What's Wrong With The Dog?

What's wrong with a dog or a cat for a pet? Nothing that I can tell. We have Shadow, the wonder dog. What more could a little girl want? Nothing, one would say, unless that little girl is Carli. She has a totally different take on what a pet should be.
We now have a new (all be it temporary) pet in our house. A SLUG!!!! Yes, our precious girly-girl daughter has adopted a slug. His name is Sluggie, he lives in a pink case (with a window!!!) and loves leaves and dog food. (Guess it's a good thing we still have Shadow with us or Sluggie would starve.) He has lasted a lot longer than Dave or I ever dreamed of. We check Sluggy several times a day to make sure he is quite comfortable in his new environment.
The best part about the whole thing is how she reacts everytime she sees him. "He's such a cute little fella!"
Kind of gives you a new perspective on slugs, doesn't it?

The Big Boys

I figured it's about time to give an update on the adventures of the older boys.

James and Tara are knee deep in wedding plans.  They have set the date for Sept. 26th at 1:00pm at Christ the King. The reception will be at the Loretto. Very exciting time for all of us. Everything seems to be running along quite smoothly so far.  Tara is still in school and working full-time at Ozanam.  James is bartending/waiting at Blanc in Westport seems to enjoy it.  He is taking a little break from the hip-hop scene, but I'm sure it is only a brief pause.  He can't seem to stay away for too long.




Shane can see the finish line for his biology degree, he should be finished in Dec. if all goes well.  He said that he will decide where to go from there when the time comes, but he is still thinking about a public health degree.  He and one of his friends are moving into this house as soon as we vacate.  He has been coaching a grade school basketball team this year and has enjoyed watching the improvement the team makes with each game. 



Casey is still at Missouri Valley and is loving it.  After the great performance this fall, I was able to catch the holiday music program.  Once again, I walked away amazed...wonderful singing and some very cute, original skits.  We are getting ready for a big trip to Marshall next week sometime for the next play which is kid friendly.  The weekend after that is the one-act play festival, so we'll be making another trip to Marshall.  I loved the festival last year, all student original works, and can't wait for this one.  He has accepted and internship in Ney York for the summer, but hopefully we'll get to spend some time together before he leaves.



I'm not sure how they do it, but they all seem to excell at whatever ventures they dabble in.  These boys are not afraid to reach for what they want.  Call me a proud mama.

Renovation update

I promised pictures of the house, so here you go. Not quite ready to move into yet...actually this is just the starting phase. There's a lot of work to do, but once the little time consuming things are finished everything else should go pretty fast, I hope...





I love this green tub, but Dave says it has to go. I guess he's the interior designer now, too.

Photo Shoot...shoot is right

I wanted a picture of all the kids for some Christmas gifts.  Everyone gathered at the house, and the chaos began.  I took several shots, and well, you'll see how well the whole idea worked out.




I'm a genius!!! I did end up with a few shots I could use, but it was a lot of work. I don't envy photographers at all.

I Love Being a Kid!!!!

The pictures say it all...

Joy from Japan (aka Christmas extra edition)

I wasn't kidding when I said the gifts from Doug and Kendra warrented their own spot in the limelight.  Where do I start?  We'll start with Carli.  Our temporarily Japanese relatives sent her the cutest outfit with shoes to match.  She loves the way the material feels and how the shoes sparkle when she walks.Gus absolutely loved his goodies bag.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of him devouring the treats that were sent his way.  Believe me, he truly enjoyed his gift and really wasn't in the mood to share...with anyone.I recieved a cool lunch set complete with little salad dressing bottles for work.  Very nifty, but I still haven't figures out how to eat my peanut butter sandwich with chopsticks.  Next was this great pair of toe socks which Carli has hijacked.I think the most entertaining gift was the panty hose game. Words cannot describe.Yes, I have had lots of fun with this.  Hey Kendra, if you happen across the pantyhose game again, can you get me a few extra?  I seem to have a run in this game.Now to the truly entertaining.  What every contractor needs...That's right folks, a rain hat with shield to keep your face dry and eyes clear.  I already have visions of how he will use this.  Finally, let's see if anyone can figure out what this is...




That's right, it's a banana holder. It keeps your banana from bruising. Pretty cool, huh? Now that you know it exists, you have banana holder envy, don't you? (those of you who thought it might be something else, shame on you...)
Now, you see why these special gifts needed to be segragated from the rest of the Christmas blurb.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Yes, I am writing about Christmas in Feb. A very busy season again this year, but it was complicated even more this year with me being on call. We perservered, and still managed to have a great time, even though I didn't get to sit down and eat a meal on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with either family. Oh well, such is life. Our celebrations started the Sunday before Christmas with a trip to the country for the Putthoff gathering. I truly loved seeing everyone, I don't get to see my extended family near enough, and watching the kids have a blast with their cousins.





Next stop, Christmas Eve and the Schulte gathering. I did miss most of the festivities, but I had a great time while I was there. Rumor has it that it was a fun-filled evening for all. Of course, chaos ensued during gift exchange, but that's to be expected.



Christmas day was spent here at the homestead. Mom and Dad, James, Tara, Shane, Casey and Kathleen were here to help celebrate. Once again chaos reigned, but it was a great feeling. The gifts sent to us from Okinawa were a huge hit and deserve and entry all on their own, so they will get what they deserve. Kudos to my brother and sister-in-law for really livening up the day. We had all sorts of excitement throughout the day: we solved the world's problems, laughed a lot and listened to some pretty tall tales. Also we enjoyed the pegasus/unicorn Casey made for Tara. We didn't have any problem getting the younguns to nap and I think some of the elders could have used one also. All in all, I think it was a pretty spiffy day for everyone.





