Where Did 2012 Go???

There are only 2 days left in 2012.  Honestly, I don't much care for how the year went.  Seems like all of 2012 was a blur, I spent it playing catch up at work and at home, and I lacked a lot of motivation...

But anywho, here is what we've been up to:

We hosted Thanksgiving again this year at our house after taking a two-year hiatus. I enjoy having it at our house.

My FB post: This morning I'm thankful that the children who were driving me nuts yesterday, are quietly playing together with a cardboard box (turning it into a spaceship). I'm thankful for a hardworking husband that is just as good at kissing boo-boos and caregiving as he is at building rooms and fixing just about anything. I'm particularly thankful today to feel healthy again. I'll be standing by in a Hazmat suit as Justin prepares the turkey. 
For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends.
 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


Mason had his Senior pictures taken by on of our extremely talented photography neighbors. I procrastinated to the point where we finally HAD to get the year book picture in and she very kindly squeezed him in! I thought they turned out awesome - very "him".

Here is what Lori said about Mason:
Mason - Hilliard Bradley Class of 2013
What a great way to end my Fall senior sessions tonight with this equally handsome and charismatic senior. I was very impressed how comfortable Mason was not just having his photos taken, but how well he kept up a conversation with me. I don't remember being able to talk this well to adults when I was in High School. 

I know the next 5 months are going to go crazy fast as we try to prepare for Mason's May graduation, figuring out college and his 18th birthday in July...phew...scary!!

Sadly, 3 days before Christmas:
FB - We were very blessed to have Zoe as our family companion for 15 years. Today we said good-bye. We will miss our sweet Zoe girl. She'll always be with us though...there's not a chance in hell we'll ever get rid of all the dog hair in this house.

Fifteen years with a pet in your house is a long time.  My kids don't remember a time when she was not with us.  I was looking back at old blog posts and pictures of Zoe and saw this post from 2009.  We will miss her so much :(

With that all going on, I was feeling very unprepared and not much in the mood for Christmas and birthdays.  Christmas Eve morning I was still out finishing up my shopping and hadn't wrapped a thing.
It managed to get all pulled together (by 3am)...

And we had a very nice Christmas morning

The only bummer was that Mason had to work at noon, so he missed the Christmas dinner and festivities at Mom and Dad's. He was less than happy about that...

And on the 26th, we celebrated Silas' 7th birthday!
This boy is growing up way faster than I can keep up with.  My Smiley Siley isn't a baby anymore.

And now it's time to try to recover, clean up, get organized and prepare for a 2013 that doesn't get away from me quite like 2012 did.  It will be a challenge!!

Who Needs Weight Watchers??

I've decided to create my own Infomercial on how to lose 9 pounds in 9 days!  Results guaranteed!  Just lick some raw chicken and the rest will take care of itself...

The Sunday evening before Halloween, I started to feel icky.  My stomach was unsettled and I felt blah. By Monday morning, I was in bed and miserable. Fever, chills, stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting...it was bad.  I figured I had a nasty GI bug and I'd be better in (hopefully) 24 hours.  And then I was hoping I'd be better in 48 hours.  And then by Wednesday, I was so bad that Justin took  me to the ER for IV fluids and medicine.  I could not keep anything at all in my body.  Water and Gatorade went right through me and any form of food at all got thrown up.  It was all I could do to lay in bed and make it to the bathroom when I needed to (which was about every 15 minutes). On Friday night (day 5 of being sick), the ER called me at 9:30pm to tell me the labs had come back and it was salmonella.  I was shocked but that REALLY explained why I felt so terribly horrible for so long.  I went in the next morning and they gave me antibiotics.  The entire next week I was still having symptoms and pain so I got to go in for a CT scan to make sure my appendix and other innards weren't infected.  Luckily, all looked good.  After 2 full weeks and 9 or 10 days with no solid food...I was beginning to feel better.
When I was really sick the first week, Ella made this sign to go on the bedroom door:

One of the best decisions made was to go ahead and go on my Hocking Hills trip with book group towards the end of week 2.  Donna offered to drive me there and back, and I could lay around there just as easily as at home.  It was GREAT to get out of the house and away from the sick bed.  The change of scenery did me good, as did all the food that everyone brought.  It really jump started my appetite again and I was able to eat again and get some calories in me.
I sat on the wonderful porch at our cabin/house and soaked in the sun and read magazines.  I took a couple small walks and dozed off when I felt nappy. I got to stare off at the cows...

and watch the pretty grasses blow in the wind....

and breath a little deeper on my walks around the property...

 

It was exactly what I needed for a healing weekend.

and I'm sure that Justin was ready to get me out of the house too...

While I was sick, Justin took total care of the house and kids, while trying to work too.  It really kicked his ass.  Together, we really do a great job of dividing and conquering.  That one of us was totally down for the count made both of us realize how lucky we are to work so well together.  It really made to think about my health and being more proactive in keeping BOTH of us healthy.  

