Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Stop sending me emails!

As of today, I am decluttering my email inbox. I have 15347 messages! As you can tell, I am not good at deleting messages after I read them. Plus, I receive many emails that I am not interested in getting, but I have never taken the time to unsubscribe to them. I have started this process today. It is not helpful when I unsubscribe to a company's email list and they send me a confirmation email to let me know that they will not send me emails anymore! That gives me more emails to delete!

In other news, I got ALL of our laundry done today! That is a major accomplishment!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Just Lightning

Noah insisted on being called Lightning today. This evening, Matt called him Magnus.
Noah said "My name is Lightning!".
Matt..."Okay Magnus Lightning".
Noah laughing..."Not Magnus Lightning, just Lightning!".
Matt..."Okay Just Lightning". We all laughed and we continued to laugh every time Matt called him that this evening. :-)

Zoe had an exhausting gym class today! She took the pacer test...
The test involves running continuously between two points that are 20 m apart from side to side. These runs are synchronized with a pre-recorded audio tape, CD or laptop software, which plays beeps at set intervals. As the test proceeds, the interval between each successive beep reduces, forcing the athlete to increase their speed over the course of the test, until it is impossible to keep in sync with the recording (or, in rare occasions, if the athlete completes the test). Many people who test people using the Multi-stage fitness test allow one level to beep before the person makes the line, but if the person being tested does not make the next interval then the most recent level they completed is their final score. The recording is typically structured into 21 'levels', each of which lasts around 62 seconds. Usually, the interval of beeps is calculated as requiring a speed at the start of 8.5 km/h, increasing by 0.5 km/h with each level thereafter. The progression from one level to the next is signaled by 3 rapid beeps. The highest level attained before failing to keep up is recorded as the score for that test.It gets faster every level of the test.
Zoe ran 42 laps. The other girls in her class ran around 20 laps or less. Zoe has the record so far for the girls! When she stopped, there was only 1 boy running with her. Aaron stopped at lap 43. He was determined not to be beaten by a girl! Another boy in Zoe's class, who ran in a different group ran 70+ laps! Mrs. Frost stopped him because it was time for a different group to do the test. I'm exhausted just thinking about all this running!

The kids had a great time sledding after school today!

The top layer of snow is icy, so the sleds fly down the hill! I stood at the bottom of the hill earlier in the day to stop Noah from sliding into the trees. He had so much fun flying down the hill! Kate was more cautious and she would stop herself before reaching the bottom of the hill. Noah on the other hand wanted to go fast all the way down and he didn't care if he landed in the trees. I cared, though.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Lighter

Have I mentioned that I have lost 5 pounds?! I have gone 29 days without sugar and white flour. Some days have been easier than others, but I have been good every day this year so far! Glenn Beck is encouraging all Americans to be more like George Washington, so when I have a hard day, I think "I will be diligent like George Washington". It really helps!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Flying Solo

Matt left early this morning to get on the bus in Bangor @ 6am to head to the temple. I talked with him this evening on the phone and he has had a nice day in the temple. :-)

The kids & I had fun at my parents' house this afternoon. My Mom hosted a thirty one and a scentsy party, so Zoe, Emily & I went to that. I bought the cutest bag that I can't wait to get and to show you! The younger kids hung out upstairs watching "Babe" and "Rio". My Dad downloaded "Rio" onto Eleanor's mp3 player and she is in heaven! I predict that she will have it memorized soon from watching it over and over again! Eleanor watched "Rio" on her mp3 player, but Kate & Noah watched it on the TV. Zach went to Harry's birthday party and he had a super fun time! He came home with lots of fun stuff in his goodie bag!

Our evening went well because Zoe helped out so much. :-) I dropped the kids off at home with Zoe (her idea) and then I ran a few errands. When I got home, the house was clean, the kids had eaten their treat, and baths had begun. Being able to watch a movie is a great motivator!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Wintry Mix Day

No school today. We woke up to snow and then it changed over to freezing rain. In the afternoon, it rained. The kids & I had a good day overall. When chores were expected to be done, it was the worst day ever!, but while drinking hot chocolate with colored marshmallows and eating pumpkin pie or brownies (that Zoe made), it was the best day ever! Eleanor made cookies in her Easy Bake Oven. Zoe & Emily made this puzzle.


