Happy Birthday Megan Anne!!

Look who turned 8 today!!

Here is a picture of her when she was born (actually 2 pics of her side by side) - and one of her taken just a few weeks ago at school...isn't she growing up to be a beautiful girl? Happy Birthday Muff!

SNOW!

Crud! I hate snow so much!

Thankfully, we have our roof on and 90% of the doors and windows in on the house...but we still have the snow to deal with. The driveway never was professionally done, so it's going to be a bear this season too.

We had someone(s) on the property Friday night steal a bunch of building supplies - 2x4's and maybe a few other odds and ends...nothing major. But it was still enough to boil my blood! I just HATE that feeling of being violated when things are taken from you! However, it did motivate us to get somethings done that we'd been draging our feet on, so maybe it was a kind-of good thing in a way.

Here's a picture of us having our Sponge Bob dinner a couple of weeks ago. Nickalodeon played 24hrs of SB so we recorded them and then after dinner the next night we crashed and watched them.


We had Sponge Bob's Crabby Patties, Gary's Great Fixin's, Patrick's Punch, Squidward's Squigilly Fries, Sandy's Sauce, Mr. Crab's Crabcakes (not a huge hit, lol) and Jellyfish Jigglers...Man, I feel like I'm forgetting something - oh well...it was great fun!

Prematurity Awareness Month

While I'm at it - I wanted to take a moment and mention the March of Dimes and November being Prematurity Awareness Month.

What does this mean really? Well, not a lot at the moment - but I want y'all to be prepared when I hit you up for donations when our family does the March of Dimes WalkAmerica in the Spring. We've never participated before because I assumed it was on a Sunday - come to find, it's held on a Saturday! WAHOOO! So we're gearing up to take our 3 preemies - and the other 7 members of our family who have all been touched by the heart squeeze that is to have a preemie - and we're walking! (Providing they hold one here again next year).

Joseph Barry 5wks premature

Melanie Jayne 7wks premature

Malorie Elizabeth 7wks premature

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we went to my parent's house Wednesday afternoon. We spent the night at their house and got ready for dinner with them. The past 2 years we've been with Brandon's family, which I totally didn't mind at all, but it was nice to see my family this year.

We left shortly after lunch/dinner and stopped at Brandon's mom's house. He had a sister and brother home from out-of-town...plus all of the locals. It was a full house, but that's always fun - especially for the kids. It's fun to watch the cousins becoming old enough to enjoy one another's company instead of just competing for the favorite toys in grandma's basement. They are developing sincere relationships, which is exactly why - more than 10 years ago - we decided that instead of taking the higher paying jobs in silicon valley, we'd move home and be by family. Ahhh, it's nice to have decisions like that one starting to pay off!

Naturally, I forgot to take my camera with us yesterday so I have zero pictures - but I know my mom and sister took pictures and I've already instructed them to pass them along when they download them.

Chicken-Joseph

I forgot that back at Halloween I said I'd post a picture of Joseph in the chicken costume...doy!

Here he is w/ my little sister Lindsay (26, single - any takers?) LOL

Windows

I got to go out and see my new windows yesterday! Wahoo!! We won't be siding the house until spring - just in case some of you are wondering why it never looks like we're making much progress by the pictures of the outside. Brandon is working on the staircase this weekend. We need to get the plumber and the tubs upstairs - seems he's not interested in hauling them up our suicide ladder! Hmmm, go figure!

We're waiting for the kitchen window and the side panels for the bay windows. We have glass panel doors for those big old door holes you see in the bay/pop-outs...we're still needing to order a front door though. Leaning toward a nice 3/4 glass double door at Home Depot. And the other door hole you see is to the mud room. Man, when I start typing it all out, it seems like it'll be an eternity before it's really done! LOL

Nov 11, 06

How's the house coming? It is. Some days it feels like it's moving along faster than others - and then there are also days that it seems we'll never really live in this house! LOL Brandon came home last night and said he has all but the great-room windows installed! That's amazing! I can't wait to see it. I didn't dare drive my toboggan, err, I mean van out there Thurs or Fri b/c it had snowed and needless to say, we don't do snow so well. Not sure what we'll do when we LIVE there...I'm all for hunkering down until the spring thaw, but I'm betting other family members will opt to socialize! The nerve!

Anyhoo - here's a pic from a couple of weeks ago. Now you have to imagine white windows in those holes! LOL For a size reference, that's Brandon on the bay window roof...squint, he's there, I promise!

