The Jarrett Family

A Moment That Only A Mother Would Laugh About

2009-11-03T16:45:00.005-05:00

Lilli has been showing a fair amount of interest in the potty lately. Everytime I to the bathroom she follows me in and hands me every little peice of toilet paper she manages to rip off. So today when she was obviously preparing to fill her diaper I asked her what she was doing. She wrinkled her little face up and responded ewww. So I thought what the heck I'll pull out the potty no expectations right......After several minutes of sitting on the throne like the princess she thinks she is. She proudly wiped herself ,stood up, looked in the empty potty said ewww and then proceeded to poop on my floor! I think she might be close! (LOL) I mean really who wants to "ewww" on their new toy!

Should You Really Call That A Soccer Game?

2009-09-14T09:12:00.004-04:00

Nathan's last soccer game (If you can call it that) was interesting to say the least! He apparently was just not into it as much this week or was maybe he was just tired. I don't know! Either way his whole team was in rare form! Some were fighting with each other over the score, that by the way no one keeps! It's just part of the rules, everyone is a winner! Some were sobbing on the side lines for reasons they weren't really even sure of! While others just randomly sat down in the middle of field and watched their team play around them! And by others I mean NATHAN! I kept waiting for the moment when the toe of someones shoe would meet his face! But every time he somehow manged to make it off the field with his nose, teeth, and glasses still attached! Miracle I know! It was so bad that the coaches talked about calling the game! No one was awarded any stars for performance because the coaches, as patient as they are were spent! It was really bad and that's all I have to say about that!

THE BEARS!

2009-09-06T19:48:00.004-04:00

Nathans second soccer game was this past Saturday!

He did a great job this game! He even had a great steal and a really good attempt at a goal. He is starting to get the hang of the game and seems to be catching onto the rules now. But above all he is really having a good time. He enjoys soccer and it shows! His coaches are very good at encouraging the team and put most of their focus on positive reinforcement! His team has 7 players and 4 coaches so it is really easy for all the boys to get what they need. Nathan has been given the nickname "NATE THE GREAT" by his coaches! Which he LOVES! He told me that instead of Nathan Jarrett his new name is Nate The Great! Don't misread that, Nathan's the slowest mover on the team. He just can't seem to get his legs up while running. Which results in him spending a lot of time picking himself up off the ground! (LOL) But he has had his moments where he shines and if he's proud....Were proud!

Every week each player has a opportunity to earn a star during the game. Last weeks game he earned a white star for Christ -likeness.

This week he earned a yellow star for sportsmanship check back next week to see what star he earned and for more pictures of course! If you'd like to see all the action grab a lawn chair and join us!

The Top 5 Things You Should Never Have to Say To Another Mother While Playing With Your Children In The Play land At The local Mall

2009-08-27T10:37:00.007-04:00

(Or any other public place parents and children gather to play)
I'm sorry this list is only a top 5 however a top 10 list would have required me to stay at play land longer..... and that was just not happening!

#5. When your child beats on their sibling for no reason you might want to get involved. I promise you, you can sip that Starbucks all day but unless you get up... they ain't stopping honey!

#4. When your 2 year old is running around randomly pushing and smacking other peoples children in the face you might want to do something... other than smile!

#3. When your child is digging through other peoples strollers and taking things you may want to tell them NO before all the strangers who own the strollers have too! Once again smiling is just not enough!

#2.When play land smells like the public bathrooms at the beach on a 100 degree day and all the mothers around you have checked their children's diapers and came up with nothing....IT'S YOUR CHILD!

And the number one thing you should never have to say to another mother while playing with your children in the play land at your local mall is........

#1. I can see that your child enjoyed that chocolate chip cookie he ate earlier. Now could you please clean him up so my daughter will stop crawling through it and licking it off her hands!

Nathan Update!

2009-08-26T18:31:00.002-04:00

Nathans appointment in Cleveland went great, we couldn't have asked for a better outcome! He is officially in REMISSION and shows no signs or symptoms of juvenile arthritis. We were encouraged to keep Nathan active in sports to help him maintain his muscle strength and flexibility. Which has been our goal all along. He has now been released from the care of his rheumatologist and will only go back if another flare up occurs.

Nathan is playing soccer and has games every Saturday morning in Sandusky! If you would like to help cheer him on come on out and join us!

As always are afternoon at Chuck E Cheese's was also fun! Lilli was able to participate for the first time and she loved it! Ski ball seemed to be her favorite thing I'm not sure if it was because she could throw the balls and they would come back to her every time. Or if it was that climbing up on the game made her feel like a queen on her throne!

Nathan won more tickets then he has ever won before with a grand total of 433. Which resulted in a ton of Chuck E Cheese loot for mom to pick up all over the house!

We also made a stop at the Great Northern Mall which which could have been fun but it wasn't and that's my next blog..."The Top 5 Things You Should Never Have to Say To Another Mother While Playing In The Play land At The Mall"

2009-08-26T08:08:00.002-04:00

Getting things around to head for Cleveland for the day. Nathan has a check up with the rheumatologist. (arthritis doctor) He has been off all his meds for 3 months :) and I'm hoping to keep it that way! Today is also Nathans First day of Preschool too bad he's missing it :( I'm sad ... he's not! He knows when we go to these long and tedious appts. he is rewarded by an afternoon at Chuck E Cheeses! I'll post later to let you know how things went!

A FUN DAY!

2009-08-21T07:24:00.009-04:00

These are some of the pictures from our latest trip to the African Safari Wildlife Park!

It's a wildlife park you drive through and feed the animals from you car. We've been taking Nathan there since he was very little so he's not afraid! He loves it!

Unlike his mother....Even a 50lb boa does not bother him! (I asked when he was last fed before I agreed to let Nathan hold him! It had only been 24hrs so we were good! LOL)

Sometimes you'll here him let out a scream from the back seat. Then that's followed by a laugh that that melts your heart!

On this particular visit this albino zebra was expecting! We're hoping when we return we will see her baby! If anyone is interested in joining us on our next trip let me know! It will be Lilli's first visit so I'm anticipating a very fun day with some great pictures!

When I Grow Up.... I Wanna Be Famous!

2009-08-13T16:49:00.004-04:00

I THINK SHE'S DESTINE FOR FAME!

Shes growing up and definitely demands your attention! She spends everyday showing the world that shes a girly girl! Pearls and sunglasses are her new favorite thing!
"It's all about me!"

Were Back Up And Running

2009-08-13T14:21:00.002-04:00

Yeah are computer is finally fixed and I can blog again! Our computer needed more RAM so blogging was becoming a very long and time consuming process that I did not have the time or patience for. We ordered new ram and now its making a world of difference! Hopefully I can now get back into the swing of blogging at least once a week. We have been so busy lately that I have tons to blog about. So instead of back tracking I'm just going to pick up where we are now! We have trips to the zoo planned, Nathans getting ready to start soccer and Lilli will be walking someday soon! Be sure to get in the habit of checking in again, you don't want to miss a thing!