Matt was going to come home after work instead of having me drive to Brewer to meet him for datenight, but he left his headlights on today and his Suburban wouldn't start when it was time to come home. This led to our datenight since I had to drive to his work to rescue him. :-) We went to Bugaboo Creek again since we would get another $20 off our meal and guess what? Our meal came to less than $20 AND my card still hasn't been fixed, so I still have the same amount of points on my card. :-) I gave them my information again, but this time they encouraged me to call the customer service # to give them my information as well. The waitress told me that I would probably get their voice mail and if I left a message with all of my information, then everything should get taken care of. I am skeptical, but I will try it.

Matt bought an iPhone today. He wanted to buy it at the end of last year, but that didn't work out. Zoe is going to buy his iPod. She has been trying to talk him into a lower price since she hates to part with her money, but no luck. She is still getting a good deal, though.

Eleanor wiggled a loose tooth out this evening! Yesterday, Zach accidentally hit Eleanor in the mouth with his zhu zhu pet, which made her tooth looser than it already was. Her tooth was bothering her after that happened, so she has been wiggling it. Matt & I are glad that this tooth came out on its own instead of having to be pulled! Eleanor was happy, too. :-)


Matt is going on the bus trip to the temple tomorrow. It was a busy week to squeeze in a stake interview, so he could go, but he managed to do it. :-)

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Go, Go, Go

Last evening, the older girls & I went to church for a joint youth activity, Cub Scouts, and Activity Days. Zoe's friend, Caitlin went with us. The youth were supposed to go ice skating, but the rink was closed. I'm not sure if the thin layer of ice would have been solid enough to skate on anyway. The warm temperatures have melted all the snow and ice away. The youth ended up playing a complex version of tic tac toe. My cubs painted their model dragsters to display at the Blue and Gold Banquet next week. Then they paired up and had a basketball shooting contest. They made the game up and they put me in charge of keeping score. The Activity Day girls learned a hula dance that they are going to perform at our branch Valentine Luau. Fun!

I took Kate & Noah to the "Dinosaur pool" today. We stopped at the grocery store and then came home for about an hour and a half before going to get the kids from school. After getting the kids, we stopped at home for snacks and bathroom time and then we drove to Target for band concert outfits. Last evening on the way home from church, Zoe mentioned that she'd like to wear dress pants to the concert this evening, but she didn't have any! Zoe can have the gift of great timing sometimes ! :-) So, we had a quick trip to Target and it really was pretty quick. I was also able to pick up a birthday gift for Zach's friend, which I needed to buy today, so that worked out perfectly. Dress pants turned into outfits, but they were quick finding them and they were looking forward to wearing them, so I bought them. We arrived home, ate dinner, and then headed out the door again with Matt to the concert. This was Emily's first concert and she was nervous.She had a dream last night that she forgot her saxophone, so during the concert, she just stood in the middle of the concert without her instrument while feeling awkward. Not a fun dream! In real life, she remembered her saxophone and she did a great job!



Zoe was happy because for the first time, she really liked what she wore to the concert.


Zach spent some of his time during the concert writing notes. This is what he wrote to me...
"Dear mom I love you. You are a grate mom. I love pumpkin pie. I love you. Zach". So sweet! Wondering why he put pumpkin pie in there? We had a pie auction before the concert and I bought a pumpkin pie. I am giving it to my dad, but a few of the kids, including Zach are insisting on a piece of it!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Lots of Fun

Kate, Noah & I had a fun day at the Maine Jump. I surfed the internet while the kids jumped, so we were all happy. :-) It also made Noah happy that the basketball game that he always wants to play, but is always out of order, was working today! Kate & Noah spent quite a bit of time in the bounce house that has a ball and a basketball hoop in it. It was cute to see Noah trying to dribble the ball before he took a shot.

