Happy Halloween!!!! :)

Well, for the sake of time, my sanity, and all else that is going on...this is all I can post today...I know I've been a little out of the loop lately and that's mostly because I'm on the verge of losing my mind :) But, for the sake of one of my fav. holidays (yes, I'm such a heathen to like Halloween so much :)) I couldn't let the day go by without having Cleopatra Hailey, Princess Dora Shelby and Mystery Man Dylan say Happy Halloween!

(btw...any guesses on Dylan?? :) :))

A sad little pumpkin patch :(

Well, I think this above picture says it all (about our last weekend's patch adventure)! What kind of pathetic pumpkin patch is this?! All mowed down and only a few sad holey pumpkins in sight :( :( Even Dylan was thinking..."where's all the orange balls??"
Ok...so this is backtracking a bit...I had to post that other picture first cuz it just "says it all"....but here is pre-patch...while we're waiting the barn cuz daddy forgot his wallet and had to go back home to get it :( But, here's Big Sis and Lil' Bro being sweet :)
And here's Dylan fascinated by the chicken...they have a little petting zoo type area in this barn so the kids can see the animals...Dylan enjoyed this (though I'm sure the animals didn't enjoy his touchy/feeliness :))
The girls liked the baby chicks :)
Dylan's thinking "little gords=cool orange balls to throw" :) And, yes, he did pick them up and hurl them across the barn :)
Me and the kids all loaded up on the hayride to the patch...Hailey looks mad and Shelby looks dopey, but look at my little man...he is all smiles! :)
Off on the hayride...whoa, it's sunny and windy :)
At the sad lil' patch :( Can you tell Hailey was less than thrilled about the experience. While Dylan and Shelby were having a "loving bro-sis moment" :) It might look like Dylan's gonna take a chunk out of her shoulder, but actually he got very passionate on the patch and was kissing his sisters like crazy :)
Oh happy day....for Dylan and Shelby...a little grumpiness from somber Hailey :(
The sweet sisters and their sad holey/green pumpkins :( (we only used these for pictures...we didn't buy any from the patch...they were so pathetic looking)
Yes, they do indeed love each other very much...we are blessed :)
Dylan going for the jugular...ok J/K :) He's really just going for his typical open-mouthed/sharp-toothed kiss :)
And one more kiss in case you didn't know he LOVES to kiss :)
This was to show you the other side of the flat/pumpkinless patch :( Truly...is this not sad or what??
Daddy and his kiddos :)
I think this is a lovely shot of me and my babies :) Shelby even has the biggest grin of the bunch...very rare for her!
A group shot on the hayride back...I think Hailey was laughing so hard at the guy taking our picture...he said some funny word to make us smile...and she got a little too giddy to keep her eyes open :)
And back at the barn...sitting in the wagon eating blow pops (a big highlight) with the baby pumpkins we bought...
And then to make our day a little brighter we took a little drive/walk to see "the grandpa and grandpa tree" again (that's Shelby's phrase for it...for some reason she can't say grandma lately :)). Anyway...so I love these pics...it was such a beautiful day and the kids each sat on one of the three limestone rocks near the tree and ate their snacks. It was really sweet...and then lil' Shelba had to go and hug the tree :)
Well, that's all for today, folks. I could tell you about our crazy weekend to come, but I think I'll just do that next week after it's over! :) For now I'm just looking forward to my hubby being home early today. He has worked his booty off this week working late and I feel I've hardly seen him at all :( I miss my man :) And the kids miss their daddy. I hope you all have a happy festive weekend. I know we will be busy with lots of "fall activities" and other fun stuff. So, I hope the weather hangs in there for us. Have a good one, everyone! :)

A trip down good ol' memory lane :)

Well, you know me...I love to reminisce about year's past...so on this lovely autumn day I thought I'd take you all back in time "Steg style" to show you how far we've come in 5 years...I say five years cuz unfortunately all my 2000-2001 pics (pre-digital) are tucked away in our closet and I'm too lazy today to scan them in. But just imagine that Hailey was a very cute pumpkin for her first Halloween in MI :) All I remember about that first Halloween was that I had to work all night in the NICU...so daddy and Hailey handed our candy out all night :) The second Halloween was our first here in Bloomy (we lived in an apt) and we did trick-or-treating with our Steg cousins here...Hailey was a tiger...very cute, of course....And that brings us to the above picture...Hailey in 2002 (2 1/2 yrs old) getting a pumpkin at one of our orchards near our house :) Wow...look at how 4 years have flown by!
Here she is on Halloween that year...her first stab at being a beautiful ballerina :)
Somber Hailey in 2003 at another orchard here in Bloomy :)

