We had a beautiful Christmas...a wonderful day filled with family, food, and gifts. Here's some of our highlights!

Welcome to the 2008 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends! You know the drill. Highlight, copy, and paste (not forward) and change my answers to your answers.

Be sure to send back to me. Enjoy!! Everyone has time for a few moments of fun! Don't be a scrooge!!!

Name: Mandi
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?I don't think I've ever gotten a gift that wasn't wrapped
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? The only colored lights are on the tree, white everywhere else
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Matt wishes :)
5. When do you put your decorations up? The day after Thanksgiving we put up our tree
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Grandma's prime rib
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: All of our traditions, used to annoy me, now I LOVE them
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? It was never really an issue for me, I'll never forget when my brother found out though...mucho trauma!
9. Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve? Just one, it's usually new pajamas to wear that night
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Lights and family ornaments, I've gotten one every year since I was little and have done that with our kids too! We're gonna need a bigger tree soon!
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Right now??? sick to death of it!
12. Can you ice skate? Sort of, I have balance issues :)
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My bible from my husband with a beautiful inscription inside
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family and remembering why it is we really celebrate the holiday
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Mom's cheesecake
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Getting dressed up and going to the Christmas Eve service..standing in the near dark sanctuary and holding our candles and singing Silent Night
17. What tops your tree? Angel
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving, hands down
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? O Little Town of Bethelehem
20. Candy Canes? no thanks!

It's all Emma's fault, really. You see, she was so upset that we didn't have a white christmas last year that she prayed that God would send snow. Boy, did He ever answer THAT request! We have so much snow. NAd guess who gets to shovel the driveway?? That would be me. UGH. I hate shoveling. BUt if I would like my husband to be able to get into the driveway tonight, which I do, it must be done.

Here are some shots out of my front door....













And the bright spot in my day...Thomas is learning to sing "Jingle Bells". Another Christmas crazy kid in the making :) I took a video of it...here it is.

And the interpretation...."Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell....fun ride, HEY!" Well he has to start somewhere right?

It's 1 AM.... I am awake. Now those of you who know me well know that I am NO night owl. In fact, promptly at 11 PM every night, I turn into a pumpkin. Simple as that. Yet here I am awake at 1. Why, you may ask? I was awoken to the tell tale barking cough of my youngest and I knew that croup was visiting yet again. Both of my boys have been so susceptible to the croup bug. Poor Thomas could barely breathe. So we bundled up and headed out into the snow. There's something cruel about going from peaceful sleep to standing out in the snow within a matter of minutes!!! But it seemed to help, for a while anyway. We've just come back in from our second trip out and are about ready to try the shower. Gotta love winter time.

Last half of the week in pictures

Here's the last half of my week in pictures....




I did a lot of my baking...here's some of my favorite holiday cookies!!!








Almost all of my presents are wrapped....he he, I am SOO excited!














The biggest SHOCK ever! Thomas is potty training!!!!















Which of course lead to the purchase of "big boy" Diego and Thomas unders!












My Jonah man, singing with the Battle Creek Boychoir! I am so proud! Noah liked it too!

Wordless Wednesday

Why you never leave your daughters in charge of your little son....

Well I survived. Molli had her sleepover on Friday night for her birthday. This is the first time that we have done a "friend" party for any of our kids. Usually, it's just a family bash. But Molli asked and we I conceded. Matt was not so sure. I told her she could invite three girls, making it four total including her. Well as we were sitting home one evening, a few days before the party, the phone rang. It was Maria!!! She was calling to ask if she was invited to Molli's party!!!! At first I was appalled...who calls and invites themselves to someone else's party???? Matt and I had a very long talk about whether or not she should be allowed to come. Did I really want the girl who dictates Molli's school life in my house overnight???? After some honest discussion and seeking some wisdom from the older and wiser parents, we decided that Molli could invite Maria to her party. After all, what a perfect opportunity it would be for me to witness her behavior up close and maybe get a better sense of why Molli worships the ground she walks on.

So Friday night arrives, the three girls are happily opening presents and eating cake. I thought I was being oh so crafty by getting plain raw wood frames, taking a pic of all four girls, having them printed out and letting them paint the frames and then take the pic home as their "party gift". They all thought that was pretty cool. I was keeping a close eye (and ear) on Maria and her interaction with the girls. She's clearly the ring leader, all the girls defer to her. She almost reminded me of an 8 year old version of the chick from "Mean Girls". SERIOUSLY! So after all the festivities, they headed up to Molli's room. I sat at the computer and eavesdropped. All of a sudden, all the girls were crying. I went running up the stairs to see what was wrong. They told me that Maria had started the crying by talking about her Grandma dying and that they were all crying about a grandparent that they had lost. WHAT??!?!?!?!?!? Apparently the girl who cried the most was the best....holy cow. Then there was the inevitable, "She doesn't want to play that!" "She said mean things to me!" UGH I will certainly reconsider before doing it again. I cannot believe the amount of girl CRAP that was flying in this house. AND THEY ARE ONLY 8!!! I'm never going to survive.....

