Year in Review

The week before Christmas is upon me, and we will be having company over for New Year's (yay!).  So, while I had a moment, I thought I would put up some pictures from the last year.  Enjoy!

We took our family on an awesome trip to San Francisco.

Janelle made a friend at Pier 39.

My Dad really enjoyed the tour of the Jeremiah O'Brien.

Emma had a great time at her first Giants game!

Andrea danced beautifully in a quincenera party!

All the girls played a lot of soccer!

Janelle was Homecoming Princess for the Freshman Class.

David had the honor of being appointed Grand Chaplain for 2012 for the Order of Eastern Star.  He will be super busy this coming year!

David, and his big brother Jeff, the 2011 Grand Chaplain

He keeps them laughing!

David gets to hang out with lots of pretty ladies.....

But don't be fooled.... obviously, it isn't all work!

We also did a lot more work on the house.  All of the major construction is now completed, and signed off on.  We raised the roof, added a new side porch and front porch, replaced windows and re-sided.  We still need to redo windows and siding on the back, but that's for next year!

Cement and gravel laid!  This is where the side porch went.

The frame for the new front porch.

Taking a break from roofing!

We replaced both windows, and re-sided the front of the house.

There aren't a lot of pictures of me, because like most Mom's, I take all the pictures!!!!  My year consisted of working at the Elementary School, traveling with David, and driving the girls to all their activities.  Between soccer, ballet, cheer, FFA, S Club, Parent Club, PaSTA, futsol, and Eastern Star, I am a very busy lady! 

Have a wonderful and safe New Year's!!!!  See you in 2012!

Enjoying the sleep

I didn't blog much last week, it was a busy one.  I am proud to say I got a lot of walking in, including two days where I walked over 12,000 and 13,000 steps.  That was cool.

This weekend we had a wet, cold Homecoming.  We were happy to stay and help out in the concession stand, where it was dry and out of the wind.  The Wildcats won solidly, and Janelle made a beautiful Freshman Princess.  I will try to get some pictures up soon.  We also had two Eastern Star Installations to attend for our local district.  Everyone did a great job, including David, who was making his first 'official' appearances as a Grand Officer.  Go David!  I was very proud of him.

Tonight, I am trying out a new pillow.  Last week was really rough after waking up with a really stiff neck.  It's been really slow to get better, so today I bought a new pillow.  I sure hope I like it!  That, combined with the time change has me optimistic!  I am heading in now to try it out!

I hope everyone is enjoying our awful weather as much as I am.  For now, I love Fall, and the cold and wet!

Helluva day!

Wow, a day of sugar lows, accidents, meltdowns and drama.  Then school got out and Emma and her friend had a great time at the park.  David got some painting done on the house, and we had a yummy dinner courtesy of Loleta Meat Market!

AND I walked 11,967 steps today. (which really means over 12,000 if you count the ones from before I put the counter on.  HA!)

Happy November!  I love this time of year!

Bummer!

Today was the last day for one of my very favorite people at work.  She is moving on to a great new job, and I am very happy for her.  It also sucks for the rest of us, she left big shoes to fill and we will miss her advice, her friendliness, and her humor.  Best of luck, Margaret!

I walked 12,636 steps today!

Wow it's late....

Emma told me this morning that I looked like I hadn't slept well, and that I had bags under my eyes.  Fantastic.  So what do I do?  Stay up later than normal!  If I looked that great today, just think how fabulous I'll look tomorrow!!!!!!

On the positive side, I walked 12,597 steps today!!!!

Good to be back!

There's nothing like being told how much you were missed by a bunch of cute 5 year olds!  I had a great day back to work today, and seeing all the Kinders again.  It was fun to see their smiling faces!  I'm sad I missed the cool pumpkin patch field trip, but enjoyed hearing all about it from them.

I walked 9916 steps today, and if you count the ones in the morning that I miss before I put the counter on, I'm well over 10k.  Yay me!

It's finally starting to feel like fall around here.  I got the new LL Bean catalog and was looking at jackets.  I need a new one, and being out on yard duty again warrants a good one!

