New Year, New You, New Life

so the New Year is upon us. It is time to leave the past behind and look to the future. You can't change the past anyway - right, so why dwell on it. I know it is easier said than done especially when you have been hurt, whether by someone, whether you lost a job, a friend, whether you feel like you are in a deep black hole that you can't get out of. Life is what you make of it. As hard as it is to see the light at the end of the tunnel, there is light there. Take one day at a time, breathe in and breathe out, God throws at you what you can handle, so put your faith into him - there is a reason you go through what you go through - you may not know what it is at the time but there is a reason.

Life difficulties only make you stronger, it gives you that drive to fight, to prove people wrong, to change what has happened, it will strengthen your faith in God, it will strenthen your faith in your family and friends. You may feel alone, but you are NEVER alone.

2012 - a new year. A year for me to let go of the past, a year to forget old friendships that have died, a year to strengthen new found friendships, a year to move past negative people and their vibes, a year of optimisism, a year of kindness and helping others, a year of not wishing ill harm to ones that have hurt you, a year to just forget them, they aren't worth the negative or any thought in my head, a year to wish nothing but the best for my friends who have been through hell this year and hoping they will find the strength and the jobs that they so desperately need, a year to be blessed and thankful for what I have and not what I don't have, a year to love my boys 24/7 and to have patience, a year to continue to become closer to my family, if that is even possible, a year of not putting off lunches with dear friends and dear cousins, because we may not have tomorrow, a year of health, before I am 40 I will be fit. I wish I could do the Pig marathon, but my knees will not allow me, instead, my goal is to be fit and firm by the end of 2012, let's see how well that goes :) LOL....

2012 is going to a GREAT year, it is my attitude that will make it a great year. It is my faith in God that will make it a great year!!!

To all of my friends and family, I wish you a great end to 2011 and a great beginning to 2012. And maybe, just maybe, this will be the year for child #3 (No, I am not, but maybe with a lot of convincing, I will be ) LOL :)............

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love and happiness to all!!

Happy, Happy Birthday

to my sweet little Logan. Today you turn 4! Yikes, where did the time go. You are my non-sleeper, you love to eat and you love to give hugs and kisses. You love to wrestle with your big brother, your classmates and whoever else you can. You try so hard to be like Brayden, you cried on Christmas because you said it wasn't fair that Brayden got a "music thing" (i-pod) and you didn't. You don't understand that he is older and sometimes life just isn't fair. You love to sleep with Brayden in his big bed, you love Legos and Star Wars just like daddy and Brayden. You will try anything once and that scares me. You have no fear! You twirl my hair into knots at night to get to sleep. Even though I hate it because I have to cut that knot out, I know some day soon you will not be doing that and I will be begging you to put a knot in my hair :).... You try our patience on some days and some days you make us laugh until it hurts. You are such a good boy and we are so very proud of you.

I love you so much and I want to wish you a Happy, Happy Birthday. Today it is you and Brayden spending the day with daddy and then we are headed off to McDonald's. We let you pick where you wanted to eat for your birthday and that is where you picked - oh boy!

I told you last night, after today, no more birthdays. I don't want you to grow up, I want you to be this age forever - but you told me not to worry mom I will always be your baby.... Oh Logan, I hope so!!!

My sweet, loving little boy - have a GREAT DAY..... you are my joy and happiness!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I know I am a bit early but as I sit here at work and realize how much I still have to do, I thought it would be best to post something now. I wanted to wish everyone of my family and friends a very Merry Christmas, and that is right, I said Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays. I am so tired of our country trying to be politically correct all of the time when they are so afraid to allow the real reason for us here on earth to be proclaimed. Christmas, is a celebration of Christ - and I am sorry if saying Merry Christmas offends anyone, but it is my belief and it is what I am celebrating and will continue to celebrate.

Before I go off on a tangent.... missing dad terribly this week. I miss him everyday, but especially this holiday - he loved Christmas, he loved having everyone together, and all of the sweet gifts the kids would give him, he loved the laughter and all of the drinking and eating that we did. Don't get me wrong we still always have a great Christmas and the laughing and drinking continue, but it is NOT the same without him here, it makes my heart ache.......

Miss him so much!!!

Here are some pictures of the boys from when we had them done this past Fall - Logan is such a ham, and I apologize if I have put them on here before, but this picture of him and Brayden sum up their personality perfectly. Brayden the nice one who will smile and take a picture, and then Logan, the clown who has to act goofy - I love them to pieces :)

They are my life - such sweet boys, well some of the time :)

I hope everyone has a GREAT CHRISTMAS... enjoy your time with your family and friends. Remember tomorrow is not guaranteed so make sure you tell everyone you love them and hug them tightly....

Miss and love you dad ~ so, so, so, much!

