Persuasive Letter Writing Assignment

Rachel's first grade class recently practiced persuasive letter writing. Her letters were sent home on Friday. They were pretty interesting to read. My favorite was the following to one of her classmates:

Dear Justin,

Please belive in Santa Claus. If you don't I'll give you some proof. Last Christmas morning I found some of his suit. And my Dad saw a great red glowing circle thing. I hope that helps you. If you don't believe in him he won't give you any presents. And even worse he might give you coal this year. I hope this helps you believe in Santa
Claus.

Sincerely,
Rachel

A Healthy Competition

Winning isn't everything, but wanting to is. ~~ Vince Lombardi

We decided to go bowling today; something we haven't done in a while. There is no greater competition for Jeff than me. He loves, no, relishes it when he beats me at any game or competition. You could say, I bring out the best in him. I thought I'd share one of his strikes today. You can see that he does not gloat at all when he does well. Such a sweet, modest soul. One of the many attributes that made me fall in love with him.

January Update

There hasn't been much to share so I haven't posted anything much as of late. I was on reserve duty the first two weeks of January.

We visited with my Mom last weekend. For those wondering about her status, she is doing about the same. Her speech isn't entirely clear. And, she still has limited use of her right hand. But, she can move about independently. So, for that, we are grateful. I'm thankful that my Aunt and cousins who live nearby to her have been able to keep an eye on her and assist her as needed as I have not been able to be there as much due to the distance we live away from her and due to work.

I spent the majority of last week in Marietta again for business. I won't bore you with the details but it was one of those trips where my hotel accomodations were frustrating. I had one problem after another with my room and got very little sleep. The work days were long too. I was exhausted by the time I got back home late Thursday night.

So, after three full weeks of not being at my civilian job, I returned to my office on Friday to a laundry list of things that had piled up and, of course, everything is either due yesterday or needed right now. I don't think I ever shared here that I was selected for a promotion in my civilian job late last year. While the pay increase and promotion became effective November 23rd, my duties and responsibilities didn't kick in until January 1st...while I've been out of the office. It is a new position and I have a lot of work to do to get some basic processes in place. In the short term, things are going to be busier than ever and stressful. I'm hoping that it will eventually taper off some towards the later part of 2009. That may be me being hopeful though. My new position entails being the fleet software lead for an airplane. For now, I will just be happy to have a little less business related travel. (I'm sure Jeff and the girls would like that too!) I also enrolled in Air Command and Staff College. It is the next level of education required to make my next rank in my military reserve career. It is the only box I haven't checked to be promoted. So, my New Year resolution was to get it done this year. It is a requirement to make the next military rank. It is a nice to have box filler on the civilian side. So, you can say, it "kills two birds with one stone." I'll be doing that work by correspondence. Now, I've just got to find the energy and time to do the tons of reading required.

There are a few events coming up in the near term on the home front....Jeff's 40th birthday and Anna's 6th birthday. I've got to get in gear and get some planning done for those two events. We already bought Anna's birthday gift. She and Rachel both wanted to get an I-touch. Rachel bought her own with her money that she saved from birthdays and Christmas, etc. Anna didn't quite have enough to buy one on her own. So she contributed what she had from her piggy bank and we kicked in the difference explaining that it was an early birthday gift. She wants a Winnie the Pooh cake for her birthday so I've got to figure out an appropriate design for that....as well as Jeff's cake.

We haven't planned any RV trips in the short term except to go to Disney for Anna's birthday in February. Other than that, we are discussing a long trip this summer traveling up the East coast to attend our cousin's wedding in WV. It provided us the opportunity to possibly plan a trip through D.C. and other areas that we've been wanting to visit as a family. So, we are going to begin making plans for that.

Lunch with an Old Friend

Tora and I attended technical training in 1995 together. Since then we have kept in touch over the years. He recently moved to Georgia after his last assignment in Alaska and we were finally able to schedule lunch together. I've been traveling so much and my work schedule is crazy and he is a navigator and is subject to the flight schedule of his organization so his work day is erratic as well making it hard to schedule a time we can go since he moved to Georgia. We were finally able to sync up this week while I was on reserve duty. Unfortunately, his phone took a blurry photo but you can still see us for the most part. It's great catching up after all of these years.

