Keeping up with the Stireks

Colts Game

2009-12-29T19:30:00.000-08:00

For Joel's birthday I bought him tickets to see the Indianapolis Colts play the Tennessee Titans. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and instead of buying tickets for the game in Nashville I bought ones for Indianapolis. I think Joel really enjoyed seeing the "greatest quarterback of all time" on his own field. So it worked out for all involved!

Belle's Dance Recital

2009-12-29T19:21:00.000-08:00

Belle had her first dance recital on December 13, 2009. She did a great job and looked absolutely adorable. The recital raised money for the American Cancer Society. We were so proud of her.

And here she is in true Belle form!

Chicago

2009-11-29T09:09:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time in Chicago. It was actually very relaxing. We did a lot of walking, some shopping, sightseeing and hanging out at the hotel. Josh and Belle went on their first cab ride. Josh thought the first cabbie was rude and Belle thought his car stunk! We would like to go back and see the museums and Navy Pier.

Yes this picture was taken at the top of the Sears Tower looking down. The left side of the picture is the actual building. How did I get this picture...

This is how... The sky deck has 4 glass encased boxes that extend from the building. You can walk out and take pictures. Belle had no problem and thought it was really neat. Josh was nervous and had trouble stepping out. It really plays with your mind. I was not nervous at all until I went to step out on it and completely froze. I couldn't do it. So I got lots of pictures. I did take the picture above and it really freaked me out.

Looking out the windows of the Sky Deck

Eating Chicago style pizza at Gino's East.

Our hotel-the Sheraton

This guy was so good. He could stand like a statue for a really long time.

Look real close that is the kids at the feet of the man!

American Girl

2009-11-29T08:54:00.001-08:00

Belle had her first experience with American Girl Dolls. She was in doll heaven. She immediately found the doll she wanted and started finding outfits. This place was amazing. It had window displays all over the store. Upstairs there was a salon where your doll could get their hair fixed and their ears pierced. You could get your picture taken and have tea with your doll. Next time we go we will make reservations to do some of the other activities. Poor Josh did not want to even look at the store. At one point we had to walk through it to get outside and he said oh thank god there are other men in here.

One of the window displays outside of the store

Belle with her doll at the hotel.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving with Joel's Aunt Cindy and her family. It was a short visit, but we had a lot of fun. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and had a great dinner. Belle latched on to Kelly who played lots of Polly Pockets with her. Josh and Meg became fast buddies again. Thanksgiving dinner was delicious. There were 26 people at dinner. They set up one very long table and it was so much fun laughing with friends and family.

Kelly and Belle coloring

Josh helping with the Turkey!

Lego Discovery Center

2009-11-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

The week of Thanksgiving we went to Schaumburg to the Lego center. It so neat to see everything made out of Legos. The kids had a ton of fun. They had rides, workshops and 3D movies. Of course the best part for Josh was the Lego store.

They had a room that was a replica of Chicago made out of legos of course! The detail was amazing. The lights even replicated the sun. So every 5 minutes or so the sun would rise and then set and the lights in the city would come on. It was neat later in the week when we were downtown and the kids could see the actual buildings that they saw here in legos.

Josh would have spent all day here. He just studied every little detail.

Josh and Indiana Jones. You cant tell in the photo, but it really did look like Harrison Ford.

Joel's Building

2009-11-29T08:22:00.000-08:00

We are finally seeing progress on Joel's building! They are in the process of bricking the building. Then the parking lot, driveway and curb will go in. Joel hopes to be moved in in 3-4 weeks!

Halloween

2009-11-29T08:10:00.000-08:00

Joel's parents came down for Halloween. They were able to have lunch with the kids and also help with Belle's Halloween party at school. Grandma went trick or treating while Mustache handed out candy. Joel and I went out to dinner with friends and had a great time!

Josh spent a lot of time thinking about what he wanted to be for Halloween. He finally decided to be a Knight.

Belle changed her mind about 10 times before she decided to be a Cowgirl.

Going to the Farm!

2009-11-29T08:02:00.000-08:00

Belle went on her first field trip in kindergarten to Cedar Hill Farms. She had so much fun, they did the corn maze, picked pumpkins, rode horses, watched pig races and fed the animals.

Belle Posing!

Abbey, Belle and Ashlyn. I just love this picture.

Lost Tooth

2009-11-29T07:44:00.000-08:00

My baby lost her first tooth in October! Seems like yesterday that those little teeth were busting through the gums!

Disney on Ice

2009-10-11T06:31:00.000-07:00

Belle and I went and saw Disney on Ice. The boys were away on their first Cub Scout camp out, so we had a girls night out. It was so much fun and Belle loved it too:) As you can see she has her Tinkerbelle fairy hat on. We enjoyed the characters from Cars. The crowd went wild when the Mater came out onto the ice.

Meet the Teacher

2009-08-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

Josh's teacher--Mrs. Bridges

Josh started 3rd grade this year. He has an awesome teacher that seems very fair.

Belle has Mrs. Danielle. We are very happy about her teacher. Josh also had her and we know what to expect from her.

PCB

2009-08-29T18:45:00.001-07:00

We spent about a week in Panama City, FL. It was very nice and relaxing. Joel was unable to go with us so I invited my friend Shawn. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed just relaxing!

Yes this was totally staged! They did not all of a sudden decide that they liked each other and wanted to hold hands. I bribed them with crab hunting!

They had so much fun searching for little crabs. These things are small and fast. Josh was great at this and Belle even got into it and had no problem picking them up.

We spent one day at Shell Island and had a great time finding lots of Sand Dollars, shells and other interesting items! The kids loved this and we all decided this was definitely a place to visit again.

Josh buried in the sand. We even added small boobs, which the kids thought was very funny!

Cubstruction

2009-07-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

Josh and his friend Noah at Cub Scout day camp. Josh and 3 other boys went to camp. I drove them to Eudora, MS everyday for a week. The things you learn about boys when you are stuck in an enclosed area for 45 minutes each way!

The last day they had a program for the parents. Josh and Noah were supposed to do a puppet show, but their leader cancelled them. So they will do it in the fall for their pack.

We finally get a permit!!!!!