Much love to all

Scrooge

we all know a scrooge this time of year. Someone for some reason who doesn't like the season, who isn't happy, who hates everything about the holiday, but what about the scrooge who fires someone two weeks before Christmas - that my friend is what heck of a scrooge. I don't care how bad business is or how bad you want to get rid of a person, have a little heart and wait until after the holidays. We have a policy at where I work No Firing in December - it is a good policy, but I guess those only with hearts can have that policy. Just venting - again. A former co-worker of mine was let go right before Christmas, even though she is fine and in hindsight it is great for her because who wants to work for someone like that - it still stinks!

Karma - a bitch!

Any who - CASEY IS HOME, only until Saturday morning. He will not be here for Christmas - Boo Hoo :(.... First time the whole family will not be together -ever. We are always together on the holidays, it is hard enough not having dad here, but now Casey - BOO HOO, BOO HOO!! He has to go to Orlando because Notre Dame is playing in the bowl on December 29th, but since he is a manager now he has to go down with the team and help with everything. I know Jen is upset that her family will not be together on Christmas. Casey does come back after the game and will be home for two weeks. But Christmas will not be the same. But we all completely understand - Casey is involved in a once in a lifetime deal - he is doing something great and we are so proud of him!!!!

I hope everyone is ready for the holiday - coming up fast. Today is the boys last day of school and they are so ready for break, so hyped up - I am sure the teachers are ready too :)

Now if this rain will only turn to snow so we can have a white Christmas and then melt away so spring can be here, what a great Christmas present that would be LOL

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

It Takes A Village

it takes a village to raise our children, to raise a family. We rely on others to help us out and to tell us if they know something about our child, whether we like it or not. Jen said it best the other day in that she loves going to mom's on Sunday because even if it can get loud and crazy it is important to let all of the kids know that they can come to anyone of us and feel safe and talk to. I tell my kids that every day that if they don't feel like they can tell me or Steve, that they need to talk to any of their Aunts or Uncles or even Grandma - even though she can't hear :)... I just want them to know that safe environment that we have.

Can you believe Christmas is less than 10 days away - so much to do in such little time. Okay on the gift front, now it is just everything else. On top of it all is Logan's birthday and my neighbor talked me into having a Neighborhood Christmas Party since she always does the Halloween one, so it looks like we will be throwing a party - woo hoo!

Another busy weekend of soccer games, making cookies and spending time with the family. Lydia and Olivia are in a Christmas dance recital tomorrow, along with Brooke - it should be a great time.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys this unseasonably warm week!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

BE - who you are!

isn't it aggravating when you know people whether in your life now or in the past and they do everything that others tell them, that they truly are not who they are. You know that person who lives a life that is truly not authentic to who they are. They do everything what everyone else says but doesn't do what their heart tells them to do, what they believe in. I know people influence us and our decisions, I know are family and friends help us become who we are, and most of the time they are there to help us to become the "best us" - you know. They help us and guide us and love us and support us.

When people are living a big lie - how happy do you think they really truly are? Do you think they could be happy not living true to themselves, do you think they are happy enforcing decisions that others have made, why is it so hard for us to live who we are, who we are suppose to be. All of us at one time or another do whatever we can to make others happy, we worry too much about what others think of us, worry too much about having that "perfect life" - here is a secret, life isn't perfect, nothing is. So why do we try so hard to be perfect! Instead of striving to be perfect can't we strive to live the life we are suppose to be living, can't we strive to live the life that God has planned for us.

Be who you are!

~~~~~~~
Another great busy weekend. We had the Timmerding Christmas party this weekend - it was so much fun and so crowded. It seems like it doubles in size every year. I didn't get to talk to many which is sad but I was so happy to see everyone there. It is almost like we should set up speed dating tables to where we have to talk to everyone even if it is only for 5 minutes :)

Christmas is coming soon - the excitement is in the air, the songs are being sung, the moods are lifting, the stress is there, the cookies are being baked, and pies are being eaten. The weight is coming on instead of off and the colds are in the air. But let us not forget what this season is truly about and what we are really celebrating!!!!!

I hope everyone is doing well and is ready for this nice warm up coming this week - woo hoo!!! But I hope this means we will still have a White Christmas!!!!

Happy Tuesday!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

The Know It Alls

okay, so we all know that person that thinks they know it all, whether you work with them, whether it is a friend or family member. There is at least one person in your life likes this or one who is no longer in your life. You know the type of person that has had everything in the world happened to them and in such a dramatic fashion, and the person who thinks they are the best of everything whether it is baking, cooking, working or gardening. Or the type of person who thinks it has ONLY happened to them and no one else so they make a huge deal about it.

Sometimes you let these people bother you and get to you but I was quickly reminded yesterdcay that good things come to those who wait, that even though those people are having their glory and rewards now here on earth, I will have my reward, my eternal reward.

I just finished a book, it took me two years to read it, but I finally finished it. "Same Kind of Different As Me" - what an awesome book. It made me think, that what if we were all to get along, what if we all treated each other the same, what if there were no class differences, what if it really didn't matter how much money you had, what if it really didn't matter who had the biggest car, the biggest house, what if it really didn't matter how we looked, or how we dressed, what if all of us would just see each other as who we truly are. What if all of us, treated each other no matter of any things mentioned above as a child of God. What if all of us,stopped being selfish and truly lived the way God wanted us to. We are all selfish, if you say you aren't, you are, at least in a little way. We all want what is best for ourselves and our family and friends. We do selfish things all of the time, some way more than others.

The book just really opened my eyes to what is really important in life, what really matters. None of the pettiness of our pasts, none of the pettiness of the wrong doings from others, none of the pettiness of being hurt by so called friends, none of the pettiness of living amongst selfish people - it doesn't really matter.

Everything can change with a phone call or a doctor's appointment. One minute you can worry about these pettinesses and the next day you are fighting for your life. (No, I am not sick).. Just someone I work with is and with that and reading the book it is putting life in perspective all over again. We are just here for a short time - let the pettiness go (as best as you can).

