And We Picked ...

Laredo.

I've been hearing siblings ask (or ask my parents) where Tom will be working, and I realize I've never let y'all know. Sorry. I often find I have no motivation whatsoever ... let's just say it's been a long 7 1/2 years. The end feels closer, but without us being settled, independent, and stable, I still feel the weight of our life weighing down on me. Anyway, without motivation, writing, which is one of my least favorite things to do, definitely has no hope of happening.

As we looked at things, we just really felt that the benefits of the Laredo job were too good to pass up and would help us keep in track with our financial goals. San Antonio would have been wonderful for many reasons, but we'd have to get a car, pay for malpractice insurance, and find lodging for Tom ... okay so he'd have lodging because our friends the Chappells would definitely take him in, but we didn't want to be a burden on them because we feel bad about having to lean on so many people over the years.

In the end, Laredo was where we felt was the right place for us, so starting December 6, Tom will be working in Laredo until June. The timing of the job is actually perfect because on May 23 Tom will have been out of dental school for 2 years, so banks will more freely lend him $ and on June 2 the kids will be done with school. We're definitely looking forward to June. Now we just have to buckle down and make it to then. It won't be fun, but we know we can do this!!!

Ward Trunk or Treat

Well, this year Halloween was on Sunday, so we weren't going to go trick-or-treating. The kids also wouldn't be able to wear costumes to school. All they would have was the ward Trunk or Treat. Plus, I wanted to keep their costumes simple and reusable this year.

I went to Walmart one day and found skeleton pj's in Declan's size ... perfect ... pj's and costume all in one AND they glow in the dark. Love it!! So did Declan, the first night I let him wear them, he stayed up til 10:30 looking at them glow.

At that point I decided costumes that could double as pj's would be perfect. I went looking at different places, and in the end Walmart had it all. Payden found a shirt that said Scaredy Cat, so she was a scaredy cat for halloween. With a boa tail, boa ears, and make-up whiskers, her costume was complete. Like Declan's her costume glowed in the dark, so she was excited!

Shelby and Taylor's shirts were much harder to find. Apparently, I Love Vampires is what all girls need to wear at their age, but there was no way I was going to even go down that road right now ... they're only 6 and 8. Swooning over Twilight can wait til later. Finally I found these pumpkin shirts. Taylor's glowed in the dark, so she was perfectly fine with that. Shelby's was glittery; I'm sure she would have preferred glow in the dark, but I couldn't find anything else, but she liked glittery, too. With ponytails sticking up on their heads, curled ribbon for vines, and Dad's shirts stuffed up their shirts for plumpness they were set.

They sure did look cute, and it was all easy to do.


They had a blast at the trunk or treat although I think Taylor about died a million times as we had to go do games at the carnival before we could do the trunk or treat. After explaining a million times that we couldn't trunk or treat yet because everyone was inside at the carnival, I was tempted to go take her trunk or treating to the empty cars ... but I didn't.

We did a cake walk, decorated a foam Halloween house, and participated in a costume contest. They had to say their names and what they were ... Payden was too dang cute as she coyly state, "I'm Payden, and I'm a scaredy cat."

With the carnival done, we headed out to trunk or treat. Taylor and Shelby ended up doing a lot on their own as Tom was with Payden and I lagged behind with Declan. It's crazy to see them getting so big.



We came home with TONS of candy. Fortunately, by Sunday we sorted out the good from the bad, so we placed the "bad" candy in a bowl on the front porch and left a note for kids to "Take 1." Hahaha ... I bet no one took 1, but I didn't care. I was just glad that the candy we didn't want was gone. It worked out nicely. We did have a good Halloween, especially as Dad was able to come and be with us. Now to start thinking about the family-themed costumes for next year ... I can't wait!

Success Assemblies for the 1st 9 Weeks

The first 9 weeks has come and gone. It's hard to believe we've finished 1/4 of the school year. They had Success Assemblies to celebrate the kids' achievements for the first 9 weeks.

Shelby's assembly was in the morning. She got All A Honor Roll, Perfect Attendance, and the Citizenship Award for her class. She was 1 of 2 students picked in her class for the Citizenship Award.


Taylor's assembly was later that afternoon. Unfortunately, the 1st graders don't get letter grades this 9 weeks, only E's, S's, and U's. If they had given letter grades, Taylor would have gotten All A Honor Roll, so in my mind she got it!! She did get Perfect Attendance.


