It was a VERY Merry Christmas!!

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas this year. We sure did!! Despite the loss of my Dad, we were able to celebrate and enjoy our day..although we were definitely missing him!! Before Papa Joe passed, he had told my brother where he kept money hidden for the kids birthdays and Christmas gifts (he didn't like banks and liked to keep cash on hand) so, even though my dad was gone, the kids still received a gift from him this year.
The only thing we asked to kids to do with their money was to buy something that Papa Joe would approve of. Everyone agreed to not WASTE it on silly things. As for my babies, Raidon will be getting his first fishing pole and sleeping bag and Reedley will be getting a new tent and sleeping bag. Camping and fishing were things that my Dad was very passionate about. All of the vacations that I remember as a child included the family trailer and some body of water (usually a lake). I dreamed of the day that my Dad would take my kids fishing and since that won't happen, we are making sure that Dad is present through his gift of money.
Anyway, we wish you all a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year!!

Love,
Us

Santa Claus is coming to town!!

Well, the visit with Santa this year didn't go that great. If Raidon wasn't crying then Reedley was playing shy and scared. At one point Mark was apologizing to Santa for the drama and Santa said there are 3 kinds of parents:

1. The kind that force thier kids

2. The kind that don't

3. The ones that are in the middle and will try and

convince their kids until they are successful.

Guess which ones we are?

Merry Christmas to you and all!!

Michelle

p.s. We didn't send out Christmas cards this year....just didn't feel up to it. Sorry!!!!!!!!!

Happy 37th Birthday Honey Bunny!!

As many of you know, men can be really hard to buy for!! Their toys are expensive and if it's Mark, I don't know very much about his "toy" of choice...yes, you guessed it GUNS!! Not only do I not have a clue about them, but I feel totally out of my element when looking at them much less buying one. So, for his birthday, I told him we were going shopping for a TV for the office. This is something we have been wanting to do for a while. The TV in there was pretty small and Mark spends a lot of time in there. Now, he is going to spend even more time in there....I may not see him for days at a time (HMMMMM.. one would think I had an ulterior motive to get it! Just kidding). His TV is beautiful!!! The picture is awesome, it makes you feel like your watching the show in real time through a camera!!
Anyway, I have an AMAZINGLY great hubby and I am happy that he got a gift that I know he will enjoy!! Loves Marko!!

Your Chelle

Decorating for the holidays!!Falalalalalala!

Decorating for Christmas was a little boring this year!! With Raidon being the age that he is, we couldn't put out a whole lot. Our tree doesn't have any ornaments on it. We decided that in the interest of our sanity, we would just put up our wooden beads and some candy canes. Turns out, that was a great decision because we have already, in just under 24 hours, had to say goodbye to 5 candy canes!! At least they are candy canes and not our usual ornaments. Not that our ornaments are that AMAZING but, since Mark and I have been together, we have gotten an ornament everywhere we go. Now, every year when we decorate the tree, it brings back great memories of trips or family days!!!
For those of you wondering, the Buzz Lightyear rests atop our as our Christmas Tree topper. Our first date together was going to see the movie Toy Story II, and so it is meaningful to us!! I know, kind of silly but it is us!!!!!!!
Happy Holidays!!

Michelle and the Fam

Happy Thanksgiving!!

For Thanksgiving, the family went out to Ocotillo Wells to spend the day/ night with my sister Lorrie and her family and friends. We had a great time!! Reedley and Raidon loved playing in the dirt and getting filthy! We fried turkeys and Lorrie and her friend Shelly made a wonderful meal of mashed taters, green bean casserole and of course dressing. It was delicious!
At night while sitting by the campfire, Mark and Denny deep fried ANYTHING that people would bring them. They fried pickles, bananas, cheese, twinkies, snickers, pumpkin pie, marshmellows, and apples. Everything was sooooo good!!!
Anyway, we had a great time!! The only thing that would have made it better is if we had our own toys to ride on! BooHoo:(!
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!

