Holiday Fun

One armed bandit and I traveled to Jamaica for a short getaway last week. We were able to experience warm weather, sunshine and lavish surroundings (special thanks to Wowsie Doozie Grandma who watched our kids!). Our flights were all on time and safe, no thanks to an ice storm plowing through Ohio at the same time we were landing!

Christmas was enjoyable and relaxing. We were able to see my family and the kids were able to have extra time with cousins that they don't get to see very often.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! We are taking the kids to Kalarahi as part of their Christmas present tomorrow for a couple of days of warm water fun. Pictures to come soon...

Wrestling Update

YEAH!!!!!! Jawz had a great night wrestling at Olentangy Liberty. His first match went into the second round. The kid he wrestled was VERY experienced, and had him in several holds that I don't know the names of. But Jawz never gave up and was able to get out of the holds without being pinned. He did lose by Tech Fall (they stop when it's 15-0), but he never gave up! Then his second match he got his first win by a pin in 30 seconds. I was so happy for him!! Tomorrow he has an intersquad scrimmage in front of his whole school.... YIKES! He was sure happy tonight!

Fun with Fingerpainting

'I made a mud pile!'

Jawz Wrestling cont.

Cheering on his teammates.

Family Update

Jawz Wrestling Update

1. In a meet at Highland in Sparta, OH, Zach wrestled only one match. Although he did not win, he did learn a great lesson about having a good attitude.

2. This Saturday, Jawz wrestled in a tournament at North Union. He wrestled in three matches. His first match went into the third period. He almost had the guy pinned twice, but ran out of steam near the end of the third and got pinned. The next two matches he was up against guys with much more experience, but Jawz was able to get up and show good sportsmanship. Just seeing him out there trying makes me so proud of him. I don't think he realizes what a big deal it is that he has even tried wrestling, having no prior experience. One day...

3. Jawz will wrestle three times this week: Monday @ home, Thursday @ Olentangy Liberty and an intersquad scrimmage on friday IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL!!!! (I think they all deserve a medal just for being willing to do this in front of their peers!)

Michelangelo's Basketball

Michelangelo played another game this weekend. He played well, although he got hit in the face with a ball and had to sit out a bit. He will play his last game this Saturday!

Hardyboy's Surgery

We found out last week that Hardy Boy has a gall bladder filled with gall stones. After four trips to the doctor's office, he has been scheduled for a gall bladder removal on January 9th. It will be a simple procedure, requiring only a few days off of school. He should be feeling much better soon after the surgery!

Busymom

I graduated from the University of Findlay this weekend with a Master's Degree in Education. I actually didn't make it to my graduation though, because I wanted to go to Jawz's wrestling tournament. I want them to be able to look back and remember that they always had someone there. I am pretty well healed up from my surgery, and breathing much, much, much better now. Now if I can just get my allergies under control!

Next semester I will be attempting to teach at Tiffing University. Wish my students luck!

Holiday Preparations

I am almost ready for the holidays. We are taking a different approach this year. Instead of our traditional Christmas routine of opening presents, traveling, opening more presents and eating, we are staying home. Actually, One Armed Bandit and I are traveling before the holidays. We are heading to Jamaica this Saturday for a few days away. Wowsie Doosie Grandma will be staying with the kids (thank God for Grandmas!). We will be home when the kids wake up Christmas morning when we will celebrate the birth of Jesus with a birthday party (cake and everything). Then we will give each other A GIFT to open, since we cannot give Jesus material gifts. Then we will talk about what gifts we CAN give Him through the next year. Then, December 29th, we are going to be enjoying each others company in a trip to Kalahari Resort for 3 days. May God be with us (and I mean the parents) for that one!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday celebrating the birth of our Saviour. May God open your eyes to the gifts He has given you this year!

Jawz's First Wrestling Tournament

Jawz wrestled at a tournament in Hilliard. Sorry no pictures! It went too fast for me to take any. I did get one, but forget to save it before I closed my phone! He went with the A squad (the better kids) to a tournement with mostly 8th graders. It was a great learning experience! He wrestled 3 matches... the first went 3 rounds, the second didn't last long and the third one he did well, but ended up pinned. He has never been involved in wrestling before, so this is all new to him! I was so proud of him to be trying something new even though it is intimidating and scary. He was worried that we drove all that way to watch him lose... when he's a parent he will understand that I would drive to the end of the Earth to watch him stand there.

