Aaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

How nice it is to have my parents here this week! My mom and I have had great fun shopping, and I have built-in babysitters at my disposal. What more could a girl ask for????? :-) The furniture that they hauled here looks great in our front room (YAY- we finally have furniture for those of you who wondered if we were going to keep that room empty!!!) The colors match our paint and carpet to a tee. Now I will be in the process of finding accessories to go in our house. Still need some clocks, pictures on the walls, and things like that. It is fun decorating, but also VERY expensive, so those things will be purchased gradually.

My parents got here Friday afternoon, so we headed out for dinner Friday night to O'Charley's. The kids love eating there because of one funny waiter. He entertains them well. He wasn't our server this time, but at the table next to us, so they could still see his crazy antics. Ryan stayed home in bed- he got the nasty cold and stomach virus that I had the week before so he was suffering for a few days with that. He is now in Lansing for training and is feeling some better, but still no 100%. There seems to be so much sickness floating around this fall.

Saturday morning we all went to see Cobe's football game. They won 26-0 and Cobe scored his first "real" touchdown (the other one was a scrimmage). It was so exciting, and I"m glad my parents got to see him. He has another game tonight- most likely in the POURING rain- UGH! It is a make-up game from the last time it got rained out. His coach seems to think they'll play tonight no matter what, so I am not looking forward to watching it. Plus this might be the toughest team they'll play. Yikes!

Mom and I headed out shopping all day on Saturday and put a hurtin' on Hobby Lobby, Tuesday Morning and Sam's Club. :-) Sunday we went to Sunday School and church and yesterday was spent shopping all day once again after I got off work. Thanks to mom- the kids are set with fall clothes!!!! Cobe needed a few pair of pants....but all 3 ended up making out like bandits. I even got a few things- a few shirts which I desperately needed.

And for some more exciting news.... the "Pipe Fairy" came Saturday night and took Sadie's pipe to a new little baby. She got a Barbie from the fairy. She was super excited, and we had prepped her for the visit, so she was ready. It has gone better than expected. She has had a harder time falling asleep, but she hasn't really cried a ton for it. She asks several times a day for "pipey", but is easily distracted and forgets about it. Whew! I feel like that was our last hurdle to overcome to get out of the baby stage at our house. In some ways, it's sad!!!!!

Okay- gotta run get her heiness at preschool. Happy rainy Tuesday! ;-)

Random Midweek Thoughts

I decided today that Wednesday is my favorite weekday. Wanna know why????? Because Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights are totally consumed by football practice. The second Cobe gets off the bus, the rush begins. It is getting very OLD!!!!! He barely has time to do his homework, eat and get his pads on before we have to leave. Unfortunately, I am getting a very bad attitude about the game. Really- are all these thousands of practices necessary for a whopping 6 games??? for 3rd and 4th graders???? I guess I am used to soccer where you have around 3 practices, then the games start and practices are done. Not so much for football. 3 nights a week, 2 hours a night and at a most inconvenient time of night. Enuff said- done complaining. So I love Wednesdays- we still have a commitment of going to church, so by no means a free night, but it starts an hour later than practice, and that makes all the difference in the world. We get home later, but it still feels like a break from the monotony.

Soooooooooo, I had a great morning at the Farmer's Market with Brooks. I had to get up at 5:30 to make it to an early morning staff meeting, put in my normal work hours, then met at Brooks' school for the field trip. I love seeing my kids in their school setting. Such different kids than at home. Brooks just really comes out of his shell around his friends, which is great for me to see. I got home, picked up Sadie and we went for a walk. I had told Ryan to shut the garage when he left b/c we have a keypad to get in. Little did I know that the battery was dead in the keypad, so Sadie and I got locked out. At least it was a beautiful day, so we sat in the driveway, tried to break in the house through the windows, continuously tried to get the keypad to work, picked flowers, found grasshoppers, looked for rocks, you get the picture. Sadie had to potty twice, so twice we "watered" the flowers. :-) Ryan left work and came to our rescue after I finally admitted defeat and couldn't break into my house.