Also 2003...me pg with Shelba (...yikes...what was I thinking with my haircut...very bad!)...and Hailey at a pumpkin patch in Indy...
Nina and Hailey in 2003
Princess Hailey in 2003 (this was one of my fav. costumes on her...love that bright color)
Hailey (aka Princess Aurora/Sleeping Beauty) and Shelby (Raggedy Ann) 2004...aren't they the cutest??? This was the year I dropped my digital camera a few days before Halloween so this is the only picture I have (scanned in). Shelby was also a pumpkin this year...oh...and this was the year we went to that pumpkin patch in Indy (remember mom?) That was a brutally cold/windy adventure...and I don't have any digital pics to prove it...but trust me...it was something I'll never forget! :)
Us in 2005 (me pg with Dylan)...on our (used to be fun) pumpkin patch here in Bloomy...we're just heading out on the hayride. I remember this year my mom had just pulled her back out and was couch ridden in our home and we were so sad she couldn't join us on our fall/pumpkin adventure :(

The girls in 2005...50's girl Hailey with her poodle skirt and her pink poodle, Shelby :)

This is us at the pumpkin patch 2005...me and my girls and Dylan in-utero :)

And here is last year's pics (2006)...Dylan at our pumpkin patch at church...is he not the cutest thing ever?! This was before his all-star throwing days...if he had the gord in his hand now he'd be hurling it across the room! :)
The kids at the church pumpkin patch
Nina and Shelby in our pumpkin patch last year....this is to show you how it "used to" look...wait til you see the current pics from this year (when I get them downloaded)....

Nina and Pops with the grandkids at the patch
Our family of five posing with the pumpkins
Our little "blue eyed baby boy" last year...my how he's changed in 1 year
Hee, Hee...here is the lil' pumpkin on his first Halloween...this is the pumpkin outfit all three kids wore....
And here are the three three kiddos last year...fairy princess Shelby, Dino Dylan, and Snow Princess Hailey :)......and soon we'll have Halloween 2007 under our belt with lots of pics to share. It's sure to be a good time....stay tuned....

A Plethora of Stuff...

Well, my mind is just on overload today (as it is usually), so I fear this post will be a little scattered, but oh well....so be it...if it looks overwhelming don't read it....or read it over the course of a few days :) As the title says we have a plethora of stuff always going on (did you know plethora used to be a fav. word of mine back in high school...just a little Kel Trivia for ya' :)). Anywho...without further ado I'll just turn this over to bullet points:

• First and foremost...this is a shoutout to my bro down in GA. That brave Air Force pilot relative of mine leaves tonight for his second round of (3 month) service in the Middle East :( I'm not gonna get all mushy and weepy cuz I know he'll return safe and sound in January, but I must say I'm sad to see him going again and sad that he'll miss all the holiday events and especially our big Disney vacation (he should get home a couple days after that...bad timing, huh?) Anyway...I haven't talked to my bro today but I plan on calling him once all the kids are home so we can say "adios". From what I hear he has no worries about his return to Qatar...I guess he's an old pro by now...and he's "been there, done that". But, we'll sure be praying for him as he serves his country and flies those planes. Love ya', Bro, and we're so proud of you!!! Hopefully we'll see you in January...and then soon after at your March wedding :) (and hang in there, Candy...hope you and Dutch have some nice bonding time in Jeff's absence :)).
• And while we're on the subject of "shoutouts"...this one's to one of my oldest friends, Wendi Marie :) I know I've mentioned her a few times on my blog and I won't go into her whole situation but she has had a long and bumpy road of infertility. And while I can only relate on a certain level I know what heartache that has caused her and her wonderful husband and I've prayed for her all along the way. Well, they just shared the news this week that not only are they in the process of adopting a daughter from China, but they are also going to be adopting a U.S. baby due in May. I am just so overjoyed for them and for these sweet babies....what a blessed family this is and will be. I knew God had a plan for Wendi and John and their family and it's been so neat to watch it all unfold. Congrats to all involved and many prayers in the months and years to come!
• And while we're on the subject of babies and children...I do need to make a quick run down of congrats. First of all...I don't think I ever announced that my good nursing buddy, Ann, (and her hubby) are expecting her second baby in April. I think they might be finding out the gender soon, but I believe they are gonna be "those parents" (J/K :)) that find out for themselves and don't tell the world? So, the rest of us might still have to agonize and wait to see if it's a boy or a girl that will join big sister Emma (who turns 2 soon!) :) Anyway...so congrats to them! And I don't think I ever did announce that Hailey's 1st grade teacher, did indeed have her little boy (Gabriel Scott) two weeks ago (Oct. 8)...he unfortunately came by c-section so that was not a great way to end an induction :( But, he was healthy and a normal weight/height (7lbish). We have yet to see him cuz we've been so darn busy! But, Congrats to Mrs. T and her hubby!
• Well, this is a praise to our dear daughter, Hailey Nicole :) Now, we've never hidden that fact that we are so proud of her...and that we think she is "one smart cookie" :) Well, we had her first 2nd grade conference of the year with her "man teacher" yesterday. And he just had nothing but glowing remarks to say about her. Not only is she just the model student...always nice to everyone, raises her hand to answer every question, is very obedient, blah, blah...all the goody two shoes teacher's pet stuff....but she is what her teacher said "one of the smartest 2nd graders in the school". Ok, so we're not really that surprised by that and we're not really patting ourselves on the back for that either...we're just proud of her for all her hard work and her enthusiasm for learning. Well, not only that...but he showed us her NWEA scores (like I-Step)...and she is about a 90% or higher in everything (more specifically she was a little lower in Math and then a little higher in Reading and Language). Not to mention she is reading at a 4th/5th grade level (this from her teacher's mouth...not ours, just so you know we're not too biased :)). I'm not really surprised by that cuz I'm not sure if I've really told you guys how MUCH she reads. She's definitely a book worm. Kev actually called me one day as he drove by the bus stop to tell me Hailey was not playing with the other kids like she used to do, but she was sitting with her head in a book just reading away! She reads like 2-3 chapter books a week (and that's not cuz she has lots of time on her hands...it's cuz she reads every little/free second she has...in the van, while eating breakfast, etc). So....I guess reading a lot really does pay off....she's a whiz kid! We're so proud of you, smart girl!
• And this is a little "Shelby funny". We were at the post office last week and on they way home we drove by one of our trails that crosses the road. Well, these three muscular guys were running across the street with their shirts off and Shelby points and yells, "There's Superman, Mom!" (and she was serious!) :) Hee, hee :) She is a hoot lately...
• And, the big non-sleepover party for Hailey's friend turned out ok this past weekend (you know the one where I felt bad Hailey couldn't sleep over). Anyway...you'll laugh at this. We get to this girl's house (we're late cuz Hailey had Nutcracker)...anyway...so we get there and we knock and ring the doorbell over and over again. And NO ONE is home/answering. I started to think the worst and get really nervous and I almost just told Hailey "no party, we're going home"...Well, I decided to call Kev on my cell and ask him if we had any messages. Turns out the mom had left a message and the girls had all gotten picked up by a limo and taken for a drive and then to Pizza Hut. Wow. That was a surprise (I just wish she had told me before so I would not have fed Hailey and not have had to drive all the way there...we had just gotten food near there) Anyway...so we got to the Pizza Hut and no one was there either...by then I was admittedly a bit annoyed :( Thankfully Hailey saw the girl's grandma waiting in line for pizza and while we talked to her the group of girls (and parents) pulled up in the limo. So, it all turned out ok and Hailey had her first ride in a limo (she liked the big seats and lights inside :)). So, it was a fun Hannah Montana b-day party :), which is all the rage everywhere I'm sure...Hailey made it clear once again that night that she was NOT happy we do not have Disney. Oh, what a sheltered life she leads :) Anyway...so that all went ok. I picked her up at 10pm that night and she was not thrilled to have to leave the party and miss the silly string fight...but oh well...we all slept well that night knowing she was safe and sound :)
• Ok, I've been very neglectful about giving any Nutcracker info and for that I'm sorry! But, I promise I'll do a post soon about Hailey's Angel endevors and how that is all going. I will say she is doing marvelously and we find out next Monday what cast she will be in (they keep pushing the date back and making us wait to find out....grrr!)....so stay tuned for all that info. I truly don't have much info to give since I'm not really allowed to watch/distract the performers :)