Oh!  I got Emma's 2nd loose tooth out tonight!  I hate pulling teeth, it's so disgusting!  However, I hummed a western tune, and 'lasso'd' that thing and we got it right out.  She did great  Hooray for the tooth fairy!

Too busy! And great fun!

Okay, so I haven't blogged for a while, but I have an excellent excuse!  We've been away for several (Like almost a week) to Fresno for Grand Chapter.  There, my most handsome husband was installed as the Grand Chaplain of California for the Order of Eastern Star.  It's really cool that he was chosen, and it's an enormous honor.  He (we) will have a lot of fun traveling the state this year, visiting chapters and having a great time with the other 2012 Grand Officers.

We had events, breakfasts, sessions, and dinners galore, and were exhausted every time we got back to our room.  Hence, no blogging!  Tomorrow, it's back to real life, walks, and hopefully some elliptical workouts.  The walking doesn't seem to be doing anything, so I need to do something more.  I also need to go get groceries, and a Halloween costume for Emma.  Again, another day were I could use a few more hours!  Wish me luck!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANELLE!!

Happy, Happy Birthday to my Janelle girl!!!  She is 14 today and by all accounts, she had a great day.  Balloons at school, and lots of birthday wishes.  I made a batch of brownies and took them to soccer practice for her to share with her team.  Dinner was an awesome crock pot roast.  Grandma, Grandpa, and Auntie Leslie came over for cake.  We will have having a big Sunday dinner with everyone with more gifts.  I'm really happy she had a great birthday.

Also, I walked 11,801 steps today!!!!  Go me!

What a day!

Crazy!  Full day of school/work, ballet, a soccer game and Eastern Star.  It's after 10pm and I haven't had dinner yet!  I'm thinking the slice of pumpkin pie I enjoyed at the meeting was my dinner tonight.  It was a busy day, but it was also a good day!

Tomorrow is Janelle's birthday.  She is growing up to be a beautiful young lady much too quickly.  All the girls are!  It will be fun to celebrate with her.

Today I walked 11,825 steps.  It was a great day for a walk, not too hot!

Goodnight!

Busy day!

Poor Miss Emma had a long night last night, complete with fever.  David ended up staying home with her today.  Thank goodness for his job's flexibility!  She did so-so today, on and off headache and general yuckiness.  I bought a new thermometer that you just swipe across the forehead.  It's pretty cool, but I hope I don't have to use it tonight!  Tomorrow is fire safety at school, and she'll be bummed if she misses out.  I hope she feels better!

I didn't get a walk in today because I zoomed home to see how Emma was, then went birthday shopping for Miss Janelle.  I can't believe she will be 14 on Thursday!  Time flies by so fast.  Wasn't she my little snuggle bug not that long ago?  Now she's way taller than me, and in High School.  Sigh......

A busy weekend, and a marvelous Monday!

Much soccer playing and construction occured this weekend!  Emma played her little heart out at her game and did really well.  Andrea and Janelle also played hard, and had a good time, even though they didn't win.  We had a water leak at the house that had to be repaired, we finished the siding on the front of the house, and the porches are complete except for some cedar wrapping and skirting!  Whew!  What a weekend!

Today, David had the day off.  Since it was raining, he worked on our shower today.  He did a whole lot of scrubbing of the grout and the showerhead is installed.  That's a lot of work for a day 'off'.  He also took Emma to soccer practice, and I was able to have dinner ready at a decent hour.

I walked 11,580 steps today!

A crazy, odd day!

So today was Friday, and what an insane one it turned out to be!  All kinds of crazy stuff at work today, but I managed to keep my good mood, and get out for my walk right on time.  I walked 11,867 steps today!  I think that's awesome!

Also today, Janelle was elected Homecoming Princess for the Freshman class.  Very cool!  Now I will have to take her shopping for a new dress, attend the Homecoming Parade and the football game.  Should be a lot of fun.  I'm hoping we can spare enough time to teach these kids how to build a real float.  The last parade I went to was just sad!  Congratulations Janelle!  (Or "Princess" as she now likes to be referred to, LOL!!!)