Eleanor & Zach had their first sign language class today after school. They loved it! They have learned the alphabet and they now know how to sign their names. Emily has not been in favor of Eleanor & Zach taking this class UNTIL she had the thought today that once they knew sign language, they could talk to each other in sign language and then they could be SILENT!

Zoe made a basket during her last game today. :-) Matt was there to see it. Zoe received an inbound pass right under the basket where she put it up and in!

My Mom & I went candlepin bowling with the Relief Society sisters this evening. Mom watched and the other 15 of us bowled. We had 3 teams of 5. Our team came in 3rd, but I was the only one out of all the teams to get a strike! I had the highest score. :-) Many of the sisters are from out west, so we heard a lot of "If this was REAL bowling or a REAL bowling ball...". We laughed a lot and we had a great time! Mom & I passed on the treats back at the church to enjoy a quiet dinner together at Denny's. It's probably a good thing that Friendly's is no longer a dinner option in Ellsworth because I would have to indulge in white flour and sugar if it was!

Monday, January 23, 2012

FHE

For Family Home Evening, we watched Emily & Zoe play basketball. Tonight was Emily's last game. She did really well on defense! Emily's team won by 3 points. It was an exciting game to watch! Zoe's team is hard for me to watch because they have a hard time handling the ball and getting the ball near/in the basket. Zoe did really well getting herself open for the ball at the beginning of the game, but no one passed the ball to her. So frustrating! Zoe's last game is tomorrow in Hampden. We went to McDonald's for dinner and then the kids enjoyed sundaes for their treat. :-). My Mom joined us for the game and dinner, which was nice.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

End of the search

I found my phone this morning! That made me SO HAPPY! I found it in our room before church. I had plans to go to the skating rink after church to look for my phone, so I'm glad I didn't have to do that!

Zoe has a new youth Sunday School teacher that she thinks is the best teacher ever! Brother Battaline is Italian and he is funny! I'm glad Zoe is going to enjoy her class this year. :-)

My kids have been practicing the new primary song, "As a Child of God" every morning before school for the past 3 weeks. This has helped them so much in learning the song. In Sharing Time today, I asked the children to raise their hand if they could fill in the blank from the 3rd verse of the song "In my own ____________". Noah raised his hand and confidently said the correct answer - home. Then as the kids were coloring, I heard Noah singing this new song as he colored. So sweet! Zach sings the loudest as we sing at home and in primary. He is very proud of the fact that he can sing all 3 verses without any help. I am proud of him, too. :-)

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Saying goodbye to Mahershalalhashbaz

Our fish has gone to fish heaven. The reaction from the kids after hearing this news was...Can we get a hermit crab now? Can we get a turtle? A dog? Another fish? A chipmunk? A squirrel? I hope our fish is feeling the love in heaven because I don't think he was feeling it much here!

Matt & I had a super fun datenight last night. We ate dinner at Bugaboo Creek, where our meals together came to $15. Love it! We have a rewards card that doesn't acknowledge our rewards because my name hasn't been entered into the system with my card #. I have tried many times to add my name on their website, but it never works. Whenever you reach 300 points, you are supposed to get $20 off your bill and then your points go back to 0. My points are never recognized and have never gone back to 0, so every time we go to Bugaboo Creek now, it looks like we have enough points for the $20 off even though we have received the discount already. We explain the situation to our waiter or waitress, but they give us the discount anyway because it is their companies error. Last night was our second time talking with the manager about it. He gave us the discount again, but this time he had me write down my information, so the problem can be fixed for me. He did say that my point total will remain the same after it is fixed, so we'll get one more discounted dinner before my points go to 0. Sweet! We have been told that many people are having problems with their rewards cards, so someone has been hired just to handle these problems. Lately, it really hasn't been a problem for us. :-)
We did some shopping after dinner and then we came home to watch "My girlfriend's boyfriend". I was happy to see that Alyssa Milano was in the movie! I haven't seen her in years. It was a good, clean movie, so I loved it!