• Last week was "visitation" week for ballet so we all were able to watch Hailey dance and see how much progress she's making. I watched last Tuesday and I have to say I still think she's one of the best in her class of over 20 kids. There are a few good ones in there, but most of them really have to work at their posing and their hand positions (and a few are just plain bad...sorry, but true :)). For Hailey I think ballet just comes more naturally (don't know how? I was never that way :)) But, she just has a natural grace about her. I will say that her main teacher really is challenging the girls...they even have "ballet homework" :) I admit I'm not even sure I could do that homework! Anyway...but it was fun to view her class...it's something I look forward to every semester. And I know daddy, Shelby and Nina and Poppy Stegs enjoyed (ok, at least Nina enjoyed...Shelby and the guys I'm not so sure :)) watching her on Saturday. They too agreed that she is still one of the best! That's our Hailey...she's an overacheiver and a natural ballerina. I just hope she's not a perfectionist like I used to be (and maybe still am :))
• I'm sad to say our 2BMe "tween" (mommy-daughter) Bible study is over as of this last Sunday. Well, that's not actually true, we'd decided to re-up again in January and hopefully add on a whole bunch of new moms/daughters. But for now we're taking a break for the holidays and then we'll be back refreshed and renewed in the New Year! I'm excited to see how God is gonna use this ministry and how it'll grow! I think it's gonna be a great blessing to so many pre-teen girls (and their moms)....as it's already been a blessing to our group so far. And BIG, HUGE thanks to our wise and awesome leader, Jill! He has gone above and beyond with getting this group together and ministering to us and our girls. Really...you have no idea what an incredible job she did...from the topics/book choice to the games and special crafts. It's just been a great experience all around and I want to give a special shout-out to Jill to let her know how thankful I am to her for her willingness to take on this ministry. I know she's like me and this was "out of the box" for her...but she did amazing and she definitely has a gift! Love ya, Jill! :)
• Hailey attended her first IU football game this Saturday at IU! Whohoo! She went with her best bud, Julia, who's dad is an athetic trainer of sorts at IU. She had a great time! I'm sad to say IU lost to Penn State :( But, it was still a fun experience. Not so fun later as we tried to pick her up and take her Nutcracker practice only to get stuck in traffic and end up 10 minutes late :( That stressed me out....and I won't say anything more about that...that was not a fun time :( But, the game was great for Hailey...thanks to Julia and her fam. for inviting her!
• What else...hmmm...Dylan....well, I will say we have decided on a Halloween costume for our boy. I think I'm gonna leave you in suspence on that one til Halloween. For now I'll just tell you he's not a froofy animal (that was Kev's one remark this year...he is not to be a cute, fluffy animal :)). OK! So, that made things a bit challenging cuz most toddler costumes are animals or superman or batman (at least here in Bloomy). So, I really struggled. You'll laugh (or be confused) when you see what he is...but if you know Kev and what he likes it's totally applicable (and no, it's not a pirate...cuz that's what I wanted him to be...they had the cutest costume at Gymboree on sale, but Kev said that can wait for next year when we use the pirate costume we have). Ok....so, let's see if we can have any guess on what Dylan might be....(hint: it's definitely not something I would have picked...but I let Dylan's costume be Kev's "Halloween responsibility" this year :)). So, we'll see how that all goes. T-minus 8 days and counting before the BIG day! Have I mentioned I LOVE HALLOWEEN! Maybe that's evil of me, but I do...I'm not into the scary aspect of it...but the dressing up and pumpkins...love it! We have our church Harvest Festival this weekend so the kids will get to dress up for that too....lots of fun times coming up (though we'll be missing Nina and Pops from FL during these fun fall times :))
• Well, I think I'm gonna end on this point. I mentioned the other day about our "downer" pumpkin patch experience. And while I don't have the pics downloaded to prove it, I do just want to say how disappointed I was with our pumpkin patch this year. We've been going to this one patch (the only one in Bloomy), for years now...and while it's not been truly authetic (i.e. they actually have picked the pumpkins from another field usually and they throw them in the old vines to make it look like you're picking them (when you're really not...they are already plucked)...does that make sense? Anyway....well, we always laughed cuz that was a bit corny, but the kids still still always loved the hayride across the creek and out to the field and the corn maze and then running amidst the vines to find just the right pumpkin. Well, this past Sunday we went to the same place. I knew we were gonna have some bad luck when Kev forgot his wallet and had to drive all the way home to get it :( Well, he got back and they had posted some signs that said "very few pumpkins left in the field". Ok...I knew that was not good....but not until we crossed the creek on our hayride and turned the corner to the patch did we know how bad it was. There were maybe 15 pumpkins total left in this HUGE field and the field had been completely mowed down so basically the pumpkins were just sitting there looking silly on a flat field of dead grass. It was pathetic really. The kids got off the hayride and looked at us like "what do we do now?" And truthfully I didn't know what to do. All the pumpkins that were left were full of holes...so we just walked around for a few minutes took a few pictures with some holey pumpkins and then went back to the barn pumkinless and bought two baby pumpkins. Actually it's funny cuz I think the highlight for the girls was getting a blow pop when we left...yippee for them :) And Dylan...his highlight was throwing all the little gords they had sitting out (fyi a small gord does look like a ball :)) So, that was that...the saddest pumpkin patch adventure we've ever had. And I thought that one pumpkin patch adventure we had with Nina and Pops in 2004 was rough...the one where Shelby was just a baby and we took both the girls to the patch in Indy and it was so cold and windy and miserable and Hailey was so whiney. Oh man that was sa cold day....well, at least that place had pumpkins and you actually picked them from the vine :( In defense of the pumpkin patch, we heard later on that due to the terrible drought there were just not enough pumpkins this year (which is strange to me cuz our grocery store is full of them :)). Ah well....at least we got two baby ones and I guess we'll just get some big ones at Kroger :) So, that was a downer for sure :( I really love the pumpkin patch experience, but I'm not even sure that was worth it (though we did get a good laugh :)). So, don't be sad you missed that experience, Nina and Pops :) I guess since you can't be here this year the pumpkins decided not to be either :) Hopefully next year things will be different?!