The Bellevue Hospital

2009-05-26T14:31:00.006-04:00

As most of you know Lilli was a pretty sick little girl this past week! Ends up the poor thing had a couple different virus brewing together at the same time. She is doing much better now but that's no thanks to The Bellevue Hospital! (and the rampage begins......)

"Its become almost a cliche, build it and they will come" This is a quote from the video clip on The Bellevue Hospitals web page. What the president/CEO of The Bellevue Hospital doesn't say in this 20 second clip is that if you don't like our policies you can go to Fisher Titus! That however is apparently what he believes because that is just what he told me to do!

Upon entering the ER this past weekend I asked the young man behind the glass divider what doctor was working the emergency room. You see, this is a question we are use to asking in the event that someone in our family ends up in the ER. This is due to our unfortunate history with The Bellevue Hospital and a particular doctor employed by them. After a brief moment the young man behind the desk obviously frustrated at my continuous request to be let in on the "BIG SECRET" spoke to me as if I was beneath him! IT"S SIMPLE MAM...I... CAN... NOT... TELL... YOU... WHO... THE... ER... DOCTOR... IS! The only thing that could have made this moment any more infuriating would have been him signing to me as he slowly and aggressively spoke the words like I was somehow mentally incompetent! Don't get me wrong I was confused given the fact that this was something our family had done at least a dozen times before without question! But mentally incompetent I am not!

Of course first thing this morning I was on the phone with the administration department at The Bellevue Hospital. I briefly explained our past litigation's with the unnamed ER Dr. and The Bellevue Hospital. I then informed the kind and understanding woman about the treatment I received in the ER. She assured me she would look into the matter and get back to me. A short time later is when I received the call from the president/CEO informing me that not disclosing the names of the doctors working the ER was their standard operating policy. I of course again explained to him my reasons for the request and questioned him about our past experiences with this in the ER. He again informed me of this "policy" assured me that Dr. ??? would have no issue treating my family despite past litigation's and then suggested we should just use Fisher Titus.

I was appalled and angry and just hung up the phone. We pay taxes in this town therefor we helped pay for the new hospital he speaks so highly of. I feel we not only have the right to use that hospital we have the right to have our concerns addressed just like any other citizen!

I of course later on got on the hospital website and read their list of "Patients Rights" and found some interesting things. Like the one that reads "You have the right to know the names and roles of people treating you" So that made me wonder when are you considered a patient and when does this right become effective? In triage hospitals are you not considered a patient from the moment you walk in the door? I called the hospital and left a message for the hospital compliance officer and also talked the kind woman in administration again she informed that she was unable to answer my question and would need to call me back. I have yet to here from either one of them!

This policy also states that patients have the right to comfort and dignity. Well the hospital has not treated us with much dignity and as far as comfort goes do they really feel that our family or the Dr involved for that matter would be comfortable in the same room given the past! I'm sure he would be polite as the president/CEO stated and probably very thorough but comfortable I highly doubt!

TO BE CONTINUED......

Update on Lilli

2009-04-10T20:10:00.003-04:00

Lilli is doing great and growing like a wild flower! She has the official princess attitude and believes she should never be left alone and should most definitely never touch the ground! She went for her well check this past week and weighed in at a healthy 22lbs and 14oz and she is just shy of 29 inches long. That put hers in the 95th percentile for her weight and the 85th percentile for her height! She has an astonishing 6 teeth with more on the way. Lilli is currently doing everything she can to figure out how to craw but that one leg is never quiet positioned right! She much prefers just standing up holding on to the couch or her toys! She started eating big girl food and loved it until a few days ago when she suddenly decided baby food was more her thing! (Girls they can never make up their minds!) Lilli loves to be on the go so the words "bye bye" get her very excited! Oh and of course I can not fail to tell you that Lilli now says her first word! Every time she sees her daddy she says it OVER and OVER and OVER again! There is absolutely no way I can argue what she is saying even though I want to! I'm sure by now you have guessed what it is..........."DA DA"

PARENTING 101

2009-03-17T12:34:00.004-04:00

I was out running some errands this afternoon when I decided that this blog post was a must! You see being an aunt of 11 wonderful nieces and nephews as well as a child care provider and an un-perfect mother you see and here about parents having laps in their judgement all the time. Most of these are funny yet ridiculous things we just do without thinking! A perfect example is the time my older sister was pushing my then 3 year old nephew Gabe in a stroller at a car show. He was not buckled in and she hit a curb needless to say Gabe went flying through the air like a trapeze artist. What makes the story even better is her trying to retrieve him from the center of the drunk crowd that he happened to land in! (Oops wont do that again!) On the opposite end of the spectrum are those parents who have more serious laps in their judgement and either don't see it or I guess just don't care. These are the parents you see while sitting at the traffic light. You know the ones who have their children strapped safely in the back seat of the car while they smoke a cigarette with all the windows rolled up! Way to go keeping your kids safe while you totally disregard their health ...... HERE'S YOUR SIGN!

I actually know parents who will not get their children immunized because of the fear of autism but they smoke while holding their child on their lap! Can someone please explain, I seem to be confused. Maybe I missed somewhere that young children inhaling toxic chemicals enhances brain development?

And just when you think you have seen it all.... Today while stopped at a red light I see a man standing on his front porch holding a young boy probably around a year old. The man is wearing socks, jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. The women he is talking to is wearing shoes, pants, a coat and hat. The child has no coat, no hat, no blanket as a matter of fact he had on NO CLOTHES only a diaper! It was 42 degrees outside What the **** were they thinking? Of course me being me I honk my horn and tug at my shirt then point to the child hoping they get my message. " Hey Dummy you live on Main St.! EVERYONE CAN SEE YOU! We are now all witnesses to your stupidity and lack of parenting skills!" Parenting classes should be mandatory for first time parents who clearly have no clue what they are doing!

Thanks Heather for being my example :)

This helpful guide is from Wry Baby founders, Kelly and David Sopp, to aid new parents who may not understand the subtleties of good parenting.

The Story Of Charlie

2009-03-14T22:15:00.016-04:00

Charlie 1999 - 2009

Charlie Brown, A fighter with an unbreakable spirit. The worlds greatest canine companion died March 10th of cancer and old age. At the time of his death his license was current and he had all of his shots. He is survived by two adults, two children, his 5 year companion Maggie, who's spaying he always regretted, as well as a host of fleas who have gone elsewhere, probably to Maggie. He will be missed by all, except the neighborhood cats who try and use the flower bed as a litter box and the mailman who once maced him.

