Wow – I cannot believe it’s Christmas already. Only a few more things to wrap and hopefully some rest before the morning activities begin. It’s almost midnight and the kids have only just gone to bed after watching The Chronicles of Narnia on TV. The older they get, the later this night seems to creep. (Right about now is when we need nothing short of Harry Potter’s wand to get everything done.) Some quick reflections before the magic starts . . .

What a year of exclamation marks. As I look back on 2008 there are so many life-changing events. New house! New job! New puppy! New president! Emma’s last year in elementary school! Shannon starting kindergarten! Our beloved pastor retiring! Joel turned forty!! C’mon! Talk about a year of big things – there was nothing simple about it. So it’s no wonder why I found myself dwelling on the “wow” factor this week when Joel and I were shopping for the kids’ Christmas gifts. We found Emma’s wow – a new sewing machine. And JB’s wow – an electric guitar. But we were struggling with something to wow Shannon with, and we realized . . . everything wows Shannon. She’s five! So we decided to wow her with the thrill of opening presents, and instead of one pivotal gift, she is getting several opportunities to gasp and squeal and feel delight this year.

My reflections tonight are on my obsession with the awesome this year. I’ve been craving “wow” moments. The anti-simple things, if you will. I wanted to add an exclamation mark to the end of every hymn we sang this week. No silent night lullabies for me this year. I remember my middle school choir director telling us once that some words should be spoken (or sung) as though they always have an exclamation mark after them. ‘Hallelujah’ being one of them. ‘Amen’ another. It may have taken twenty years for that lesson to ferment in me, but I’m finally there.

I hope you experience a Christmas this year like the shepherds did – with something to make you quake at the sight. I hope you receive news like Mary did – which makes you want to burst into song. I hope you are inspired like the wise men – who dropped everything to hurry to see an infant king. I hope 2009 has us all finding our own pillars of fire, wondrous stars, annunciations, and revelations. I wish all of you a fall-on-your-knees Christmas moment. One you can ride all the way to Easter! Wow – wouldn’t that be awesome?

So many of you have touched our lives this year in truly meaningful and riveting ways, and for that I am so grateful. Thank you for sharing our anything-but-simple year with us and we look forward to sharing 2009 with you! Wow – you are all great friends! :)

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Well, I am going to give this blog thing a shot. I just wanted a chance to thank Jennifer for all her hard work on my 40th birthday party. She made unbelievable yummy food, got a wonderful cake, and was an excellent host to our guests. I am also so thankful for all the friends who were at the party, because it was a great mix of high school friends, neighborhood friends, and new friends from soccer. Our family is truly blessed. I only regret that distance sometimes keeps us from dear friends. Besides, all that could not make the party will never have the once in lifetime opportunity to let Shannon lead them on a tour of our new house. It was great time. The kids were so happy for their parents to have a party for my birthday. The smiles on their faces were priceless.
After reflecting on all my family, friendships, and my life in general as you do when you reach my age, I am reminded that Our God is an awesome God. I started to think of all the blessings that should be mentioned here, but one thought started to sum them all up for me, “I am blessed because God blesses me with all I need and not by what I deserve.”
I am not as loquacious as my wife, so this is brief. Have a great week and GO GREEN!!!

Joel and I have been married for 14 years. In those years we have lived in 9 different homes. How, may I ask, does a couple who moves that much ~ and theoretically purges that often ~ acquire so much stuff??? Seriously. A little less than a year ago I unpacked our china and crystal for the first time since 1996. (I'm a skeptic and a cynic so it makes perfect sense to me.) That was a commitment to stay where we were - believe me. We even threw the boxes away. If that isn't a great example of God laughing at our plans I don't know what is. Instead, tripping over, buying, and moving into a new home all within a three week process was in the scrolls. Who knew? And all those horror stories of kids who hate their parents and grow up to be bitter, resentful, victims of childhood because they had to move? Fergeddaboutit. Their enthusiasm continues to surprise me. I wish I adapted so well. But we're wading through the boxes and settling in. I'm actually looking forward to the holidays for a different reason this year - extra time off to unpack and hang pictures. Anyway, until then, the door is always open and you're always welcome. Please visit anytime.

The slideshow is a collection of photos I discovered that hadn't been posted yet or of things that have happened since the last blog (a month ago?) There are some missing that I haven't uploaded yet including choir performances and a trip to the Pistons game. You'll no doubt hear Shannon telling her story of getting on the big screen at the Palace. Yep, fifty thousand people saw that one - except her mom, who was in the bathroom. For a mom isn't that kind of like a man being in the bathroom when your team scores the winning touchdown? The best part is that every time Emma or Joel tell the story to someone they always include the sentence, "And mom missed it!"

Anyway, it looks like we're rounding out 2008 with a new chapter of large proportion. Who knows - it might even be good for me. We've only been here 23 days and I've already unpacked the china. C'mon - that's gotta be step one in someone's 12-step program, right?

We’re getting closer and closer to this becoming a photo log, aren’t we? Sorry – the calendar’s been a little jammed lately. Nothing that wasn’t totally fulfilling and enjoyable – just, well . . . busy. Last weekend was unbelievably exhausting, so this weekend was only marginally numbing by comparison. I’ll spare you the details and just give you the highlights.

The girls competed their highland dancing in Chelsea, MI last Saturday. They both did wonderfully – it was a tough competition and both girls placed in some or all of their dances. Chelsea’s not exactly around the corner, so the 4:45am start may have had some effect on the group. I know it played a role later that evening for Joel and me as we tried to put party hats on for a friend. I really just wanted to pull up a party pillow at that point . . . but with the help of a little caffeine we did it. Okay, maybe more than a little caffeine.

The big highlight this weekend was Emma singing the national anthem with her school choir at the Adams High School Highlander homecoming game on Friday night. Very cool experience! (Never mind the fact that I allowed it to occur on the field of my alma mater’s arch enemy.) I’m sure she’ll never forget it – there were nearly 800 people at the pizza party for performers alone. Wow – what a production! Check out the photo of Emma striking a pose just before performing. Yeah – she’s a bundle of nerves that one. (Ha!! I don’t think Emma’s ever met a jitter.)

Last weekend wasn’t completely void of soccer of course, but this weekend trumped it with three soccer games back-to-back-to-back Friday through Sunday. JB’s team has really come together and is enjoying some success in their league. JB is especially finding his role on the field and having a great time. They came back from a 2-0 deficit yesterday to win the game 2-3 in a nail biter. Complete with a penalty kick scored by Joel. Even Emma watched that one! It was big fun.

