Big Things for Our Big Girl!

On Madison's first report card with official grades she got 4 A's and a B. One of the A's was in math which is her hardest subject. We were so thrilled with her. She has an awesome teacher! She couldn't say enough wonderful things about Madison. She said she was bright, beautiful, well manner and liked by her classmates. She said that Madison is the kind of kid that every teacher wants to have in their classroom. I was elated! We have had our challenges since Madison started school. But it was obvious at that moment that with patience, determination and love things fell into place. I was excited to get the opportunity to lead a literature circle group with 6 advanced readers from Madison's class. As a teacher with a passion for teaching reading, it is such a thrill when your own child is excelling in reading. I love teaching first graders how to read, but meeting with a third grade literature circle group has been a refreshing change. The discussions have been awesome! I'm looking forward to meeting with the group for the rest of the year. Madison has had some big events over the past few months. She was chosen to read a line at the Veteran's program at her school. She did a beautiful job. She decided that she wanted to participate in the science fair for the first time. She decided that she wanted to do a project related to chemistry, so we went to the library and did a little research. She chose to make crystals. It was a learning process for both of us. It was also an opportunity to see how much alike she and I are. We both like to be in control. It was a a challenge for me finding a balance between giving her the appropriate level of support and giving her the reins. I don't think either one of us realized how much time and work it was going to be. There were some bumps along the way but in the end we were both so glad that she was able to have the experience. She was nervous about having to be interviewed by a judge. Another likeness that she and I share! But I talked her through it and she said it was easier than she thought. She enjoyed being able to share her project and seeing all the other displays. She ended up with an outstanding achievement award. We were so proud of her! But most of all she was proud of herself! There are many changes that I'm getting used to as Madison gets older. She is done with happy meals, wants to wear her hair down instead of the ever popular pony tail and comments regularly "Mom! I'm too old for that!". She is thrilled to have her own room and her own space now. But every night she insists on listening to the same lullaby CD that I played for her as a baby. I will cherish that for as long as it lasts. I fear that it won't be for much longer! She is such a lovely long lady!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were happy to have the chance to host Thanksgiving dinner again this year for the Scott family. We'll felt honored that everyone wanted to come back again. It made us feel like we must have done a good job last year for the first Thanksgiving in our home. The pressure was on again. This year we weren't going to have help with the turkey and stuffing. It was all up to us. I am happy to say that everything turned out delicious! Duane and I talked about how much it meant to us that the girls were so excited about Thanksgiving. They were probably even a little more excited than they were for Christmas. They love having all of the family here for the holiday. I love having special traditions with them and making memories in our own house. Everyone arrived around the same time and the house was full of hugs, kisses and laughter. There were 16 of us all together. We were very cozy but comfortable. My favorite part again this year was during the last 30 minutes of preparing the meal. All the adults were huddled in our kitchen and everyone was busying themselves with some task to help get the meal finished and on the table. The kids entertained themselves with toys and playing the Wii. We didn't have to mediate even once. Duane brought a projector home and they watched a movie on the big screen later that night. Everyone had full bellies and happy hearts! It was another great Thanksgiving with much to be thankful for. I'd love to continue having Thanksgiving here!