Its the summer of 2000 and the talk at work is all about a Innocent dog who has been forgotten about. The dog has been abandoned and locked on a tiny back porch. He is being kept alive by the kindness of neighbors who continually put food and water over the railing. They have called the authorities but are told that as long as the dog is not beaten or malnourished and has a spot on the porch clear of fecal matter to lay there is nothing they can do! Well we disagree! After a week of waiting we catch word that the man who owns the dog is at the house so I head over. I pull in the driveway and get out of the car, as I approach the house I see the owner. He is sitting on his front porch reading the Bible. I instantly become angry, has he skipped the part in Psalm about taking care of Gods creatures! I gather myself knowing that speaking my mind will not help this poor dog. With every ounce of self control I have I kindly introduce myself and let the man know that I am interested in his dog and would like to know if he wants to get rid of him. The man does not ask me a single question he stands up and walks into the house. A couple minutes later he emerges with a high strung Chocolate Lab and hands me his leash. This was the first time I had ever laid eyes on this dog. I ask about his age and if he has ever had shots. The man responds "I have no clue, we got him at a pet store about a year ago when he was a puppy." I said thank you and was then pulled to the car but this huge 4 legged creature named Charlie!

After a good bath and a vet check to make sure Charlie was healthy we began the search to find him a loving home. We did interview after interview and no one screamed perfect match. After weeks of looking we were about to give up and settle on someone we had already interviewed. And then it happened, we figured out what Charlie had known the whole time. We didn't need to find him a perfect home because he already had one..... with us!

He was by far the worlds worst untrained 1 year old Chocolate Lab in history! But despite all the massive piles of dog poop and stolen food from the counter. All the eaten shoes and chewed up legs on the antique dinning room chairs, our hearts belonged to Charlie and he knew it!

Now here we sit 9 years later saying goodbye to the dog who stole our hearts. With his cold wet nose and big beautiful eyes you couldn't help but love him. We know that we did everything we could for Charlie and that in the end we saved him from unnecessary pain and suffering but that has not made this journey any easier. Everyone keeps telling us that Charlie lived a great life and was blessed to have such a good home. But truth be told Charlie wasn't the one who was blessed.....We were!

A big THANKS to Dr.Clark and his staff at the Animal Hospital for helping Charlie fill our home and hearts with joy for the 9 wonderful years we had him!

The Story Of My Life

2009-03-02T06:47:00.004-05:00

Came across this in the Sunday Comics and couldn't help but to chuckle. This is truly the story of my life! Especially between the the hours of 7:00 am and 6:30 pm when our home is over ran with joyful energetic children. I am lucky on the rare occasion that I get to use the restroom in peace. Believe me when I say rare I mean rare. They use to just burst in and demand that I address their needs from the throne. (children have no boundaries!) I have learned to lock the door though because most are unable to pick the lock. Now I think the children have confused the bathroom as a confessional. I swear there must be a sensor on the toilet that triggers a light to turn on the moment my butt hits the seat. This alerts the children and lets them know "I'm in" so they all come running. Its like a stampede of crazed elephants fleeing for their lives. The weak and the young are often left behind or worse trampled just like in the wild! They stand there outside the bathroom door yelling "I pushed Judy because she took my toy!" "Well I took the toy because Elroy wouldn't share!" "And And And Nikki .... George bit the dog again.... and were hungry!" So there I sit shouting back through the bathroom door each ones penance "Judy and Elroy you need to share your toys and we should not hurt our friends so hug, say your sorry and keep your hands to yourself." "Oh yeah, and George, Ill get you some lunch in a minute SO DON'T EAT THE DOG!" I am fortunate though because our bathroom has two doors and sometimes if I'm really quiet I can sneak out the "escape door". This will lead me to our office instead of the kitchen where the angry mob awaits me. Usually when I am able to pull this off it allows me 60 to 90 seconds of peace before they realize that I have tricked them. Then they all come running around the corner to out me! Even the dogs are in on it now! Maggie will join me in the bathroom and just refuse to leave. (probably a fear of being bitten by a child!) While Charlie will sit outside the bathroom with his nose pressed up against the door jam snorting like some kind of wild hog! Again this comic is the story of my life! Oh, and just in case you were wondering I do not really care for children named Judy, Elroy and George. I needed an alias name for them and when I was typing this the Jetsons were on in the other room. How convenient!

Coming Soon To A Computer Near You

2009-02-25T21:07:00.004-05:00

Sorry about the pause in blogging I was trying to get a jump start on some spring cleaning. I am so busy during the week that I only really have time to blog on the weekends. But I have another ridiculously funny Nathan story coming soon so watch for it. I'm sorry they have all been about Nathan lately but the boy cracks me up. Lilli will all to soon have her share of the Jarrett Blog fame once she learns to get into everything and start talking nonstop like her older brother! (make no mistake I'm in no hurry) Rest assured though Lilli is doing well and as of today we have not put her up for adoption. Now tomorrow could be an entirely different story so at this point we refuse to make any promises. She is almost 8 months old and the entire planet would suffer a massive volcanic like explosion if for 1 second the universe did not revolve around her. Some would say that she is this way because of the way we have raised her these past 8 months though this is not the case. Lilli like Nathan is unmistakably spoiled that I will not deny! However Ben and I are not able to take full blame for this. You see Lilli and Nathan are blessed to have a great group of people who really have a deep love for them. You know the kind of love that has no limits. The problem with this type of love is that sometimes it causes people to enter a utopia and they believe that our children do no wrong. For example the other day Nathan refused to shut off the television and get ready for school. So the logical discipline for this would be no cartoons for the rest of the day right. WRONG! You see Nathan went to visit one of these people I'm talking about and asked if he could watch cartoons. Ben immediately stepped in and said no you lost TV today! Well it only took him 1 puckered lip and a phone call to get what he wanted. The people who did this know who they are so there is no need to name names. So of course a couple days ago Nathan was once again having a problem following directions and his immediate response to me was "mom, I want to stay the night with Kenny and Charlet." Oh that's right we weren't going to name names were we. Silly me what was I thinking!

Warning Labels Should Be More Clear!

2009-02-15T13:23:00.009-05:00

A few weeks ago Nathan began asking about signs and symbols that you see while you're out and about. You know the typical things like Hospital ahead, divided intersection etc. He also began to take notice of warning labels on stuff around the house and wanted to know why all these things are there. Of course Ben and I always tell him that they are there to help keep us safe and we should always try and do what they say. So that said this past week while driving Nathan loudly announces from the back seat that Lilli's car seat can go on airplanes. I tell him he's right and ask how he knows this. He informs me that he just knows because god gave him a really smart brain. Truth be told he seen the little airplane picture on the warning labels stuck to the side of her car seat. I just agreed that he had a super smart brain and quietly laughed to myself as I continued to drive. Well yesterday while once again driving in the car Nathan abruptly hollers from the back seat "mom did you know that fat people can't ride in this car" I pause for a moment to digest the words that were just uttered by the mouth of my 4 year old son. I mean surely we have raised him better then this! I still in a state of disbelief and shock explain to Nathan that comments like that could hurt someones feelings and he should be more thoughtful when saying things. He replies to me still very sure of himself "mom its to keep us safe so the car don't tip over" At that point completely confused, I asked him why he would say such a thing. Then In the rear view mirror I see my son pointing as he tells me that he read it on the car. I look up to see this warning label located on the sun visor.........