2009-07-12T19:57:00.001-07:00

Well Joel was finally able to pull a permit for his property. He will start moving dirt around on Monday and that is as far as he gets to go...I didn't say he got a building permit. We hope that by the end of this week he will have a building permit. As some of you know it has been a big struggle with the city of Olive Branch. Now the battle is over having to pave in the back and putting in a glass door. You'd think the city would have better things to be concerned about, but apparently they do not.

This will be the last time this section of the 6 acres will look like this!

We plan to document the process with pictures so check back often!

When the kids are away the parents will play...

2009-07-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

As most of you already know the kids spent 10 days in Michigan with their Grandparents. While they were gone Joel and I had a nice relaxing vacation filled with dinners out, long walks, late nights talking and watching movies...If I knew how to make a screeching sound with words I would insert that sound here and then rewind the last paragraph to the part that say, "While they were gone..." Well while they were gone we worked out butts off redoing their rooms. We emptied everything out, painted the walls and the trim, floored both rooms, ordered furniture and decorated. It was a crazy week and one I hope to never repeat when my children are away. Even Joel looked at me, the man that is a workaholic, and said, "this feels like work." Here are the finished products. We didn't finish hanging Josh's stuff on the walls because we wanted his input so we will finish that this week.

His bunk bed and stairs that go to the top. Lizards are on his quilt. The bottom part is like a little club house and he has decided to put his no girls sign there!

On the left bottom side is his Lego city. You can barely see it, but he was happy to see it still in his room.

Josh was completely shocked and we sudden became the best parents in the world. They had no idea we were doing this. We had them pick out the furniture, but they had no idea that it would be there when they got home.

I have to say I love her room. The pictures on both rooms don't do them justice. I love her colors.

She starting running around the room like a nut!

Those that know Belle know she either will love it or not notice it. She walked in and said, "What the heck!" (Which I absolutely hate) Where is the green stuff. I thought to my self the money is all at the store:) (She meant the sage green paint she used to have) She was all kisses and loved her room. She loves the color lellow!(no that isn't a typo)

They are happy to be home, but had a ton of fun and were filled with lots of stories. Belle's favorite part of her trip...going to Target and buying the dog a treat. (She is crazy) Josh loved the airplane museum that he went with Grandpa and Uncle Todd. Joel and I enjoyed or time alone. Next year we'd like to do something fun, but we both have a feeling that we will be working on our new house. We get our preliminary drawings in about 10 days. Cant wait!

Michigan

2009-07-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

The kids and I drove to Michigan this week. They are spending a week and a half with their Grandparents. The kids enjoyed visiting the town I grew up in. We drove by my old schools and houses. Nothing has really changed. They still have the signs that my dad carved in our old subdivision. It was neat to point them out to Belle. Of course she said, "I miss PaPo, he was such a nice man." She cracks me up.

We also were able to visit with a handful of friends. It was nice to hear stories of my parents that I have never heard before this week. The kids loved swimming in the pools, hot tub and of course Lake Michigan. It was a great trip. After dropping off the kids, I was able to visit with my great friend Brandy. It was wonderful visiting with her and her awesome little girl Devi. We plan to do it again next year. Now I am enjoying some much needed alone time! The drive home was long, but nice. Imagine listening to any music or talk radio that you want! Now the fun begins. We are redoing the kids rooms while they are gone. We are trying to get the house prepared to eventually go on the market. Joel and I are looking forward to dinners alone, maybe a movie and our visit with the architect on Wed. The house is awfully quiet around here.

St. Joe had all of these Safari Stampede animals. Belle had to pose with everyone we passed. Check out the foot. She definitely knows how to work the camera

I basically had to bribe Josh to take his picture! Notice the sweatshirts. Yes it was the beginning of July and it was absolutely freezing! Upper 50's lower 60's, but don't worry we still spent time at the beach and the kids actually swam.

Silver Beach - St. Joe, Michigan

BRRRRR!!!

They experienced a wonderful sand storm Monday night when we went to check out the Lake. They did not enjoy it at all, but it don't stop them from wanting to go back the next day.

Tornado 2009

2009-06-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, June 12, 2009 the Mid-South was hit by some horrible storms. Although I have not seen the news or the weather I have heard that several tornadoes hit Olive Branch. They have been said to be about F2 tornadoes. The storm hit so quickly that we had no clue it was in our area. We knew that we were going to have some bad weather, but we thought we had about 10 minutes. Joel and I went outside and it started to sprinkle. By the time we got in the house it was pouring. I went to the back window and the wind picked up and our tree was basically on the ground and Belle's heavy plastic playhouse was picked up the wind and thrown. I yelled for Joel and we grabbed the kids and ran to the bathtub. We had small damage to our property. A portion of our fence was blown down and thrown into our neighbors yard. We are missing some shingles, but overall we were very lucky! Our street had several trees and fences ruined. We were out of power for 26 hours. Oh and if you scroll down to my next post you will see that Josh and Belle had their tonsils removed just the day before the storm. It was a long 26 hours. We were a little worried about Josh's fever spiking too high. He hit 101.3. The hot house did not help the situation. Luckily we had a generator and the kids were able to watch TV and eat ice cream. We hooked up our old window air unit, but even with that it was over 80 in the house. These are some picks from around O.B.

In a subdivision not too far from ours.
Turning onto the main road near our house. Olive Branch was completely dark Friday night and it was very spooky! When we rode around today we were able to basically track the path of 2 of the tornadoes.

This picture does not do a great job of showing the crazy mess on this street. This was the area that was hit the worst. This is right next to our middle school. The street and houses were covered with trees.

This is our neighbors tree that she lost. Joel was working on pulling it out of the ground with his truck. You can see the shingle damage on another neighbors house.

The sky was such an odd shade of orange shortly after the storm. We saw a beautiful double rainbow above our house. We are so thankful to God that we were safe and that no one was seriously injured. I cant even imagine going through a F3-F4 or F5 storm.

Tonsils, Adnoids and Turbinates Oh My or should I say Goodbye!

2009-06-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

These photos are totally out of order. You may want to scroll to the bottom of this postand work your way back up to the top. Josh and Belle had their tonsils and adnoids removed on Thursday. Josh also had his Turbinates worked on or removed not sure which. Belle has done great, but Josh has had more pain. They went into surgery around 8:30 and we were home around noon. Belle came out of recovery no problem, but Josh had a harder time. He was very combative and disoriented. His voice has changed and he is no longer snoring! Belle did so well that she had the nurses cracking up and she was riding her bike Thursday evening.