Last, but certainly not least, the Lathrom family gathering the Sat. after. Once again, lots of laughs and craziness surrounded this gathering. Most of the family was there, which is a feat unto itself. We had a large array of food, games and beverages. It wouldn't be our family together if we didn't play cards and scrabble while the kids run around.





All of these events had a few things in common: family, food, and tons of fun. I will say the food, glorious food, may have been a downfall for me. I'm still trying to wear my jeans comfortably after all this. Oh the sacrifices we make for our families.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Yeah! The first real snow of the season and our little fingers and toes couldn't wait to get out and frolic!! It could have been a little warmer but the kids didn't seem to notice the frigid air. I don't know what it is about the beautiful white stuff that makes me feel like a kid again. I seem to long for snow days off school, the feeling of flying while on a sled, snowball fights and the hot chocolate afterwards that seems to warm even your frozen toes. I really don't know why work is not closed due to snow, or better yet, a lunch-time snow ball fight. Wouldn't that improve the work-place morale.
Back to the kids. They thoroughly loved the snow and the time they spent with Daddy running around like lunatics. The funnest part for me was watching Carli and Gus try to catch the snowflakes as they fell. I had to crack up when they decided to gang up on Dave and throw snowballs at him. The snow didn't pack all that well, so they threw a bunch of snow which ended up more on them than Dave. Lots of giggles to go around today.

Tuscon Here We Come!!!

a>  I love Stacy's job. She gets to travel to different events all over the country...and sometimes her husband lets me go in his place.  We went to Tuscon in Nov. for the El Tour de Tuscon bike event with her Leukemia and Lymphoma Society team.  Needless to say, we had a great time!!!  First order of business, meet your local bartender (his name is Ron).  He would holler at us from behind the bar if he saw us walking through the lobby...not quite sure what that says about us. Huh.  Stacy had some work stuff she had to tend to so I walked the presidio trail in town.  Really cool set-up. Had my ipod, brochure, and the turquoise line painted on the sidewalk and I was off.  Believe it or not, I learned a lot and saw some incredible architecture.  The event was Saturday and that was an incredible sight.  All those bikes lined up so close, it was a wonder they didn't end up like toppling dominos. We stood in the desert and cheered on the riders all day, and went out with the team that night.  I met some really great people and am so glad Stacy gave me the opportunity to go to this event with her. Sunday, we went to the mission just out of town. (ok, so I had us take the round about way to get there. still feel bad about that.)  Very cool building and lots of history there, wish I wouldn't have been the navigator so we would of had more time to spend there.  Oh well, at least we weren't at the bar.

IT'S BEEN 14 YEARS!!!!!!!!

I'm sure most of you all ready know, but our household is relocating...we will still be in the hood, just a little more to the east. Yes, it has been 14 yrs since I've had to move. Amazing how much crap one accumulates in that time. Multiply that by the older boys leaving momentos and Dave and the younguns junk,it equals one heck of a mess. Anticipated move is in January, but I'm pretty realistic... I'm just hoping we're in the new house by June:) Our new home is pretty similar to the old one, with some improvements, double car garage, dry basement and a flat yard. We are going to do some remodeling and updating before we move in, which is why we don't really have a move date pinned down. I will post pictures, so you all can see our progress.
I'm really torn about the move, I love our "hood" and knowing where all the shops and restaraunts are, plus being close to friends and in between both sets of parents. It will be good to shake things up but I really hate moving further away from Ma and Pa. Of course, we will be a lot closer to all the Independence relatives.
Side note. Don't worry, I think the white trash 4th of July will still be held this year. We would never give up the opportunity to drop property values in the neighborhood. I just may have to designate some one to hostess for me (call that weekend). I think I will hold a lottery to see who the lucky person is...don't worry everyone will have an equal shot.

Have you missed me?

O.K.  Sorry I've been such a slacker.  It seems that after James and Tara announced their engagement, things have been skidding out of control.  I feel that I have finally reigned them in a little (play-dough really helps)and can spend a little more time catching everyone up on our exciting lives.  Now, where were we when I dropped off the face of the earth......
What a great time we had at Faulkner's pumpkin patch. Not only did we see some live animals, but we got to "milk" a cow, ride "horse" swings and ride a real pony. it was such a beautiful day and all 3 of us were glad to be out enjoying it. We pick out some kids size and Mom size pumpkins.

 



Halloween was great this year.  We trick or treated at Grandma Bev's and Grandpa Gene's the Thurs before.  (Grandpa was going hunting on the big day)  Cookie monster and the pirate were using their skills to get as much candy as possible.  Good things G and G are used to their tricks. On All Hallows Eve, we went to see Grandma Toots and Grandpa Don at Gammy's house.  Once again we raided them for all the goodies we could get...amazing how G and G seem to know the kids tricks here also.  We went trick or treating around the neighborhood, while Carli enjoyed it,  she wasn't into it as much as Gus.  That kid was a nut!!  He RAN from house to house and was very angry if you tried to carry him. Although he wasn't greedy, he wouldn't let anyone give him more than one piece of candy.  Pretty funny stuff, especially watching him run in that top heavy costume. You can see in the picture that he couldn't be bothered to slow down for a picture. I can just imagine what my photo ops will be in the future. All of his pictures will just be a blur.