Bleah!

Feels like I'm fighting off a bug of some sort.  My head is foggy like I have a cold, but I don't have a cold.  Last night I was running a fever, and I have no energy.  Let's hope it doesn't last long!

Figured I better keep on walking, exercise wasn't going to hurt, as long as I didn't overdo it.  Sure enough, about 3/4 of the way through I was pooping out.  Lucky for me, my cousin drove by and saw me.  She gave me a ride back to the school.  Whew!  I would have made it, but it probably would have done me in for the day!  Today I walked 9,408 steps.  Not quite the 10k, but better than nothing!

I'm going to bed!

Today is Long Wednesday.  No Running Club (actually there was, but I thought it was canceled so we didn't go) but there was ballet and an extra soccer practice since it rained Monday.  I wasn't even going to make her go, but she WANTED to!  She's very glad she did too, as they had ice cream after!  Big girls played a hard game against Arcata, lost, but had a great time playing in the mud.

I walked 9,584 steps today.  I am tired.  I am going to bed.

Storm is here!

I was so happy the weather held off until all the kids had lunch recess!  It actually WAS raining during the last two groups, but it was light enough to stand out in it.  It did get rather chilly though.  I bailed on my walk today.  I just didn't feel like walking in the wet and cold.  Instead, I volunteered some time in Emma's classroom, so it was time well spent!  I got to hear her sing a song she made up about dinosaurs to her entire class!  It was so cute, and very brave I thought.
By the time I got home I had a humdinger of a headache and didn't feel very well.  Emma was so good and was so quiet so I could lay on the couch and rest.  Ended up taking a nice nap and feeling better when I woke up.  The big girls had a great time at soccer practice in the rain and mud, and I didn't have to bring them home in MY car!  Hooray! 

David made dinner and let me take it easy when he saw I wasn't 100%.  That was really sweet!

A rainy day

We had our first good rain today.  It did rain over the weekend, but pretty much only at night.  Today it rained all day long.  It was a long day for the kids, who didn't get to play outside.  Emma especially dislikes gym recess.  It's just too loud and too crowded for her.   She was irritated because they had to go over all the rules for the new first graders, and it was birthday cake day, and by the time they were done, there was no time to play.  Showers in tomorrow's forecast, but hopefully they'll get to be outside, or at least have time to play inside now that the rules are established.

I still got my walk in today.  I had my umbrella with me.  I'm more than a little frustrated though.  All this walking, walking, walking, and I haven't lost a pound.  Am I wasting my time?  Today I walked less than 4,000 steps.  I guess rainy days will do that to you!  I'm trying very hard to have a positive body image, and some days are better than others.  I hope tomorrow is a better one!

On a much brighter note, my husband gets home after being gone for four days!  Woohoo!  I missed him!

Soccer Saturday

Today Emma's soccer team "The Cheetah's" came back from a 2-0 deficit to win their game 4-2.  Way to go girls!  Emma didn't seem overly interested in actually playing the game, but mostly had a good time.  She of course, got whacked with the ball once, and fell down once.  She only had tears when she was hit, and recovered pretty quick.  Good job, my delicate girl.

Andrea and Janelle played a much more physical game of soccer than their sister, and beat Del Norte 6-3!  Andrea had an assist, and took a great shot that just went over the net.  Janelle played almost the whole game and also took a great shot that didn't quite make it.  Really proud of both of them.  They practice hard, play hard, and do it with great attitudes!


All that sitting at soccer didn't do much for my walking today.  I only have 7,283 steps today.  Oh well, what can you do?  I've still made my goal of over 10k steps for 5 days a week!  Goodnight all!

TGIF

Another busy weekend ahead for us, starting with soccer tomorrow.  I'm excited to get to watch the kids play, they always do a great job.  Hopefully the rain will wait a little bit longer to arrive so they aren't soggy matches.  I was hoping it would cool off a bit more today, but it was another scorcher.  I just love the first rain of Fall.  It's so refreshing!  Now, ask me how I like it after a few straight WEEKS of rain, and the answer will probably be different.  For now, bring it on!

