White Christmas

Yes, we actually got a White Christmas, the first in like 100 years here in Georgia.

It has been fun, but I am WAY tired of washing and drying clothes.

Pete and his Dad.

We had a wonderful Christmas, celebrating with family and enjoying a visit from Santa!!  Pete and I were able to give our children a great Christmas again....even with all the job issues.  We are so grateful for our families, who made our Christmas so warm!!
 

Santa was good to the Yost Kids!!

Uncle Pete asking Lilah if Santa was coming

Noah trying on the Santa Hat

Morgan and Hannah

Pete's turn to open a present - the hat became a requirement

Words are not enough

I will help you Papa

Hopefully now that Christmas is over, some job opporunities will come through for me.  I am trying to enjoy the time I have to spend with the kids, but won't lie, I am really nervous about the money.  I am ready to be somewhere on a permanent basis and to start rebuilding our financial future. 

Tell me Good Night

Davis wrote what I suspect is his last letter to Santa in school yesterday.  This is what he wrote:

Dear Santa,


This year I'm in 3rd grade.  I have been a good boy.  I have had a great year.  How about you?  This year I am doing The Nutcracker.  I am going to work backstage in the show.


This year I want a Ripstick Scooter, a Nerf gun, and money.  That is all that I can think of for my Christmas list.  Thank you for my elf.  I've been taking good care of him.


I am excited about Christmas because it is Jesus' birthday.  I am excited for my presents.  I am very excited about the show.  I have your magic key on my front door.  Just come upstairs to my room, and tell me good night.


Love, 
  Davis

Oh sweet boy, I am sad that you will soon not hear the bells ringing.  I know it is coming, but I wish it could last just a little bit longer.  I am sure that Santa will not only tell you good night but will shower you with kisses!!

Health and Happiness

I got a fortune cookie today that said:

HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

ARE COMING YOUR WAY

Oh how I pray that is true.

There have been some positive things happening in my life in the last couple of weeks - things I will share when I can.  

Please pray that I am entering my springtime....this winter has been long and hard.

Happy Veteren's Day

I wanted to send a very special thank you to all of those who have served our country.   I am the granddaughter to 2 WWII vets (Grandpa Havens and Granddad)....the niece to 3 vets (Tom, Frank and Pup)....the cousin to 4 veterans (David, Rob, Shawn and Mariah), the daughter-in-law to a Vietnam vet and am most proud to say that I am a Navy wife veteran.

Our elementary school puts on a fabulous Veteran's Day program that Pete looks forward to every year.  I was lucky enough to join him this year.  Each veteran is "adopted" by a class and the kids make them wonderful presents of cards and letters.  It is so wonderful to see what the kids write...they are amazingly gracious in the service of the veterans.  The veterans than have the option to visit with the class after the program....which is really Pete's favorite part!!  The kids are always asking about what kind of guns they used  (Call of Duty video games help that interest).

Here are a couple of pictures from the day.

This table was set for one as a remembrance for the POW/MIA.  There is salt to represent the tears shed, red rose for the blood shed, a slice of lemon to remind us of their bitter fate.

 My father-in-law receiving his flower for his service in the Army

 Pete receiving his flower for his service in the Navy.

 There is a wall of honor in the hallway.

 Davis' classroom after the program with 4 veterans.

Thank you so much Arnold Mill Elementary for giving such a wonderful tribute to these wonderful men and women.....I know one Persian Gulf war vet that is truly honored to be there!!!

Blue Blanket

Matt needed a baby picture for school today as they are studying how things grow.

Being that Matt was born in the digital era, I had to search through the pictures on the computer for something that would be a good representation of his size.

I decided on the following picture, he was in a wagon that had cookies in it and was about 2 months old.

I was surprised to see how much he still looks like this.

I was also surprised to see his head laying on his "blue blanket".  Anyone that knows Matt knows about his "blue blanket".  I made him this blanket before he was born....nothing special about it....but to Matt it is his BLUE BLANKET.  It has baby things on it....it has a gummy spot on it....a hole that he cut in it.  He pretty much always knows exactly where it is.  He knows he can't take it to school and sometimes he hugs it before he leaves in the morning....he finds it right when he gets home and holds it while doing his homework.  He has been known to wear it on his head like a hat.  Sometimes he puts it in the freezer (still haven't figured out that one). 

I have tried to get him a different blanket....even took him to the store and let him pick the fabric.  I cut it exactly the same size as the blue blanket and didn't embroider anything on it (because it is scratchy).  But nothing has replaced that blue blanket.

I know the day will come when that blue blanket will be left behind....but I am okay that he has something that makes him feel safe and happy.  When he is done with the Blue Blanket, I will stow it away and keep it safe until he needs it again.  I think everyone should have their own Blue Blanket.

Halloween 2010

We had a nice Halloween this year....it sure changes as the kids get older and Mom doesn't have as much input in the costumes. 