Michelangleo played his 4th basketball game. He scored 3 baskets and played great defense. He has two more games to go!!

Post-Op Update and Basketball

Ok, so the doctor wasn't exactly forthcoming with the details of the surgery, nor the recovery period afterward. I was definitely NOT prepared!!! One-armed Bandit has done an amazing job taking care of everyone, including me! I've been in bed for 4 days now, barely able to get up to sit in the living room with the family for more than a half hour at a time! He even had to coach Michelangelo's basketball team - practice and a game! He did great. I learned a lot about just letting things go too. Did I mention I also got a cold and a stomach virus while recovering?? Can you just say -- YUK! Well, it's Saturday night and I'm able to sit up on the coach and get on the computer for a bit. Hopefully tomorrow I can move around a bit more. I get the splints out on Tuesday, which is supposed to help with the pain and pressure. We could not have done any of this withough the help of friends and family! One Armed Bandits mom came for two days and did an amazing job with the kids.

Michelangelo played in his third game, but I didn't get to see it! Daddy said he did a great job hustling after the ball. The other team didn't have enough players, so we had to share.

Jawz has a wrestling scrimmage on Tuesday. We'll be going down to watch right after I get my splints out -- hope that goes well!!

Michelangelo - Game 2

Michelangelo had a special treat today -- Grandma and Grandpa came to his basketball game!!! He did a great job of showing them how well he plays-- he was the only one on our team to score and he had 3 (or four?) baskets! It is so interesting watching these little kids in a kindergarten league. Some of them have never even seen a basketball game before! They are learning quickly though, and having lots of fun with new friends!

Fun, Fun, Fun

I saw the ENT today, as well as my head-CT. The doctor asked if I had ever broken my nose. When I saw the CT, I could understand his question. My deviated septum almost completely blocks air flow in half my nose! I will be getting it corrected (an internal nose job!) next Wednesday. I'll be out of commission for several days, but it should heal quickly.

Michelangelo's First Game!

Ok, so the first kindergarten basketball game was probably one of the funniest things I have ever watched! By the end of the game, though, it started to look like an actual basketball game. Michelangelo had several shots, but none of them dropped. He is one of the taller kids and has an idea of what to do with the ball. Best of all, he LOVES it!!! I had to tell him a couple of times that there is no hugging in basketball -- as you can see in the picture :)

Medical Update

The good news is, they found my brain. The bad news is, they found a deviated septum and a spur that is preventing my sinuses from draining properly. I will be seeing an ENT on Tuesday, November 11th. I'll keep everyone updated!

Michelangelo's Basketball Schedule

Michelangelo will be playing basketball games in a kindergarten league on the following Saturdays at 8:45am: (YMCA in Bucyrus, OH)

• Nov. 8th
• Nov. 15th
• Nov. 22nd
• Dec. 6th
• Dec. 13th
• Dec. 20th

Jawz Wrestling Schedule

• Tuesday 11/25/08 Kenton Middle School Home 4:30pm
• Monday 12/01/08 Pleasent Middle School Home 4:30pm
• Saturday 12/06/08 Upper Sandusky Away 8:00am
• Saturday 12/13/08 Mohawk Jr. High Away 10:00am
• Thursday 12/18/08 Olentangy Liberty@Liberty HS 5:00pm
• Saturday 01/10/09 Marysville MS Away 9:00am
• Saturday 01/17/09 Grant Duels Home 9:00am
• Tuesday 01/20/09 Mt. Gilead MS Home 5:00pm

Bear at his Best!

Michelangelo

Michelangelo

Princess

The Faces of Pink Princess

Halloween

Having fun with Pumpkins!!!

Laryngitis & Parenting

The past couple of weeks have been interesting. If you haven't heard, football is completely over for our family... with the exception of watching some games here and there. The Whippets ended their season on a loss, which was disheartening for the coaches and crushing for the players (especially losing to Galion). We have had some readjustments with having another parent in the home, but we are working through it.