~~~~~
Here is another picture of Cary - it was on nky.com - what a great picture. Olivia is so jealous because Cary hasn't been in school all week. Different free lunches, trips to the TV stations, a free day off of school. Jen said Olivia keeps saying "It was just a game they won" :)



I hope everyone is having a great week and is staying warm!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Big Weekend!

WOW!!!, what a weekend it was, especially for Jen's family. She got a call on Thursday night from Casey saying he made has made the cut of the top 3 of the student athlete managers. What does this mean? It means - he is going to Notre Dame's Bowl Game, it means he is now considered an employee and will be paid, it means 75% of his tuition will be paid next year, it means he will go to Ireland next year when the team goes, it means he is top dog :) - How exciting and awesome is that.

So okay, like that isn't enough. Cary played in the KY State 2A Championship on Friday afternoon. Mom and I trucked down with Jen and Bill and about 4,000 of our closest friends... It was a beautiful afternoon for the game, and Cary not only got to experience the whole state championship, but he started and he played. He plays on Special Teams and he did a great job. And unless you are living under a rock, you know THEY WON, THEY WON!! Here is a picture of him holding the trophy - it is a big trophy.

And to top it all off, Olivia went to a dance camp this weekend in Chicago taught by choreographers of the show "So You Think You Can Dance" .....

I told Jen she needed to play the lottery - this is her week :)... So Proud of her kids and their accomplishments!!!

We ended the weekend at a pep rally for Cary and the Indians and then headed to mom's for all of the birthdays. It was GREAT weekend with a lot of tears and laughter... So blessed.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and maybe was able to have some excitement.

Here is to another Monday - Boo!!! LOL

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Brrr.........

boy it was cold this morning - me is not happy, I HATE the cold. It is funny because when I sleep I would rather be cold than hot, but when I am awake I would rather be warm than cold - goofy I know. Brayden was a bit upset this morning in that we had to drag out the big heavy winter coat. I told him that he wanted the snow to come so he has to wear the coat, part of the deal. He says, Well I hate that part of the deal :)

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is the first of December, that Christmas is almost here and that another year has gone by. Seriously, you graduate high school and before you know it your life has flashed by you - it is crazy how fast our lives go by. Crazy!!!!

Getting excited because I am headed to the game on Friday, even though it is Steve's birthday. That is my present to him, a day away from me :)... Seriously though, I figured you may never know someone that is going to play in a State Final tournament and to know someone, how exciting is that. So Jen, Bill, mom and I are headed down the expressway to support Cary and his team. I am excited, it will be so much fun, although I don't do well in car rides - so hopefully I don't get sick on them LOL

I hope everyone is having a great week, it has been a crazy busy week - both at work and at  home.

Stay warm everyone and say hello to December!!!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Boo Hoo :(

it is Monday morning, it is rainy and we had to go back to work - Yuck!!! What a great, Awesome weekend it was. Thursday was spent with both families eating and drinking and laughing until I cried (Thanks Cary!!), Friday we spent the day putting up our Christmas decorations and Friday night I went to Cary's football game. What a great game - he played so good. So now the Holy Cross Indians are in the State Finals and I am trying to decide if I should make the trek down there or not - I want to, but work is always in the way....

Here are some pictures from his game on Friday night. It was such a great game and I had so much fun. Serious face there #26 :)

The rest of the weekend was spent with family and the boys of course - overall, it was just an AWESOME weekend! I could do that, I could always work 4 days and be off 3 what a way to live, I need to find that job :)

It was mom and dad's wedding anniversary yesterday :(.... miss him, miss him!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and stayed safe and ate a lot! Stay dry and warm and root on those Indians!!!!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Greed

has been weighing on my mind this last week. I guess maybe because all of the stores are opening up tomorrow evening, I think the earliest I have heard is 9:00. What happened to our society that everything is becoming materialistic, that the bigger the house, the nicer the car, the better the clothes, the more money in the bank, the better life is? What happened to morals, to family values, to Christian values, to helping thy neighbor, to just loving life and not wanting or needing.

It just amazes me - what happiness is to different people.