Justin came over this morning to help Matt work on the house. That is dedication to be willing to help out when the weather is in the teens! They worked for an hour and a half on some outside walls on the bottom floor. Justin brought his 3 year old son with him, so Noah had a playmate this morning. They had lots of fun and they got along great!

Emily went to Jenny's birthday party from 10am-1pm. After I picked her up and then picked up Eleanor & Zach from my parents' house where they spent the night last night, we went ice skating and sledding. The older girls had fun playing with friends there. We lasted an hour before the little ones got too cold. I was ready to go, too. We have now been skating 3 times this winter! That is a record! Usually we make it once a winter.

I think I lost my phone at the ice skating rink. :-( I'm hoping that if it is there that it fell out of my pocket inside the building and not out in the snow!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Pictures!

Kate and Noah at Sesame Street Live!



The letter for the show was K! Kate was happy about that. :-)


Zoe on her way to give the Buck a high 10.


I drove in a blizzard this morning to get the kids to school, but then it stopped snowing. Now we have snow to sled on again! Here is Noah sledding at home this morning.
Then he wanted to swing...his favorite outdoor activity!

Then we went sledding after school near the ice rink. The kids wanted to go skating, but there was too much snow on the ice.







Snow makes winter FUN!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Tomorrow is Friday already?

Today was a much needed cleaning day. It was nice to be home after being on the go the past 3 days. This morning, Kate told me she was in charge of the day and we were staying home! That was already my plan. Our afternoon and evening turned out to be busy, though. We went ice skating after school. Everyone, but Zoe since she was at her basketball game in Old Town. I had my doubts about being out in 19 degree weather, but when you are all bundled up and moving, it doesn't feel that cold. Daisy, Anna & their Dad met us at the skating rink. That made Eleanor super happy since she is always asking to get together with Anna. Thanks to the free skates you can borrow at the rink, Noah was able to skate for the first time! He is a natural, like Zach. Noah's first time on skates and he walked on the mat to the rink all by himself! He didn't do that well on the ice and soon after wanted to put his boots back on. He still hung out on the ice, though. Kate did better at skating today. She wouldn't let go of me the other day, but today she tried skating by herself. She put her boots on after awhile, too. We borrowed hockey sticks and pucks and the kids had fun playing hockey. We didn't have one big game, everyone just did their own thing. Zach fell and bumped his head on the ice. He laughed while crying when I pointed out that he was on a giant ice pack. :-)

I made a big dinner since we were all going to be home this evening. It felt so nice to sit down to a hot meal as a family. We should do that more often!

Matt bought a new printer, so I can now print from my Xoom and he can print from his iPod. Sweet! Now we need to order a cord, so I can post pictures here from my Xoom!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

It all works out in the end

I took Kate & Noah to the Bangor Auditorium today to see "Sesame Street Live". My kids haven't watched Sesame Street as much as I did as a kid or as much as other kids do now since we don't get any TV channels. They've seen it enough though to know the main characters. Even I don't know some of the new characters they have added. Kate & Noah enjoyed the first half of the show. During intermission, they complained about being hungry, wanting cotton candy and popcorn, but I wasn't going for that. They had snacks in the car that they ate on the way to the auditorium and they had more snacks to eat when the show was over. They also wanted an Elmo balloon, but I wasn't going for that either. $10 for a balloon! I felt bad for the mom or dad who bought the balloon that almost immediately ended up in the rafters. It wasn't the only one to end up there. I wondered as my children complained about not getting the stuff that they wanted if that was going to override the fun of watching the show. Then Kate came up with an awesome idea to go to Dunkin Donuts after the show. Yes, we could do that. That gave them something else to look forward to and they quit asking for stuff at the show. :-) Kate got right back into the show after intermission. Noah asked a few times when it was going to be over, but he pretended to be super Grover as we walked to the car, so I think he liked the show. We headed to DD after the show, but we passed McDonald's and decided to go there instead. I spent just a little more than 1 Elmo balloon for 3 meals and 2 toys. :-)

Zoe & I went to church this evening for Cub Scouts and Young Women's. We had 1 hour to complete our activities and then head back to Bucksport. This was a bit stressful for me since I bought kits for the boys to make model dragsters and I wanted them completed this evening, so we can paint them next week and then display them at our Blue and Gold Banquet in 2 weeks. We got off to a slow start, some of the boys were covered in glue, some were unfocused, but we miraculously assembled all of the dragsters in 1 hour!