Wednesday night church is always a great time. I teach the 4 year olds with Lisa and we have a room full of little ones. We have a lot of 3 year olds too this year b/c of parents wanting to work-out or go to the Wed. night Bible study, so they bring their youngins' to Skippers instead of nursery. It works out fine, and we really have a sweet bunch of kids this year. My own kids enjoy the night with their leaders too.

I warned you in the title this post would be random. I have just read 3 awesome books! I finished up the Twilight series, and jumped right into a book called Off Season. Great read! Then I moved onto The Art of Keeping Secrets (by Patti Callahan Henry) and am now finishing up No One You Know (by Michelle Richmond). My mom gives me all of these books. She weeds out the bad ones and only passes on the good reads. We like the same books, so it works out very nicely for me to have my own personal librarian. I just called her to bring some more on her trip this time.

My parents are leaving NC in the early a.m. and driving here to arrive on Friday. They are pulling a trailer filled with stuff...for us! :-) They are bringing us a couch, an end table, 2 chairs, an ottoman, a microwave (for my classroom), a bed for Sadie, some pots and pans, and I am sure there are other things that I am forgetting. They will stay all week b/c my hubby has to go out of town for work. Have I ever mentioned that my parents are the best?????? They will get to see 2 of Cobe's football games because he has a make-up game Tuesday night, then a regular game on Saturday. My dad will appreciate coming now instead of their usual October trip because it is usually cold in October when they come. This trip they can experience at least some of the sweltering heat we are still having now.

We don't have much planned this weekend. We left Friday open b/c I don't know when my parents will pull in. And other than Cobe's Saturday morning game, I don't think we have anything else planned other than Sunday School and church. Nice! I am sure we'll think of some fun things to do with Nana and Papa here.

On a sadder note, Grandpa Hains is about the same. He had a rough night last night, and a rough day yesterday. He didn't eat or drink today (unless he did after I talked to MJ at 4:00 this afternoon). Please continue to keep him and the family in your prayers.

I am looking forward to tomorrow night- are you ready Survivor fans????? A new season begins! I can't wait! There is nothing else on tv that I watch right now (I watch Big Brother, but that season ended), so I can't wait for Thursday nights this fall!!!!! Hope everyone has a good end to the rest of the week. I am FINALLY feeling much better after being hit with 2 illnesses back-to-back, so I know I will!!! Adios!

A Fun Weekend!

Last night was so much fun! We had some friends over for pizza and smores, and let's just say with 8 adults and 9 kids, things are bound to get crazy and be funny! There were some incidents...discussions about unfamiliar terminology, Darcey and a fork, Julie and Brian and some keys, Brian with some pop, and the incidents with Remy go on and on. The kids all had a blast playing football, hockey and just running around. We had the shortest fire in the history of firebuilding probably, but it was fun while it lasted. The mosquitoes were HORRIBLE!!!!!! so we had to cut the fire short. Poor Sadie looks like she got hit in both temples- she has a mosquito bite of both sides of her head. She had her pj pants tucked into her socks, but she still somehow managed to get bitten multiple times all over her legs too. I only got one bite- she must be much sweeter than me. :-) The night brought lots of laughs! It is so nice being in this stage with the kids- they aren't in the "difficult" stage anymore and can pretty much fend for themselves which makes it more fun for the adults. Don't worry Jules, we'll all chip in and take our turn with your new little one at our gatherings to come!!!! Can't wait to meet little Ruby Rose!!!! :-)

We had a great morning at church and Sunday School. Our church has started a new ministry for couples our age and this morning was the kick-off. It is called Fusion and it has been desperately needed at our church for a long time. There was a large turn-out, and seems like it will be a great way to spend Sunday mornings as well as some social gatherings too. The kids all met with their new Sunday School classes and had a great morning as well. And then, they were all off to Children in Worship, so Ryan and I could enjoy the service without interruption. Jen let Cobe help in her room, and other than Sadie being her naughtiest student, I think all went well. Jen said Josh and Sadie gave her a run for her money- those two are TROUBLE when they are together. The rest of the world fades away, and they seem oblivious to anything other than each other. It is cute to watch, but would be a nightmare to teach... sorry Jen!