Josh resting on the couch the day of surgery!
Belle being wheeled to the car

Recovery Room

After surgery

Picking out her toy before surgery

Going into the bunny tunnel to pick out his toy.

Waiting for surgery. With these smiles you'd think they were going some place really fun!

Cub Scout Camp Kia Kima

2009-06-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

Josh and Joel went to camp in Arkansas at the end of May. They had a lot of fun, but there were a ton of ticks!

Josh and his buddies!
Large water slide

They played off the Indiana Jones theme. Arkansas Jones hid crystals all over camp. Josh was one of the few to find 2 crystals!

Josh and Joel at dinner

Josh's First Communion

2009-06-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Josh is on the bottom row all the way on the right
What a handsome boy!

Belle Turns Five

2009-06-13T21:29:00.001-07:00

Belle had her 5th birthday at Build a Bear. She invited about 14 friends and they had a great time. Belle picked out the Hannah Montana Bear of course!

Hannah Montana Cake
Each child picked out 2 hearts. Each of Belle's friends put a heart in her bear and then had one left over to put in their own. It is so sweet to think her bear is filled with love from her friends!

Belle with Caleb and Wyatt!

Graduation-PreK

2009-06-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Belle and her teacher Mrs. Kelly
We are so proud of you Belle!

Easter Festivities

2009-04-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Easter morning before church. Josh is cold and Belle just wants to pose for the camera! This Easter was much better than last Easter. Last year we had just lost my father and were planning his funeral. This year was relaxing and filled with good friends. Our neighbors came over along with their families and we had a fun Easter dinner.

She should be a flower girl

The kids did an Easter egg hunt at our church where the youth group hid 1500 hard boiled eggs. Then we had one at our house with plastic eggs. The kids enjoyed looking through the eggs and eating the candy, counting the quarters and reading the coupons hidden in the eggs.

Kindergarten Here We Come

2009-04-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, I registered Belle for Kindergarten. Hard to believe my baby is starting school. She was screened by Josh's Kindergarten teacher and she said that she was going to request that Belle be in her class. We are so thrilled that she will have her as a teacher. Now I need to figure out what I will do with all this free time! Any suggestions girls?

Honor Roll

2009-04-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

Josh made Honor Roll again this 9 weeks. We are very proud of him. Second grade has been a big adjustment for him. We are happy that there are only 27 days left of school until summer!

Bowling

2009-04-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

Belle's Pre-K class went on a field trip to the bowling alley. Belle was placed with a group of 3 boys. The boys were very concerned about winning and getting all the pins. Belle not so much. She would throw it and it would slowly roll down the alley. she would turn around and bounce back to the boys and not even look at what she knocked down.

Doesn't she look good in her pink tennis shoes and shirt! It is all about looking good.

My Father

2009-03-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

As I sit here thinking about what to write I have so many thoughts that pass through my mind. My dad was 70 when he passed away. He was a man of great integrity, honesty, wisdom and objectivity to name just a few of his great qualities. He loved his family, his country and God. He would have done anything for all three. My dad had a great smile. There are not many photos of him wearing that smile, but when you saw it you never forgot it. He could light a room with it. I remember his smile so well that it is like I saw it this morning.

Hard to believe that one year ago today he passed away. In some ways it feels like it was just yesterday. I can remember every detail of that day. I often replay it in my mind and wonder what I could have done differently. In the end I am just honored that I could spend the last few hours of his life with him.

In other ways it is so hard to believe it has only been a year. It seems like forever ago that I talked to him. To this day, I find myself thinking about things I want to tell him and ask him. You would think after a year this would fade, but it doesn't. I still feel like that little kid wanting that one hug, wanting to hear him call me buck-a-roo or bug, but those words and arms never appear.

Although we miss him terribly we know that he is in a better place. He died of a broken heart. My parents had a great love and my dad's grief after my mom passed was heart breaking. I still believe this. So although selfishly I want them here with me, I am glad that he has been reunited with my mom and they are looking down on us from above.

This has been a year of great growth for me. Learning to function through life without 2 of your greatest supporters has been very hard. When it comes down to it your parents are truly the only ones that love you unconditionally. No strings attached. Not having that "safety net" of comfort has been an adjustment. I am thankful that I have a wonderful husband, great kids and pretty good brothers:)

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

We all had a great Valentine's Day. Friday, the kids enjoyed parties at their school. I was able to attend Belle's party. She was so excited to pass out her cards. Joel and got a babysitter on Saturday and went out to eat at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse--YUMMY. We had an early reservation and after eating too much we went to the bookstore. It was one of the best days we have all had in a long time. The kids enjoyed having friends over and playing the wii. Joel and I enjoyed a nice relaxing evening with no kids!

Snow Day

2009-01-28T08:17:00.001-08:00

So for all my friends and family in the north that are wondering what a snow day in Mississippi looks like scroll down... Beware there is an awful lot of snow. It may blind you. Remember how treacherous rodes are when covered with snow...

Wow look at it all! Poor kids were so eager to get outside this morning. Yes they are trying to make snowballs. Josh actually made a ball the size of a basketball. He was working on a snowman, but he ran out of snow.

Wolf Scout

2009-01-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

Last Night Josh received his Wolf patch. He was very excited and has been working hard to earn it. Now he gets to start working on arrow points. I am not too thrilled about this because it means more things for me to sew onto his uniform.

Belle's Singing Debut

2009-01-26T16:37:00.000-08:00

The church where Belle attends Pre-K invited the children to sing at their Sunday evening service. The kids were really cute.

Happy New Year

2009-01-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

It was so nice to be with my brothers over New Year's Eve. After losing dad 9 months ago and it being the 5th anniversary of my mom's death it was just good to be around family that shared the same love for these 2 important people.

On a lighter note...We spent New Years Eve just chatting. The kids had fun playing and Belle and Jake were out by 10:30.

Atlanta Trip

2009-01-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

After Christmas, the kids and I drove to Atlanta where we spent 5 days with my brother Rich and his family. We went to the Georgia Aquarium and spent time at the park just being silly with my family.

The kids all get along really well. Belle found a new best friend in Ella. Someone to make goofy faces with.

Christmas Photos...Finally

2009-01-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

On Monday, Dec. 22nd, we spent the day in Clarksville, TN. with Joel's parents, aunt uncle and cousins. We had a nice Christmas dinner together. Kristie's husband is in the Army and is serving over seas.

