Michigan Weather Stinks!!

OK so my alarm went off at 5:30 this morning and of course I rolled over and turned it off so that the back up one could wake me up again at 6am. My alarm is set to our local radio station and every morning at 6 they play the national anthem. It's like my cue to get my butt out of bed and start the day. So I did. In fact I had even started the night before by prepping the dinner for the crock pot and making lunches for school. I had even read my Bible study notes. Anyway, I get up get my shower and get back in to bed to cuddle, cause I have some extra time and what do I hear. SCHOOL IS CLOSED for the day!!!! Yuck!! Only in Hicksdale, I mean Hillsdale, do they close school because the roads are rutted and iced over due to a thaw and then freeze overnight. I understand the buses can't run on them, but hey all those parents didn't stay home from work did they? I think they may have been able to get the kids to school bus or not. Besides our school doesn't even use the public school bus we could have gotten to school. I know there are tons of reasons why school was closed and I am being very judgemental and I am not the one having to make the decision, but I can still dream can't I?

So we all went to Bible Study today, since I am the only one with kids in school and I lead it, I brought everyone along. Daniel and Sarah played with their friends and the college girls who do child care and the top three played in the gym. It was a pretty good morning, considering. We stayed and played at church until lunch, then came home, ate and rested while the little ones slept. Our afternoon consisted of Wii and movies. Happy Joy! Snow/Rain days cancel out the now Wii or TV during the school week rule.

Tomorrow we are supposed to have more rain/sleet/snow/ice along with gusty wind and rapidly dropping temperatures. I have made lunch for tomorrow and have dinner planned. We are supposed to have our Winter Wonderland open gym for toddlers and preschoolers, which is closed if school is closed. Who wants to wager that we won't have school tomorrow either?? Tune in tomorrow to find out!!

The Show WILL go on!!

If you hadn't heard the Theatre for Youth production of HONK!Jr had been postponed. Back before Christmas they suspended rehearsals until further notice. We have just learned that the show will go, but not on the days originally planned. They did not have a stage for the February shows, something about mold and water damage, and they couldn't find a replacement on those dates. Soooooo, after much ado we now have a new schedule for rehearsals and new show dates. The production will be at the Sauk Theater in Jonesville on May 2nd, 3rd and 4th and on May 9th, 10th, and 11th. Make your reservations soon!! The first weekend is of course confirmation weekend here so Doug will be very busy! You can't please everyone. I hope that you can make it for at least one show. I am guessing there will be at least 4 shows each weekend - One Friday & Saturday night and Matinees on Sat and Sunday. I'll let you know after Feb 17 which is when rehearsals begin again.

Other things to note: Grace has moved up to a half size violin. When she started she was in an eighth size, her last one was a quarter size. Next will be a three quarter size and then finally a full size, but we don't anticipate her needing the full until Middle School or later.

No one here is sick anymore. We have been cleaning and disinfecting all day. Doug isn't preaching tomorrow, but that is just because he didn't have all week to prepare for it. We will all be in church tomorrow with bells on, although we may be the only ones, there is a lot of stuff going around here in Hillsdale.

Recovery

I can honestly say this is the worst virus we have gotten in a long time. It seemed to last forever. Doug was the last to go yesterday and I do believe we are near the end. I think I can lower the Quarantine flag. It is now time to get out the bleach and Lysol and begin the clean up process. My washing machine, mop and sponges will all get a work out this weekend. That is the part I hate the most! Of course I will enlist the help of the minions, but forced labor is never cooperative!! Thank you to all who called to check up on us and offer help and prayers. We are doing much better and continue to improve each day. Hopefully Doug will be able to preach on Sunday. We have just been taking each day as it comes and playing it by ear. I am so looking forward to a more orderly routine next week. I think the kids are too. They like being home but get bored even when they are sick. I am going to have to ban TV for a year to make up for the amount they watched these past 10 days!!! Do you know how many times we watched Dora the Explorer and Madagascar?? Sarah can quote them if that tells you anything. You should see her and Daniel sing "New York" from Madagascar. It is so cute!

Anyway we have now begun the clean up and the homework, lots of homework. They have a while to finish it, but I think we will get as much done as we can this weekend. Things move fast at WCA and they will be better off if they get caught up quickly. It will be like school away from school. Lucky them, chores and homework. They may never get sick again!!!