I took him to a local dive called the Boarding House. It's not exactly the nicest where ambiance is concerned. But, the food is yummy and cheap. It's all southern style food and it's served family style. It's a must do for those visiting the local area.

Anna Moments

I was in my bathroom braiding my hair when Anna quickly entered announcing the need to poop. We have three bathrooms. Why she felt the need to take a crap in the one that I happened to be in is not something I'll ever understand.

But, if I had not been there I would've missed the interesting conversation that ensued. Anna said, "Mommy, why is it hard to push poop out?" I replied, "Well, maybe you need to eat more fiber; things like fruit as an example." "But, I eat fruit," replied Anna. "Maybe you need to eat more and maybe add some raisins." Then, she changes the conversation to another facet of pooping. "Mommy, part of my poop looks like a snake. The other looks like a snail," she shares with me. At that point, I just stopped talking and smiled. Really, you can't pay for entertainment like this!

We took Rachel and Anna to see Bedtime Stories today. We all enjoyed the movie I think. After we got back home, Anna was having a conversation with our next door neighbor's son, Christian. He was standing in our front yard. Anna was yelling from our open upstairs bonus room window. She yells to him, "We just got back from seeing Bedtime Stories and Bugsy farted."
We watched the whole movie and the one thing she felt noteworthy to share with Christian was that the guinea pig farted after eating marshmallows. Ahhh, that was money well spent.

When I often remind Jeff that Anna is the result of his best and fastest swimmer; he reminds me that she is also the product of my one and only egg produced that month. We have done well contributing to the gene pool, don't ya think? I joke about things like this but honestly, you couldn't spend a minute with Anna and not totally fall in love with her. She keeps me laughing.

Celebrating the New Year in Savannah, GA

Jeff and I traveled to Savannah on New Years Eve to Skidaway Island State Park in our RV. We stayed there through Saturday.

For the most part, we just relaxed. That is a luxury we don't get often with the girls around. Plus, we were both nursing a head cold so we fully appreciated the ability to just take a nap when needed.

We grilled out at the RV for New Years Eve. And, we hiked around the state park on New Years Day because many places in Savannah were closed so there wasn't much to do. We had attempted to eat a Lady & Sons and found they were also closed on New Years Day.

We also went to the movie theater and watched Marley and Me. I have to admit, we were expecting more of a comedy from that movie. It was a good movie....just not quite what we had in mind.

We were watching the local news at the RV and they covered the Polar Bear Plunge. This is an annual activity where locals take a final plunge in the ocean from the Tybee Island beach on New Years Day. Now, keep in mind, it was in the 40s on New Years day. I couldn't believe these people were running into the ocean with their bathing suits on in 40 degree weather.

On Friday evening, we enjoyed a River Boat cruise. It was very nice and something that I'm glad we were able to do without the children. Although, I would like to come back again to Savannah with the girls.

While waiting for our dinner cruise to embark, we listened to a man playing the trumpet on the river walk area. He was quite humorous....he'd play the Indiana Jones theme song when a man walked by with a hat on that looked like Indiana Jones and other well known songs, matching them to the unsuspecting pedestrians walking by. I think my favorite was when a family with seven children walked by and he began playing the Brady Bunch theme.

And, since the children weren't around, Jeff aggravated Simba for entertainment when we were at the camper (better the cat, than me). He attached a paper clip to Simba's fur...his tail, the top of his head....anywhere to drive the poor cat insane. Finally, Simba just laid on the floor in frustration and quit trying to get it off of his head. Poor cat..... I'd have felt bad for him if he had not awakened me a couple of the nights with a lick-a-thon going on. Am I the only person that can not sleep through the noise that ensues from a cat preening himself?

What Did We Have For Dinner Tonight?

Parents are not interested in justice, they're interested in peace and quiet. ~~Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby is right. Parents are interested in peace and quiet; we relish it, in fact. It truly is a valuable commodity when you have children.

And, like other parents, we love our children but we also truly appreciate the peace and quiet that temporarily resumes in our lives when the children are away for a few days. While driving home from getting groceries this past weekend, it was very noticeable at how quiet it was in our van with just the two of us. Usually, the girls are in the back with non-stop chatter going at all times.