Josh was able to try out his new bike that he got while we were in Nashville.

We had a gift exchange while we were there.

Josh shows the gift that he picked. He got a ladies razor set while Belle received the male razor set. It was pretty funny. Josh's expression was priceless. He swapped it for a toy.

On Christmas Eve, we went to mass where Josh sang in the children's choir. Afterward we came home where their Christmas pj's were waiting on the table for them. Each year Santa drops by while we are at church and leaves these for the kids. Then we ate dinner and let the kids open their gifts from each other.

It is so nice how sweet they are to each other on Christmas Eve, knowing Santa is watching:)

Opryland Hotel

2008-12-30T17:08:00.000-08:00

This post and pictures are a little backwards. If you scroll to the bottom you can read what this post is about...
On Saturday night, Belle got very sick with the stomach bug. As you see aove this as how she spent much of her vacation. We got our moneys worth out of that hotel.

Sunday night we went and saw the Rockettes. The show was awesome! They had a Nativity scene with real live animals that was real good. Even though Belle was still sick she loved the show. The above picture is the Grand Ole Opry where we saw the show

Look closely at this picture. Do you see the ladies face? She would walk on stilts around the hotel. She was a huge attraction.
Here is what was supposed to be the start of this post...

The weekend before Christmas we went to Nashville where we stayed at the Opryland hotel. Joel's parents met us there. We spent Saturday shopping and exploring the large hotel. You can see some photos of the hotel below.

Chicken Pox, Poison Ivy and Strep Oh My

2008-12-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

This year has been full of many trips to the doctors office for both Belle and Josh. With Belle's asthma flaring up and Josh getting poison Ivy twice, and now just getting over chicken pox and strep, my car should automatically know how to get to the dr. office. Luckily Josh did not have chicken pox to bad, but he was still out a week with the "pops" as they call them and with Strep. Below is Josh's face from poison ivy. This was 2 days after he received a shot to clear it up.

Check out the next post to see what we did on his week off of school with the "pops". And if you are wondering--Josh did get the chicken pox vaccine.

Christmas Events

2008-12-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

Can "ya'll" believe another Christmas is just around the corner? We have been busy preparing the house for the holidays. Check out the pictures below...

Joel's mom made us this beautiful stockings. Everyone that sees them raves at how beautiful they are. They are huge and look great hanging from our fireplace.

Above our fireplace we have this large cut out. Normal people put their TV, ours is strictly there for my Snow Village. Joel made shelves so that we have a place for all my pieces. If you look at the very top Graceland overlooks all of the village. The king reigns over all:) My mom bought this one for me when we first moved to the Memphis area. Each year I receive a new piece from Joel. This year I have had added some of my mom's pieces and so we had to annex the top of our entertainment center.

Josh has been home with the chicken pox all week. It has actually been nice having him home. we mad sugar cookies one day and decorated them the next day. As you see above Belle is decorating her star with a big blob of green frosting.

Today the kids decorated their gingerbread houses.

The Christmas parade--Once again Josh was in the Christmas parade. This year it was for his Cub Scout Pack 234. Joel volunteered to pull the float. So of course we had to include a picture of his truck, his love! I think he was more excited to have it in the parade then the kids. HAHA!

The kids spent the morning at Home Depot decorating the trailer. The did a great job. Josh is in the middle of the picture, right above the Christmas tree someone drew. Josh ended up walking the entire parade route handing out candy. That evening he broke out with Chicken Pox and Strep throat. We laughed that he infected all of Olive Branch in a matter of an hour!

What Have We Been Doing?

2008-11-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all! We are up and running again on the blog. I have missed filling all of you in on our daily lives. We have been very busy with school, Cub Scouts, and work. We spent A very quiet day at home with too much food! Although this year has had its ups and downs we are very blessed with all the family and friends that we have. We are looking forward to a peaceful Holiday season and a very blessed and successful New Year.
Josh's sleep over for his birthday. Unfortunately, another boy that was invited had the chicken pox!

Josh turned 8 on Nov. 6th. Hard to believe he is 8 years old. we bought him a BB gun, which he was so surprised about.

Halloween-Josh as a Clone Trooper, along with every 8 year old in Olive Branch and Belle as a pink poodle.

The next few pictures are from our trip to Gatlinburg over Fall Break. We went with my friend Mary and her 3 girls. We had a ton of fun. The picture above was taken when we stopped along the road and let the kids play in the creek.

Josh was able to experience in door sky-diving. He was the only one that would do it and he absolutely loved it. This was taken a few minutes before going into the room.

This is very hard to see, but this is Josh sky-diving. His instructor is the other blob in the photo.

This was taken as we headed down the tram from UberGatlinburg. Absolutely breath-taking.

Josh going to his Cub Scout meeting. At his next Pack Meeting he will get his Wolf Badge! At Josh's last camp out he caught a nasty case of Poison Ivy or Oak. He had it all over his face

Cub Scouts

2008-09-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well, unfortunately Joel's wireless card is broken so I am posting from my computer, which means no photos. So I will just have to be very vivid with my words!

Josh joined Cub Scouts this year. He absolutely loves it. He has worked hard and will receive a badge tomorrow at his pack meeting. He is currently working on his Wolf badge. He has a book and there are several items that he works on to receive his badge.

Josh and Joel went camping a couple of weeks ago for Cub Scouts. Josh had a blast, shooting a BB gun and a bow and arrow. The Boy Scouts set up a rope bridge. Both Josh and Joel were able to do that. Josh with much encouragement. Joel went on it and almost fell off (I know you are wishing you could see that picture, me too! Joel had the camera in his pocket). I knew I should have gone. Next month they will be in Tunica for Base Camp. They are estimating that 10,000 people will be there. This has been great bonding time for Josh and Joel. Now if I could just figure out how to smuggle Belle in it would be great mom alone time!

Growing Up Witucki

2008-09-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

For all of you that don't know my maiden name is Witucki(Wa-too-key)and I was raised about a mile from Lake Michigan. Most of you hear the word lake and images of a small body of water come to mind, but this is not true of the Great Lakes. I have a lot of great memories. We used to spend hours at the beach swimming when we were little, sledding on the dunes in the winter, tanning as teenagers, camping and star gazing. Many events happened there, homecoming, post prom parties, and senior pictures. That is the one thing I miss about growing up in Michigan and it is sad to me that my children will not have these same experiences. The town I grew up in was located across the lake from Chicago. On very clear nights you could see the glow of the Chicago skyline. I do not ever remember seeing such a clear view of Chicago as the one below. If you look at the sun you will see small buildings lining the horizon. It may not seem like a big deal, but believe me this is a rare shot. If you can get a full page picture you can really see the buildings.

