Twas the Night Before Christmas

The Christmas pajamas are on, the cookies and milk are out along with the note to Santa. The reindeer food is placed in the front and back yard just to make sure and the kids are all tucked in bed barely able to sleep waiting to see if Santa really will find our house.

The McMullen Family wishes you all a very Merry Christmas. We hope you find time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and to spend time with friends and family.

Waiting for Santa,

Daryl, Tammy, Allison, Rachel and Tyler

All I Want

All I want for Christmas is my two (make that 4) front teeth!

Happy 37th Birthday Daryl

Happy Birthday babe! I am so lucky to be the girl who you celebrate your Birthday with.
I had a great time this weekend!
I love you with all my heart!

Marriage

If you remember one of my recent posts was all about divorce, I thought it only fitting to follow it up with a post about marriage. We recently did a parenting series at our church, Granger Community Church, and one of the messages touched on some of the points I am going to talk about. Now I understand that I have only been married for 8 years and there are many people out there who have been married much longer than I, so I know I still have lots to learn, but this is what I have found to be important so far.

1. Daryl and I understand that Jesus has to be at the center of all we do. The most important relationship I have is my relationship with Christ. The same is true of Daryl. Mark Beeson, our senior pastor, during one of his messages a long time ago drew a picture of a triangle with Jesus at the top point and Daryl and I at the bottom points of the triangle. He then went on to explain that as we each move up our line closer to Jesus we also move closer together as a couple.
2. Daryl and I understand that the next most important thing after our relationship with Jesus is our relationship with each other. So what this means is that our children come after that. Yes, I did just say that my children at not the center of our universe. I know there are many people out there who don't agree with this, they think because I say this it means that I don't love my children. No, I never said that I don't love my children, but my relationship with their father was around before they existed and when they move out and leave home (as they should) he will still be here. The best thing we can do for our children is to love each other well and to always put each other above them. I want to show them what a marriage should look like.
3. Have a group of other married couples around you who will hold you accountable about your marriage and who have marriages that you want to emulate. We have a very close group of friends and everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) is open for discussion. We make it a priority to spend time with those friends and to pour into each other. It is understood in our group by all of us that divorce is not an option for any of us so we check in on each other often. We have the hard discussions with each other and we are open and honest with each other.
4. Date your spouse on a regular consistent basis and make it a priority. Daryl and I have date night at least 2 times a month. We trade kids with the Callenders, so they have date night every other week and we are the opposite weeks. Those date nights are important to us, we look forward to them and if for some strange reason we miss one we try and make it up. Besides a regular date night I think you need to make it a priority to get away over night with each other too. Daryl and I had an opportunity this summer to get away for 5 days together without kids. It was great! We had time to just be Tammy and Daryl and not mom and dad. I have decided that we need to try and do this every year.
5. Make it a priority to communicate with each other without distraction. You may read this one and think I communicate with my spouse everyday, no big deal. Daryl and I have found that we communicate on a much different level with each other if we turn off the TV and computers, put the kids in bed and just sit down, look at each other and talk. We do not do this enough, this is something that we need to do better at. I am one of those people who needs to feel like I know things about my spouse that no one else knows. It helps me to feel connected!
6. Work towards a goal together. This is something I have just figured out brings Daryl and I closer. When I think back about the times when I felt closest to Daryl it was during times when we were working towards some sort of goal. When we were pregnant with each of our children, when we were looking for and purchasing a new home, when one of us were changing jobs, when we were making a big purchase, when we were reading a book together, when we were working through a challenging problem together, these and many other things helped me feel closer to my husband. We were working towards a common goal!
7. Have sex on a regular basis. Yep you read that right. Sex is a huge part of any marriage. Not only do the men need it, but admit it women so do we. God created sex and there was a reason for it. It is way too easy to be too tired or too worn out or to just not have the desire. As much as we all hate to admit it sometimes those are just excuses. We have found that as long as we are having sex on a regular basis it helps us stay on track in all the other areas.
8. Don't become complacent. It is very easy to think, we know divorce is not an option so we don't have to worry about it. But as soon as that happens then you find yourself in a place where things are not good. You find yourself in a place that you never thought you would be. I got a phone call from a friend about 3 and half years ago that changed me. I cried tears I never thought I would cry, I had conversations I didn't plan to have and I prayed like I had never prayed before. Their story had a happy ending, but it taught me to never become complacent. I need to make all of the above things a priority so that my marriage stays on track.

Like I said at the beginning, I am not an expert on any of this. These are just things that I have found work for Daryl and I. What else would you add to the list?

The "D" Word

I had a conversation with Allison this morning that I cannot stop thinking about. As she was getting ready for school this morning she tells me that one of her friends in her class told her that her parents are getting divorced. As soon as I heard the word, I had all sorts of feelings come to the surface. My first feeling was sadness. I was sad that Allison, in 1st grade, knows what that word means.