I arrived home from work tonight and Jeff greeted me at the door with a big hug and a kiss. Of course, my first question was, "What do you want?" To which he replied, "Nothing, just welcoming you home." The normal "welcome home" entails him heading for the nearest peaceful exit when I enter because he's been alone busily entertaining the girls since they got home from school. It's not that he's not happy to see me (at least I don't think that's it); it's just that there is only so much a sane person can take of non-stop activity. And, by the time I walk in, he's ready for a break. Let me just say....my hat is off to the full time stay-at-home parents of little ones. Whatever patience gene you inherited was not passed on to me by my parents. There's only so much I can take of, "She's looking at me." And, "She's breathing too loudly." And, on and on and on........

And, then there was dinner time tonight. There was no debate and no complaints. Jeff and I had pecan crusted tilapia, steamed veggies and cheese grits. And, a slice of homemade bread that I made last night. If Anna were home, she would've eaten the homemade bread and that would've been it. For her, if it's not chicken fingers, pizza, french fries, hot dogs, or chocolate, she's not interested for the most part. And, today's favorite food is tomorrow's hated food. There's just no pleasin' everyone all the time it seems. I used to love to cook and I've found my interest in cooking the past few years to dwindle more and more as it is just so draining to plan a meal that makes everyone happy.

Life is definitely different when you have children. Not necessarily better or worse; just different. I've often forgotten what it was like when it was just the two of us but I do remember it was so much simpler back then. And, while there are some days we both feel like running and screaming into the night; I would not trade our life for anything. Well, maybe a few more days of peace and quiet, a daily massage at a local spa...... Just kidding......we miss our little munchkins. Besides, I'd swear Jeff was "breathing loudly" while we ate dinner tonight and I could've sworn he was "looking at me." :-)

Christmas Cards 2008

Last year, I started the tradition of sharing the photos we received in Christmas cards here. Here are the photos of family and friends that we received this year.

Christmas 2008

It comes every year and will go on forever. And along with Christmas belong the keepsakes and the customs. Those humble, everyday things a mother clings to, and ponders, like Mary in the secret spaces of her heart. ~~ Marjorie Holmes

Like many families, we have a few family traditions each Christmas. I don't recall doing many of the items below as a child. What I remember is going to mass on Christmas Eve and then returning home and being able to pick one gift to open. I remember my Mom and Grandma making Italian cookies for the family prior to Christmas. I guess each family has its idea of what makes Christmas special and below are the things we do to make it special for our children.

1. The making of the gingerbread house.

2. And, for Christmas Eve, there are quite a few items on the agenda. Up first, is making cookies for Santa. Mary Grace and her friends, Paige & Riley, normally join us for this event. Usually, the kids watch Santa's progress from the Norad internet website.3. Throwing their Christmas list into the fire place. It is the final message to Santa of what they want for Christmas.3. Putting reindeer food on the lawn.

4. Watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and/or The Christmas Story.

5. Last, but not least, the reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas right before bedtime. Of course, the big change this year was that both girls were helping Daddy read it for the first time. Rachel can pretty much read it independently and Anna is just mastering reading but I suspect she'll be reading at the same level as Rachel this time next year.


Christmas Day

There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.~~Erma Bombeck

The big item that both girls asked for were electric scooters this year. I wasn't too worried about Rachel riding on one but I was a bit concerned about Anna getting one. Anna, let's just say, has never developed that "maybe I should not do this" response that humans have for survival. Some day, she would make a great fighter pilot. But, until then, I have to figure out how to help her safely make it to adulthood.

Luckily, there were no accidents and no broken bones after their first day on the scooters. And, as predicted, Rachel was careful with riding her scooter whereas Anna was flying down the cul-de-sac. At one point, she almost ran into my neighbor's mailbox. I suspect we are going to age quite a bit watching her ride. Although, Jeff is already having visions of Anna riding a sport bike on a track. Gee, I wonder where she gets it from?

Gail took Anna and Rachel to see the movie Kit Kittredge; An American Girl this past summer. Gail and Harold gave Rachel the Kit American Girl doll for her birthday in September. And, Anna has been wanting an American Girl doll of her own since. Gail and Harold gave Anna Ruthie for Christmas. I have to say that I enjoy the American Girl things more than the Hannah Montana and High School Musical stuff that seems to be everywhere these days. I'm glad our daughters really aren't interested in either.