Well, that's all for today, folks. I wish I had some newer pics to post, but our camera is in need of a download and that's Kev's duty, so maybe tomorrow I'll have more exciting things to post. So, until we talk again...hope you all have a super day! :)

Who says a stroller's just for pushing babies?! :)

Ok, if a picture says a thousand words than this is a good one for our "ball lovin' boy" :) I guess I don't even really need to say any more. This is the kind of boy we have...one that LOVES balls and is not afraid to put them in his sister's pink stroller and race around the house with them :) (and, yes, he strategically placed them all on here like this...and was very mad that as he raced around the house a couple would fall off here and there :) Teehee :) Have I ever mentioned that I love this boy and he cracks me up. Who needs dollies when you've got a half dozen balls to push around!?

Well, I just thought this was funny...and since I wasted my day shopping with two cranky kids...I'm just plum tuckered out and it's almost time to bust outta this joint and run on off to our Brownie meeting....so I simply can't post more. But, I will just say this weekend was a good mix of crazy and laid back....more crazy than laid back...but still....it's not often I get to say "laid back"...so I thought I'd jump on that point. I'll have to go into all the details later....but I will say one thing (and I forgot to tell you this on the phone this morning, mom)....but our trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend was pretty pathetic. I won't tell you exactly what I mean, but when you see pics you'll laugh :) (hint: you didn't miss anything this year, mom and dad :)). So....maybe tomorrow I'll get to write more.....

Our Memorial Tree :) :)

Well, this is a little surprise for my mom whenever she may read this.....

Guess what was planted today?? Yep, it's grandma and grandpa's memorial tree. Isn't it beautiful?! I absolutely love it and I really do think it's the prettiest and most vibrant tree on our trail.

So, let me backtrack a bit. Most of you probably don't know that a few generous people, as well as my parents, decided to plant a tree last year here in Bloomy in honor of my grandma and grandpa F. who passed away in May 2006 and this past January. Well, we actually had planned on planting this tree shortly after my grandma died, and my grandpa was very excited about the idea...but while we were still in the process of getting the paperwork done my grandpa also suddenly passed away. So, naturally the tree became a double memorial to these two wonderful and beautiful people in our lives. I can't take credit for the idea at all...it was my thoughtful mom who found the idea in our parks and rec book (and saw some other memorial trees on our trail) and thought it'd be a wonderful memorial to my grandparents and something that we and our children could watch grow and help take care of? And, well, I just truly think it's an amazing tribute to two very special people that touched our lives in so many ways and who now we can remember often as we walk our trail.