The girls both had a wonderful first 9 weeks. They've done their homework, studied for tests, chosen to follow the rules, and have done an AWESOME job!!!! Way to go, Shelby and Taylor!!!!!

Homemade Halloween Decorations

I really do wonder what I'd do without the Internet. For most holidays, I google holiday coloring pages and crafts. This year I let the kids pick what they wanted to color, I printed them out, they colored, and voila ...



instant holiday decorations AND ... this is the best part ... something for us to do over a few afternoons and something for the kids to enjoy. Love it!!

Copying His Daddy

For the past month, I've noticed Declan likes to put a pillow on his lap when sitting on the couch ... just like his daddy. Tom always does it. I thought it was super cute that Declan picked up on his dad's quirky little behavior. Finally, the boys were together with pillows on their laps, so I had to take a picture.


Too bad it was blurry, and too bad Declan decided to come take a look before I could snap another picture. This will have to do. He is a cute little boy who loves his daddy!!!

Indescribably Happy!!!!!

Movie night. First time seeing Dad in almost a month.


This was the best seat in the house!!!!

Waiting for Dad

Dad was almost home, so we decided to go outside and play as we waited. Poor Declan will hate this picture when he gets older ... LOVING his sister's princess pink scooter and wearing her cute purple Mary Jane crocs.



What a cute boy!!! Finally, after a bit of riding around and playing ...


Dad was home!!!

Playing Video Games

This is usually how my kids play video games. Taylor is actually the only one playing; the younger 2 just like having controllers in their hands, so they feel like they're playing too.


It definitely is a great way to keep all of them quiet and occupied when I need it.

A Field Trip to George Ranch

I got to go on a field trip to George Ranch. This was the first thing I saw at the Ranch as I was on the bus.


When I got off the bus, it took a while to figure out where we were going. There were a lot of buses. When we started walking, we went on a bridge and I started taking pictures of the river. After looking at this picture, I saw an alligator in the background, really far away.


After we crossed the bridge, we saw a little tent. On one side was an alligator baby and alligator bones. On the other side were snakes. This was a snake in a cage. I think it's a coral snake.


This is a nice snake. We didn't get to hold it, but we got to touch it. I also got a sticker saying, "I touched a snake."


Then we went to the other side of the tent and got to touch a baby alligator. Then I got sticker saying, "I touched a real, live baby alligator."


Then we started walking a bit, and I saw some tents. I have no idea what are in any of the tents.

This is a guy pouring water in a can so that he could put it on his head, and the teenage boy will shoot a hole in it and make water come out.


Then the guy who poured the water showed us the "Air and Space" Museum tent. He said it was a real air and space museum with nothing inside, so all of us got to go in and put new air in it and new space in it.


Then we walked to a graveyard. We were trying to see who was the oldest person who died in the graveyard and who was the youngest person. The oldest person was about 66 years old, and then the youngest person was 6 months old.


Then we walked to the blacksmith. First everyone wanted to see a mouse, and then we went back to the blacksmith. This is some of the coal in it. The blacksmith was making something, but I don't know. We got to see metal white-hot. Then we asked questions, and he answered them.


After the blacksmith, we went to a place where we could eat lunch. This was the spider hanging from the tree near me while I ate.


Then I lost my tooth while eating a grape. That's how wiggly it was. Someone gave Mrs. Rychlik a bag, and she gave it to me, so I could put my tooth in it. Luckily she was right next to me and saw my tooth come out.


After lunch, we walked toward a covered wagon and took some pictures in front of it.


Then I went inside a house. Luckily my camera didn't have a flash, so I could take pictures. The turkey is plastic. I looked going in the house and seeing the fancy stuff in the house.


Then we went to a printer. He showed us how to print. One line got to print Spanish words, and the other got to print English words.


I got to print the English words, which was about independence from Mexico. The printer said that, at the time, Mexicans would shoot you if they saw you with it. Outside it was windy, so it dried off the ink, but I lost the paper.


Then we went to a house and learned about the house. Then we went outside and made cotton. She showed us cotton flowers.


Then she gave us each some cotton and two brushes. We put the cotton in between the brushes and rubbed the brushes together. Then when we were done brushing it, we took one end of a brush and combed it down from the top of the other brush. Then we did the same for the other one. We got to keep some of the cotton, but most of the cotton we got to give to her.