Oh and...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT RENEE!!!!!

We love you!!!!

and another one goes...

Just in case you are keeping track, Grace had her turn today. That just leaves me and Doug. Hopefully not at the same time. :-) I will keep you all in my prayers, you don't want this bug!!

All the kids stayed home from school today and Grace and Nathan will for sure be home tomorrow, probably Jacob too. I should probably go get their homework from school. I ran errands today and did some laundry, but I basically just took care of all my kids, the big 32 year old one too. Why is it that when men get sick it is almost worse than the kids. Doug is fighting resisting the end result of this bug so he stayed home today. He began reading Harry Potter and just kinda relaxed. I did too. I am half way through a book I bought this morning at Walmart.

I will continue to let you know how we are doing, but for now I think I will go read and then sleep. Blessings!!!

Another One Bites the Dust

Nathan went down today. It began right after nap. So far his has been the worst. The others tapered off after a while, but Nate has been going about every 20 minutes since 4pm. Poor guy. The bigger they are the harder they fall. Can't wait till it's Doug's turn!!

On a happy note, my sister Rachelle got engaged this weekend -- finally! Her boyfriend, now fiance', Josh Hare, proposed in St. Augustine, Florida last night. We are awaiting the details. I will be sure to keep you all posted, as will my dad at Aftermath and my other sister Renee at Peyton's Place. Check out my dad's site for pictures of the happy couple.

I have decided that this is the year of weddings. We have several this year and I am sure some next year too. My cousin Jason will be married in May, cousin Amy in July, uncle Brian in September and cousin Jeremy in October (i think). Now we will also have Rachelle's and cousin Christopher's to fit on our calendars. A note to those of you still setting dates, the sooner we know the better. A pastor's schedule is impossible to work around at best and last minute changes are a given. Such is the life of the man I married.

Speaking of marriage, my dad has a place for all of you romantics out there to tell your engagement story. Just go to Aftermath and find the section about memory. It will make sense when you are there. I would love to hear all your stories, as I am sure he would too. So far mine is the only story there.

Last, but not least, Scott and Nora, Doug's brother and his wife, are moving to Phoenix tomorrow. We will miss them very much. Scott has been there since this summer while Nora tied up lots of loose ends in Allen Park. They closed on their house in Phoenix in December and are now ready to move in permanently. We are so excited and happy for them. The kids are already planning our first family trip cross country to visit them. If you have any hot spots to stop along the way pass them along. It will take us a while to plan this one.

Well I am off to comfort Nathan and wait for Grace, Doug or myself to be next. Gotta love the winter in Michigan. Congrats again to Rachelle and Josh, we love you!!!

That Darn Scottish Blood

It showed itself in my boys today. With the temps being in the sub zero range for most of the day the kids had absolutely no outlet for their high levels of energy. So when they were done playing upstairs and had finished a snack, we needed to find something for them to do. So at about 10:30am we got out a few board games and gave them a go. They had gotten several new ones for Christmas and have been dying to play them.

First was Mouse Trap. Yeah, that was interesting. I played game master and kept the game moving. The boys are VERY competitive. It begins before we even start the game with who is going to go first and who is NOT going to be last. The game went smoothly for a while until Jacob got sent back to the start, twice. Grace moved ahead quickly, but stalled out in the loop waiting for the trap to be built. We quickly realized a roll of six just puts you right back where you were, once in the loop. With the trap finally completed Nathan was set to trap Grace, but the contraption didn't work. The hand, thing a ma jig and tub didn't want to work right. The ball kept falling off the back of the thing a ma jig and although the game allows for "misses" I think this was just poor balance and construction on our part. So I "helped"it along. In the end, Nathan won having captured all the other mice.

Our next attempt at a game was Monopoly, Jr. This faster paced game uses a carnival theme. The kids have to set up token booths on their property. The first one out of money is out and the winner is the one with the most money. Jacob and Grace quickly caught on that the more booths they had the more money they made, regardless of how many they had on each color, although that helps. Nathan got stuck trying to get a chance card to bump Grace's booth off of one of his properties so that he would have both and thus double the money he collected each time someone landed on those spaces. He never did. Daniel went out first and Grace won.

Let me just say that it will be a few weeks before we play anymore board games!! Competition is stiff in our house!!! Doug says it is their Scottish blood. I would have to agree.

