. He's cuter in person.

He's mellower, shorter and Kirk votes for him.
This is Carlo. He is 4 months old.
He's younger, taller and everyone else votes for him.

Both are Beagles. Both are short haired and don't shed "much."
Whatever that means!
Both will live outside, and will run around on a dog run in the back.

Who do you vote for?

Chad, Kirk and a Bet!

Last Sunday, on the way to church, Chad made a bet with Kirk. It went something like this....

"Kirk, if you can guess who sings this song we'll go get a dog tomorrow."

(Side note: all four kids have been hounding us for a dog unmercifully all summer! Ha, no pun intended!) Anyway, Chad never, ever thought what happened next would happen next! Kirk guessed "The Beatles" and he was right! How does a 1st grader even know about the Beatles? Needless to say, we've been on the internet looking for the perfect dog. My criteria is that it doesn't slobber, shed or leave "anything" in the house or live in the house! We're still looking. Chad, Chad, Chad. What are we going to do with you? And you know, we're going to have to name it "Beatles."

To My Dad On His Birthday!

These are two of my most favorite pictures.

1. When we were sealed as a family

at the Washington D.C. Temple.

2. Getting ready for a Daddy-Daughter Dinner.

Sorry Dad, the outfits date us!

Happy Birthday!

Love You!

To My Little Brother Rex!

You will always be my "Baby Yoda" to me!

Isn't he too cute!

Happy Birthday!

We Love You!

What in the World Have I Been Up To?

Okay, I have just spent two hours catching up and commenting on everyone's blogs, old and new, because the last couple of months have been crazy and I haven't blogged in a while. "What have you been up to?" you ask. Well, for ONE, I completed my second "William B. Keene Elementary School" yearbook. That was interesting because I did it all on the computer which was a fairly new experience for me. TWO, I have now completed four graduate classes and still have a 4.0 GPA thank you very much. I am on a self appointed break until late August. Whew! THREE, I fulfilled my job as Stake Young Women's Girl's Camp Crafts Coordinator. That was fun. Caroline enjoyed her first year at Girl's Camp, BTW! And FOUR, I know there is something else but I can't think what it is right now!

Anyway, we sent the two older boys to frolic in Utah (they are actually working on Grandpa's cabin, farm, etc.) and Caroline, Kirk and I enjoyed a nice, quiet week at home after Girl's camp. Unfortunately, for Chad, he has to work everyday. But it was a little too peaceful and relaxing so we drove half way to Connecticut to get Kylie and Jack to come stay for a while. It has been interesting with two boys and two girls in the house. It brings on a completely different atmosphere. Don't get me wrong, it's not peachy keen. But for the most part it is surprisingly pleasant...so far.

So, there you go, that's what I've been up to! Pictures will come later...

Caroline's Family

As I was cleaning my bedroom this afternoon

I came across this picture Caroline drew.

I think Chad and Christian's portraits are

quite good. What say ye?

Guess Who Got A Haircut?

Can you believe it?
I'm still in shock and so is she!
The stars, moon, sun and heaven were all alined.
In other words, she and I were on the same page,
On the same day, and neither of us
Wanted to brush the HUMONGOUS tangle out.
The hairdresser only brushed
Out as far as she needed
And cut the tangles right off!
I think "Little Miss Thing" looks FABULOUS!
(Only encouraging comments please!)

TIME FOR THANK YOUS!

THANK YOU TICE!
For your excellent computer know how services you provided today.
THANK YOU NATALIE!
For putting up with my "Pottery Barn" questions on a weekly basis.
THANK YOU CHAD!
For doing all that you do. If you didn't have us life would be boring.
THANK YOU EVERYONE!
For all that you do for our family. You know who you are!

16 Year Old in the House!

Does this picture scream "SIXTEEN" or what?

Christian is officially 16 as of last week.

He can get a driver's permit.

He can date (in groups, preferably!)

Everybody, watch out!

We Have No Internet!