She went on to explain to me that Carolyn's dad is still living in the house, but he is going to be moving out without any kids. She said that all the kids will be living with the mom. She said that Carolyn's mom and dad were fighting alot so they decided to break-up. As Allison told me the story I could tell she was wondering what that meant for her and her family. So, after Allison finished with the story, I told her I was sad for Carolyn that her mom and dad would not be together but that it would never happen to her. She asked me why and to keep it simple I told her that Jesus says that when you marry someone you stayed married for life and that her dad and I were going to obey Jesus, so because of this she never has to worry about her mom and dad not living together.

So there may be some of you out there who might say, "sure you say now that you will never get divorced, but you never know that the future holds". You are right I do not know what the future holds, but Daryl and I have decided in advance that divorce is never an option for us. Not only have we decided that divorce is not an option we have also decided that we will not live our lives hating each other or living separate lives even though we live in the same household. This was a conversation we had before we got married and it is something we have never wavered on. We both dealt with things growing up that we wanted to make sure that those things didn't define our future.

I am not naive, I know there will be things that will happen to us that will test us in this area, I know we will go through periods where things are not fun, but none of that matters. We have committed our lives to each other forever, not just because we stood in front of our family and friends and said so, but because we believe this is God's will for our lives. We also made this commitment for our kids. I know firsthand what divorce can do to children and I made a commitment to myself a long time ago that my children would never go through that, no matter what the cost.

Awkward

Daryl and I have decided from this point till about high school Allison will just look awkward. She has now lost 3 teeth, one of her top ones fell out yesterday and she just does not look the same. Funny how that can happen in a matter of minutes.

What was once a little girl with little teeth is now a little girl with holes in her mouth. She will then become a little girl with big teeth. As she grows into her big teeth then her body starts to change and all sorts of fun things start to happen. So like I said for the next 7-8 years she will just look awkward, but we will love her just the same.

Pure Utter Joy

Last Saturday Allison and I had a great day together. After much anticipation and waiting Allison was able to get her first American Girl doll. She has spent the last few months drooling over the catalogs and picking out just the right doll. Why you might ask did we wait so long to get her one? First off, I had decided that if we were going to spend that kind of money on a doll that they needed to be old enough to take care of it and understand that we don't write all over it or drag it through the dirt. So we decided that 7 would be the magical age.

We took off early in the morning with Becky, Abby, Becky's mom, Adam and Jacob for Chi-town. Jacob and Adam were headed to the Museum of Science and Industry for a boy day so we dropped them off and then headed downtown. It was so much fun to watch their faces as we walked up to the American Girl doll store. They just stood in front of it for a minute and let out squeals. We walked inside to find that 5,000 other people had decided to go to the store that day also. Okay so that might be a slight exaggeration, but there were seriously wall to wall people. We made our way into the "just like me" doll section, the girls had decided that was the kind of doll they wanted. They picked out the dolls that looked like themselves and then decided that they wanted to be able to hold their dolls like every other little girl in the store. So after paying for the dolls and taking them out of their boxes the girls made their way around the store to spend the money they had. Allison had Birthday money to spend. She was able to get 3 outfits for her doll, pajamas, jeans, shirt and shoes and a whole soccer outfit, complete with shin guards, a backpack and a doll size soccer ball.

After they made their purchases it was off to lunch in the Cafe right there in the store. I have to admit it was pretty cool. They had specials seats for the dolls so that they could sit right at the table with us. They started us off with mini cinnamon rolls, then it was fruit kabob's along with vegetables and pretzel bread. Our main dish then came which was followed up by a mini b-day cake (we were celebrating Abby and Allison's Birthdays) with a candle, chocolate mousse and a cookie, can you say sugar overload! After lunch we headed out of the store and walked downtown for a bit and then headed home.

I had a great time with Allison, it was fun to spend the day with her. I cannot wait till I get to do it all again with Rachel!

Ouch!

Daryl and I have decided we need to buy stock in the ER right now.

As most of you know, Tyler is all boy and is constantly messing around and hurting himself. Last Sunday we had our first of I am sure many trips to MedPoint with Tyler. Daryl and I are sitting in the kitchen eating our breakfast when we hear a big thud. Tyler comes over crying and holding his head, I pulled his hand off of his head and there was huge gash. We still have not quite figured out exactly what he hit is head on. He tells us it was the floor, but we are thinking he hit something else on the way down-ya think!

So it was off to MedPoint and about an hour and a half later Ty had 3 stitches in his head. It took me and 2 other nurses to hold him down, I think that was the worst part for him. As soon as we told him he could sit up he immediately stopped crying.

It was not only Tyler's first, of many I am sure, set of stitches but it was also the first set I have seen put in. Guess there is a first time for everything.

Halloween 2007

It's that time of the year again. The costumes, the daily questioning if it's time to go, the candy, the friends, the jack-o-lanterns and of course the cold weather. At least this year the rain held to a simple drizzle every now and then.