PS -- Jacob has become victim number three to the stomach bug we have been passing around. Instead of going to the chili cook off tonight, we stayed home while Jacob hung out in the bathroom. We have figured there is about a 4-5 day incubation period for this thing. So next week ought to be loads of fun. One at a time is good, except that it drags out giving the first person a chance to get it again at the end. If they all went at the same time I could sanitize and hopefully be rid of the thing, it just means for crowed, busy bathrooms!! Never a dull moment here!!!!

Odds and Ends

There isn't that much exciting going on in the Adams' home this week. I added the pictures to my last blog so check there. This weekend is our Chili Cook-off at church so we are preparing for that.

Doug has begun exercising at home on a regular basis. It is part of his attempt to become more healthy, both in mind and body. He has been working tons of hours and spending little time at home and work has been stressful too. So to combat all of this he is spending more time at home and working out again. We have a weight machine but his weights of choice are the kids.

I took a time out while typing this tonight because just as I said nothing exciting was happening, Sarah threw up. She is now on my lap and I am waiting for her to do it again. It is only a matter of time.

Today the twins performed a play with their class called "Follow the Drinking Gourd." It was about slavery. They did a great job. Nathan was a free slave and Jacob was a Quaker who helped the escaped slaves. Most of the pics I took were blurry, but here are two that look OK.

Like I said, not much going on, just odds and ends, If I had both hands to type I might find more to say, but I think I have a date with a Disney movie. Yep, throw up #2, every thirty minutes like clock work. Talk to ya tomorrow!!

I love to Laugh

Just a few funny thoughts to brighten your day.

Recently Doug has been shaving his head completely bald, razor to the scalp, Lex Luthor like. The best description I have found so far is that it is just the battery for a solar powered sex machine!

If you didn't know already, Sarah is a firecracker. That side of her personality came out today when I told her she had attitude. She replied, " No, I Sarah, Sarah Attitude!!"

Sarah got into Grace's lipstick today, which, by the way, I didn't know was "real" lipstick. By the time I caught her she looked like a clown. Half her face from her nose to her chin and from ear to ear was PINK!!!! She can also draw pretty good "people" with her crayons. She decided to display her artistic abilities on the top of the DVD player.

Critter Riddle and other funny stories

Here is a riddle for you:

What kind of critter can get stuck to a sticky pad trap at 5am, run through the dog's kennel, mud room, Kitchen and dining room of a house, go into a vent, & get unstuck from the sticky pad trap in time for Doug to see it's long pink tail scurry away down the vent?

Put your answer in the comment section and yes, it really did happen.

Some other funnies:

As Jacob was getting ready for bed last night he had taken a drink and then come in to kiss us good night. Just as he was about to give Doug a kiss, Jacob belched, loudly, in or near Doug's face. Doug, never knowing whether to congratulate or scold them for such fine handy work, kinda laughed it off and made a comment about being rude. Jacob, funny guy that he is, kissed his father and walked up the stairs singing, " A, I'm Adorable, B, I'm so beautiful..." from Disney's Three Musketeers, the Mickey Mouse version. I laughed till I cried!!

This one wasn't a funny from the family but I had to include it. Howie Mandell was on Live w/Regis and Kelly today. He was quite funny, but I thought the best story he told was of his daughter who is a teacher in inner city LA. Each week she writes the beginning of a familiar phrase on the board and the kids, first graders, are supposed to fill in the end. He read several examples, here are a few. I had to LOL at the last one. If you go to their web site, just type it in your google bar, you can see the whole opening guest chat. Anyway here are the funny quotes:

Where there's smoke there's .......................... pollution.

Children should be seen and not .......................spanked or grounded.

A penny saved is ............................. not much!

Better late than ...............................pregnant!

10 Things I learned over Christmas Vacation

This has been a great Christmas for our family. We have been able to truly enjoy each other and our family. The kids had their last day of school on Dec 21, but Christmas had begun the Wednesday before when Grandma and Grandpa Adams came to help with installing some new lights and fans. School begins on Monday, January 7, and although I will be shoving them out the door at 7:45am, I must admit that the break wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be. I did, however learn some things over this Christmas break that I would like to share with all of you. A quick note before I share: Some of the pictures I got from my dad-thanks Dad!-- and as you will note I am missing a few too, so if you have a picture to share with me please send it along and I will put it in its proper place in the list. Also, all ten items may not be posted tonight. Keep checking and I will have them all up soon. The best ones are at the end :-)

I hope that you all had a very Merry CHRISTmas and a fun New Year. Hopefully we will see you all in 2008!!