I was scheduled to have a physical on Monday morning, just the kind where the doctor wants to see you when your healthy to have something to compare it to when you come in sick. But Monday morning I woke up without my voice. Bear said I lost it in bed and a monster came in and stole it and hid it in the woods. So the kids think we went to the doctor to find my voice, and she couldn't find it either. Needless to say, the doctor could not complete a healthy physical, but she did order a head CT to check my sinuses. I guess I've finally gone to the same doctor long enough for one to realize that it is a constant battle. I'm going on Friday morning to get my head examined... I'll let you know if they find my brain.

Upward Basketball has officially begun it's 5th season at Trinity Evangelical. I still can't believe that God can use my love of basketball and children to serve Him. It just proves he uses every gift He's given us to His glory.

Michelangelo is doing great at swimming lessons. He can swim across the pool all by himself now (the short side). He is going to play basketball this fall at the YMCA in Bucyrus on the kindergarten team. I signed up to be a referee, but apparently they are short on coaches, so since they asked...

Bear took his last gymnastics class today. He really likes gymnastics, if the teacher can keep their attention long enough to teach them something! He's learned how to do a headstand, forward and backward rolls and he has learned some basics on the bars, beam and vault. Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to stay in gymnastics because of scheduling.

Pink Princess is still fascinated with Princesses. She carts her "baby stuff" around everywhere we go. We are lucky to get out of the van with less than 2 bags full of "stuff". She has learned some gymnastics from watching Bear, and can't wait until she can officially start "gernastics".

Jawz is hoping to start wrestling this week, but the last two conditioning sessions have been cancelled. Habanero is having a tough time right now, please pray for him.

Hardy Boy is doing very well in school, and continues to work with the Royal Scribes, a reading and writing organization at school. Weird Owl is also doing very well, and is rarely seen without a smile on his face. He has discovered that he enjoys rollerblading, and he's pretty good considering he just learned a month ago.

This weekend we are going to my sister's to go Trick-or-Treating with all of the kids. Pictures to come...

Collage from Ohio Caverns

Fall Fixins With Daddy!!!

Today Daddy was able to stay home with us and go to the MOPS day out at Fall Fixins, a pumpkin patch in Upper Sandusky. (No, he wasn't the only dad there!) The kids were able to play on hay bails, climb through an amazing hay maze in a barn, and scramble through a corn maze. Despite being bitterly cold, we did have a lot of fun and came home with some pumpkins to carve!

Noah's Birthday at Ohio Caverns

Last Saturday we spent the afternoon celebrating Noah's 6th birthday with friends and family at Ohio Caverns.

Princess and Bear

Habanero at finding minerals.

All the Grandkids at Noah's Party

Inside the "Cave of Wonders"

Michelangelo with Wowzy Doozy Grandma

1 more week!

Game 9 for the Shelby Whippets proved to be an easy win. Upper Sandusky could not get their offense going and finished without scoring. The Whippets, however, were able to put several scoring drives together, despite four turnovers, to win 27-0.

Jawz finished his season on Wednesday with a win over Olentangy Shanahan. We had probably one of the nicest days, weather-wise, to watch the game.

This means that Jawz and Habanero are finished with football, and One Armed Bandit only has one more week to go. YIPPEEE!!!

Habanero and Jawz Football

Habanero played his last football game of the season on Sunday. Fortunately they were able to end with a win, defeating the Lions. Habanero snagged an interception to help motivate his team. Great job Vikings!!

Jawz played a game tonight at Bucyrus. He will play his LAST game of the season tomorrow night at Olentagy Shanahan Middle School. YEAH!!!!

Week 8 Update - Shelby Whippets

Week 8 proved to be a tough one for the Shelby Whippets. Their quarterback went out with an injury early in the game, making it even more difficult to find a rhythm. Bellevue had the game pretty much in control by half-time. Upper is going to roll into Whippet territory this friday night looking for a win. After a tough loss, I'm sure the Whippets will come out ready to play!