Like last year, the boys sat in the driveway to hand out candy and the girls went through the neighborhood with the kids. This year we had Hannah Montana (Allison), Belle (Rachel), A Lion (Tyler), a Monkey (Carter), a Ladybug (Morgan), a Cowgirl (Abby) and a Jedi (Jacob).

Good times. Good times.

Now to figure out ways of hiding and getting rid of the excess candy...

Stripes, Stripes and more Stripes

In my last post I told you that we had taken some time off of work and that Daryl was painting Tyler's room. Well it is done and it looks amazing! I absolutely LOVE it! It looks so good! Daryl did an awesome job. I know he didn't think it was all that fun, though I suppose that happens when you spend 3 days painting. But the finished product was well worth all the work! At least I think so :)

Vacation and Painting

So Daryl and I decided to take Thursday and Friday off this week since the kids were out of school for fall break. I thought it would be nice to be home all together for a few days and just hang out. Of course that was until I decided that we needed to paint Tyler's room. I recently found a comforter for his new big boy bed and was ready to get things going.

So far on our first vacation day I went through Ty's entire room and closet and cleaned everything out, while Daryl tore down his crib (I have to admit it was kind of sad to see if go, it has been part of our house for 7 years). We tore Allison's bed down and brought up a Queen Bed for her, Ty will be getting her twin bed, and got it all made and ready to go. Daryl got Ty's room and closet painted white. We are doing brown, blue and white vertical stripes, I am so excited to see how it turns out. Since Ty does not have room right now, he is sleeping in Rachel's bed, while Rachel and Allison are sharing the queen size bed, in her room and last night he fell out of the bed twice. I really need to find those rails!

I also planted some hostas and did some raking yesterday. Doesn't really sound like a hanging out couple of vacation days, but we are getting projects crossed off the list, much to my husband's dismay!

Finally

Allison finally lost her first tooth yesterday. She has been waiting about a year for this to happen so you can only imagine how excited she was when it finally fell out. All it took was for me to wipe her face and out it came. She went to bed last night with her tooth beneath her pillow hoping that the tooth fairy would show up :) Our little girl is growing up!

You Decide

I was given some pictures a few weeks ago that came from my grandma's basement. It was pretty cool to look through pictures of me when I was about Tyler's age and my mom. We were passing the pictures around wondering if any of my children looked like me. So I thought I would post a picture of me when I was 3 and then a picture of Rachel and Tyler at 3 and I will let you make the decision. You may be asking what about Allison, well we all know that Allison looks just like her daddy. She got those McMullens genes big time.

So what do you think?

Happy 7th Birthday Allison

Dear Allison,

I absolutely cannot believe that you are 7 today and that I am the mother of a 7 year old. I cannot believe my little girl who was born at 5 lbs 6 oz is now 7. The years have absolutely flown by with you. It just seemed like yesterday that you were learning to walk and now you are in 1st grade.

This year you are in 1st grade at Mary Frank School with Mrs. Roberts. You seem to love Mrs. Roberts and are enjoying 1st grade. You do not have your best friend, Abby Callender, in your class this year but you seem okay with that and spend every recess together. Your accomplishments in the last year have been amazing. Since your last Birthday you have learned to ride a two wheel bike, you have learned to read ( I am amazed at how well you are reading right now), you are swimming like a fish (with no life jackets, etc.), you learned to ice skate and right now you are playing soccer. You have not played soccer since you were 4. You decided that you wanted to actually play the game, so we signed you up for Upwards soccer and you are doing great. You scored a goal in your first game, I think you have a natural talent for it, though I am probably a little biased. One thing that has not happened to you yet is that you haven't lost your first baby tooth. You have a couple right now that are loose and you are waiting for the day that the first one comes out.

Another thing you did this year was let your hair grow out for locks of love. You had 10 inches cut off in June of this year. You looked totally different, but I was so proud of you. You are such a sweet little girl Allison. You love other people. You are the first one there when someone is hurt or upset to make sure they are okay. You have such a sweet spirit and when you give your heart to someone you give it all. This is something I absolutely love about you and see some of myself in you, but I also worry that someday someone will take advantage of that. I never have to worry that you are misbehaving or not doing what you are supposed to be doing, you know the rules and you follow them. You very easily get your feelings hurt and it doesn't take much and the tears start flowing.

As I think back on what I was like as a little girl I think of you. You are not super extroverted, you tend to stick with those you know. You are also fine to play by yourself or to sit on the bus by yourself. Rachel at times gets mad at you, because you will not play Barbies with her. You would rather be by yourself or playing with mom and dad. You love to play cards with us right now. You are the calm in this family. Everyone can be going crazy around you, yet you remain the same. You are into High School Musical right now and you still love to sing. Though you may not say this, I think you still have a "thing" for Jacob Callender, you 2 are pretty cute together and when you are together you are pretty much inseparable.