I knew it. I just knew it. I knew all of the torturous years of watching Dora would pay off. I had a hint when Sydney was 2 and hanging from the top bunk and yelling "Ayudame! Ayudame!" (help me in Spanish). But I realized this morning that all 4+ years of watching Dora has taught my daughter a very significant gift....one that not many people possess......






The video doesn't quite do it justice....she was dancing around this morning singing Feliz Navidad but trilling her r's..I was so proud. It sounded like this, "I wanna wish you a Merrrrry Chrrrrristmas..." It was hilarious!


In other news, my oldest daughter turned 8 yesterday. Pics are below but, in her honor, here are 8 things about her:

1. She is the most like me out of all of my children, God help her!
2. She can sing...I've been told often by other people that she has a natural ability to match pitch which is sometimes hard for kids.
3. She's a pack rat...grrrrrr.
4.She wants to grow up way too fast. Wish I could convince her that it's not that fabulous!
5. She was born underwater....I had a water birth with her, it was AMAZING!
6. She has a good sense of what other people are feeling, she doesn't always pay attention to it however :)
7. She is my only child to have had major surgery. It was so tough for me!!! She was a trooper!
8. I wouldn't change one thing about her.

Not again

Well once again the bugs have returned...and by that I mean the sickness bugs. Late Saturday night Sydney got sick. She was followed a few hours later by Emma. And then, despite all of my very best efforts, I followed Emma. Now there is NOTHING in this world that I hate doing as much as I hate vomiting. NOTHING. I would rather give birth, three times in a row with NO medication than throw up. It's just that bad for me. I haven't thrown up in 8 years!!!! 8!!!! But I lost the battle. It was awful. So suffice to say, I spent the rest of the day in bed. Molli came down with it last night and Jonah came home from school with it today. So only Thomas and Matt remain. At least it's a quick bug...but there's really just no great way to handle vomit.

Moving on to happier topics :)

This week is busy as Molli Louise turns 8. Good Lord, how did this happen??? Her birthday is Wednesday (expect a sappy post with pictures) and then she is having her party on Friday. I've, excuse we've (Matt had to be convinced) have allowed Molli to invite three friends over for a sleepover. I've farmed out all of her other siblings to family members as to give them the run of the house. Well....sort of. At least the girl's room. So I intend on sleeping little that night as I am kept awake by girly giggles and silly games. Man, I can't believe I did this to my mom!!!

Still no resolution with the school situation. I'm tempted to let it be for now and see what happens.

Our Thanksgiving was lovely. Fairly low key and full of food. What else? The kids got to spend the night with my mom as I got up at 4 AM and dragged my Aunt Carol and my 80 year old Grandma out shopping on Black Friday. We hit Wal-Mart first. Thankfully, none of the things I was looking for was in electronics so we were in and out in 45 minutes. It sure was crazy. We hit Target next which, I am happy to report to my Wal-Mart hating friends, was CRAZIER than Wal-Mart!!!! I watched two ladies fighting over the same package of something...I quickly got out of the way as the police arrived. YIKES! But all in all, it was a successful trip and some fond memories were made.

Now we launch into Christmas...man am I excited! I woke up to 6 inches of GORGEOUS snow outside and cranked up my Christmas tunes!!! WOO HOO!!!

Ok so have a situation that needs to be blogged about....

All year, Molli has talked about this girl, we'll call her...Maria. Molli is completely swayed by this girl. She doesn't like this shirt of Molli's so Molli won't wear it to school. Molli tells her things, Maria thinks they're stupid. Maria likes Hannah Montana therefore so does Molli. They are always having these "fights". You get the point....I have been so annoyed with Molli's lack of backbone and own opinion. We've talked about it often. I asked her often to try and find other friends. For some reason, Maria has some sway over my otherwise headstrong, determined little girl.

Molli came home from school today and didn't want to tell me something. After a while she spit out this story. Apparently, the principle pulled Molli out of lunch today to have a talk. She told Molli that Maria's mom had called the school because Maria was scared to come to school that day. And the reason? She was scared of MOLLI!!!! WHAT?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?! I laughed right out loud when I heard that. Domineering and headstrong as she can be, she is not a brute or someone who could do anything to anyone. Maria however, is the tallest girl in second grade! So Molli continues to tell me that Maria didn't want to come to school because she was worried what Molli would do. Now every fiber in my being is screaming that this is so stupid! I don't think Molli is a victim, other than being unwilling to stand up for herself. But Maria has constantly been a thorn in my side...and now it seems she's willing to lie to get out of school.

So what would you do???

So remember when I said we were having family pictures taken? Well, we lived...surprise, surprise and in return we got this....a beautiful family photo that I can't stop looking at...

