Miss V ~ loving and living day by day.

Our heritage

2012-01-05T18:39:00.001-05:00

Victoria's class was given the task of each family creating a gingerbread person that signified their personal heritage. Here's what we came up with for V - a Polish dress, Deutsch shoes, and a little Irish hat to top it off. V drew the face and hair, and the red flowers on the dress :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Florida December 2011

2011-12-30T20:59:00.001-05:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Spirit week-mixed up Monday!

2011-12-12T08:14:00.001-05:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Story questions and answers

2011-11-01T16:46:00.001-04:00

V's handwriting is getting so much better these days! She gets these little mini books and her homework is to answer the questions in complete sentences.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Storm Damage

2011-10-22T14:05:00.003-04:00

We lost probably one of the biggest oak trees on our property the other day in the nasty wind storm that came through.

This week's spelling test

2011-10-21T15:59:00.001-04:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Reading practice

2011-10-19T07:14:00.001-04:00

Nothing like a little "Wimpy Kid" to practice with! V and Moira are more inseparable every time they're together. Like peas and carrots :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Letter 'M' words

2011-10-06T15:35:00.001-04:00

They had a bonus quiz today to write states that start with 'M' :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Two Animals

2011-09-30T09:24:00.001-04:00

V thought Jack needed some company :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

First Spelling Test

2011-09-16T16:13:00.002-04:00

The first spelling test came home today. The words (if you can't see them) were: a, I, me, my.
Today also started the first day of riding the bus both to and from school. Yesterday V rode it just home in the afternoon. I'm going to try it out for a week and see how it goes. It will save me about an hour a day but will cost her about two hours of bus time. She gets picked up just after 7am and gets dropped off just around 4pm. That's a long day for this little one. Thankfully they do have rest time at school so she can nap if she needs to. We shall see.
When I picked her up at the bus stop and asked how her day was, her answer: "Superb!" :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It's RV time

2011-09-13T22:25:00.001-04:00

Our new home away from home is in the driveway!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

V-isms

2011-09-10T17:22:00.001-04:00

Overheard V: "You're the love of my eyes, Jack."

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

First Day of School

2011-09-09T16:44:00.002-04:00

V had a amazing first day, didn't get sad at all, didn't miss me a bit :)

2011 labor day camping

2011-09-06T18:21:00.001-04:00

The first few days were great.

By Monday when it was time to go the grey skies looked a little wintery.

Then by the ride home everyone was exhausted.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2011 Cop Campout

2011-09-06T18:12:00.001-04:00

Lots of fire :)

A few naps...

A few fish...

Early morning swimming...

LOTS of giggles and little girl fun

The puzzle was done by day two!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Teacher Project

2011-09-06T18:06:00.001-04:00

I found a little new teacher project online and V and I tried it out today. It's a Rollo in disguise!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Turtle Fun

2011-06-27T06:22:00.001-04:00

Rod was out doing yard work the other day and called for V to come outside. We were both surprised at what he found! After some research we found out this is a Blanding's Turtle.

The memorial service

2011-04-27T14:39:00.003-04:00

Some great photos came from a solemn event.

Lots to catch up on...

2011-03-17T11:21:00.004-04:00

Since I got my new computer for Christmas, I seem to be really slacking in the blog post department (and a few other areas, some might argue). Miss V is excelling tremendously in (her third year of) pre-school, and I hope the transition from 5-half-days of school to 5-full-days will be smooth in the fall. We found out she's been accepted to the Gifted & Talented Elementary school in the city, and are extremely excited for all the opportunities she'll get. This month, we added a new puppy to the family, and the past few days, I've compared housebreaking him to having a 9-month old baby that crawls around and puts EVERYTHING in its mouth. But not just that. Now take the diaper off that 9-month-old. Yeah... not much getting done around here except taking him out. A lot.

Here are some pics to catch up what I've missed sharing :-

)

Christmas Preparation

2010-12-15T10:06:00.004-05:00

I try to keep the really "Christmas-y" decorations until after V's birthday to allow some separation between the two important days. Today was "gingerbread" (graham cracker) house and tree decorating day!

Photos from our Florida Trip November, 2010 part 2

2010-12-13T07:24:00.003-05:00

At our favorite restaurant, Pasta And...