I walked 10,007 steps today.  Just made it!

Terrific Thursday

Today was a great day.  I had a good day at work, it was sunny and hot AGAIN, got in a good walk, home at a decent hour, and Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice were on.  Andrea has had her first 'official with the driving school' lesson, so now she can drive with us all she wants.  I let her drive home tonight, and she did a great job.  She was careful and steady.  I think she's going to be a great driver.  She should be able to get in a lot of practice before she gets her license as it wasn't quite as scary as I thought to let her drive my car.  My baby, I love my car, and she had her siblings along!  Whew!

I walked 11,045 steps today.  I'm actually looking forward to the rain that's coming so maybe things will cool off a little! (Wow, I never thought I'd say that!!)  If it was cooler I might be able to walk faster without overheating!

Weary Wednesday

Wednesdays are the longest days.  Pack stuff for the whole day, Learn to Earn, Work, Running Club, Ballet, and Soccer.  My walk was interrupted, and I wasn't going to make it back in time.  Luckily, my cousin saw me and picked me up, and I wasn't late. 

Emma wanted to try out my step counter, so she helped me get my grand total of 12,344 steps today.  Thanks Emma!

Andrea and Janelle played a great soccer game this afternoon.  They were both starters, and even though the team lost, it was a fun game.  I love watching them play!

A walkin' fool!

Today, I walked 10,527 steps!  Well, I actually walked a little more than that, but that's what got counted!  I had to do the shorter route today, as I got a bit of a late start.  I also got a little sunburn on my shoulders!  Gotta love September!

I survived picture day at school today, which is always a plus.  Adds a little extra hectic to the day!  Luckily, our class was first thing in the morning, so we were done right away.  When David got home we put up some more siding on the house.  Progress!

SO TIRED!

After working on the house all weekend, today I am pooped!  Ended up making 3 trips to Ferndale today, and it was just one thing after another non-stop.  Finally got home for good about 8:30pm.  Work was long, it was super hot when I went for my walk, and wah, wah, wah!  Poor me!

On a much more positive note, I am signing up for Walgreens "Walk with Walgreens" program.  I will track my steps and log them everyday, and earn discounts and rewards with Walgreens.  Not only is it something I'm already doing (walking) it gives me a bit more responsibility about making sure I get my walk in!

http://walk.walgreens.com/

Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!

Well, we slaved on the house this weekend.  We sheared the front with plywood, put on the Tyvek, replaced two windows (and got them trimmed!) and also got two corner boards up.  Everything is caulked and ready to go.  Next up we will start siding.  I'm glad the rain didn't derail us, and it only rained at night!

I'm hoping the weather holds through October so we can finish siding and get it all painted, and I'd still like to get the fence repainted as well.  High hopes, but we'll see what happens.  Poor Emma was on her own most of today, since I was helping outside.  I hadn't heard from her in a while, and we found her sound asleep in her bed!  She NEVER does that!  I hope she's feeling ok.  She wanted to sit with me after she woke up, and said she didn't see me enough today.  Sometimes I wish there were more hours in a day.  I'm surprised she actually went to bed.

Ah, Friday!

It was a pretty good day today!  Went to work, had a nice long walk, and even had time to stop and chat with a few people because I got an early start.  It was another beautiful day today, and I got hot!  Glad I've been remembering my water.

Two windows, trim boards, and siding were delivered today, so I know what this weekend will entail besides soccer!  Hoping to beat the rain that is expected on Sunday.

Tonight we had an awesome party celebrating David's appointment to the 2012 Grand Family for Eastern Star.  Patti and Randy Cady hosted, and it was a lot of fun.  Pizza and champagne for everyone!  Now it's off to bed!

Day days in a row!

Walking, walking, walking!  I had time to make the 'big loop' today, which is just about 3 miles.  I'm always tired when I'm done, but so happy to have done it!  It's been really nice to just take some time for myself.  I love smelling everyone's lovely flowers as I walk the streets of Ferndale.  The leaves are starting to turn, and crunch under my feet on the sidewalks.  It was a warm, muggy day today, and I was hot!!  Kinda looking forward to the coolness of Fall, so I can bundle up.  It's my favorite season.  This weekend I'm going to look for one of those thingies that keeps track of how many steps you've taken/how far you've walked.  It will be fun to keep track.