Then it was time for a restroom and water break.


Then we walked to a garden with a tree house in it and we got to climb up the tree house. Then we walked to statues of the people who founded George Ranch and took a picture. They named it George Ranch, I think, after their last names.


Then we got to go inside the house that they owned. Once we walked in their was a person who was playing the fiddle. I liked his music.


Then we got back on the buses and went to school. The last few minutes of school, Mrs. Rychlik had us pretend we were exhausted and take a nap. It was a fun field trip.

I Made a Wreath

My sister Michalle made a Halloween wreath that I loved, so I decided to make one too. It was pretty simple and easy to make. Nana decided that when taking pictures of it, she needed the kids in the pictures as well. Of course, that lead to a lot of laughing and giggling.



I do enjoy being crafty although I definitely need ideas to spur me on.

It's Our Luck

We call it Orme Luck. Basically it means, if there's a hard way for things to happen, it's going to. We know nothing about smooth rides. NOTHING!! There are always bumps in our roads it seems. I say bumps, but really they tend to be mountains. :)

Well, when Tom finally was able to work, they contracted him to work only until October 31, 2010. We were concerned, but they assured us it was because the director had not been in town when he got his controlled substance license, so they had just done a short contract. Well the director was there when Tom started working, and we never saw a new contract. We waited and waited, and then Tom started asking questions. Well, come to find out, the clinic actually had a person apply for the job that Tom was temping for. They had had no applicants, which is why Tom was hired. When the director told Tom this, she said that, if the person was hired ... which was going to happen because why don't you hire the only dentist who ever applies for the job you've posted ... then they would only want Tom until the end of November. We understand their position. Hiring someone for the job is much cheaper than having Tom. For Tom, they had to fly him to Harlingen and back, pay for his hotel/lodging, and pay a rental car on top of his salary. It's in their best interest to hire someone. So now we are back to square one ... looking for a job.

One of the great things about Harlingen is that Tom has a lot of friends here ... friends from dental school who work for dentists. Immediately his friends started checking around with their bosses and such. Well, we found an opportunity in San Antonio through his friend Mark. Of course, just as we were going to go through with that job, his company offered him another job working for a community dental clinic in Laredo; essentially doing what he's doing now, but in Laredo. Now we have to make a decision as to what to do next. Both jobs will go to next summer, which is the time frame we're looking for.

Seriously, I'm getting tired of life unexpectedly veering off the path we're currently on. If we were to map out our life, it wouldn't be one long road. It would be a million roads with a million turns, some u-turns, and mostly sharp turns. I really hate making decisions - big decisions like which job to take and where to live and what's best for our family. Oh well. Too bad. That's not our life. So for now, our thoughts are filled with San Antonio or Laredo. We'll make the decision soon.

Activity Days

Twice a month, Shelby gets to go to church with the other girls who are 8-11 years old, and they have an activity night. This night they got to make pumpkins, eat donuts on a string, and touch eyeballs and brains and such.



She always has fun, and we're grateful for the good leaders and fun girls!

Life as a 4 Year Old

Poor Payden. Life is all fine and dandy until ...


everyone else has cards and you don't!!


Life is so much different when you're 4 and tired!! One of these days she'll learn ... in Uno, when you run out of cards ... that means you won.

A Relaxing Saturday

After soccer and Science Olympiad in the morning, the rest of the day was simple and relaxing ... like normal.

As Saturday is Nana and Papa's only day to do chores around the house, sometimes the kids help out. Taylor enjoyed being outside with Nana that day.


There is often a lot of coloring done in our house. Usually Payden or Taylor pulls out the colors and books, and then Declan, who hates not being a part of what they're doing, immediately jumps in.


Now as the others are off doing their thing, whether it be coloring or whatever, Shelby is usually doing her thing ... reading. She dreams of having a library in our house one day. Seeing as how I love to read and I LOVE to buy books ... she might get her wish.


I did get some relaxing in that day as well, and as usual, if Mom's laying down, someone has to come sit on her or give her loves or something ... it's inevitable!!


Saturday also tends to be the day that Shelby and Taylor actually get to watch TV. We never seem to have time during the week, which I don't mind one bit. Although I do use it as a distraction when needed because, when they watch, the house quiets and the chaos disappears for a bit.