We were invited again this year to my parent's the weekend before Halloween for their annual Halloween get together.  It is a great opportunity to get to see my nieces and nephews in their costumes (my sister lives a little over a hour away from us).  It was a beautiful day and their was much time spent jumping rope.

Then the kids got dressed up and went "trick-or-treating" at Grandma and Papa's house.  They give the kids a bucket filled with lots of treats and jammies for each kid (except the big kids - they get $). 

Trick or Treat

Treat it is!!!

Davis just wants out!!

Matt?

Sweet Minnie Mouse Lilah

 

Batman (Landon) and Spider Man (Noah)

 Halloween was a little bit of a disappointment for me.  Hannah went to a friend's house because "no one was trick-or-treating in our neighborhood"....she wouldn't even let me help her with her costume. 

Davis decided he wasn't going to wear the costume I got for him...instead he wore his dirtbike gear.  I made chicken noodle soup that no one but me ate.  Pete and Davis ate across the street at the neighbor's.  The only one that hung with me was my Matty - he ate cereal.  So he is the only one I have a picture of.  Because the time had not changed yet, we ended up leaving before dark.  It was not my choice to leave so early, but I was outvoted!!!  The boys seemed to have a great time and got TONS of candy.  We did not get many trick-or-treater's at our house as we are in the very back of the neighborhood.

Aye Aye Matty!!

Maybe next year will be different....it will be my turn to stay at home, drink wine and give out candy!!

Metal-less Mouth

We Started with This

Spent 2 Years and 4 months as a Metal Mouth

 Definitely worth all the hard work!!!

Then we stopped by Daddy's work to show off her pretty wireless (almost) teeth.

Hannah now has two permanent retainers that are glued on the back of her teeth (which she said feels like when you eat a green banana) and also has a clear retainer that she will first wear all the time, then just at night.  We are so proud of how good she was with her braces....she didn't even break a single wire or bracket.  Hopefully she will thank us eventually for riding her so hard about it.  She really handled them very well....she had to have a lot of work done and rarely complained!!

Congratulations Hannah....I hope you have lots of opportunities to show off that pretty smile!!!

All About Matt

Sometimes the baby of the family doesn't get the attention they deserve.  They are rarely the "first" to accomplish something...they get hand-me-down clothes.  Their picture isn't taken as much as the first baby!! 

Matt is our third child....second boy.  Although he makes sure we never forget him, he does get lots of hand downs from Davis and hasn't been the first at much.  So I decided to dedicate an entire post to some of his recent achievements. 

Last Saturday, Matt finally started hitting the ball at his baseball game.  He is still in coach pitch and Coach Nelson finally found his sweet spot and he went 3 for 3.  At the end of the game, Matt was awarded the "Game Ball" from Coach Rob.  Yesterday at his game, Matt went 3 for 4 and even slid into home!!!

Congrats Matty!!

 A week before that we went up to Calhoun for the Inaugural race at the track that had been closed for quite awhile and then was purchased by new owners.  They completely redid the track and we headed up there after baseball for the race.  Both the boys raced and did quite well.  They haven't raced in over a year, but they seemed to have a really great time.  Davis came in 5th in his class and Matt came in 1st (he was the only one in his class, but he rode his heart out!!).

Thursday night it was just him and I at his practice because everyone else went to Hannah's softball game.  He was very excited when he found out it was just us for the evening (which made my heart swell).  After practice, I asked him what he wanted to eat.  Of course he said McDonald's :).  When he pulled out his toy (a Lego car - I think they must be between themes and getting rid of some old stuff), he was very excited and exclaimed "This is really cool but it will look even better when you put the stickers on it". 

Anyone that spends much time with me knows how much I LOVE to put the stickers on things and my little boy loves me enough to not even consider putting the stickers on himself and letting me do it.....oh how I love this boy!!!

I have a teenager in my eye....

My silicone buckle in my left eye turned 13 today....

I wish I never needed it.....

but I am grateful that I had it when I needed it to fix my detached retina!!

Getting clean in my own room

We have not taken a shower in our master bathroom for years because we had water that was leaking in the basement from problems in the shower seat (builder's work) and then we had a problem with the shower door.  We have been showering in the other bathroom on our main level.  Our plan was to get a new shower enclosure, fix the seat...then the whole jobless thing happen.  I took off the cultured marble seat top and side a LONG time ago and never did anything with it.  I finally got mad a couple weeks ago and tore out the drywall and pulled the frame out.  I replaced the damaged wood and Pete installed the drywall.  We sealed the crap out of it before replacing the marble pieces (there was a lot more damage than we had expected and in a different spot than we knew about).

