Christmas Day 2009

Christmas Eve.
Mr.Grinch
New pjs!
Santa brought Tori a new camera. Poor Max is going to have a million photos of himself because hes the only subject that cannot say no.
Tristan all geared up and ready to try out the skateboard Santa brought him!
Todd helped the kids bake the birthday cake this year - the results were slightly tragic but its the thought that counts.
Before we called it a day and spent the afternoon at home, just the four of us, trying out new toys the kids went to The Memory Care Unit where my mom works and sang "Happy Birthday Jesus". This was with my parents at the facility.

Christmas Stuff - Part 1

As part of their continued Gifted Program Service Project Tori and her friend Madison made snowman/snowflake pins for the residents of HarborChase Assisted Living. The picture is terrible but they turned out cute...and the residents loved seeing the girls in their reindeer ears. While they were there they also played noodle ball which consists of trying to keep a balloon in a circle with pool noodles...super funny!
On the last day of school we had a "holiday party". 22 kids showed up - eek! We made a cute snowman bobble head craft, drank hot chocolate and had snowman cookies and then took it outside for Freeze Tag. Here are a couple of pics. It was such mass chaos the pictures were not so good. These are the moments in which I look forward to a house with some yard space and parking.

End of the Year House Update...

We are still looking...

I found one I loved. But I am stubborn and the seller is stubborn so we have both drawn lines in the sand and neither of us are willing to cross the line at this point. It's pretty much already done in my exact taste - light kitchen, light walls, white bathroom, wood floors - plus it has a pool and garden tub both of which I would love to have but was not holding my breath for. Still hoping that he will come down a bit more after the holidays if he does not get any more offers...here are a few pics.

The second contender at this point is a newer listing...but listed at 40K less than the above one. It does not have a pool but does have a 4th bedroom and a freakishly large yard. I mean gargantuan and really really well landscaped. And a porch. And its be recently remodeled some so the kitchen and bathrooms are newer and the main floor has some interesting wood look tile - which seem durable and easy to clean. All together not my dream house but a lot of space for a good price with some good potential.

So current plan is to do nothing this week but wait...enjoy Christmas and leave our realtor alone. The second house the kids and Todd did not go with me so they will go see it next week and make sure they like it and then we will make some decisions from there. Who knows we may end up continuing the search but as frustrated as I am about the whole thing I am also encouraged that we have now found two at least near our price range that I like. That's progress...

House A is more expensive but has the pool, my taste, and is in the kids school zone.
House B is less expensive with more space but no pool, a more northern feel, an upstairs (this was a con for me), and in the kids elementary school area but they would go to a different middle school then all their friends.

***Todd likes them all - he is far less picky and as long as its nice he's happy as long as he has a place for his desk, a place for Max to run around without having to be walked, and a garage. Hence the reason all above arguements are in first person single not plural - Todd likes both! ***

Spreading the joy...

I read a blog called Cake Wrecks - see link under BLOGS I READ. Its usually just funny and ridiculous. But they are doing a Charity Countdown to Christmas that is well worth checking out. So this Christmas consider joining them in making small donations that add up to big change.

You can check out the progress of various organizations they have chosen to sponsor by clicking on each of these links at First Giving for Jen Yates.

Yesterdays charity was Love146 Just one of many great causes. We all have our own charities that touch our lives and hearts and some that are close to home...so even if nothing on this list touches you...I encourage you to reach out this Christmas. Remember that its a holiday about giving not getting, about spreading love and joy.

Holiday Celebration @ Busch Gardens

Fun day Saturday started with the kids musical practice followed by a day at Busch Gardens...we saw a Christmas on Ice show, Holiday with Our Favorite Characters (aka Santa, Elves and Frosty), and the last 5 minutes of a Gospel Christmas singing an absolutely breathtaking version of Joy to the World!

My parents are not so good with my camera...and my shirt is screwed up but trying to document what we actually did - not just what I have decent evidence of us doing :-)



Then I had to go to work until a little after midnight when I finally had enough and called it a day - oh well everything can't be fun!

Christmas Card Rejects...

Pics taken for but not used on Christmas cards...

The Reindeer Rap

Tori's chorus at school recently completed their winter concert including songs to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. This was the one that Tori had a "solo" in and therefore was down front and easily recordable. This particular video was taken on a field trip to a local assisted living they took following the concert. Be prepared to laugh!

Tristan and Elf

My kids are kind of growing out of the "isms" and so I have to post this one before I forget.

We have a HUGE fake tree that takes a very long time to put together. So while we put it together we watched Elf with Will Farrell, which has the makings of a fabulous tradition. In it he and his adopted father, a real elf, are talking about how some people do not believe in Santa...

Buddy: What about santa's cookies? I suppose parents eat those too?

Tristan: That is so silly. Why would anybody NOT believe in Santa?

Cracks me up. Especially since Tori was the polar opposite and had to be convinced time and time again that Santa existed when she was 4!!!! Now she is having no part of it.

Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone had a good one. As always we have much to be thankful but most of all I am thankful for my family!

You Tube

I know I am about 5 years late but...I just a new video camera and You Tube account so thought I would share this video real quick. Tristan's first time up to bat in his last fall baseball game. It's coach pitch and he is last batter which means - no strikes and he runs all the bases because he's last. This was my first attempt so please ignore the midvideo chaos!

Yay!

Anniversary trip is booked - San Francisco here we come!!!

Meet Carter

Quick Update

It is mass chaos around here so this is my quick update.

The Brooker Creek Fall Festival has come and gone. Turnout was great. Everything went smoothly. Kids had fun. I am exhausted and SO glad its over for another year.