Michelle and the Fam

No Goodbyes...just see you later!

The entire video would not download. I wanted to share the final photo of the video with you. Mark took it this summer and when he snapped it, we both knew that this was the photo that said it all. My Dad will be missed by many but none will miss him as deeply as his children and grandchildren!


I love and miss you Daddy,
Hotdog

The greatest man I knew!

I know that I have not posted in a while but for those of you who know me, you know why. My father has been battling cancer since February and unfortunatly he lost his fight last Tuesday. He was a wonderful man and a terrific father. He will be greatly missed. I wanted to share the video that Mark made for his services. Please enjoy the memories we will carry with us.

We love and will miss you Papa Joe!!

Sorry Again!!

Mark is constantly trying to perfect his BBQ rib recipe. It is an endless episode in our home. It seems like every week he finally has THE recipe!! This is our latest attempt at rib perfection. Raidon sure thought it was good!! Of course, he also has been known to eat dog food with the puppies!

I know that I have not blogged in a while but I have a bunch going on right now!!! I was sick for several days, I try to visit my Dad as often as possible and I have had dental work every week!! So, sorry it has been a while but here we are!! Also, I swear, I am the most technologically deficient human ever!!!!! No matter how many times Mark shows me where and how to save the pictures on my computer, I forget!! I will try harder in the future.

Halloween is coming up this weekend and I know that I will have lots of pictures to post!! So, stay tuned!!

Michelle

Goodbye crib!!

Well, Raidon managed to scale the walls of his crib. So, Daddy decided it was time to put him in a toddler bed. Mom is struggling with this. I just think it's too soon!! He is my little baby boy!!!!Him and Reedley helped Daddy put together the toddler bed and take apart the crib.
Michelle
p.s. I know you are not able to post comments. I have tried to fix it but with no success. My e-mail is iloveskechers@hotmail.com if you want to comment.

Whatever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, today was National Punctuation Day, so, in, honor, of that, I went back and corrected. some erroneous punctuating in a previou's blog. Hopefully now, my work wife Sheila's will back off. I tol'd you at th.e beginning of thi's adventure that i hated punctuation? I don"t lie?

Love ya Sheila!!

Michelle
p.s. I really did go fix the word photos....Looking at it, I have no idea what the H**l I was thinking.

Camping in the backyard!!

As a reward for Reedley waking up dry for the last several days, Mark agreed to camp with her in the backyard. Reedley had been struggling with wetting her Pull-ups at night. Mark and I decided that maybe she had been using them as a crutch and she was just being lazy. So, we refused to let her wear them at night! We figured if she wet the bed enough times, maybe she would stop. Sure enough, with the exception of a few times, she has done a great job!! Once she realized it wasn't fun waking up wet and she could use her bathroom at night if she needed to, waa laa!

Mark being a better parent than I, spent the night in the tent placed on the patio. Why not on the grass? Well, he didn't want to pick up the dog poop!! Notice, the toys and books that Reedley had to have with her!!

The next morning was pretty rough on Mark, so I spared him the picture taking.

A Day at the Park!!

We went to the park today. Reedley loves going and meeting new "Best friends" as she calls them. Unfortunately, no one else was there:( Raidon had a great time too because we just let him go hog wild. We didn't tell him no or try and redirect. We just let him go CRAZY!! It was worth it because they both had a blast and Daddy got to take some great photos with his wazoo camera!!

Kung Fu Fighting!!

Well, it has begun. Mark started training Reedley in fighting. I am actually surprised that it took this long. He couldn't wait for his kids to get old enough to start training. Before Reedley was born and we were preparing her room for her arrival, we wrote messages on her wall before painting. These messages were words of encouragement or hopes and prayers for our little girl. While I wrote things like, I can't wait to meet you and mushy stuff like that, Mark wrote, "Don't worry, if a boy breaks your heart, you will know how to break his wrists." So, I think it is safe to say that Mark has been waiting for this day!!