Mean Brothers

2008-09-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

This is just a side note to my last post... Growing up I had a fish, that of course died. When I went to my room I noticed it was gone. So I went to my brother Chris, he came and looked and confirmed that it was no longer in the bowl. He started looking around on the floor. He told me it must have jumped out and sent me on a wild chase looking for the fish. After several minutes of looking my mom came in and told me that the fish had gone down the sink when they were cleaning the bowl. Gee, don't you love brothers. I am sure he did that to keep me busy so I would not bug him.

He's Going to be a Priest

2008-09-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

Oh how proud I am of my son. On Friday, Belle won a fish at the fair. She was so proud of it and named it Nemo. Well, today it died. She was absolutely devastated! Josh, in his short life, has had to deal with a lot of death in his 7 years, he's lost 2 grandparents, a hamster, some fish, and of course the beloved Bobo Fett action figure from Star Wars (read on to hear this story). After I spent several minutes holding and trying to comfort her, Josh took charge of the situation. He put his arm around her and was try to comfort her. After about ten minutes of crying, Belle decided to paint. So they both were painting, Belle of course was still crying, the next thing I knew Josh was sitting on the chair with her. I ducked behind the corner to watch and listen This is how the conversation went:

Belle, I know you are sad about Nemo, it is ok because he is in RIP. Do you know what that means? (At this point she had stopped crying because he voice was so soothing he was rubbing her bac too). Sometime you see these stones that have RIP on them. That means rest in peace. Nemo is in peace now and he does not hurt. Do you know where peace is? It is heaven. Good guys go up to heaven. Nemo is with Grandpa and Ed(the hamster) and he does not hurt anymore. The bad guys go down, like the robbers. And that was it, no more crying.

I was so proud of him. Yesterday, we were reading about your attitude and how Jesus wants you to act as He would, when he was done talking to Belle I told him how proud I was of him and how Jesus would be proud that his actions were very Christ like. Josh knew Belle's pain and could relate and console her. He has always had this understanding of death and can speak about it with an eloquence that is odd for a child of his age. A few years ago he had the action figure that I discussed earlier. It had lost a leg or something and he was so upset, he wanted to bury it. The next thing we know he is conducting a funeral in the backyard, with me, Joel, my dad and a few neighbors. We all had to say some words, he made a cross and put flowers on the grave. My dad was very impressed with this makeshift funeral. By the end of the night he was calling Josh, Father Josh. Hmm...Fr. Josh, oh but what about the girls. I guess time will tell.

Following in Her Brothers Footsteps-Well, Sort Of

2008-09-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

Belle followed in her brothers footsteps today by starting school. Unlike Josh, she loves school. I picked her up in car rider line from Pre-K and she was just glowing. She would not stop talking about her teacher Mrs. Kelly, the book about chickens that they ready and the balls they bounced at recess. What a relief! I prayed that she would enjoy it. In a very Josh like moment she looked in her book bag and did not see her folder. She freaked out and was very dramatic about having homework and needing to do it. Lets hope she will enjoy doing it better than big brother. We found the folder and she was very happy. When Josh arrived home from school he went right to Belle and asked how school was. When she said good he looked shocked. I think he was hoping she would hate it just like he claims he does!

Typical 1st day photo.

Belle's teacher Mrs. Kelly

Oh and did I tell you we had to play school the rest of the afternoon. She got to be Mrs. Kelly, except she kept having to ask what her name was. By the end of the night she had it down!

Labor Day- Give Me the Epidural!

2008-08-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day! In honor of Labor Day, I thought I would revisit my labor with our two beautiful children.

My labor with Josh stared three weeks before my due date on Monday morning at 7:00 when my water broke. The date was Nov. 6th the day before the elections. Most of you know that Joel and I only have children in election years, 2000/2004. Technically this should be a birth year. So imagine our excitement that our son was born the day before George W. Bush would be elected into office. Of course this was the election that would go down in history. We should have named him Chad!

Joel returned from work, showered and dressed in his Bush- Cheney t-shirt and off to the doctors office we went. It was a windy, overcast fall day. The first cool day we had had in a while. We were admitted. Contractions came, epidural followed:), heart beat dropped. Our doctor was wonderful, she tried everything to get his heart beat right where it should be. Shortly after 5:00 they decided to do a C-section as they feared his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Joel quickly dressed into his scrubs and off we went to have our baby. We had a fabulous nurse that was supposed to go off duty at 6:00, but she stayed through the surgery. Joshua Ethan was born at 6:26 pm weighing 7lbs 14 oz. The doctors checked out our beautiful little Josh and let Joel carry him to recovery with us. He was so perfect since he never entered the birth canal (of course I am a bit biased). Josh loves to hear the part about me getting sick to my stomach and almost vomiting on him. Luckily, Joel moved fast.

Oh my little Belle was a different story. She waited until her scheduled c-section to make her appearance. The night before her birth date we spent a nice family evening together. A family that would soon increase by one. We awoke very early on the morning of Wednesday May 26th to travel to the hospital. They prepped me and off to the OR I went. Joel waited outside while I was given a spinal. The spinal was much easier to recover from than an epidural. Joel came in and at 8:06 am, little Isabelle JoAnn(named after my mom)was born weighing 7lbs. 4oz. The first comment made by the nurse, WOW look at how long her fingers are.

Josh came to visit and was more excited about the toilet in my room, than he was about his new sister. He helped feed her, but at 3 1/2 he was just bouncing off the walls. A special moment that I'll never forget was when Joel, Josh and my brother left the room and my dad stayed behind in awe of his new granddaughter. The look of bitter sweetness gleaming in his eyes. He told me how proud he was and with a choked up voice he left the room.

No crazy labor stories here where Joel has to pull over on the highway to deliver a baby while talking to a 911 operator, but miraculous to us as God gives us the gift of life in two little souls that give us great joy.

I encourage my other mom friends to revisit their labor stories on their blogs!