Apparently in 4 year old translation this means

WARNING: FAT PEOPLE MAY CAUSE CAR TO TIP

I had to pull the car over not only to explain the true meaning of the warning label but to crack up laughing!

The Way To My "Little" Mans Heart

2009-02-14T22:55:00.006-05:00

Everyone always says the way to a mans heart is through his stomach. Well that also seems to be the way to my "little" mans heart.

So there I sit writing my usual shopping list with Nathan by my side helping me. You see he always writes his own list then translates to me his illegible yet beautiful 4 year old penmanship. I'll always listen carefully as he repeats the same things to me week after week. I need grapes, and cheese puffs, cookies, and apples and don't forget my chocolate milk he persuasively reminds me. So off I went on my excursion to the grocery store with his list and my list at hand. I walk through the isles grabbing the repeats and as I reach for Nathans chocolate milk I pause and begin to smile. You see there alone on a shelf in the dairy fridge sits a 1/2 gallon of Nestle Quick chocolate milk. At that moment in my head I have a flash back of wide eyed Nathan telling me enthusiastically how only Wendys has his favorite chocolate milk. And Well Friday My little man did an amazing job as he sat through another grueling eye exam and I figured he deserved something a little special so why not. I grabbed the 1/2 gallon of "liquid gold" tossed it in the cart and finished the dreadful shopping trip. Upon returning home I unload the grocery's from the car (that's even more dreadful then shopping) and called Nathan to the kitchen. He steps out of the bathroom still dripping wet from his shower and wrapped in nothing but a towel. I tell him that mom got him something special and pulled the chocolate milk from the bag. At that very moment my son drops his towel and begins jumping up and down naked in the middle of the kitchen while yelling "that's my favorite chocolate milk I'm so excited!" As if that was not already enough to bring a smile to any mothers face the words that followed surely would have. And those priceless words were ........................................ "NOW I LOVE YOU MORE THEN I LOVE DAD"

We Have Reached A Verdict

2009-02-10T18:57:00.006-05:00

Well it was not easy but it has been done! I have tallied all the votes and sent in the most liked photo. I will tell you that photo #2 and photo #5 were tied at 7 votes each the others never even came close! I had to break the tie and this was no easy task given that 2, 4, and 5 were my top picks! So here it is the final photo.....drum roll please............................................................................

AND THE WINNER IS

Photo #5

I went with this one because she is smiling and part of what makes Lilli so precious is that beautiful vibrant smile. Thank you to everyone who voted If I here anything I will be sure to keep you all updated.

Beautiful Baby Search

2009-02-06T17:54:00.021-05:00

We have decided to enter Lilli into The Beautiful Baby Search that takes place on Live With Regis And Kelly every year. The rules state that the photo must be recent and that you are not allowed to use a professional photograph. So throughout the day Lilli and I have done mini photo shoots. I was hoping to get a good shot, that one that captures an expression that just screams I'm Lilliann! I ended up with some awesome photos that I love and there is one "favorite" I'm leaning towards. But I would like everyones opinion before I make the final decision on the perfect photo. So gather the family your friends your co-workers and anyone else who's around you (even if they're strangers in a coffee shop) and place your votes! You can either email them to me, leave them in the comments below this post or leave me a message in the message box located in the column to the right. I have to make a decission by Tuesday morning.

HAPPY VOTING!

Im Back.......I was attending bloggers anonymous

2009-02-06T15:57:00.009-05:00

Hello everyone! Sorry that I have not posted for a while. I was trying to prove a point to my wonderful husband and I think it may have worked. You see he has been harassing me about the time I spend on the computer blogging. He would most of the time jokingly call me an addict. Well on January 21st (the day of my last post) I decided that I needed to prove to him that I was not a blog addict. So I simply stopped blogging I wanted him to realize that maintaining and running a blog does take time. I also wanted to prove to him that although I do enjoy the blog others receive more joy from it then I do. And with the help of all of you I did just that! Thank you to everyone who questioned my husband about the blog suddenly coming to a stand still I appreciate it.
A TON of things have happened in the last two weeks. Unfortunately, if I tried to blog them all it would take me days and then I may become an actual blog addict! So for your entertainment here are just a few highlights...........

When Lilli falls off the couch she does not bounce!
A four year old is always right----Even when they're wrong they're right!
When an infant has the stomach flu and you feel rumbling while holding them you should put them down IMMEDIATELY!
Pre-Schools should not celebrate summer birthdays on 1/2 birthdays it confuses the children and make them believe they're 5. When the parents try to explain it they get no where! (refer back to #2)
Feeding dogs rotten meat will give them diarrhea and they will poop all over your house! (isn't that right honey)
And last but not least when a child puts a pop-tart in the microwave for 63 minutes it turns into a rock!

FYI while writing this post my loving husband sent me a text that read "The blog still looks the same!" I think he may be afraid of all of you!

Why Is It So Hot?

2009-01-21T17:07:00.004-05:00

I love winter weather and do not typically mind the cold. However, any one who lives near us knows just how bitterly cold it has been here. So lately I have not enjoyed the Ohio weather and yesterday I voiced my opinion about just that. While I sat bundled up in layers in my living room I watched Nathan who is always hot, run shirtless and bare foot through the house. I asked several times if he was cold and he would simply respond no and continue on his merry way. After a few minutes he returned to the living room and asked me if I was cold. "Yes" I said, "I'm freezing." "Well then turn the heat up" he replied as he rubbed my hand then quickly picked up the remote control and turned off my show so he could watch his. (typical man) I just chuckled as I pretended not to notice the silly little smirk on his face. You could tell that in his eyes he believed that he had just pulled of something quite amazing. His ingenious distraction and then subtle retrieval of the remote control. This was something daddy would truly be proud of! I went to the kitchen and began dinner then several minutes later I began to peel off layers. It was suddenly very warm in our house and I found myself searching for an explanation. "It must be because I'm cooking...... but our kitchen is never this warm!" "Oh man.....maybe I'm getting sick...... but I have felt fine all day!" By the time I was finishing up dinner I was actually sweating while wearing a t-shirt. I had no idea what was going on with me well at least not until Nathan joined me in the kitchen. He pulled a bar stool over to the counter then climbed up on it and very sweetly asked "are you warm now?" Yes, Mommy is very warm, how about you, I asked. "I'm hot" he replied, "I think I need to put on some deodorant cause that's just what happens when you turn the heat up." I stared at him blankly while he climbed down from the stool and walked towards the bathroom. "Mommy never turned the heat up" I told him. He reached the bathroom door then stopped and turned to look at me. At that moment my four year old with as much attitude as he could muster up said "I know so I had to!" I obviously checked the thermostat to find that our house was a not so cozy 84 degrees and climbing right on up to 87 where he had it set!

