The robins are back

I'm so excited! I saw my first robin today. Two, actually, flying across the road as I stood at the door and watched my not-so-little-anymore boy walk himself down to the corner bus stop.

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Speaking of the little prince, he lost his 4th tooth Thursday morning. And when I say morning, I mean 3:55 am. I was really, really sleeping when I heard "MOMMMMMY!!!!" I awoke with a start and staggered down the hall to his room. There he sat on his bed. In the dim light of the digital clock, I could see that he was covering this mouth with his hand. I asked him what was the matter. He said in a loud whisper, "I lost my tooth and I can't find it!" I really hate to turn the light on in the middle of the night, so we searched the bed in the semi-dark with our hands. I found the tooth under his pillow and put it in his hand. He brought it up close to his face so he could see it better and breathed, "Mommy, it's HUGE!" (it was the front tooth) He then asked for a tissue to make sure it wasn't bleeding because, "the last time it bled a dot". This time, however, there was no bleeding. How he could tell that the tissue was blood-free in the dark, I didn't question. We put the tooth on his dresser for safe keeping. The next morning, after telling Daddy the good news on the phone (see photo) he informed me of his plan. He was not going to tell any of his little friends at school that his tooth was missing, he was just going to "smile real big at everyone and see if they notice".

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Now the other front tooth, as well as one on the bottom, is loose. If this keeps up, he will be on a liquid diet. Or at least, yogurt, applesauce and ice cream. What a shame that would be. :-) He had a hard time eating his pizza tonight. He kept telling me he had to use his molars.

I'm still here

No posts in February?!? Well, it was a short month.
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Happy Birthday to my best friend and husband, Reese. May you have many, many more and may I always be able to share them with you. I love you.

Thank You for volunteers

That's me! Yesterday morning, the school had a little service of thanks for the volunteers. This was the first year I attended. It was nice. Grades K-2 sang a little song about Thank You. At the end, we clapped and the Kindergarten teacher said to the children, "One, two, three, 'thank you'". They said "Thank you" on the count of three and one or two of the little ones started singing the song again. It was cute! I wish I had taken pictures. Morgan was right in front of me and kept waving. The children went back to class and the volunteers (all 5 or 6 of that could make it) had cookies and pastries. I got a homemade card from the Third Grade, delivered by Emily.

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So, in return, I say 'thank you' to the students of SSRS. It is my pleasure to volunteer.

Is Christmas over?

I think it is. But I still have pictures from then that did not get posted. Morgan was the gold king for the Christmas Eve mass. So cute.

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Because of the icy weather, the school Christmas play was postponed until January. Since the First Graders were last, they got to wait downstairs until their turn. Here we see Brigid, Aiden, Morgan and Molly hanging out until their turn.

Happy New Year

Amazing that it is 2009 already! Morgan was excited to stay up past midnight again this year. This is his second year he was able to stay up. We had the parents over for dinner and didn't eat until after 6. After dinner, we watched the video of Morgan's All Saint's Parade from October 31st, which I wrote about on November 4th. Neither Reese nor his parents attended this mass, so they were seeing it for the first time. We also watched the program from the Christmas Eve mass. The first graders always dress as angels and kings and present the child in the manger on Christmas Eve. Morgan was the gold king. So cute! I'll post a pic when I get them downloaded. The weather was really bad at 4pm that evening, icy and foggy, but it was a sweet service and I'm glad we got to go.

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We had homemade chocolate peanut butter pie while watching the movies and it was after 9 by the time the parents left on New Years Eve, so we were not that hungry for our usual midnight snacking. Usually we have deviled eggs, ring bologna and sharp cheese, chips and dip, crackers and yogurt (for Morgan), shrimp cocktail, pretzels, olives and drinks for a Happy New Year toast while we watch the crazies in Time Square. Not this year. Just chips and deviled eggs. I'm still full! Unfortunately being full has not caused me to stop eating.....

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Anyway, wishing everyone a Happy and safe New Year!

Christmas Day

Morgan got ready for Santa on Christmas Eve. He was proud of himself that he made the carrots into the shape of a reindeer. Check out that lovely writing on the yellow note paper. Not too shabby for first grade, eh?

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We had fun opening gifts on Christmas Day. Here is the nerf gun he had asked for. Just what I need - something to shoot in the house and break things. LOL

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Hard to believe that was a week ago and it is New Years Eve already. Time sure flies when you are having fun. So they say.

Christmas preparations

I know. Christmas is past. But the memories are still here. Morgan and I made chocolate chip cookies the easy way on Christmas Eve. He had a great time! They tasted really good and were all gone by Christmas day. Along with other goodies. Couldn't let them go to waste, just to waist. LOL And they have. But next week is another year, so until then I will eat.