Elmo Grows Up

2008-08-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Belle and I had a girls day out. She starts school on Wednesday so I though this would be a nice end of the summer celebration. She loved it and frankly, so did I. It was at the Desoto Civic Center at 10:30 in the morning. We had no trouble with parking, purchasing merchandise or finding our seats. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys going to shows. Belle clapped, danced, sang and waved at the characters. Afterward she gave me a big hug and a kiss and thanked me. That made it worth it all! She was excited the entire way home and we talked about how the characters showed us what they want to be when they grow up. Belle's favorite was Abra Cadabra, she wanted to be a fairy godmother.

On Thursday, Belle had her orientation for Pre-K. She really seemed to love it. She met her teacher, Mrs. Kelly. I believe our prayers have been answered and God has placed her right where she is meant to be. Belle went right in and started playing. There were several children that were scared, so I am comforted that Belle is not the only one in this same situation. They say there is strength in numbers. I see some girl bonding going on! Belle is talking about her school, but I am not sure she understands that I will not stay with her. Thankfully, I have complete trust and confidence in her teacher that even if she does not like it, I know she is being taken care of by Mrs. Kelly. Stay tuned to Wed. for an update.

Thoughts and Prayers

2008-08-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

How fortunate I feel today for the life I have. I have a wonderful husband who is loving and passionate about his life and his family, an involved father, hard working, sweet, and an awesome provider for us. My children, for the most part are loving, sweet, funny, healthy and intelligent (I may revise this in about 2 1/2 hours when Josh returns from school.)

It seems like everywhere I turn someone I know is suffering in some way. It started a few weeks ago when we found out our dear neighbor found out his cancer has returned, a different incurable kind. He was given months to live.

Last week my brother told me his father in law is sick. He has an aneurysm that has grown and a spot on his lung. I was fortunate to spend a day with him and his family for Renee's baby shower. I have some great memories of the time I spent with my own father on that trip. Without their hospitality I would not have this fond memory.

Yesterday, a day that started with the joy of life and wonder quickly turned to concern for a close grade school friend. My friend went for her ultrasound. On the screen in 3D, she saw her baby girl sucking her thumb and moving. Shortly after, her doctor delivered some concerning news that the baby only had 2 ventricles and has a mass in its stomach. The baby may not make it through the pregnancy and if it does there is a chance she will die shortly after delivery or live, but have complications. Obviously, they hope the baby lives and does not have any major complications, which is a possibility. The thought of delivering a still born baby or burying a baby is too much for her to grasp. I just reminded her God will only give you what he knows you can handle. I for a fact know nothing I say will comfort her. All I can do is offer her my prayers.

A secretary at church just learned her husband has cancer. He was having problems eating and went to the doctor. They admitted him and just found out the diagnoses.

Some of you now that I have had struggles since losing my father. Death looms over me and I always fear the worse. I know it is Gods will, but when I am surrounded I just begin to shut down. I grieve for those suffering the news of their loved ones illnesses. I am thankful that my own family is flourishing, but I know the pain of grieving and I hate to see others suffer. The best thing that I can do for them is offer my prayers and ask my friends and family to to the same! Please keep them in your prayers and thoughts.

Are you smarter than a second grader?

2008-08-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

I hope so, because apparently I am not. The other day Josh came home with a comprehension test. The teacher asked us to review it with our children. It had a short story at the top. So we read the story about Mrs. Young's 2nd grade class that went on a field trip to the zoo, where they saw a bunch of monkeys playing. The first question Josh got wrong, because he did not read all the answer choices. He marked the answer as Mrs. Young's 1st grade class instead of her 2nd grade class. So I explained how he needed to read all of the choices before making his decision. We get to the last question, it ask where does Mrs. Young's class go next. So I quickly scan the story for the answer and it does not say and I say to Josh, "how do you know the answer it is not in the story?" Let me just tell you this was not one of those questions meant to get him to answer because I already know the answer. I truly had no idea. He looks at me and says with a smile on his face, "well Mom whales aren't at the zoo, dinosaurs are extinct and cavemen aren't around anymore, so it has to be the tigers." Oh of course it does. That just made Josh's day. I have to say, although I felt really stupid, I was so proud of Josh and his logical thinking!

Off to Second Grade

2008-08-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

Off to 2nd grade he goes...Josh woke up with no trouble this morning, but was a little nervous that he forgot everything from 1st grade. I reassured him he would be fine and that they would not be doing any heavy work the first day. Of course he decided he wanted me to walk him in, which was a bit hectic as it was pouring down rain. Luckily, as we got out of the car it had stopped long enough for me to walk him to his class and back to the car. I think that was God's sign to me that this was going to be a good year. Below is our normal back to school photo in front of the door and him at his desk. This is the first year that they have desk of their own. In past years they have been at tables. Scroll down past the photos to see how his day went...

So I made it to school and was the 11th person in line. Which for other car rider parents you know I was there very early. Well, I had the car rider time mixed up so Belle and I sat forever. I was a bit worried when the first ten cars left and Josh was no where in site. So I ask where my son is and if I am supposed to pull up. They do not know the answer to either one. They called Josh's name and he finally came, with a big smile I might add. He is excited because he saw a bunch of friends and apparently another Joshua from his Kindergarten class was transferred into his classroom. His teacher was great and a lot of fun. Thank you Lord! We have been so blessed with this school system. Let's just hope the remainder of the year goes this smoothly!

End of Summer Fun

2008-08-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

Driving our way back to school!

Well, today was the unofficial end of summer. Josh goes to school tomorrow. Poor guy is just so sad to be going back. So today we had a day full of fun. We picked up our friend Natalie and went to lunch at McDonald's. Then we went to Chuck E. Cheese, stopped and had shakes, got a car wash and back to the house to play. Although I am excited to have some free time and no bickering, it is sad that he is another year older.

Meet the Teacher

2008-08-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

No photo tonight-Mom forgot to take a picture while we were at school.

Well, Josh met his teacher today, Mrs. Janes. Josh was happy that there were 3 kids in his class that he knew. Two from last year and one from church. His teacher said peanut butter is ok! That is a huge bonus as Josh has been in the peanut free class the last two years. I am waiting for the note to come home saying it is not allowed. As I walking out of his class I noticed a peanut allergy kid in his class. Urgh so close!