And of course there were a few beach days :)

Everglades...

Photos from our Florida Trip November, 2010 part 1

2010-12-13T06:53:00.006-05:00

Lion Country Safari had a promotion for government workers that gave us a good deal on their two parks. But we determined even at full price, it would be worth it.

FOP Christmas Party 2010

2010-12-13T06:34:00.004-05:00

A few people braved the winter storm to attend the annual FOP Childrens' Christmas Party.

Victoria spent more time telling Santa what she got for her birthday, and when he asked what she wanted for Christmas, she couldn't think of anything to tell him!

Happy Birthday, Miss V!!!

2010-12-09T07:13:00.004-05:00

‎5 years ago, my amazing daughter made a sudden entrance into the world more than two months before we expected her. The first days and months brought so much anxiety/uncertainty/fear. Since then, I've been blessed with 5 years of love, pride and joy. Happy birthday to my sweet little girl.

Fun at Grandma's Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-11T08:48:00.003-04:00

Victoria's teacher Miss Heather overheard me talking with Aaya's (V's new friend, the girl in the photos) mom about setting up a breakfast playdate. She suggested we head to Midland to Grandma's Pumpkin Patch with the kids. What a GREAT idea!

In addition to the little cow ride, the inflatable bouncy house, haunted house, bales of hay, pony ride, and so much more we didn't even get to, the day was finished with a fun hayride! The bouncy ride, the sound of the old tractor, brought back so many great memories for me of going back to the woods with mom, dad and Jeff when we were kids.

Just a small leaf pile to play in

2010-10-06T19:27:00.004-04:00

New(est) ink!

2010-09-17T10:01:00.001-04:00

Found some pics!

2010-08-26T22:20:00.003-04:00

Flower girl in Aunt Nancy's wedding in 1983

Ballet recital in 1986

Ballet recital in 1987

A little practice fishing

2010-08-13T16:44:00.002-04:00

Before our hopefully annual (if not more frequent) fishing trip to Jack's Landing. V and I went up with my parents to the property to do a little work, and some fishing re-con :)

Letters to daddy

2010-08-13T16:37:00.003-04:00

I was off doing something this morning, and when I came in the living room, Victoria (sitting at her desk) informed me she was writing a letter to daddy. As she told me, it said "To Dad I hope you have a great (grate - she informed me it's a silent e word!) time at work." She had it written out already all the way up to "time" which she wasn't sure how to spell. Love this kid!!!

She loves her dresses!

2010-08-10T19:14:00.000-04:00

Especially when they used to be mine :)

Out with the old

2010-08-04T18:42:00.003-04:00

In with the... Older?!?

Yesterday, Miss Pat gave V a HUGE box of books that were her daughter's (who is now 25). Included were some Dr. Seuss, Disney, Bernstain Bears, and many more. Victoria and I spent an hour or so going thru all her books - downstairs and up in her library, and she chose a huge pile of books that she wanted to give away. So far, of the "new" books, V's favorites are "Don and Donna play Baseball" and "Robin Hood".

As soon as we got the box of books home, V pulled out this pile and spent close to an hour combing through each one.
And today, drying off in the sunshine...

A nice warm day

2010-08-04T15:52:00.004-04:00

...means playing in the new pool (free, thanks to Mr. Bootz!)

And some yummy snacks :)

V and her Jaj

2010-07-22T12:17:00.001-04:00

Spending time with her favorite Jaja :-)

Just for Jaj...

2010-07-12T21:11:00.002-04:00

The grand finale.

If it's not one critter, it's another

2010-07-12T21:03:00.003-04:00

Victoria has a love for pretty much anything crawling, hopping, or slithering - inside or out. She adores daddy-long-leg spiders (which comes in handy when I find one in the house!), but is still learning that their legs are very delicate. The other day she found this garter snake, and it kept her occupied for upwards of 2 hours, then it took 10 minutes of convincing her that it was time to let it go. Today after the rain cleared out, she found a tree frog that she kept company for quite a while.

Take me out to the ballgame

2010-06-21T09:24:00.005-04:00

We had a great Father's Day yesterday! The three of us decided to take a little trip to watch the Detroit Tigers play. It was the first time Victoria had been to Comerica Park, or to an MLB game. For the most part, she had a blast (other than her inability to sit still for more than 30 seconds at a time). But man, was it HOT!