Unfortunately, while I was sick, Ella was also not feeling so hot.  She must have had some kind of stomach bug (she did not have salmonella symptoms).  She got sick an hour before Trick or Treat and did not get to go :(

Silas was sad that we didn't go with our neighbor friends like we usually do.  Mason took him around the neighborhood but it was a bummer of a Halloween for all.

Silas did look good in his costume though - which luckily Aunt Amanda was able to help him figure out how to get it on!

Ella's very cute costume will have to wait until next year now...

In the week leading up to my Salmonellaism (which I still have no idea where I got it), we finished up soccer for both Ella and Silas.

We have a couple months off before they both start indoor soccer in January.

I ran my 3rd Half Marathon the Sunday before the sick Sunday.  It was not my best time of the 3 (2nd best time) but it was mentally the easiest of the 3 and the most fun.  I ran with a few friends and it really seemed to make the miles fly by. 

   

Heather and I crossed the finish together.  So fun 

running with her!

We also managed to squeeze in our annual pumpkin patching - and Mason's girlfriend, Yamine, came with us.  

 And for Halloween, Justin and I dressed up as Flo and Mayhem (the insurance commercial characters).

(sorry about the blurry pics)

So that is the last month...I hope to never repeat that salmonella (or anything resembling it) ever again!!

Some Mini (Facebook) Updates

I miss updating my blog on a regular basis :(  I've been so busy with work and the usual daily life stuff that I never feel like I have any real time to sit down and do justice to what we've been up to (though my last post was a pretty good one :)

I think that Facebook has something to do with it too - I can post something so quickly and add a picture and then I feel like I've done my deed.  But those don't go down in my family blogging history (that someday I'm going to convert to annual photo books!!).

So, I'm going to cheat and once a week or so, take some of my Facebook updates and pictures and post them on the blog.

For ease (because I'm lazy), I'm starting with last night and working back.

10/14/2012
I know that Sunday is the prelude to Monday and all, but man I love my Sunday evenings. Apple crisp is cooling off and then some football and reading in bed. :)
 - and this is so true.  Last night we made apple crisp with the apples that the kids picked when they went apple picking with Aunt Amanda. (I stole her pictures here)...

 The crisp was delicious!!

10/14/2012
Barrett the birthday boy! 

- Some way serious cuteness going on here!  Hard to believe he's ONE already!!

10/13/2012
Homecoming - Mason and Yasmine :)

 

- Mason and his girlfriend Yasmine - they went to Homecoming on Saturday night.  We went to Homestead to get some pictures.  He smiled!! :)  More on this in a dedicated post!

10/10/2012

Confirmed by the vet today, 14 year old Zoe is officially OLD!

- we thought, once again, that Zoe was a sitting duck.  She was very sick earlier in the week and seemed to be headed towards the light.  I took her to the vet the next day and with a few medicines for various ailments, she is doing better.  Hard to say how long but we'd sure like some more time with her.  Silas asked me if Zoe would make it to Christmas...and then his birthday day.  Poor guy.  Now that she's feeling better, I do think she will.

10/8/2012

Mason's first car!! Not sure who's more excited, me or him!!

 - this should be another post for Mason milestones but we finally found a car for him!  2000 Jetta, drives great and Justin and I like driving it too :)

We spent 3+ hours cleaning it up on Saturday, getting it ready for Homecoming (YES, Mason should have been working on it too but he was working Saturday morning...and then napping!).

10/3/2012

I find it: 1. amazing that my 6 year old can text. 2. amusing that he has conversations with himself using my iPhone and his iPod and 3. rotten that he thinks of these things! (I'm supposedly answering him in the blue).

 - this entire conversation is Silas talking - he was using his iPod to text me and then (when I had gone to the store but forgot to take my phone) he responded as me to his texts...devious little guy!!

9/30/2012

You common folk probably just get ice from your ice dispenser. I, on the other hand, get red Popsicles from mine. Ha!

 

~ I was getting ice for my water and ended up with a cherry Popsicle instead - didn't I feel special!!

 

 9/28/2012

Ella's eye - Instagram

- I got this little rubber band macro lens for my phone - a little cheapie thing.  I thought it was pretty cool! 

9/3/2012

What Justin gives the kids for breakfast: m&m pancakes, bacon, chocolate chip cookies and ice cream ?!?!? 

~ how to win friends and suck up to your kids!!  

Yay!  I feel like I've accomplished something!  

 

When We Last Left Off...

Seems to have been awhile since I last posted!  Dang, time flies when you have to work for a living!

Since the camping and back to school updates, we've been busy getting back into a groove of school, getting up at 6am(ish), homework, packing lunches, paying  for schools fees, paying lunches, girl scouts, after school art and choir programs, homecoming coming up (Mason is actually going he says!), soccer...ya know.

First, running:  I've really been hurting and not running much.  I pulled my hamstring back in (Aug?) and it's been hurting since.  I've done a few fun runs and they have been fine.  I'm worried about the Half in October but know I can finish...but it may take awhile to recover.  I really want to finish it though because Alison will be at Mile 13 as a Children's Champion! It's very important for me to make it to the end AND still have enough strength and energy to hang out and have fun with her there!
In August, 12 of us girls did the Tap N Run and we were the Blue Mooners.  We had a TON of fun running in our tutus and buttocks!

