Fall is in the air

Hello all. The past week has been fun. Just having Craig back has been such a help. Someone to cuddle at night and help with all the car activities in the evening! Joe went to Williamsburg, VA last Thursday through this Monday. I do believe he had a blast. Friday was Parish Fair Day and the kids were off school. I kept C & J all day. Erin, C & J played outside with sidewalk chalk and ball; inside, they played video games and made clay sculptures. Saturday was busy with voting and buying new tennis shoes. Erin and Craig went to the parish fair that night and had a lot of fun. I decided to stay home instead of pushing around Anna in the stroller. Sunday was church and eating out at George's. Yum. We rearranged the bedroom and office. We went out to The Pizza Man restaurant with some neighbors. Yum again!

Joe came home Monday night. It was so great to see him. He was wearing a bright red neck pillow on his head. He's so funny. He had a tooth pulled this morning. A baby tooth with a huge cavity that the dentist has been watching finally caused him pain, so out it came. What a fun way to spend the morning! What a blessing to have dental insurance and a dentist that will see you the day after you call.

Erin had sore feet tonight after dance class. After eating, bathing, homework and playing the piano, she got a foot massage. She really liked that.

Anna is busy. She can crawl anywhere and get into just about anything. The kitchen drawers are her current favorites. She especially love the coffee drawer. She dumped out about a 1/4 pound of coffee all over herself on Sunday. Boy, did she smell good! She is quite confused that all the other bags don't empty out like that one, but she keeps trying. It is a sight to behold.

Life is busy and good. We've been enjoying some glorious fall weather the past few days. Blue skies, 80 degrees and less than 90% humidity. Very nice.

Josie

He's back!

Craig left on Sept. 12 to go to Istanbul, Turkey and Budapest, Hungary. We really missed him. Life was quite busy while he was gone. Someone helped me on Monday and Friday nights for football practice. Aunt Val helped watch Erin on Thursday nights. She also helped on Saturday, taking Erin out to lunch, getting a gift, and getting her to a friends' birthday party. The schedule was hectic, but do-able with help. I even managed to cook a few meals, simple stuff like hamburgers, hot ham and cheese sandwiches, and homemade chicken nuggets.

I felt like I yelled a bit more than I should have with the kids, especially getting ready for school and bed. Craig was supposed to come home at 10pm on Saturday night, but came home at 5pm Sunday night instead. He endured about 43 hours(!) of travel time, including a very uncomfortable night in London's Heathrow Airport. I think everybody cried when we figured out that Craig would not be home on Saturday.

Anna got sick on Saturday as well. She has a virus.

I'm so glad Craig is back home. I let the kids skip school today to be with their dad.

Joe leaves on Thursday to go to Williamsburg, VA.

We're a busy crew!
Feeling blessed.
Josie

Another 2 weeks have flown by...

Hello again. I've been gone a while. Labor day weekend was busy at Mom's. We did a quasi-evacuation and ended up staying an extra day courtesy of Hurricane Gustave. The only damage to our home was a fallen crepe myrtle. Craig and our wonderful neighbor, Larry, put it back up with the help of some other neighbors. The kids were out of school that entire week. This past week has been busy with preparations for Craig's departure to Istanbul, Turkey. And football, dance, and cello. I also need to call the piano teacher to set that up. The baby got 2 new teeth on the 5th, top right middle and eye teeth. Her left eye tooth cut through on the 11th. She also got 1/2 of her first flu shot. She is not anemic. She weighs 16 pounds, 2.5 ounces and is 27 inches long. Tiny. Hurricane Ike came through last night and today. The same crepe myrtly hit the ground again. Maybe God is trying to tell me something! Joe went to play at a friends house tonight and then went to football practice. He was in a foul mood while on the way to practice, but all the shoving, hitting, and testosterone helped his mood considerably. He was quite the helper by carrying in the 5 gallon water jug in and then nearly broke his thumb putting it in the dispenser. Guilt, guilt, guilt. Ice, ibuprofen and hugs. Erin was great at practice tonight...the in-car DVD player is worth its weight in gold. Craig left today for Istanbul. Crossing the Causeway with winds gusting to about 45 miles/hr was interesting! After a near ticket fiasco, Craig went to Dallas safely as the Chicago flight was cancelled. He made it safely onto a flight to London. On the ride back across the lake, a spray of water actually hit my car. That was a new one. The baby is playing with the kitten right now, holding a small piece of cardboard for her to jump at. Lots of baby laughter. :)!
I miss Craig already.