Ok, so that gives you a little background as to how this all came about, but I'll just say we've been waiting since last spring for this tree to be planted and I was so excited today when the tree guy sent me an email saying it was all planted! YAY! Even though it was a cold, windy and somewhat rainy day I bundled all the kids up and we walked the trail by our house to the place when our cute little red maple is resting peacefully by the creek. It's a truly vibant tree and it stands out against all the other greenery around it. I love it and I know my grandparents would too! It's kind of a trek from our house, but it really is in a nice spot and I was just so happy to see it planted. It was almost like a part of my grandma and grandpa are right there and I can visit them often. Maybe that sounds weird, but my grandma loved the outdoors and nature and walking and that this tree is on our walking trail and in the midst of nature's beauty...well, I think it just speaks of her personality. So, I am happy today...just the simple news of our tree being planted made my day. And the kids loved visiting it. Hailey got a little emotional. Saying how she missed them and how maybe we could plant some flowers by the tree and visit it often :) She's so sweet. We are still waiting for the limestone plaque to be finished and I know when that's been placed by the tree it'll be even more special. But, for now I just wanted to post this tonight and maybe it'll be bring a little extra ray of light into my mom's week :)

Hailey's VERY Generous Heart and the trouble that ensued...

Well, Hailey had her first "school incident" yesterday. Now before you go drawing conclusions or thinking the worst...it actually turned out to be nothing big, but it was still a teaching/learning moment for all involved.

Ok, so this is how it all started for me. I was waiting for Hailey to get home on the bus when the phone rang. I saw from the caller id that it was "the boy who always calls Hailey", so I just assumed it was him calling as usual to chat with Hailey and since she wasn't home yet I didn't answer it. Well, it turned out to be this boy's mom (whom I have met on two occasions, but don't really know). Anyway...she left a very vague message saying she needed to talk to me about "something" and could I call her back. Ok...so Hailey gets home about 5 minutes later and when she walks in the door I ask her why "so and so's mom would be calling?" She seemed pretty clueless so I didn't think anything of it. So I called the mom back and immediately she asked me "did you hear about what happened today?" To which I honestly told her "No, I hadn't". Well, she proceeded to ask me if Hailey (and she wasn't sure if it was our Hailey or another one...as far as I know Hailey is the only Hailey in 2nd grade there)....anyway...so she asked me if Hailey had a lot of money or if she had a savings...I said "no" and "yes"...no, she doesn't have A LOT of money, but she does have some in the bank and some in her piggy bank. Ok....So, then she asks if we knew if Hailey brought money to school today to give to her son. No, was my answer. I am diligent about checking her backpack after school and before she leaves for the bus...cuz I've seen other's money (a couple bucks or some change) come home before (which has been sent back) and I've also seen her try to take toys to school, which I don't allow. Anyway....so after the 20 questions she proceeded to tell me that "a Hailey" (we still weren't sure if it was our Hailey) had given her son $50 today to buy a video game thing. Hmmm...that couldn't be "our Hailey"...she's never even played a video game plus we don't own any of those new fangled video systems. Why would she want to buy that??? Well, it turns out this boy was trying to buy it for himself and when he told Hailey he was saving up to buy it she probably said something like, "Well, I have 50 bucks...I'll give it you"...just like that. So, I guess that's what happened. Two days ago he said he wanted to buy this game cube thing and then Hailey rifled through her piggy bank yesterday morning and stuffed the money in the front of her backpack after I checked it. And she gave the "big bucks" to him on the bus. I guess the boy must have been showing off the money during the day and his teacher saw it and knew something was up...so she confiscated the money. At this point I guess there was a meeting with Hailey's teacher and this teacher and the two kids involved and this is where unfortunately Hailey failed a bit. The teacher asked her if her mom and dad knew she was giving this money and she said something like "yea, it's ok". Hmmm :( Not exactly honest...and why she is now grounded from certain activities for the next 4 days. Not to mention that fact that she had to be coerced greatly to even tell us about the whole incident in the first place. Let me tell you I felt very foolish as this mom was asking "does Hailey have this amount of money?" and "would she bring it to school?" And to all those I was saying "that doesn't sound like our Hailey"....well halfway through the conversation I actually asked Hailey...and she looked at me funny at first and then she looked to the ground and admitted it...so she knew she had done something wrong then. And the whole story came out after that amidst sobs and tears.... Later on we talked about "did she ever think it was wrong to bring money to school and not ask us", etc, etc. She said she really never thought about it, but that now it didn't seem like a good idea. Hmmm....

