When an illness knocks you on your ass, you should stay down and relax for a while before trying to get back up. ~Candea Core-Starke

Zoey has been home sick with a fever of 103 for two days. Usually she is the faker, with a pretend cough then saying "Mom I have a bad cough" looking for a trip to the doc or some medicine. She didn't need to see the doc, but no school and no ice skating lessons for her. Ike had to go to the lessons anyway, even though he is just going because Zoey wanted to take lessons. Ice skating is not really his thing. So anyway, this morning he wakes up and decides HE needs a sick day too. No stinkin way!!! He wasn't even going to get dressed, just made up his mind. Right before we leave his eye is pink and swollen. I tell him to stop itching it and it probably wouldn't be red. Shortly after I arrive at work I get a call from my friend Juanita--subbing for the regualar nurse at Sunflower. Apparently Ike has to come home until he has been seen for pink eye. Did you know that you can get pink eye meds over the counter? You can. So I asked my doc about it and she said that it would be good to use for eye irritation due to allergy. So we get a prescription for that and since we are there why not throw in some strep and an antibiotic for that too.

A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold. ~Ogden Nash

I am going to blog with the few minutes I have. I have pics and video to post, but that will have to wait for another day.

The kids have started ice skating. I think its going ok. Zoey tells her teachers that she knows how--so they just let her do what she wants. Ike tells me he knows how to skate, but when it comes to skating backwards he has some difficulty. But they are each enjoying it.

We had a pretty busy week last week. Isaac didn't have school on Monday due to the holiday, but I didn't take the day off. I think he felt a little jipped, so I took him to McDonald's for lunch.

Wednesday we had family come visit us. I am always so excited to have a happy full, busy house. It was great to see everyone. Little Libby wasn't feeling her best, but we did get to give her a birthday party. We spent some time in the Black Hills, some time sledding and looking for moose in the mountains. Isaac had been asking me to come eat lunch with him, so we all showed up for lunch at his school on Thursday. He was pretty excited about that. However, he seemed more excited that Zoey came than any of the rest of us. He took her in and the rest of us kinda had to fend for ourselves with little kindergarteners running us over!

I have more fabulous stories to tell, but it will have to wait for the show and tell with pictures. Right now I think this cold I had last week has decided to move into my sinuses, so I kinda feel like my face is going to explode. But I'll be back.

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. ~Oprah Winfrey

Happy new year!!! everyone (even though January is like half over already!)

The kids had a long two week break. Actually Zoey still got to go to daycare some while Ike was my side kick. It went well. Zoey, however, knew that Isaac wasn't going to school, so she was not happy being dropped off at daycare and Isaac quickly learned that it is not as much fun to hang out with Mom while she working. They did get a sleep over at Solem's, which was fabulous. I got to give some massages without scrounging for a portable DVD player and then I went to the Energy Classic basketball game and actually watched the game. I went home a little early in hopes to find a quiet house with a husband in it. No such luck. Chris has been working so much overtime that he is always home late. I think that week they had him up by Sheridan and Montana the whole week. We went to a friend's house for New Year's and had a great time. Despite the sleepover the night before the kids stayed up the whole time, and didn't fight or argue with anyone. Quite remarkable. I played a card game called pitt. Apparently a game from 1918 but very entertaining none the less. The last few days of break I didn't have to pack the kids anywhere so I told them to relax, sleep in and take it easy. They were up early almost everyday of break. Last Sunday I was looking forward to having our regular routine back. I thought the kids would be too. I tried to psych up Isaac by telling him that he would get to see his friends and teachers. Monday morning came and Isaac was "Still Sleepy". We were nearly late and I am not even sure he ate breakfast that day! Not quite the way I had imagined it.

Some ask if I have any new year's resolutions. Not really. They don't ususally mean anything. However, I am very focused this year. I have just had an extreme year of change--my job, moving to another state, spending more time with my kids--I really feel that I am starting everything from the bottom. It really needed to happen, but now I need to nurture those changes. So this will be a year of nurturing.

The kids start ice skating lessons next week and Isaac is having a friend spend the night on Friday. My job has gotten off on the right foot and with the new year personal training has brought me many new clients. I am still looking to increase my clientel for massage and to promote my sport specific progam at the rec center. The house is, well, a work in progress. I have been painting some and I hope to get the energy to reorganize some (alot) of the basement. Chris got a storage unit for the Dish Network stuff so I am hoping to use the crawl space (or whatever it is under the dining room) for extra storage.

An interesting thing (for me) is that without working events all the time, watching pro sports on TV is more entertaining. I was really rooting for the Viks this season--Silly Viks. But I still had the playoffs on today. I don't know that there are any teams in particular that I will cheer on, but I will watch. Well that should bring us pretty much up to date--except that this morning on the way to church Zoey said that on her next birthday she will be 16. Yeah, not much to say after that.

Let's be Jolly, Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly

Merry Christmas!!

Our Chruch Christmas Program was last Wednesday and went pretty good for have one practice the week before and one practice the hour before the performance! Mom-Remember taking us every Saturday for a month with memory work! Yeah, they don't do that anymore.

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,The gladness of Christmas give you hope,The warmth of Christmas grant you love.~Author Unknown



Who's ready for Christmas? We are!