Allison, never forget that God has a plan for your life. He has put your here for a reason and my prayer for you is that He will make the call on your life clear to you. Right now you love to hear about Jesus, and I pray that this never changes. I pray that you will let God lead you and that you will follow wherever He takes you. I know you will do great things for the Kingdom. Always know that your dad and I are here for you. We love you with every fiber of our being and there is nothing you can ever do that will make us love you less. I am so proud of you Allison Lynn. You are an amazing, sweet, tenderhearted, loving, adorable little girl.

I love you with all my heart,

Mom

Happy 3rd Birthday Tyler

Okay so I had this all typed up and ready to go on Thursday night so that I could post it on Friday, which was Ty's B-day, and I forgot about it. So here is his letter from his mom!
Tyler-

Happy Birthday buddy! 3 years old today, I almost cannot believe it. Where have these last 3 years gone? Everyday I have to remind myself to hold on to today, because the days and weeks go by so fast and I am watching you grow into a little boy way too fast. You told me today that you were not my baby, that you were "big". This is so true! You are such a little boy Ty. Your dad and I have already said that we will be in the ER with you at some point while you are growing up. You are constantly running around the house which in turns means you are constantly getting hurt. Just this week, you were in your bed (you are still in a crib) jumping and somehow you fell out and landed on her head. You came to be crying with a big rub burn on her head. One thing about you when you get hurt, you recover very quickly. You cry for a few minutes and then you are off.

This year has been a big year for you. You learned how to ride a bike, you were potty trained (which I have to say was way easier than I thought it would be), you were brave enough to go down some pretty big water slides at the water park this year, you learned all of your colors, know how to count to ten and sing along to the ABC song.You also started going to Fun-n-Fitness this year. You started out in a mommy and me class and very quickly moved to going on your own. You love to go and jump on the huge trampoline. The past few months have been huge for you. You started preschool in August and to my surprise you seem to be loving it. You are going to Clay 2 days a week for 4 hours and then you are also going to the preschool at Mary Frank 2 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. I was really worried about how you would handle all the change in your life when this started, but you adapted and are doing great.

Carter Ruth is at Clay with you. You get to eat lunch there, go outside and play and spend the days with one of your friends. At this point you seem to like Mary Frank preschool better. The way you talk about that school, is by telling me "my teacher get me out of my car". You ask to go there everyday and I have been told that you have a crush on one of your teachers and pretty much stick by her side. It has been amazing to me to watch you grow and watch your personality change in the last few months since you started school.

Up until this point, I would definitely say that you were still a mommy's boy. You pretty much preferred me to anyone else most of the time, but I have seen some changes in that since you started school. You were also a little on the shy and unsure side, but again I have seen huge changes in this area of your life in the last few months. You are becoming this little guy who does not rely on mommy quite as much anymore. You still absolutely love to be with your sisters and all your friends and you spend most of your day asking me where your daddy is. Though I have seen huge changes in you in the past few months we are still working with you on your speech. You are making great gains, but you are hard to understand at times. Miss Carol, from First Steps, has been working with you for the past year and it has made a huge difference. You still have some things to perfect, but you are talking up a storm right now.

One of the things you do that makes me laugh out loud, besides you just breaking into a dance , is you will be playing with one of your sisters and I will hear them start crying and then I will hear just a bit louder you saying "sorry Rachel" or "sorry Ally" whichever is most appropriate at the time. You will literally follow them around the house telling them you are sorry until we can talk about it. You tattle on yourself right off the bat. It makes your dad and I smile, which of course means you probably get away with more then you should. Once you know you have gotten someone laughing you will keep doing the same thing over and over again. You have also recently started singing songs, thanks to preschool, and it is just so cute. Some of your favorites are wheels on the bus, and 10 little monkeys.

Tyler you are such a sweet and gentle little boy. You already such a huge heart, you are one of the first ones to offer a kiss when someone is hurt or crying. You are a boy through and through but you have a huge heart. I cannot wait to see what God does in your life. Always know that there will be easy times and hard times in life and that most important thing is that you never take your eyes off of Jesus. It is so easy at times son to get caught up in how bad things are for us, but if we keep our eyes on Jesus he will bring us out on the other side better and stronger then before. Love Jesus with everything in you Ty and do not ever compromise that. Some people will not understand you or will try to derail you from what you know is right, I pray that you stay strong in those time always knowing that Jesus is right there with you. Know that your dad and I love you will all that we have in us and we will do anything for you. No matter what we will be here for you!

I love you Tyler Ryan McMullen!

Allison, the Soccer player

Allison is playing upward soccer this fall and is loving every minute of it. I heard about it from a friend and Allison has been on me to play soccer so I thought it would be a great time to try it. Little did I know that she would love it so much! She was a little disappointed when her best friend Abby was not on her team and believe it or not they played each other in the first game of the season. It was fun to watch them play against each other, I think at moments they forget that they were not playing together.