Zoe and I made it back to Bucksport for the Girls High School Varsity basketball game where Zoe, Emily & their teammates were recognized for their participation on the Middle School teams during halftime. Emily had practice after school and then my Dad brought her over to the high school to watch the jv game and then the varsity game. My Mom and Grandmother also watched both games. It was fun to watch the varsity team win by 53 points. :-)

Monday, January 16, 2012

Our Adventures

We have enjoyed this day off from work & school. Matt took Zach & Noah to get their hair cut. Then they went to see "The adventures of TinTin." I'm glad Matt & the boys have had lots of fun adventures this weekend. :-) The girls & I spent time with my parents. My parents & I played a game of Phase 10, which was fun. Then I took the girls ice skating at the rink near the schools. They saw several friends there, so they enjoyed time with them. Kate tried ice skating for the first time. She wore skates that I had bought for Zoe when Zoe had first gone ice skating. It's hard for any of us to believe that Zoe's feet were ever that small! :-) Zoe wore my skates today that I bought when I bought Zoe's first skates. They barely fit Zoe...too small! Kate wore her skates for a little while, but then she wanted to walk on the ice with her sneakers. When Eleanor was done skating, she joined her friends in sledding down a small hill near the rink. Kate tried sledding, too, but she didn't like how fast the sled went. We hung out in the car and Kate played on my Xoom. It was nice to get out in the fresh air and fun to see people we know. You know it has been really cold when people are commenting on how warm and nice it is outside when the sun is shining, but it is only in the mid 20s!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

The Holy Sabbath

Zoe & Emily stayed over with my parents last night. My Mom called early this morning to let me know that Zoe had thrown up three times during the night. So, Zoe stayed at my parents' house while the rest of us went to church. Matt went to the Brewer ward, so he had a more relaxing morning since they start at eleven. He didn't get home until after four, though. I had a busy church day doing two Sharing Times, but they went well. President and Sister Hutchins visited our branch today. President Hutchins is a counselor in the Mission Presidency. Sister Hutchins is a Primary chorister in their branch, so she helped us out in Primary. I had her lead the music for the junior primary and she played the piano for the senior primary. I loved having her help today! Emily went home with my Mom for a bonus night at my parents' house with Zoe. Zoe is feeling much better after her day of rest. :-)

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Pictures!




The girls & I went to Goodwill today and then we went to the museum.
The new hang glider exhibit is open!
Kate took a look at this picture and said, "You totally need to put that on the blog!"




Matt, Zach & Noah went to the tool store where they each got tools! They also ate at McDonald's. :-)

My grandmother turned 83 today! Happy Birthday Grammie!



Friday, January 13, 2012

One on One Time

Noah was up before 5 am this morning, so he fell asleep on the way home from dropping the kids off at school. This gave Kate & I time together to play outside in the snow. I have cute pictures of Kate sledding, which I hope to post soon. I need to see if we have a cable that will connect my camera to my Xoom, and if not, then I need to buy one. I will be over at my parents' house tomorrow, so we'll see if I can get the pictures posted from there if I don't succeed with the Xoom.

Noah & I had some time alone this afternoon as we ran a few errands and picked up dinner for the kids. Noah commented on how fun it was to be out with just the two of us. It was fun!

Matt & I went out on date night this evening. We ate dinner at the Harbor View Restaurant for the first time. We went there because they serve breakfast food all day. Well, they used to. The sign we read right before we opened the door announced that they no longer serve breakfast all day. We went in anyway, but our food options were very limited. I would rather travel to Dysarts next time. We wanted to eat in town because we watched the new Mission Impossible movie at the Alamo after we ate. I really enjoyed the movie. It was very intense, though! Matt & I left there exhausted!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

The kids want a snow day!

