Kids and Gramps!

Gramps and Cameron

Cameron, Gramps and Taylor

We had planned to take Grandpa and the kids to get their pictures taken at Picture People so that we would have some nice photos of the kids and grandpa. Due to my dad needing to go back to Utah early, we had to improvise. We have had lots of fun having granpa here with us this Christmas season. We were hoping to have him a bit longer and had some other things planned guess they will have to wait till next time. I forgot to take my camera with us on some of our excursions. Again, next time! :-)

League Champions!

Cameron played on his first indoor U-8 coed soccer team. His team was undefeated. They scored 76 goals and had 5 goals scored against them in 11 games. They had a blast and plan to do it again for the spring session except they are moving into an all boys league. He loves to play up front on offense and goalie. I am not sure on the techincal names for positions on soccer. I am still learning the rules of the game. It is a lot of fun to watch them play indoor soccer, the kids really learned how to use the walls to help pass the ball. I am looking forward to the next session.

robot cow barn

My dad is here visiting from Utah, bet you cant guess where we took him? To a Robot Milking Farm! Duane's uncle has the only milking farm here in Lancaster County that uses robots to milk the cows. It is really is quite impressive to watch. Duane had not been their yet so we took him and some of the kids friends. My dad had seen it last time he was here but it was fun to go see again. It is all run by computers and robots. The picture with my dad and Cameron is what the robot acutally looks like.

Tagged.....

Thanks Dawn! I am supposed to write 6 unspectacular quirks and then tag 6 others. I am having a hard time coming up with six, I guess if my family was here, they would probably have more than 6. :-) Here goes....

1. I hate being late................ yes, this is quirk but I think it is a good one. I dont like rushing around and showing up late. It stresses me out and gets me all worked up. I have passed this dear trait onto my children as well. You should hear them in the mornings as they are getting ready for school. :-)

2. Spotless House before vacations........ I have to clean my house and make sure everything is in perfect order before we can go on vacation. I will stay up till 1,2, or 3 in the morning if I have to making sure it is the way I want to find it when I coome home. I never understood why my mom would do this when we were growing up, now I understand. Thanks Mom! I love to comehome to a clean house!

3. Finishing a book...... When I start reading a book, I will read until I finish. I could stay up all night reading just so I can finish it. I can block out just about every distraction while reading.

4. Toys in right spot....... When we clean the kids toys, all the pieces have to go with the right thing. For example, all polly pocket shoes in one bag, all shirts in another, pants in another and so one. I like to know if any piece is missing so that I can look for it. When Taylor was little I let her take the farmer from her Little People set with us somewhere. She lost it. I was unable to buy another farmer without buying the whole thing, so I never let toys leave my house unless it was a McDonald's toy that I didnt care if it got lost. Duane always comments that I am to anal about this. :-)

5. Clothes on hangers.... Growing up, I did not have a closet. I had one in my room but my parents used it. They did not have a closet in their room. I always wanted to hang my clothes up. No room, so I had to have my clothes in drawers. I really disliked that. Well, this house has closets and most of our clothes are on hangers except under garments. I love it! Out of the dryer onto a hanger and almost never any ironing!

6. Cant carry a tune..... I love to sing but not very good. Taylor was telling me just last evening that I shouldnt sing because I dont do very well. She said since we are in the same family, we should be able to be honest with each other and it shouldnt hurt the others feelings. I was crushed but didnt let her know. I guess I will leave my singing to the shower or in the car by myself.

I guess it easier than I thought. I am sure I have many more quirks but will save them for another time. Now, I am to tag six people. A couple of mine will be the same as Dawn due to my blog list being very short at this time. I choose Trichelle, Erin, Natalie, Natalie, Cindee, Stacey. Have fun!

Time Flies..........

Wow! I cant believe how fast time flies. Three weeks and it is Christams Eve! I remember growing up and my Grandma Lowe would always say you know when you are getting old because the years are flying by. I remember thinking that WILL NEVER happen! Well.... I dont feel all that old, and DAYS NOT YEARS seem to be flying by!

For Thanksgiving, we hung out here at the house. We had Duane's parents over for a small ham dinner. (We had Thanksgiving on Friday with Duane's family). Duane was in charge of cooking the ham. I was in charge of the rest. We were trying to figure out what time everything would be done. He said he only needed a half hour. Duane's mom and I were surprised it would only take that long but he was in charge. We timed to have everything done, well....... the ham came out still cold. Duane was preplexed by this. We discovered it was supposed to cook 10 minutes for each pound. Duane read the label as a 3 pound ham, I put the ham in the oven and I said I know it was larger than a 3 pounder. It was, it was 8 pounds. He read the price per pound instead of the acutal pounds. :-) Thanks heavens for microwaves. Meal saved! It turned out delicious and we ate plenty.