Duane's First Marathon

Duane decided several months ago that he wanted to run a marathon and I had no doubt in my mind that he could. He decided to do the Airforce Marathon. So he started going for long runs on Saturday mornings with a group that meets up at a runners supply store called Up and Running. It two minutes from our house. When I say long runs, we're talking 15 plus miles. He's met some great people through the running group. This was in addition to some short run around 6 miles during the week at work. To me 6 miles is a long run! But not to the energizer bunny:) As the day of the run got closer, I felt myself getting more and more nervous. You would have thought that I was running the race! That week the girls and I made a big banner and some signs. Duane and I did our best to figure out a good spot to watch for him. The girls and I along with Aunt Susan who came for a visit piled in the car and headed towards the Nutter Center. A luck would have it, I missed the turn for the Nutter Center parking lot and we ended up finding an awesome place to set up camp. We parked in a near by neighborhood, then made a 5 minute walk at the end of an off ramp where the runners were exciting the highway. I was so worried that we missed him, but I kept my fingers crossed. Sure enough, about 10 minutes later he came in to view. I can not put to word the proud that I felt in my heart for Duane at that moment. I almost burst into tears. At that point he had already run 22 miles and I was so glad that we were there to cheer him on and give him a boost for the last 4 miles. We all yelled and cheered as loud as we could as we waved our signs. What a moment for our family! I'll never forget it! But the moment didn't last because we had our own race to run. While Duane was finishing up his last four mile, we ran back to the car, loaded up, drove to the Air Force Museum, got on a shuttle bus and made it to the finish line, literally with in two minutes of Duane crossing the finish line. I was amazed that we made it were able to see the end of his race. He was clearly exhausted, but was standing on two feet. He finished the run in just over 4 hours. Of course he wished he could have done it under 4 hours. That;s just crazy talk to me! That is outstanding for a first time marathon runner! When he got home we had a finish line waiting for him to cross as he pulled his car into the garage. I guess you can say that lots of people run a marathon. But it's all the more special that Duane was able to train and never sacrifice his time with his family. I'm so proud of him and so glad that we could all be a part of such a special day for him. He continues to be an inspiration to me and such a wonderful example to his daughters.

October Birthday Celebrations!

The week before Mallory's birthday, the swine flu hit our house. Madison had a confirmed case so we had to reschedule Mallory's party for the following weekend. Next Mallory and I ended up getting sick too. Unfortunately she was not feeling great on her birthday. But she hung in there enough to go to dinner at Applebee's and open her gifts and have some ice cream cake. By the following week, everyone was feeling much better and we were able to have a quaint, little tea party for her. Like always we were juggling schedules while in the process of preparing for her party. Madison and Duane were finishing up a soccer tournament while the rest of us were volunteering in the church nursery that morning. When we all got home we went straight into party mode. We were happy to have the Nels girls there along with our girls. Everyone picked out some dress up clothes and got fancied up with special make-up. Then we had ourselves a grand tea party. Afterwards everyone made a princess crown and spent the rest of the time playing. It was the most low stress birthday party I've ever carried out. I really enjoyed planning the party and transforming our dinning room into a tea room with odds and ends I found around the house. It was awesome! Everyone had fun and I could actually relax and enjoy the party myself. Mallory looked like the bell of the ball. It didn't matter to her if there were 5 kids or 50. She knew she was special and that was the most important thing. I can't believe my sweet, baby girl is 3! She's growing up so fast! We celebrated Duane's 37th birthday with a family dinner and carrot cake. It took me a year, but I finally managed to get him the bicycle helmet he has been wanting along with a few good books. Now a days the kids get all the bells and whistles:)

Fall Fun!