We visited with “downriver” family last weekend which is always nice. Also last weekend, we partied with “east side” friends for a very special birthday, and rocked out with “hometown” friends at a concert yesterday. Soon we’ll travel to the “west side” (of the state) to reconnect with friends there too. I feel like a real live version of “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?” If we haven’t seen you in a while, I don’t know how with all the ground we’ve covered . . . but chances are we’ll be there soon. I’ll keep taking pictures – or delegating that – and will do my best to keep the news up to date on the blog. Send hate mail if you must. Or send caffeine if you care. :)

We celebrated autumn two days early - it was just too beautiful outside to resist the orchard. So we headed up to Blake's on Saturday to have some cider, donuts and apples. It was gorgeous weather - nearly 80 and sunny. And except for the killer bees which apparently love caramel as much as the rest of us, the kids had a blast. There was liquid sugar, powder sugar, gooey sugar, gooey sugar topped with powder sugar . . . what's not to love? After that, what do you wash it all down with? Well, when the dairy farm's just down the road - ice cream of course!! What a jackpot! Yep, we'll be paying the dentist for that day soon enough.

Sunday was no bore either with the day kicking off at our church's outdoor festival. You guessed it - more sugary snacks. This time with a moon bounce to shake it all up inside. Oh, to be eight again! Emma and Joel's choirs sang and Shannon graced the parking lot with some chalk art - it was a beautiful day. That evening JB had the soccer game of a lifetime scoring five goals himself and enjoying a comfortable win for a now 2-1 record. JB is really enjoying his season so far.

The first of the girls' last two dance competitions is this weekend followed by another soccer game. We'll probably have to pack some caramel. :)

There was a Staples commercial a few years ago that stuck with me and I still remember it well. They may even still play it – I don’t know. Commercials aren’t popular in my house. The Remote Control Manager doesn’t allow them except on Super Bowl Sunday. Anyway, it showed a dad skipping through the aisles of Staples with his two kids drudging behind while “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” played. I love that ad! Well . . . we’re there. Of course Shannon’s first day of school was bittersweet and full of all the emotions of new chapters and closed ones. In the end, though, the flurry of the school year starting is such a distraction that it already feels as though she’s an ol’ pro and hitting her stride. Still, it’s fun to hear everyday what new “adventure” she’s discovered. Things that have become routine with Emma and Joel are now new again – the lunch room, gym class, recess! And we love every tale Shannon tells each day.

Ranger has also hit his stride and settled into his own routine for now. He sees the kids off each day at the bus stop and then settles into his morning nap until lunch with mom. He’s still possessed with the challenge of conquering the evil penguin that plagues our house and I’m sure dreams of ridding the world of his arch enemy. The kids are still competitive for his attention and many evenings are spent sitting on the floor terrorizing the dog with hugs and toys held just out of reach. Interesting tidbit: Ranger despises the car. I’ve never had a dog that didn’t love car rides, so we’ll have to see if this is a learned behavior or not. Heaven knows he has plenty of soccer games in his future to attend!!

Have a great week everyone!!

Ranger moved into our home on Wednesday night and by Friday afternoon Shannon had packed her bags and announced she was moving out. Apparently, center stage is not for sharing in her book. To be fair, she wasn't the only one adjusting and by Saturday morning the 6:00 am response to the wimpering and crying turned into the following brief conversation:

"Do you think we should take him out?"
"I think we should sleep."
"I think you should take him out."

Let's just say my husband's a saint. He's acutely aware of how dysfunctional I am in the morning and bailed me out of the first early morning wake up. Since then, however, Ranger and I are enjoying some quality bonding time in the wee hours of the morning and I'm happily carrying a set of luggage under my eyes. I'm not sure what's worse though - the lack of sleep, or the three kids constantly arguing over who gets to play with the dog more, and who stole his attention from who. I think it was just last night when I asked Joel "can you and I and Ranger just go somewhere and relax?"

Big day tomorrow . . . first day of school! Shannon's first day of kindergarten and Emma's last year of elementary school. Shannon has chosen big brother Joel to walk her to her classroom when they get off the bus and I think secretly he's swollen with pride at the appointment. Although he'd never admit it.

We had a great last weekend of the summer together - topped off with a Tiger game this afternoon. It was a great day for baseball - although the Yankees apparently agreed. Still, the peanuts, sno cones, hot dogs, elephant ears and slushies kept the blues away. So all is good. Look out teachers - here they come!!

The hiatus is over. It was a fantastic summer filled with wonderful visits and activities. We were on the go non-stop and full speed. Now that I’m back to work and the kids are less than a fortnight away from starting school, we should return to some level of normalcy very soon. (Stop snickering.) I wouldn’t want to be accused of having one foot in the plastic tub though, so I figured I better get going on the blog again. Thanks to all of you who noticed and reminded me. Who knew so many would notice?! I think I won’t risk boring all of you with the list of summer events/activities gone by. But in an effort to have some sort of closure on things . . . I will mention that Emma had an absolute once-in-a-lifetime experience in Ireland with her Nana complete with castle tours, fiddle performances, celtic dancing, and even a tour and performance at Guinness. No, no taste-testing though. J This summer was the summer of visits though including the kids and I going down to Atlanta to see my brother’s family as well as the majority of Joel’s family coming to Michigan for an overdue nearly month long reunion coming as far as California, Georgia and Tennessee. It was great fun for the kids to reunite with cousins from multiple generations and build on those relationships. Our families are scattered all around the U.S. so the opportunities to be in each other’s company are so precious to us. Even the four-legged members of the family are loved. The kids are still talking about cousin Kathryn’s dog Skylar.

And speaking of . . . Ludlow Avenue welcomes another Fickel this week with the addition of “Ranger” to our home. I’m sure you’ll see many future entries with details on Ranger but as an introduction he is a German Shorthair Pointer puppy who will join us sometime this week after the vet gives the green light to leave mom and siblings. Ranger was born in July and we’ve had the delight of watching the pups in the litter grow each week as the owners have been so gracious to let us visit and acclimate the kids to the pups. The weekly changes are amazing and it has been so much fun. But we’re all anxious to have him for good even though the kids don’t have a clue what they’re in for! Still, an exciting new chapter at our house which of course brings more change. As I said to a friend recently, my life is about to go from tropical storm status to full blown hurricane overnight!! Ready or not.

No, I did not fall off the face of the Earth. No, I did not just set a record for shortest stint with a new hobby. Okay, okay – so I let some time slip. Let’s see, end of the school year for the kids, end of the work year for me, soccer season closing (and opening again!), dance competitions, and wait, I think I’m forgetting something . . . oh yeah – there’s also the there-and-back-trip-to-downtown-Chicago-for-an-emergency-passport-for-Emma-so-she-can-go-to-Ireland bit. Yeah, I think that covers it. (Dare I even mention the usuals of laundry, groceries, etc? Yeah – I didn’t think you wanted me to get into that.) So, yes – the blog took a hit these last few weeks. And my husband dared to compare the blog to my defunct knitting hobby. Hmph.