Bonus: Sundays are kids days, so V got a Charlie Brown bobblehead and a free backpack!

Correlations

2010-06-19T20:32:00.004-04:00

V: Mom, I have a very interesting question for you.
Me: Okay
V: Why is it that every time Jaj and Busha come over, we have to move the swingset?

Crazy the things she correlates! It just happened that twice, Rod cut the lawn the day before (or same day as) a visit from Jaj and Busha, where he's moved the swingset and I've had someone help me move it back!

Visit with some cousins

2010-06-17T20:32:00.003-04:00

Busha, Kasia, Moira, and Ella made the trek over today. The girls spent all day outside, and had a blast.

They were all wiped out after dinner.

I had just enough time to grab the camera for this quick shot!

I know, I know

2010-06-16T17:50:00.003-04:00

Hopefully this will be the last layout overhaul for a while. The layout I had chosen didn't allow me to add the links to other blogs, and I found out I was missing out on lots. So the links are back. I'm also going to try to get better about updating posts more frequently, since not all viewers are FB-ers :)

Goings on.

2010-06-06T17:54:00.004-04:00

My garden is growing, and I'm learning a few things. One: Don't plant so many plants in one area. Two: put some sort of cage around the tomatoes so the stems don't snap when it rains. Hmmm.. that's all I can think of for now.

I finally completed the mommy-and-me apron set! So for the cost of a borrowed serger, loaned thread, a loaned sewing machine ($0 so far - thanks, mom!) and a $5 set of fat quarters from Wally-world, Victoria and I have matching aprons :)

Fun and warm weekend

2010-06-02T11:14:00.003-04:00

We got to take Jaj and Busha's new camper for a test-run over Memorial weekend, and had a blast camping. However, I forgot to actually get the camera out much, other than one day at the beach.

A glimpse of summer?

2010-05-20T21:27:00.003-04:00

What an amazingly beautiful day!

Fruits (and veggies) of our labor?

2010-05-19T18:41:00.005-04:00

In spending some time looking around the yard, I concluded there must be some way to capture the sun that hits the deck without using floor space. If this works this year, next year's endeavor will be better-planned. For now, we're keeping our fingers crossed.

Day 1, seedlings were planted: Sweet 100s, Summer Squash, Burpless Cukes, and Broccoli.

Day 2, seeds were planted: Peas, Beets, 2 types of Spinach, and 3 types of Lettuce.

I can't wait!!!

First Zoo trip for the season... AND article in the paper!

2010-04-30T10:22:00.007-04:00

Lauren called and asked if we'd like to join them at the zoo yesterday, and I'm so glad we did! It's great to get out of the house, and the weather was pretty close to perfect.

And one of my new favorite pictures! Love it!

Also - supposedly there will be an article about us and our team for the March For Babies in both the Saginaw and Bay City papers today or tomorrow. Haven't seen it yet, though. I did a phone interview with the journalist last Sunday, and we had a little mini photo shoot on Wednesday. Can't wait to see how it all comes out!

ETA.. here it is!

Living Room... Done!

2010-04-26T09:28:00.004-04:00

An old pic, but just a reminder of what the vertical blinds used to look like...
The curtains the way they came from the store... too short!

After some work, I added the strip along the top, made them grommet tops, and fixed the rods. I love the result!

Busy-work projects

2010-04-08T11:17:00.002-04:00

I taught myself how to crochet to keep my hands busy while we're watching tv, etc. My first projects are below.
My most recent completion, but I'm finding I'm so critical of my projects I end up pulling the whole thing apart and re-doing it a few times. But each project is a lesson learned on what to do next. Or what not to do.

V and I stitched her "lady bug house"
My second attempt at a dish scrubbie...

First Spring Rain

2010-03-28T17:55:00.003-04:00

V finally got to use her new umbrella and rain boots! However, according to her, it's not a very good day for an outside picnic.

Second room... done!

2010-03-24T16:26:00.005-04:00

V's old nursery/room... two days and two coats of really good paint covered what took much longer (for Rod and my mom, anyway!) before Victoria was born.