Of course, our Saturday ended, as it always does, with homemade pizza.


The only downfall to this nice day was ... no Dad!!! Next weekend though!!

Science Olympiad

During the first few weeks of school, Shelby brought home a sign-up paper for Science Olympiad. Since I participated in Science Olympiad during junior high and high school, I really wanted her to sign-up, but decided I'd let her choose. Fortunately, she didn't need any convincing from me, and joined the team. For about 6 weeks, she has stayed after school on Tuesdays for an hour to practice. They got to try out all of the different events during the course of their practices, and then on the day of the district Science Olympiad competition they would find out in which events they would get to participate.

Well today was the day of the competition. Early this morning, Shelby and I headed off to one of the high schools in the school district. She admitted to me that she was a little nervous; I was too, because I didn't know any of the adults who would be in charge of her, but I didn't admit that to her. We got to the school, signed in, got her changed into her Science Olympiad shirt, and then she headed off to the bleachers to wait around with her team while I headed home.

Not too long after I left, the kids gathered in the auditorium where they got to see a Mad Scientist ... from listening to Shelby, I decided he was more of a scientific magician. She really enjoyed watching his tricks, and he even had students come up to help out although she was not one of the ones picked.

After the Mad Scientist, it was time to compete. Shelby got to participate in Egg Drop, Science Jeopardy, and Magnets. For Egg Drop, she and her partner had to create a container that would safely allow an egg to be dropped onto a target without breaking. Unfortunately, their egg broke, but, since everyone's eggs broke, the winner will be determined by how quickly their container was made and by how close they were to the target. Shelby said that they did really well and were only about 10 inches from the target and they finished fairly quickly.

Science Jeopardy was exactly that ... jeopardy on science topics. Shelby was part of a team of 4 competing with 5 other teams. Out of the 25 questions, they answered 2 correctly. I believe they were perfect on their answering of questions, but they weren't very fast on the buzzer. Oh well. She did enjoy it, and even got to answer one of their questions with a "What is orbit."

Her final event was magnets, which I haven't quite determined what she did that could be scored and judged. Oh well. In a few weeks, we will get the results, and we'll get to see how she did overall.


As you can tell, she had a fun day!!

Help!

I opened the door, smelled the aroma of his usual after-naptime diaper, and looked over at him. With a pleading face, he looked at me and meekly cried, "Help."

Learning the Alphabet

From the beginning, Payden has always learned things on her own timetable. If she didn't want to learn it, it wasn't even worth trying. When she was 1, she could say, "I need down, please," but if you asked her what sound a dog made, she had no idea because she just didn't care. Well, this past year she finally decided to learn her ABCs. Once Shelby and Taylor got into school, she decided she didn't just want to know her ABCs, but she was finally willing to learn what they say and what the lowercase letters look like.

Each school day while Declan naps, Payden gets to go to school with Mom as her teacher. She absolutely loves it! Each day we do a new letter. We have a Kindergarten workbook that she does pages from on each letter. She gets to practice writing the upper and lowercase letters as well as learn the sound of the letter and find words that start with that letter. We finish the lesson by going through ads and magazines finding pictures that start with the Letter of the Day, which we then cut out and glue on construction paper. When we're all done, we'll laminate the pages and make an ABC book out of it.

After we go through a third of the letters, we take a day to play with some modeling clay, constructing the letters she's learned out of clay. Well, we finally had our last day learning the ABCs. Instead of doing just the last third of the alphabet, she wanted to do the entire alphabet that day. Well, she got to the Letter H and wanted to be done. Since we hadn't done R-Z, I made her do those and we finished our last lesson on the ABCs. I'm sure we'll come back to them, but for now we're moving on to numbers and shapes and colors.


Way to go Payden!!!

It's Already Begun

After Taylor and Payden go to bed, Shelby hops into the shower. Meanwhile, Declan is downstairs getting ready. He pulls out 2 Game Cube controllers, and then he waits in anticipation. The moment Shelby steps into the family room he shoves a controller into her hands and starts telling her "Play Mario."

He absolutely LOVES playing with her. Of course his controller isn't plugged in; it only looks like it is, but he doesn't know any better. He sits the entire time as she plays. If she were to play an hour, he would be by her side the entire time, giving her "counsel" at times as to what she should do. I just think it's too darn cute!