To be honest, I don’t even know where to start. I think I’ll go backwards on the timeline – it’s easier on my middle-aged memory. Yes, Emma left on Sunday for a week-long trip to Ireland with my mom. It all developed in 72 hours. I got a call from my mom at 3:30 on Thursday and by Sunday at 6:00 she was on her way. Joel and I had to both appear with Emma in person at the federal building in downtown Chicago on Friday to obtain her very last minute passport. That required leaving home at 6am and returning at midnight the same day. (Don’t judge – you’d do the same for your kid!) The trip developed from a canceled reservation on my mom’s latest trip as a tour guide. The company she works for received the cancellation at such a late date that they were unable to recoup the costs, so they extended the trip to my mom to include someone of her choice. Once in a lifetime experience for a 9-yr-old, don’t ya think? I’ll let Emma take the reins of the blog when she gets back, and you be the judge. I'll spare you the dramatic story of sprinting over a mile to make our appointment at the passport office resulting in sweat-soaked clothing and arriving three (!) minutes before our appointment time. You didn't think we could do all that without something going awry, did you???

Slightly before that, JB wrapped up his spring soccer season and began his summer lacrosse season. Also, somewhere between Michigan Ave and Dearborn Street in Chicago on Friday, we got a phone call inviting Joel to try out for a local travel soccer team in Rochester. Try-outs being . . . you guessed it, two days later. Smack dab in the middle of Father's Day. No rest for the weary I guess. After two days of drills and evaluations, he was selected for the team and we’re off and running in the travel soccer world. JB is soooooo excited and really on cloud nine. His own Ireland.

Not much to say about lil’ Shannon except that her summer vacation is going along just splendidly. She’s dancing away and doing her best to achieve a spot with Guinness Records for most words used without stopping to breathe in a 24-hour day. I think she’s got a decent shot at it!

I’ve no doubt missed a thing or two. Father’s Day for one. Oh, and losing power for three days after a freak thunderstorm. That was . . . challenging. (Note to self: Need to Google “solar powered generators.”)

Up next . . . Emma’s Ireland blog entry when she gets back (and VBS on it’s heels.)

What a beautiful Memorial Day weekend! We’ve enjoyed a great week and the weekend weather was such a nice treat to help us swing into the final stretch of the school year. Shannon “graduated” from preschool this week and Joel was able to attend her picnic and capture some highlights. Of course, she doesn’t quite get why she’s not getting on the school bus tomorrow morning to start kindergarten, but that’s another story. Yep, only three more months of explaining that one.

On Friday we headed up to Alma, MI for the Scottish Highland Games. This is really the kick off of the highland game season and the crux of the girls’ dance competitions. It’s a lot of fun for all of us – a little crazy at times, but fun. JB likes to take in the “heavy events” which are the guys with arms and legs as big as tree trunks. He has his favorites he likes to cheer for and follow their results as we visit the various games all year. It helps him survive the summers being the brother of a dancer. Well, that and the meat pies and funnel cakes and candy and . . .

Alma is the largest event the girls will compete in this year. As you’ll see from the photos, the dance stage is built on the football field at the college facing the stands. That gives you an idea of the size of this affair. Both Emma and Shannon did very well and they both came away with some medals and progress. Congrats girls!! And thank you to all the Boardmans and Reisters for all the support! The girls love to have fans.

While we were there JB was able to take a spin behind a NASCAR car. Okay, well not really – it was just a simulation. But cool just the same. So all in all not a total loss of a day for JB either.

Another highlight was visiting with our friend Ryan for dinner on Saturday night in Lansing. (Why are there no photos?? We failed that task for sure!!) It was a short visit, but long overdue and we enjoyed the time. Can’t wait for the Barr wedding this summer!!

To round out the weekend, Joel built the kids their own little garden and we spent a good deal of today shopping for and planting their selections. I’ll try to keep a progressive photo going throughout the summer so you can see the progress each week.

The kids also hit the driving range with dad today – so a little of all the things to make everyone happy. No photos there but look for that to develop this summer too since both Emma and Joel have been pestering us for years to get started in golf. I think we’re finally there. Note to self: need to plant that money tree we’re always looking for in the new garden.

One last highlight is Emma’s new business is officially off the ground as she had her first customer this weekend. She started her own dog walking and sitting business and you’ll see a photo of her and her customer, Wyatt, in the slide show. That smile lasted for hours! Of course, Emma getting her animal fix outside of home does nothing for my ongoing effort to wear my husband down enough to add our own companion to the family. Back to square one I go.

One last garden note – there are ants on my peonies. (That's a sentence guaranteed to make any school kid burst into laughter, isn't it?) Those of you who garden know we have to celebrate the small victories and I love to check in on what appears to be a salad bar for them at the moment. It makes me think that no matter how crazy things get, even the littlest jobs are getting done. And in a few weeks, I get to enjoy the sweet and intoxicating (although short lived) blossoms for a while. It’ll be a sweet reward for a tailspin of a spring.

For now, I have to be a good Detroiter and go cheer on the Wings and Stones. Feels like the late ‘80s again.

Black stormy rain clouds - HA! They wouldn't dare to ruin our camping weekend. They threatened. And threatened again. But we escaped untouched by the thunderstorms and enjoyed a great weekend without that particular element.

The kids truly love camping and we had a great time using my parents' 30+ year old pop-up while our friends the Greks enjoyed their first official outing with their new pop-up. I'm sure it was the first of many memories to come. I may never look at a crescent roll the same again (Thanks Rob!!) but the kids will also happily cheer for asparagus jelly from now on!

Of course there were s'mores and pancakes and hot dogs and all the classic camping fare. Campfires, bike rides, nature trails, and . . . oh yeah - raccoons. Let's not forget those friendly visitors. Funny thing is though, the only interested members of our party were fast asleep when those fellows came around the campfire. I guess we were lucky and had we been farther north it might have been something larger than what can be scared away with the switch of a twig. In fact, I'm sure there are some M&Ms, Cheerios, hot dog pieces and popcorn kernels being picked up right now for those raccoons who were patient enough to wait until we left.

As I listen to the laundry churn in the other room, it's time to return to the grind. If only for four more weeks of school. :) There are some videos in this post of Emma's choir concert at school last Thursday night. Hopefully the audio is working this time. The concert came at the end of "Open House" night and the kids had a fun time showing off all their work at school and chowing down some pizza too. Honestly, it's like a rock concert around there that night. The kids are electric with excitement - it's a crazy hour or so! Next year, we'll have all three kids at Long Meadow. Imagine.

Have a great week everyone! Thanks to the Greks for a great getaway!!