He met his teacher. He could care less. I really think this is not meant for kids. After Kindergarten, really what is the point. It is for the controlling parents to check out who is going to be taking care of their children for the next 181 days. Yes, I admit I fall into this controlling parent category. I was more excited to check her out, than Josh was. He wanted to stay home and play with Joel. I was very ncouraged when 2 friends with 3rd graders said she is very good and fun. Maybe that will get Josh excited about school.

He is at a new school this year. So drop off and pick up will be a new routine. As we are walking to the car I ask Josh if he wants me to walk him in the first day. His response, "No." I guess 2nd grade is not such a big deal. Wait while I wipe away my tears:) So he is growing up. Sad-yes. I do have to admit I am a little glad that I do not have to look for parking on the first day of school!

Only one month left until Belle starts school. She was mad today that she did not get her school supplies together. This is very encouraging!

There's a Sniper in the House

2008-08-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

Check out Josh's new pet. A green iguana, named Sniper. He has been helping mow our yard and my dad's yard so as a special thanks Joel bought this for him. Belle of course talks to it like it is a dog and sits at its cage saying, "Sniper no sniping." (Dora the Explorer sings something similar to this on her show. FYI for the non-Dora watching public) Of course that just aggravates Josh. How many more days until school starts?

Lights Out

2008-08-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

Last night a storm came through and just sat on top of Olive Branch. The kids were both exhausted and in bed early. Joel was in Josh's room and I was in Belle's when the lights went out. Belle looked at me and said, "That's not nice." So after about 5minutes with no electricity, we scrounged around for candles and flashlights and started doing shadow puppets. Then Josh decided he would scare Belle. This brought back great memories growing up.

Since we had no power we went out side to enjoy the pleasant temperatures. (Yes it was actually a cool 73 degrees)Josh found this cute little frog.

Natures beauty at its best. I love when the rays of sun shine from the sky like this. It is hard not to think at moments like this that loved ones are not just shining down on you!

Let Them Eat Cake

2008-07-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ella!

My brother's little girl Ella turned 3 on Saturday while they were in town visiting and working on dad's house. The kids were so excited to see their cousins. Dylan, soon to be 16, was a great help and played with the kids. They keep asking when they are coming back to play.

MMMM...Yum!

How does Uncle Rich eat cake. Well, he mixes ice cream and cake together to form a paste like substance. He has always done this and it looks disgusting. I believe he was the first to create birthday cake ice cream.

Friends of Summer

2008-07-23T07:52:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we invited some friends over to play. They had fun outside on the waterslide and inside playing hide-n-seek.
Eating lunch at the Y with the all the girls. Poor Josh! Pam (holding Belle), Sarah in front and Emily hiding behind Sarah helped with the kids.
Natalie playing with the Goop.
Recipe for Goop

Equal parts cornstarch and water

mix together

add food coloring (optional)

The many faces of Belle

2008-07-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Belle at the Y.

Yesterday, the kids played with Goop. Belle once again blessed me with a beautiful smile. She can do this thing with her eye that is so weird and creepy. As you can see above she crosses her left eye while her right eye stays straight. Usually, her left eye crosses so far over all you can see is white. One day I will capture this in a picture!

Gone Fishin'

2008-07-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Joel and Josh spent Saturday and part of Sunday at Joe and Robin's house on Pickwick Lake. They spent the day swimming and fishing. Joel said the water as too warm to catch fish. As you can see they were able to catch a few. Josh actually caught the big fish, but Joel had to reel it in for him.

What's Not to Love about Concrete?!?

2008-07-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the property Joel bought a few months back for his business. He is hoping to start building in the next few months. Joel and Josh worked clearing the land a few weeks ago and both ended up with poison ivy. Joel's hope for the property is to build his building and then eventually build several buildings on the front of the property to rent. Once we start construction, I will post pictures as progress is made. Joel once made the comment to my dad,"What's not to love about concrete?" Dad always loved this comment and it became a motto around here. Joel loves his work and takes great pride in it.

Who are those masked children?

2008-07-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. To all you northerners, Chick-Fil-A is a staple to every southern stay at home mom. It is the cleanest fast food restaurant in Olive Branch and at any given day is full of kids in the play area. So the kids made cow mask and -shirts so they could receive a free entree. The place was packed, but we were very lucky to make it right before one of 5 YMCA buses arrived. As the cows say, "Eat More Chicken"

Little Mother

2008-07-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

Belle just cracks me up lately. When the kids are in trouble I call them Joshua Stirek or Isabelle Stirek. When they do not listen when I call their name I then say, "Belle Stirek come here." Well, Belle has started to use my methods. When she is talking to Josh and he does not listen to her, she will call him Josh Stirek. It is funny how they pick up on our methods and use them. She also calls me Mom Stirek when I do not respond right away. I guess she thinks she needs to be more specific when calling me so I don't get confused with the other moms in our house!

The Children's Museum...Finally

2008-07-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

Fasten your seat belts were coming in for a landing!

We finally made it to the Children's Museum. Josh has been asking to go back for over a year. We were supposed to go over spring break, but Belle ended up with an eye infection. Yesterday, when Josh asked if we could do something fun I had the perfect idea. The weather forecast was supposed to be in the mid 90's so I thought I would surprise them a special day at the museum. When they woke up i told them we going somewhere, but it was a surprise. So I did not tell them where we were going until we were on our way.

Belle goes grocery shopping after going to the bank and getting cash.

Josh's favorite part was the police cars.

Both kids had a great time dressing up as cops and firemen. It is funny how they get along so well when there is no other kids to play with. Josh has decided to be a cop for Halloween and I am going to dress up as a prisoner.

Spa Day!

2008-07-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

While the boys were at a movie, Belle and I painted our nails and put on make-up. She sat at her vanity that my dad made for her. I tried to get her to let me do her hair, but she wanted nothing to do with that! After Joel and Josh returned, she found Josh's nerf gun and would shoot it at the dart board . After each shot she would reapply her lipstick. maybe she is going to be a Bond Girl.

Independence Day

2008-07-04T20:42:00.001-07:00

We spent our evening at The pollard's house-great friends, awesome house, cool pool and wonderful times with memories made! The kids swam until dusk and then the firework show began. Yes the first picture is Josh with Joel's blow torch. That is how a redneck lights fireworks in the south! Mom was a bit nervous with all the kids, teenagers and adults lighting fireworks at the same time. Watching Josh was not very exciting either! I am happy to be home. Thanks Ronnie for reminding me that one day my kids will be grown and I will not need to stress over watching out for everyone! Or is that just a man thing Lisa?