REALLY cold!

It was 7 degrees at 7:45am this morning. Since it was Reese's first day of Christmas vacation, I allowed him to walk Morgan to the bus stop. I'm so nice! Morgan took a poptart to the bus stop to eat, but only ate 1/4 of it because it got too hard. It was that cold! Wow! The sun came out and made everything sparkle and it looked beautiful, but it did not do much of anything towards warming the air. It was windy and cold. And cold and windy. I think it got up to 36 today but is back down to 16 now.

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When we were leaving the gstore tonight, in the really cold, Morgan started singing "B-R-R, B-R-R, B-R-R-R-R" (to the tune of Jingle Bells). He's really into spelling everything now. Every time I ask him a question he answers Y-E-S or N-O. And he continues to amaze me with his reading and writing skills. He was reading for the December BookIt paper (due tomorrow and we only had 1 of the 10 required books read) and he wanted to write the titles down. He does such a nice job!

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I hear that today is the shortest, coldest day of the year. Winter is here. Brrrrr!!! That means Spring is only 88 days away. But who is counting! Thankfully, it is warm inside, especially when you have a 6 1/2-year-old snuggled next to you reading a book. And I'm sure it is warm under the covers which is where I should be right this very minute instead of blogging. LOL

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One more thing, Morgan got his first Christmas present on Wednesday -- his very own snow shovel. He was so excited, he went out right away and shoveled with his Dad for 2 hrs. And I stayed inside and got the hot chocolate ready. For 2 hours. hahaha I keep forgetting how fast he is growing. We put his boots on from last year and they were so tight he couldn't move his toes. Oops! Had to make a trip to Payless the next day to get 12 1/2 to replace the size 10 from last year. 2 1/2 sizes in just one year!

Another day

Today we had a 2 hr delay. Enough time for me to shovel ice off the front sidewalk. Fun! I didn't have time to do the back walk from the house to the garage, but it melted by the time I got home from work. Too bad I couldn't have left the front walk to melt on its own. O well. I definately needed the exercise. Wonder how sore my arms will be tomorrow from shoveling ice. It was the kind of ice that I had to push down on the shovel with my foot to get under the ice. It was like digging for potatoes without the nice, warm weather.

The Iceman is on his way

Oooo, scary weather. About 45 minutes ago, it was 39. Now it is 34 degrees and raining. Not a good combination. I'm checking the website for school delays. Our first this year. Definately not the weather to be driving. And I had big plans on my day off today. Now, I do believe they may have to include the little prince. O well.

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I'm glad the weather was nicer on Sunday for our Christmas Caroling. We had a fun time. The kiddies started getting cold about half way through, but most of them were strong and stayed to the end. The hot chocolate and cookies were worth the walk.

Another long day

I should be in bed. I'm so tired after a long day beginning at 7:45. Basketball practice, trying to finish addressing Christmas cards while waiting for Reese to get home from work, shopping for a new phone (mine only works now if I hold my mouth the right way), lunch at Arby's, visiting the Laurel Mall in Hazleton, dinner at Mike's Seafood (absolutely wonderful Crab Au Gratin; we will be back) in Shenandoah and a drive around town to look at Christmas lights. Finally getting home to bathe Morgan and try to stay awake through "The Miser Brothers Christmas" or some such movie with Reese snoring at the other end of the sofa. What is it about someone else sleeping that makes me so sleepy? Like yawning, that steady, even breathing just drives me nuts and makes me want to join in and sleep, sleep, sleep. It's especially hard to stay awake when Morgan is sleeping in the back on the 2 1/2 hr drive home from Mom's. Ahhhhh... Yawn, listen to music, change position, open the window, call someone on the phone......

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So why am I still awake? Well, after turning off all the welcome lights and Christmas lights, refilling the humidifiers and turning out the tree, I had to check my e-mail. And my other e-mail. And see what comments had been made on my blog. And check out the Blogs of Note. I love that! So much to read about. I love reading! But now I've read everything for tonight. I must get some sleep. Tomorrow will come soon. And I have big plans......................

I have survived

Yes, I made it through the week. Well, mostly. It's Friday and the coffeehouse tonight is still undecided. It is 36 and raining. I'll know by 3pm if it is still on or if I am free. I don't mind if it's not cancelled. It will be fun.

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Our Christmas cards arrived the other day, but I've been too busy to get them sent out. This is the second time around. The first batch was off-centered and had part of the greeting cut off. These are better but not perfect. There is no time (because I waited so long to order them to begin with) to re-order, so they will have to do. Today is the day to send them out. The guy is coming to work on the furnace so I can't go anywhere. I will make myself get the cards ready instead of doing something else fun like wrapping presents or eating cookies or posting on my blog or reading other blogs. I have found some wonderful sites! Other people have such interesting lives: Africa, Antarctica, Cape Cod....The list goes on.