Luke 12:15

¹⁵ Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

Short Week, but a Long Week

anytime there is a short work week like this, it seems to drag on forever! I know it is only Monday morning, but I wish it were Wednesday afternoon already. It was hard getting up this morning with the rain coming down and the chill in the air, I was so comfy and I know Brayden was too. He did that "Aw mom" - I just said two days honey, two days!

Another busy weekend down and it seems like I didn't get to spend that much time with the kids, even though I did, just not enough. We did a massive clean out of all toys on Saturday - my boys are spoiled to say the least! Just so much junk, so much of the little toys that they get here and there, from McDonalds, or birthday parties or Dollar Store trips, just junk! But like they say one man's junk is another man's treasure! Now, if I can just find the time to de-junk the whole house!... One day at a time, one day at a time....

The boys are excited because we are starting to decorate for the holidays - my favorite time of the year. I love the holidays, I love being with family, I love family traditions, I love making new family traditions, I love the decorating, the eating, the making of cookies and treats, the trips to see Santa, the parties, I love it all. I try not to stress about it or trying to find that perfect gift. Because really that gift is probably just something materialistic anyway and it isn't something that is really needed. And that isnt' what Christmas is about. It is a magical time of the year, it is about something much bigger than all of us and much bigger than that sweater or camera lense under the tree. I hope this holiday season we do not forgo the reason we are truly celebrating and get caught up so much into the materialistic side of Christmas. Remember the True Reason for this Season!


Off of that tangent!  We celebrated Sean and Mindy's birthday last night at mom's. It is the first time a long time that all of us were at mom's. Even baby Mason was there! Sweet little thing. Big CONGRAT's out to Cary and his Holy Cross Indians. They beat NCC on Friday night and are headed to the state semi-finals this coming up weekend. I believe mom and I are headed to the game, even though it may be cold, but that is what football is all about :) So Good Luck to him and his team as they press on to the state finals!

I hope everyone has a great Monday - may it go by quick as well as the rest of your week!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Watching the News

is so very depressing. I have stopped watching it - altogether but every now and then I catch it and it is just depressing. There is always a child kidnapped or missing, there is always a teacher or coach doing things they shouldn't be doing, there is always a crash or a murder, it is just sickening of what this world is coming to. That whole Penn State situation is just sick and you wonder what kind of human beings can do something like that, even worse, how can one see that happening and not do anything about it.

I know we have an all forgiving God but can you really be forgiven for doing something like that to children - can you?

Any who on a brighter side, the week is almost over and Thanksgiving is almost here which means we get to put up our Christmas decorations - I am so excited. This is such a magical time of the year - sure it can be stressful in the gift giving and the shopping but it is also so magical. Everyone's spirits are up and family time is all around. Not that we don't spend anytime with our families :)

The weather has turned once again and is back to being cool - but that is okay, that is what our holidays are - if we didn't like it we would live in Florida or out West somewhere. I hope everyone is having a great week and all is going well.

Here is to one more day and then the weekend - woo hoo!

Miss and love you dad~ so much.

Much love to all,

He Did It Again!

The star continues to rise. Case was able to travel with the team again up to Maryland and was once again, the ball boy for the home team. And he was on TV a few times. Bill reads the Chicago Tribune and he saw this online yesterday. What a great honor - I am sure Jen and Bill are bursting with pride, I know I am....

U can see Case in the left corner, the kid holding the ball with his mouth open :) LOL... How exciting.

Wanted to wish Sean a Happy, Happy Birthday - I hope you have a wonderful day and your wife and kids spoil you rotten. Love you to pieces!!!!

I hope everyone has a great day today and stays dry, it is suppose to rain most of the day. But stay warm - crazy weather we have!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Meeting Mason

The boys and I met Mason this weekend - what a beautiful baby. You forgot how little they really are. Jordyn has been the baby for the past year and now to have Mason, it makes her look like such a big girl. Here are some pictures of us all meeting him for the first time. Logan was so cute and kept asking me why he wouldn't open his eyes and he was fascinated by him, he talked about him all the way home.

So sweet and innocent at this age - until they hit 3 :).... It was a busy weekend for us with soccer games and we headed to a craft show on Saturday. Steve's mom is really into painting and crafts and she does such a beautiful job, I wish I had talent like that. So we went up to Lakota on Saturday to support her - it is actually really neat to see everyone's talent and gifts. Saturday night we had movie night and I started it out by putting in The Muppets! I remember as a kid watching the TV show and I loved it so I just wanted the boys to watch it. They were cracking up - they loved it. They kept quoting a line all weekend long - it was cute!

Also busy with soccer games and watching football - I hope everyone had a great weekend and is enjoying this nice weather. The holidays are just around the corner :)

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

11.11.11.

