Merry Christmas!

Hi all! Hope you all are keeping your heads above water during this crazy busy time of the year. I am, if only barely! :)

Today is the last day of school for the boys until January 5...Zack has been cramming for finals over the past week or so, and very glad to be finishing up today. Aaron woke up today with a fever, cough, and a sore throat. Hopefully he will fill better before Saturday, because our plan for that day is to go to DH's brother's house in Atlanta for his family's Christmas gathering. If he's still sick, I'll probably end up staying home with him and sending Zack and his dad on. No sense in all of us missing out on the fun. I'll be calling the doctor's office this morning to see if they can fit him in today. He's with his dad right now, and I'll be relieving his caregiving after lunch today.

After today, I'm off work until Wednesday of next week -- yahoo!!! :) Since I've finished decorating, shopping and wrapping, I'll get to enjoy some downtime, instead of dealing with frustrated angry shoppers. Double yahoo!!
A friend and I were planning on taking Aaron and her son to see H*appy F*eet on Friday afternoon, but now that he's sick, that plan may be out the window. We'll have to play that by ear, I guess. I do plan on doing some baking (the W*eight W*atchers friendly kind -- down nearly 9 lbs now in 4 - 1/2 weeks, thank you!) and putting some goodies in the freezer. We've been invited to Christmas Eve lunch at a friend's house, which means that we'll probably be there until we leave for our church Christmas Eve candlelight service, which starts at 6:00. Last year it was a tough service for me, and by the end, I found myself bawling my eyes out, missing my parents dearly.

We're giving Zack our used laptop that we updated with new software for Christmas. He's been wanting one for awhile, and we figured that it will be used frequently, and he'll need to take one when he goes off to college in a couple of years (sniff, sniff). And, as much as he's on our desktop computer working on projects and reports, it can free up our computer more for the rest of us. :) Plus, my company offers an interest free computer loan to their employees with 25% down, so we will be taking advantage of that benefit at some point this next year. Besides the computer, we got him some clothes, and robe and slippers. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to add...Zack got his braces off about 3 weeks ago!! I'll have to find some before/after pictures to post (his school pictures this year were awesome, even though they were taken just before getting the braces off - so I need to scan one of them to post).

Aaron's big gift request this year was a scooter, so we got him one in his favorite color, blue. He's played with Zack's used one for a couple of years now, and *still* loves it so much, we thought he deserved (a new) one of his very own. We also purchased him some various X-box and Nintendo games that he had requested. We picked him up a new robe and slippers too, simply because he is growing so much, and nearly out of his current ones. He will be playing handbells at the end of both worship services on Christmas Eve. They will be playing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas!" from the balcony that's seen only from the foyer, as people are leaving the facilities.

DH is off all of next week, and plans to take the boys and visit his brother(s) for a couple of days. Speaking of DH, he told me that he didn't want me spending much on him, because of the "spending money" that was used in NY when he was there a couple of weeks ago. He had a fabulous time, and managed to see all the sites that he wished to see, but also managed to come home with blisters upon blisters on his poor feet. I did manage to pick up a couple of needed things for him to unwrap on Christmas morning, a gift from each of the boys, and one from me. He desperately needs some new shoes, but wants to wait until after the holidays to shop for them.

I pray that each of you have a wonderful, blessed Christmas and that you all have safe travels if you get on the roads. And remember what this season is truly about, the birth of God's holy son, Jesus Christ.

Now it is Zack's turn to be bragged on...

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I wanted to brag about Zack in my next post, so I wanted to elaborate

When Zack received his first progress report this year, his grades looked something like this:

Spanish/100
World History/92
British Literature/80
Chemistry/83
Algebra II/Pre-Trig/82
Forensics (Debate)/100

When he received his second one, the numbers improved...

Spanish/99
World History/96
British Literature/84
Chemistry/85
Algebra II/Pre-Trig/86
Forensics (Debate)/100

He's currently 2/3 into the last progress report of the current semester, and those B's just keep on rising...

Spanish/99
World History/96
British Literature/86
Chemistry/91
Algebra II/Pre-Trig/90
Forensics (Debate)/100

Can you tell how proud of him I am? Do you recall just last year at this time all the stress we were all under when he got the diagnosis? Do you remember the long, informative email that I sent out regarding the meeting with his teacher(s) and counselor, and how concerned we were? I can honestly say that my son has finally turned over a new leaf. He is maturing into quite the young man. He and other members of the high school math club will be tutoring elementary age children after the start of next semester. He has been invited into the "National Honor Society", where he will be included in the national publication of the same. He has already begun receiving several information pamphlets from several different colleges and universities, and coincidentally, included in those is the University of Rolla (hi Kevin!) in Missouri. His PSAT scores last year were that good. He has recently taken it again. The results will be in the first week of December. I'm anxious to receive those scores to see how much improvement is there from last fall. Comparing to all sophomores, (taking it as a freshman), he scored in the 94% range in Reading, 75% in Math, and 92% in Writing.