Strides for Hope is the Ovarian Cancer run and has become one that I really enjoy running with my friend Heather, who lost her mom to ovarian cancer 2 years ago.  Our team is Carla's Rum Runners and the rum and coke toast after at 10:30am has nothing to do with why I run it!

We are back in the soccer groove too...this year is a little different.  Ella has gone up a league.  Justin is no longer coaching her.  She's playing for Coach Sam, who coached her indoor league.  It's been a bit of an adjustment but she is loving it!

 Daddy and toothless Si watching one of Ella's games.

Justin IS coaching Si's team again this year but he's the assistant.  It's been hard for him to give up a little control over "strategy" and how to coach the kids but it's been great because he's not doing the organizing for snacks, trophies, etc.

And this look on his face is one we see often.  I love it.

And for your amusement - go back and look at this post of Silas and his soccer arms/face :)



Oh, and I got my hair cut!!  First time in a LONG time that I've chopped it off...but it was time!!  I don't think I had my hair out of a ponytail in 2 years and I was sick of it.  This is quick and easy, I like that I can do something with it when I'm so inclined (like going to a concert!) but can still get it into a (albeit, the teeniest ever) ponytail!

Last weekend, Justin and I went to Put-in-Bay with 4 other couples.  MY FIRST TIME THERE!  We had so much fun!!
We got there on Friday, early evening.  Caught the Jet Express by the skin of our teeth at 5:45pm.

We milled around the island, had a little dinner and drinks and then chilled and got ready for our Saturday morning PIB 5K!  After a very soggy Friday night, we had incredible weather for the morning run.

 

Doug and his babes had a great run!

We spent the rest of Saturday watching the Buckeyes game and bar hopping.  We found a super fun band that night and got to dance and have a great time.

We're really looking forward to doing it again next year.

The last but definitely not least update is our progress on the house (a YOSP update the I've failed to do lately!).
So, one of the things that we really wanted was to convert the 1st floor laundry into a mudroom. Justin put a laundry area in the newly finished basement and that allowed for the laundry room by the kitchen to be turned into a mudroom.

It was a big project and the first portion (tear out and tiling the floor) went pretty smoothly.
Building the cubbies went fairly smoothly too.  The problem really started when trying to get the cubbies INTO the space.  That wasn't as smooth!

And then TA DA!  It all worked out and I have my mud room!!

It is such an awesome space.  The baskets at the bottom hold shoes, the ones above can be used for gloves, hats, etc. Papers will go in there, hooks for book bags, jackets, hats, umbrellas...
Top shelf holds lunch boxes and other odds and ends. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!


It's been a fun and productive month!  Much more to do in October!!

Camping (Part 2)

Back to our camping trip...we continue to talk about how much fun we had 2 weeks later.  We'd love to get another camping trip in this fall but with the soccer schedules, it will be hard to make happen!

We hiked on Saturday - went to Old Man's Cave.  It was beautiful but crowded.

I love this picture of Silas - big blue eyes and his toothless grin :)  And of course, another bug bite on his forehead!

 Managed to get a few pictures of the 3 together...that is very hard to do these days!

 

Silas was trapped between 2 rocks :)

 Ella and Silas in one of the caves

I love this picture of Silas but he looks like such a little man.  I asked him to smile and he gave me a pose too.

This was a strange little creature that buzzes around Tara and Steve's farm down in Logan.  We looked them up after getting home.  They are Hummingbird Bees which are actually a type of moth. Very neat to watch them fly around - their wings really make them look like little hummingbirds.

Mason needed a challenge while we were hanging at the campsite.  He climbed the big tree and then started trying to get one of the dead limbs down (the one jutting out on the right side of the tree he's in).

He ended up spending about 45 minutes with a rope (with a scrub brush tied to the end for weight) trying to lasso the branch and then pulling on it.  He did finally get it!

We took a little walk down by the river that ran beside the campgrounds.

The inside of the condo tent - Silas is burrowed down in the black sleeping bag.  Our 2nd night of sleeping was much more comfortable than the first night.  The air mattress lasted longer and it didn't get as chilly that night. 

After another yummy JP prepared breakfast, we started tearing down camp and packing up.  Amazing  how much stuff we had for just 2 nights! Seemed a lot harder to get it all back into the van!

Though we were all looking forward to getting home to a nice hot shower, we wanted to take the kids on another hike to Rockstall - the spot where we hike when we go on our couples' weekend.  It's beautiful and MUCH less crowded than Old Man's Cave.  In fact, we only saw one other person on this hike.  

Ella took this picture of me and Justin.  Yay!  I'm finally in a picture!  :)

 And a rare picture of me with all 3 kids!

Miss Boo taking a breather at we finish up the hike.

Here is a video of the kids swinging on the vine.

We had so much fun on this little camping adventure. It was great to get time with the kids, unplugged from the TV and Wii games. Can't wait to do it again!