After four straight hours today of moving furniture, re-arranging, cleaning, and purging today, it's now the new guest room/my craft room!

And here are a few more pictures of her (mostly) finished room.

Spring Weather... briefly

2010-03-20T13:12:00.003-04:00

Well, it's snowing. It's been snowing since we got up this morning. BUT... the ground warmed up enough the past few days that not much has accumulated. We got spoiled with a few mid-60s days where the windows and doors were open and the house was filled with the sounds and smells of spring.

I got Victoria's room almost completed yesterday. Now we just have to wait until she's earned the right to move in. Hopefully that doesn't take too long. We've got a severe lack of sleep to catch up on, though, and it's really affecting attitudes around here. I was trying to figure out bed placement. Can't move the bed yet, though. I may just have to start with clothes. There's no rule that says she has to sleep in the same room where all her clothes are, right?

The new digs

2010-03-17T23:46:00.005-04:00

We're moving Victoria out of the smaller room into the one I figured she'd want eventually. It needed to be painted, and I can't be simple about anything.

Here were the pieces that started the color inspiration for the room.

After the base came measuring, measuring, measuring, chalking, and taping.

My first unsuccessful paint attempt. I didn't like the way the sponged diamonds didn't have clean lines.

Of course, I didn't decide I wanted to change until I'd started taping off for stage 2.

Change of plans, orange and yellow argyle. However after letting the yellow dry, I decided I didn't like that, either.

So, back to the paint store today to get a mandarin orange somewhere between the yellow and the dark orange I already had. Hopefully I'll be able to tape off the lines to complete the argyle pattern tomorrow, and maybe even finish it off!

Fun and family

2010-03-17T23:29:00.002-04:00

What's in Your Heart?

2010-02-18T18:34:00.004-05:00

Victoria told me she wanted to write a story ("I'm a good story-writer!") and asked me what she should write about. I told her to write about what's in your heart. Deciphered: Mom, I would like to play my leapster. (the Leapster got taken away for 2 days as punishment for something)

Oh, and she's correcting my enunciation! We were talking and I said "That's silliness!" But apparently didn't separate my words well enough, because she said, "No, mom. Not 'That silliness' - 'THAT'S silliness!'"

Can you read this?

2010-02-16T14:14:00.003-05:00

Here's a hint: If you hold it up in the mirror, it'll be easier to read. Yup. She wrote her name as a mirror image (with the exception of the C, which sometimes goes one way or the other anyway!)

Funny Stuff

2010-02-10T14:37:00.004-05:00

This is just more for my documenting all the things Victoria says to me that I want to remember, but know I won't unless I write it down somewhere.
Last night, Victoria told me she had a dream last night about bridges breaking. She and I talked about it and I think the bridge portion came from the bridge she saw on Dora yesterday. Here's what she remembered about her dream:

She was sitting by the side of a bridge by herself. A girl came along and she had two bikes - the girl's bike, and V's bike. She started to cross the bridge, but Victoria stopped her and told her to go the other way.

I think that's the first accounting of a "story" she dreamed. Up until now, she's just told me she dreamed about butterflies, or bubbles, etc.

Regarding the fact that she married Serendipity (lovey/bunny/blanket), V told me yesterday that Serendipity's last name changed, and now she has our last name because they got married. And of course, she loves her and she's her best friend!

Budding Artist

2010-02-09T21:07:00.002-05:00

Tonight, V decided she needed to draw a monster. When she was done, she informed me it was a Mr. Tickle Monster.

New video

2010-02-08T15:49:00.003-05:00

In the car today at a stoplight:

V: Do you use your right blinker to turn left and the left one to turn right?
Me: No. The blinker lets other drivers know that I want to turn. So if I'm going to turn right, I use my right blinker, and if I'm going to turn left I use my left blinker.
V: Do you have a straight blinker for going straight?
Me: No.
V: Why not?
Me: Because it's assumed that if I don't have a turn signal on, I'm going straight.
V: Do you have a turn signal on now?
Me: No.
V: So are you going to go straight?
Me: Yup!

She got mail!

Favorites

2010-02-07T20:31:00.004-05:00

V: 100 is my favorite number!
Me: It is? I didn't know you had a favorite number.
V: Yup. It's 100
Me: What's your favorite shape?
V: I think the coolest shape is..... a crescent! Because it's the shape of the moon.
Me: I see. And what's your favorite day of the week?
V: School day!