Besides the house stuff, we're doing well. Joseph managed to stay off anything worse than a cold! Thank goodness! The kids are still loving school in DP. The drive is...well, it's an 1.5hr drive every morning at 7:30 - not something I would recommend! LOL But it's not the worst thing that could happen to us. The news the other night said that a kid had been expelled from the school Jason WOULD have been attending if we'd stayed in this district because he had created a hit list/death list - NICE! So I'll stop complaining about my morning commute!

Tis the season...

Joseph has come down with another cold. I'm not overly worried about it becoming anything more than a cold just yet. I called the doc's office yesterday and asked the nurse how much of an OTC cough/runny nose medicine I should give him (I hate that they all say "Under 2 years, consult your doctor). Anyhoo, she wouldn't tell me!! She said I had to bring Joseph in to be seen. I was LIVID. When I got to the office I had a different nurse sign us in and when she asked what Joseph needed to be seen for, I said, "Nothing, he just needs cough medicine." LOL

When the doctor came in I said the same thing - I think it went something like, "Before you look at him and tell me it's 'just a cold', I want you to know I didn't call to make an appointment, I just needed to know how much medicine to give him!" We both laughed and then she said, "Really? You didn't want to come in?" Then that sparked a conversation about how their office needs to correct that procedure asap! It costs money to drive in, some ppl pay a co-pay for every visit, you expose your child to other germs in the office when you come in, etc. If a mom doesn't think her child needs anything more than cough medicine, she should be given the option to come in - but regardless of what she decides to do, she should get the information she specifically called for! Ahhhhh! Validation is so nice once in a while! LOL

So, now we're home w/ Dimatapp and a conversion chart so I know how much to give the kids who are 2 and under in our house! LOL I so love my ped's office. Dr. Olson is amazing and luckily for us, we like his partner Suzy too!! It's not very often that I can stomach anyone but my own doctor!!

Amelia

Madilyn gave a little oral report on Amelia Erhart at school yesterday. She was so excited to do this assignment. She must get her public speaking courage from her dad - heaven knows I would have thrown up, wet myself and possibly broken my own leg to keep from having to do this assignment when I was her age!!
She did a fabulous job. Her costume was GREAT! Grandma Janet made the flight hat, the jacket is mom's, the glasses belonged to Grandpa Gary's GREAT uncle...it was very impressive.

October 28

I am so glad this day is over. I love that our church has an annual Halloween party for the kids/families. Our kids enjoy it. We don't have to go door to door on the actual Halloween day. That's great - but I HATE the huge crowd! This was, however, the most enjoyable year for me. We did trunk or treating and the weather was surprisingly warm. Not shorts and t-shirt warm, but it wasn't snowing/raining like it has in years past! LOL

Here are my kiddos in age order. My sister has some very very cute pictures of Joseph in an Old Navy chicken costume that I'll post when she sends to me. We took him in Blue's Clues tonight because the chicken costume was too hot for my chub-a-luba!!

October 27

Took a few snapshots of some of the kids last night. They are such cheeseballs! I hate it when they see the camera come out and get all goofy! LOL

Here's Megan, being a pirate I guess! ha!

Jaynie with a nice boog-spaghetti combo going on! Ewww!

Malorie, who really does smile like this!
When she looked at the picture on the camera she wanted to take another one with her eyes "a little bit opener"...and this is what we got - MUCH better! ha

And just for fun - here Megan's handy work with the camera. Mom and the girlies!

Keeping in touch -

What are the odds that I'll really keep this up? LOL I've realized though, that we have several good friends and dear family members who don't live close enough to us to really keep up with our goings on. Since I'm so sure they are all dying to know what we're up to, I thought I'd create, and attempt to upkeep, a "famiLee" blog for them.

Of course I don't have anything of interest to share at the moment. I'll try to get a few pictures of the kids and the house in the next day or so to post.

Rest assured that we are all doing well. The kids are happy and healthy (knock on wood). School is going great. The house is coming along. Life is very good!


Just for fun, here is a picture we took a couple of weeks ago while we were roofing the house. Gives some idea of how mammoth this thing is!! I think there are a couple of Brandon's brothers, Justin & James, and their uncle Bruce...my nephew Shane, and our friend Mike Wilhelm. It was just nauseating watching them walk around up there, but it's done!! We've been so lucky and blessed to have such wonderful weather...this is very much NOT the norm for this time of year!