Family Update

1. I am still sick! Yuk! Lukah is now getting sick... again... double YUK!! This is a busy week, but today was the worst of it and we made it through. The rest of the week should go more smoothly. (As long as I don't leave the Pink Princess's blankie on top of the van and drive away again.) On a high note, I did find out I will get my braces off in 2 weeks! Yippee!!!

2. Football Update- The Shelby Whippets are now 5-2. They will play Bellevue this Friday night for a share of the league title. Habanero's team finally put up 4 touchdowns and won a game! Congrats Vikings! Grant beat Lima last Saturday and Dublin Davis tonight. Jawz got to play linebacker, and pulled down several tackles.

3. My sister took Habanero, Michelangelo, Bear and Pink Princess to Marmon Farms last Saturday. They had a fall festival, and the kids had a great time. Visit her website to see pictures: http://kacyskidadventures.blogspot.com/

Family Update

Well, I finally got sick from all the bugs going around, but I think that I'm getting over it quickly. It's hard to say no all day when you don't have a voice! Michelangelo is finally healing up (we don't have to carry a box of tissues every where we go anymore). And Bear's ear has stopped leaking as well! Pink Princess has managed to evade the illnesses so far, but she gets plenty of bumps and bruises as she does her "flips" and climbs all over everything.

I have started with a Bible study group on Sunday nights. We are studying "Stepping Up" by Beth Moore. It is a study on the Psalms of Ascent, and proves to be very insightful as well as interesting!

Viking Football

The Vikings suffered another crushing defeat this Sunday, fortunately they were able score a touchdown this time! Habanero played tight end, and had a great second half. He had two lone tackles and one assist as corner. This week is their last regular season game! Good Luck Vikings!

Shelby Football Update

Well Friday night did not go so well for the Whippets. I don't actually remember the score, but I did go to the game! I know we had 6 and Fostoria had a lot more than that! I spent the whole game chasing kids and making sure they weren't hurting each other playing football in the grass next to the stadium. One Arm Bandit's family was able to come watch the game, too -- so the kids had a great time playing with their cousins! The weather was awesome, though! The Whippets play Willard at home this Friday, which should go much better than last week. Go Whippets!

Jawz Football Update

Well, we finally got to go see one of Jawz's football games. After showing up at 4:55 for the 5:00 game, the Prexies quickly dressed, stretched and warmed up. It took the first half to warm up and get comfortable with Galion's spread offense, but the second half was all Grant. Jawz played center for most of the game, lining up against some sizable nose guards! Great job! We are so proud of you! Below are some pictures (he's the center... number 50).

The Little Ones

1. This week Michelangelo will be finishing his gymnastics class. He enjoys it, but asked to do swimming instead. He continues his pre-reading skills and making wonderfully creative drawings.

2. Bear has been fighting a nasty ear infection for about 3 weeks now. He has tubes in his ears, so it's pretty obvious, and gross!! We are trying new drops today, and hopefully they work quickly!! He's been pretty fussy with the pain, but is as crazy as ever!

3. Our Pink Princess is still dragging her babies and all of their necessities wherever we go. She has mastered driving at the age of 2... in her Dora Jeep.

4. Jawz finished a project for Advanced Social Studies on Moses. They are studying the history of Judaism. Last night we spent time writing a well constructed paragraph about how Moses contributed to Judaism. We both learned that the Pentateuch is also known as the Torah, and is made of the 5 books of the Bible written by Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). Although he made the comment that he would never use this knowledge in his lifetime, I hope he at least learned how much I value it!

5. Habanero learned how to ride the 4-wheeler this weekend. It takes a lot of concentration to learn how to drive with a clutch!

6. Weird Owl is doing well at school -- all A's and B's!!

7. Hardy Boy went to Homecoming last weekend. He was also voted Publicist for the Royal Scribes, a writing group at the high school.

Football Update - Week 5

1. Shelby Whippets - The Whippets beat the Norwalk Truckers last Friday in their second NOL win of the season. This week is shaping up to be a tough match with Fostoria. The Redmen are 5-0 so far this season! They have a great athlete, Micah Hyde, who is being recruited by several Division I schools.