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I'm sure everyone in the family knows now so I can post it: I'm going to be a great Aunt again! Woo hoo! Congrats Paul (Morgan's godfather) and Vernella! I don't seem to be old enough to be a great aunt, but here I am - soon to be for the 3rd time. My neice, Paul's sister, has a girl and a boy.

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Speaking of being being old, I got a Christmas card from my friend, Karen. We worked together at the Bank when I was in high school and college. She sent me a picture of her daughter who was a flower girl in our wedding. Megan graduated high school this June and is a freshman at Penn State! I feel soooooo oooooold. I have to search out my wedding album and compare the pictures (but only after I get my Christmas cards done). Then and now. It will be more fun than comparing my wedding picture to my "now" picture. LOL But I'm doing better. I've lost 10 pounds since April. I can fit into some of my clothes again from a few years ago. Another 10 and I'll be good.

Brrrrr!!!!

It's cold out! I dread each time I have go out again. But there is no use in complaining. It would just be something else if I lived somewhere else. Like tornadoes or hurricanes. Or dust storms. Or blizzards. When I think it's cold here, I just look at these pictures -- http://frozen-cheese.blogspot.com/ Makes it seem like a heatwave here!

Well, my resting is over. I had the weekend off. Sort of. Tonight we sang, tomorrow is fundraiser night at the mall and the church covered dish dinner. Wednesday we sing and Morgan has basketball practice. Thursday we sing and Friday is the town Children's Christmas Party and I sing in Landingville. Saturday is the Port Carbon tree lighting ceremony. Sunday is Christmas Caroling around Port and then hot chocolate and cookies at the school. Then I think I'm done until the 21st. It will be weird not having something to do in the evening. But I can SOOOO handle it!!!!!

All Sung Out

That's me. I'm exhausted. My voice is getting hoarse again. When I was helping the little kiddies pick their "Santa presents" today, I was afraid I was scaring them. My voice is scratchy and low and could be frightening to a little pre-schooler. hah Wish Morgan scared that easily. I still manage to yell at him (just did again) which is probably why my voice is so bad. I do believe singing is complicating matters. We sang at 12:30 today at the Country Club and 7 tonight at the highrise in Pottsville. We sang on Monday night at another highrise and will be singing Friday night for a dinner of some sort. I don't know. They just tell me where and when to meet and I show up and try to sing. I do believe I will drink some more tea with honey. Maybe that will help.

Thanksgiving Memories

Happy Thanksgiving, belated. I hope everyone had a wonderful day of giving thanks.

We went down to Hagerstown on Thursday as planned. It was such a beautiful day for driving. Sunny and clear. Maybe cold, but we didn't know as long as we stayed in the truck. :) We stopped at Mom's and took her to Darese's for lunch. I actually made the mashed potatoes. Well, to be truthful, I just mixed them and added butter, milk, salt and pepper. I didn't peel them and cook them. Does that still count as making them?? So much wonderful food: turkey, smoked turkey, ham, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes ('cuz of me), corn, applesauce, sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, homemade rolls....Then a whole table just for the desserts: peanut butter truffle brownies and gook cake ('cuz of me again), chocolate pecan pie, rice pudding, some sort of rich chocolate cheesecake, some sort of grape salad. All some sort of wonderful!!! We all ate too much and sat around afterwards talking and trying not to fall asleep. Some of us didn't win that battle. I saw a couple of people, who shall remain nameless, nodding off.

Castang tradition has it that everyone signs a strip of material saying what they are thankful for that year. I believe they are being made into a quilt? Darese can verify that. Anyway, Morgan wrote he was thankful for the world. Reese and I were thankful for Reese's new hip. I'm trying to remember some of the other notes, but not having much luck. There are so many things to be thankful for during the year, it is difficult to pick just one. I am also thankful that I could be with my family at yet another Thanksgiving. Not everyone was there, but we could talk to them on the phone and say "Happy Thanksgiving" and we knew they were there in spirit.

I got to spend some time singing and playing the piano with Rebecca. We shared some new songs and played some old favorites. Even took a couple of requests. I didn't see much of Morgan because he spent most of his time out in the backyard with his cousins. They all had a wonderful time and it took quite a while to get him to leave with us.

We took Mom and Rebecca back to Mom's, by way of WalMart, Best Buy and Circuit City. I had no plans to go out on Black Friday, but was interested to see how many people were camping out, literally, in front of the stores. We saw a couple of tents with crazy people inside. I told Reese he was welcome to join them at 3 in the morning, but he was NOT to wake me. He did go out to the stores around 8:30 and said they were lined up all the way through the store to get checked out. Amazing!