Ryan's mom had us over for lunch for Ryan's birthday. It is always nice being with his family and the lunch was delicious! Plus I got to have my first piece of pumpkin pie of the season. I love anything pumpkin. Jen took the boys home with her, Sadie is napping, and Ryan went to Target to spend a gift card from Jeff and Michele. Thanks guys- nothing makes Ryan happier than a Target gift card. Can't wait to see how many movies he comes home with! I am enjoying the peace and quiet. Ahhhhhhh!!!!

Random question : if anyone has a queen size boxspring that you don't need, Ryan and I need a new one. Our mattress is fine, but our boxspring broke IN THE MOVE!!!! I hate spending money on stuff like that, so let me know if anyone has one.

Happy week to you all.... we are looking forward to my parents coming on Friday-they get to stay a week! Yay!!!!

My Baby Won His First Game!!!!

Cobe won his first real game (1st week were scrimmages, last week's got rained out) this morning against Hamilton 16-6!!!! Yay for Cobe! He played great defense and had quite a few tackles. And some of those Hamilton boys were HUGE (Lesley- Alicia and Chad's twins were on the team we played- imagine the size difference between them and lil' Cobe!!!!). He got in the game in the 4th quarter as runningback and carried the ball about 15 yards before stepping out of bounds...on his way to a touchdown. Bummer! Oh well- he'll learn! It was great fun though to watch!

I have been feeling sick since Thursday afternoon- stomach issues, sore throat, dizzy, headache, etc. Not fun! I feel somewhat better today... just in time for some friends to come over tonight for pizza and a fire. Then tomorrow after church, we'll go to Ryan's mom's for lunch and his birthday celebration. Happy Birthday Honey!!!!!!!

It's a Beautiful Day!!!!

Thank you so much for all of your well wishes and prayers. You gals are amazing!!!! I appreciate all of your support- Grandpa Hains is out of the hospital and is back at home. He has good days and bad. Hospice has now taken over his care and he will remain at home with their care for as long as possible. Please continue to pray that he remains pain-free and does not suffer. Thank you!!!!!

We spent a fun morning at the park with some friends. Sadie had all of her favorite friends to play with, so she was in heaven. Brooks had a blast too because he was the oldest there, and that doesn't happen often due to Cobe usually being around. So he got to take the little ones on the tennis court and make up some games for them to play.

Our weeks are starting to get pretty routine. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday night is football practice. Each practice is 2 hours long. Brooks, Sadie and I usually stay and play on the playground while Cobe practices. I am sure that won't last once the weather gets colder, but for now, it has been great. All 3 kids are worn out when we get home, shower and hit the sack. It has been tough for Cobe to enjoy any free time though. School, homework, dinner, football, bed and repeat. I think it is getting to him. He is begging for a night just to chill on the couch to watch his favorite TV shows. Tonight starts our Wednesday night programming at church, so our one free night a week will be gone as of today. I teach the Skippers and all 3 kids will go off to their respective rooms for Scooters, FWFriends and choir. Sadie will hang with me since I am teaching- she isn't supposed to start until next year, but since Ryan works... there is no other choice if they want me to teach. She loves it though. She did it the last half of the year last year and it worked just fine. Choir is her favorite part!!!!!! SOOOOO unlike the boys!!!!!

Well, off to get some cleaning/organizing done while the little one sleeps. Looking forward to a fun weekend too- a little football, a little fun with friends on Saturday night, and Sunday School/Children in Worship and regular Sunday activities also begin. And that handsome husband of mine has a birthday!!!!!!!! It will be low-key this year- our new house will have to be his birthday present! haha

Hard News to Handle

I have dealt with the deaths of all of my grandparents, but my kids haven't dealt with the death of anyone they love and care about. I miss my grandparents very much, but understand death and life after death, so even though I selfishly miss my loved ones, I realize that we all live on borrowed time. I know eternal life cannot compare with our secular lives. Even though my head knows that, my heart longs for more time with Grandpa Hains.