Reading the instructions to Uno Spin to make sure we're playing it correctly.

Little Miss Busy

2010-02-04T19:14:00.003-05:00

Learning to multitask - playing her leapster and reading her magazine at the same time!

Cutting Feta into cubes to snack on.

Making her own fruit salad.

Leapster Girls

2010-02-03T22:01:00.004-05:00

New Look

2010-02-03T21:54:00.003-05:00

If you've happened to gaze at our blog at all this evening, you may have noticed a change or two. I realized the ladybug background was no longer working. After a few trials and errors, I think I've settled on a design.

Luggage

2010-01-29T13:58:00.002-05:00

Someone wanted to go on a trip!

A stow-away!

Pics from Florida

2010-01-29T13:52:00.001-05:00

Grammar Corrector

2010-01-19T20:13:00.004-05:00

Our conversation on our way to Birch Run:

(We passes a sign for Health Plus, their slogan, "We've got the plus")
V: Mom - they've got the plus!
Me: Uh huh
V: Do we?
Me: No.
V: Why don't we got -- why don't we have the plus?

Would make Jaja proud, and for sure makes mama and daddy proud!

Let it snow!

2010-01-07T22:39:00.003-05:00

This was after the first round of snow this afternoon, around 4. We'd only gotten 2 or 3 inches at this point. Since it started, it's been an absolutely perfect winter snow. The air is quiet, there's hardly any wind, and the snow has been falling in big, fat flakes. For someone who's not too crazy about winter (me), this is about as good as it gets. Not too cold, either, so we could go out and play. Now, it's been snowing for a good 6 or 7 hours, we're up to at least 6 inches, and it just keeps going! I'm glad I ran to Target and picked up a spare pair of snow pants yesterday.

Some old pics

2010-01-07T16:46:00.000-05:00

In trading in my phone, I pulled all the old photos off my memory card. I found a few that were worth sharing :)

It could've been worse...

2010-01-06T19:57:00.005-05:00

But it was bound to happen eventually. Foolish was I to think maybe we'd missed this seemingly necessary rite of passage.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Exhausted mom + Muppets movie + thinking V is lying next to me = crime scene in the toy room.

Holiday Pictures

2010-01-02T17:45:00.002-05:00

The girls, doing jumping jacks to earn the right to open gifts :)

Visiting with Santa at the Reinhard Christmas party.

In order shown: Ella, Victoria, Moira, Kasia

Crazy to think that one day later they went sledding!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that jazz...

2010-01-02T11:40:00.001-05:00

More pics of the past few weeks to come.

A few more big words...

2009-12-18T14:38:00.002-05:00

Victoria and I were in the car headed home last night when she asked where Jaj and Busha went to church. I asked her what town they live in, and her answer was "Biography!" I asked her to clarify, and she again said, "Bi - 0 - gra - phy!"

Today, on our way home from school, "Mom - that sign we just drove by said Junction! We're on a junction! Just like Jungle Junction (a cartoon on tv)!"

Word Worm

2009-12-17T12:10:00.002-05:00

The other day, Victoria asked me, "Mom, what does 'necessary' mean?" I gave her a definition, then asked where she saw or heard that word. Her reply: "On my game, it says, 'No reading necessary to play'!" When I'm reading stories to her, I've started just changing a word here and there (saying 'friend' instead of 'bud') to sort of see how closely she's paying attention when I'm reading at regular speed. She's caught me even when it's unintentional on my part!

Catching up on the past week

2009-12-17T11:42:00.004-05:00

We finally got our Christmas tree last weekend. I'd like to continue the tradition of waiting until just after V's birthday to get the live tree. It's up in the living room, however has no lights, as only 1 of our 6 strands worked, AND I can't find any lights anywhere - everywhere is sold out!

One of V's requested birthday presents was a new guitar. I found one with a microphone, too!