Not only is it 11.11.11 but it is also Veteran's Day! A day to thank our veterans and those now serving. It almost seems like words are not enough, a Thank You, is not enough for all of the sacrifices that you go through along with your families to give our country our freedom. May God Bless each and everyone of your families and thank you...

~~~~~~

Here are some pictures of beautiful Mason - I haven't seen him yet. The boys and I are going down this weekend to visit with them. The boys really wanted to go and meet their new little playmate. He is beautiful - he makes the baby itch stronger :)

What did everyone think about that crazy snow last night? It was only a few flurries I know but people were going crazy about it - I think it is going to be a long winter - Yuck!!!

Happy Birthday to Courtney - I hope you have a great one!!!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, I would say try to stay warm but it looks like it is going back into the 60's by Sunday! Craziness!!!!

Happy Friday~

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Welcome: Mason Thomas Timmerding

Jeremy and Mindy welcomed their third child last night around 7:45pm - 8lbs, 6ozs, a healthy baby boy. I do not have any pictures yet but I am sure I will make up for it when I go visit him. The boys are excited to welcome another baby into the family. He makes # 12 grandkids, 8 boys and 4 girls. And I am sure we aren't done yet!! Olivia was always the only girl until Ms. Lydia and then Kali and Jordyn. And it is so funny because those girls are as rough as the boys are - I guess they have to be to survive in world of all of those boys.

Welcome Mason to our crazy Timmerding family - we can't wait to meet you and hold you and spoil you rotten!!! Aww, I love babies :)

Congrats Jeremy, Mindy, Kali and Jordyn!!!!!!

Miss and love you dad~ so much.

Much love to all,

Honorary Chalice

Everyone knows dad was a 4th degree Knight of Columbus. This was something he really enjoyed and he loved helping them out. He would always do work for them and their famous beer battered fish that they serve at fish fries - that is dad's recipe. It is so good. I remember the chills that I got up my arm when we walked into church and we as a family, a whole family had to walk under the swords of the Knights - what an amazing feeling and tribute - it made dad's service even more beautiful than it already was.

Any who - on Friday night, they gave the Deacon an honorary chalice in dad's name to give to a newly ordained priest that will be ordained in May. I am sorry I don't know any of the names and I hope to find out the priest who will be getting the chalice in dad's name so we can continue to pray for him throughout his life. But here is a picture of the Deacon holding dad's chalice. None of us knows, well Sean may but I haven't asked him yet, if the chalice actually has dad's name on it, or if it is just a "in memory of" type thing you know.

What a great tribute to dad :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a side note finally here are the boys pictures from Halloween. Jack Sparrow and Buzz Lightyear. Logan had these wings that Santa brought him a year ago and they were a hit. They make noise and light up and go up and down. When we would walk away from a house he would put them down and as we were walking up to the house he would make the wings come up with the sound and everything. He was a hit! Brayden was Jack Sparrow along with all of the other boys his age - but he loved it.... They had so much fun! The only problem with Buzz is his ear kept sticking out :) LOL

Jack Sparrows beard got better after daddy got home but of course I didn't take a picture of it LOL...

Happy Tuesday everyone - enjoy this beautiful day!!!!!!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Anniversary and Literally - A Soccer Mom

so much for doing better of updating this blog. I am not sure where the time is going but is going by fast. Friday, Steve and I both took off for our Anniversary. It has been 11 years that we have been married. I would like to say it has all been wonderful every single day but we all know that isn't what marriage is. We have had our shares of ups and downs and for a while it just seemed completely down. BUT with our committment and our love we have managed to get back onto the upside of things. People ask me all of the time how long we have been together and in all actuality we have been together 18 years - I was only 20 when we started dating, not even old enough to buy a drink. So we spent the day with each other with no kids. It was so nice. Went and saw a movie and had lunch and did a little shopping - it was relaxing.

Logan had his first soccer game on Saturday morning. The coach that was suppose to coach backed out at the last minute and they had asked one of the mom's to coach. This was her first time even down at the facility and she knew nothing about the sport. She kindly asked me if I would help her and I felt so bad, so know I have become the assistant coach. It is exhausting trying to get these 4 years olds to run after the ball. Sometimes they do, sometimes they like to pick at their shoes, sometimes they run back and forth to mom and dad - it is chaotic - but I had so much fun and Logan loved that I was helping his team out.

Brayden also started his indoor soccer. He plays on Sunday mornings and this week his game was at 7:50! I know right, on a Sunday morning - it was so early. Needless to say we took naps yesterday. Even with the extra hour of sleep we were still all exhausted.

Saturday night Case hit the big leagues. One of his fellow managers quit and he was asked to travel to the Wake Forest game. He also got to be the ball boy and he was on TV quite a few times. Here is a shot of him that Bill took - it was so exciting to see him and the kids loved it. They were always looking for Casey :) Here is the picture. Super Excited for him!!!!!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is able to enjoy this wonderful weather - I know the next couple of days are suppose to be beautiful also. It is nice in the morning to have the light, but I HATE that it is going to be dark by the time we get home - it makes for dreary days :)

Happy Monday - everyone

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

11-1-11