Indian summer didn't happen in Ohio this year. It turned cool in mid-September and it stayed that way. More crispy fall days to enjoy and a change in wardrobe just a little sooner than expected. We enjoyed a nice warm day when we went to Popcorn Festival after one of Madison's soccer tournament in Beavercreek. PVN had a "Little Elks" Rally. This was Molly's first official school activity. We had fun playing games and doing crafts. We made a trip to Windmill farm again. The hayride was as crazy as ever not to mention quite smelly! We had gotten a lot of rain and it was very muddy. The girls got to pick their own pumpkins. They picked pumpkins out that matched their size. Small, medium and large. We enjoyed caramel apples, cider and kettle corn after the hayride. We visited Treadway Gardens to pick up some special things to decorate the yard for the fall season. We bought some mums, pumpkins, a corn stalk and a bale of hay. The girls enjoyed decorating the house inside and out. The month of October was unkind to us with illness. No one in the house escaped it. We had two family photo shoots with Jodee, the first at Cox Arboretum and the second in a beautiful spot in Waynesville. Mallory wasn't feeling well at the first shoot, she we had to make a second attempt at a group shot. And we got a great one! Jodee did such an awesome job! It was the perfect time of year for an outdoor picture! Luckily the weather held out and we were able to make it back to Tom's Corn Maze. It was 73 degrees, but windy and cloudy. We started out when it was light and finished in the dark. We used the light from the camera to get us through the last 3 sections of the maze. It was pretty dark and pretty muddy. The girls were a little scared in the dark, but Duane and I thought it was pretty cool. We all did a dance on the victory bridge when we finished. The next day was Halloween. We got the girls all dressed up in their costumes. Mallory was a China doll. She wore the pajamas that Duane brought home from a trip to China. Molly was Super girl. She made the perfect Super girl! Madison was Hermione from Harry Potter. She had a striking resemblance too! We started out with the Oakes family and meet up later with the Winfields and the other Scott family. It was a blast. All three girls had special friends their age to trick-or-treat with. Plus it was great for us to catch up with friends. After trick-or-treat we had the Oakes over for some Halloween "spirits". The kids had a great time playing and we enjoyed visiting with our favorite neighbors. The kids really made the best of the daylight hours. They played outside with the neigbors kids as much as possible. We enjoyed the fall!

The First Broken Bone!

Duane and I both knew that the day would come when one of the kids would end up with a broken bone. When we the last appointment with Dr. Albers, our pediatric orthopedist, when Molly had congenital hip dysplasia when she was a baby, we joked that it probably wouldn't be the last time that we'd be in that office. And we were right. Earlier this week Duane and I divided and conquered as we do so many times. I went to an exercise class and he took the girls to Madison's soccer training. They played at the playground while Madison was at training. This past spring Molly was so proud because she finally mastered the monkey bars. She was showing her skills when she lost her grip and fell. She landed on her arm. She cried a little and complained that it hurt. But she could bend it and it didn't look swollen. She woke up that night in tears. So Duane gave her some ice and some Motrin. That seemed to do the trick. So we sent her to school the next morning, still thinking it was probably just bruised. That evening she was really complaining of pain. So I decided to take her to Children's to have it x-rayed after Duane got home from work. In the mean time Madison and I had a blow up because she forgot her homework and her coat at school for the third time in two weeks, Duane had a flat tire on the way home from work and I discovered that the toilet overflowed "again", only this time it damaged the ceiling in laundry room. I was at the end of my rope and was ready to hang myself with what was left of it! Finally Molly and I headed Children's. I was still convinced that it couldn't be broken, but I had to confirm it. It was a two hour wait and the waiting room was packed with every kind of flu and infection you could think of. We came with a sore wrist and I dreaded what we would leave it. But it's these times that you have to really appreciate the kindness of others. After 30 minutes the x-ray tech came out and took us back for x-rays, bumping us way ahead of all the sick cases. She said she couldn't stand the idea of a healthy kids being exposed to all that sickness. I was so grateful! They took the x-rays and sure enough, it that sweet, little wrist was fractured in 2 places. I couldn't believe it. Of course even though I probably handled it like most mothers would have, I felt terribly guilty for not bringing her sooner. The doctor assured me that I did every thing. I just couldn't believe how tough she was! They splinted her wrist and we made an appointment with the orthopedist for a few days later. She rarely complained of being in pain. It was a challenge keeping it dry during showers but we managed with a little creativity. Plastic wrap and a plastic grocery bag worked nicely:) We decided on a hot pink water proof cast. It was a little extra for the water proof cast, but it was well worth it! The doctor said they were minor fracture and she only needs to keep the cast on for 3 weeks. Even though we wish that Molly wouldn't have gotten hurt, we were very lucky. She should be as good as new in a few weeks. It takes a lot to keep our Molly girl down! This was just a bump in the road for her thank goodness!