Milestone after Milestone

2009-01-18T09:39:00.004-05:00

Ben and I have been working with our "little flower" trying to get her to roll over. One day we realized that during all this time the only thing we had accomplished was discovering a new way to tick her of. (Now we can add that to an already endless list right next to wiping her nose.) So of course we gave up and left her on the floor next to her mountain of toys why we continued on with our mountain of chores. After a few minutes of cleaning there I stood scrubbing dishes when Nathan comes flying around the corner jumping up and down yelling "MOM YOU HAVE TO COME AND SEE THIS". "What is it Nathanial?" "YOU HAVE TO COME AND SEE!" he says again. So I dry my hands and reluctantly follow him to the living room. Once there I see that Lilli is no longer where we left her playing on the floor she instead is a good three feet across the room. With much excitement in my voice I ask "did she roll all the way over there?" "HER DID MOM HER DID!" he says, again why jumping up and down. At this point I'm both ecstatic she finally rolled over and disappointed that I missed it. So I ask Nathan to tell me how she did it. I wanted a detailed description. So I sat there anxiously waiting to vicariously relive the moment through the words of my 4 year old son. He pondered...................................................... After several seconds (that seemed like hours) his face lit up to reveal that he had finally found the perfect words to describe this amazing moment. He again began to jump up and down as he shouted "HER JUST ROLLED OVER, LIKE A BOWLING BALL!" UH........not exactly the narrative I was hoping for. I will admit though, that is a pretty good analogy for a 4 year old. However something tells me the image in my head and what he actually seen are quite different! Never the less Lilli has rolled over since then and is now pulling herself to a sitting position. This makes putting her to bed when she doesn't want to go really fun! I should also mention that Lilli now has her first tooth it is on the bottom left side. If I had to guess I would say the bottom right is not that far behind!

Update On Nathan

2009-01-10T14:15:00.008-05:00

As many of you know on Wednesday Nathan had an appointment with his rheumatologist. Everything went well after we finally found the place! Turns out that new roads our not always able to be found by Map Quest, Google Maps or even a GPS. When this happens your pretty much screwed! So of course you call the Doctors office to try and get directions but instead you'll most likely receive a message saying "I'm sorry we are currently receiving a high volume of calls. Your call is important to us so please stay on the line and we will be with you momentarily." So there I am sitting in a Silver Mountaineer on my cell phone with two young children taking in the scenery at the local gas station in the middle of god knows where! Now, one would think that the classical music playing softly in my ear while I continue to wait on hold would calm and relax anyone right? Not quite the case when you consider the local scenery consist of cars that should be considered illegal to drive due to the fact that they were held together by bondo and duct tape and had trash bags for windows! Every where you looked there were questionable people! I knew nothing about this place except for the fact that me in a silver mountaineer on a cell phone with two young children did not belong there. This whole time in my head all I can think is how this message I have now heard a dozen times should actually read "your call is important to us so please stay on the line and continue to wait unless your about to be car jacked and mugged then please hang up and dial 911". It was SUPER SCARY!

Now that that's out of the way lets get back to Nathan! As I said earlier before the rampage his appointment went well.

Good news - we finally have an official diagnosis
Bad news - as we suspected it is juvenile arthritis
Good news/Bad news - He has a 50% chance of outgrowing it therefor a 50% chance he will continue to have problems as an adult

The naproxen alone was helping some of the inflammation but he is still very stiff and sore mainly in the morning. So Dr. Spalding has decided that the next step would be to start him on sulfasalazine this is a disease modifying anti rheumatic drug. The purpose of this drug is to slow down or even stop the progression of the disease. Nathan will be going back to hydro therapy once a week and then go back to see the doctor in February. If this treatment does not work there is other drugs they can try but right now we our hopeful so we will only cross that bridge if need to.

One more bit of good news-juvenile arthritis is not hereditary so it is very rare for more then one child in a family to have it.

Update on Lilli

2009-01-10T13:09:00.005-05:00

Sorry it has taken so long to share Lillis updated info from her 6 month well check this past Tuesday. But here it is.... Yes you are reading it right she is a healthy 20.6 pounds and in the 98th percentile for weight. And 27 1/2 inches long putting her in the 96th percentile for her height! The Doctor said she is doing an amazing job meeting her milestones and is a happy and healthy little girl. However she may have just been trying to butter her up because right after that she gave her a flu shot. (HA HA) Then on Thursday morning the poor thing had to be poked again when she got her 6 month vaccinations! The Nurses love her because given the size of her thighs they say she has great "targets". It's wonderful to know that two days later she has already forgotten about the whole terrible ordeal! Now aside from the second dose of the flu vaccine she will receive on the 5th of February she will not need any more shots until her first birthday! She does not know to be excited about this but I DO! Don't get me wrong Lilli does a great job with very little crying when she gets her shots. And although I feel that we are doing the right thing by protecting her it is still heartbreaking! I just try to remember what a nurse once told me while having Nathan vaccinated- "a few shots now will keep them from having to have dozens later if they come down with one of these potentially fatal illnesses." As much as it makes me cringe I know she is right!

The Modern Day Family Pet

2009-01-03T11:47:00.012-05:00

A few days ago Nathan was watching TV and seen a commercial for the new Marley and Me movie. He has asked several times to go see the movie "about the bad dog" and I just tell him maybe, we'll see, hoping that he will just forget about it. Well the commercials keep reminding him and so he just keeps asking. I would love to go and see the movie myself and would not mind taking Nathan but knowing that poor Marley is not immortal and will die at the end, has made me more then hesitant. After much thought I finally decided that this was not going to go away anytime soon and made the decision to just tell Nathan the truth. After all he is 4 1/2 right and we do have pets one of which is... a little on the older side! Thanks impart to the Catholic school he is also starting to understand that there is a heaven where people and animals go when they die. Granted he has his own version of how this works! All I'll say is that it involves Jesus with a parachute and a jet pack. But never the less he is starting to understand death, heaven and earth. I figured we would just have the conversation then he would be able to make his own decision on rather he wanted to see the "bad dog movie." Lets just say the conversation did not go over as smoothly as one would have hoped. It involved allot of tears and hysterics and some mumbling about how he loved Charlie and Maggie and wanted them to be his pets forever. I took a quick analysis of the situation and became panic stricken upon realizing that it was far to late to turn back. In a desperate attempt to spare my son from any more emotional scarring I assured him that when pets die you get to pick out new ones! This may not have been my best mommy moment however it did give his little overactive brain something to ponder other then the death of his beloved pet. He has not since then said anything more about our conversation, until today that is. Today he brought me a picture and with overflowing enthusiasm informed me that when our dog dies this was the new pet he wanted and that it could be purchased at the pet store for only $9.99................

I of course asked him where we would keep an animal like that and he very proudly answered in a cage with a door. But you have to put a stick in it for the bird to sit on and "seagles" like to eat slippery fish. When I asked him where we find slippery fish he stood tall (as if to convey to me that he had already fully thought this through) and confidently said at Pa Pa's!

Oh yeah, for those of you who are wondering NO I did not tell Nathan that having a Bald Eagle for a pet was not even remotely possible. After all he is 4 1/2 right!