Allison scored her first goal in that game and she was so excited. Her Papa had asked her the night before to score a goal for him and she did and Papa, Uncle Ryan, Grandma, The Callenders and the Ruths were there to see it. I was so excited for her. She is having so much fun playing and considering that she has only played soccer once in her life before this, she seems to know what needs to be done and is all about getting to the ball. I will say she does not seem to like to be on defense, she wants to chase the ball wherever it goes. I guess one could say like father like daughter, I have heard her father is the same way when it comes to hockey...

Taking it down the field.

Kicking it in and scoring a goal!

Whoohoo!

BFF!

Home

Daryl has been out of town since Wednesday and all I can say is I am ready for him to come home. I don't mind him being gone every now and then. It gives me a chance to watch some movies he would rather not watch and to get caught up on my shows on TIVO. But all I can say is after about day 2 I am ready for him to come home. The kids are so excited to see him again, anytime the door opens today they think it is him. T minus 3 hours and daddy is home......yeah!

Different

I was having dinner last night with my dad and he said to me, "did you ever think when you were growing up that your life would be like this" Of course he asked this while I was trying to keep 3 kids reigned in at Chick fila. We continued to talk about how lucky I was and what a great family we have.

The whole conversation though got me thinking about how my life is different now. I remember growing up always knowing that I would be married and have kids. I also knew growing up that I would probably never move away from this area. The last thing I thought growing up is that my mom would be by my side as I had kids, as my kids grew up and as they got married. Unfortuantely, that did not happen and the only way I can explain my life and feelings now is "different".

Right after my mom passed away I remember thinking I would never get past it, there were literally days when I thought I would not make it through the day. The feelings of loss were so intense. My feelings moved from intense all the time to intense now and then and now I would just say that life is just different. Do I still have days where my feelings of loss are intense, absolutely, but more then anything it just feels different.

I used to see my mom almost daily and if I did not see her I talked to her, we had lunch together at least once a week and she was amazing with my kids. Now neither me nor my kids have those things anymore and when someone is such a huge part of your life and then is gone everything just feels different.

It is different to hear friends talk about their moms and know that I don't have mine anymore. It is different to go out to lunch to some of the places my mom and I used to go and she is not there anymore. It is different to go see my dad at his house or at the lake and not have mom there. It is different to move into a new house and not have her there through the whole process. It is different to watch my kids grow up and not have my mom to watch right along with me. It is different that my kids will never know what it is like to have a grandma who have taken them school shopping and would be cheering them on at all their events. Life is different and basically it just sucks!

High School Musical 2

Well...you know it had to be done. Our girls really love High School Musical - so when Disney Channel announced that there was a sequel coming out - the girls started counting down the days.

Special thanks to the Callenders' for hosting the party. From the pictures above you can see how enthralled the girls were throughout the majority of the movie. Allison already resonates with the romantic stuff (were there tears in your eyes?) and Rachel loved it though she got a bit distracted at times.

The kids dressed up like their favorite HSM2 stars, we had pizza and lots of treats.

I can almost hear them asking, "When does High School Musical 3 come out?"

Am I Old Enough For This?

(Photo by Jason Powell)

Earlier this summer we spent the day with other GCC staff for the yearly picnic. Tyler told us he wanted to do the zip line (probably after watching Diego do it a hundred times) but when he got up there I think the heights bug hit him. His face tells the whole story:

What did my mom just let me do?!

Needless to say he made it to the bottom fine. He did slide off the seat but the harness was there to catch him. People quickly scooped him up and unhooked him so I think the trauma was minimal...

You go boy!

Rachel's First Time on the School Bus

Since Rachel was only in school for an hour the first day she did not get to ride the bus, so on Thursday Rachel boarded the school bus for the first time. Of course she had her big sister by her side, which Rachel was very happy about. They were able to sit in the same seat together which I thought was so cute. I am going to encourage it as much as possible right now, because I am sure some day they won't even speak to each other on the bus. I am really not looking forward to that day.

Allison and Rachel heading out to the bus.

Rachel on the bus for the first time.

Allison and Rachel on the bus together for the first time.

Rachel's First Day of Kindergarten

Believe it or not my little girl is going to Kindergarten. I can hardly believe I have 2 kids in school now. Where has the time gone? Rachel was so excited to go to school. The first day she only went for an hour while the parents were in a orientation. She knew a couple of kids in her class which she was excited about. She is going 3 days a week full day and then 2 days a week till 10:20am. Since school did not start this week till Wed. she was only gone till 10:20 on Thurs. and Friday. Next week will be very strange when she does not come home till 2:45pm.