We are fine, but the second bed and breakfast does not have access to internet. We are at the library looking up O'Rourke histories so I'm quickly going to write a post. We have been to Parke's Castle which was built on top of the O'Rourke fortress. We then spent a good part of the day tracking down the publisher of a book about the history of the O'Rourke Clan. We got one of the last ones straight from the publisher's house. Only a thousand were made, people come from all over to get one from him, they are RARE and he let me buy one. He also said I definately looked Irish!

The librarians are watching me, so I better get off the computer. Love all of you.
Lori

Car Troubles!

I decided to go ahead and tell you about our car troubles.

While we were driving through the lovely, incredibly narrow roads, a car going the other way fightened our driver, who shall remain nameless, and he swerved and hit a large rock on the

side of the road. Because of the rock, the passenger side front tire grew a small bubble. We had to take it to the tire service place and get a new tire. And guess what? Keys and tires are the only thing not covered by the "Full Coverage Insurance" with Avis Car Rental. You can imagine how happy the driver, who shall remain nameless, was with this little drawback. By lunch time he was over it and we laughing about our "souvenir" we won't be able to bring home!

The Queen of Dundrum Castle

Today is day #2 in Northern Ireland. After starting off with some more car trouble, we drove to the town of Newcastle by the Irish Sea. It was like the New Jersey Boardwalk of Ireland in its off season. After staying there for a while we went to find Castle Dundrum (or what was left of it!) The first picture above is me in the highest part of the castle. The second picture is Chad showing you how thick the walls were through out the whole castle. The third is the whole picture.

After the castle, we went to the town of Downpatrick, where St. Patrick died and is buried. We also went to the County Down Museum where there were exhibits on the history of Northern Island. (Northern Island is actually part of Great Britain, and has a slightly different version of history). After Downpatrick, we went to the local ASDA, which is Walmart! It was not quite the same, being mostly a grocery store. Boring!

Tomorrow, we are going to do more family history stuff. We also might go to "The Outlet" which is like an inside mall.

Talk to you tomorrow.

We Made It To The Emerald Isle!

Well, I thought I was going to go bezerk on the airplane. After fighting restless less syndrome and swollen feet I finally passed out about 2:30am Delaware time. Slept for about an hour and have been up since. Our first experience was trying to figure out how to start our lovely Volvo. The key is in a box and it goes into this kind of ignition and you push the start button. Put this together with the steering wheel on the other side of the car and two people with very little sleep and it tool us a while to figure it all out.

Then, as you all know, Chad has the innate ability to sniff family homesteads out. So we left the airport, driving on the opposite side of the road of course, and started driving in the general direction of the McKeon homestead. As I passed out periodically, he pushed on and found the darn place! The man is amazing!

So, we drive up to the house wondering whether these people are going to think we are crazy, and we knock on the door. An adorable little lady opens the door and doesn't seem surprised in the least little bit. Her daughter-in-law was there as well. She tells us her daughter, the Ireland genealogy buff, told her to expect us this week. We were welcomed in but they were just sitting down for lunch so we walked around outside and took pictures while they ate. Then we went back and sat and talked with them. She brought out her family tree and Chad showed her how they were related. We are going to meet up with her daughter Tuesday evening.

Notice me at the gate sleeping! That leads to the next event. We found our bed and breakfast and I took a nap for an hour while Chad tried to connect to the internet. Then we ate at The Halfway House (which was okay, way too many potatoes!) and came back. I'm going to sleep very soon.

To Kirk: I haven't seen any leprechauns yet. Love you.

To Caroline: Still looking for Irish Webkins. Love you.

To Jake and Christian: Be good, help Tice, have fun! Love you.

To Tice: We owe you!

To Everyone Else: Wish you were here!

Hola Friends

Tice here doing a guest post. Lori was most disappointed that Natalie and I were unable to make it to Jake's concert tonight*. We were sans babysitters. They were all busy with prior engagements. We would've had such fun whooping it up and embarassing him. (We live for that, you know.) But, alas, we were unable to do so. No worries, Jake. We'll make it there next time. Or maybe we'll show up for your first date or prom...

*We did, however, get a picture of him in his suit. And we pinched his cheeks and told him how cute he looked.