So sad

I knew this day was coming...just knew it. I just thought I would handle it better. After all, it's been two years...

My little Thomas man has gorgeous hair....it's just beautiful. Long and curly. We've never cut it in his two years of life. Not even a trim. However, this past week he was called a girl 5 times....so I knew...it was time.

Matt got him all set up and I took a deep breath and made the first cut....and promptly burst into tears. Thomas took it all in stride, reassuring me with, "I cute Mama." So I got it all done. He looks....like a little boy...WAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Take a peek...









The before pictures


































The after shots

Well all I can say is UGH. I cannot remember a time when I have been this sick. It started Saturday night and I have been miserable on and off since. A fever, chills, aches...oh my word. What a nightmare. And of course, with me sick, life is sort of on hold. There's dishes and laundry abounding and even though Matt is doing his best, it's all I can do to not weep with how overwhelmed I feel. It's absolutely debilitating for me to be sick.....

Ok enough pity partying....I will survive and come out the other side of this. :) Now I must go take more Tylenol....

I have a fever so I thought I'd put this on here....


Hi, my name is: Mandi

Never in my life have I been: on my own

The one person who can drive me nuts is: Matt :) But I love him still

High school was: such a tangled web of boyfriends and silly cheerleaders

When I'm nervous: I have to pee or giggle

The last time I cried was: last night when my fever was high and I felt awful

If I were to get married right now my maid of honor would be: Mindy of course

My hair is: so messy, that's what staying in bed all day will do

When I was 10:I got my period

Last Christmas: my kids got SOOO many gifts that they got tired of opening them...sad....

I should be: resting and reading with the kids

When I look down I see: dirty dishes.

The happiest recent event was: having Noah here

If I were a character on "The Office" I'd be: I have no idea, I've never watched it

By this time next year: I desperately hope Thomas is potty trained!

My current gripe is: Christmas is coming way too fast!

I have a hard time understanding: people who can't handle their lives...SUCK IT UP!

There's this girl I know that: loves others, has such a kind heart, is extremely profound and is my second oldest daughter

You know I like you when: I remember things you've talked about

If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be: Matt, then my mom, then Mindy

Take my advice: having five kids isn't for everyone, but we love it

Something that I really want to buy is: a new camera

If you visited the place I was born: it's still a functional hospital, my cousin actually is a nurse there

I plan to visit: Cozumel, Belize City and Grand Stirrup Cay on MY CRUISE!!!

If you spend the night at my house: You will not get to sleep in, my kids are up at dawn

I'd stop my wedding if: I felt that the timing was wrong or there were doubts

The world could do without: hatred

I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: be naked in front of people

Most recent thing I've bought myself: a new shirt for pictures

Most recent thing someone else bought me: Nothing.

My favorite blonde is: My girls and Thomas.

My favorite brunette is: my mom

My middle name is: Leigh

This morning I: I slept in.

The animals I would like to see flying besides birds are: huh?

Once, at a bar: I sang karaoke...and WON!

Last night I was: staying up WAY too late playing cards with Tim and Mindy

There's this guy I know who: loves me enough to send me to bed and take care of the kids

I don't know: why it's so hard to eat well

A better name for me would be: Sam

Tomorrow I am: digging out from the weekend and it's GIRL'S NIGHT OUT!

Tonight I am: keeping my fever down and snuggling with Matt

My birthday is: 4 days after my husband's which means I have to share it...UGH

What I really wanted for Valentine's Day was: roses and I got them

I can sing: yes, yes I can

I like a guy named: Edward....that's not a secret :)

We are getting ready...we are having family pictures taken today....it's been almost 3 years since we've had one done.....don't even have one with Thomas in it.....praying for ONE good shot of my family....will update later!

It's time...it's time to pull myself out of the dumps and smile. I am so completely blessed. So, in an effort to focus on the positive, I'm going to list things that I have to be thankful for, using the letters of the alphabet (Sydney is helping me, we're trying to conquer letter recognition!)

A - Afghan that my grandma made me....I'll cherish it always
B- Bread, it has gotten us through many a lean time, PBJ's rock!
C- Cullens - especially Edward....so thankful that I got a chance to know them :)
D- Dogs, our dogs, Bo and Chunky. I love them...even though Bo runs away and almost gets hit by cars and even though Chunky is somewhat psychotic...I adore them.
E- Emma Jane, my deeply thoughtful, tender hearted girl.
F- Friends, my dearest girlfriend Mindy...don't know what I'd do without her.
G- Gas, IT'S SO CHEAP!!!
H- Husband, my adoring husband Matthew....I love him with all my heart.
I- Ice cream. Enough said.
J- Jonah, my sensitive, frustrating, smelly, beautiful son
K- Kin, my family is so important to me
L- Leaves, they are so beautiful....until I have to rake them
M- Molli, my brillant, emotional, determined daughter
N- Nap time - such a bright spot in my day!
O- Old things, I kind of old fashioned
P- Pigtails - I love putting them in my girl's hair
Q- something that starts with q that I am thankful for....hmmmm
R- Robin- my great sister-in-law, my chatting buddy!
S- Sydney, my clingy, funny, devoted girl
T- Thomas, my adorable, hilarious, trouble making boy
U- Umbrellas? (Syd's suggestion) They do keep you dry...
V- Vacations - such a great way to make memories!
W- Water, specifically hot water...I adore it!
X- x?
Y- Yarn...I have forgotten how much I love knitting
Z- Zippers....they hold in so much :)


There you have it....