Tonight we get to stay home!  Sad that I get so excited about a night at home, but they seem to be few and far between!  All the girls have soccer practice this afternoon, but when we get home from that we get to stay home.  Grey's Anatomy starts tonight, so that's cool.  I was rather disappointed in last season, and hope that this season is better.  Maybe they're running out of stories!  I'm glad there's some newer shows I have found that I've liked.



Tough Loss

First day back to work after being out of town for 5 days.  I hate missing work because I know it leaves everyone short-handed, but it was for a good reason!  It was a good day back.

Emma had Running Club and Ballet today, so I'm sure she's into some hard core sleeping right now!  She loves the Hello Kitty we got her from Build a Bear Workshop, and has been taking it everywhere.  It even went to soccer tonight!

Andrea and Janelle had a tough game against Eureka High, a team full of Juniors and Seniors.  They played fair, which was nice, and they were a tough team.  Our girls played hard, and got some more experience.  I hope they don't let the losses get them down, if they stick together, they'll be a great team in another year.

So, it's been a long day.  I'm glad  I remembered to put something in the crock pot this morning so I didn't have to cook!  Off to bed!  Getting too late (again) and will probably wish I could sleep longer when morning comes.  Oh well!

I'm a terrible blogger!

Really, it should only take me a few minutes a day to at least write about my day.  I'm going to try to be better, we'll see how it goes.

July - had a great summer vacation!  We camped at Grizzly Creek, went to Petrolia a couple of times, and some other stuff I'd have to look at pictures to remember.

August - We took my parents, one sister and the girls to San Francisco for five days.  We did all the tourist stuff and went to a Giants game.  Had an awesome time!  School started, and schedules went wild!

September - School, soccer, and working on the house.  Have a major chunk of the front porch done, we are now waiting for two windows, then we can finish the porch and re-side the front of the house.  Also, David was just appointed as a State Officer for Eastern Star.  Had a long weekend in Riverside, met some amazing people, and learned a lot!  We will be super busy this year with his travels!

So there is 3 months in a nutshell.  I'm gonna try to be daily for a while!  (We'll see how long it lasts!)

The Grand Finale! (of June anyway!)

Right after graduation, we had a week straight of dance rehearsals for Emma.  She had her big production at the Arkley Center for Performing Arts June 24th and 25th.  She worked very hard and did a wonderful job!  The show was called "Pure Imagination" and was a lot of fun!  Also a lot of hard work for me, working backstage for one show.  All the dancers are amazing, and dance beautifully!



Emma was so happy to have so much of her family there to cheer her on.  I think her favorite part is coming upstairs in her costume to receive congratulations, and of course, flowers!

Emma with her Papa and Grandma

We'll do it again next June!

Another graduation!

We had one more noteworthy graduation to attend, at the High School.  We were very happy, and proud to see Andrea's boyfriend Walter cross the stage as Co-Valedictorian of his class.  Way to go Walter!

Graduation!

Janelle graduated 8th grade with amazing grades, and we are SO proud of her!  She is very excited about high school, and has really jumped in with both feet, already participating with the high school cheerleaders.  She did a routine at Class Night, and has been fundraising her little heart out for her new uniform.  She plans on playing soccer in the fall, and cheering in the winter for basketball.

We had a lot of fun shopping for her graduation outfit.  I think she had the most fun shopping for accessories!  In the end, she looked gorgeous!

Her shoes were her favorite part.

She loved her hair

She did a fabulous speech at graduation, in fact, all the kids that spoke did a great job.

Janelle giving the welcome.

After graduation, we had a party for her, Abbi, and their cousin JD who had graduated in Texas.  Everyone had a great time!

Abbi and Janelle

Mmmm!  Cake!

The Real Janelle

Who gave them knives????

After cake and presents, it was time to dance!  The decorations were great, and everyone had a fabulous time.

Congratulations Janelle!