Victoria's been asking frequently to use our camera, and has gotten good at watching the preview window, and holding still to take the picture. I had to delete about 15 identical pics of her horses - she likes 'em!
In this one, V lined up all her horses, set out a birthday card, and had them all singing Jingle Bells :)

Her self-portrait

The mandatory annual rudolph hat and nose from school

Getting a FEW cookies baked, although it's just not our day - three of four batches of dough ended up in the trash. Two things were learned: I can't combine the rest of the ingredients, split the dough, then try to add Jell-O to the cookie mix. ick. I also learned that if a recipe calls for sugar, an egg, and peanut butter, don't substitute Splenda and fake PB. double-ick. Ah, well. At least we look cute.

Annual Daddy/Victoria photo

2009-12-12T21:05:00.003-05:00

Every year, Rod helps out with the local Shop with a Cop event. The rare occasion of Rod home and in uniform makes for the perfect opportunity for an annual picture.

Birthday Pics

2009-12-12T20:35:00.005-05:00

Well, all the pictures loaded in reverse order, so here's how the night ended...

And here's how it began, despite the fact that for the second year in a row, there was a snow day on Victoria's birthday. Luckily, this year Rod checked the weather and we prepared V for the fact that there might be a snow storm.

Weather Changes

2009-12-06T20:09:00.003-05:00

What a difference a few days makes! This was early last week...

And by the end of the week, this is what we were looking at:

Thanksgiving weekend at Jaj & Busha's

2009-12-06T19:58:00.001-05:00

Warmup = Ladybugs!

2009-11-23T14:29:00.002-05:00

The warm weather last week brought the ladybugs out of the woodwork. Who needs a bug zapper when V will just run around gathering everything she can see?!?

Just another lazy Sunday

2009-11-23T14:12:00.002-05:00

I was sitting at the dining room table reading through the paper. Victoria saw the comics and asked if she could have them. Here's what I looked down to see...

Glimpse of what's to come...

2009-11-07T19:02:00.004-05:00

I glance at V's chair, where she should be sitting, eating dinner. The chair's empty. I holler, "V, what are you doing?" as the last time I glanced up, she was right there.

Her response? "I'm reading a book! Can I read AND eat?"

It's a struggle to get her to wear anything but a dress. Luckily, I found a ton of cute dresses at WalMart for $5 each, so they're great for everyday wear. I finally got to take the tags off this outfit I bought for her last year, by convincing her that everyone would think she was beautiful in pants OR a dress. Still, every day it's the same question, "Mom, can I please get dressed into a dress? PLEASE?"

Halloween pics

2009-11-02T20:43:00.002-05:00

Just a few of our little witch :)

Saying goodbye to an old friend

2009-10-29T13:15:00.004-04:00

We knew it was only a matter of time, but didn't think it would be so soon. On one hand, Olly made the decision for us, and left on his own terms. We didn't have to struggle with the weight of making the choice, and when to make it. On the other hand, we didn't get much time to prepare for it, or to say much more than Goodbye.

I let him out this morning, glanced and saw him walking the perimeter as he always did... When I looked out a few minutes later, he was lying near the woods. When we went out there, he lifted his head briefly, but seemed to know it was time to go.

When Rod got back from the vet, we sat down to tell Victoria what happened. She seemed a little sad, asked why, then asked if we would get another dog. It's interesting to hear how matter-of-fact she is about it. I think she's a little sad but probably doesn't understand the permanence of it.

Goodbye, Olly. And thank you for your service, obedience, and loyalty.

More pics from Idaho

2009-10-28T13:43:00.001-04:00

At the pumpkin patch

The girls had a great time carving pumpkins - so did the dogs!

By our flight home, V was ready to go, and worn out. One of the last days there, I asked her what happened to her manners, she said, "They went home."

Jinx... But that's okay!

2009-10-19T21:45:00.004-04:00

Apparently my last post jinxed us out here - it was raining this morning, and was overcast and chilly all day. But I'm STILL not complaining, as it's still been warm enough to keep a window cracked, at least, and the sun did make an appearance toward the end of the day.

We've been pretty busy helping around here with all the fall prep, and the girls have been tons of help - from cutting back plants outside to peeling, cutting and canning apples.

And some fun in between.

Victoria and I are out here until Thursday, and I'm so glad I feel like I'm able to help out around here, and (hopefully!) lighten up a little of the stress Amanda feels while she's on restricted activities. If nothing else, it just confirms that I want to start saving for all of us to come back out here when we can see the mountains, the parks, and just have fun as friends and family.