As if that weren't enough to make me smile, Matt and I watched the 101 most unforgettable SNL moments tonight and my favorite two made the top 10...













What a hilarious way to end the evening!

The aftermath

I must say...yesterday was not a great day. All my hope and faith went out the window and I am left feeling let down and sad. I was obedient and somehow thought that God would reward that. I still know that He loves me and has the ultimate plan for me. It's just so hard when it doesn't go the way I expect it to. His thoughts are higher than mine, his plans are greater.....just wish He'd give me a glimpse.

A miracle

So here I am, in the unknown...trusting my Savior. There's going to be a miracle today...I know it. I can't wait to brag on my Jesus....He knows our every need, He loves me....it's gonna be a great day!

Have you ever had one of those times where you knew what you HAD to do, but to do it took complete trust that God would provide? I find myself there this week. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt what I must do... and yet, I am panicked not knowing the outcome. Why is it so hard to believe that God knows best? That He loves us and provides for us? "See how He dresses the lilies of the field and feeds the birds of the air..."

Hmmm, where to go from there??

I cannot upload any pictures which is distressing me. I have some really great shots from Halloween and from our time with Noah. Maybe I'll try again today.

But my goal for today....I MUST FIND MY HOUSE! Lordy, I can't tell ya how behind I am! I don't know if it's because Noah is here this week, or that I started my "life change" eating thing, or what. But it's disaster!!! Sydney had to go to school this morning with the big kids as they only have a half day so it's just me and Thomas. Hopefully I can distract him so I can kick butt on it!

Well elections are over and boy am I relieved that my phone will not be ringing off the hook telling me who to vote for! PHEW! One quick pet peeve and then I am done talking politics....
God is not surprised by who won. Not at all. He could not have won without God appointing him. And no matter who is our president, whether we agree with his policies or not, he is the President of the United States and that position deserves respect. Period. You don't have to be his best friend and you don't have to agree with him, but you do owe him the respect that is due that office.

Ok, on to other things :)

I despise raking. I just hate it. I have NEVER liked it. I loved growing up in the woods because we never had to rake because it was impossible to get rid of the leaves! Now we have this gorgeous, HUGE yard and raking has become my bain. Couple that with the fact that our lovely neighbor is a FREAK about his yard and there is not one leaf on it. EVER. Makes ours look that much more wonderful! I'm still thinking of a way to just wish the leaves away. I'll let you know if I can actually do it!

To my dear giveaway winners

Oh my dear giveaway winners...if only you knew how painstakingly I wrapped your prizes...not wanting anything to happen to them on their way to you...and then, I put the boxes on top of my van when I went to strap Thomas in....and there the boxes stayed...until I backed over them smashing all of the beautiful things inside.....I just cried and cried.....please forgive me....I will get new ones....and make Matt ship them...

moving on

Time for a new post...hmmm, let's see...

Well today is Halloween and boy are my kids excited! We went last night and did a little pre-trick or treating at my Aunt's work. It was great fun, aside from Thomas who was terrified of everything in costume. Oh brother. I'll post pics tonight of the kids in their costumes. Another interesting situation with my 7 year old daughter. She really didn't have a costume and I suggested a costume to her that was original and fun. We cut a hole in the bottom of a tall laundry basket and put it over her and filled it with clothes, leaving a space for her to see out. She was a laundry basket! So cute. Well then, she balked at the idea, crying that people would make fun of her. WHAT?!?!?!?!?!??! Apparently, all of the girls in her class were either fairies, princesses or Hannah Montana. GAG ME! What happened to creativity and originality???? Now don't get me wrong, I did purchase off the rack costumes this year..well just one as Emma HAD to be Belle. But, why on earth can't homemade costumes be okay? And why does my beautiful girl always bend to the popular vote???? Ugh.

We had our first parent/teacher conference of the year at Jonah's school. I was fairly nervous about it as I had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't doing well at school at all. HE MADE THE HONOR ROLL!!! All A's and B's!!!! I was so pleased. Two more to go next week.

This coming week is my parent's annual trip to Saugatuck which means Noah will be here for the week. We are all pretty excited about our house guest. There will be Wii tournaments abounding.