We had a “some kind of wonderful” Mother’s Day weekend! We started the celebrations by going to our cousin Erin’s wedding on Saturday and it was absolutely beautiful. If you were around this area on Saturday, you know what a picture-perfect day it was complete with a brilliant blue sky with just the right amount of white puffy clouds – perfect for a riverside, lighthouse wedding. Absolutely gorgeous! Of course, thanks to MDOT and their continuing “effort” on I-75 we were late arriving downriver and caught only the last few moments of the wedding ceremony. But we did get there and then scooted off to the reception. The kids had a blast dancing the night away before their coach turned into a pumpkin and all three did their very best “But moooooooommmmm . . .” and “But daaaaaaaaaaadd . . .” speeches to date in protest of leaving.

But what would a weekend with this family be if it weren’t packed to the gills with events, right? So . . . you guessed it . . . we had to turn in earlier than everyone wanted to because we were up at the crack of dawn on Sunday for choir performances at church. Yes, you read that right – I said “performances.” Plural. And to make it interesting . . . let’s have both kids singing at the exact same time but in different worship services. What’s a mom to do? On Mother’s Day, a mom does NOT pick a favorite child. So what a mom does is start in one service and then quietly sneak out before even more quietly sneaking into the other service to catch the tail-end of the other child’s singing. In all seriousness though, it was really nice and the kids did a fantastic job as usual. Next year all three kids will be in choirs, though, so I might have to hire seat fillers like they do at the Oscars.

Sunday was not so picture-perfect as far as the weather goes, but it was a wonderful Mother’s Day nonetheless. The kids were supposed to catch the Tigers/Yankees game with my parents, but thanks to the slowest moving rain system I’ve ever seen God decided to water the plants instead. All day long. So we all headed to the movie theater instead, and then off to a delicious dinner. I suppose the rain makes for a future Mother’s Day Part II at some point when the game is rescheduled, right? (You like how I worked that? Clever, huh??)

Oh, and I would be remiss if I forgot to mention one very important highlight to JB’s weekend. (Okay – probably the highlight.) Saturday morning’s soccer game was a nail-biter. The score was comfortably 3-1 at one point, but then crept to 3-3, and then 4-4. In a bend-it-like-Beckham move that I cannot believe I didn’t catch on video, JB finessed a shot arching over the goalie’s fingertips above his head and into the back corner of the goal for the game-winning shot. It was pretty cool. No wonder he was bopping around the dance floor that night! (And ladies, his Electric Slide is coming along quite nicely, thank-you-very-much.)

So all-in-all, it was truly wonderful.

Next week: Friends and kids and camping – oh my!

I should explain some of the photos in the slideshow this week. The choirs are self explanatory: Joel's in solid blue - he's in the top row, farthest left. Emma's in the other photo - front row, white shoes. The dogwood photo is the view outside Joel's and my bedroom. That's literally what we see. Isn't it pretty? It's a persnickety tree though and only graces us with blooms every other year it seems. So I was determined to immortalize it this year in film - er, digital file. Anyway, I think I just found my new wallpaper for my computer. Lastly, other than the wedding photos, my Mother's Day gifts are included - a flower vase from Shannon, handmade necklace from Emma, and photo/hand print from Joel. Aren't I spoiled?!?!?

The rain managed to stay away for one hour on Saturday - the exact hour of JB's soccer game. And what a game it was. Joel's undefeated team of three seasons was disbanded this year as his teammates and he entered a different league - one which purposely evens out the talent. So this weekend Joel played against a team that had one of his buddies from that powerhouse and it made for a great game! Which was great for me because I was fortunate enough to see it, and since the rain held off, I actually got to see it from the sidelines and not from the front seat of the car. Emma had a dance competition in Windsor which required no costume changes (a rare thing) and so we took the opportunity to "swap" typical duties and Dad accompanied Emma to Canada while I took in the soccer.
The photos of Joel playing soccer are stills captured from video. A skill I've only just taught myself in the last two hours. (!) And I know now there's a lot more to learn. Mostly for sharpening and resolution. But I think these will do nicely for this week. I tried to capture some action as well as some "mood" shots. This one above is what JB looks like when he isn't laughing or celebrating. He truly loves this game.
It really was a low-key week. Busy, but not stressful. One of the highlights was Emma's 4th grade musical at school of "The Princess and the Pea" in which she was an understudy and villager. She didn't get to exercise her understudy chops but seemed to have a ball (ha ha) as a villager. The director let the seven understudies write the words to a song to be played after the final curtain in which they sing of the raw deal and understudy is given. It was a stitch! They nailed it and had everyone in the audience laughing. Blogger won't allow too much in the way of uploading video - the size restrictions are ridiculously small. But you can catch a glimpse of her onstage by clicking on the video below. Don't ask where the audio is - I just can't win with this video stuff. But you get the idea anyway. It was big fun watching her first production! :)

We're off to a wedding this weekend - the first of four we have this year! So it should be a festive week. Spring is official - I pruned roses, pulled a couple weeds, and Joel cut the grass. Having initiated that is both exciting and daunting, knowing of the many weeds to come!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day everyone!!

Well, we've initiated the soccer and dance season and successfully weathered a torn ligament along the way. No, not from the dancers or soccer players, but from the middle-aged mom. There I was comfortably living through my pain until my husband threw me to the wolves one night. Or, wolf, in this instance. You got it - said wolf would be my mother who happened to join our family for dinner one night and had about all she could take of her daughter wincing from pain when breathing. I was promptly whisked away for a medical opinion. As my smiling husband waved and smiled and cheerily said "Have fun!!" Traitor. Turns out a rib had popped out of socket and managed to tear a ligament on its way. Needless to say, I've been sidelined and haven't been much in the mood to blog. But I'm on the repair and getting back to normal. It still hurts to sneeze or laugh very hard. Fortunately, I only have to do one or the other, oh, every hour or so. :) But on the upside, maybe this will fix my golf swing. But then again, I've always thought my golf game was just fine. It's my coach who constantly wants to fix it.

As I said, JB is in full swing of his soccer season and he's loving his new league and team. He's playing lots of positions and learning a lot from his new coach. He suffered his first loss in about three years this last weekend, but seems to have shouldered it well. There were photos taken of his game for the slide show, but they were inadvertently erased. So look for those next time.

As for dance . . . the girls had their first competition of the season on Saturday. First one ever for Shannon. I was alone at this one since Joel was managing the soccer constituency so I had some difficulty trying to manage both the camera and the camcorder at the same time. (I forgot the tripod.) Ultimately I abandoned the still camera for video. So there are essentially no stills of dancing for the slide show either. However as soon as I have an extra six hours or so I'll get right on reading the user manual for that thing and figure out how to extract single frames from the video. Or better yet, maybe I'll find a third grader to figure it out for me.

Oh, I should mention results: Shannon did well - finishing fifth in one of her two dances. Emma did great - finishing 3rd and 5th in two of her four dances. It was a fun weekend - lots of swimming at the hotel pool. (The competition was held at a hotel which makes for a lot of fun for the kids.) And the kids all collapsed on Sunday. But not before . . .