today's date is kind of cool isn't it? It will happen once again this month - woo hoo! Such the simple things in life can keep me entertained some days :)

Steve and I stayed at our house last night for Halloween. It was the first time since we have lived there (6 years) that we have ever stayed home on Halloween night. Oh my! What a party it turns into being. I knew we had a lot of kids,  but we have ALOT of kids in our neighborhood. And everyone was out, everyone! It was pure craziness, fun, crowded, kids everyone, adults walking around with their own treats. This I would like to say dad had started doing many years ago - walking around with his adult beverage - It was just nuts to see how many parents were actually doing that last night. The commardity of the whole neighborhood coming out and speaking to everyone, people I haven't seen in a while - Steve and I both had so much fun. The kids, the kids absolutely loved it. Everyone loved Logan's wings on his costume and Brayden just had fun running into people he knew from school.

The funny thing was though that Logan knew just as many people. His little friends from Little Red, he would get so excited when he saw someone - it was just too cute. What a great night for it also, the weather was perfect, not too hot but cold enough for a fire on the driveway - overall, it was just a great, great night.

I will post pictures in a bit of Buzz and Jack Sparrow - they were too cute. And they hit the jackpot - at least 3lbs of candy!!!! Ugh :)

I hope everyone had a great night and is enjoying the day. It is beautiful outside.

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone. The other night in the world where we allow our children to go door to door and talk to strangers and take candy from them too :)... The boys are super excited, especially Logan. He is going as Buzz Lightyear - he did go as that last year, but he really wants to wear it and he says he loves it. This year we are going around our own neighborhood for the first time since we lived there. We have always gone over to Steve's mom and dad's and Brayden this year decided he wanted to try our neighborhood. So we will see how it goes.

Weekend was short as always but it was fun. Brayden and I volunteered on Saturday at the Brighton center which was a lot of fun and he did such a great job. It is something I hope we are able to do all of the time, or at least once a month if not every other week.

Rest of the weekend of just cleaning and typical house work, winterizing the house and continous cleaning up after the boys - never ending :)

Mom and Jen had a great time on their trip - I only talked to mom briefly last night and she said it was a lot of fun and she was glad she went.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoys their Halloween Night. I will post pictures later this week of our crazy night!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Long week

seems like the weeks are getting so long and the weekends are so short. But today is Friday, it is a good day - so far. Mom and Jenny and Bill along with his sisters are headed up to Notre Dame today to visit Casey. It is the first time mom has been up there since dad passed away. I am sure it will be an emotional trip for her. It was for me the first time I went back up there after he passed. It is such a special place in our hearts and it was dad's last journey. It is hard to explain but it is just that place for us.

My company won an award last night for an Up and Coming business, blah, blah. It was our second year in a row of winning it - it was a great time. Funny thing is I ran into someone from high school with - I haven't seen him twenty years and this year we have seen each other at least 20 times. That is how it goes.

Excited about spending the weekend with my boys - plans here and there but mainly just hanging out - favorite thing to do with them. When life isn't crazy and we can just hang out in our PJ's and watch movies all day - hopefully one of the days these weekend will be like that.

I hope everyone has had a great week and is ready for the weekend. I hope you are able to spend it with loved ones and feel your blessings around you.

Have a great weekend!!!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Yeah

Yeah! I finally found a place that where both Brayden and I can volunteer and hopefully Logan will be able to go to. This Saturday we are going to start volunteering at the Brighton Center a couple of hours each Saturday and maybe a day during the week. Not only do I feel it is important to give back to the community, but Brayden needs service hours for school and I want them to continue to learn how blessed they really are. I am hoping this will be a great fit in that I love kids and I love to help out and give back. If I didn't have to work full time, I would spend my days volunteering everywhere.

Today is the big day that I pick up our TV. Someone asked me how I won it just by going to the dentist. Our dentist has a referral program and anytime we refer someone we get a chance to win the TV. Jen is mad at me in that she has referred numerous people and has never won the TV, I have referred two people and I won!

:)

I hope everyone is having a great week so far - I know it is only Tuesday but the weather is nice, so I hope you are able to make it outside - at least a little bit.

Happy Tuesday!!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Where does the Weekend Go!

oh where oh were does the weekend go. We are like one of the only countries, if not the only country that puts work as a priority. I hate it. Even though I love my job and I am able to be a little flexible in my job, I would love and do anything for a four day work week. Just to even have a day off during the week to get things done, that way I am not spending the whole weekend doing laundry and cleaning when in reality I should be spending more time with my boys. We have to make the most of our times together though don't we.

We went to Kings Island on Saturday - it was the first time in a long time we had no soccer games and we wanted to head back up before the indoor league starts. It was a beautiful day and it was a lot of fun, it was crowded but a great time. We are at that age now that when we go up we have to split up, Steve and Brayden ride the big rides and Logan and I stay in Kiddie Land - and then we meet at the entrance - so that is our family time LOL