Lilli's 1/2 Birthday

2008-12-31T19:00:00.009-05:00

Yeah, our not so little Lilliann is almost a 1/2 a year old! Just to think about how much she has changed in the last 6 months and where she will be in the next 6 amazes me! She has been very busy lately GROWING, learning new things and making new friends.

This is Lilli with her cousin Cruz. Although she is all about him he is not so sure of her! Cruz was born in April so he is almost 3 months older then Lilli. I know size wise it is very hard to tell. Currently they are both in 12 month clothing! (just for the record her bib says "little girl BIG attitude" the attitude also seems to be growing!)

This is her newest friend Layla. Layla is 2 months old and lives in Texas. She was visiting Ohio for the holidays. She is actually Lasha's niece! Layla is smaller at 2 months then Lilli was the day she was born. (I'm not joking) The difference in the size of their hands gives it away! You have to love the hair! That by the way seems to be the only thing on Lilli that is not growing! She goes for her well check on Tuesday so I will post an update on her height and weight then! But until then a sneak peek at whats to come in another 6 months............

TA-DA

A PRINCESS party what else would you expect! (yes I am already in the planning stages of a party 6 months away, we are talking about me!) I bought this dress for her in October it's an 18 to 24 month. Lets cross our fingers and pray that with the way shes been growing she does not outgrow it before then! Ben is fighting me on the princess theme but it is so appropriate. It's not just that she is our only daughter she is also the only granddaughter! That has to at least make her a princess by default right? Not to mention that since Nathan and Lilli will be having their parties together he has the option of a prince, a knight, or even a king and you know Ben has no problem with that!!!

Happy 1/2 Birthday Lilli! you have filled our lives with such joy! We love you!
p.s. Don't worry you will always be your daddy's little princess even if he doesn't admit it!

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2008-12-28T11:52:00.014-05:00

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Jarrett Family Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T21:36:00.007-05:00

Henry, Peg, Ben, Me with Lilli, Matt, Amber, Craig, Kelly, Christian with Cruz, and in the front Bryan with Nathan & Tressel. Missing from the picture is Becky who lives in California and will be visiting in January. And Kitty and Gregg who were unable to join us because they just added a new member to the family...

Jack Dylan. (congratulations!)

Our family had a wonderful Christmas again this year! We spent the day in Columbus at Bryan and Matt's house. We opened gifts had an amazing dinner and then the fun and games began. It started with wii bowling and Mario cart and then a game of Euchre all while you were dodging darts from the Nerf Guns! I wish I had some pictures to share but it was far to dangerous to snap any while holding Lilli! (according to the princess putting her down was not an option!) While sorting through the pictures today most of which Nathan snapped, I did come across this! Nathan and Uncle Bryan in true form! Nathan seems to have a very special bond with Uncle Bryan. I wish they lived closer! He was so excited to have a "sleepover" at their house. Two weeks ago when I told him we were going to stay the night at their house he went up to his room and then came downstairs with his Elmo backpack. When I asked him what was in it he told me he packed his suitcase for the sleepover. Curiosity of course got the best of me and when I looked inside I couldn't help but LAUGH! He had filled his bag with nothing but socks and underwear! He apparently planned on staying for quite a long time and although he would be wearing dirty clothes he would have clean socks and underwear!

THANKS BRYAN AND MATT FOR ANOTHER GREAT CHRISTMAS. EVERYTHING WAS WONDERFUL WE HAD A FANTASTIC TIME!

The Elf On The Shelf

2008-12-15T21:37:00.003-05:00

Today we received a package in the mail addressed to Nathan and Lilli inside the box was an absolutely amazing book that I had once heard of a quite some time ago. It is about a little elf who visits your home every year around the Holidays. At night when everyone is sleeping the elf uses his magic and flies to the north pole to let Santa know if the children in the home have been naughty or nice. The next morning when the family awakes they must search the house to try and find where the elf is hiding for the day. Then on Christmas eve the elf returns to the North Pole to be with Santa and will not return to your home again until next year. The book came with this little elf whom we have named Alfred. Alfred made his first appearance today in our Christmas tree after Nathan got home from preschool. There was nothing else with the book the only address was the address of the company where it was shipped from. I am not sure who sent this wonderful gift but THANK YOU! I would highly recommend it for all families with young children who still believe. This book is the beginning of a wonderful Jarrett family Christmas tradition.

Christmas Pictures At JC Pennys

2008-12-15T14:41:00.013-05:00

I took Nathan and Lilli for their annual Christmas pictures this past week and oh what a nightmare! I choose to use JC Pennys (opposed to Sears) since they had impressed me by doing a great job on Nathan's 4 year old pictures and Lilli's 6 week pictures, I'm not saying it was a bad choice but simply bad timing. Our appointment was at 6:40 a good hour before our "little flowers" cranky time which would have been great if the studio had not been running an hour behind. We went back for pictures shortly before 8:00 and were out out the door at 8:16. This was not because Lilli had become cranky but because the photographer was cranky! She had clearly had a long day and just wanted to go home (as did the rest of us!) This led to her being inpatient and uncreative and it showed in almost all the pictures! These are the only ones that were somewhat cute. I called the store after several days of stewing over the terrifying photo shoot. I was impressed by their desire to make things right. We went back in tonight (again at 6:40) for retakes and the pictures turned out adorable. The photographer was patient, creative and actually listened to my request! She worked hard to make the kids smile and just kept snapping until she captured their personality's with big grins and bright eyes! Thanks to her I will continue to use JC Pennys and will now have some really cute Christmas gifts from Nathan and Lilli!

The Results Are In

2008-12-02T11:32:00.008-05:00

Our Christmas tree is up and if I must say so, it looks amazing! There is a bit of an imbalance when it comes to the decorations. Most of them seem to be on the lower level of the tree while the top has a few sporadic bare spots. I told Nathan that the bottom looked better because he decorated it , which is true. I just didn't tell him that it was because he hoarded all the ornaments! I can only imagine how great it will look when Lilli is old enough to have an opinion on where everything should go! All in all, I'll take the imperfect, imbalanced tree every year for as long as I can. Someday, all to soon my children will grow up and I will miss that "perfectly" imbalanced tree!

Sorry we did not get more pictures they were all blury. I will get some more with both Nathan and Lilli Soon!

Christmas Tree Weekend!

2008-11-30T11:00:00.004-05:00

That's right it is the Jarrett Family's Christmas tree weekend and Nathan is very excited! He has been asking me for a week now to decorate the house for Santa and today is the day! Nathan can not wait so right now I have to go to the attic and haul everything downstairs! This is my least favorite part, it falls in line right next to packing it all back up. Ben thinks we should wait another TWO WEEKS to put the tree up! How crazy is that, at that point why even bother! So today he snuck off to work leaving me, Nathan and Lilli to do as we please. He may have got out of hauling it all down but guess who's hauling it all back up! I'll take some pictures of our work in progress to share!

HELP WANTED!