Feeling blessed.

Josie

Hello again. Well my husband and I have now known each other for 20 years. I started college 20 years ago this week and we met on the first day. My nephew started college this week. Where or where does the time go?! We've been busy. Erin has dance 4 nights a week. She really likes her new teacher and is excited about starting back at talented art. Joe has started football practice and cello. Joe's team is the Tigers. Purple and gold. Sigh. I am going to have to overcome my lifelong dislike of Tiger teams. He adds Cub Scouts next week. He really seems to like his new teachers, but has quite a bit of homework. Anna has a new tooth and has started a creeping/crawl...2 hands, one foot up and drag the backside. She can get anywhere and when placed on the stairs, climbs right up. She is quite the picky eater...my punishment I suppose.

Except for last weekend, I've done pretty good at cooking for my family. Monday, we had a Macaroni Grill chicken mix and canned green beans. Last night we had crunchy pork chops, gravy, mac & cheese, and fresh green beans. Tonight we are going to have slow-cooker BBQ pork sandwiches and cole slaw. Hopefully, we'll have leftovers tommorow night.

My foot is healing nicely. No real pain anymore, but it is still not completely closed and is tender.

Life is good.

Josie

Busy month

It's been a busy, busy month. I took the kids to Audubon's Insectarium on the Tuesday before school started. Anna really didn't understand what was going on...surprise! Joe and Erin really loved it. I was again amazed at how diverse the world is...so many types of beetles. I really like that they mentioned divine design, bugs are a bit to complex and varied to have just evolved. Anyhoo. Erin had dental and doctor visits on Wednesday to replace an old filling and treat an ear infection. Anna went to the doctor too. The ear tugging is probably related to all the new teeth trying to make their way out of her gums. School started on 8/8/08. Joe has Mrs. Marino and Mrs. Todd. Erin has Mrs. Breaux. They seemed to like their teachers. We went to Saturday night church and the next morning, Iwent to Adult Bible Fellowship (aka, Sunday School) and then sang for Kidstuf...I bombed one song. Perfect in practice almost always equals bomb during performance. Aargh. Erin had dance 4 nights this week. Joe had football evals on Thursday and Friday. My meal plans worked pretty well. We had pork chops, meat loaf and brisket. Pretty yummy week. I had foot surgery on Wednesday. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Craig was a dear and stayed home with me that day. He did laundry and dishes and whatever needed to be done for the rest of this week too. And, he finished school for this session this afternoon. Happy, Happy face! Joe got his first degree level 3 black belt today. He was very happy. Erin stayed home and worked on a Brownie scrapbook. I did housework this morning then decided to rest most of the rest of the day because of mild foot swelling. My foot is just not comfortable. Walking funny is bothering my right ankle and making my left leg tired. My back doesn't like it either, but it is not in spasms as it was last week. This will pass. Anna loves to stand and has crawled for her Daddy and sister, but not me. She does manage to move herself about 2 feet scooting on her bottom. Her upper teeth are about to erupt. She is just precious. She's so happy. Life is good.

8/8/88-my wonderful grandfather passed from this world to the next. Happy, healthy again, and handsome. I was 17, about 2 weeks from starting college and imagining where I would be in 20 years; very sad, but still so hopeful about my future.
8/8/08-my son started 5th grade, my daughter, 3rd. My baby was 8 months and 1 day old. Happy, healthy, handsome and beautiful. I was 37, married to a great guy I met on the first day of college, living in a beautiful home in a wonderful town. "God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame." Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Enjoying God's gifts,

Josie

Long time since...