Their final choir concert of the year. Another beautiful festival held at the Kirk on Sunday evening with all choirs of the church (6) represented. It was a truly wonderful way to wind down a very hectic weekend and even though the kids were completely spent by the time the ice cream social came around, it really rounded out the weekend very nicely. Put us all in the right frame of mind.

Alas, there's no rest for the weary as we're already looking ahead to a school musical for Emma on Thursday night of the "Princess and the Pea" in which Emma is a villager and understudy of the princess role. Then another dance event on Saturday and a soccer game (deep breath) at the exact same time as dance again. This should be the last conflict though and things will begin to settle down.

Okay, you can stop laughing now. A girl can dream, can't she?

It’s been one birthday celebration after another here at the Fickel’s. JB celebrated his 8th birthday last Friday and Shannon turned five today. We had an “all boy” day on Saturday for Joel and five of his classmates. The boys started bright and early by going with dad to a local gym to play basketball and football. Then came the pit stop at home to eat pizza and cake, play outside some more, open some presents, play a little Wii of course, and then we all went to a local arcade. (Think ESPN Zone here – not the Galaga and Centipede of yesteryear.) I have to admit, the games were pretty cool – and as my kids will tell you I am not a gamer.

Today was the flipside of that boy day with Shannon celebrating this afternoon with two buddies from her preschool class. We did a low-key afternoon with lunch and then making cup cakes together. Of course, when two or more girls gather . . . there will be dress-up also. Each girl also got to create their own color of frosting and then top the cup cakes with sprinkles. Or pixie dust – whatever you prefer. It was a mess! But an absolute blast. Shannon’s birthday seem to have a “wheel” theme this year with getting a scooter from mom and dad and a bike “tag-along” from Nana and Grandpa. We’ve already initiated the bike with a trip downtown while everyone else is at choir practice. It’s a little chilly outside, but there’s something about a new birthday gift that makes it bearable. (Oh, and don’t worry and don’t call Child Services or anything. Shannon always wears a helmet – we were just posing for a photo op.)

What I lack in cake, cookies, and brownies in my diet because of the gluten, I have made up for ten-fold in frosting just today! The funny thing is – I never used to like frosting. But somehow I couldn’t resist a “green light” sweet especially when the cake batter bowl was staring me down and taunting me. Besides, how else was I supposed to get the frosting off my fingers? You don’t just wash that stuff down the drain!! I’m telling ya – if I ever fall off this Celiac wagon, it won’t be for a beer – it’ll be for cake or cookie batter. Count on it.


One final thing to offer as closure on last week’s post . . . Emma received a 95% on her Spain report! Way to go Emma!!

Other than that, we’re starting to get back into dance and soccer season, rounding out the school year, and kicking up the fertilizer! 42 days left of school for the kids – 50 days left for me! (Yes, you bet I’m counting!)

Now, I better go take some ibuprofen for this massive sugar headache I have. Boy was it worth it though!!

How do you say Halleluiah in Spanish? I don’t know either but if we did I bet they could hear us all the way to Barcelona tonight. Emma’s project on Spain is DONE!!! It took three months and she is handing it in tomorrow and giving her oral presentation to her class tomorrow! Wow – what a trip this has been. Believe me, the whole family is rejoicing the end of this project. Congrats to Emma though for all her hard work. The photo you see is of her “doll” that was one of the required elements of the report. She had to dress this wooden figure in a native costume of her assigned country. I snapped this photo before she drew the face on, but I think you can appreciate the challenge this was. Needless to say, I am not the craftiest person in the world. So while I’m sure moms all over Rochester were whipping out their Viking sewing machines, Emma and I were gluing felt together with plain ol’ Elmer’s glue. Some things you just never let go of.

My dad treated the kids to a trip to the Detroit Science Center last week during Easter break. We all had a great time – I haven’t been there since eighth grade! I have to say it was nice to have a 1:1 ratio so that we could all dive into whatever activity appealed to each kid. Shannon LOVED the simulated factory pouring molten metal, putting gears together, using the forklift. JB loved the IMAX movie and especially the “jam room” which was a sound studio with drums, electric guitars and other instruments. Emma spent a lot of time on the body section. You know – blood, arteries, veins, muscles, etc. All the things any girl dreams of. Yes, this is the child that gives herself her own shots at the doctor’s office while her mother covers her eyes and shakes like a leaf.

Somehow I missed all the photos of the kids’ Easter egg hunt on Easter afternoon. Joel and I hid 75 eggs around the house – since it was around 35 degrees outside. We’re still working our way through the jelly beans. And speaking of missing things, I’m not going to list happy birthday wishes on here anymore because I’m bound to forget someone and I just wouldn’t be able to handle the guilt. Better to bow out now unscathed.

Other than that, we had a very relaxing break and everyone’s tucked in bed and ready for their return to school tomorrow. JB had his second grade music concert just before break and I’m trying to get the video uploaded, but I may be in over my head. He celebrates his 8th birthday this Friday. So look for photos from those festivities next week.

I hope everyone enjoyed a beautiful Easter. I was checking out the forsythia, dogwood and magnolia tree today. We’re almost there. The halleluiahs just keep on comin’!

Sweet Hosannas! The sky opened up today for the first time in what seems like forever and we had the warm sun to enjoy all morning. What could be better? One of my favorite hymns on Palm Sunday includes the words "from whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring!" And our family enjoyed that - literally - this morning with both Emma and Joel singing in church this morning. It's hard to start the week in anything but a sunny mood after leaving church on Palm Sunday. I hope that all of you enjoyed the same warmth and excitement. Even though it was a crisp 35 degrees outside today, there was no lack of sunshine in our house and hearts today!

Joel is safely home from California and has survived his jet lag. He had a wonderful visit with his family and friends - especially with his mom. It was a breakneck pace of visiting, but the important thing was the precious moments he had with everyone even though it was so short. His reunion with some LHN friends took him to some fun places like Santa Monica and the beaches of Malibu and he had a great time. He didn't take nearly as many photos as his daughter would have - only producing a scant ten or so! But here's two - one of the group, and one of his highlight meal. A banana and cheese sandwich. I know what you're thinking - I think you had to be there. But I value a delicious meal immensely these days - so it warrants a spot here today! :)

Some explanations of the photos in the slide show this week include pics of Emma (and friends) as well as JB (and friends) during their lunch period on Thursday at school. No, the kids don't normally have to eat their lunches on the floor. The kids had "spirit week" at school this week and Thursday was beach party day. So the kids take beach blankets in that day and eat and dance to Beach Boys songs. It was fun to visit with them and see them so excited with their friends.

I also snapped a few photos on my phone from a night we went to have some Chinese food. Notice Shannon's technique with chop sticks. Joel's friend Oliver was with us and very astutely concluded that it's much easier to just stab your chicken right through with the chop stick instead of the goofy Chinese way. I couldn't agree more - and it was a lot of fun watching the kids eat their lo mein.