16 Year Old Boys, Got to Love 'Em!

This week I have had the blessing of taking Christian to seminary every morning at 5:30am. He did pretty good the first three days, because he knew his "goodness" depended on whether he could stay up later. Getting Christian to the car is a whole job in itself. He's so sleepy and confused, that I end up handing him his shoes, his bookback, his breakfast, in order to get out of the door. I was standing at the door WAITING for him to walk out so that I could lock the door when he said

"I'm so tired of everybody waiting on me!"

You and me both, Christian, you and me both!

My son, Jake!

This is an old, but never been posted picture that I love. It was taken immediately after Kirk's sixth birthday party. We had eight very active little soldiers attend the party and by the end of the two hours boot camp I was DONE! The hilarity of Jake's pose sent me into fits of laughter! What would we do without him!

Guess Where I'm Going?

Chad has been talking about going to Ireland for a while now (actually, since he found out through family history that he's more Irish than I am)and he actually bought the tickets. It hasn't really sunk in for me, yet. He even took me to get my passport, and I still thought he was just kidding around. Every one say a prayer for Tice, because she's coming to hang out with the kids!

Picture Perfect Cousins

Hey, Jack! We just wanted to let you know Kirk got your letter. As you can see, he opened it before he even took off his coat. I think your picture is perfect!

Just so the rest of you understand, Kirk and Jack had a heck of a time playing last week in Connecticut during Kirk's spring break. If you knew where one was, you knew the other was with him! It was a hard and sad day when they had to say "Goodbye." Thanks everyone, for making Spring Break fantabulous and where anxiously awaiting for all the cousins to come to Delaware in a few weeks!

Quote of Yesterday

"My tummy is very hungry, but my mouth is not."
Kirk, age 6

I have the opposite problem.
Mouth:hungry
Tummy:not so much!

My Favorite Fours

Four Jobs I've Had Over The Years
Dilliards Dept. Store - Children's Dept.
Things Remembered - Expert Engraver
BYU Paint Shop - Chad's Dad was my boss!
Keene Elementary - Reading Intervention

Four Places I've Lived
Woodville, Georgia - Ages 6mths-?mths
Champaign, Illinois - ages 6-9years
Baton Rouge, LA - High School years
Wilmington, DE - total of 12yrs and going

Four Movies I Love
Pride and Prejudice - all of them
Gone With the Wind - simply southern
Anne of Green Gable - all 12 hours
The "Reba" Series - all the seasons

Four Places I'd Love to Go
London, England - to see where Henry, the 8th lived
Dublin, Ireland - to see where my ancestors came from
Paris, France - to try out what's left of my French
Moscow, Russia - to see the Kirov Ballet

Four Favorite Foods
Warm, Chewy Cookies - Any Variety EXCEPT Raisin!
Chicken Enchiladas w/ Poblamo(?)Sauce - (Chocolate Spicey Sauce)
Slightly melted ice cream full of nuts and stuff
Hershey Nuggets w/Almonds - Heavenly!

Four Things I'd Like to Accomplish Soon
Talk Chad into DisneyWorld - I'm getting close!
Catch Up on Scrapbooking
Clean Out My House - preferably before Amanda comes
(Tice & Nat have seen the mess)
Manage my four kids! - need I say more!

Jake's Rendition of "Mom"

So, it is plain to see I am a van driving, Chick-fil-A eating, Vera Bradley sporting, Dr. Pepper guzzling, KitchenAid mixing, money spending Georgia Bulldog fan. I'm so proud of myself. Right?

Between Classes

I had two weeks between one class ending and another beginning and I had mounds of things I wanted to get done. However, only a very few were accomplished. Why, you may ask? Because one of those "things to do" was go to our spanking new YMCA built just for me practically in my back yard. So, I went. I went several times. And then, I was so extremely sore that I could not move! My kids think it's extremely funny and tell me I'm old and need to take my time. Thus, I was slow moving and it took much energy to get anything else done. But, I will tread on, get it!

What's the Best Thing About School?

That's right! Yeah me!
Just had to toot my horn a little!
I FEEL GOOD, da, da, da, da, da, da, da!

