Sunday, December 21, 2008

Sad AND Pathetic

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081221/ap_on_bi_ge/executive_bailouts

What the hey!  They really should have to own up to their plan and go through an inquisition the way the auto makers had to.  This is in sane.  They make millions during a recession where most are losing their jobs, homes, etc. and only dream of making $100,000 a year, let alone millions.

And our government's big push to pass this stupid bank bailout was that taxpayers will make their money back and then some?  Please!  What a load of bologne.  They guys had no scrupples to begin with.  This is how we got in this situation.  And they're not going to stop because the US government bailed them out.  They going to take advantage and it looks like they wasted no time in doing that.


Noises from downstairs

Sounds a little like the title to a horror flick.  :)  It's really just noises from the rec room where the kids spend the majority of their time with toys, books and tv.

I consider quiet time as no noice.  The absence and pure void of anything from downstairs.  And usually when the downstairs is quiet, yet all four kids are awake, this means trouble.  It seldom means they're all just playing nicely, though it has happened on occasion.

Then you have medium noise.  It's not a constant clammering of children's voices.  It's just talking here and there as they play and converse.

Then you have LOUD!  It's a tad more of a constant  echo in the house.  It usually consists of at least one child yelling at the other or someone ends up crying.  Most times it begins with laughter and turns into someone crying.  Hard to punish when someone ends up crying after they all thought it was a fun activity in the beginning, so we don't.  :)

The quietness only occurs about 10-15% of the time they're all together.  The medium and LOUD is the remaining of the 100%.  They're fairly split with LOUD having a slight lead on medium.

I will have to record them when they're LOUD sometime.  It's hard to catch them doing that because generally they're watching for us to come down the stairs and they can even see us at the top and catch us and quickly go quiet or start blaming each other.  :) 

I taped the medium today on Cole's MP3 from the top of the stairs.  I was able to get to the bottom without being caught and record them from behind a wall.  Here are the sounds you hear in our house.  Just click on the link below, open the file and click on the arrow button to page through.  The LOUD page is incomplete at this time.

ppt-kid-sounds4


Sunday, December 14, 2008

Oh joy...the first ice of the season.

Just sitting here and suddenly I hear the pings of ice on the screen, siding and deck.  Tomorrow morning ought to be fun trying to get kids to daycare, possibly school and myself to work.  I can handle some snow, but I HATE ice!

Wonder what tomorrow morning will bring?

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

It's only starting....

Our K and 3rd grader had their Christmas program tonight.  After the program was over I went to get the 3rd grader and then we made our way to get our kindergartner.  Right when we got over to her class there was a little girl, held by her dad, saying "hhhiiii Chasie".   He was polite enough to say high back, but was practically shrinking down like it was painful.  :)  Turns out this little girl is a friend of Kaelin's.  Apparently, Kaelin tries REALLY hard at recess to bug her brothers, as do her friends with her, if she can.  For now, it's driving the boys nuts!  But, after next year even Chase will be in separate school from her and as they get older he may very well appreciate her friends hangin' around.

Actually, I'm willing to bet this will happen in several more years.

Lisa


Sunday, December 7, 2008

Pre-Christmas

We're going through the motions of all the Christmas hullaballoo...the Christmas programs, decorating, the Christmas card pic.

They love the decorating and watching movies together.  Yes, we usually, actually, watch a few Christmas movies together as a family.  Christmas movies are my favorites, so I'm inflicting that habit on my children and so far they seem to enjoy it.  :)  First, I have a picture of the kids in front of the tree in their pj's.  This is a tradition, but the tradition is usually to use the picture on our Christmas card.  However, I was proactive this year and took a picture in early November so I would have plenty of time to get the card printed and glad I did with all of the flus going through the house.  Chase was sad we didn't take a picture in front of the tree in their pj's so they asked that I do that even though we would not use on a card.  I asked them to make a goofy face and this is what I instantly got:



Here are the kids decorating the upstairs and downstairs trees.





My little Christmas reindeer being the ham she is.




Saturday, December 6, 2008

Reflections of Thankfulness

A little gushy, but year end, you're supposed to be, right? 

I wrapped the kids' presents today, so they can stare at them for 3 weeks and try to guess what they're getting from mom, dad and Great Grandparents. :) :)  My daughter is going to her very first birthday party and for a Chinese adoptee friend in her class.  I'm so excited for her to be going to her first party.  For a girl it's a big thing!

I think today how fortunate we are.  Fortunate for 4 wonderful (fighting sometimes, but wonderful) kids and a wonderful (annoying sometimes, but wonderful) husband who survived what could have been a horrible accident this year.  We all survived a very sickly year of appendectomies, febrile seizures, house remodel/addition, over six weeks without our husband/father and plenty of unknowns with it all. 

Kaelin is 6 and began kindergarten this year.  Something that's hard to believe she's already there.  In a town of less than 1,000 and a school of 400 (K-6) she has 18 children in her immediate classroom (almost 60 in K) and she has 3 adopted Asian children (Korea, China and Vietnam) in this small communities' classroom. I'm glad for this.   My daughter is a very popular girl in her class.  I've never seen so many kids run to be around her when we go to a school function.   She's a very sweet girl and that's why she has so many friends.

Chelsi is 3 and has begun reading sight words, since Grandma has run out of things to teach her at daycare and she loves it.  She's a cuddle bug like no other and momma's little baby.  Not potty trained yet, but she's my baby, so oh well. 

Cole and Chase are 11 and 8 are working harder than ever to get good grades and retain the ability to play sports.  Cole can be so grown up sometimes.  He has been there when mom needed a man in the house and he's beginning to show a lot of maturity.  Chase is transitioning through maturity and it's been a little hard on him, but he still let's mom kiss him and hug him and that's the best.  He's a BIG boy and I forget sometimes he's only 8. 

My children show their love and affection for each other and us.  I know they're not perfect and neither are we, but we must be doing something right.  When I hear that Chase was sick at Grandma's after school and everyone went outside except Kaelin.  She stayed to eat and talk and keep my 8 year old company.  I know my kids are wonderful, caring human beings who I'm very privileged to raise.

Lisa


Sunday, November 9, 2008

Let's Be One Nation Under God

I've heard so many people who are truly and utterly upset that McCain lost the election.  I don't mean disappointed, but I mean in anger and thoughts of fear that this country is going to hell in a handbag.  I can't imagine being that extreme.  I guess some might say it's passionate, I still say extreme.  I would have been a little let down if Obama had lost, but far from angry.  I figured whomever won, it was part of God's plan for us all....this world, this country.  I realize we all have free will, but do you think anyone other than God could compell us all to vote a certain way for any other reason.  I hope this election taught everyone something.  1.  Don't sit by idly and let things happen.  Get involved.  Know your reps and voice your opinion to them.  2.  Our votes count...all of them. 

I hope that we see some real changes.  Not just for today, but for tomorrow.  It would be nice to see some actual changes in the way politics are run and Washington functions.  That's a tall order though.

Anyways, here's a great link I found and enjoyed.  It's from people who voted on both sides and just want us to be one.

http://www.zefrank.com/from52to48withlove/index.html