Well, it's been a long time since I blogged. I guess I just got so wrapped up in the everyday that I never sat down to write. Writing is not my strong point. My older kids finished a week of cooking camp July 11. Joe took Tae Kwon Do pictures on the 12th. I managed to get quite a "honey-do" list from my honey that afternoon! I got my new permanent dental bridge on the 16th. We travelled to Lake Placid, NY for Craig's Ironman race on the 17th. We took a cool bobsled ride and visited the Olympic ski jump facility on the 18th. We visited the North Pole (actually North Pole, NY) on the 19th. Craig started his Ironman Lake Placid race at 7am on the 20th and he finished at 9:45 pm that night. He finished 6 minutes faster than his last race and did it with 13 hours of rough rain and a smile. The kids and I saw him at 11:45, 3:45, and 9:45. His 1/2 marathon time never registered, and was I ever glad to see him at the finish line. I try hard not to worry, but I was worried then. I kept checking my phone for messages and the computer for times. I had other people checking the computer too. Anyway, that's something for me to work on. Monday we drove up to the peak of Whiteface mountain (over 4000 feet above sea level) and then took an awe-inspiring and frightening gondola ride on another side of Whiteface. I worked very hard not to show my fear to the kids. It is really a beautiful place. Going back to the hotel, we stopped at High Falls Gorge...just gorgeous (no pun intended). I got some really cool pictures. On the way home, we saw a boulder in the falling rock zone of the highway. It amazes me how trees grow on the side of the rock walls. The next day we did the touristy shopping thing. I'm sure the Lake Placid commerce department was happy.:) We came home on Wednesday. Anna did really well on the flights. The last one was the worst.



Erin went the ballet on Thursday. I had girl scout training that night.
We tried out Saturday night church.
Mom and Melody came for a visit! We had a really great time. We went shopping on Sunday afternoon. I had Kidstuf practice that evening. I hated being away from them, but I think it gave them a good time to spend with the kids. We went to brunch the next morning at The Broken Egg Cafe. Yummy!
Joe started football agility clinics on Tuesday. Craig went to Cincinnati on Wednesday for business. I picked out 6 month portraits for Anna on Wednesday as well. It has rained almost every day this week. I have done innumerable loads of laundry and dishes. Whoever said the only things certain in life are death and taxes must not have been a housewife.
A new month has started and I'll try to blog more frequently.

Favorite quotes and thoughts:

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength."
Corrie Ten Boom

Until next time,
Josie

Back again...

Things got hectic. Craig's birthday on the 3rd. Erin, Anna and I went and had lunch at a Korean restaurant in Metairie with him. We gave him new shoes, a book, and a couple of cards. The A/C broke again on the 3rd. The 4th started with "4 on the 4th", a four mile running race. Craig ran and strollered Anna. She loved it. Erin ran the 1/2 mile kids run. Erin received a gold coin and flag for her participation. She came in 3rd for the hula-hooping contest and third for the pie-eating contest. It was strawberry/rhubarb and she said it was awful. The rest of the day was celebrated with my sister-in-law and nephews-grilling and the pool, then fireworks. Joe came home! (At 11:45pm.) It sure was great to get one of his squeezy hugs. Craig took a long bike ride on the 5th, his last because the Ironman race is soon. We grilled out again because the A/C was out. The kids loved playing with their cousins. Sunday was church and trying to get the house back in order. The kids started Young Chef's Academy camp on Monday. It's all about presentation this week. They are really having fun. The A/C guys came on Tuesday to install a new unit.:):):) The engine light came on in my car on the 3rd and I took it in...I need a new transmission for $4400. We decided on a new white minivan instead. If the Honda Odyssey came in candy apple red, it would be perfect. It's very close to perfect. I feel like my wallet is floating because it is so light. Our handyman came by today and finished all the shoe molding and repositioned a cabinet in the laundry room. It looks better and bigger. We are still waiting on the t-molding for the wood to tile transitions. I am trying to get everything back together in the kitchen and laundry room. Today I had a podiatry appt, a dentist appt and Erin had a dentist appt. Joe went to TKD. Erin missed her end of year girl scout party. Oops.
Wow, this gets long when I miss a few days.

Josie

The cleaning begins...

The tile work is completed! It is beautiful. There is some finish work to be completed such as the quarter-round shoe mouldings and the transition pieces for the hardwood. It will be nice when it is all completed. It is still so much better than what we had. And now, the cleaning begins. Having an open floor plan is great for parties, but it is not so great for renovations. Dust is everywhere. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Anna is preparing to crawl. She sits up then leans over on her hands and rocks forward. Then she falls on her belly and gets so mad.

Erin is having fun this week at Junior Fitness Instruction. We are planning to go to Metairie tomorrow to eat lunch with Craig for his birthday.

I got a very nice message from Kelley, the childrens' minister saying that Joe is doing great at camp this week. I am really missing him. It's a bit quieter around the house.

The days are good, very good.

The tile is beautiful...