Joel's dad also came for a visit and there's a photo of JB and him at dinner one night. I don't always have my good camera on me when these opportunities present themselves, which is what makes camera phones SO COOL - but not quite as good in quality. Regardless, it allows us to record things we wouldn't have in the past. And I love that.

The handsome little boy in the slide show is our friend Jake. He joined us for some afternoon ice cream today - remember I told you how "sunny" today felt? It may still be winter out there, but we fought it today. Jake's a blast and the kids had fun goofing off with him and his totally boring parents. ;)

Finally, what would a blog be without a few "Shannon-isms"? Here's a photo of Shannon with snow shovel in tow. The picture doesn't exactly seem all that unusual - but when Joel and I checked on her playing outside we found her shoveling snow off the lawn and onto the sidewalk. When we asked the reason, without looking up from her very busy work, she replied "I'm getting rid of all this snow because I'm ready for spring already!" Hear, hear Shannon! I couldn't agree more.

The other photo with Shannon is her and I tonight before dinner. Shannon persuaded me to "get beautiful" for dinner. I love a Jane Austen story as much as the next girl, so she didn't have to twist my arm. Getting "dressed for dinner" is just what girls do, right? Add some beads, high heels, boleros and bobbles and we were set! It was such a success, Shannon declared next Sunday it will be the boys' turn. I can hardly wait!!

Even though I was in a perfectly "palmy" mood today complete with fashioning ten or so palms into palm crosses (When did I earn this title? Anyone else want it??) I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the other important event in our day today - particularly the end of the day - and the reason I need to wrap this blog up . . . the NCAA tournament selection-ology. Okay, bracketology. Or, whatever - you know what I mean. Yes, our family will soon be consumed by March Madness. But before I go, I want to wish you all a happy Evacuation Day tomorrow (look it up, you'll impress at the water cooler.) It's way more interesting to those of us who aren't Irish or Catholic or any combination therein.

But if I don't go, Joel won't be able to print the brackets for JB . . . and that just won't be pretty in the morning. Happy birthday to Jake and Seth! And Happy Easter everyone!!!

Highlight: Emma

I was scraping to find some photos for this week's entry and decided to check Emma's camera for material. While scanning 116 photos (!) which she has saved on her camera, I came across some really good ones of her that aren't from this week but are fairly recent. This is a great one of Emma at Build-A-Bear which was a reward she earned through schoolwork. Here she is stuffing and dressing her latest stuffed buddy which she named Bindi. I don't think this was the last time Emma will visit this store. She had a great time and I'm sure she'll want to earn this trip again.


Another photo is of Emma meeting her latest cousin Nora Jane at Christmas-time. Nora is the first child of our cousins Sara and Andre. We don't get to see them very often so it was a great treat to meet little Nora and even though Emma isn't looking directly at the camera, I think it still captures her excitement in holding Nora.

We had the delight of hearing Emma's choir sing this morning in church again - which is always a treat. This photo is from Christmas-time I think, but here is her troop with her brilliant director whom Emma truly enjoys. Emma is in the front row closest to her director, Mr. Miller.

Lastly, to stick to the "Emma" theme - I have mentioned earlier that Emma has a new interest in photography and when the batteries aren't dead her camera is usually not far from her if not attached to her wrist. The result is she can sometimes catch one of us doing something spontaneous and whimisical - or even downright embarrassing. This photo represents all three and is one she snapped of me in an inexplicable outfit. (Seriously, don't ask.) So this is a highlight of Emma behind the camera instead of in front.

This could prove to be a useful format for the blog. When events are light I might just pick a few photos of one of the kids and highlight their latest news. Joel and I simply aren't that exciting of people to have news each week. Shocking, I know. Of course I could include photos of laundry and dirty dishes and shoveling snow, but I think we'll spare you the excitement. :)

Joel's off to California this weekend and I have a ridiculously busy weekend ahead . . . so I might miss a week on the blog. If so, look for highlights from California when he returns and stories of exhaustion from me. (What else is new, right?)

Have a wonderful week! And happy birthday to my brother Chris!! We had a great web-call with him today which was really nice. I love the Jetsons' age!!

Okay, the truth? I actually forgot to blog last Sunday. And by the time I realized it, it was Tuesday. On Wednesday the tickle in the throat became a fever and the next thing I knew it was Saturday. I think it's safe to say we are DONE with this virus!!

What was missed: Outings to Chuck E. Cheese and bowling. Gotta love that shot above. :)

I honestly have been so out of it and therefore out of touch that I think I'll just leave it at a slide show this week and start fresh next week. Sorry - I know that's weak. But do you have any idea how difficult it is to get computer time with three kids in the house?? And the four-yr-old is the worst! We are seriously very close to a sign-up sheet.

It's almost 11:00 and I am WAY past tired. G'night all!!!

P.S. Happy Birthday Grandpa Fickel and Happy Birthday Cousin Logan!! :)

Wow - what a week! Super Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, another snow day on Thursday, a skating party on Friday, celebrating my birthday (a day early), and last but not least . . . Shannon lost her first tooth!! Whew! Sprinkle in the rest of the every day stuff, and that's a whopper of a week. And now we're in the middle of an extreme cold snap - last I checked it was 1 degree outstide with negative wind chill readings. We've had school off for ice and snow so far, now the talk is whether or not they'll call school off for wind chill safety. Sounds crazy - I know, but for the families who have kids waiting out at bus stops for long periods of time, I can understand the concern. Tomorrow's supposed to be even colder than today, so we'll see what happens. It's been a crazy year so far with weather. Reminds me of when we were kids. There have actually been days when the kids had enough snow around here to build snow forts - which hasn't happened in a while. It's kind of nice.

Joel is working every night this week so we celebrated my birthday as a family a day early today. I was completely spoiled beginning to end. Had a delicious gluten-free meal at a restaurant in town and topped it off with some GF brownies and ice cream. The kids all had super special gifts for me and even let me sneak in a nap this afternoon! Yea!! :) That's big stuff for geezers like me.

But the biggest news of the day came from Shannon who lost her first tooth today. She is sooooo excited! Don't believe me? Give her a call if you have 30 minutes or so to spare to hear about it. We should all experience that level of utter bliss every day! So funny. I can hardly wait to see her reaction after the tooth fairy visits.

We managed to get Shannon back to healthy just in time for her brother and dad to follow suit with their colds. So far (knocking on wood) Emma and I have escaped this nasty bronchial bug so hopefully it will stay that way. In the mean time, let's hope Joel gets to take a break from plowing and salting soon because the reffing sure isn't letting up. As I said, he's working every night this week because of all the area snow days lately which have the schools scrambling to reschedule games whenever they can. But a chance to actually sleep through the night would be a welcome change for him and a necessary step to fighting this cold. We could all use a dose of sunshine right about now!