A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer. ~Author Unknown

Here is my photo story of what we have been up to lately. The first pic is a little scary so prepare yourself. But yesterday Zoey got some makeup for her birthday. Today she gave me a makeover with eye shadow, lipstick and nailpolish.

This has been an amazing year for Zoey. She made it through our adventure of moving this year and has grown a ton! She had so many firsts this year. She got her first fishing pole, went tubing, learned to pump on the swing, can ride a big girl bike, and can spell her name. She likes to do workbook pages with matching, eliminating which one is different and tracing letters and numbers. She has even started dot to dots. She started her first year of preschool. I just can't believe how much and how quickly she is changing. Not to mention that only recently she is ok with being a girl. She has boyfriends and likes playing dress up, mom and dad and even asked for Barbies this year.

Yesterday we had Zoey's birthday party. We got her a birthday balloon bouque and had some of her friends over. We had cake and icecream after a few rounds of pin the tail on the donkey. Zoey got hers perfect on the first try and Isaac put his directly over the top of Zoey's. He said he couldn't see through the blindfold, but who knows.

Not my best decorating job, but it seemed to work.

Zoey started to blow out her candles as soon as we started singing.

And she LOVED opening presents!

After the party we went to Spirit Hall. It is a brand new NHL sized ice arena. It was open for public skate, plus they had pics with Santa and pizza (you didn't have to have the pizza in the pic). The weather had already started to blow in the storm, but we went anyway and had a great time. Zoey LOVED skating, telling me she is a fast learner. Of course she also told me that because I am big, I would not fall down. I think ice is slippery no matter how big you are. Isaac wasn't in the mood to go out, but we drug him with anyway and it turns out he likes to skate also.

He we are looking for the perfect tree in the Big Horn Mountains. Gosh, I love that man, taking us all up there for a great family day!

We scouted here for some trees. We walked up the hill (remembering it is actually a mountain). But didn't find the one we were looking for.

So we sledded back down.

Here's the one we want.

Again, a good man to bring us with and do all the work himself.


Even I enjoy enjoy making snow angels. Actually I love the blanket of untouched glistening snow! I also like the way it chrunchies when you walk on it.

I can't describe to you how much Ike likes to sled.

Wanna race?





Decorating the tree was fun. Where Zoey is standing is where ALL of her ornaments are and there is a spot on the exact opposite side for ALL of Isaac's.

The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. ~John E. Southard

Isaac draws the coolest things. I just don't remember drawing well at his age (or really ever I guess). At conferences his teacher said that she makes all the children draw people with hair and clothes. I suppose 6 year olds don't think about that much, but I did notice that this santa does not have a hat or hair.

Saturday was a great day. The whole family packed up in the truck, including Sherman and we headed up to the Big Horns. We searched for the perfect Christmas tree and it was a little harder than you would think with all those trees up there. But we found a good one! It was the first time Zoey and I had come along and not sure if we will make the trip next year or not. Zoey loves climbing and camping, but she is a very sensitive little girl. Her socks kept slipping down into her boots, so she would stop about every three steps, take off her mittens, attempt to pull up the socks, put her wet mittens on her wet fingers and before long she would say "I just can't handle it." The only thing mommy couldn't handle was pulling her up the hill (make that a mountain) in the sled. That was hard work! After we found our tree we went to Tie Hack and spent some time sledding. It was a great place to go. Once we arrived so did a few others and Isaac made some new friends and raced them down the hill. It was a warm and sunny day. Just perfect! (Unlike the cold and wind we have today)

Sunday we went to a birthday party. Isaac gets along with most everyone at school and Justice had come up to me after school one day and asked if Isaac would come to her party. So I signed him up for the bowling party. His class gets along really well, so even though it was a girl's birthday party--He was the only boy to come! And oh did the girls like that. The first thing they all said is "Are you going to chase me?" Isaac has told me that he has girls chase him at school, but with a crowd of girls all chasing after MY Isaac it was slightly overwhelming. He bowled without using the ramp and got 60ish. I didn't see his final score, but Zoey (who sorta crashed the party and was her ususal crying screaming self) bowled 105 which is very competitive with her mother.

We went to the Rec Center so I could work out after school today and I totally forgot that child care is not available until 4:30 so I had the kids run around the track for a while. Isaac comes up to me and says "I am really fast. Just like Dash from Increadibles!" He is fabulous.

We have Christmas program practice on wednesday this week. We will be making 35 cupcakes to bring to Zoey's class on Thursday for her birthday treat and I have even gotten her birthday invitations out already. The little stinker will be 4 on Saturday. At least this year I can invite people over that I have met before.

Well I can smell supper-so I should probably go check it before it starts on fire. And don't forget Peanuts Christmas is on tonight!

Like fruit, children are sweetest just before they turn bad. ~Dena Groquet

I almost forgot about the weekly church update. Today during the kids sermon they were supposed to learn about advent. The lady says "do you what day it is today?" Zoey pipes up with "its sunday". The lady says "do you know what we are waiting for this month?" Isaac proudly says "Santa!" Ironically the only advent calendars she could find had santa on them and not baby Jesus. However, she only bought enough for one advent calendar per household. This she mentioned after her son had already given my children each one. Zoey was more than just a little upset. I am sure the lady had thought that I had already tought my kids to share nicely. Yeah--not so much.