Kirk's Troubles: Part Two

After getting over whatever it was he had at the beginning of the week, he developed a bad sinus infection and he is still miserable. I came home from taking Christian to seminary and found Kirk on the couch surrounded by "used" tissues. He was so pitiful.
He's my little trooper. Get well, my little buddy!

Sickness Troubles

Yesterday, Kirk was not feeling well and was very pitiful. He had a high fever and was a little loopy. But in the middle of his troubles he said to me in his sweet pitiful little voice,and I quote, "Mama, I think my head hurts probably because I have a headache." The next thing I knew he was out like a light. Poor little guy!

Caroline, who started the sicknes troubles at our house, is a pitiful little thing as well. She made this comment: "It's not fair. We are sent to earth to be tested, not to get sick." My children are so profound. It is, however, unfair to Caroline that the poor thing always gets sick on days that she is already out of school. I let her stay home today for that very reason. That's what I told her anyway. Actually, she's still looking a little weak!

To My Man, My Valentine!

I can't say anything else because my man does not want me to talk about him. But I love him, and I appreciate everything he does for me and our family. He will be leaving for Brazil soon and I want him to know that I will miss him...but, I will be comforted by the fact that I won't have to cook for a few days!
This is such a good picture of him, don't you think?

Valentines to My Sisters!

Okay, so I'm updating myself on my favorite blogs, blogs I love to read and adore because they send me into fits of laughter on days that tend to be very stressful, and I realize that I am not up to par with my sisters. What triggered this thought, you may ask? It's simple. All three of them sent Valentines to each other AND NOT ONE OF THEM SENT ONE TO ME? So, I have two theories about this? One, they see me as a second mother, so to speak, and therefore look upon me as they look upon their own lovely mothers...someone with loads of wisdom and know how, someone they love and respect. I suggest this only because two of the three didn't send Valentines to their mother and therefore they must put me in that same group. Two, they see me as a sister whom they love and adore with great affection because I possess all the confidence in the world and why would I need them to send me a Valentine. Surley, I am beyond the need for a Valentine especially from my sisters. The fact that I am writing this prooves it, don't you think?
So, I'm sending this Valentine to you to tell you that I appreciate how much you respect and adore me. I love you as if you were my own children. I deserve all the praise and adoration you could possibly bestow upon me. Happy Valentine's Day!
Ba,da,ba!

"Fair is not Equal"

Attention all parents! The following is a quote from the book "It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend" by Richard Lavoie.

"...children, in their initial stages of moral development, define "fairness" thusly: 'Fairness means that everyone gets the same.'

"Unfortunately, in many households, children have convinced their parents that the above definition is a true and accurate one. For instance, how many fathers would return from a business trip bearing a gift for only one child?....

"The true definition of fairness is: 'Fairness means that everyone gets what he or she needs."

Now, remark away!

P.S. "Thusly" is my word of the day.

A Question to Consider...

I would like to know your ideas on the following sentence:
Fair is not Equal.
Please respond by making a "Comment."

Caroline is a Beehive!

Despite being a little nervous this morning, Caroline went to Young Womens for the first time today and loved it! Bishop Mullins asked her to come up to the podium during sacrement to give her the Primary Advancement certificate and those of us who know her well know Caroline was not pleased with that! But she gracefully accepted, and blushfully made it back to her seat. She's so cute! And just to add another accomplishment...she also made all A's on her report card! Go, Caroline!

Thanks to Grammie, Tice, Natalie, Ellie, Andrew and Tycen for coming down for Caroline's birthday. And thanks to Papa, Kyle, Fiel and Rex for helping out so that they could come. We missed Kylie, Jack , Emme and Clee, but we will see you soon!

Six Year Old Boy Cuts Class!

Last Sunday I was sitting with my class in Primary when I realized my youngest son was not sitting with his class. I went looking for him and founding him calmly walking the halls, that is until he saw me and then he tried to hide behind the lady in front of him. He's six and he's skipping class. Should I be worried about this?

What Would We Do Without Cousins!