10 Things I Learned Over Christmas Vacation

1. HAVING A TWO YEAR OLD IS A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP

* Sarah learned a new word "naked" and liked to use it. After stripping one day she sang, "I naked! Yeah!Yeah! Shake your booty! I naked!!

* "1,2,3, you're done!" She commanded as I drank from our communal large coke from McDonald's.

* I told Daniel to go play with Sarah in the Blue room. To which she replied from the Blue Room, "I not Sarah, I Honey!!" Later I called her Honey and she said, "I not Honey, I son!"

* There was no nursery on Christmas Eve so I tried church, alone, with all 5 kids. What was I thinking!! Sarah lasted all of 10 minutes, church lasted nearly 90!!!

2. COLD WEATHER DOESN'T PHASE KIDS

I never would have made it outside as long as they did!!

3. DANIEL THINKS HE IS SEVEN

On several occasions these past two weeks, the twins have received gifts that Daniel didn't. He was quite upset each time. He doesn't quite understand that he is only 4 and some toys aren't appropriate for him. An example, the twins got hand held video games but Daniel didn't, the twins got Spiderman web shooters and Daniel didn't. Daniel got some pretty cool stuff, but not in the eyes of a four year old who thinks he is seven and just like his brothers. Being four, however, he quickly got over his disappointment and learned to enjoy and appreciate the gifts he did receive. We did however get him a hand held game with some of his Christmas money. Those dimples win every time!!!

4. SEVEN IS TOO YOUNG TO DO LAUNDRY ALONE

Thinking to teach the boys a new skill I had them help with the laundry. They usually help by putting the wet clothes that I hand them from the washer into the drier. Well, they wanted to get the clothes out of the washer themselves. After getting a stool so they could reach into the machine I came to check on them. I asked if they wanted some help and Jacob replied from inside the washer, "Nope, I got it!"

5. GRANDPARENTS AREN'T THE ONLY ONES SPOILING MY KIDS ANYMORE

Their aunts and uncles are doing a great job too!! With the addition of the Wii gaming system to our house shopping was easy, it was deciding which game that was hard.

6. THE WALLS OF OLD FARM HOUSES DON'T HAVE STUDS

or at least we couldn't find any. There is about a half foot of plaster on each wall. The reason we know this is because over break we tried to install a wall mount for a TV in the kids playroom. The idea was to have a TV in there so that they could watch their stuff but it would be up high enough that I could control what and when they watched. We just had trouble finding a stud to anchor it too. They must have put two dozen holes in the wall looking for one. They never did find one. The mount is in the kennel on the floor and the new TV is where our old one used to be. The kids do have a TV in playroom, at least until tomorrow anyway. We put the old one on an unused TV stand so they could at least watch all the new videos they got for Christmas. Now we just have to figure out how to mount one of them on the wall with no studs!!

7. SOME VOWS WILL END UP BROKEN

Not the "till death do us part" kind, but the "MY children will NEVER sit in front of the TV playing video games for hours and hours!" kind. Let's just say that on more than one occasion they have indeed sat in front of the TV playing video games for hours. Hey, they go back to school on Monday and the rule is no TV or Wii until Friday after dinner. So I had to let them get it out of their system now.

8. CHARADES IS FUNNIER THE OLDER YOU GET

Just picture Jacob pretending to be a cow. No one can guess what he is so he starts to MILK himself. They all got it then!!!

9. FAMILY IS IMPORTANT

We really enjoyed spending time with all of our families this year. We started on the 19th with Grandma and Grandpa Adams. Then we had the Wyckhuys' here on the 22nd and 23rd. On the 29th we traveled to Lansing for Christmas at the Taylor's then Scott and Nora came to our house for the weekend. It was relaxing, fun, funny, and an all around good time, as you might have guessed from number 9!!! Thank you to all who came to visit and those who were with us in our hearts. Thank you for all the gifts and greetings. We wish you all the same. We love and miss you all!!!!!

10. READING LUKE 2 IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN READING "TWAS THE NIGHT..."