I talked Steve into going to a Halloween party on Saturday night with the condition that I was not allowed to take pictures - sorry :(. He wore Sean's pink bunny outfit that most of you have seen either on Facebook or on here and I was just a boring witch. It was a neighbors party and they have one every year and most years we have things to do, but this year we found we had nothing to do and our other neighbors were asking about us to make sure we were going to go and so we went so weren't the boring neighbors. It was fun, we had a great time. Sunday of course we headed over to mom's for dinner and then here we are, Monday morning again!

Mom and Jen and Bill and his sisters are headed to Notre Dame this upcoming weekend. It will be the first time mom has been up there since the last time we all went up there with dad, so I am sure it will be emotional. It was for me when I went up after dad passed away - I know she is excited about going but also probably a bit nervous.

It is suppose to be a nice week this week at least a little bit. Need to enjoy whatever we can because I have a feeling winter is not going to be so nice to us!

Happy Monday!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Ended on a Good Note

so yesterday I felt terrible all day long regarding missing Brayden's birthday party that he was invited to. I was just really down on myself and kept thinking of ways to make it up to Brayden and his friend. We are going to have him over this weekend to celebrate his birthday with play time and pizza - what 8 year old boy doesn't like that. Any who, the phone rang last night about 4:45ish and it was my dentist office. I was thinking it was going to be a reminder of an upcoming appointment, to my surprise they were calling to tell me I just won a TV - a 42" Plasma HD TV nonetheless. You would have thought I won a million dollars the way I was going on and on.

I have NEVER won anything, especially anything so big. I was so excited and then Brayden was super excited. Steve and I had been talking about fixing up a corner in the basement until we can afford to fix up the whole basement for the boys to be able to go downstairs and watch TV and play Wii and just have more of an area for themselves. Yes they have taken over the whole room, but I thought it would be exciting for them to have an area for them. So this has become our winter project of fixing up the area. If only that money tree was full then we could finish the whole basement, but that will just have to wait.

I hope everyone is having a good week so far. It is Wednesday, rainy and cold. It is suppose to be like this all week. What fun.

Happy Hump Day!!!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Terrible Mom

so Brayden reminded me this morning what a terrible, forgetful mom I am. He didn't say anything mean by any means, he just says in the car "Mom you know what we forgot on Sunday" and as soon as he said it, my mind began racing of oh no what did we forget, something at school, something with the family, what, what? He said we forgot Collin's birthday party! UGH!! At that moment, I knew that I was the worst person ever. I remember getting the invitation, I remeber RSVP to the party, I remember Brayden being excited about it and I remember NOT writing it on the calendar!

So here we are Sunday morning, it is going to be yet another beautiful day and there is nothing going on, so we decided to head to Kings Island - spend time with the boys, get the use of the passes. When we really should have been wrapping a birthday present and headed to Laser Kraze.

Brayden doesn't seem upset about it, it is me that is upset. I, the forgetful mom. Ironic thing is: I have a calendar, a planner and a calendar/reminder on my phone and work email - and YET NOTHING helped me to remember!

Ugh.......

Happy Tuesday!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

I need to do better

about this blog. I have all intentions of writing in every day or every other day and then I just get busy at work, then my evening chores begin of homework, dinner, dishes, baths, bedtime, laundry etc. And the minute I lay my head down on the pillow I am out. Just another busy week with soccer games, football games, Kings Island, school projects, home projects and making Christmas lists - Yikes!

Before we know it, there will be snow on the ground - and this my friend, I can wait for. Don't get me wrong, I like the first snow fall, I love listening to Christmas music, I love decorating our house for the season, it adds such a warmth and beautiful feeling to the house. I love all of it, but I can do without the cold, especially when it is like a single digit number like 5! But enough of that, I will be complaining about that soon enough :)

I hope every one is doing well. Mom's brother was in town this past week just for a short visit, we hadn't seen him since dad passed away so it was a little bitter sweet, but it was so nice to see him again. Brayden still laughs that the reason for him to be on vacation was to see the leaves turn colors. He doesn't understand it quite yet. The leaves are beautiful this time of year - it is so pretty. Another one of God's blessings.

It is Monday, my least favorite day of the week. I am still looking for that stay at home job, still looking for that millions so that I may not have to work so much, I feel like I am missing out on my boys :(.... Just a sad mommy day, I suppose.

I hope everyone has a great week and enjoys the weather at least today. I know it is suppose to start raining and get cold starting tomorrow - oh what fun!

Happy Monday.

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Beautiful Weekend

what a beautiful weekend. We really couldn't ask for better weather - this is how I wish it was all of the time. And looking at the trees as the leaves start to turn, just beautiful scenary, especially for pictures. Mom's brother is coming in town this week. We haven't seen him since dad passed away. Him and his wife are going on a tour of "leave watching". Yea, I know I laughed at first too. But then you realize living in Floriday they don't get all of the changes of season. And as much as I complain and probably many others complain about it, I would be lost without the change of seasons. I would miss it dearly.