Ok, so all that to say....that our dear, sweet Hailey has the most generous spirit I know (especially for a 7 year old). I mean, what kid that age would give 50 bucks to a friend just so they could have a toy they wanted? I'm not even sure I would do that at age 30. So, I know with all her heart she meant well and just wanted to give of what she had to a friend who was in "need". But, the problem arose when Hailey lied to that teacher about us saying this money exchange was "ok" and then sort of omitting the truth when she got home. I was a little disappointed she didn't tell me this when she first walked in the door. I always ask "how her day was" or "what happened during the day"? And that would have been a good time to tell me.... And since a similar "omission of the truth" happened last week (with her getting a point taken away at school for talking too much...which also resulted in tears and sobbing :)) I guess I came to the conclusion that Hailey might be starting a bad habit of not being completely truthful (and I'm a stickler for the truth so that is NOT cool with me). Anyway....so....after much sobbing on Hailey's part and a tad bit of stress on my part calling parents and teachers yesterday I think we got it all squared away. Kev and I sat down a few times yesterday and talked to Hailey about how proud we were of her "generous heart" and how that is truly a gift to want to give to others and we greatly support that "servant's heart". But, at the same time we want to instill in her how much worth money has and that's it doesn't just grow on trees and it needs to be taken care of...and how it's not ok to bring money to school; and how she needs to consult us about things like that. In all honestly it was difficult to deal with this cuz we were so touched by her generosity and we don't want to squelch that giving spirit, but at the same time we don't have money to just give to everyone who asks and we want her to be responsible (and not a pushover who gives to everyone that asks)...not to mention we want her to be truthful!

So, it was just challenging to deal with that all yesterday (and Kev and I felt a bit like a failure for not teaching her to be more responsible with her money). I know in a few years we'll be dealing with much bigger issues and this will seem like a piddly thing...but it seemed like a big deal yesterday...and it made for a very chaotic, tearful afternoon/night. Not to mention Hailey is crushed by the grounding she's received. We've only grounded her once, I believe, so this is a rare occurrence. We considered taking away her party privileges for this weekend, but I didn't feel right making her friend pay for her mistake. So, there will be other things "taken away". For, now it's all been figured out and Kev now has the "big bucks" safe and sound in his pocket after a visit to school this morning :) And soon we will be making another trip to the bank to put the money in a more safe place. Mr. Piggy just wasn't doing the trick apparently :) But, to our dear, sweet, generous-hearted Hailey...we love you and your giving spirit should be an example to us all :)

What to do?

Ok...so I don't generally post twice in one day, but I've been meaning to ask for opinions on this and have forgotten over the last week....

Hailey has been invited to a sleepover party. Now, she's been invited to one sleepover b-day party before, but it just happened to be while were on vacation last summer so obviously that decision was made for us. Now, she's had a few sleepovers (both here and at other's homes...only good friends and family)...well, this girl, seems nice enough. She lives in our neighborhood, is in Hailey's class at school, goes to our Wed. night church choir (though they do not go to our church), etc....so we get this invitation to her party last week (Hailey was thrilled! She loves sleepover's and loves this girl...she's her new best friend this year at school...and she seems very sweet, very smart (or so Hailey insists) and actually reminds me a lot of Hailey). But, we truly just don't know her parents. I've met her mom once briefly at our school's open house. We exchanged a few words and I said it was ok if her daughter called Hailey and they could exchange information...she seemed nice enough too. So, that was done...and they've talked on a phone a few times. Well...we never actually had her over to our house or vice versa and then we get this invite in the mail. For a sleepover this Friday-Saturday. I honestly just didn't feel comfortable with it and luckily we have ballet/Nutcracker practice that night and then the next morning so we said "no" to sleeping over, but yes to Hailey coming to the party for a few hours and we'd pick her up by 10pm. So, basically we just used ballet as our excuse. But, what is everyone's opinion on that?? Do you just let your kids sleep over at anyone's house (or since many of you have younger kids than we do...would you do this?) I just don't feel right about it cuz I dont' know the parents and I guess we all know how many creeps there are in this world (that's not to say this family is one of them)....but I just want to know if I'm being paranoid?? Maybe I am, but I seem much more strict about these things than most people I know. I'm confident about our decision...but I wonder if this girl's parents think we're crazy, and I do feel badly that Hailey has to been excluded from the "sleepover" part of the party (she was not thrilled about that)...but then again her safety is the most important thing to me. I mean I would never expect this girl to be able to sleep over here at this point......hmmm....just one of the many dilemmas I'm sure we will be faced with. Yay :(

A Vomit-free day (so far)