Our visit to Idaho is underway

2009-10-17T22:54:00.003-04:00

Victoria and I are in Idaho for a week visiting Manna and her family. We're having a great time, as are the girls, for the most part. Of course, there are the usual breakdowns when they both want the same toy, but it's been great. The weather so far is WONDERFUL compared to what we left behind in Michigan. It's been nice enough that the windows pretty much stay open all day, the sun's always shining, and this afternoon, Victoria was hot with her dress on outside.

Here are the only two pictures I've managed to take since we got here.

The many faces of Miss Victoria

2009-10-06T15:04:00.004-04:00

Nothing much going on, just trying to survive day-to-day life. Neither of us is back to 100% healthy, yet, but hopefully we're on the mend.

I try to keep the camera on the end table in the living room so it's handy when I sense Victoria's mood is picture-friendly, which of course, is pretty frequent :)

Pure solicitation for thoughts/prayer

2009-10-01T21:30:00.003-04:00

Amanda's surgery is tomorrow morning. She has to be there at 9:30am, the actual surgery will start an hour or so after that. Surgery expected to last 6 hours, then she'll be in the ICU for a day or so. This is scary - for her, and for all her friends and family. No matter how you look at it, it's brain surgery.

If you pray, please pray for her. If you don't, please keep her and her family in your thoughts for the next 24-48 hours.

Low energy girl

2009-09-28T18:14:00.005-04:00

Victoria got to go to school this morning, but came home a little early. She was running in the gym, and of course went into a major coughing fit, so she and her teacher decided she should come home. She asked me numerous times today if we could go on a bike ride (it's raining and really windy here today). After the last time about 5:30 this evening when she threw a fit because she couldn't go outside, I found her like this 5 minutes later.

We also had one of her follow up appointments this afternoon. Luckily for us, the doctor she saw in the ER on Saturday (Dr. Kris) is one of the partners at V's pediatrician. I learned why she has to have another Xray in a month to make sure the pneumonia is gone. Apparently there *might* have been an enlarged lymph node in her lung that they want to check on. I also found out the pneumonia was probably worse than I was led to believe. When we were in the ER, I forgot to ask Dr. Kris how bad it was (assuming it wasn't too bad, as she couldn't hear anything, and upon asking the nurse, she said if it was too bad, they'd have admitted her.) We saw Dr. S today (same one we saw on Friday), and she said she could now hear some noise in her lungs, and upon discussing the situation with Dr. Kris, I was told that V's x-ray looked like it had come from a totally different kid (that she would never have believed she couldn't hear anything when it was that bad).

So, doc's appt next Thursday to make sure V's getting better, then X-ray in a month. Fun stuff.

Sickie :(

2009-09-25T13:01:00.003-04:00

This morning, Victoria woke up with a 102 fever that couldn't be tamed with tylenol or motrin. She spent the morning on the couch, and had to miss her first school field trip to the local fire station. Victoria didn't want to do anything this morning - she said walking hurt her legs and her whole body felt funny. She just pretty much stayed on the couch and cried because she didn't feel right, till she passed out.

Twice.

After her second nap on the couch, she woke up soaked and asking for ice cream. Hopefully it's on its way out, but we'll still head to the doc this afternoon just to be sure. After the ice cream, she's a new girl.

What's the haps?

2009-09-24T20:21:00.004-04:00

Some more great one-liners:

One nation, under God, congratulations to all.

I wanna watch "Humfalump Hears a Who!"

On another note, per her teacher's suggestion, Victoria and I are trying out a different system of rewards and punishments. This has come about for a variety of reasons. Her two favorite things are her new bike and school. The bike's already been taken away for a week, and if we kept her from school, we feel like we'd be sending the wrong message (tho she LOVES it). As Miss Michelle put it, "That's what you have to deal with when you have a child with the mind of an 8-year-old and the emotions of a not-even-4 year old."

The new system? Good Behavior Tickets. I created tickets (simply 8-per-page layout), cut them apart, and explained them to V. For every good thing she does (doing something after I ask ONLY ONCE, eating all her food, helping around the house), she earns a ticket. When she gets in trouble, a ticket gets taken away. Ticket may be redeemed for a bike ride, a cartoon, or a treat. Day 1 went pretty well, and she told me as she was getting ready for bed that she wants to get 5 tickets tomorrow - setting goals!