She seems to be having a good time in Kindergarten. She told me on Friday that she was being as quite as a mouse, we will see how long that lasts :)

Rachel in front of her school

Allison's First Day of 1st Grade

I cannot believe Allison is in 1st grade. Seriously, where did the time go. I can remember the day she was born and now she is in school all day everyday. I told Daryl this week, it is really strange having her gone all day. I miss her already and it has only been 3 days.

Her and her best friend, Abby, are not in the same class this year but she likes her teacher so far and seems to be having a good time. Though it did only take 3 days of getting up early before she told me she was too tired to get up. She is so my daughter!!!

Allison waiting for the bus.

Tyler's First Preschool Experience

Here is Tyler getting ready for his first preschool experience this week and he did a great job. Ty is going to Clay Church 2 times a week in the morning for 4 hours. I was so nervous about his first day. Knowing his personality I knew he would be really nervous in a new place without mom or dad or his sisters. Ty will stay just about anywhere as long as Allison and Rachel are with him, so I figured he would have a hard time without them.

We got to his room and he was fine until I told him that Allison and Rachel were leaving with me, then he clung to me like crazy. I told the teacher it was time and she took him and out we walked. They said minutes after we left he was fine. He has his best little buddy in his class with him, so I also knew that once Carter arrived he would be fine. He gets to eat lunch there and do all sorts of other fun stuff.

He is also going to be going to the preschool at Mary Frank starting in a couple of weeks. He will attend there 2 mornings a week also. This year will be all sorts of fun for Ty and a huge learning experience for him.

Our Summer

This has been a crazy, very short summer for us. I cannot believe it is coming to an end this week. We have done alot of really fun things and since I have not blogged all summer I thought I would give you a recap now.

Allison got out of school June 8. We had about a week off with not a whole lot to do and then our first session of swimming lessons started and lasted 2 weeks. That same week the girls did Poms camp at Penn every afternoon. They had a great time doing both. I have to say that I am a huge believer in swim lessons. Yes, they cost some money and yes they take up a bunch of your time, but both of my girls have learned to swim because of them. Allison is at that stage of swimming where you can pretty much leave her on her own and not have to worry too much. Rachel has made huge progress this summer and is quickly heading in the same direction as her sister.

At the end of June, Daryl and I got the chance to get away for about 5 days just the 2 of us. Daryl was going to a conference in Washington DC and since I had never been there we thought it would be fun to make a mini vacation out of it. We had a great time hanging out with the team that went from Granger and we had a great time just being together without kids. This was the longest we had been away together since our honeymoon. Sad I know, but it is the truth. It was a really good thing for us and if you are married with kids, you need to make it a priority to get away with your spouse for days at a time. I am a firm believer that it makes you better parents when you have that time to reconnect.

We came back just in time for 4th of July and spent some time at the lake. My grandma came in town unexpectedly, which was great. We had some time to hang with her and just chill at the lake. She left and it was 2 more weeks of swimming lessons along with Vacation Bible School. We absolutely love VBS at Grace. The kids love it and they do it with excellence. I will send my kids there as long as they continue to do it. We had another week or so off with nothing to do and then the trip that the kids have been talking about since last year arrived.... the Dells!

We took a road trip with the Callenders, Ruths and Verduins to Wisconsin Dells. We had a great time. This is the second trip there with this group. There is nothing better then hanging with your best friends for 4 straight days, and yes we are still friends :) The kids had a great time and didn't want to come home.

We also spent many days at the lake going on boat rides, swimming, and hanging out with PaPa and Uncle Ryan. I love summer because I love being at the lake. The kids also spent many days with their best friends swimming in our little 3 foot pool. It was a busy summer, but it was also a GOOD summer.

All of this bring us to today, with school starting this week. Tyler is actually starting at one of the 2 preschools he will be attending this year (more on that later) tomorrow. Allison starts 1st grade and Rachel starts Kindergarten on Wednesday. I cannot believe our summer is over. Back to 8:00 am bedtimes and alarms going off at 6:15 or before, I am so not ready for this.....

Good Fun Was Had By All...

Of course I have to brag about my kids. They are the cutest things since their mother, and they are fun to watch at waterparks. You bond, you laugh and you learn a lot about each one as they either choose not to do something or boldly throw themselves into it without thought to bodily harm.

We had a great time as a family and being with our group of friends. The adults had time to bond and the kids had time to do just about everything possible at a waterpark. I think this is going to be a fun annual trip.

Ally poses for the camera in one of the side pools. She wouldn't go down the slide for me so I couldn't get an action shot of that...	Rachel hits the water at the bottom of a short straight slide - typically going under water and swimming to the side without coming up for air...
Tyler went from fear of being sprinkled to going down large slides that dumped into three or four feet of water...of course we were there to catch him on those.	The girls relax in the wave pool and try to keep from being run into by the "crazy people" in the deep end.
The kids make their own pizzas at UNO's Pizzaria. They did a great job even though there was barely enough cheese. Come on Wisconsin!