I managed to get this entry in tonight before bed time for a change so that I can turn in early myself. I have a Celiac support group meeting tomorrow night and a Lenten series lecture on Tuesday night, so sleep is going to be a commodity at least until Wednesday. (I mention sleep a lot - have you noticed that?)

For now, I think I'll go sneak another birthday brownie. :)

Hope you're all doing well ~ have a great week! Oh, I should mention the photos in the slide show include photos of Shannon at her preschool "beach party" where the kids wore swimsuits to school and brought beach towels and had a picnic on their towels. Also the kids built a snowman named "Jess" who is in absolutely no danger of leaving us anytime soon. Brrrrr.

P.S. ~ Cindy, if you're reading this . . . Happy Birthday!! :)

The air is out of the tires tonight. Shannon is in bed sicker than a dog and as any parent will tell you, that's one of the most exhausting things in the world - worrying/caring for a sick child. No Super Bowl commercial can compete with that for attention.

Quick news update: We had a bazaar week with weather. We were off school on Tuesday because of "ice." I put that in quotations because there wasn't any visible ice at our house. We assume it was in the northern part of the district, but nevertheless because there truly wasn't any ice around here we took full advantage of the day off and headed to the movies. Fast forward to Friday . . . and this time a snow day. (Notice the lack of quotations.) This time we earned our day off with 6+ inches of snow overnight. Needless to say, a five day work week will feel like an eternity this week. :) Yeah - THIS is why I got out of payroll!!!

Other than that - the kids' report cards arrived this week and both Emma and Joel did very well. Everyone had great marks and Joel and I are very proud of them.

Sorry the news is thin, but I truly do feel depleted tonight. Tomorrow brings back-to-back hefty meetings too that will have me out late and I really need my energy to stay up on Tuesday to watch all the Super Tuesday analysis (my other hobby).

No menu update - I'll get to that later this week. Maybe. Also, again, there are no new photos . . . but . . . we've decided to add an element to this blog that will be a recurring photo essay from Emma each week based on a theme of her choice. This last week was "fruit." So look for that later this week too. She has really taken to photography and is exploring what it means to tell a story through photos rather than words. She's really having fun with it!

Lastly, I wish you all a provoking Ash Wednesday. Lent doesn't come with shiny packages and pretty bows, or radio stations with non-stop Easter songs for 40 days, or an onslaught of cards and correspondence from loved ones - but what a powerful season it is! I can't think of a better way to reconnect and recharge.

Until then, my pillow will have to do. :)

(It seems I forgot some news from the boys.)

A post from Joel:

Since we were so early for the Piston game, JB and I made our way down for some autographs. We managed Amir Johnson and Mike Tirico. JB was far less interested in the autographs than actually just watching the players warm up just a few feet away. He totally checking out the size and routine of Dwight Howard of the Magic.

That's Emma - on the floor of the Detroit Pistons on Friday night!! She and nine other dancers performed a Highland Fling during the pre-game show as a fundraiser for their regional dance association. It was a very exciting night for everyone! Emma did great and we all had a fantastic time at the game.

It's was kind of a sports-themed weekend for our family. We kicked the weekend off at The Palace, continued to the kids' lessons on Saturday, and then watched the Spartans trounce the Wolverines in some basketball today, topped off with some family skating in the park. (The pond is finally frozen!)

We did have a lovely adult evening with our friends Deb and Jamie on Saturday which began with a pleasant surprise - fireworks in downtown Rochester in the middle of the prettiest snow flurry! How often do you get to say that? Okay, maybe those of you out west have seen that, but . . . that was a first for at least me. Dinner was delicious and the company was such a treasure. Grown-up conversation, delicious food - truly a great night. (Thanks again, guys!)

I'm going to experiment a little with uploading video - but once again left my journal entry this evening until too late and that pesky thing called a job looms on the horizon, so it's a short entry tonight. Really, though, other than Emma dancing at the Pistons game (seriously - how cool is that?!?!) we really couldn't top that, so there's not much news.

Check back for some video. If I ever figure it out, that is.

Have a great week everyone!

Oh, the short ribs with cola sauce was a huge hit. If anyone's interested, let us know and we'll share the recipe. At the very least, don't be surprised if you're served it in the event of a visit. :) Yum!!

We're having technical difficulties tonight, and I'm very close to giving up and trying again tomorrow. I have a new slide show for this week and Picasa is causing me considerable frustration. Moving on to our news . . .

I forgot to mention last week that JB was recognized at school for participating in a national competition called "Reflections." Students can submit creative writing, drawings, and other "creative" methods of their reflections on a selected theme. This year was the theme "How Can I Make a Difference" and JB submitted a drawing. The school held a breakfast to recognize students who participated in this event and Joel was able to attend and snap a photo of JB receiving his certificate and ribbon from his principal. We are of course crazy proud and I'm further annoyed that the slideshow isn't up and running so you can see the delight in JB's face. (I know, I need to let it go.) Anyway, we think it's a great event and were thrilled that JB came away from it with a positive feeling.

Joel's dad is home again with Erich and family and is recovering well. Thank you to everyone for their prayers for his health. Oh, and I looked it up - and I did spell it wrong. It's stent, not stint. I sort of knew that at the time, but this blog doesn't have spell check. It wouldn't have caught stint anyway. :)

We had a pretty normal week, but boy did we ever top it off with a load of events! We all went to Joel's game on Friday night to watch him in action as a referee. The kids LOVED that! (Did I mention the slide show's not working? When it is, look for the guy in stripes.) And the kids decided to round out Friday night by having a "sleepover" in the girls' room. What that means is that they invite their brother to sleep in their room on the floor - and apparently this is appealing to him. To a degree. The kids have tried this many times before and inevitably JB calls the whole thing off about an hour into it. Well it's been a while, so they gave it another shot. And just as before, JB wanted out when the novelty wore off. But we called his bluff and he muddled through enough to enjoy himself. They all managed to stay up too late, and thankfully slept in on Saturday morning.

Saturday brought skating and lacrosse again and those activities are still going well. On Saturday night we all went out to eat dinner at our brand new Chili's because our friends are working there and we were able to catch Valerie's shift. I had some gluten-free soup and everyone else had a glorious gluten-filled meal complete with dessert. Sugar rush - yeah! After dinner we came home and had movie night and the kids chose to watch The Incredibles since we haven't seen that in so long. It was a fun time and everyone crashed after the movie.

This morning, we had an extra blessing in church of listening to Emma's choir sing. And we took the afternoon slow before heading out to separate events. JB went to my parents' house and watched football with Grandpa without the annoying interruption of sisters. He loved that. :) Shannon and I headed to our friend Carly's birthday party this afternoon - a Fairy Tea Party. What a blast!! Dress up, make up, tea, cake. And little fairies running everywhere. What could be more fun? Shannon had a great time and was still talking about the party when I last saw her. Emma and her dad enjoyed some Daddy-and-Daughter time at Build-a-Bear and then by having dinner together. From the report I got, it sounds like they had a terrific time together and I know they each treasured their day.