We spent the night at Esther's. It was nice. Just like being at a bed and breakfast. :) We let Morgan feed the fish and check out the pantry and fridge for snacks Esther had left for us. Then he investigated the bedrooms to pick which one (Nathan's) he'd like to sleep in. I'm glad he picked Nathan's room because David's has a bigger bed and Reese and I are used to sleeping in a king size bed. The house has two bathrooms, so Morgan had to check them out as well to see which one he wanted to use. I was afraid we would not sleep, being in a different bed, but all was well. The batteries had been changed so there was no 2am beeping to drive us crazy. The chime for the grandmother clock was turned off. There was plenty of toilet paper. She thought of everything. Thanks so much, Martins! We had a great sleepover. I left a plate of dessert in the fridge for you!

Friday, we woke up bright and early and went over to visit Mom. She is working on a puzzle, so we helped with that. We had plans to eat lunch at Boston Market at 11am, but the puzzle got in the way. haha We got there around 12:30, but didn't need to worry about a line. There were only about 3 tables filled. The food was great. Morgan even ate some chicken. Usually he will only eat chicken nuggets. But he was brave. He had to be: that's pretty much all they had on the menu. LOL After lunch, we went for a drive around Hagerstown. So much has changed. It has really expanded. They are building, building everywhere. On the way home, we stopped by the cemetery and then drove by the newly expanded airport. Wow. You drive UNDER the runway!! Crazy! But we had a great time.

Back to Mom's to work on the puzzle some more. Mom and I talked and just hung out together while Reese and Morgan played basketball. It was nice. I feel so bad sometimes when I come to visit because I get caught up in visiting all the other girls. I never seem to make time to visit Mom. This time, everyone thought we were leaving after lunch to go home, so they stayed away and we had Mom all to ourselves. LOL

We left for home about 5:30. It was a really nice visit, but nice to get home. My own bed was very welcoming. There certainly is no place like home!!!!

A strangely quiet day today. I got Morgan on the bus and then did a few things at home: ate his pop tart, burned some CDs, did some laundry, paid some bills...Then I went to the school for certificates, dropped something off at work and visited WalMart. Spent too much money there, but when I looked in the cart, there was really nothing I could take back. I needed it all. Even the Tastykakes. They, of course, were for Morgan and Reese. Then I came home (not stopping at McDonalds even tho I wanted to; pat me on the back) and did a few other things before Morgan got home at 3:05. I can hardly believe I was in for the night. No running here for a meeting or there for practice. Just stayed home and watched a little of the news (did you know the word of the year is "bailout"?) and WordGirl with Morgan and Reese. Nice.

Next up is Thanksgiving at Mom's! Yea! I can almost taste the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry salad, etc. already. We are staying the night this year (thanks, Esther, for letting us use your house). We can relax and spend time with Mom instead of driving the 2 hrs there and back in one day. Especially when the turkey poison would be kicking in on the ride home.

Actually, lunch (or dinner as they call it down there) will be at Darese's. Or "Aunt Darese's new house", as Morgan insists on calling it. It should be a full house: Mom, Rosemary and her 3, Darese and her 3, Charlie and her 3, me and my 2. And maybe a few more. Who knows? The more the merrier. We will miss Esther and her 3, but will definately be thinking of them when we eat the snacks they left for us at their house. And Rebecca and Barry will stop by later in the day for a visit. Darese has the piano at her house now, so hopefully we will get to sing a little. It's been such a long time!

It's snowing today. Flurries where coming down when Morgan ran for the bus. We were running late and he almost missed it. she was just turning the corner when he ran out of the house. I thought we had a couple more minutes. At least this is only the 2nd time this year we were late.

I just looked out and it is really snowing. The roof is covered. Not much on the roads yet. Guess winter really is coming this year. I was hoping we'd maybe get a break. :) But then we'd be worried that something was wrong.

I found a new recipe to try for Thanksgiving: Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies. It is brownies topped with a peanut butter/butter/powdered sugar mix and then topped with chocolate chips. Absolutely wonderful sounding. Can't wait to try it.

Is there any way possible for me to cram more into one day than I did today? We were at the mall from 11-1:30: I was singing and Reese was standing in line with Morgan for the activities. Quickly pick up a sub at Subway for lunch, then over to the school by 2 to help set up for their event tomorrow. Inhale the sub before anyone else got there to start cooking hamburgers and setting up tables and chairs. Finish up there around 5:30 and run to Pizza Hut for dinner, using Morgan's BookIt coupon for a free personal pizza. Drive to Lowe's for plastic for the windows to keep out the really cold. Home for baths and a little TV (Backyardigans) before bed. One problem -- Morgan slept in the car after we left Pizza Hut so he's still awake (at 10:08pm). In bed, but awake. Not good.