God has been so good to our family by blessing us with an amazing man that we call dad, grandpa and great-grandpa. Grandpa Hains just last week was playing hide-n-go-seek with Brooks and Sadie, playing soccer with Brooks, putting together a puzzle with Sadie and showing them his endless love for them. He is one to never tire, give them tons of candy, give them a playmate that they adore, and teach them about his love for Jesus Christ. This man lives his life as we all should, by loving Jesus through his actions as well as his words. So many lives have been touched by Grandpa- as a pastor, as a friend, as a father, as a grandpa and as a great-grandpa. He has baptized each one of my children, and he married Ryan and me, and that is something we will always cherish. He is a man of great compassion and endless patience. He has been blessed with a beautiful singing voice and an inspirational speaking voice. Lost sheep flock to hear the word of God from this man. You can't help but love him after meeting him.

Grandpa has cancer. His cancer has spread throughout his body. He is in the hospital and the family is meeting with Hospice today. He doesn't have much time left in his earthly body. We selfishly want him here on earth with us. How great it will be when the angels dance for him when the Lord calls one of his faithful servants home! Even knowing that, I sit and cry. I cry and I weep for what we will lose. I weep for what my children will lose. They do not know death. I want to protect their innocence, and I am unable. They do not know life without their beloved Grandpa Hains. Please pray that Grandpa will not suffer. Please pray for Grandma Hains who is about to lose the man she has been married to for 62 years. Please pray for his 2 daughters and their spouses who are about to lose their dad. Please pray for his 4 grandchildren and their spouses, and please pray for his 10 great-grandchildren. We all love this man dearly, and are so fortunate to have had him in our lives. We covet your prayers at this time.

The Weekend Ahead

Here is one more picture of Sadie from her 1st day of school. My computer is letting me post one and one more only. Nice! I think I"m giving up- you'll just have to trust me that she was cute and excited on her first day! haha She'll graduate from high school before my internet cooperates enough for me to post another.

The weekend ahead brings some fun activities! Tomorrow night the boys have a birthday party to attend, so they are geeked about that. We may try to hit the football game with Sadie while they are at the party for a little while, but that part of the plan may get scrapped b/c it is supposed to rain. Saturday morning is Cobe's football game. He plays his first real game. (Last week the games were scrimmages.) Brooks has bagged soccer for this season, so at least we won't have to be 2 places at once.

Saturday night is our annual PBR bull ride outing. The event snuck up on us this year b/c it is always Ryan's birthday weekend, but this year, it is the weekend before. Ryan happened to see a commercial on tv for it, so we quick called my bro and got the ball rolling for our tickets. The boys are super excited to go to that Saturday night to support our favorite rider, Sean Willingham. We'll probably make a night of it and go out to dinner before the bull ride.

Sunday is a big day at church- a lunch after the service, then some carnival type activities for the kids to kick off the fall programming.

Each weekend that rolls around I always think... finally, a calm weekend with no activities, and somehow by the time Friday appears, that usually changes. I'm not complaining. I am not the type who enjoys sitting home, but it doesn't leave room for much spontaneity. :-) Off to fold clothes and wash a few dishes before turning in for the night. Ta-ta!

My Big Girl!

Well, we have many pictures of Sadie's first day of 3-school, but you guessed it--- my internet is NOT cooperating for me to upload them. Ugh! But anyway, Sadie had a wonderful first day of school! She was adorable when I went to pick her up and was smiling from ear to ear. Ryan said the drop-off went well too. I'll try to post more pics later when I'm over my frustration. Here she is on the ride home.

I asked her what she learned today... "I don't know" was her response. I asked her what she did today..."I don't know" was her response. Then she was quiet for awhile. After pondering for awhile, she said, "I got a sucker at school!!!!" That was the highlight of her day. Haha It was a little girl's birthday so she had gotten a treat bag on her first day- made the biggest impression obviously.

Mom- Does this ring a bell?

Miss Sadie found a fun new activity. She gets in our sink (as you can see) and plays forever in the water. I had to run get the camera because my mom and dad took a picture of me in the bathroom sink, and if I remember correctly, I was about her age. The only difference, I had a sucker in my mouth in my picture, but I didn't have any to give her today.


Look at that face! Stinker!


