2nd Dance Shake a tailfeather

Shake a Tail Feather by the Cheetah Girls!

Allie dance videos

Okay - Here they are! She loved dancing at Festival of Trees! She had a little slip up in Zippity Do Dah - her nerves got in the way!  I think they will be perfect by competition....

We watched the parade from our Friend Lance's office (nice & warm)!

AAA

This is our Triple A week - All Allie All-the-time.  Tuesday night we were at the dance studio pretty late practicing for the Festival of Trees performance. Today Allie had a song and reading during mass. Saturday is the Festival of Trees so that pretty much makes it an AAA week.

Peter is on break with soccer right now - indoor starts in January. 

We are really looking forward to going to Michigan for Thanksgiving and spending time with Grandma & Papa and cousins, etc....  We missed Frank's cousin's daughter's Bat Mitzvah last weekend so we will try to see everyone while we are in town.

My brain is fried - can't think any more ...TTFN

Rejuvenated

Yesterday was a GREAT day!

A friend had asked if I wanted to scrapbook so I set aside the whole day and we met at a local scrapbook store. I got the kids off to school, did a few things for Frank (work) and headed off to the store. It was pure bliss!  When we lived in Michigan, I used to go one evening a week and never fell too far behind.  I don't get to go very often so needless to say, I am still working on my album from 2006. It is such a treat for me to document our lives through photos while allowing me to use my creative side. 

I left the store at 2:30 in time for the kids to get out of school. We all got home, had a dinner "re-do" of pot roast from the night before and I went to meet my bible study group at 8pm.  Peter & Allie go to bed at 8 and they are allowed to read until 8:30 so our bible study group meets pretty late! Last night's topic was the virtue of Hope vs. Wishful Thinking. It was a great discussion as always and reminded us all that you can't have hope without God's glory, faith & love - otherwise it is just wishful thinking!

I went to bed - rejuvenated both creatively & spiritually (perhaps a little late too 12:45 am). 

My real treasures

Okay - so the pictures were a little gross. Why do I not have any picture of my kids you ask - I wasn't sure if I should put them on a blog for anyone to see. Well... they are my true gifts - along with Frank.

We are so blessed to have such amazing kiddos. They both have huge hearts  -filled with compassion, love and a strong knowledge of what is right and wrong. Peter has developed a witty sense of humor just like Frank's. Allie has a larger than life personality!

As Thanksgiving approaches and we count our blessings, I am so very thankful that Frank is my hubby. He is the most amazing husband anyone could ask for. We never run out of things to talk about.  He has a great sense of humor that I always "get" and  many times others don't. He is considerate, loving, respectful, and willing to do so much for others. We both value family above anything else (except God).

So I just wanted to count my blessings and actually post a picture of those I love most in this world!

more freaky animals

I couldn't fit all of the photos before so here is the strangest of all. The headless fish.

Strange Iowa Wildlife

Okay - We have lived here 3 1/2 years and during that time, we've seen some of the strangest things - mostly related to animals.

When we first got here - we had a herd of deer and a family of wild turkeys who always strolled through

 our yard.

Then - we were freaked out because a headless fish landed on our deck (apparently from a bald eagle who dropped it).  We had a "nutty squirrel" (as the kids fondly named him) who destroyed our hammock and last week an owl was dead on our patio. Seriously - in all the years we lived in Michigan, we never had weird animal incidents. Check out the pictures

Movin' & Shakin'

I just found out another friend might be moving away.  It is amazing how mobile our society is compared to when our parents were raising us.  When my dad was transferred from Michigan to Ohio (I was 8 years old), that was VERY unusual.  Most people lived in the same the town as their parents, grandparents, etc. Now it seems like no one stays put.  Maybe I am traditional in values but it is very hard.  When we moved from Michigan to Iowa 3 1/2 years ago, I was excited about it ONLY because I knew it would be our last move ever and we could finally put down some roots Well...until we retire.  It was very difficult leaving the area where our two children were born, we had a ton of close friends, loved our school, and had Frank's parents in town.  I was in heaven not only because Grandma & Papa Zucker were in town but Nonni & Papa George were ONLY 4 hours away.  That was very do-able for a weekend or overnight visit.  Now, both sets of parents are 8+ hours away. It has been an interesting transition to Iowa (like any new location) trying to figure out who my "real" friends are and who to avoid getting close to.  We have met & become friends with some wonderful people and I am just sad that one of the "real" ones might be leaving soon. Thank goodness for email & Blogs!!

