My Baby is 8!!!!!!!

Tonight we celebrated Cobe's 8th birthday (yes- I know Em- we celebrated a day early!) with Ryan's family. Cobe got many nice gifts- Webkins, a fishing pole, money, and a gift card. We gave him our presents as well: a shirt, Webkins and a movie. He opened a gift from Jeff and Michele earlier: a Webkins. He still needs to open the card/gift from my parents, but we are saving that one until tomorrow so he'll have something to open on his real birthday. The kids all had fun being together- these cousins do love each other. Cobe had a football cake (see earlier post about his obsession with football), and we had pizza from Vitale's. He still hasn't asked for a party, so I think we are safe this year not having one. :-)

We are getting so much snow that I was glad everyone was still able to make it. I am half expecting Cobe's soccer game to be canceled in the morning, but we'll see. Jim and Mary Jo are going to pick us up if the weather is bad, and we still have the game. It seems like a great day to stay home in pj's all day- high of 15 degrees in the morning and dropping to single digits as the day progresses. Brrrrrr!

In Her Glory

Wow- I know I have already posted today, but I had to share these pictures that capture the essence of my daughter. She is a hoot and a holler! Look at her giddy-up! She demanded that she put on black tights, pink shoes, a bathing suit and a cowboy hat. At one point, she had a hot pink purse around her neck, and she was carrying around a Bible as well. She cracks me up- she is such a little drama queen already- we are in for it!



This picture was her jammin to Brooks' Ipod. See the bent knees?
And what a little cuddler she is. She always wants to be held. I need to stop and do it more often- I will regret letting it pass me by when she is too grown up to want to cuddle with me. I can't imagine our lives without little Miss Sadie Claire. She definitely completes our family.

Up and Coming Plans

I am done with work for the week. I had a really great time today at our "Coops" kick-off day. Kids weren't in any classes today- instead they rotated through stations that consisted of different games and activities. Each teacher was in charge of 15 kids- it really was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the 15 kids that were in my group. Normally, these groups are going to meet every Wednesday morning so I won't normally have a group, but I was a sub today for a teacher who couldn't be there. I wish I had her group all the time- I feel like I got to know them and will be abandoning them. It is nice for my work schedule though- every Wednesday for the rest of the year I will teach less than I do now! SWEET!

I am exhausted after this week- I have been getting up early to shower and go to early morning meetings and staying up way too late as well. I could easily nap right now, but then I'm afraid I won't get to sleep tonight. I am looking forward to my day off tomorrow. We are going to spend the morning with the Boeve girls and go out to lunch at Pizza Hut buffet. Cobe earns coupons for reading at school for a free buffet or free personal pan pizzas, and he has accumulated 3 that we haven't used yet. Then they boys are going to Jen's to play with Justin and Jake. Ryan's parents, grandparents, and the Overzets are coming here tomorrow night for pizza and cake for Cobe's birthday. It will be a busy day, but fun stuff. Saturday Cobe has a 10:00 soccer game and they have pictures before hand so we'll have to be there at 9:30. Ryan works all weekend so I'll be flying solo.

My parents just booked plane tickets to come here on Feb. 19-24th. That was great until I found out hours after they booked their tickets that Ryan will be in Iowa for training the whole next week beginning on the 24th!!! I quick called my parents to see if they could come that next week instead so they can help me with the kids. They are going to look into it when they get home from Williamsburg, VA. They left going there this morning for a weekend trip. I hope they can change it, but either way, at least they are coming for a visit. Brooks is VERY excited that they will be here around his birthday.

I am super excited about going to Great Wolf Lodge next weekend. I am so glad we postponed our trip. It may have been because I was sick, but Lisa wasn't sick, and she said she felt the same way- we just weren't as excited to go when we had it planned last time on Jan. 2nd. I think it was way too close to the holidays and our other trip, and instead of being excited, I just felt overwhelmed that we were going on another trip. But now, I am ready for another trip. I can't wait- I am sure the kids will have so much fun.

Ryan is planning a trip for the 2 of us to Chicago in March with 2 other couples. I don't know if it will pan out or not, but he is a huge Big Head Todd fan, and they are playing at the House of Blues in Chicago at the end of March. He has been wanting to go for a few months, so I hope we can get that together. I need to start listening to some of their music because I am never thrilled to go to concerts unless I really know the music. And, I don't know BHT's music at all. I guess I'll be loading them on the ole' Ipod so I'll have 2 months to come to like the songs. Ryan is going to the Kidd Rock concert on Feb. 1st, and he wanted me to go to that as well. I passed on that one. He invited Kyle instead. I feel sort of bad because it is a bunch of cops and their wives going.... and then Kyle and Ryan, since I wouldn't go. But, don't know the music, and what I have heard, was NOT my type at all. So to spend $45 bucks to go listen to junk, is not my idea of fun. I am sure he and Kyle will have much more fun anyway.