After writing it all down, it doesn't seem like such a crazy day as it did at the time. I guess standing made it seem long and my feet were so very sore!! One good note -- Reese was in considerable less pain than this time last year. Hurray for the new titanium hip! It's working very well. Amazing that he doesn't feel a thing. Wouldn't you think you would know if you had a large hunk of titanium in your leg, especially at the joint?

Well, another sign that my little boy is growing up. Wednesday I was talking to Harold and I said, "Reese is working until 5:30 then he's going to R-E-A-D-I-N-G." From across the room, supposedly minding his own business rolling the football across the floor, came a little voice saying, "He's going to Reading." Can you believe that! So much for secrets. I'm just glad I didn't spell the reason he was going to Reading.....

Morgan tied his shoes for the first time this morning! He was so excited and surprised. He's been trying for about a week and when it finally worked today, he could hardly believe it. His eyes got really wide and he said, "Mommy! I did it! It worked!" Congratulations, Morgan! Good job!

Yesterday I had company for the day. Mom and Twila came up around 10:30. We looked at pictures and listened to music. Then we ate grilled cheese, coleslaw and leftover carbanara. It was so tasty! Then we drove down to Cabelas for a brother-in-law birthday present. Happy Birthday yesterday, Bob. We got back in town in time to meet Morgan at the bus stop. He showed Grandma and Aunt Twila how to play golf, bowl and baseball on the Wii. It was really fun. They left at 4 so they could get home before it got too dark.

Exciting news -- We are planning to stay over in Hagerstown for Thanksgiving. Usually we go down for lunch at 1 and leave at 4. This year we are spending the night. Esther said we could stay at her house. We can take Mom out to breakfast on Black Friday like we used to do. It will be great!

Finished raking the last of the leaves at 5:30 tonight. In the dark. That's depressing. But, anyway, the leaves are done for the year. All that is left to do is cut the grass one last time, run the gas out of the mower and store it in the shed. First we have to move the snowblower into the garage. Unfortunately, it may be soon time to use that.

The Fairlane Mall held their Reading Festival today, so we were there for that from 11-4. There were so many tables to look at, free books, crafts to make and Curious George. He was cute! I didn't have my camera, but I took a dark, grainy photo on my cell phone. Better than nothing. Morgan had a great time. He went around the tables with his friends Rory and Molly.

Well it would appear that autumn is here. We had tons of leaves in the yard. You couldn't see the grass. I was a good mommy and left the biggest pile for Morgan to jump in. That was Wednesday. This morning, you can't see the yard again. But my hands are still too sore to rake again. It may have to wait until Saturday. And maybe by then, all the leaves will be down and I won't have to rake again.

I wonder if there is some reason that I can't get the pictures to line up like I want them to be. It looks great in the compose window, but totally different when I post.

Anyway, Morgan had a great time. I got a couple of videos of him running and jumping in the pile. See if you can find him in the first picture. All that is showing of his face is his nose. Goofy kid!

We had a great visit with family on Sunday. Mom and Aunt Martha, Darese and Duane, Logan and Benjamin, Georgie and Bob. Full house! I made sweet & sour meatballs, ranch potato casserole, rolls (the frozen kind LOL) and creamy succotash. Mom brought homemade apple sauce (absolutely delica) and Georgie brought dessert and iced tea. All the food was great and the company delightful. Reese and Darese played with the 3 boys outside while I talked to the ladies and the men watched TV. Typical. They stayed until about 3 or so. Then Harold came up to watch the game at 4. The Eagles won. Woo hoo.

And.........Mom left an apple crumb pie with me that David made. It is wonderful! Thanks, David. It is all I can do to eat only one slice a day. I have not shared yet. Morgan is not interested and I didn't ask Reese. LOL It is exactly as I remember apple pie growing up, made by Twila. Who I hope to see next week???

I must brag now. We had our Parent/Teacher Conference with Morgan's teacher yesterday. She had all good things to say about him. He is the only boy in the "Good Writers Club" for his pennmanship and is a very good worker in school. He is always ready to do something. When they are done one activity, he says to Sister, "What are we going to do next?" She says, "Let me catch my breath then I will tell you." She also said he sings a lot. Wonder where he gets that from!?

I was pleasantly surprised to learn something yesterday. Friday, the school celebrated All Saints' Day, which was Saturday, November 1st. Morgan was St Paul the Apostle. Each child had a saint and something to read, including a prayer, about that saint. Since this is the year of St Paul, Morgan had an extra part to read, but no prayer. When Sister asked him what the prayer should be about, he said "spreading the good news about Jesus". So I guess he does listen to things we say. It does not seem like it at times, but I guess I just have to keep on talking and something will get through.