Here is Belle with a sparkler, that I promise you was lit by the torch!

Remembering My Dad

2008-07-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

Today as I was loading pictures I came across this photo of Dad! What a great picture. Anyone that knew my dad knew he rarely smiled for a picture and hated having pictures taken of him. This photo was taken last August for his 70th birthday. My brother and his family made the trip to help celebrate his big day. It was a great weekend and just seeing Dad happy was well worth it! It is hard to look at this picture and realize less than 6 months later we would lose him. He is extremely missed by all of us each day. He was a super dad and I was lucky to have such a great role model, provider and hero in my life.

Excitement on Eagleston

2008-07-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

So we have had a nice relaxing few days around here. Joel's parents have been in town since Monday evening and have kept the kids busy. Today, they went to the movies to see Wall-E. So I had a nice day without children. (Yes, Kelly Pack 2 days in a row!) I was off running errands, which I might add included a trip to Hobby Lobby, the scrapbook store, Target and the bookstore. Errands are so much fun without kids! After completing my errands and returning to our neighborhood, I get to the top of our street and notice the garbage truck seems to be slightly on its side. As I approach I see it definitely has its right tires buried into the side of the street. We had a water main break last week, which the city claimed to have fixed, but apparently did not fill the hole properly, hence the sunken truck! The kids were excited to have 2 cops, 2 huge tow trucks and several city officials on the scene. They finally tow the truck out out of the hole and then the police car would not work. All in a days work for the city of O.B. workers. There is always excitement on our street! It is a great place to live. Anyone want to buy a house it comes loaded with drama everywhere you turn.

VIsit with the Grandparents

2008-07-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Mustache (aka Grandpa) and Grandma arrived yesterday for a visit. They are going to spend the week with us and will be with us for the 4th. Today they went to the park and made a trip to Target for some toys and grandkid spoiling! After dinner we celebrated Mustaches birthday with a cake that looked like a grill. It even had roasted marshmallows, a hot dog and a hamburger out of frosting.

Splish Splash

2008-06-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

Joel bought the kids a water slide. this year so we would not have to put up the pool. They really seem to love it. Their friend Natalie came over to play on the slide today.

Swim Lessons

2008-06-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

Swim Lessons-Josh took swim lessons again this summer. He learned so much last year we thought it would be good for him to learn new techniques and become a stronger swimmer. By the last session they were swimming 5 warm up laps.

Disney World 2008

2008-06-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

We went to the Pirate and Princess party and had tons of fun! Belle went back to the hotel with Joel's parents and Joel, Josh and I stayed and rode several rides. Josh loved Splash Mountain, but his favorite was Tower of Tower. He also went on Everest and Space Mountain.

What a great visit! We finished our trip with a day at Magic Kingdom. We thought we would only have time for a few rides, but luck was on our side. As Joel, his parents and the kids were coming off the train they were greeted by Disney Officials and given "Dream Fast Passes". So we were able to go on every ride we wanted that day. Hook and his buddy were trying to steal the kids fast passes.

Belle Turns Four
Belle turned four while we were at Disney. As a special treat she got to go to the Bippitty Boppitty Boutique. She had her hair done and picked out a special princess dress, shoes, wand and crown. She refused to have her make-up done

but looked like a princess anyway

Checking our luggage at the airport.

We had to get up very early to catch our flight.

As you can see the kids are only half awake.

Josh loves having to wake up when it is still dark to leave for a trip. It does add an element excitement to a trip.

Wake Up

2008-02-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

Why is it during the week I have to threaten the kids to get out of bed, but on the weekends they are up before I would normally wake them during the week? Is this a sick plan that Granparents plant in our children to get back at us for all the early mornings.

During the week I go into Josh's room all sweet and nice---"Joshy, wake up sweetheart it is time for school." Hmm, nothing! "I know you dont want to get up, but you have to"...Nothing...Hmmm should I be worried? So the light goes on-it's alive, he moved. A few more nice words of encouragment. Oh and dont let me forget to say --inbetween my all this coaxing I am packing his lunch and getting his snack together, oh and of course the money for the fundraiser to help pay for the art teacher. That is another story in itself. Let's just say Josh hates art day, all they do is watch a movie and draw. Great glad I am working so hard to pay her! Back to the story...Josh buddy time to get up or we are going to be late, you want some cereal?? Great he is back asleep. Oh I better check the news, maybe we will have a snow day. Granted it is 58 degress, but in the south threat of snow during school hours can lead to school cancelation. Bummer nothing.

It is time to change tactics...Joshua get up now or you wont be able to go to the YMCA and swim tonight. It worked he sits up. Of course he is mumbling about hating school and all the work he has to do. "Josh you just had all weekend to rest, it is Monday a brand new start!!" I hate Mondays he says today is Art and I hate art do I have to go to school. Urgh! That Art class is my demise. Only 4 more days to go before the weekend.

I guess the apple does not fall far from the tree. When Josh was a baby I thought, I am morning person. I go to bed early and wake up early. Then reality hit. Morning does not start at 8:30. It starts between 6:00 and 6:30. Now I go to bed later and get up earlier. So Saturday is my one day to sleep in. I am feeling pretty good about this too. Josh is spending the night at a friends house so he wont wake me up. Joel leaves for work. Ten minutes later Belle is in my room. She cant just crawl in bed. She has to pry my eye open with her cold little fingers. "Hi Mommy, morning time...Wake up...I want chocalate milk. I look at the clock 6:30

OK Mom, I get it, your punishing me for all the early mornings.

Addition Facts

2008-02-22T21:41:00.000-08:00

Josh finally passed his #6 addition facts! His teacher sent a note home last Friday-she wanted us to work on the 6's. Apparently, Josh has a nervous breakdown when he takes the test. So we worked all week. I gave him a practice test on Thursday and he about fell apart. He gets so worried about the time, that he can't concentrate. The more he practiced, the more his confidence grew and he did not seem to get so nervous. If anyone has any advice on how to calm his nerves please let us know? I have tried everything. HELP!

Birth of a New Blog

2008-02-22T19:54:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that I am actually doing this! I thought it would be a great way for all our family and friends to watch the kids grow and keep in touch with us! If you know me expect a ton of pictures, a little bragging and hopefully funny stories. Hope you all enjoy-The Stireks