I think with all of this sporadic stuff planned, the end of the school year is going to FLY by! Right after that will be spring break, then tulip time, then boom- it is over. I also will have a student teacher from Feb. 11th- May2nd who will teach a large portion of that time, so I won't have too many responsibilities at work either. The whole 7th grade is going to a Detroit Tigers game on charter buses on May 22nd, so that is something else I am looking forward to. I love spending time with kids in activities like that- 7th graders are such a neat age. Also sometime in April will be the annual Sawyer Brown concert that Ryan and I go to every year and if my brother gets us tickets again this year, we'll be going there too. I love having so many fun things to look forward to. And throw building a new house in there!!!!!!! I can't wait to pick out cabinets, paint colors, flooring, doors, and everything else that comes along with building a house. I am so excited to think that we could be in our new home by June- pool days anyone???? I had Cobe in so many camps, lessons and clinics last summer, and I don't know if I am going to do that this summer. We may take a summer off to just enjoy the pool- I am sure he'll want friends over every day and I will too. Any takers? :-)

Okay- can you tell I'm rambling? I am trying to kill time instead of napping. Lisa made us some yummy looking broccoli manicotti for tonight's dinner, so I don't even need to cook tonight. I can't wait to eat that. Cobe just got off the bus, so I am going to help him with his homework. He came home with the $20 bucks that he found at school a week ago. His teacher told him she'd give it to him in a week if nobody claimed it... and today was his lucky day! Have a great weekend!

Spirit Week

Cobe has had spirit week all week at New Groningen. Monday was "Read a T-Shirt" day, Tuesday was "Hat and Sunglasses" day and today was "Crazy Hair, Mismatched Clothes, Clash Day and Backwards Day." He was looking REAL good when he left for school. He didn't want to even ride the bus, so Ryan ran him to school. I think he fails to remember that all the kids on the bus will be looking crazy too. Pictures below:

I put 4 ponytails on the top of his head, and he wore one of Sissy's bows in the front.
Here is he with his mis-matched and backwards clothes on.

And of course Miss Hollywood had to get in on the action of saying CHEEEEEZZ! for the camera.

We had a busy, busy morning. I had another meeting this morning at work, so I got up and got the kids ready. Ryan took Cobe to school, Lisa came and picked up Brooks for a fieldtrip he had at Champion gymnastics, then I came home and got Sadie and Ryan and I went to a meeting with our builder separately because he had court. He left from the meeting and went to court, and I left and went to Wal-Mart to order a cake for Cobe and pick up a few things we were out of, then went to Champion Gym to pick up Maya and Brooks. Now I am about to go back to work to teach my 2 classes.

The meeting with the builder was productive. He wanted us to go over our plans one more time, and he wanted to look at all the numbers of buying our house. He said he had already gotten permission from his investors to buy our house. So we tweaked a few things on the floor plans- Mom- we ended up taking your advice and adding yet ANOTHER bathroom for Sadie, so she won't have to share with the boys. It wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be, so we are going to go for it. The good thing about waiting so long to build is that interest rates are super low right now, and our builder said his cost to build our house would come in cheaper as well because of the recession, his supply costs have decreased. So I was very pleased and excited that we may actually start building a house in the next month or so. Wow! Now that it is a possibility, I am quite nervous. Our builder will come in week after next with an interior decorator, and they together will decide what needs to be fixed, painted, changed, removed, etc. He said he may spend up to $3,000 on new carpet, flooring, paint or whatever the 2 of them together decide needs to be done. They will go ahead and do everything and then put our house on the market. If it sells before the deadline, we will make the profit and just have to pay him back whatever money he has spent to fix up the house (which he said could be as little as $500 or max. $3000). And if it doesn't sell, then he will buy the house from us at the deadline that we set. So, either way, we sell our house. We ideally hope it sells with a realtor before the deadline because we would make more money. But it is nice to know that no matter what, we can move! Yay! It has been for sale for over a year and a half. I don't look forward to having a realtor again and having to show it ALL the time and cleaning it ALL the time. But between Ryan and I, we really have it down to a science. And I do love a clean house! We will be starting to clear out furniture and what not if anybody is looking for anything- we will have a kitchen table and chairs, 2 couches, crib, dressers, multiple tvs, a desk, dining room furniture etc. for sale if you know of anybody who needs furniture. I guess we should plan a huge garage sale this spring.

Off to work!

My lil' cowpokes

These three cowpokes have been obsessed with cowboy/cowgirl hats today. I had a meeting this morning at 8:00, so Lisa and her girls came over to get Cobe and Katie on the bus. Thanks a TON Lisa! She then took Brooks and Sadie back to her house after dropping Aliyah off at school. I picked B, S and Maya up when I was done with my meeting and brought them back to my house so Lisa could go to work. Then she'll take them back to her house when I go back to work this afternoon. Whew! I told the kids it would be a day of musical houses. Literal Brooks asked that I play music at our house when it is time to go back to Lisa's. haha






This picture below is Sadie a few days ago. She was calling Presley over and over asking her to come to "my house." She has a semi-real conversation almost daily with "Presley" too which cracks me up. Wait until this child gets a hold of a real phone- she is like her mama- she can do some talking!