And my biggest news of all is..........Matt and I are going on a cruise!!!!!!!!!! I am beyond excited. We never had a honeymoon and have never been away anywhere together. We celebrated 10 years this year and really didn't do much. But I felt that celebrating 10 years of being married needed a true celebration! We are going in March which feels like decades away, but every minute will be worth it.

Well the sun is out and my laundry is calling, thanks for tuning into the Kurtz weekly update!

And the winner is......

My apologies, I promised to announce a winner by Saturday morning and I completely forgot...so embarrassed!

But, the winners are....ad yes, I said winners. Since only three people commented, THEY ALL WIN!! So Annie, Kelli, and Becky are my giveaway winners. So please e-mail me your address so I can get your gifts in the mail. This week is INSANE so please be slightly patient as I get them ready! Thanks so much you guys for reading!

Fall

We went for a beautiful walk last night. It was so great to just be together and enjoy the cool air and the gorgeous colors. I brought my camera and snapped some shots...here are my favorites...take a peek. Don't forget to enter my giveaway below!

Giveaway

Alright, here we go. In hopes of bribing some of you "lurkers" into commenting on my page, I am going to host my very first GIVEAWAY! I won't tell you what it's for other than it's beautiful and perfect for crisp fall days! So here's the deal....leave me a comment with why you should be my very first giveaway winner PLUS you must tell me one of my children's names. Just to prove that you have read a little bit! I'll announce the winner on Saturday morning. I'd also love it if you'd link my blog to yours...unless you don't have one...then you can just comment! Good Luck!!!


___________________________________________________________________

So on Friday my youngest daughter came home from Pre-K with the "Proud Parent" book. Every child in her class has a page with their picture on it and on your turn, you are supposed to put more pictures and write a blurb about what makes your child special, etc. Well, I was already slightly gagging at some of the other entries. Make no mistake, Pennfield is a much more economically sound school district than Battle Creek. So we are already at the low end of the totem pole here! I try not to let it bother me when i pull up the kid's school in my rusty caravan and park admist the many fancy SUVS. Anyway, I digress....I was slightly worried at how I could make her page as fancy and nice as the others (can we say VAIN???) Well, I proved today that pride goeth before a fall....as I went to get the infamous book to start her entry, I proceeded to dump milk all over the thing, ruining the other parent's pages. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! I was absolutely mortified! I swore, cried and stomped my feet. Matt ran for the hair dryer as we tried to salvage the book, but to no avail. I sniffed as I wrote a note to her teacher explaining the accident and begging for forgiveness. I can only imagine what the other mother's will say when they find out. And isn't it perfect that I get to see them all tomorrow on the pre-K field trip??????

Yes another one...I'm TRYING to be productive!




1. Where is your cell phone? in my purse
2. Where is your significant other? work :(
3. Your hair color? dark brown peppered with gray
4. Your mother? Dodi
5. Your father? Michael
6. Your favorite thing? The burn in my chest when I inhale frosty air
7. Your dream last night? Something about the prince of England
8. Your dream/goal? To raise strong, wise children who love the Lord
9. The room you're in? Living room
10. Your hobby? blogging, planning things
11. Your fear? Fear is from the devil :)
12. Where do you want to be in six years? Holy cow, in 6 years, Jonah will be 16 and driving....so I hope to still be alive
13. Where were you last night? Took Jonah to choir and WalMart
14. What you’re not? Productive, obviously
15. One of your wish list items? A new camera
16. Where you grew up? Pittsburgh, Michigan, lower and upper
17. The last thing you did? Copied this from 4 Little Men
18. What are you wearing? my comfiest pants and a hoodie
19. Your TV? is on Nick Jr.
20. Your pet? Bo and Chunky, our dogs and Tank the turtle
21. Your computer? PC
22. Your mood? sleepy, but determined
23. Missing someone? my North Carolina family
24. Your car? Dodge Caravan
25. Something you’re not wearing? Socks, not ready to give in to winter just yet
26. Favorite store? hmmm....Kohl's but can't afford it!
27. Your summer? Went by fast and was totally great!
28. Love someone? Of course
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today when Emma asked if I was voting for "Arack Obama"
31. Last time you cried? Sunday night

Trying to motivate myself this morning so I just decided to steal this from Kelli so I would avoid another whining post!


Two Names You Go By:
1 Moooooooooom!!
2. Ramada

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. Comfy clening pants
2. My favorite sports bra

Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. To win the McDonald's monopoly
2. the cleaning fairy to show up

Two Things You Did Last Night:
1. Gave Matt a backrub
2. Read Kirsten with Molli

Two Things You Ate Yesterday:
1. McDonald's
2. One of the yummiest Gala apples ever

Two People You Last Talked To By Phone:
1. Matt
2. My sister

Two Things You Are Doing Tomorrow:
1. Having coffee
2. Cleaning

Two Longest Car Rides:
1. Battle Creek, MI to North Carolina
2. Battle Creek, MI to Nebraska

Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Thanksgiving

Favorite Vacations
1. Indianapolis
2. North Carolina

Two Favorite Beverages:
1. Diet Pepsi max
2. Orange juice

So many complaints....