The kids were hoping for a snow day today, but it didn't start snowing until the afternoon, so they had school. I didn't like driving in the snowy mess when I picked the kids up from school, but we arrived home safely. Matt stayed home today to clean up/organize some things outside and in the new house while the ground was still bare. The weather people have been wrong about the weather so much lately that it's hard to know what exactly is going to happen, but it could remain snowy, icy, rainy until Saturday. The kids are now hoping for a snow day tomorrow, which would give them a 4 day weekend.

One of my favorite websites is tofw.com (Time Out For Women). I love reading inspiring quotes and stories, watching inspiring videos, and I'm looking forward to reading the book club books this year. I discovered this blog today, The Sullengers...patrickandashley@blogspot.com from the tofw website. Ashley is a gifted writer who honestly shares her ups and downs after her 18 month old daughter fell into a canal and died later on at a hospital. I can't even imagine the pain and sorrow of losing a child. I admire mothers like Ashley who share their experiences while grieving. I can tell by reading their blogs that they benefit from writing and those of us who are reading benefit from heartfelt and honest posts. Life is full of ups and downs. It's easier to write about the good things going on, but only writing about the good gives a false impression. I think that's why I get a lot out of reading blogs that deal with hardships and grief. The writers are real, humble, faithful and prayerful and they inspire us to be the same way.

Eleanor's Night Out

I spent time yesterday figuring out what I was going to do for Activity Days that evening, but we ended up cancelling the activity. I called around to make sure parents knew about the time change, which they did, but they weren't coming to the activity due to sickness. I was filling in for Activity Days because Sunshine is sick. Emily wasn't feeling well when she got home from school. Everyone is sick! :-( My Mom called to see if I wanted to go to dinner with her, but I still had Cub Scouts and Zoe had Young Women's. Eleanor had been begging me to take her with me to church or to drop her off SOMEWHERE, so I told Mom that Eleanor would love to go out with her. It turned out to be a perfect evening for Eleanor as she went to the Harbor View Restaurant and even got a candy bar at the grocery store. :-)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

XOOM saves the blog

Our "dinosaur computer" is refusing to turn on after shutting off abruptly last night when we lost our power. It hasn't been running well lately, so this is not surprising, but we are bummed about it. We have many pictures on our computer that have not been copied. A lot of them are on my blog, though. The CD Rom hasn't worked on the computer for awhile. We had bought a thumb drive to put our pictures on, but I wasn't good about actually getting the pictures onto it. We'll look into getting the computer looked at to see if we can save our pictures. The fact that we have lost everything on our computer doesn't phase Zoe at all. She is just thinking about a future new laptop that may exist in our home!
We lost our power last night around 8:00. We had just finished FHE (Monday night, Zoe & Emily were traveling back from MDI after their games) and Emily was in the shower and I was doing the dishes. Thankfully, Emily was all rinsed off when her shower unexpectedly ended. At first, she thought one of her siblings had turned the light off on her. She was not happy! The kids got ready for bed using a flashlight and water from the fridge. We bundled them up and put them to bed, not knowing how long the power would be out. It ended up being out for an hour and a half, so thankfully it didn't get too cold in the house. I need to put batteries in one of our bigger flashlights and put it somewhere that is hidden from the kids. If the younger ones know where a working flashlight is, they will use it for fun until the batteries are dead. We appreciated Matt's keychain flashlight last night!

Monday, January 09, 2012

Would I survive without the internet?

I am so grateful for the internet! I had no idea what I was going to do for Sharing Time this Sunday, so I searched Google to see if someone else came up with an idea for me. Of course someone did! Thank you Hailey of Little LDS Ideas!