Happy 54th Birthday Mom

It has been 3 years since my mom passed away, but if she were still alive, today would have been her 54th Birthday! Though today is a hard day, it is also day where I find myself thinking about all the good times we shared and had together. She was an amazing mom, a loving nana and my best friend. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her and wish she was still here not only for me but for my kids as well.

Happy Birthday Mom, I love you!

"Little Boatin" on the 4th

The kids think they own the "Little Boat" now that they have lost their fear and actually enjoy the rides. Here is a list of my three kids and the speed quotients involved:

• Tyler: Let's go slow so I can see what is coming...
• Allison: Let's go fast enough for my hair to be blown in my face but not to where I start to lose control...
• Rachel: Who built this thing? Can't it go any faster? I want to get drenched and feel like I'm going to fall off and die!

We had a fun 4th even though the weather didn't want to cooperate most of the day. We had good food, fun with family/friends and enough water time to make it worth it. Fireworks were late as usual but were better than previous years.

It just keeps getting better as the kids get older. They are more independent, more adventurous and fun to photograph.

Happy 4th of July all!

Summer is Here

Well school is out and summer has arrived. The older I get and my kids get the more I love summer. I love the fact that they are home more and I get to spend more time with them. I love the fact that we can go on walks, go to the park, play in the yard and not have the sun go down till after 9:00 p.m. One of my favorite things about summer is spending time at the lake. There is just something I love about being on water and at this point the kids seem to feel the same way. They love being there and spend every minute in the water or on boat rides. So in honor of summer I thought I would post some pictures of what we have been doing so far.

Rachel celebrated her 5th Birthday at the lake with all of our friends and family. She spent the entire birthday party in her bathing suit, which is right up her alley.

The girls tubed for the first time this summer last weekend and had a great time at least for the first 5 minutes. Rachel wanted to go faster and Allison wanted to go slower. By the time it was all over Allison was in tears because we were going too fast and Rachel was asking why we couldn't go faster.

Swimming lessons started this week. They are doing 2 weeks now and 2 weeks in mid July. It is a huge commitment but a necessity. Allison is in the same group as her best friends this year. We will see how much swimming they get done!

Rachel is in a different group than her sister for swimming lessons. She is having fun and doing a great job! Tyler on the other hand gets and watch and sweat at the same time (it is about 90 degrees with 100% humidity in the viewing area). He was not too happy that he did not get to participate.

Allison and Rachel did Poms Camp this week at Penn. They seemed to both have a good time. This was Rachel's first real experience with a "camp" like this and Allison made sure that I had plans to send her again next year.

So far we are having a great summer. Next week Daryl and I are going on a little trip to Washington DC without kids (I cannot wait). We will be spending more time at the lake and then going to the Dells with our best friends in early August. Have I told you how much I love summer?

Happy 5th Birthday Rachel

My Fun Loving Rachel-

I cannot believe you are already 5. I was just telling your daddy last night that I remember your birth like it was yesterday. I remember going to the hospital and I remember holding you in my arms for the first time. I cannot begin to tell you the joy you have brought to our lives in the last 5 years. I truly cannot imagine my life without your smile and your attitude.

When I think about all the things you have accomplished this year I am absolutely amazed, you have matured so much in the last year. You just recently completed your second year of preschool. You attended pre-k at Clay United Methodist. When you started there I did not think you would be ready for Kindergarten the next fall, but boy did you surprise me. You started the year out sucking your fingers and using a blanket, you are now a little girl who has no blanket and no longer sucks her fingers. You just decided one day that you were done sucking your fingers and that was the end of it. You learned how to swim and ice skate this year, you can recognize and write all your numbers (0-20) and letters, you learned how to write your first and last name, you learned your address, phone number and learned how to spell some basic words. Your best friends at school were Kailey and Rachel K. Your teachers were Mrs. Riboni and Mrs. Kral. You loved going to school and you are now SO excited to go to Kindergarten in the fall.

You have tried many new things this year, you took dance lessons, ice skating lessons, gymnastics and also did Awana for the second year. One of my favorite memories with you this year, is when we went to Indianapolis during Spring Break to the indoor water park. You had such a good time with our family and the Callenders. On our last day there you decided that you wanted to try one of the big water slides, so you and I headed up there. I had prepped you on our way up that you had to do it by yourself and that you could not use a tube. You were a little hesitant part of the way up, but you did not want to give up. So down the slide I went and then waited for you at the bottom. I really was not sure that you would do it, but before I knew it there you were coming out of the slide with a big smile on your face. You then proceeded to do it 2 more times after that. You were the only little one in our family who was brave enough to try that big slide.