Hear the fireworks? See the celebration? The Philadelphia Phillies just won the World Series. Reese was 13 years old the last time this happened. I was 4. LOL We let Morgan stay up and watch it because it may not happen again until he is 41. :-)

It's really raining today. And windy. Reese says we are supposed to get snow this evening -- 3-6 inches. Yuck, I say. I thought we had at least another week or so before we would have to even start thinking about that white stuff. But, nothing I can do about it except complain or move somewhere else. And that would just mean that I had something else to worry about. Like tornadoes or hurricanes or wildfires. So I will cease and desist complaining about something I cannot change and be thankful that.......It is not snowing right this instant! LOL

You may have tangible wealth untold:
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be-
I had a mother who read to me.
- Strickland Gillilan

I want Morgan to be able to say that about me. I just joined the Bound Together online parent group. Hopefully it will give me some tips on reading to Morgan more consistantly and get him more interested in reading. I see how much kids these days are more interested in their video games and less interested in reading. I really don't want that to happen to my little guy. I love reading so much, I want him to love it, too.

My thoughts and prayers are with my friend Stephanie as she suffered the loss of her grandmother yesterday. May she and her family find comfort in the memories and know that friends are here for them.

What a perfect day for the Race! It was sunny, but cold (~45 degrees) so the kids didn't get too hot. Morgan did 19 laps around the Little League field. They had a great time. (photos coming soon) About 4 other parents and I walked over from the School with them and then kept track of them while they had their grapes, water and pretzel snack after running. Then we walked back over to the School. Hugs and kisses and they went inside for the rest of their day and my crazy day really began. Listen my children and I will tell thee......

I had to run home and change clothes to be at work at 11. Cram everything I needed to do there into 3 1/2 hrs instead of the usual 5 1/2. Leave at 2:30 (stopping at the bank first) to be home in time to meet the bus at 3. Set Morgan up upstairs with his homework while I made place cards for the First UMC Family Fun Night at Friendly's. Change his clothes and mine to go for dinner at 4:30. Hurry up and order my food so I could eat and leave at 5:30 to go to a gig up in Mahanoy City (try to pronounce that!!) at 7. I finally got home at 9 to find Morgan NOT in bed sleeping. Drag him away from the TV, brush his teeth and hear his prayers. Then sit with him for 10 minutes until he fell into an exhausted sleep. Now I'm playing on the frog. Should be sleeping. I'm not.

I actually have tomorrow off so I plan on doing a WHOLE LOT OF NOTHING. Just kidding. I need to clean out the attic some more so I can put Morgan's crib up there. And the air conditioners will soon need to be taken out and stored up there as well. And Mom is coming for a visit November 2nd so the house needs cleaned up for that event.

But in all this craziness I call my life, I have been smiling!

I met a man today whose 46-year-old son died of a heart attack. He said his son always told him: "Smile!" It's true. Nothing is so bad that you cannot smile. And when you smile, it makes things seem just a little bit better. And when things get just a little better, you can smile a bit more and it grows from there. So take a moment from your crazy-busy life and "smile"!

Today was Morgan's next-to-last soccer game. We played the same team we played in the first game of the season. We won 13-3. Of the 13 goals our team scored, 5 were by Morgan. Can you believe that? He was really on a roll. I taped the game and we watched it again tonight with Reese's mom and dad. It was a really fun game. The team plays well together. Just like a team. LOL They will be together again next year. The following year they get split up into boys and girls.

Wow! Tonight was the coldest soccer practice yet. I'm still trying to get warm. The kids were out there running around, some of them in shorts and sweatshirts, some in pants and short sleeves. I had a hooded fleece jacket and I was wishing for a large blanket and an extra large hot chocolate.

What a strange day. It was cold, cloudy and 41 degrees this morning as we headed out to Morgan's soccer game at 10:30. It was misting when we got to the field and set up the chairs. Then, half way through the first period, the sun came out and we all wished for sunglasses. Then it got windy and cooler. Then the sun came back out......Like I said, strange day. We were to play Molly's team, the Red Monsters. Only 4 of their team showed up, so we gave them 2 of our players. That was confusing. They were wearing our team shirts, but kicking against our team. But we won anyway -- 8-7. Of those 15 goals, 14 were made by a player in a green shirt. LOL There was supposed to be another game on the other half of the field, but only 2 players from one team showed up. They left before we could ask them if they wanted to be Red Monsters. Too bad. We could have kept our team together. But they all had fun. Morgan got a goal! Yea!

What wonderful weather! It has been just beautiful this week. Wilma is visiting and we have been having fun in the sun. Getting ready, now, to go for a walk up to Monument Hill and view 'greater downtown Port Carbon'. Yea!!