We had a great weekend- the high school football game Friday night, soccer and football game Saturday morning, went for a walk in the afternoon with Lisa, met Ryan's parents at Vitale's for dinner Saturday night, home to plant some plants that the neighbor gave us, hung out with the Lamers for awhile in the driveway (until SWARMS of mosquitoes ran us inside!!!), church this morning, errands (Target, MC Sports, Dunham's) this afternoon, home for another walk with Lisa, playtime with Sadie in her room and put away the TONS of hand-me-downs that Lisa gave me yesterday for her while the boys and Ryan ran some more errands, made dinner (our family's favorite meatloaf), made some Amish friendship bread- (still have 2 starters left if anyone is interested), took some bread to the neighbor who gave us all the plants, then back home for Big Brother and to put the kids to bed. Whew! That was my weekend in a long, boring nutshell. Haha

Enjoy your week- ours is busy again with work, school, football practice 3 x's, meet the teacher night, training at church AND my baby girl starts 3-school on Tuesday! Back later with pictures of her 1st day!

My 2 Sons...

are very different indeed. I love them both dearly for their strengths and their endearing qualities. Cobe had a very successful morning at football. He claimed to have 12 tackles on defense (which he plays cornerback) which Ryan attested to, and he SCORED HIS FIRST TOUCHDOWN!!!!! He had a 25 yard run on the 2nd to last play of the last game. Not many touchdowns were scored today by any of the teams, so this was huge for him!!!! They played 4 different Byron Center teams and won 3 and tied 1 game zero-zero. No touchdowns were scored by the Byron Center- they held those guys back with their staunch defense and big hits. Cobe is hooked!!!


Here is my little man. Yep- he is the littlest guy on the team, but that didn't stop him one bit!

Here is the intimidator!
Here is Cobra running his 25 yards for the TD.
He had to outwit, outrun, outplay the big ole Byron Center guys with his blazing speed. (If you can't tell, Ryan is helping me compose this post.)

And then there is Brooks with his endearing qualities. I could just eat him up.... most of the time! But for some reason, he has stubbornly decided that he is NOT going to play soccer. So I thought I would capture his 1st game in pictures so he could look back one day and laugh.
Guess which one Brooks is? Hint: The one with his head down crying his eyes out.
Poor coaches did their best trying to convince Brooks to play. He wasn't buying it!
He spent his entire game on the sidelines watching. When I left to go to Cobe's game, Ryan said they did physically pick him up and put him on the field. Brooks sat on the field Indian-style as the clump of kids ran around him. Haha I wish I had been there to see that... NOT!!!!

TGIF???????

I used to look forward to the weekends.... but now they are busier than the week it seems with 2 kids in sports. We are going to the Chix football game tonight, then Brooks has a soccer game at 8:15 in the morning (has to be there at 8:00) and Cobe has multiple football games in the morning starting at 9:00 (has to be there at 8:15) which will go until noon or 1:00. Hmmmm.... that is a lot of sports for one weekend!!!!!!!!!

1st Day SUCCESS!!!!

Look at this smiling face! Cobe got off the bus and said, "Mom, I know this is going to be a great year!" He loved his teacher, and he loved his class. He came right in, got out his homework, and got it done right away. He loves having an agenda this year and was very proud to have me sign it. After homework, he had football practice. When we got home, he read for his 20 minutes and then showered. I tucked him in, and he said, "Mom, this was the perfect day. I didn't get yelled at at school; I didn't get yelled at at football practice." Doesn't take much for him to have a perfect day! I am so proud of this little guy- he is a hard worker and he makes great choices. I don't ever have to nag him about doing his homework and doing his best. I LOVE YOU COBE!!!
And then this little fella had a wonderful day as well! His teacher is SO awesome! She emailed me during the day to say that he was having a great first day. Love that personal touch! He seemed nervous last night, but Ryan said he was all smiles this morning. Lisa saw him when she dropped off Maya and said he lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw her. It was so reassuring to know he was having such a great day too. He claims his favorite part of the day is recess- of course! He made a new friend named Carter, so that was a great thing for Brooks. He did admit though that he is happy that he has two days off before he goes again. ;-) Tomorrow night we tackle soccer practice again, so I am hoping that goes better for him. I LOVE YOU BROOKS!!!
Here is some of the crew at the bus stop this morning.

My day was good too- it was so nice to be done before 10:00. I went to Don's to browse around, filled up my car, went for a 3 mile walk, ate lunch, showered, and visited the Hains' all before Sadie's nap. Then I had some alone time while she napped- can't beat that! Looking forward to day 2!