2008-11-20T08:37:00.011-05:00

As most of you know I have a very good friend named La Sha who I am always with. Which works out very well since her son and Nathan are the best of friends, at least most of the time! They share a very unique brotherly love where they are friends one minute and mortal enemies the next! (Since La Sha and I have words for everything we will call them frenemies!) La Sha in fact spends so much time at my house that she has acquired the nickname "squatter" from my husband! Lately La Sha has not been around nearly as much! She has been helping out another friend by caring for her two young children during the day. I do not mind sharing "my" La Sha with other people however we miss her! By we I do mean all of us, even my husband (although he will not admit it). Without "squatter" around he has to listen (or at least pretend to listen)to me talk endlessly about everything that I usually tell La Sha. Nathan will ask me daily where "Da Sha" is because no "Da Sha" means no Peyton and no Peyton means no fun! Then there is Lilli and well Lilli just misses her "Auntie La Sha", because she makes her laugh and paints her toenails! Charlie and Maggie even miss her because there are no extra hands to scratch them and now who are they suppose to lay by when they have to pass gas! Without La Sha around, our house is missing a great deal of LAUGHTER. (after all who else do you know who reenacts the clue movie so well!) I now have to post a wanted add in the news paper that will read as follows:

WANTED: A full time squatter

Must have the following qualifications:

able to complete at least 85% of the OK Magazines crossword puzzle with minimal to no help from me
be VERY competitive and enjoy playing scrabble and other random games
like to watch Amazing Race, Survivor and Big Brother then compare notes
capable of doing voice overs
have a sharp eye for people watching
have an outgoing personality with stalker like traits

You will only be considered for this position if you are able to multi task! You will need to be my right and left hand when mine are full! Must like the song currently playing called Pull shapes by the Pipettes and believe that it truly makes the world a happier place

Serious inquiries only

A Fantastic Frolic In The Fall

2008-11-12T19:54:00.002-05:00

My favorite season is coming to an end and that means winter is just around the corner! This was once again another beautiful fall in Ohio. If you are not as fortunate as us to live in a place where you get see all the beautiful foliage don't worry we took tons of pictures. Nathan seems to be like me and loves the Fall. Every day he walks outside and picks up a handful of leaves and tells me "look mom it's fall again!" Lilli on the other hand is not loving the leaves in fact she hates them! When they are in a tree far away from her she will admire them but if one touches her she has a melt down. This made for some really interesting pictures! Here are just a few of our favorites from this years fall collection.

2008 Fall Collection

2008-11-12T19:35:00.002-05:00

Something To Be Proud Of!

2008-11-08T12:01:00.001-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS

2008-11-08T11:53:00.004-05:00

After several weeks of hard work and being away from home, Ben Graduated from the State Fire Academy. He has now fulfilled his dream and is a full time firefighter! We are all very proud of you and all the goals you have set and accomplished. WAY TO GO!

Lilli Is 4 Months Old

2008-11-04T17:03:00.006-05:00

WOW, Lilli has turned 4 months old! She is such a good baby! Her day pretty much consist of sleeping, eating, laughing, and non stop babbling. There is an occasional tummy ache or my teeth really hurt cry! But over all, we couldn't ask for a happier baby! She had her well check today and everything went great. She is an amazing 26 1/2 inches long and weighs in at 17lbs 15oz almost an even 18! The doctor said Lilli is in the 98th percentile for her weight and her height is off the charts! Her BIGGEST milestone this past month........

She's eating solid food! We are still working on the whole spoon thing but she's so smart I'm sure it will not take long!

An Uncanny Resemblance!

2008-11-02T22:50:00.011-05:00

Lilli turned 4 months old Today! I will be posting a blog with some updated pictures on Tuesday after her well check. That way I can post all her current info at ounce. BUT...until then take a look at this! This is a Photograph of Lilli when she was six weeks old next to a Photograph of her Great Grandfather Merlin when he was around the same age in 1909! Is it just me or is there an incredible resemblance? Not only our their faces almost identical but look how long Merlins fingers are! Remind you of anyone?

Old Family Photographs

2008-11-02T22:28:00.002-05:00

A Journey Back In Time

2008-11-02T21:25:00.002-05:00

This weekend we had a wonderful visit with some cousins of ours, Dick & Mitzi. They came in to town for dinner and we had a chance to catch up and reminisce about old times. We were able to sit down and sort through a couple boxes of old family pictures. Dick and Mitzi were able to help us put names with the faces in the pictures. It helped us tremendously and we really appreciated it! We feel so fortunate to have these old family photos and we are glad to have someone able to help us sort through them. We learned some interesting things and heard some great family stories. We now know the difference between the black Scheids and the red Scheids! We came across some old postcards from the World Fairs Century In Progress Exposition that took place in Chicgao in the early 1930's. Mitzi shared a wonderful story about someone she knew going to the fair with her two younger siblings. They traveled to Chicago by train, stayed at a hotel for five days, ate, and went to the fair all for $12.00. What a true example of just how much things have changed through the years!

World Fair Century In Progress Expo early 1930's

2008-11-02T21:20:00.001-05:00

Remembering

2008-11-01T22:41:00.012-04:00

Merlin S. Scheid

November 10th 1909 - November 1st 2001

Seven years ago today we lost a very important member of our family, Grandpa Merlin Scheid. Grandpa Scheid was an amazing 92 year old man with the charisma and heart of someone half his age. He spent the majority of his life maintaining the home he purchased in the 1930's as well as farming the 100 acres of land that surrounded it. He was a hard working family man that was respected by all who knew him.

You are thought of often and we miss you greatly!

There's Work To Be Done

2008-10-30T07:15:00.004-04:00

For the last couple of weeks we have awoke every morning to strangers loudly talking over the UN-ignorable sound of jackhammers, excavators, and dump trucks all around our house. (A perk to living on a corner!) My son whom of course is the only one amazed at the fact that we have a work sight in our front yard, continuously ask me what they are doing. After several days of no sleep, repeatedly explaining that they are laying new water lines and answering the question WHY over and over again it was time for a change! From that point on every time Nathatn would ask me what they were doing and why, I would simply reply "there's work to be done!" After this went on for a couple of days I found Nathan no longer glued to the front window of our house, instead he was always in the back yard. Every time I seen him he had out the same toys and was sitting in our gravel playing. After awhile I said to him "you must really be having fun playing!" At that point my witty and out-spoken 4 year old looked at me and boldly replied "I'm not playing, there's work to be done!"

Smile Maker

2008-10-24T12:02:00.005-04:00

All of you that follow this blog know the story of Philip the monkey and how obsessed Nathan became with him. What many of you do not know is that after that he became obsessed with seeing himself and his artwork on the computer! He constantly wanted me to read blogs to him and post new ones all about him and all of his artwork. He began to realize that what is on the blog can be seen by all his favorite people even when they are not at our house! He thinks this is truly amazing and well needless to say Nathan now has his very own blog. A place where he can share his stories, adventures and showcase all of his artwork with a little help from me. His blog is titled "Nuttin But Nathan The world through the eyes of an amazing 4 year old" because everyone who knows Nathan knows just how amazing he really is! To get to his blog you can either scroll down this page and click the flashing button that reads "I'm Nuts About Nathan" or click this link and be sure to save it to your favoriteshttp://www.nuttinbutnathan.blogspot.com/ When you visit his blog you will definitely smile but most likely LAUGH believe me It will make your day. So in return make Nathans day, Nathan loves to hear all your comments about his stories and art so be sure post one or leave him a message in the message box at the bottom of his page! ENJOY!