The most annoying dog

What is it with me & dogs?  In a weak moment 2 years ago, I realized how much I missed having a pet around and agreed to get another weimaraner. Izzy is now 2 years old and possibly the most annoying creature on earth.  I think she annoys every one in the house except Frank. She has started a new thing when I sit down in the evening to wind down.  She starts barking AT me. At first, I thought Is she hungry? Does she need to go out? It is kind of like trying to figure out why a baby is crying. Well, the barking has now turned into nipping. She will bite at my forearms.  I get so angry with her - I threaten to send her to a farm.  Not that she knows what that means. She does this when Frank is gone.  Tonight, Peter videotaped her because we keep telling him but I don't think he realizes how bad it really is.

Most days, I go 90 miles an hour without ever sitting down to relax. About 8pm (after the kids go to bed) I turn into a pumpkin and am not really productive anymore.  I like to sit down & read or watch TV. Well, this little barking phase is driving me batty. It stresses me out and I am worried the kids will wake up, etc. 

Maybe I will post my video of the psycho dog (if I can figure it out). Look for more tales of Izzy to follow.

Lesson Learned the hard way!

Well...everyone is miraculously better now.  Pete was truly sick Wednesday night and stayed home yesterday from school.  Just before lunch, I get a call from the school that Allie is in the nurse's office with a tummy ache.  I asked to speak to her  - meanwhile wondering if she just had to go to the "bathroom" or if her tummy really hurt. Pete & I ended up picking her up and headed back home. I told both of them they could "veg" on the couch & watch TV or read.  Little did I know, Allie was thrilled. She got to swap school for TV.  Frank came home & made an executive decision. From now on - if school is missed, then it is in bed (like he had to do as a kid). Missing school should not be fun! I never really missed school as a kid so I would NEVER have thought Allie was pulling a fast one on me. 

It ended up biting her in the bum because she had to miss dance. Once a month, they have a special teacher come in & teach hip-hop. So she cried last night because she missed dance with Isaiah.  Live & learn.  I don't think we will get too many more calls from school unless they are on their death beds!!

Pete sick

I  was supposed to help Frank at one of his high schools today but unfortunately, Peter woke up in the middle of the night with a fever. Whooping cough had been going around and we did the preventative antibiotics like they requested. The only thing is...unless EVERYONE does them, there is still a chance of getting sick. Let's hope this is just a fluke. He doesn't have a cough which is GREAT!!

Anyway, I don't get to help Frank so I hope he is not swamped!

Voting

Okay - it is 6:15 - I am showered & ready for the day. I can't wait to vote but the polls don't open until 7:00!

I usually wake the kids at 7:00 and they get on the bus around 7:45.  I am headed straight to the poll - after I give them their smooch & send them on their way. There have been 3 hour waits just for early voting.  I would stand in line all day if I had to! The polls are open until 9 pm and as long as you are in line by 9, you can cast your vote.

Be sure to get out there and cast your vote - you know what they say - "if you don't vote, you can't complain." 

Perfect Weekend

I think we had the stereotypical PERFECT weekend. The weather was GORGEOUS - high 60's to low 70's all weekend.  Friday night was trick or treat night. We went to our friends' house (minus Allie - who went to another friend's house) and the guys took the boys trick-or-treating while Jenny & I hung out and passed out candy. It was such a beautiful night! We got home and the bowl I left out still had some treats in it.  I thought for sure the first pre-teen would dump the whole bowl - they didn't YIPPEE!

Saturday, Mommy was the Champion sleeper - I had taken an allergy pill and Frank & the kids ran 2 errands and I was still sleeping. I slept until 9:50 (I haven't done that since before kids).  It was GREAT!!!!!  Frank & his buddy Ryan were in a chili cook-off at the club - so they went to that (the kids & I joined him for a bit) but we mostly watched the Michigan State game here.  We then headed to another friend's house to watch the Iowa vs. Illinois game. That was a blast!  - the kids had a ball. Allie was the oldest girl there so she took on a little "mother hen" role. We stopped home to let the dog out & off to another friend's house for game night.  The kids were troopers. Allie fell asleep on their couch but Peter held out.  We ALL slept in Sunday - plus we fell back an hour. Gotta love Daylight Savings Time!!

Sunday was AWESOME - total lazy-hang-out day.  Frank had a school board budget meeting but other than that, it was Lions v. Bears and yard work.  We took down all the Halloween decorations and put up Thanksgiving ones.

I wish every weekend was this PERFECT. I guess they all are when we can spend it all as a family!