We now have 19 kids in our Primary. That is a lot for our little branch. We now have a Junior Sharing Time during the 2nd hour and a Senior Sharing Time during the 3rd hour. It makes for an exhausting day when I get to teach 2 Sharing Times in one day, but then I get 2 Sundays off. At least that will be the case when my Mom is healed enough to teach Sharing Time again in a couple of weeks. And when I say I get a couple of Sundays off, I mean from Sharing Time because there is usually a class that needs to be taught that I fill in for. Never a dull moment in Primary! :-)

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Bangor Daily News 1/7/12


Kate Erickson, 4, of Bucksport, pushes with all her might to hide a fossil in the sand of the Dino Dig exhibit at the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor on Thursday. Kate's brother Noah, 3, digs them up behind her at the museum's newest exhibit which has been on display for about 3 months.

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Mysteries Solved

Remember the sneakers that Noah lost at church several months ago? He found them today! He had placed them on a chalkboard tray in the Primary room. The mobile chalkboard is never used and it faces a wall, so you can't see the tray. I looked on the floor near that chalkboard, but never on the tray! Noah was very happy to find his Spiderman sneakers and he wore them home.

Several of the kids have had rosy cheeks and itchy rashes this week. The answer to these symptoms came when I read the school newsletter this evening. Fifth disease is going around the schools. I am glad to know the cause of these rashes!

Justin Millis came over this morning to help Matt put tarps over the new house. They had a productive morning!

The kids & I went over to my parents' house to provide cleaning service this morning. Then we headed to church with my Mom to change the Primary bulletin board and to set up chairs for Primary. We stopped at Walmart before coming home. I am now the proud owner of a dustbuster! I am anxious to vacuum the Yukon with it!

I looked in the paper yesterday for Kate & Noah's picture at the museum, but I didn't see it. Our librarian called me this morning to let me know that Kate & Noah were on the front page of the State section of the Bangor Daily News today. Exciting! I'll try to post the picture tomorrow.

Friday, January 06, 2012

Rough Start, Great Finish

My plans changed for the day when I woke up around 1 am to the sound of Eleanor throwing up. She bounced back quickly and so far everyone else seems to be healthy.

Matt & I had a fun date night this evening. We went to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie and then we ate dinner at Dysarts. The kids ate pizza and watched Eight Below. It was a fun evening for everyone!

Zach went over to Harry's house after school. The highlight (besides playing with Harry) was eating munchkins and cookies. :-)

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Food, Basketball & Museum

I have lost 2 pounds! I have many more to go, but I am on the right track. :-) I had my first experience at McDonalds last night and I was good. I had a cheeseburger with no bun and no condiments and I added lettuce and tomato to it. It wasn't great, but I felt good after eating it. I was also good at Subway this evening. It was my first time eating a salad there and it was good. As good as a salad can be without dressing that is.

The last two days have been busy with basketball. Both Emily & Zoe had a game yesterday in Ellsworth and then Zoe had a home game this evening. After sitting through two games yesterday with the kids, it was nice to watch Zoe's game this evening with just Emily and my Mom!

I asked Kate this morning what she wanted to do today and she decided it was a good museum day. It was like playing at the beach as they made sand castles and played in the dino dig sand pit. A woman from the Bangor Daily News took pictures of Kate & Noah playing in the sand pit, so look for them online or in the paper tomorrow. :-) She was taking pictures for a story about what you can do on a winter day when there's no snow and it is COLD outside.

Kate & Noah went into the karaoke room for the first time today. They had fun singing!

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Updates

Kate, Noah & I spent most of the day with my grandmother. :-) We took her to get some lab work done and then we headed over to Bath & Body Works in the mall. Kate found some things there to put on her birthday wish list. She loves the little hand sanitizer bottles and the fancy covers to go over them. Kate & Noah went on one of the rides a few times before we left the mall and they were able to get some candy and gum from the $.25 machines. They loved that!

Victoria was on Eleanor's mind today. During class, Eleanor's teacher noticed that Eleanor was quieter than usual. Eleanor told her about Victoria and Mrs. Wight asked Eleanor if she wanted to see the Guidance Counselor. Eleanor talked with the Guidance Counselor and she made Victoria a sweet card. Victoria's story is going to be told on Fox 8 and a local paper, Northwest Observer is going to write about it. The paper is going to do an interview over the phone and Fox8 is going over to Donna's home tomorrow to interview. I'm glad this story is going to be told. People need to be smarter while celebrating on New Year's Eve!