Today was pretty good. I tidied up Joe and Erin's rooms. I tried to go to the gym to meet with my trainer, but had no available child care so I had to postpone. The guys started laying out tile in my kitchen today. It looks really nice, far better than what was there before. Hopefully, it will be finished by Wednesday. We had to eat out lunch and dinner. Times Grill and La Carreta's. Anna really likes finger food, so I went to the grocery for some gerber graduates. Craig should be home sometime tomorrow. No news from Joe. Erin started JFI (junior fitness) at the gym today, so I worked out then. I didn't have a trainer, but I did have childcare. I am trying to exercise more. Anna pulled up today. She's growing too fast. Melody said I walked pretty early, so maybe she'll be like me in that respect. I think she may favor her left hand as well. I saw the most beautiful sunset tonight, all pinks and dusty blues, just gorgeous. God's handiwork is so amazing.

Lightning hit one of my maple trees a few weeks ago and it evidently did a lot of electrical damage to our outside lighting and our irrigation system. At least we didn't have a house fire or have the lightning hit one of the kids. Everything that is broken is replaceable.

Good days.

Off to camp

Joe left for camp tonight...at 11:30 PM. I took the baby with me and she slept the whole time. My sister-in-law stayed with Erin so I didn't have to corral 3 kids. :) I think Joe is excited but I definitely got a Joe squeeze hug before he got on the bus. He gives great hugs. I can't believe I'm letting him go to South Carolina without me. He's getting so grown up.

Today was church, eating at Thai Palace and last minute shopping at Walmart. We finally packed Joe's bag and I took the coward's way out of dinner and ordered pizza. I tried to be as laid back as possible so Joe could have a nice day. I even let him watch Boomerang all day, since he won't get much tv this week. Erin played at Emily's for a while and caught tadpoles. She wanted to keep them as pets. When I told her no, she proceeded to ask for a puppy.

Hopefully men will show up tomorrow morning to lay my new kitchen tile. I hope the weather is cool like it was today, since the dogs will have to be outside for most/all day.

Craig is still in Florida. It sounds like it was a productive day for his MBA homework and for his responsibilities at this convention for work. He is still training for the Ironman.

Josie

Renovations

I am so wishing the floor was complete! Yesterday was nice. Craig took the day off since he's working out of town this weekend. He took a long bike ride, had lunch with us at McAllister's and had a massage...all before 2:30 pm. He took the older kids to Kung Fu Panda. I stayed at home and napped with Anna. We went out to eat at this great new restaurant, The Rusty Pelican. The crab cakes are yummy. I got home and realized Erin had a sleepover and delivered her late. She tells me they stayed up until 2:30am. I'm definitely not young enough for that anymore. The baby and I have some interesting conversations at 2:30am...

Today was nice too. Folding laundry...now I just have to get it all put away. I'm still having to go to my sister-in-law's house to wash and dry laundry. Thank goodness she is only a half mile away now. Craig swam about 4000 yards this morning. The Ironman race is in about a month and this training craziness will be over soon. He came home and swam with the kids. Our A/C went out Thursday night and the guy came to give us an estimate for repair/replacement. Ouch! Craig took the kids to an awesome playground at the Koop Drive trailhead. We had lunch at the Camellia Grill. Craig left for Florida from there and we came home. I plan on doing another load of laundry and just hanging out with the kids. I need to start packing for Joe's camp. Busy, busy, busy.

Josie

June 26

Today was relatively quiet. The kids went to art camp. Some guys came and took up my tile floor. Hopefully by Wednesday all will be finished. We ate out at Roly Poly for lunch and Mandina's for supper. The house is incredibly dusty. My husband scheduled a massage for me this evening and that was really nice. Rambles, rambles, rambles.

June 25

Today was busy. Joe and Erin had art camp. I cleaned off th dining room table and paid bills. We had sandwiches for lunch. The handyman came by to dismantle my laundry room. The guys should come by tomorrow to start taking up my kitchen floor. We had supper at church. Craig did an awesome job of clearing away more of the kitchen stuff. Anna has missed her regular naps today. She's tired and fussy.

Hi! This is my first attempt at blogging. I want to journal more and just never get around to sitting down and writing. I sit at the computer everyday though, so this might be a good way to journal. Today was a good day. Joe and Erin went to art camp for the morning. I stayed home with Anna because of her fever. I was able to get a few bits of clutter-busting done. Tuna/egg salad for lunch. Yummy hot ham and swiss sandwiches for supper. Busy day, but good.

Josie