First day of school -- Monday, August 25, 2008.

Lining up with classmates from last year: Cameron (new this year), Brigid, Molly, Kierstyn, Morgan and Mason to the right.

Morgan's first soccer game this year was on Saturday, August 27th. His team is the Green Eagles. He had a great time. This is his third year in soccer and I think they are finally getting it. The first year, they were doing good just to get it to the correct end of the field. Now they are starting to pass it to each other instead of fighting over the ball so they could score, like they did last year. It was fun. Not yet competative as far as keeping score, but we still won, unofficially, 12-2.

After the soccer game, we went to Elizabethtown to visit the campers. Morgan LOVED the camp fire. Everything he could find went in. Within reason, of course. He roasted marshmallows, but didn't eat them. To chewy, he said. Thanks again, girls, for your hospitality.

Before school started, we took Morgan to a Reading Phils game. He was one of the first 100 kids there, so he got a free baseball and they let him go out on the field before the game. Can you find the ball he is throwing to Reese? He had a great time. It's really a big field! It was a great day for baseball. The Phils lost, but we had fun. Stayed for the whole game. We watched the bats flying around the stadium lights. When we weren't watching for stray fly balls, that is.

I am really moving along here! Another post this month!!

Talking about the past......Earlier this month, we took Morgan to Trexler Park Zoo. We've been there before, but this was the first time with Reese's new hip. He had a wonderful time. Reese, that is. No pain. The other times he would be in pain just walking from the car to the entrance gate. Not this time. We walked all around. I think Morgan got tired before Reese did. We saw emus, zebras, camels, red kangaroo and many more interesting animals. They have a new display of lorikeets. You can purchase a little cup of nectar and go inside their giant cage. When they see you coming, they inch down the cage and drink it from your hand. Morgan loved it. That's his hand with 2 lorikeets drinking from the same cup. We got there just at the right time. They hadn't been fed yet and were hungry.

The peacocks run around all over the place. They scream and chase each other and beg for attention.

Congratulations are in order for Reese! He graduated from Physical Therapy on Wednesday. Wonderful world! They were very satisified with his progress. There was not much more they could do for him that he cannot do himself at home. He got a T-shirt as a prize. I bugged him until he modeled it for me. Isn't he just the cutest thing?

Waaay back on Sunday the 10th we had a major hail storm in the area. It started about 3:15 and lasted about 15 or 20 minutes. Very scary. I was so afraid the skylight in the bathroom would crack. I walked around the house praying for it to stop. Morgan was down at his grandparents' and Reese was outside looking at it! I said, "Get inside right this minute and I mean it!" It was wild. Made me think of The Ten Commandments, only without the flames. Enjoy the pics and be glad you were not here. We had lots of leaves down and some tomatoes smashed, but that was the extent of it. Thank the Lord!

Look at that! Another post in the same month!

We had two of Morgan's friends and their families over for a cook out on August 1st. Actually, I cooked at 3pm and then put it in the crock pot until time to eat at 6pm. :) That sure was easier than trying to cook hamburgers and hot dogs while kids were running around. I got to visit more, too.

First is Molly and Morgan on the swings. They would swing as high as they could and then jump off and see who could get closest to the sidewalk. Oddly enough, none of them hit the sidewalk and got hurt.

Next is Morgan teaching Brigid to play baseball. She is into tennis and did not play T-ball this year, so she was not really that interested. Didn't keep him from trying...

Then we have Lauren playing in the sand box. They

really loved that. At one time, all 5 of them were in the box. But I didn't have my camera ready so I missed it!

Steph brought cupcakes for dessert, which Catie really enjoyed.

Since life is now all about our children, I only have pictures of them to share. Sorry, but that's how it is. :)

Here are the pictures from our visit with Mom and the Arches.

The boys had a wonderful time in the pool. It sure was hot.

In this photo, Logan is trying to dump water on Morgan as he slides down the slide.

Then when Morgan tried to return the favor of dumping water, Logan was not so excited.

But in the end they all had no problem sharing a nice dry towel.

Looks like I'm behind on the blog. Again. Mom, Darese, Logan and Ben came up to visit last Tuesday. The boys had a great time. I'm waiting for pics from Darese since I was to lazy to run upstairs in the office for my camera. They stayed until 5pm. It was nice that they didn't have to rush off. Darese and I worked on our Valentine gifts while Logan and Ben took a nap in Morgan's room, Reese took a nap in his room and Mom took a nap on the sofa. Morgan played his DS in the kitchen with us and asked when Logan was going to wake up.

Mom made seat covers for our picnic table. The wood was getting splintery so I measured the seats and she made thick covers that have a velcro strap underneath to keep them from sliding off. Waaaay cool! Thanks, Mom! I may even get my lazy self down and take a picture one of these days.