Report cards came out - both kids did great!

One week until thanksgiving break - yay!

Todd turned 31 - Happy Birthday Todd! Low key day but nice nonetheless.

On a more somber note, Todd's grandma and matriarch of the widely extended Maddex Family passed away this week. She had been diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier in the year and while it was not unexpected it is always hard for those left behind. If you are the praying sort please pray for her sons and their families as well as they grieve the loss of this special woman.

Great Grandma Maddex, Grandpa Doug and Todd and the kids - 4 generations picture taken Feb 2009.

In the Dugout with Dad

Orthodontist

Tristan has a class 3 malocclusion. English: Nasty underbite. So his bottom teeth come out over his top teeth. To top the whole mess off they are coming in crooked. Really. Really. Crooked. And a top tooth has absolutely no space to come in so it is basically stuck in his gums currently. Great.

Orthodontist #1: It's bad. He'll need surgery. When he is 16 or 17. Until then do nothing.

Orthodontist #2: It's not good but not terrible. He needs a palatal expander immediately to correct his bite and braces on the top and bottom to straighten them out, this will take a year. Then when he is in his teens he'll need another year of braces and a year of a retainer - that should fix it without surgery.

WHAT?!? So next week we are off to see orthodontist #3 for yet another opinion. Oy vey! Did I mention that all options cost a ton of money?

Halloween 2009

Oldsmar Little League Fall Ball

Oldsmar Blue Claws:

School Projects

Tori and her friend Madison are in gifted together and as their yearly service project they have decided to celebrate holidays with the memory care residents at HarborChase Assisted Living. So round 1: witch hat cookies delivered by cute little witches!
Tristan's class skipped the Halloween party this year and did Mad Science Day. They got to make slime, blow bubbles, race balloon ghosts, and lots more! Tristan had crazy hair and his friend Isaac had a crazy mustache!

Daddy Day

= Frisbee Golfing

One Line Updates

Tristan is healthy, back to baseball, had great school open house this week.

Tori is healthy, great conference, high assessment scores, loving chorus.

Todd busy week, new project with Dave, still doing p90x with me, excited bout iphone.

I had a bad week with violent patients, still doing p90x, ready for fall festival.

Max rocks, always there to cuddle and loves ya no matter what!

Hunsader Farms Fall Festival

Long drive, lame festival but now we know. Still a beautiful day to be outside!

Augh

The kids have now officially missed the entire week of school (there is no school tomorrow - pro ed day). The good news is I think they are finally getting better.

Other augh - Todd and I, inspired by Bryan and Laurie, decided to try this p90x thing. So we did the first video last night, we are doing the lean version for the first round since Todd cannot do heavy heavy chest/back because of his shoulder surgery. So the first video was "Synergistics" and I should tell you that I had better see results if I am going to feel like this. I am SO sore, SO sore. Only 89 more days to go...

Sick: Updated

Not strep, not the flu. Just plain old colds. With fevers. Keeping them home from school. Hoping for Wed return...

Bad Mommy Moment - Trying to Fix!

So we are out at the baseball game and FL is experiencing insanely high temps for October. So its sunny and ridiculously hot. And Tristan is being lazy. Not running to his position, asking for a drink when its the middle of warm ups, etc. So I tell him to drink some water and shake it off, its hot for all of us and he needs to play his best. So he goes and does.

Comes home. ASKS to nap. Um what?!? Sleeps for an hour, wakes up with a 101 fever. So we give him Motrin thinking maybe it is heat exhaustion or something, lots of water. By 5 am this morning he is screaming due to nightmares, shaking, sweating and running a 102 temp. The Motrin brought it back down and I have exactly 25 minutes before his drs office starts taking calls on Sundays.

If you are the praying type - please pray its nothing big. Us all staying home for 5 days is a bit detrimental to our saving money thing and just plain miserable in general so we are really hoping that its nothing (aka Influenza A or swine flu). In the meantime this mean mommy is trying to make up for being mean with ice water, washclothes and drs appts! Oops...

In with the new...

We talked about waiting until we found a house to replace any furniture BUT we are so sick of having a dirty looking table. It always has fingerprints and smudges and just stuff...so that combined with a great deal on the new set spurred us to move early. It also has one of those butterfly leaves that folds right into the table which I love. Hoping to get a pretty runner soon and change the centerpiece based on season but for now I am just glad its out of the gillion boxes it was in and ready for use!

Old table:



New table:

Fun Finds

Family Fun's Halloween Food Page, my kids love silly things like this and it has a ton of easy and even a bunch of really healthy snacks made into creepy Halloween feeling shapes!

Decent prices, cute stuff, boutique feel, new at Westshore Mall: Francesca's

This hilarious recap of the top 100 YouTube videos is worth the 4 minutes it takes to check out. From "Evolution of Dance" to hilarious stunts gone wrong this is like a fast forward of America's Funniest Videos. Enjoy!

Birthdays, Bikes, Baseball and Baking

Tristan got a "grown up" bike for his birthday complete with much desired hand brakes. He got tons of other awesome gifts from lots of generous friends and family (pictured - Bakugans from Grandma DiPiero). His birthday party was fun with just a few mild disasters, aka Florida rain storm, but the kids had fun with a pinata, making fun foam pennants, having a home run derby and eating hot dogs and pizza. Then Monday was playdate day so the kids each had some friends over - Tori and her friends Sydney and Rebecca baked chocolate chip cookies all by themselves (except the oven part) and they were delicious. Lots of fun later amidst the craziness!