Anna, Jeff and I are all nursing some version of a head cold but overall, we had a wonderful Christmas. And, while we are always early in putting decorations up; We are also early in taking them down. Jeff has been hard at work taking care of that. And, I've been busy cleaning the house. The girls left this morning to go to West Virginia with Harold and Gail to visit family. They will return home next Saturday. So, I'm taking the time to go through their rooms and remove some items to make room for their new toys....this is something I can't do with them here as they are both pack rats. And, Rachel claims every item has some significant meaning in her life; even the toy from a McDonalds Happy Meal. Jeff and I will be working Monday and Tuesday and we leave in the RV on Wednesday for Savannah. It'll be the first RV trip that he and I have taken alone in a while. I'm looking forward to the down time and I made reservations for us to take a Riverboat dinner cruise next Friday night. I can't wait.

And, for anyone wondering, our new cat has settled into home life with us just fine. Cocoa (that's what we named him) has fattened up a bit and has had a few tiffs with our neighbor's male cat while establishing his turf. But, other than that, he has become one of the family. He's not going to be happy with us though as we'll be bringing him to the vet soon to get him neutered. We don't want to contribute to the unwanted pet population so it's something that needs to be done. We just haven't time to take him just yet.

I forgot to mention that I was on business travel for the two weeks leading up to Christmas. I was in Marietta one week and then the week before Christmas, I was in Washington D.C. Needless to say, that put us behind with things that needed to be done at home. Before leaving D.C. to return home, I did have time to visit one place that I've been wanting to see; the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. What a humbling place to visit. At various times I was moved to tears just thinking of the amount of innocent life taken in the name of genocide. It was troubling to think that mankind has and continues to do such horrific things in the name of religion, claiming land, or whatever the excuse is for the day. It is one thing to conduct war between armed combatants. And, quite the other to murder and torture innocent, unarmed civilians.

From Our Home to Yours....

Take "Christ" out of Christmas, and December becomes the bleakest and most colorless month of the year.~~A. F. Wells

From our home to yours, "Merry Christmas" and best wishes for a happy and blessed New Year in 2009!

Polar Express Christmas Party

There's no greater gift than friendship.~~Santa Claus in the movie The Polar Express

We hosted friends on Saturday evening for what now seems to be our annual Polar Express Christmas Party.

There was one major hiccup with the event this year though...I was out of town most of last week leaving us Friday evening and Saturday morning to prepare goodies, clean the house, mow the yard and set up the projector and equipment. Jeff took care of the outdoor stuff and I took care of the indoor preparation and baking. Needless to say, I was ready to collapse by the time that the guests started arriving. For those who don't remember, Jeff sets up our 9 foot inflatable movie screen in our backyard along with the sound system and we play the movie Polar Express.

We had a great turn out but the weather was a bit colder this year than last year. We had a fire going outside in the fire pit and in the fireplace inside. We had home made hot chocolate and egg nog to drink; as well as apple cider. I had a variety of sweets to eat: chocolate dipped pretzels, cookies, fudge, brownies, gingerbread, and gingerbread man cookies.

Some people sat outside and watched part or all of the movie. Others visited inside with us.

Jeff dressed up as Santa this year. He didn't stay in the suit for long though as the kids ganged up on him. It was the first time I ever recall seeing Santa sprinting from a flock of kids. It was hilarious watching that big fake belly flopping up and down as he ran from the children.

I also snapped a few photos of some of our guests and have posted those here.

We had a great time visiting with everyone although I have to admit we were exhausted when it was over. The last person didn't leave until 11:30 pm. I found Rachel and Anna asleep on the sofas in the living room.

One last thought from Santa in the Polar Express: "Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart."

Sunday

Today, I brought Rachel, Anna, and our niece, Mary, to see the Disney on Ice show in Macon. I nearly fell asleep on a couple of occasions during the show which is unlike me. When we arrived at home around 3:30, I told Jeff that I desperately needed a nap. I literally collapsed in the bed and slept for the next 1.5 hours. I could've slept the rest of the day if Jeff had not awakened me.