So many things to whine about...where to begin?

The laptop continues to be dead. I am simply heartbroken about all of the pictures that have been lost....we have managed to save our big computer and are now back online, as you can see :) However, I cannot get Yahoo messenger to work which is SUCH a pain. So those of you who I communicate regularly with on there (ROBIN!!) hang on...we are working on it!!

I am severely behind on housework. Ever since we got home from vacation I have felt so run down and un motivated. Matt informed me that we must fix this or he is finding another home to come home to after work :) Is anyone else feeling the need to curl into a ball and do nothing???

On an up note, this coming Friday marks a day that my girls and I have been counting down to.....






Yes, I will admit to being a HSM fan. I love them in fact. This coming Friday the movie comes out and we will SO be there. Sydney is so excited that it is all she can talk about. My dad, believe it or not, is a huge fan as well so he and Noah will be accompanying us as well as my sister. So the Waltons go to HSM! I can't wait!!

Well i suppose I should go and clean something...or something :)

Just a quick post to say that I can't post!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! OUr laptop dies and then our other computer decided to pick up a worm somewhere...UGH. So now I am completely incapable of getting online or anything. This is completely frustrating.

We are home...safe, sound, and completely exhausted! My kids were whining the whole way out to the bus this morning. As the bus was pulling up, Molli made one last ditch attempt and yelled up to me as I stood on the porch, "I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL!" My response? "Bye honey, I love you." Back to real life.

I took so many wonderful pictures of our trip and when we got home last night, our laptop crashed! WITH ALL MY PICTURES ON IT! No, I didn't leave the pictures on my camera, I always wipe it. AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! So I'm really hoping that Matt can work magic on it tonight so I can share all of my wonderful pics.

There's something hard about coming home. While it was nice to sleep in my own bed last night, it's hard coming home. Part of me wanted to stay so badly. I miss Tigger and his family. Our kids are so close...., but real life must go on. SO now we look toward Halloween aka 4 kids in three different schools with four separate parties...what was I thinking?!?!?!?!

Outside My Window...Well, technically, it's not my window, it's Tigger's...but I can see the rain

I am thinking...about how hard it will be to find all of our stuff to pack it all up

I am thankful for..this trip that has been so amazing.

From the kitchen...we are having donuts from our friends at Dunkin Donuts

I am wearing...black yoga pants and my children's museum shirt

I am creating...this blog...and that's pretty creative for me!

I am going...to the Children's Museum today

I am reading...nothing at the moment, my love affair with Twilight is sadly over

I am hoping...that the kids have made some incredible memories this trip

I am hearing...the 10 kids chase each other through the house

Around the house...are single socks...oh man...

One of my favorite things...watching the cousins play

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Get home, wash a million loads of vacation laundry, get everyone back on schedule

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



Cousins rock

WE ARE HERE, WE ARE HERE, WE ARE HERE!!!!

We made it, all in one piece to North Carolina. We ended up leaving around 3 AM as I was wide awake. I am proud to say that I did my fair share of driving, about 5 hours in total. The drive down was absolutely GORGEOUS! We hit the mountains in West Virginia and it was breathtaking. My kids couldn't get enough. The kids traveled brilliantly...they only got crazy in the last 15 minutes. We watched quite a few movies and played the alphabet game. It was a great trip. It was a little overwhelming coming onto the base, this place is like a country! We survived the car search, my kids were terrified of the soldiers with weapons! Nothing like a good healthy dose of fear! The cousin have been reunited and have spent every moment playing together. So just a quick update...more to follow!

Boy do I have vacation on the brain! I'm laying things out and making piles to be placed into suitcases. I made Matt pack last night because it takes him HOURS and he needs to pack the car tonight. Does anyone else's husband pack like a teenage girl? He actually got a bog box to transport his 6 pairs of shoes!!!!! I love that man, but SERIOUSLY!

Since I have vacation on my mind, I thought I 'd quick blog about my top 4 favorite vacations ever. Here we go! These are in no certain order...

1. When I was 16, my mom, dad, three siblings, my grandparents and I all stuffed into a large white station wagon and drove to Atlanta Georgia to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. They had one of those station wagons with the seat way in the back that faced backwards. We were CRAMPED. But some of my best memories came from that drive. After Thanksgiving, just my immediate family continued on to Florida where we met my other grandparents and did the Orlando thing. Best part? Sea World....got to touch and see a real live manatee. Best moment ever.

2. Our "two week" vacation as us McGlynn kids still call it. We drove to Pennsylvania and went to Gettysburg...so cool. Then on to Philadelphia and Washington DC. It was a great trip filled with good memories...my dad driving through the streets of Philly yelling out the window "I LOVE BLACK PEOPLE!!" I'm shocked we didn't get shot at.