The kids are off from school tomorrow and so Nana and Grandpa are hosting a sleepover tonight with some fun events tomorrow. I think the Science Center. ?? I hope they take photos! Joel and I dropped the kids off and headed to a movie for some "us" time to finish the weekend before heading back to work tomorrow. Date night is always a shot in the arm for me.

But even though it's a national holiday tomorrow - I do indeed have to work and it's a doozy of a day ahead, so I need to call an end to the weekend. (It is almost midnight after all, and I usually call 9:00 my bedtime!) I'll enter the ring with Picasa again tomorrow. C'mon, it gives you a reason to check back another day, right? :) Wish me luck!!

A-ha!!! Jen - 1, Picasa - 0
:)

Maybe I should rename this blog "A Day Late." Boy, we're not even out of January and I'm already finding things about this journal thing that are a constant challenge. I don't always have the best of ideas - and I'm not the most flexible person in the world. And what I'm learning about this new hobby is that I'm still in a state of constant change with it. I like defined expectations - not "grey area" or loose parameters. I like a menu. I like to stick to it. I like a schedule - update it every week on the same day. Those sorts of things. So let's see, so far I've missed two Sunday posts, entirely missed changing the menu one week, and I'm already starting to re-think the whole "This Week's Photos" slideshow. (Mainly because we didn't really take any photos this week.) Ahhh, change. I surrounds me. Constantly challenges me.

Anyway . . . I've just come from my Celiac support group meeting. It was great. There was a chef from one of our tri-county grocers there who prepared a few dishes for all of us - and they were scrumptous. WAY better than the cheese and hard boiled eggs I've been living on. Okay, it's not THAT bad. But seriously - this stuff was really good. And it's made with stuff I can't even pronounce.

To recap the week (in an effort to stay within the original parameters of this journal) we did accomplish all we set out to do last week. And, as predicted, collapsed. The girls started their skating lessons and did fantastic. Shannon's even moving up a class this week. Remember last week when I mentioned she fell every five to six feet? Well, at lesson on Saturday she was confidently skating the width of the rink in the short 30 minutes of lesson. Crazy! Emma's also working on things I would NEVER have thought to introduce to her, so she's well on her way to surpassing any skating skills I ever possessed!

JB successfully started lacrosse and had a great time. Here's a great photo of him all geared up, but it was taken with a phone so the pixel quality is not so good. In a nutshell, he embraced the new sport and is anxious to go back. On a really great side note from a parent's point of view: Joel (talking dad here) is super excited about the new organization. Apparently this league is run much better than last time. Which is important to my details-oriented husband. (See, I'm not the only one.)

But when you play hard you usually pay a price and the girls are both battling colds now. I swear for Emma it's a matter of exhaustion. The kids have Friday and Monday off school, though, so they'll get a chance to recharge. Joel and I on the other hand . . . well, we'll see. Joel seems fine to exist on little to no sleep. Me - not so much.

To top off the week, Joel's dad decided to shake things up a little in the routine by having a heart attack. Thankfully, he received care in time to prevent things from getting too severe and was able to come away from it with a small addition to his stint (sp?) collection and is on his way to a full recovery. We managed to buzz down for a very quick visit with him in the hospital over the weekend and returned last night. (That's where the collapsing came in.)

This week looks a little more normal. So a Sunday entry is looking good!!

Oh, and for those of you who care - my alma mater lost by 30+ points at the big game last Friday night. But we still had a LOT of fun. :)

Off to get some sleep! Have a great week!

I wasn't sure I was going to meet my goal tonight of posting an entry like I had hoped. But here I am - kids are in bed, kitchen's clean, I'm not totally exhausted yet. The planets aligned, that's all I can say. Maybe this week-by-week plan for my new hobby might just work. :)

Today was a fun day. The kids each received their first pair of ice skates this year for Christmas from Nana and Grandpa, and today was their first day on the ice. What a trip!! Out of the five of us, I'm the only one who has skated before . . . and the last time was when I was 17. (You do the math.) I have to say, I didn't know how many falls on the cold, hard ice the kids would have in them ~ or me for that matter. Well, they LOVED it. Shannon must have fallen over a hundred times ~ or a better description would be every five or six feet. And each and every time she laughed with delight. Emma took to it very quickly and needed very little help at all. JB took a few laps to get his balance down, but once he did he was off and loving it. He even got the whole side-to-side thing down. Do I have a little Apolo Ono on my hands??? We'll see. When the buzzer went off and we had to get off the ice, the kids immediately asked "when can we come back?" So I think it's safe to say we're off and running with a new activity around here. Even daddy enjoyed himself. (Although he was the one with the camera today, so I don't have any evidence.)

This week is a busy one for all of us. It's the first full week back to work and school after Christmas break, but we have a few really cool rewards in store at the end of the week if we survive it. The girls start skating lessons this Saturday and JB will start up again with his lacrosse, but this time in a league. The kids are all stoked about their new activities ~ the excitement around here is electric. On Friday night we have the "Crosstown Showdown" in Rochester. Which is the boys basketball battle between Rochester High (my alma mater) and Adams High (the cross-town rival) played at Oakland University. We went last year (which was the first time they held this event) and we had an absolute blast. They sold out the stadium and we never sat down. Big days all weekend. We'll probably collapse after church on Sunday ~ but with smiles on our faces. :)

Have a great week!

J.

Happy New Year everybody! (a day late naturally) I can't believe this is the first time since Christmas Eve that I've had a moment to sit down at the computer. Back to work and school tomorrow - where did the time go???

We were buried in snow again for the second time this season and Joel spent another 48 or so hours straight plowing snow. So while he sleeps, and Emma is out making snow angels, and her siblings play on their brand new Wii (thank you Mimi & Papa!) I thought I'd steal a moment to "log in".

It's been a great break visiting with SO many friends. Like I said, I feel like today is the first day "off" really. Not that I would trade the time off for anything. I'm sure to be crabby tomorrow!! :) At least it's just for a couple days.

So I'm officially off and running with my 2008 hobby of blogging. My plan is to sit down and add a journal entry every Sunday. We'll see. As you'll notice, the weekly menu has been the same for over a week now. So that's something that definitely needs some tending to! Maybe this weekend.

The laundry's done. The plowing and shoveling are done. Homework is done. I guess we're as ready to go back as we're going to be. Oh yeah - I'll have to do something about the big green thing in the living room with all the pretty decorations on it. Hmmmm - my helpers all seem to disappear when I mention breaking down the tree. :) Oh well - maybe Saturday. By then there'll be more laundry, shoveling, and homework anyway, right?

Until then . . .