Dead Buell...Alive Rod

2009-09-23T22:17:00.002-04:00

As many of you may know, I wrecked. Nothing serious, but enough to total out my bike. Today was a sad day for me...not here to witness, but Kristin took photos of my bike being taken away by the auction company. Possibly the end of my riding days...

Today's One-Liner's

2009-09-17T19:32:00.002-04:00

We were on our way into Kroger today, and V told me, "I love Meijer, it's my favorite store!" I said, we're not going in Meijer, we're going in Kroger. She said, "I know, but Meijer is my favorite because that's how God made me!"

Back home when we were unpacking the groceries, I hollered from the driveway thru the screen door to her to put her sunglasses away. I heard from inside: "Aye, Aye, Captain!!!"

Camping trip 2

2009-09-11T21:35:00.004-04:00

Just a few photos from our Labor Day Camping trip. We had a blast!

Vacay 1 of 2

2009-09-02T23:05:00.004-04:00

Last weekend was camping trip 1 of 2 before school starts back up. Here are a few pics from the fun times!

Rod versus the kids...

Finally warm out, and ready for school!

2009-08-11T17:43:00.004-04:00

Now that it seems we're finally getting a few warm days, we can actually use our little pool, and V can get some use from her many bathing suits.

I told Victoria that I spoke with Miss Michelle (her teacher) yesterday, and since then I've overheard many school conversations:

V (yelling out the screen door): SCHOOL! Wait! Don't start until I get there!

V (pretending to read a story): Hello. My name is Victoria. And I can't wait to go to school. The end.

Basketball

2009-07-30T10:35:00.003-04:00

Thankfully Victoria seems to have gotten Rod's athletic abilities. She loves playing kick ball, can hold a ball with one hand and hit it with a "bat" (really a plastic bowling pin) with the other, and daddy's teaching her the basics of basketball. In this one, she's practicing what he taught her. As she told me, feet facing the basket (or shoot, as she calls it), and bend your knees!

What's going on

2009-07-23T19:26:00.006-04:00

When we were up north last weekend, Stefan's dad lit off some small fireworks. Note the hair - not bad for day two of the braids!

Elisabeth turned 4 on Monday, and we were invited over for a small party. Elisabeth is in the middle, V on the right, and Elisabeth's friend Katelyn (who will be 4 in February) is on the left.

We met Lauren and Elisabeth at the zoo yesterday, and were just heading out when the downpours began - perfect timing! The morning was beautiful, tho a little chilly.

On the way home from the zoo, in the rain, we were talking about stopping to get some produce from our neighbor. I told V to look for the farmer in the red truck. She repeated it back to me, then said, "I don't think so, mom. That's not right." When I asked her to clarify, she said, "Not the farmer in the red truck it's the Farmer in the Dell!"

Snacking

2009-07-16T22:12:00.002-04:00

Just a pic, showing how much V loves veggies (today it was cauliflower), and hummus, of course! This girl is going to smell like garlic all the time!

Peas, trees and V

2009-07-01T18:18:00.005-04:00

Though it was a little chilly the other day, and D didn't sleep too much, V and I still got a little time outside. We got some bricks that Rod started putting around the base of a few of the trees, and I found V over there like this (on a side note, she's now reading as fast as I type, sitting next to me):

Be sure to check out the video, as it will explain the toothy grin by the tree :)

And we have edible peas on the vine! The only downside is that there were a handful we got yesterday, but now V wants to check today to see if more grew overnight. Still working on timelines and patience.

A new face around the house

2009-06-26T13:28:00.003-04:00

We have a new daily visitor... For the most part, Victoria is handling Delayney's presence pretty well. She wants to fix everything. Whenever D cries, V offers up any suggestion she knows - maybe she's sleepy, maybe she wants a bottle, maybe she needs her diaper changed... whatever she can think of!

The gifts

2009-06-22T11:02:00.002-04:00

Among the father's day gifts were the aprons the girls made for the guys. Jeff and Jaja got theirs when we were in Ohio last week, and Rod got his yesterday.

Complete with personally written message from V!