We were trying to attach the front (side) piece of marble, which was warped from the beginning (part of the leak issue) and it BROKE....in three pieces.  We checked on a replacement piece and it was a bit more pricey than we were expecting.  So I starting looking into other options.  I was thinking that we could tile it.  I have never tiled before, but I was willing to take a stab at it.   I wanted to find something that didn't look out of place, since the rest of the shower is cultured marble.  I found what I wanted and I actually completed it.  I have added a shower curtain to replace the shower door until we can afford to replace the shower enclosure.

It is wonderful to get up and walk to my bathroom and turn on the shower!!! 

The inside tiles match the wall color

We installed new hardware as well

I am pretty proud of my first tile job!!!

 I did learn a few things from this job

• Use cement board - would have cut down on some extra steps
• Make the mortar a little bit "wetter" so when you get to the end it isn't so dry.
• Use Silicone "caulk" from the beginning, it works best and won't have to be redone
• Use gloves when using above product so one doesn't have to use gasoline to get it off your hands.
• Have faith in your ideas and your ability to do something new!!!!

Busy

Holy Moly....we have been so busy!!  I have a short term contract position that I started last week.  I am really enjoying it, but it is very busy!!!

We have all THREE kids in softball/baseball.  We have practices on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.  Games are on Thursday for Hannah and Saturday's for the boys.

Monday night we have religious education for the boys, I teach and Hannah is an aide.  Hannah has her class on Sunday night.

Pete and I are bowling again this season every other Sunday evening.

School is in high gear...except for this week because we are on FALL break (which actually gives us a reprise from all the other stuff too except work).

And we are about to be able to take a shower in our master shower (it has been out of commission for a couple of years due to a leak and shower door issues).  I actually did my first tile job after completely rebuilding the seat in the shower (the source of the leak).  Still no shower door, but a shower curtain has been installed that will do until we can afford something I really want.  I will update once I can clean the shower pan (I haven't been able to put any water in the shower until the caulking was done)!!  

I am looking forward to this weekend when we don't have to run to games and practice!!!  Hopefully I can milk it into Birthday Weekend!!!

Now I get it

I can hear my parents say "don't take your shoes off without untying the laces".

I remember rolling my eyes and thinking "Whatever".

Now I get it....

But I guess my kids still don't!!!.

I didn't tie these...this is how they took them off.

Boys

When I was young and dreaming about becoming a mom, I only pictured myself with boys.  

What in the world was I thinking?????

These two boys of mine continue to make me wonder how men are so dominate in business and politics.

Although, I guess I better understand the statement "behind every good man is a great woman". 

Finally Fixed

Oh my...I have been trying to fix the layout of my blog since my last post...all the "gadgets" were on the bottom instead of the side.

It was a really weird stupid fix...just had to click on a different tab on the last entry.

Now if fixing my shower and printer were as easy and cheap!!!!

The Huntess and the Frog

When Hunter and I returned from taking the boys to the bus stop this morning, he wouldn't come in the house because he wanted something under the car. I figured he had somehow found a baseball or football that he isn't supposed to have. So I went around the back of the car and looked underneath the car. I saw what looked like a small bouncy ball or something....then it moved. It was a little frog. Not really very cute...kinda ugly in fact. I ran and got my phone to take some pictures...the quality isn't great but you might get an idea of what our morning was like...

This was not a very pretty frog...and not very big either.

He was being very brave...careful to not get too close ;-)

Look by his back leg...the frog is under the mower about to make a break for it.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Have Mercy On Us...

We have an official teenager in the house!!

Hannah turned 13 while we were in South Dakota for our reunion (which is why her birthday post is coming so late).

Here she is when we woke her up on her birthday.


Hannah has acted like a teenager for years now, but now it is finally official.

Hannah made us parents and continues to make us earn our parenting badges!!

She is such a joy to be around (most of the time), she is fun and mostly interested in her social status. She takes pictures of herself with her phone in the same pose over and over again and then uploads them to Facebook. She texts like crazy and that phone is attached to her hand at all times. We don't usually make her happy and we really don't know anything.

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone...I remember the day she was born like it happened this morning. This little firecracker (she was only 5lbs 13oz) made us a family and we couldn't be happier to call her ours.

Happy Birthday Boo Bear....you hold such a special place in our hearts and while I know it is tough right now, know that we are ALWAYS there for you!! Love ya Girl!!!!

Back to School

Everyone is in bed after a very good start of the new school year.

Last night everyone got bathed and teeth brushed and tried to go to bed early.

 

The bags were packed and shoes set out.

Morning came and breakfast was made.

We took the 1st day pictures.

   

The bus came for the boys and off they went.

  

Hannah talked me into taking her to school early…

A great start to what I hope is a great year.  I am scared though because Hannah actually looks like a teenager…when did that happen?

**I am sorry for the quality of the pictures…the time of day is terrible because the flash made it look super dark out but it wasn’t quite light enough for no flash without it being washed out.  Maybe when I “get rich” (Matt’s favorite saying) I can get a better camera where I can do some manual adjustments**