3. Matt and I drove to New York to see my family there. On the way through we stopped at Niagara Falls. I've been there so much and yet it is always breath taking. And watching my kids and my husband discover it for the first time. Best moment...going on the Maid of the Mist which is a boat ride that takes you to the base of the falls. We got soaked but the kids LOVED it!

4. Spring break last year we headed to Indianapolis. What a cool city!! The zoo was wonderful. The kids getting to see a dolphin show for the first time was priceless. They also have the largest children's museum in the country there. It was out of this world. We could have spent all three days there!!! Best moment - the dolphin show is starting and the lights dim....they let the dolphins swim out into the main tank. Everyone is very quiet and then all of my kids are on their feet screaming.."DOLPHINS!!! WE LOVE YOU!!! WOOOOOO!" Priceless.

5. I'm wracking my brain trying to think of another one...but ti's probably the trip we are about to take. The kids are so excited. We get to see mountains, the ocean, and let's not forget the cousins. Molli is already making plans for her and Morgan (we call the two of the Thelma and Louise) My brother has arranged for Matt and Jonah to tour the Special Weapons facility. I did warn my brother that Jonah is going to be a veterinarian so he must not sway him :)

I'm sure I'll be posting while we are there, but now I must really get moving!!

I have so much I should be doing...but I sit her blogging. Ah well, the kitchen will still be dirty when I get there.

Vacation fever has set in....Emma is counting the hours! I am on laundry patrol. It is no small task getting 7 people ready to go on vacation. There are so many things to take into consideration. Plus this is our first HUGE car trip since the kids were tiny. Thirteen hours in our van. I have a feeling we will be VERY glad to arrive. Tigger has called and we get to watch him jump on Wednesday. While this is very cool and I'm glad we get to see it, I am slightly panicked about watching him descend to the earth with a small piece of cloth keeping him safe. I know he's done this a million times, but there s something nerve wracking about watching it. Jonah is beyond excited to be going to an Army base. I must try and keep him focused toward being a veterinarian!

Yesterday it was COLD!! Well it's only 44 this morning so that is pretty chilly. But yesterday, I just couldn't warm up. I had warm pants, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, socks and I was still freezing! My husband was home yesterday and I casually asked if perhaps we could turn the heat on...just a little. He is determined to not turn on the heat until November. But he said he was open for negotiation. Hmmm...... now how many of you have had to negotiate with your husbands? Is this fair procedure? So the negotiations began.....I won't tell you what he wanted to trade (hint: bedroom...big surprise) but let's just say I got to turn on the heat. There was something very nostalgic about hearing the furnace roar to life. Bring on fall.

Wordless Wednesday

Enough said.

Alright I'm tired of looking at the pile of dog hair on here...so that means it's time to put an ACTUAL post here :) Yes, that is dog hair from our puppy Bo....and that's only from ONE side of him! I swear we could make afghans out of all his fur!

I LOVE my new addition to my blog which is the feedjit thingy. It tells me all of you who lurk here and yet NEVER comment. Makes me feel loved :) And Phil Blankenbaker, if you are still reading this, PLEASE leave me some way to contact you!!!


Update on the Kurtzs....

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY WE LEAVE FOR VACATION!!!! But I am not at all excited....he he! We head out at 4AM on Sunday the 5th for North Carolina. We're going to visit my brother and his family (5 kids too almost all the same ages as ours) at Fort Bragg. We get to see mountains and the oceans, both firsts for my kids...we are so excited!



We spent all day yesterday at my mom and dad's doing demolition. My grandma is moving in with my parents by Thanksgiving so we were starting the huge project that is her room/bathroom. My parent's house was built in 1923 and has all lovely plaster walls and NO insulation. So we ripped out all the plaster and lathe. What a mess!!! I must say we had a good time, despite all the hard work and sore muscles. Now we are one step closer to getting Grandma in!



Today Emma was invited to a birthday party at a local inflatable playground. So I, being the dutiful parent, took her. One of my newest pet peeves is buying birthday presents for other children. I don't know these children so buying gifts is tough. On top of that, I don't have $25-$30 to spend on gifts for other kids.We picked out some cool color wonder stuff and called it good. We arrived at the party where the birthday girl BRIEFLY greeted Emma and then they were off. It took me about 5 minutes to realize that the other girls weren't playing with Emma. She tried to follow them around for a while and then realized she was on her own. So I donned my socks and played with her. No biggie, it was actually really fun (and exhausting!!) Then it was time for cake and presents. I proceeded to watch this young girl open her first gift which she looked at in disgust and said, "I already have that." Her parents laughed like it was the funniest thing ever. I was horrified! She opened another gift and had the same response. There was one little boy that was a guest of the party and he had picked out a bat Webkinz for this young lady. She looked at it and said, "Why did you get me this?" Again, laughter from her parents while this little boy looked crushed. All in all, it was a pretty rotten party although Emma seemed oblivious to her obnoxious friend. She had a blast so I guess that's all that counts. But it wasn't exactly the way I wanted to spend my Sunday afternoon :)

Wordless Wednesday

Some of the blogs I read participate in something known as "Wordless Wednesday". Today, as I can barely keep my eyelids open long enough to type this, it seems that I too will participate.