It really is cute to watch....he has even trained her on the correct way to yell when hitting the heavy bag. So CUTE!!!! Our little Karate Kid!!

Michelle

100% Cancer Freeeeee!!!

Well, thanks to all of the prayer and kind thoughts throughout this last 6 months, my Daddy is cancer free. It seems so odd to say and write those words! We have lived with this constantly on our minds and in our hearts for so long, that it is such a blessing to be able to take a breath and relax, if even for a little while!!

The doctor does say that this is an aggressive cancer and it will come back but they are going to keep a close eye on him and do frequent scans and tests. So, keep those prayers and kind wishes coming our way!! And, Thank you so so much for the months of kindness and prayer you have already bestowed!!

My Dad says that he is a fine specimen of a man but, I have to say, he is a fine specimen of a Father and Grandfather. Every person should have to pleasure of having a Papa Joe in their life!!!

I love you Daddy!!!!Congratulations on fighting the good fight....keep on fighting!!!

Love,

Michelle

Ok, I'm sorry that I have not posted!!!

So, I am back to work and two of my girlfriends bugged me about my lack of a post! I won't tell you who they are but, Sheila and Laura know its them. Anyway, the last couple weeks have been nuts getting ready for school to start!! I had to get my hair done, dental appointments and of course catch up on my Tivo viewing. School officially begins on Monday and hopefully life will simmer down a touch!! I PROMISE to post something soon. Until then, please be patient and know that it isn't for lack of wanting to, it's just been rather crazy!!!!

Till next time,

Michelle

My Little Girl is 4!!

Reedley enjoying being sung to!

Papa Joe got her a pink guitar!

Auntie Lo got her a full Snow White outfit!

Raidon enjoyed his birthday cupcake too!!
Reedley, Abie, and Michael enjoying a video game as Megan watched!

Wow, where did the time go? My sweet little girl turned 4 years old today. I can't believe it. I know everyone tells you to enjoy your time with them because time flies, but you don't really get it until you look back and wonder where the time went.
Marks Dad and Step-mother came down for their annual visit so, we had a birthday party for Reedley on Saturday. We had it at Big Cheese Pizza so the kids would be able to play in the arcade. It was nice and small and simple. Reedley got a TON of nice toys and clothes, including a full Snow White costume, dress up clothes, books, a guitar, a keyboard and Barbie accessories .
Thanks to everyone for remembering her birthday. Stay tuned later tonight to see her present from Mark and I. We are waiting to give it to her because today is her actual birthday.

Love to all,

Michelle

Happy 1st Birthday Raidon!!

I can't believe that Raidon is a year old!! This year has flown by and he has brought us so much joy and happiness. We just had a little party for him the night of his birthday and he had a blast! He loved his cake (as you can see) and he had it EVERYWHERE, even in his ears! He didn't just go for it though, he was very methodical in his eating. He wanted to enjoy every bite!!

We love you to the moon and back Raidon!! Happy Birthday to you and thanks for giving us such a happy life!!

Love,

Daddy, Mommy, and Sister

Home From Florida!

Well, we are home and we are all very happy to be back. We had a great time overall but, we will not be taking another big vacation like that until Raidon is at least 4 years old. The flight was BRUTAL!!! Our children don't like to sleep. I guess they are too nosey...I wonder where they get that from?

Anyway, the Magic Kingdom was great along with all of the Disney stuff but it was nice to get to Steve and Heathers to sort of relax a little. Although, they don't have children and their house was not the most kid friendly, so that opened up a whole new stress for us.

Oh, well. It was an experience that we will have forever. Enjoy a few more photo's of our trip!!

Michelle

Downtown Disney

After coming home from the Animal Kingdom and giving the weather the chance to subside, we journeyed over to Downtown Disney. It was great fun!! They had a HUGE T-Rex restaurant, a Lego restaurant, and tons of other fun places to visit.

