GoodBye 2008

Oh my gosh, how the year has flown by. How the years in my life are zipping by at such a fast pace. I can remember as a kid, it seemed as if time drug, and I had forever. How LONG would it take for me to grow up. Now I can hardly believe that I have been married to Mike almost as long as I was a child in my parent's home! Here are some highlight from 2008 from our home..

In February Mike and I celebrated our 15 year anniversary...in 6 weeks we will celebrate 16 years!!!

He won the National Award for Franchisee of the year for his companey...

and while he was gone I got my 1st tattoo for my 33rd Birthday with Heather.

There was lots of snow that year and a cold winter. Jake signed up for his first year of football.

Tatum's class took a trip to Washington D.C. on a bus

Summer learned how to stand..and then walk!

Mike played steady on his guitar, and kept his fingers tough, and our hearts light.

Summer finally started to grow more than peach fuzz on her head.

Mike turned 44, and Summer turn ONE!

(YES...I made that cake!)

We went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and tried to have fun, even though we threw up the whole way, had strep throat and ear infections, and ended in a Urgent Care:(

We went hiking, had cookouts, went on family outings, and had pool parties.

I had a whole year of having a best friend! It was wonderful bliss. Thank you Heather!

We picked blueberries...

and made a few messes...

Matthew turned 7 this year. Jake turned 11, and Tatum turned 15.

We got a trampoline!

And spent alot of time at grandma's pool!

Matthew got Abby.

My brother's family and ours (with Mom and Jack) stayed at the WolfLodge.

We lost teeth, and the tooth fairy came. We had school projects on stars and book reports. Mom learned this crazy thing called BLOGGING, and got swept up in Twilight (thanks Heather!)

I was a fast, busy, messy, hard, fun, fantastic year! Thank you God for blessing me with so much in my life!

Here is to a great new start to a great new year....2009!!!!

Tatum's Big Scare

Last night my 15 year old,Tatum had a babysitting job for a little girl that was around 8 years old. Late in the evening they were eating when the little girl began to choke on her food. Tatum thought she was joking at first, but she soon was banging on the table, and drooling and turning bluish.
My daughter gave her the Heimlich Maneuver and saved her from choking. I am so proud of her. I am so thankful that she had taken the Red Cross Babysitting coarse and had the knowledge to know what to do. I am so thankful that everyone is okay.
She came home a little shook up, but filled with a little more maturity you could tell. How proud of her we are!

Holiday Fest

This past weekend our family got to go to what is called "Holiday Fest" at our local theme park "The Beach"waterpark. I know, a waterpark in Ohio...so in the winter months, they try to make some revenue and have Holiday fest. Since we were season park ticket holders this year we went. There were ups and downs like there are on every outing with our family (please tell me it is not just us) so I will spare you all the details and tell you only the good and leave you with the impression of the happy family we strive to be:)
One of the big water slides that no longer is in order they have turned into a "sled" ride. They stacked hay at the bottom and let you climb to the top and go down it on a plastic sled. Completely unsafe I think. I don't know how this ever passed any kind of code. But I grabbed my plastic Walmart .99 cent sled and climbed the 200 rickety wooden steps to the top with Tatum and Matty while Mike and the babies (Jake and Summer) waited at the bottom. There were duel slides, and as it was Tatum and my turn to go, I turned to her and said " I'm gettin kind of nervous now Tate!" Do you know what that hormonal (yes mother nature is here with a vengeance) teenager said to me to qualm her mother's fear? "Well, that's really not my problem, now is it mom!", and with that hopped on her slide and slid down!
I had fun anyways, and screamed the whole way down.
We then went to a petting area. I could not believe my children. These are children of a mother who studied 2 years of Animal Science and Management!! They have grown up with animals spilling out of the house!! They were all like...eww. They smell. Umm yeah. I don't really want to touch that. What!!!! Get in the Christmas spirit people! NOW! They tried.

Summer was interested, but when a baby cow got a little wild,and when Mike's back was turned, took a big ol lick up her face, that did it. She was D. O. N. E.

The fun part was getting to feed the baby a bottle, we each took a turn, but we had to hurry because those babies drink FAST!

This guy was a character, I wonder what was going on in his ornery head.

All in all the bunny was the biggest (safest) hit.

We then got to take paddle boats on the Lazy Miami. The boys took one, and Mike and Tate paddled ours while Sum and I sat in back and enjoyed the ride.

It was too funny sending the boys off in their own boat. They were a couple ahead of us, and we had no way of helping them. They were turning in circles and blocking traffic, I'm sure they have stories they are not sharing with us.

Summer's Shoes

I know this may seem mundane to some, but in my mundane small everyday life , this is an everyday issue...Summer's shoes. Or to say it better, the lack of her shoes. The girl will NOT keep her shoes on. When she is given time alone, she takes them off. Which means EVERY time we get ready to go somewhere, socks shoes, coat, hat, clean diaper, diaper bag, purse, kids in car , and she is strapped in her car seat left to her own device....she gets busy.

Twenty degrees outside and I see this...

bare piggies.

We are driving along and I hear the small rip of Velcro, and I say..."don't you do it SUM!"

She does.

If I don't hear it, I will hopefully say to Mike,"are her shoes still on and he will say "Hell No!"

The kids breath are blowing fog in the car it is so cold and her little toes are blues, and yet she continues to do it!!!! I cannot make it stop.

So the other day I got out to get her and I looked all disappointed at her and she said "Dews!!! dews!!!" I said "I know Summer, that is not a nice girl to take off your shoes!" and she starts to clap her hands and says "Yay!!!"

She had kept them on! And was telling me she was a good girl! I couldn't believe it!

See...it doesn't take much to make this mundane life perk up a whole bunch:)