12 Days of Christmas

Good morning all you folks in blogger land. This will be the 1st year in many that I am going to be at home with my children during their Christmas break. I am really looking forward to this time with them and I am working on some creative ideas for us. We try hard not to get caught up in the commercialism(sp) of the holiday which gets harder and harder each year. I am looking for ways to remind us daily what Christmas is really about. I say all that, like the 3W's are the ones who need the reminding but I need it more than they do. So, I have decided to combine my favorite holiday with a challenge for myself. Tomorrow starts December and I am posing a 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. For the next 12 days, my family is going to work to re-discover the true meaning of Christmas. We will post the progress of our Challenge. If any of you decide to take the Challenge with us, we look forward to hearing your creative ways of bringing the true meaning of Christmas into your home. Until tomorrow.....

Girlfriends

Have you got one? If not, you better find you one or two or eleven. I have eleven of the best girlfriends anyone could ever ask for. We are known as the Byron Bunko Babes and we proudly advertise our membership on our cars, t shirts, wrists, coozies and out of our mouths whenever an opporturnity arises. We have been playing Bunko together for five years. We are a diverse group of women who put everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING aside) one Thursday a month to spend a couple hours together. I just wanted to take a minute to make a shout out to each and everyone of you. You are an incredible group of ladies and I am so honored to be able to call myself a Byron Bunko Babe.

Poppa's Princess

For those of you who don't know us well, the #1W was always Poppa's favorite. He made no bones about it and didn't think that there was anything wrong with the fact that she held the most special place in his heart. Everyone at City Hall called her his princess. She knew it too. Like I told you yesterday, after school, we all gathered in Grammy and Poppa's yard to do our thing. I held onto the balloons while I said a few words and carefully passed one to each of the W's and Mouse. Well before we could start singing, #1W's slipped right out of her hands. The look on her face would have brought tears to even the hardest of hearts. She was frantically searching with her eyes for a look or word to comfort her. I quickly gave her mine and then Mouse, the wonderfully, understanding father that he is, leaned over and whispered to her, "He'll get yours first." And that my friends is the way he would have wanted it. I know he was there with us yesterday and enjoyed our little celebration for him. Until next time....

Happy Birthday, Poppa

Today is the day I have dreaded the most since the funeral. My Poppa would have turned 81 today. Thank God, Mother is in Oklahoma and not here. I'm sure that she is just as greatful as I am for her. I have been thinking the last few days, why couldn't he have been here for just 1 more birthday, 1 more Christmas, 1 more anything. We miss him so much. I wanted to celebrate (what a strange word to use) this day in some way but wasn't quite sure how. He sure never wanted much celebration but I decided that the party is really for the guests anyway. So this evening, after school and basketball practice, the 3W's and I are going to pick up some balloons and head over to his house. We will stand in his yard and sing a very special HAPPY BIRTHDAY, just like we do every year, and release our balloons. I want to mark this day in my mind as well as theirs. They were his world and I don't want them to ever forget it. Until next time.....

I'm Back!!!!!

Hello All!!! I am back and hopefully for more that 1 or 2 posts. I have certainly missed out on a lot the past month and there is so much to share about my world that I don't even know where to begin. How about a quick update? Mouse has joined a hunting club and attempting to spend all his spare time in the woods. He's had several Bambi sightings but not 1 kill. #1W finished her cross country season and has moved on to basketball. She is practicing 4 days a week!! She seems to really enjoy it. I am ever amazed at the depth of her young mind. I have a friend whose family is making a trip overseas. She was very concerned about how they were planning on sitting on the plane. Being in a family of five, I guess she knew that someone was going to have to sit alone. After some discussion and the realization that another family member would be traveling with them, she was relieved that all the children would have an adult to sit with. #2W finished his football season with 10 wins and 1 loss and a continuing love for the game. That's always my concern. Is he having a good time and enjoying himself? He is getting ready to start basketball. We are not playing Upward this year. We signed him up to play Rec Ball. Scary!! 3 of his friends are playing on this team with him. He seems to think that they are going to be GREAT! I hated to share with him that this basketball season would be much different from past seasons. I know they will learn so much more by playing in a league where they will face serious competition. A good friend reminded me yesterday that their level of success may not be measured by the number of games that they win. I am looking forward to watching both of them play. #3W finished the Soccer Season undefeated. WAY TO GO SHARKS!! They had their party and got a trophy. He did not enjoy the party as much as he should have. He has not been feeling too good lately and felt really bad that afternoon. He has been to the doctor and hopefully he is on the road to recovery. He was the Soaring Eagle for November and extremely proud of that accomplishment. For those of you who don't know, being a Soaring Eagle is quite an honor. Mouse and I attended the Soaring Eagle luncheon last week to celebrate.

My mom left Friday to spend 3 weeks in Oklahoma. I am missing her but am greatful that she decided to go. She will be spending her first Thanksgiving without Poppa in a new place and with family that she hasn't seen in a while. We enjoy tradition in our family and being here to continue a family tradition without him would have been difficult for her. We are looking forward to Christmas and I am greatful that I will be able to spend the holidays with my children this year. Until next time.......