Friday morning, well, late morning, Taylor and I headed out shopping. We didnt find to many good deals. She did at Limited Too! so we got a few things she needed there. We headed to Duane's parents for our Thanksgiving meal. The whole family but one nephew (working) was there. It was lots fun. Taylor ended up getting sick and complaining that her throat hurt to eat.

On Saturday morning, Taylor was supposed to go to gymnastics but she was still complaining. We took her to the doctor but the rapid strep test came back negative. She was all excited because she had scheduled a play date with a friend after Cameron's soccer game. Since the doctor said it was just a cold, Chloe and Taylor went shopping together. Paris Hilton was at the mall promoting her perfume. I guess there was huge crowd. Since Taylor and Chloe (who are both very small) were trying to see who she was, the security guard came over and told them to walk up the exit aisle so that they could see. He took them up to the front. Taylor's impression was "all she did was sit there and text message"! Taylor was trying to figure out who she was. How do you explain that one?! It was interesting anyway. No, she did not pay the $125 to see her like everyone else had to do!

Sunday was uneventful, on Monday Taylor had her friend Chloe come over to play. As we were getting ready to go to the gym, the doctor called. Taylor's strep was actually positive! oops! So far, Chloe hasnt came down with it. Yea! Taylor had to miss gym and school on Tuesday. Taylor and I went shopping again. I enjoy spending time with her and doing all the girly things. She is so much more girly than I ever was or will be, but it sure is fun. I am very grateful for oppurtunity to be a mom to such a wonderful girl!

On Wednesday, my sister- in - law, Dawn, called to let me know that Dad was heading to the hospital for some tests. They ended up keeping him overnight. He is good to come see us in two weeks! Yea! and now it brings us to another week gone by. Whew!

Time sure flies by................

snowing

It was one of those mornings when I really didnt want to get out of bed. I opened my eyes and looked out the window. It was white everywhere. I woke the kids to see the snow. Of course, their firsts words were "is it a snow day"? "Is it a two hour delay"? No, it was neither of those. They then began disussing their after school plans. I dont think they will have much to play in but it is beautiful seeing everything white especially the trees. I am enjoying watching the flurries come down. According to the farmers Alamanac, it is supposed to be a long white winter. I think they said this last year, too. We didnt get enough snow for the kids to wear their snow clothes but one day. I dont like shoveling or driving in the snow but I would love to have a good snowfall for the kids to play in. The neighbors have a big hill in their backyard. It is perfect for sledding. Even the parents join in, I feel it the next day but it is a good time. When my dad comes back we usually get a good snowfall. He is coming for Christmas, we may get a white one. Yea! The snow season in PA is usually in February/March. I guess it is time to go sit by the fireplace, read a book and enjoy my tea.

Go Jazz!!

On Sunday, Duane bought tickets to the Jazz vs 76's game tonight. The kids had not been to a real NBA game yet. Well..... Taylor did go when she was a baby but does not remember it. We were really excited to go watch the game. There is something about being in the arena and watching the game live. I need to back up and share some of Taylor's questions before the game. She probably wont like that I am typing this for others to read but it was kind of funny. She had several questions about the game. She asked where they play and if it is indoors? She asked what kind of shoes they wear? She asked how long the game is? It's not like we dont watch it on TV all the time! I think she may need more time out of the gym. :-) During the the game Cameron had to explain the difference between offense and defense to Taylor. She kept cheering but when she was, what she was saying made her seem like she was for the 76's. Cam got her straighten out pretty quickly. She made us have some good laughs at the game. Here is a picture before the game. Here is a shot during the game! Yea Jazz!

YEA! Jazz won! It didnt look like they were going to there for a while. They came through for us. People sitting around us knew we were Jazz fan's but didnt mind. They asked us few questions like where was Okur, if we knew anyone from the Jazz team, how did we become Jazz fans. The sad part was the fans booed Kyle Korver. It wasnt like he left the team, he was traded. We thought that was kind of strange. Felt kind of bad for him. Duane said they should have been cheering for him, he didnt make any shots.

This is the kids reaction post game and asked if they had fun! Yes, we would all love to go to another Jazz game. I guess we will have to wait till next year.