My mom met with Dr. Curtis today and she had an x-ray taken. She was hoping for a miraculous healing, but no luck. She was advised to stay home from work for 6-8 weeks...not going to happen. She didn't argue with getting out of jury duty for the 2nd month in a row, though. She was scheduled for jury duty in Ellsworth during December, but Matt had a case there in December, so her jury duty got changed to January. Now she has a doctor's note saying she can't do it in January. That is fine with my mom since she has tons of work to do at work. She has a cat scan scheduled on Friday to make sure nothing else is damaged besides the bone. She'll find out the results of the cat scan next Thursday when she meets with Dr. Curtis again. Hang in there, Mom!

For my own record...
I love it when Zach tells me he loves me at random moments. It is so sweet!

Monday, January 02, 2012

Back to School

Our kids went back to school today. It made Kate's morning to be able to stay home with Matt & Noah while I brought the kids to school. Kate would LOVE to have her siblings ride the bus, but I prefer to drop them off and pick them up.

Matt bought some tarps today and worked on covering the new house. Kate, Noah & I spent time with my parents. My mom is doing well, but she keeps beating me at Phase 10! She goes to the doctor tomorrow to have an x-ray taken of her leg to see how it is healing.

My diet is going well. I was up at 5am to exercise. I didn't dive into the remaining sugar cookies at my parents' house! That is a good sign that I am in the diet zone. My mom, Kate, Noah & I went to Dysarts for lunch. My dad had to go to work, so he wasn't able to join us. I love the omelets at Dysarts! I have a feeling that Dysarts is going to become a favorite date night spot this year.

We watched the Rose Bowl on our computer for FHE. I am not a fan of having cable tv, so Matt endures watching football in a little box on the computer monitor. We also had our regular FHE (Song, Prayer, Article of Faith, Lesson, Scripture, Game & Treat) during half time.

Victoria had a cat scan done this morning. The bleeding is the same, which is good according to the neurosurgeon. The swelling has gotten worse, but she is still able to rest at home with someone watching over her at all times. I am grateful that she has many family members close by to help her! She will have another cat scan done soon and she will need to see the neurosurgeon again before going back to work.

Sunday, January 01, 2012

New Year News

My niece, Victoria was shot in the head early this morning. This is what my sister, Donna wrote on her FB page...
This is the piece of the bullet they pulled out of my daughters head last night.

A stray bullet came down around 12:20am as she was driving home, hit her drivers side window and embedded itself behind her ear. Official diagnosis from emergency room says gunshot wound of head with an additional diagnoses of fractured skull, subarachnoid hemorrhage and subdural hematoma - she has a little internal bleeding. We're on our way back to the hospital now to make sure the bleeding isn't worse. So glad she's ok, though. Still trying to wrap my own brain around how random this was and how she could be in that spot at that moment. And, so very thankful for windows! And, as my mom said, I know she was guided to a safe stop. She listened when a voice in her head told her to pull over gently and stop the car. She can't remember when it happened. She was driving along and then suddenly her head hurt and her window was broken.

I am grateful that she is doing okay! She was scheduled to have a cat scan this afternoon, but it was changed to tomorrow. I hope we receive good news tomorrow! Please keep her in your prayers.

Noah had his first day in Primary as a Sunbeam! I wanted to get a picture of him in his new white shirt and brown pants from Old Navy, plus he wore Zach's tie, but it was too busy of a day for me. He looked so handsome! Matt did get a picture of Kate looking cute in her big girl outfit. This was her first day as a CTR, but she is still in the Sunbeam class with Noah, Bo, and Ian since she is the only 4 year old who comes regularly.


I'm a big fan of setting new goals at the start of a new year. This year I am eliminating sugar and white flour from my diet. I will also continue to exercise using our Wii Fit. It will be a Get Fit 2012! I have been eating junk for too many months and it is time to get my body back in shape. It will not be an easy journey, but I am committed to it. Matt started his diet the day after Christmas, so we will now support each other in our weight loss.