LILLIANNS BAPTISM

2008-10-14T09:16:00.004-04:00

Lilli was baptised on Sunday and everything went great! She was a blessing to us from the beginning and now we get to share her with her godparents Jenny and Joe! We could not be a more fortunate family! We have two wonderful children who were blessed with amazing godparents to stand beside them on their journey through life. Along with very special Grandparents, Great Grandparents and an amazing collection of Aunts and Uncles. Thank you to everyone who has been such an important role in the lives of our children! We greatly appreciate all of you.

What A Wonderful World!

2008-10-05T10:40:00.013-04:00

Our Annual trip to the pumpkin patch was a success! We had so much fun feeding the goats, getting lost in the corn maze, playing in the apple orchard, going on a hay ride and of course picking pumpkins!

Nathans favorite part was riding the bike through the hay maze and picking pumpkins! If he would of had his way we would have most likely come home with over 100 pumpkins! Evey pumpkin seemed to be the perfect pumpkin! Lilli however just laid back and took it all in! The scenery the noise and all the new smells. Which were not always pleasant let me add! The weather was cool but sunny so over all it was a wonderful day!

Look Who's 3 Months Old !

2008-10-01T17:50:00.007-04:00

Yes it's true our adorable little red head is already three months old! She has grown so quickly we're not sure where these last few months have went! At her last appointment on September 23rd she was already 15lbs and 6oz. She is so smart and strong she amazes us every day! She has already begun the modeling stage and loves to stick out her tongue when she sees you doing it! She's able to hold her head up so well that she can now play in her walker and her jumparoo! If you want to make her laugh all you have to do is bark and growl she thinks it's hysterical. She has a well check on Tuesday the 7th so check the message board on the bottom of the page to get an updated weight and a length!

Why Do We Say CHEESE, When Cheesy Is What We Get?

2008-09-25T17:46:00.008-04:00

I have always thought that I was a very fortunate mother! My son and now daughter both have a big beautiful smile. You know how you always see those young children in photos who have that comical smile that you can't help but notice? My children have never had one of those smiles, unless of course they're just acting silly. Well that is until now! Nathan recently had his first school pictures taken and being a mother you have to order those! In doing so I realized that sometime between the age of 4 and 5 almost all children temporarily loose the ability to smile normal! This ailment seems to affect males more then females. So at this point I'm asking myself is there a cure? How long will this last? All of course while laughing and praying that Lilli does not come down with this strange disorder! ........Then again these are the pictures that high school graduations are made of!

Monkey Buisness

2008-09-23T20:50:00.002-04:00

I'm sure that if you are trying to read this post you have been annoyed by the "pet" monkey climbing around our page! As most of you know I LOVE MONKEYS so I put him on the blog as an experiment. I was just curious, I wondered what he would do! Nathan however has become very fond of him. He has named him Phillip and insist that he is his pet! He now makes me log in frequently because "Phillip is hungry" and of course Nathan must feed him his bananas! I have been told that if I take him of the page he will be "SO ANGRY". And you guessed it, our house is ran by a 4 year old so the monkey stays! (at least until he looses interest or I convince him that Phillip needs to go back to the zoo with his other monkey friends! Where of course we'll go visit!) The picture below is a picture Nathan drew of Phillip. He told me he needed to hang it in his room so he could look at it "allllllll" night long and then he wouldn't have to keep coming downstairs!
Help us out when you visit, by clicking on the banana to feed Phillip or click on him to play!

He Earned His Masters!!!

2008-09-21T21:27:00.001-04:00

Congratulations Henry!

2008-09-21T12:00:00.004-04:00

You did it! Your hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed!

We all love you and are very proud of you and all you have accomplished!

Way to go!!!

2008-09-18T09:51:00.018-04:00

In Loving Memory Of My Mother,

Theresa A. McClellan

August 21st, 1960 to September 21st, 2001

My mother was a unbelievably selfless person, who left us all way to soon. She dedicated her life to trying to make a difference. She spent years teaching visually impaired children, special needs children and even high school children who were labeled high risk. (expected to dropout) When she was not in a classroom full of children she was at home in a house full of children. Which may not seem unique to most until you realize that not one of those children belonged to her! My Mother and Father ran a foster home. A foster home that through the years lovingly cared for over 20 children. Together they changed the lives of every child who walked through their door. I can say this without doubt because I am one of those children! Although we miss her dearly we know that she is in a better place. And if I had to guess I would say God needed her in heaven to tame the unruly children! Mom you were an amazing woman who touched the lives and hearts of all children lucky enough to cross your path. We love and miss you!

2008-09-18T09:51:00.016-04:00

On This Day In History

Gas Price Wars At Pumps 18th September 1956 : Many towns and cities across the US are seeing price wars in filling Stations with prices changing hourly by stations wishing to increase business, the prices during a price war can range between 24.6 cents per gallon and 30.2 cents per gallon. WHAT A DIFFERENCE 52 YEARS CAN MAKE!

2008-09-05T22:09:00.001-04:00

GRANDPARENTS.
Few can bring the warmth we can find in their embrace and little more is needed to bring love than the smile on their face.
They've a supply of precious stories yet they've time to wipe a tear. Or give us reasons to make us laugh, they grow more precious through the years.
I believe that God sent us Grandparents as our legacy from above. To share the moments of our life as extra measures of his love.
~Author Unknown.~~

2008-09-05T21:57:00.001-04:00

Nathan's Going To Pre School

2008-09-02T19:36:00.001-04:00

Nathan started pre school and he loves it! He is going to the catholic school here in town. I can not beleive how eager he is to go each day! It took him a week to realize that the teacher had a name other than "teacher". Now he seems to have settled in and and gotten the hang of things. He is 44 inches tall now and outgrowing everything that he owns. He is happy go lucky most of the time but also has a temper that gets him in trouble!

Bens New Job

2008-09-02T19:15:00.000-04:00

Ben loves his new job on the Fire Dept. The only bad part is he has not been able to spend much time with the family due to all the training. He should be finished with that by November though. Which doesnt seem to far away but to me and the kids it is an eternity! (Im begining to understand how single parents feel!)

Lilli's 2 Months Old Today

2008-09-02T18:00:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe that Lilli has already been with us for two months it went by so fast! She had a well check today and our 9lb 8 oz bundle of joy now weighs 14.2 and has grown 2 inches since birth. She is right on target for all her milestones and is able to hold her head up exceptionally well. These days she is full of smiles and loves to babble!