2. The Vikings - Habanero's team suffered another crushing defeat this weekend. They did NOT have to play in a Hurricane, but it felt like it by the time the game was over. Hopefully the Viking change up their offense and get some positive yardage this week!

3. Jawz plays tomorrow at Galion Middle School. I will be attending, RAIN OR SHINE!!!

Jawz Defeated!

Jawz's 7th grade football team travelled to Fairbanks Middle School tonight, which is on the east side of Marysville. Unfortunately, we were not able to attend, because the school had the information wrong on their website and Jawz just got a printed calender two days ago. So I thought the game was at home at 6pm and it turned out to be on the other side of the world at 5pm. That didn't coincide with our 4pm meeting in Galion very well. Jawz said they lost 20-18, but he got to play center the whole game. I will get to see the rest of his 5 games, as long as no hurricanes come our way!

Hurricane Ike and Viking Football

Hurricane Ike proved to be a vicious opponent for the Viking football team this Sunday. Habanero and his team played in 40+ mph winds with gusts up to 70 mph. Tree limbs were crashing around us and debris pelted us from all directions. But they got the game in! Unfortunately, it was a defeat for the Vikings.

We were left without power for about 20 hours, which gave us the opportunity to play an exciting game of family hide-n-seek. So tonight, after picking up branches and limbs from the yard, we celebrated having the power of electricity with a cake (since we had to throw out all of our ice cream).

I hope that this finds everyone safe and happy, and praising God for His awesome and glorious power. There are just some things that we will never be able to control, no matter how technologically advanced we are.

Shelby Whippet Football Update

The drizzling rain and threat of thunderstorms stole the life from the tornadoes friday night. The Shelby Whippets were able to hold off a strong Tiffin Tornado football team in an amazing fight to the fourth quarter. The Whippets proved the stronger, more prepared team winning 25-14... incidentally the first time the Shelby Whippets have beaten the Tornadoes in 10 years! Next week will be another test of speed and strength when the Whippets pull in to the Truckers' stadium in Norwalk, OH. Go Whippets!!

Jawz's Football Game

Jawz 7th grade football team played AT Massillion tonight!!! He did not play as much as usual, because he went home sick from school the day before the game and missed practice. His team won (the second time this season to beat this same team) 42-16!!! His next game is Monday, September 15th at Hilliard Heritage Middle School. Go Presidents!!!

Habanero's Football Game

Unfortunately Habanero's football team lost in a nail biter 0-2! It was the first pee-wee game of the season, so there were a lot of nervous 10 year olds out there! Habanero played wide-receiver for most of the game on offense and played linebacker on defense.

Football

Our Weekly Football Update:

1. One Arm Bandit's team (the Shelby Whippets) beat Ontario on Friday night. It was the first time the two backyard schools played each other. The quarterback's dad, who is also a Whippet football coach, happens to be a guidance counselor at Ontario High School. He's going to have a fun day Monday! This week the Whippets play Tiffin Columbian at home, which will prove to be a tough game. Although Tiffin suffered their first loss last week, they are a strong, fast team as always. Go Whippets!!

2. Jawz played in his first 7th grade football game last Saturday. He started at center, and did a great job. He had one tackle when the other team intercepted a pass. He ran the player down and pulled him down to save a touchdown. He plays this tuesday AT Massillion!!! Wow! Go Presidents!!

3. Habanero plays his first pee-wee game today at 2pm in Marion. He has been playing corner on defense and wide-receiver on offense. He gets thrown in at quarterback sometimes too. Good luck Habanero!!! Go Vikings!!!

Vacation 2008 - Virginia Beach

We enjoyed our first family vacation at a Virginia Beach KOA in July. Five nights and six days withh 8 kids in a popup and a tent!!! It was amazing and the kids had a great time. This is Princess in her poolside pose!

Wow! This is EASY!!

Hello everyone! My friend from high school sent me a link to this blogging phenomenon. I know I've heard of it, but never really got into figuring it out. Well, now that I am home instead of teaching, I have a few minutes to try something new. I'm hoping to figure out how to add pictures and movies to share with everyone. Life is so busy, it's hard to stay in touch! At least this way we can see updates and share our lives!