Any guesses??

I laughed...HARD..at my sister when she was literally gushing about these books. I couldn't believe that some silly, kiddy vampire books were that great. So I told myself I would just read the first one and be done with all this silliness. Just so I could say I had read it. OH MY GOSH! I LOVED IT! I blew through it and New Moon in two days. Now I am literally CHEWING my nails off to get the third one that I have to wait for a t the library. I've totally considered going to buy it just cause....but I cannot justify the money as it's still in hardback. I am in love with Edward. Who wouldn't be, seriously? Who cares that he drinks blood or kills things???

The best part?? I got Matt hooked too...hehe. DON'T TELL ANYONE!


I guess I do have other things going on besides living in Forks....

Sydney started pre-K. There was much drama the day before school started, but I will spare you all the ridiculous details. It all worked out. She gets on the bus at 11:05, has lunch at school and comes home on the same bus as her older siblings at 4:05. We had a small scare on the first day when they put her on the wrong bus, but she was recovered without a scratch. So perhaps you have deduced that since she leaves at 11,I have only ONE child at home...ALL AFTERNOON! It's so weird! Thomas has lunch and goes down for a nap. I'm still trying to decide the best way to use these 3-4 GLORIOUS hours of quiet. Suffice to say, when I get Eclipse, that is what I will be doing until it's done. Here's a pic of Sydney from her first day to finish my ramblings...

I guess I didn't realize that I hadn't posted all weekend. We almost went stir crazy! We had 10 inches of rain over the weekend....I have NEVER seen rain like that. We discovered a lovely little leak in our roof in the process, good to know!

Thomas had a two day celebration for his birthday, because he is 2 you know! It was raining so hard on Friday! I walked into the living room, turned off the TV and looked at my children and said, "Let's go play in the rain!" They all looked at me like I was crazy. Then they dashed upstairs to put play clothes on. Thomas fussed as I took him out into the rain, but got over that VERY quickly! He found huge puddles and a stick and he was a happy man. We splashed and played and got soaked. It was a blast!















Then on Saturday we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's for a joint birthday party with Aunt Carol. It was too fun. Cake, ice cream, presents, margaraitas (not for Thomas of course!)...a great party. Plus, my brother-in-law was home for the weekend from training for the Navy. So we had a great time.

His very cool "Thomas" cake made by the fabulous Mindy

Blowing out his two candles

He actually did it!

Cake and ice cream rocks!

The birthday sharers share a sweet kiss

Matt thought it was hilarious to rub the black frosting on his teeth and try to kiss me! ICK!

Thanks for the great advice and confidence everyone has sent my way. I finally calmed down and was able to get some better details from Jonah and set the record straight. I think the teacher was fairly understanding and will leave Jonah in his Wolverine gear alone :)





On to happier things....





Today my baby boy is 2...WAAAHHHHHH! I cannot imagine that 2 whole years have passed. He is proudly telling people that he is"choo". I get teary thinking about it....here he was on that beautiful early morning two years ago...

This is one of my most favorite pictures ever. Jonah gazing in complete amazement that he finally had his baby brother.

I cried when he came...not because it hurt or was tough...although those were true. But, when they placed this little man into my arms, I knew he'd never meet his namesake. I kissed his beautiful face while my eyes welled up and whispered, "Here he is, Grandpa, a little Thomas Michael."

And here is our sweet boy now, 2 years old and still such a joy

Right now, I'm furious. Can hardly find the words to type.

So this morning, it was 39 degrees. Somewhat chilly. I told the kids to grab sweatshirts as they headed out to the bus. Jonah was stalling and stalling and looking for his Indianapolis sweatshirt. I asked him why he didn't just grab his Michigan sweatshirt. He hedged the question..so I knew something was up. Upon further questioning he tells me that his social studies teacher informed him that her classroom was a "State zone". So she made him put a GIRL'S sweatshirt over his and wear it the entire class. It sounded like it was supposed to be a joke, but Jonah was obviously bothered by it. So much so, that he went to school without a sweatshirt on.

What would you do?!?!?!?!

I know I've already posted things about Thomas this week, but it IS his birthday week after all so he should get a few posts by himself.


Thomas dances. He dances. Anytime he hears music, in the grocery store, at church.. It is hilarious to see. I don't know who taught him this, but it's funny. ANd I don't know why, but until this weekend, I had not caught it on video. Well I caught it...so here is Thomas doing his booty dance...

Sometimes our children can display joy, outrageous joy, and everytime I manage to catch it on camera it makes me smile....here's this week's display..