For added fun, this coming week I will have one last business trip to Washington D.C. I'm tired of travel and being on the road. I've been waiting for things to slow down at work for the holidays but it never happened. Now, I'm burned out and looking forward to Christmas Day. Actually, Jeff and I are both burned out...just for different reasons. I'm burned out from being on the road, the long work hours, and work stress. Jeff is burned out from being a single parent so often the past few months while I've been away for business travel. The girls are going with Harold and Gail to West Virginia after Christmas and Jeff and I will be all alone for a week. We need some time to recover from work and all of the holiday activities.

I received our Christmas cards that I ordered....now I just need to figure out when I'm going to have time to address them and get them in the mail. Christmas cards may go out late this year......

Sophia Turns One

Some of my readers may recall last year that our friend Long and his wife Quyen welcomed their first child, Sophia, in the world on Christmas Day.

Sophia turns one December 25th but they wanted to celebrate her birthday a bit early since they planned to travel to Ohio to visit with family over Christmas this year. It's hard to believe it's been one year already.

Happy Early 1st Birthday Sophia!

Kitty Litter Surprise

This is what happens when the wife is away for business travel during the husband's office Christmas party.

I was in Marietta last week and Jeff was left on his own to come up with a contribution for the office Christmas party. He made kitty litter surprise which is actually quite tasty...it just looks disgusting. I have to give him credit for the excellent job that he did on making it look realistic. Something tells me though that if I'm out of town again during an office party, they'll probably ask Jeff to contribute paper plates and napkins.

Indian Springs, GA

Top Row: Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil.

Bottom Row: "Hey, they are spoiling our fun!"

We joined some friends at Indian Springs State Park this past weekend. Cindy, Larry and their two children; Trinity and Hannah. John and Darlene and daughter Alecia.

Darlene, Cindy & Me (L-R)

The weather was cold for most of the weekend but we still had a great trip. The kids had a great time playing in leaf piles and riding their bikes around the campground. Even Jeff joined in the leaf pile fun.

Alecia

This was the first year that the Village at Indian Springs offered a Christmas program. On Saturday morning, Pinky's restaurant had breakfast with Santa. It was $10 per adult and $5 per child for a pancake breakfast. We walked around the shops and garden area after breakfast. I was impressed when I caught Larry carrying Cindy's red purse for her. He truly is a man secure with his masculinity. Although, Jeff did tell him that the purse clashed with his ensemble.

Larry and the Red Purse

Generations Gallery offered free activities throughout the day including making ornaments, horse carriage rides, cotton candy and snacks. A local high school class played Christmas carols using hand bells in the evening. This was the first year that these activities were offered and we really enjoyed it all. Very quaint. And, very simple. The Village at Indian Springs is located right outside of Indian Springs State Park so it was very convenient as well.

It was also Hannah's birthday recently so we celebrated on Saturday. Everyone was high on sugar after eating that cake. And, everyone also had colored tongues from the cake icing.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

We also added another family member this weekend. A cat adopted us at the campground. He knew a sucker family when he saw one. And, I'll give him credit...he picked the family with the 39 foot diesel motorhome. Smart kitty! Evidently, the cat was abandoned there at some point. The camp host said other families had tried to bring the cat home with them as well because the cat is so personable. But, he added that the cat would freak out when they put it in the vehicle to take it away from the park. I put the cat in the jeep with me and he was perfectly content on my lap. He is such a sweet kitty that we felt awful leaving him there. So, I drove home with him in my lap. He'll have to be an outdoor kitty because he is a male and he and Simba, our indoor male cat, would fight if they both were kept indoors. I think he is used to it so I don't anticipate it'll be much of a change for him except he'll now get regular meals and he has a dedicated family. We aren't sure what we are going to name him yet though...and I suppose I'll be bringing him to the vet soon to get him neutered. It'll have to wait until I get back from Marietta though. I'm leaving again on Monday. I'm hoping this will be my last trip for the year. I have to say that the "inn is full" at this point. I had no desire to take on another pet but at the same time none of us could just leave the poor creature.
Of course, he's tiny compared to Simba. I don't think he is half the size of Simba and he appears to be full grown.