I think this is the last post for tonight and should bring me up to date. As it is 11:06pm, I really should be getting to bed!

We were invited down to Molly's house for dinner on the 4th and to watch the fireworks. They have a wonderful view of Port Carbon's fireworks since they are at the top of the hill on First Street. We had a great time. They have a big back yard and Morgan had fun playing with Molly and Brigid, who was also invited. The fireworks were postponed due to the threat of rain, but Stephanie's brother came by and set some off for our viewing pleasure. The children really enjoyed that, except for Catie. It was too loud for her so she hid inside with her Pappy.

We walked down again on the 5th to see the town fireworks. They did a wonderful job and were beautiful. It is the first time we did not watch them from Reese's parents' backyard. It was a different view. Very nice.

PS Morgan lost his 3rd tooth last night! He lost the 2nd one on May 13th. Weird!

Left to right in the back: Molly, Aislinn, Brigid, Morgan, Johnathan

Left to right in the front: Michael, Rory, Catie (Molly's little sister)

Not pictured: Lauren, Brigid's little sister

We had Morgan's birthday party at Heisler's again this year. Not as many kids were able to come as last year. Probably because it was on June 28th and many people were on vacation. But we still had fun. They played mini golf; boys on one course, girls on the other. The boys won. Well, they finished first. I don't think anyone kept score. They even managed to kill a spider stuck in the cup on hole 10 or thereabouts. Of course they squished it before they all hit the ball in so they had to inspect the ball to make sure there were no spider guts on it. Boys! But it was all good. The most fun they had was punching the empty pinata. They would jump up as high as they could and whack it with their hands. A couple of times, they almost landed on Catie who was running around under the pinata.

I have definately not been keeping up with this site. Things just keep happening and I get distracted!

Morgan's birthday was June 18th. The big 6! Here are some pictures of the small party we had for him that day. He is laughing at us singing "Happy Birthday". His grandparents ordered a Star Wars cake for him. We ordered subs and invited them up for lunch. Usually we have it in the evening for dinner, but Morgan had VBS at 6 that night so we celebrated at lunch instead. He had just as much fun. He got, among many other things, additional LEGOS for his collection. He sure loves to put them together and it teaches me patience to let him do it himself.

June 4th was Morgan's Kindergarten Graduation ceremony. Reese was able to attend in a wheelchair, one week after his surgery. It was still hard for him to get around, but he was there. That was his goal and he achieved it. Amazing.

There were 12 children graduating with Morgan that day. The ceremony was very nice. They sang songs they learned throughout the year and recited poems for each month of the year. Morgan's was August. He received his diploma from the principal, Mrs. Scarbinsky.

We invited Molly and her family for lunch afterward and the kids had fun running around, playing ball, blowing up balloons and drawing pictures. On each other as well as the paper.

It is so hard to believe that Morgan will be 6 tomorrow. We are having Reese's parents up for lunch to celebrate his special day. His party with friends is not until June 28th, at Heisler's. But we have to do something on the day itself. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Really I will.......

The school had their end of year picnic at Knoebel's on May 23rd. Morgan had a great time with his friends Aiden and Matthew. Here they are doing the frog hop. When the ride goes up to the top and 'hops' down, all the kids scream 'ribit' with each hop, at the top of their lungs. Then the man operating the ride says, "Why are you whispering? I can't hear you!!!" It makes them scream all the louder.

On May 28th, I took Reese down to the Reading Hospital for his total hip replacement. That was a long day. We left at 9am and I got home at 11pm. We had this planned since early March and it seemed like it would never get here, but all of a sudden, it was time. He went into surgery at 1:10 and the dr called at 4:10 to say they were just finishing up. His hip was in worse shape than they expected so it took them longer to repair it. He was discharged the following Saturday.

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks and he is walking around with just a cane. We all went for a walk around the block this afternoon and he had no trouble keeping a steady pace. He spends most of his day in the chair with his little friend (the remote) and Morgan. On Father's Day, he was able to go to church with us and he threw the ball to Morgan in the back yard for a few minutes. He gets tired quickly because he has not been able to use those leg muscles for over 5 years. But he is getting better every day.

Where do I start? It has been so long since my last posting, I'll probably have to separate events into 2 or 3 postings.

On May 13th, Morgan lost his second tooth. He walked in the Memorial Day parade with his T-Ball team. None of which showed up, however. So he was an honorary member of Molly and Kierstyn's team and walked with them. He sat for the program at the Library Gazebo afterward and got his picture taken with Molly and her little sister, Catie. We had dinner with Reese's parents. See Morgan happily getting another juice box out of the cooler? It was hot that day! But the food was good and we managed to eat more than necessary.