Fall is so beautiful and ironic. Life can be like a leaf. As the leaves fall from the tree, so too, all your past doings, all of your misgivings, all of your worries, let them fall, let them fall to God. As winter approaches he will prepare you for the new beginning he has for you, the renewal of life that happens in the spring time.

This weekend was a busy one but so much fun.Friday night we took Steve's mom out for her birthday and it was nice to be able to spend time with his family, normally it is just a drive by of picking up or dropping off kids. Saturday I went to a play with mom, Aunt Rita, Aunt Carol and Aunt Judy. We went and saw Beauty and the Beast and it was so good. Afterwards mom, Aunt Rita and I went out to dinner. It was so nice to be able to spend time with them. It isn't something that we get to do everyday. Sunday we took the boys to Kings Island. Jenny and Bill were up there too, because they also have passes. Aftewards we all went to mom's to celebrate birthdays. I have been a bad blogger so I didn't post any birthdays on here this week. So I would like to take the time to say a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the following people and I hope you had a great day.

Steve's mom - Jean
Brad - Tonya's husband and his twin
Ms. Lydia - who turned 5
Jenny - who I will not say how old she turned

With it turning colder I should be able to become a better blogger and even make some changes. Some days it is hard to keep up with one of them, let alone another one.

I hope everyone has a great week and continues to enjoy the weather. Once again it is suppose to be an okay weekend, a little rain in the middle of the week, but the temperatures seem doable!

Happy Monday,

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all

Fundraiser

Below is a message from Aunt Carol. If anyone needs a flyer please let me know and I can email it to you. Thank you so much!!

Hello everyone. I need your help for a Fundraiser to help those in our community who need a little extra assistance. I am a member of a woman's business sorority named Omege Phi Tau (OPT). We raise money to donate to local organizations who in turn help those in our community that need assistance for one reason or another. We help many organizations such as I Have Wings, Rising Star Studios, The Parish Kitchen, Rosedale Manor, Big Stef, Inc., The Steinford Toy Foundation, and The Peggy Foster Memorial fund etc...

On Monday October 10, 2011 (Columbus Day) we are having a Fundraiser at Max and Erma's in the Crestview Hills Town Center.

You have to eat right?!! RIGHT!!. Well you can feed your family and help OPT help others in our community by eating lunch, dinner, or getting a carryout order at Max and Erma's in Crestview Hills on Monday October 10, 2011. Attached below is a Fundraiser flyer with a detachable ticket. Don't forget the flyer ticket.You will need give the flyer ticket to your server to attach to your check. OPT will receive a donation of 20% for each check with the flyer ticket attached. If paying separetly make sure to bring a ticket for each check.

The more you eat, the more money we raise, as 20% of each check is donated back to OPT. The Fundraiser is an all day long event. If you have friends, family. neighbors, co-workers, church groups, or fellow members of other clubs, that want to have lunch, dinner or carryout at Max and Erma's, email and/or print flyers to distribute to them. Send them into Max and Erma's (Crestview Town Center only) on Monday October 10, 2011 with a photocopy of this flyer and enjoy a delicious meal. One ticket must be attached to each check if each person in a group is paying separately.

Flyer Attachment Below

Files are ready to download. Follow either of the following two links to get your files:

http://maxandermas.amedius.com/common/mb_pick-up.php?view_file=/userfiles/louisville/proceed_flyer_170841715191723416010141817189.pdf

Special Instructions:

Please click on the above link to download your FUNdraiser flyer. When the page opens, click on "Download High Resolution File". This is the electronic version of your FUNdraiser flyer - click File and Save. Print & email as necessary.

As requested by Max and Erma's please DO NOT distribute flyers inside or outside of the Max and Erma's premises. OPT forfeits the entire donation from Max and Erma if found in violation of this rule.

Anyone needing copies of the flyer can contact me and I will try to get copies to you as soon as possible. Many thanks in advance from OPT and myself for your support and for dining at Max and Erma's October 10, 2011. I hope to see you there.

Carol Tully

I survived!

I survived the big reunion this weekend. It exceeded all of my expectations - I had such a great time. One of my best friends came in from Florida just for this and we had so much fun catching up. He is such a great guy. It is funny, how in high school you have clicks and how everyone stays in those clicks. You have your jocks, cheerleaders, hoods, band geeks etc... and then there was me and some others who were just friends with everyone. And after 20 years, those clicks, didn't really matter. Saturday night we all came together as classmates, as friends, and we just had a blast.

The night went by so fast that I know I didn't get to talk to everyone, but we all had so much fun. We decided instead of waiting another five or ten years, that we are going to do this every year. First Saturday of October meeting at the same place - I loved that I connected with everyone all over again and hopefully from this at least some of us will continue staying in touch a lot more. I am going to bore you with some pictures, of course. I love these guys!!!

So because of this night and because of being at the festival with Tonya and Brad in the cold, I stayed home today sick. I couldn't even talk yesterday which was great fun for the boys, they loved it. Today, my voice is still in and out - craziness... and of course, it is suppose to be nice and warm next weekend - go figure!!!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend, as cold as it was. Enjoy this week, it is suppose to be beautiful!!!!!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,