Rach, you are such a fun loving little girl. The expressions on your face are priceless, no one will ever have to guess how you are feeling. When you are happy your entire face lights up and others around you can't help but smile. When you are upset with someone, you make it very clear just by your facial expressions. You come up with and say the funniest things and you always have attitude behind it all. You love to be around other people and other people love to be around you. So many people say that you look and act just like your nana as a little girl. There are times that I look into your eyes and I see her. I only wish she could have been here to see you grow into the little girl that you are. If I had to describe you in one word it would be "passion". You are full of passion when you are happy and excited and full of passion when you are upset or mad. One of the things that I love about you among many is that you can get really upset with someone one moment and as soon as that has been worked out in your eyes all in the world is back to normal.

Don't ever forget Rachel Lauren how much your family loves you. You and Allison are becoming great friends. You love to play barbies, sing, dance and watch Hanna Montana together. I cannot wait to see how your relationship blossoms next year when you are both in school together. I truly hope someday that you and Allison are best friends. Tyler has become your little buddy this year. The two of you have spent every afternoon together and I am not sure what he will do without you next year. He loves to ride bikes with you and jump on you when you least expect it. He is the first one by your side when you are hurt and always adds a hug and kiss to the mix. Your dad and I love you more words than say. You still love to sit with us and cuddle and I am going to take every minute of that that I can get.

My prayer for you little girl is that you continue to live your life with passion. I pray that you follow after God with passion. I pray that you love your family and friends with passion. I know that God will place a passion in your life and I hope that you run after it without abandon. Know that your dad and I will always be here to support you and to love you with all that we have.

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

I love you,

Mom

She Did It

She did it, she did it, yeah, yeah, she did it. Today Allison learned how to ride her 2 wheel bike. We took her training wheels off last week and on Saturday we worked on riding. It did not go so well on Saturday, though of course it was about 90 degrees and after about 5 minutes we were all crabby. She was really scared and just did not want to do it, she was afraid she was going to fall. So we talked about how it is okay to fall and tonight I just told her we are going to do this. So outside she went and it took her about 2 times up and down the street and then she finally got it. I was running beside her and started to let go and she said to me "you aren't holding on" and I reminded her that meant she was doing it on her own. From that point forward she was off on her own.

She was so proud of herself and one of the first things she asked to do was to call Becky. Can you tell Beck is a second mom to her.

Way to go Allison....we are so proud of you, your accomplishments this year have blown us away!

What a Woman Wants to Hear

"I could promise to hold you and to cherish you. I could promise to be there in sickness and in health. I could say till death do us part, but I won't. These vows are for optimistic couples, ones full of hope and I do not stand here on my wedding day optimistic or full of hope. I am not optimistic, I am not hopeful, I am sure. I am steady. I know I am a hard man, taken apart and put back together. So this I am sure. You are my partner, my lover, my very best friend. My heart beats for you and on this day of our wedding I promise you this. I promise you to lay my heart in the palm of your hand. I promise you me."

This whole thing was taken from last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy. I just have to say I love this show. I just started watching this season and there have been many moments, where I have thought, "yes that is it" and this was one of those moments. What woman would not want to hear those vows on her wedding day or for that at any moment during her marriage. All I know is that Daryl is my partner, my lover and my best friend and I have given him my heart and all of me for the rest of my life.

I love you and miss you babe! Daryl is in Texas right now and though I know he will be home soon, there is a part of me missing.

Wicked Chic's

A few weekends ago, Becky, Jami, Debbie and I headed to Chicago for a girls weekend. It was technically my Birthday celebration even though it was a few months late. We all wanted to see "Wicked" so we just decided to make a weekend of it. We headed to Schaumburg on Saturday, did some shopping at Woodfield, of course hit Ikea and then ate dinner at PF Chang's. It was my first time at Chang's and it was amazing.

Sunday we slept in, did some more shopping and then headed to downtown Chicago to see "Wicked". The show was so good! This was the first real show like this I had been to and I loved it. After that we did some more shopping downtown and then had dinner at Cheesecake Factory, which was a perfect end to the perfect weekend.

I absolutely love the times I get to hang with the girls, I love the conversations we have and I just love being with them. Becky, Jami and Debbie, I love you guys and cannot imagine doing life without you. Thanks for a great Birthday Celebration!

This Weekend

Tonight Tyler found yet another item that belongs to one of the girls. First it was the pink hat, and now the pink glasses. They match the green soccer shirt well don't they?

Tyler tells me he is secure in his manhood and that there is nothing to worry about so I guess I'll just have to take his word for it...

Yesterday we got to go listen to Rachel and her friends sing. She is such a fun loving kid. Her face lit up and she literally "expressed" every song for us. If neither of my girls wind up performing for a living I will be shocked...

Between Rachel and Allison there is always someone singing in the house or at least making us laugh.

After listening to Rachel perform we stopped by the park for some fun. The kids had fun in the sun until it was time for lunch.

Tammy was helping Tyler climb up something the girls took much longer to conquer. I guess being a boy has its perks..

Easter 2007 Memories

Yes...I love this picture :)