In October, we discovered that President Bush would be a special guest at a local Republican rally later during the month. Considering a previous rally that Bush attended cost hundreds/(thousands?) of dollars, when Zack approached me about getting tickets to this one (gratis, I might add) I immediately found out how/when I could pick up tickets, and did so at the earliest hour I could get them. We were able to attend, and Zack couldn't have been prouder to be anywhere. He was all into the candidate that was being pushed. Although Zack (presently) says that his future career is in software/computer engineering, he used to say that he wanted to be an attorney. When he discovered the world's view on the stereotype of this job, he quickly decided against getting into that field. As good as he is as a debater coupled with his keen interest in politics, I still say that he would make an excellent attorney. We can't pick career fields for our kids though, can we? :)

Before I forget, I wanted to mention a trip that DH will be taking the first part of December. And this time, it's a trip of pure and unadulterated leisure. He's heading to the Big Apple...There is a friend of ours whose husband works as a software engineer in NY city during the week and comes home on the weekends, week in and week out; and has been doing so for over a year. As you can imagine, he has built up a high number of sky miles. He has invited Michael (and another of their buddies) to come visit him....using those miles. They plan to go to a play, a hockey game, Central Park and see all the sights that time allotted will allow. I am incredibly envious, but I hope to be able to go on a cruise with his sister and other friends sometime next year.

All in all, things are going very smoothly in our lives, and we are so very richly blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi all! Still living and breathing over here. I hope I still have have a handful of readers out there. ;). DH has been at home every night for the last two and a half weeks, and we've all been enjoying spending time with him. It's been nice!

We'll have family in our home for Thanksgiving from Wednesday through Monday (not all of them at one time)...some will be here in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday; others will be arriving on Friday around lunch time. All will be gone by Monday midmorning.

I hope to get out and do some shopping with some of the female members of the family early Friday morning.

I wanted to wish you all a happy, healthy, safe Thanksgiving! And remember what this holiday is all about. Let's truly be thankful for all we have been blessed with.

P.S. I wanted to say that I'm currently working on my next post (bragging on Zack, and other happenings), and hope to have it published before Thanksgiving.

God bless you all!

Aaron, my baby :):)

Look how big (and handsome!) my baby is getting! The little (big?) smartie just got his first report card -- midterm was given out just over a month ago -- and the stinker received all A's again.

Is this the same boy who was struggling in comprehension last year? I think not. He has certainly found his niche now, hasn't he?

He is such the sensitive type, not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings. Every night at the completion of his prayers, he always ask for forgiveness on things that he may have done to offend someone during the day. We could all use this ritual, at least I know I could.

His last football game is this weekend. His first handbell performance is on November 12th, and his choir group will be singing in this Sunday evening's service. If that isn't enough, he is participating in a bible drill competition this Saturday from 10:00 - 3:30, one of 8 children picked out of 25. My busy boy, that's for sure!

I'll post about my eldest son and brag on him in my next post. I also want to talk about an awesome invitation that DH received this week. :)

May you all have a good weekend. Our fall festival is this Saturday evening, so we'll be doing it in subsititution of Halloween's trick or treating. Be safe everyone!

I know I've been lackadaisical in posting lately, but its not for lack of desire to do so. My posting over the last two months has been very sporadic at best. I love blogging; I just don't have the time to do so on a regular basis. If you don't mind reading on a very irregular basis, then I'll continue to blog. :)

A ladies bible study is starting up this Friday evening (alternating Fridays). It's called Conversation Peace - The Power of Transformed Speech (note the spelling of Peace). It will take place in different homes every meeting. I'm excited to be able to start a regular bible study, although I do feel like that I'm really going to have to schedule some time to work on the workbook every week. A video will accompany the studies, and the hostess will just facilitate the study from the DVD.

Aaron has a football game on Saturday a.m. This will be his third to the last game played this season. He truly loves the sport, and has actually told me that next fall that he wants to play "tackle" football. Although this scares me a bit (Tanya - how do you as a mother to a boy that loves to play the game handle watching your baby get tackled?). I guess I do have a whole year to commisurate about it though, don't I?

At 5:00 on the same day, we'll be attending a "Low Country Boil" that our Sunday school class is putting together. If you haven't heard of one of these, it's where they boil together in a big broiler (outside) shrimp, corn, potatoes, and italian sausage. We usually chicken for the kids since most of them don't care for the combination of foods offered in the boil.

Between the church schedule this Sunday morning and evening, we are going to attempt to go to the fair. At least with limited time, we won't have to worry about spending the amount of money we normally do. Though I'm sure the boys will appreciate any time at all that they'll get to spend there.