Well, I never posted these last week due to this "1st Shelby fieldtrip" being on the same, crazy, bad day as our accident....so here's a few pics of the preschool fire station field trip...this was just the beginning of our "fun" day......and, yes, that is sarcastic...this field trip when down the crapper when Dylan spotted a basketball in the firestation closet...and you know what a one track mind he has about balls...so he was hysterical throwing tantrums the entire time after the realization that he could not have free reign of playing ball at the fire station....lots of fun :(
This is pre-field trip...do you see Shelba? She's with her best bud, Cami...the kids are doing a firetruck puzzle before the big outing...there's her teacher, Miss Kim, in the picture...
The group before boarding the big church bus (can you tell they did not want to look into the blazing sun so we could get their picture :))
Shelby and Cami soooooooooo excited about their first ride on a bus!
And you will laugh at this...Shelby got on the bus and headed straight to the BACK of the bus! :) She didn't want to be social and sit in the front like all the rest of her classmates...so that's where we sat...Dylan and Shelby together...just chillin' and smilin' on the bus seat :) It was pretty funny :) I think the bus ride was the best part of the trip for Shelby :)
Look at this smile? Could we love riding the bus any more??
Outside the fire station with the fire dog (fake, in case you can't tell :)). I think this boy's name is Jesse? He likes to be in the all the pics...and then, of course, there's Cami :)
The fireman sporting his "gear"...can you even see Shelby here...she was very interested....
Shelby gets to sit in the firetruck! Who knew firemen even get to wear seatbelts?! And then, of course, the famous fire station pole...and the man sliding down it....what could be better than that?!

Well, it's another day today...and a better one at that. There has been no puking and less crying and I dare say it's been fairly uneventful (and I'm all for boring days :)). We just got back from a very "exciting" lunch visit with Hailey at her school. This was our first time "eating at school". I'm not sure why we've never attempted it before, but it was fun. All the kids were ecstatic to see me....by that I mean everyone I knew at the school was running up to the fence when we walked by reaching out their hands through the bars like they were in jail or something :) (they were at recess at the time). It was really cute. I'm guessing they don't get too many parents that eat with the kids. Anyway...so that was a new experience. Dylan was a little rowdy and at one point he started dancing to the music (they now play classical music to set the mood of the "cafe of stars" (aka the cafeteria) :))...so he was doing his happy Dylan jig and all the kids were laughing at him. Can you tell he's feeling better today? Anyway...he gagged once and I thought we'd have a repeat vomitfest of the last time we were at school...but he kept his vomit in check, thank goodness! (cuz it would have been me that felt the brunt of the vomit...kinda like yesterday when he vomited all over my feet and later in our bed...not cool, man!) :)

So, it's been another loafing around day. I like those days...and I've needed them this week. Turns out yesterday things got a little crazy here in Bloomy. Apparently there was a crazy law student from IU who started shooting off his gun near the IU campus. Hailey's school was on lockdown for awhile and they had most of downtown blocked off for the morning. I had heard the emergency warning on the TV so I knew something was up.....things like that just rarely happen around here. But, I guess there are "crazies" everywhere in the world. Just scary when it's close to home. Thankfully no one was hurt.

Anyway...I know my posts have been kinda blah lately...but I just haven't had the energy to sit here and type. I have lots of info to share, just no time to share it...but soon I'll post something super exciting, I promise....ok, so that's an empty promise cuz life just isn't too exciting right now...but I'm sure something will come along to jazz things up.

For now I just wanted to end with a lil' prayer request. My dear, sweet mom....many of you know her and love her...she's the best. Well she's down and out lately with some horrible, horrible hives. Now I'm not sure if any of you have had hives...I haven't. And I know if I get a bug bite that swells sometimes I'm miserable. So I can't imagine almost every part of my body even my eyes being so swollen it's hard to function. Well, my mom's been dealing with this for a long time now...it comes and goes and sometimes she's uses some good ol' medication. Well, the hives are so unbearable now and she just sounds so miserable and nothing is giving her relief. It just breaks my heart. To make it worse no doctor can seem to figure out why this is happening to her nor how to treat it. So, she is just trying to get through day by day...dealing with the pain and swelling. Now my mom is the strongest woman I know so I know if she complains about something it must be bad. So, please pray for her...to find some relief, that maybe her docs can get to the bottom of this...and just that she'll remain strong in spirit. I can only imagine how hard this must be for her.......I love you, mom :) Hang in there!