Back To School

Another summer has passed and back to school we all go! What a time of great excitement for everyone. Madison is now a third grader. Molly was began a new adventure in Kindergarten and Mallory started preschool for the very first time. I began another blessed year of job sharing with Jodee in First Grade. We had 4 open houses to go to the first week of school. It was a busy time, but I enjoyed seeing each of the girls faces as they visited their schools and meet their teachers on their special nights. Coincidentally, Molly's teacher, Mrs. Matthews, is a member at Pleasant Hill. So she had the chance to meet her a little early. Madison was excited about her teacher, Mrs. Huelsman, because her class last year had been reading buddies with her new teachers class. It was a comfort to her that she already knew her. Mallory was just thrilled to be in school. She walked in and got right down to business playing with toys. She didn't want to leave. Her teacher Mrs. Blankenship has been teaching at the same school for 32 years. All three teachers seem like wonderful women. Everyone picked out their first day outfits and we did the best we could to get in bed on time. I was so happy to be there in the morning to see the girls off to school. Molly was rising the bus for the first time. This of course was a very big deal! It was so hard to believe that I was sending another one of my girls off to Kindergarten. I shed a tear or two for Molly just like I did for Madison. It was even more of an adjustment for me getting used to Mallory being a preschooler. My baby is in school now! All of my girls are in school! Mallory's first day, it felt so strange being home alone. It was so quiet! But I don't have any trouble finding things to keep me busy. On my days off we walk up and meet Madison after school. They cut her busing this year. It hasn't been that bad. Eventually she won't need me to meet her and she can walk on her own. Mallory insists of seeing Molly off in the morning. I love watching her get on the bus. She is really enjoying Kindergarten. When I drop Mallory off at school I can't help but pick around the corner and watch her for a few minutes. She is so full of life and enthusiasm. She fits right in at school. Another year begins. I have enjoyed my new class as well. Many sweet kids and nice families. That always makes for a successful year. I wish my girls a happy and fulfilling year.

Labor Day Weekend

Our Labor Day weekend revolved around lots of soccer. Madison had a tournament called the Mead Cup. She played 3 games and Duane assistant coached the games and volunteered as a field marshall for 3 hours one of the days. Unfortunately they lost all three games against some pretty tough competition. But it was a learning expereince. Madison is used to winning since she has been on such talented teams in the past. Now there is a lot more talent to play against on the select teams. She needs to start uping her game a little. On Monday we wanted to have a family day since we had a break from soccer. Duane and I were very ambitious, considering the weather channel was forecasting rain for most of the day. But we decided it would be pointless to sit at home to wait and see if it would rain. So we packed up the bikes and headed to Yellow Springs to ride on the trails. We packed lunch and stopped by the side of the trail and had lunch about 3 and a half miles into the trip. Mallory had fallen asleep, but woke up in time to join us for lunch. After lunch we decided to go a little farther. It was Molly's first time on the trail on two wheels so she was able to kept a pretty steady pace with us. It was great having time to be outside and just talk together. I'm so glad that the girls love outdoor activities. We managed to avoid the rain until the minute we pulled into the parking lot after a 10 mile ride. Mooly did her "happy dance" because she was ready to be off the bike after a long ride. We went to Young's Dairy for some ice cream. The girls got to pet the goats and ride on a makeshift train. Luckily the rain didn't last. We decided to take a short hike through Clifton Gorge, still with the threat of rain looming. We managed to stay dry again and ended up hiking about 5 miles. I had never been in the gorge on a cloudy day before. It got pretty dark once we made it to the bottom. I had a blast listening to Madison and Molly pretending they were characters from the Chronicles of Narnia, British accents and all. Mallory walked a good part of the hike, but Duane got an extra workout carrying her some of the way. All and all everyone faired very well considering the amount of activity we squeezed into one day. Clifton Gorge is such a pretty place. I hope we can get back there later in the fall when they leaves have changed. We were all tired an hungry after a long day, so we ended the great day with dinner at Waffle House, one of our favorite places to eat. It was a truly wonderful family day and a day to be very grateful for so many blessings.