Animal Kingdom

Well, someone at the resort suggested that we try out the Animal Kingdom park and we are so very glad that they did!! It was INCREDIBLE!!!! We took a safari in Africa, browsed through Asia and enjoyed rides in the Dinosaur area! It began raining as soon as we entered the bus to the park and it steadily got harder and harder. By the time we arrived it had eased up a bit. We still bought rain poncho's as soon as we arrived. Thank goodness because it poured!! We did have a few good hours before the down pour!! But when it rained it RAINED!!! We eventually left (as well as everyone else) because it just kept getting worse!!

Disney World

Here we are at the Magic Kingdom! It is Disneyland in Florida. My first comment was what the hell did we come clear across the country to see exactly what we could have seen in Anaheim! It was sort of a dud but Reedley still had fun. We left a little early and ended up going to the swimming pool at the resort. That was cool, they played the movie Nemo on a huge screen for us to enjoy as we swam!!

Just a few of the bags!!

Well, we are off to Florida tomorrow morning. Both Mark and I are DREADING the plane ride with Raidon. We are hoping that we will be pleasantly surprised!! We just got back from a birthday party and the other child his age, was sleeping away in her stroller. I swear he is more active than any other child his age!!!! So, we are going to need to keep him constantly entertained and active...Just what others on the plane will love!!! That is the biggest deal, what others are thinking. I mean really, how many of us haven't gotten on a plane and thought, I hope that kid doesn't sit near me or cry the whole flight!!

Anyway, traveling with children is a whole new animal. These are only some of the bags that we need to CRAM into a mid-size rental car. My bag (which is the biggest) and Raidons car seat are not in this photo!!! YIKES!!

Well, pray that we don't irritate too many people and that it isn't as bad as we fear!!! I will be blogging the whole trip so, check every day or two!!! The first 4 days we will be at Disneyworld then off to Marks friends house for a trip to the beach, a 4th celebration, and a wild animal park.

Wish us luck!!!

The Fam

ABC's Song

My daughter is soooooo cute!! Please allow me to brag about the way in which she sings the ABC song! When you listen, pay close attention to the letters around LMNO!! So adorable!!

As we sit here, she is recording herself reading books onto Marks computer. She does such a great job. Now, she doesn't actually "read" the words but she tells herself stories that come from the pictures on the pages. Some books we have read so often (Brown Bear) that she can recite it as she turns the pages. If someone didn't know, they would think she was a genius!!

Enjoy the video and if it doesn't make you smile, you are made of stone!!!

Michelle

My Whiner of a Sister!!

Well, my sister actually checked out my blog.Which, I have to say shocked me!! I figured she would think it was dumb and tell me as much! Instead, she bitched because apparently I made the mistake of posting a picture that included my brother and sister-in-law. So, in response to her incessant whining....teeheehee!!, here is a photo of my beautiful sister whom I love very much!! Even when she keeps score...Lorrie 2, Jeff and Shelley 1. Happy now?

Love ya Sis,

Michelle

Saying Goodbye

This has been the last week of school so life has been pretty hectic. The end of the year is always crazy with closing up your classroom and getting ready for the break but this one was especially crazy. It seems as though everyone at my school is switching rooms or grades and we are all waiting for the other to vacate their rooms. Also, this week has been especially sad. Because of budget cuts we have lost a lot of exceptional people from our staff. Our classified still don't know if they will return, 4 teachers were pinked, and others chose this time in their careers to retire. It was difficult to say Goodbye to people who have truly influenced childrens lives and yours as well. On that note, I honor all of those people by a quote I read in my nephews graduation program.

"Watch your thoughts; they become your words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your action; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."
Frank Outlaw

They all have strong character and that character IS their destiny.

The Escape!

Apparently, Raidon wanted to go outside and he didn't want to wait for Mom or Dad to take him. He discovered the Doggy Door and made a break for it!!