Start of a new week

Today was a good, relaxing day. Really all weekend was pretty low-key and relaxing. We spent a lot of time as a family on Saturday and Saturday night. This morning we went to Sunday School and church and then to Mary Jo's for lunch. It was delicious! Justin and Jake came home with us from her house to play. Sadie napped and the boys all played together, so I made a big pot of chili to have for this COLD week ahead. Lisa and I are starting our dinner swap again this week after a few week hiatus due to the holidays, so I made chili for our dinner and their dinner tomorrow night. I doubled the recipe, but for some reason, it made just as much as a single recipe which doesn't make a bit of sense. I never had to add extra water like I do with a single recipe, so that must have been the difference.

It is weird to me for it to be January 13th and not to have hardly any snow on the ground. I like how we keep getting snow, but then it disappears before the next snow comes. It seems to be prettier than to have piles of brown snow everywhere. Supposedly we are getting snow flurries every day this week, but who knows? I think I saw it snow today for about 30 minutes total, and that didn't stick.

This week is an unusual one for the work week. School doesn't start each day for middle and high school until 9:55. That means my class doesn't start until 1:20. Thursday, I agreed to work from 10:00-1:00 to help out my principal with a project he is starting up, so then I don't have to go in on Friday at all. Good trade-off. All the kids are off on Friday for Records Day (end of the first semester), so I wouldn't have had kids at school anyway that day, but at least I don't have to go in.

Saturday is Cobe's birthday. I can't believe I 'll be the mother of an 8 year old! He seems much more grown up than 8 in a lot of ways. He thinks he is so independent already, that I dread his teenage years. He is obsessed with sports these days. His favorite thing to do is watch football with his dad. Or play football on the PS2. Or read the sports page about football. Or toss the football with Ryan in the den. Get the idea? He is all about football. Cobe really thrives on being interested in something that his dad is obsessed about too- so Packers fans they are- through and through. They are both on cloud 9 that the Packers won the play-off game yesterday. It is really cute to watch how much he emulates and adores Ryan. We aren't going to have a party this year. Cobe got to have a 4, 5, 6, and 7 year old birthday party, so this year, we are taking a break. Great Wolf Lodge on the 26th is going to be his birthday celebration/party. I kept thinking he would be upset about it, but he hasn't even brought up having a party since before Christmas. I think his birthday has snuck up on both of us- it does that every year since it is so close to the holidays.

Tomorrow night is BSF- I missed last week due to still being sick. And before that we had 3 weeks off for Christmas, so I am really excited to go back tomorrow night. I talked to my leader tonight, and she is just a really sweet lady. She did say that we would have a double group tomorrow night which I am not thrilled about, but oh well, I am still happy to be going back. I loved the lesson this week and can't wait to talk about it. Cobe says he is not going back. The same thing happened last year after break. He went every Monday night before break (just like this year), and then boom- he has a few weeks off and he thinks he doesn't like it. Frustrating! He was really enjoying it this year too- he just can't remember that. I am not going to push him. He has 2 Monday night soccer games this season, so I know he would miss those nights anyway. We never did his lesson for tomorrow night, so I guess I'll let him miss tomorrow night and reassess the situation next week. I just feel like he learns so, so much- WAY more than he has ever learned in Sunday School, Children in Worship or Wednesday nights at church put together. He can just apply so much that he learns in BSF. I think by typing this out, it has convinced me to make him stick with it. Maybe we can get his lesson done tomorrow after school and I'll make him go at least tomorrow night to see if he can get back into the swing of things. I know he'll fight me, but it may be worth it.

I scheduled Brooks a haircut for Tuesday night. His hair looked so cute after Lisa cut it last time and now it is too long again. I vowed to keep his hair cut because he looked so much better with the cut that she gave him, and it is now to the shaggy point. Cobe is going to keep growing his out- he is looking kind of bushy, but for some reason, I can handle his long because he has such great curls. And poor Sadie, she has some thin hair. She has stopped breaking it off- she still twirls it, but she doesn't knot it anymore. Girlfriend had on the cutest little outfit at church this morning, and then...... her hair sort of ruins the look. She looked like a cross between Donald Trump and Farrah Faucett. I wish I had taken a picture- it would be easier to see than explain.
After her bath tonight, her hair looked adorable with her curls, but once she sleeps on it, it is a mess again.

Wednesday is church again at night- my turn to teach so I need to look over the lesson sometime before then. We also have a meeting with our builder in the a.m. So once again, I feel like it will be a busy week. I can't even think as far ahead to Thursday to know what we have that day and night. At some point, I need to fit in a night where we can have Ryan's parents and grandparents over for cake at least for Cobe's birthday.... maybe that will be Friday night.

I am going to go now and see if Ryan is done watching Transformers- one of his new movies. I did hear that it was a good flick- but I was not in the mood for a movie like that tonight. One of these days, I am going to get industrious and make an alphabetized list of all of Ryan's movie titles and the kids' movie titles. I think it would be handy to know exactly what movies we actually own. Call me a nerd- but I like doing things like that. :-)
Hope everyone has a good, safe week!

2 Quick Pics

Lynette emailed me these two photos that she took of my kids today.