That's all for now. Hope all is well with you guys!

Tag, you're it!

Thanks Tanya for tagging me. :)

GRUB-OLOGY
What is your salad dressing of choice? Light Italian or Light Ranch

What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Chick-Fil-A

What is your favorite sit down restaurant? The Olive Garden, or Carraba's

On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?15 to 18%

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Chargrilled Chicken Salad from Chick-Fil-A (and this has been proven).

Name three foods you detest above all others? Anchovies, brussel sprouts, and collard greens

What is your favorite dish to order in a Chinese restaurant? Chicken and Broccoli

What are your pizza toppings of choice? ham and mushroom

What do you like to put on your toast? I can't believe it's not butter and sugar free grape jelly - yummy! :)

What is your favorite type of gum? Stride, spearmint (new kind - it's good).

TECH-OLOGY
Number of contacts in your cell phone? 45

Number of contacts in your email address book? 150

What is your wallpaper on your computer? picture of the boys

What is your screensaver on your computer? Pictures of the kids/and me and DH

Are there naked pictures saved on your computer? no

How many land line phones do you have in your house? One

How many televisions are in your house? 4 (but 2 are for video games only!)

What kitchen appliance do you use the least? electric skillet

What is the format of the radio station you listen to the most? Easy listening mostly, or contemporary Christian.

How many sex toys do you own that require batteries? no comment

BI-OLOGY
What do you consider to be your best physical attribute? My smile.

Are you right handed or left handed? Right

Do you like your smile? yes, because people tell me a lot that I have a nice one. :)

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Do moles count?

Would you like to? no

Do you prefer to read when you go to the bathroom? No, that would be my husband.

Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? Definitely my sense of smell.I can smell EVERYTHING, just ask my husband.

When was the last time you had a cavity? Never (honest!)

What is the heaviest item you lift regularly? freeweights at the gym

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? No

MISC-OLOGY
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Absolutely not

If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? I have no idea

How do you express your artistic side? I don't think I have one of those ;)

What color do you think you look best in? royal blue or pink

How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison? not long at all

Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? I'm sure I have

If we weren't bound by society's conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at? Nope

How often do you go to church? 2 to 3 times a week.

Have you ever saved someone's life? no

Has someone ever saved yours? yes

DARE-OLOGY
For this last section, if you would do it for less or more money, indicate how much.

Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? No

Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? No

Would you have sex with a member of the same sex for $10,000? nope

Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? no

Would you never blog again for $50,000? maybe

Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? No

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? No way! too chicken

Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? No

Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5,000? No

Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? possibly

Now, I will tag Nino, Holly, and Kristin. :)

Remember Me?

I'm still around. No, I haven't given up on the ole blogging gig; I've just been enjoying the busyness that parenting brings.

Life in this household has definitely been busy, no doubt. Debate tournaments, book reports, projects, club meetings, football practices & games, and handbell practice schedules have all been keeping us moving constantly.

The first progress reports brought wonderful marks for both of the boys. Aaron made all A's (for the first time ever!), and Zack made 3 A's and 3 B's. With all that Zack had on his plate these first few weeks, I can't be too disappointed that he didn't receive all A's. As the year progresses, I know that he'll catch up with the schedules and will get most of those B's back up to A's. I'm not complaining at all that he got B's, but I know it's his desire (and mine) that he get A's as much as he can. With 2 -1/2 years left in high school (oh. my. God!), he knows that colleges will be looking at grades as well as SAT scores.

Aaron has been astonishing me more and more this year. His academics are finally beginning to shine. And, his teacher has emailed me on a weekly basis telling me how proud of him she is, how his maturity level has sky rocketed, even since the beginning of the school year.

I'm so darn proud of my boys, and that includes my husband. He has grown more spiritually these last few months than he has our entire marriage. He's always there reassuring me that no matter how bleak things appear, that things really will be ok. He makes me stronger every day.

Speaking of DH, the first official duties of his promotion will begin the week after next. He's already being compensated for the new title, now he'll have a chance to prove to them that the decision to promote him was indeed the best decision to make.

I hosted a ladies night in last weekend to more than a dozen friends from my Sunday school class. It was so refreshing to me. Zack was out of town at an overnight debate tournament, DH was out of town, and Aaron wanted to spend the night at his best friend's house, so I took advantage of an empty house and sent out a last minute invitation. I was pleasantly surprised to get such a great turnout. We talked about taking turns hosting a gathering on a monthly basis. Next month's plans are already underway, and I can hardly wait!

That's all for now from my neck of the woods. I hope everyone has a blessed week.

Making Changes

I've decided to change blog providers...no need in paying for something that I can have free of charge, right?

Anyway, you'll be seeing changes to this new site over the next few days and weeks to come as I learn how to get around in this new world.