Just a quick "THANKS A BUNCH!" to my baby cousin Amelia for helping me make my blog look so darn cute. After staying up til 1:00am with Jake helping me figure out instructions from Natalie I finally gave up. I patiently waited until 11:00am so I could call Amelia (9:00am her time) to beg and plead for help. She's awesome and I appreciate her help so much. Thanks also goes out to Jake and Natalie. It's not their fault I'm a first grader when it comes to dealing with the computer!

"Mom, You're Grouchy This Morning!"

Sundays mornings are not peaceful, restful, inspiring or anything else uplifting and have not been in our family for about, oh, let's say going on thirteen years. That's when my kids outnumbered me two to one! So, why did I think this Sunday would be any better? Chad is in Spain, the lucky man that he is, and even though mine are old enough to get themselves dressed (I won't even hash out the details on coercing Kirk to get dressed) I was still yelling and screaming my way out the door. "Mom, you're grouchy this morning." That's what I heard when I got in the car for the THIRD time, because Kirk didn't have his shoes the first time and Christian didn't have a tie the second time. Of course I'm grouchy. Who wouldn't be?

Ode to the Card Catalog!

Tuesday night, during my class, the instructor had the university's librarian come to show us how to look up references for research papers and such. My how things have changed since I did my last research paper! Gone are the days of the noble wooden structure that held millions of indexed cards. What was it called? Oh, yeah, the card catalog! As sad as it is that the card catalogs are now extinct, oh, how joyous it is that everything is on the net! I found references tonight as I sat in my warm fleece jamies and listened to my children discuss (or argue) the plight of Animal Crossing on the Nintendo DS's . But that's a whole other blog!

Lori's "Birthday" Day - FYI

Despite the fact that Chad is in Hong Kong, and my kids never mentioned my birthday, (correction, Jake remembered after reading Tice's lovely blog) today was a pretty good day. After getting up at 5:15AM to take Christian to seminary, I went back to sleep until Chad called. Kirk played quietly (happy birthday to me) and let me sleep. Then, after Mom called, I went to work where the ladies there treated me to lunch (I had to go pick it up, but they paid.) They surprisingly gave me a few birthday gifts, which was very nice of them. After work, I went to the store and bought myself a present, a brand new Vera Bradley bag. Then, I went to my first day of a new class. Once again, I think I'm going to love being back in school. I still can't believe I'm actually a graduate student. I think everybody should go back to school. It's so much more interesting after a little bit of "life experience." But that topic is worthy of a whole other posting.
After class, which got out at 9:00pm (not 10:30pm like it was scheduled,) I came home and had a late McDonalds dinner with Christian and Jacob. (The other two were out cold already.) To top it all off at the end of the day, I read the post my sister, Tice, published on her blog and it's comments. Thanks, everybody, for a great birthday. Oh, yeah, next year...I think a surprise party would be SWELL.
P.S. The picture above is my favorite picture of me. It was taken in 1987.

Happy Birthday to Grammy! (Connie)

Our Ten Most Favorite Things About Grammy:

1. She always makes us laugh - Lori
2. She takes care of Grandpa - Chad
3. She writes back if you send her a letter - Caroline
4. She lets me come visit - Christian
5. She drives Grandpa to the cabin - Jacob & Christian
6. She reads to me - Kirk
7. She gives good advice - Lori
8. She asks for good advice - Chad
9. She raised a wonderful son - also Chad (okay, Lori, too!)
10. She is a great, smart, wonderful person all around - all of us

We love you!

It Comes With Age!

Why is it that in the middle of the day I can think of many things to write in my blog, but now that the kids are asleep and I have time to write nothing comes to mind? But, write I must!

So, let's see now. What's on my mind? Oh, yeah, maybe the fact that in a couple of days I will be entering my final year of my thirties and that is putting a damper on my spirits! Yeah, that is a bummer. However, can I just tell you that the closer I get to forty the less I worry about what everyone thinks of me and that, my friends and family, is very invigorating! Thanks to my age (and a little bit of help from my first born child) I'm telling people what I think and loving it! So, if I happen to surprise you with a ear full of unsolicited advice just remember that my "old age" made me do it!