Only Two More to Go!

Christmas celebrations that is! We've had a busy time since Olivia got out of school. We celebrated with Patsy and my Dad, Sharon, Dylan and India on Christmas Eve. Olivia and Carina had a great time. Olivia got a Playmobil Castle - "some assembly required"...I think there were about 10,000 pieces or so (maybe slightly exaggerated). It's done now. Here are a couple pictures from Christmas Eve and Project Castle that just ended tonight at 7:05....

Carina got a toy that she plays with at a local toy store every time she visits. She was a little excited.

Olivia wrapped herself up for India. I'm almost a little afraid of this crazy look....

Olivia took a picture of Carina and I with the completed castle... (Aunt Joan - you can see my new red highlights if look carefully!)

I really wish I had a picture of all the pieces, but here is the first page of the directions...it was a 12 page book.

And a closer look at the completed castle. I almost can't believe it worked!

We had a great time on Christmas morning...here is a before....

and after!

We had Christmas dinner at Anne (Matt's sister) and Brad's. Here is a picture of the family dressed in our fancy Christmas outfits.

Finally, Matt got a Wii for Christmas. We've played a few different games, lots of bowling and boxing. Matt has yet to win - I even beat him at Tiger Woods Golf. Carina has beaten all of us at bowling and Olivia has beat Matt 4 or 5 times at boxing. Watching Olivia play these games is enough to make me fall over laughing. She's constantly jumping all over the place. Here are some pictures of her boxing. I played her last night and she had to have Matt take over for her because her shoulder was hurting! She plays with very high effort!

I hope you all had great Holidays with your families - we're not done yet folks! We've got Tuesday and then down to my Mom and Steve's on the 1st. HO!HO!HO!

The Excitement Continues

We had our first Christmas celebration with the girls' aunts, uncles and cousins on Matt's side of the family.

The ladies...Olivia, Greta, Audrey and Carina



Trevor, Anne and Brad's oldest is wearing the stripes, and Owen, Dave and Sue's youngest, is wearing the vest. They are great pals.



Hopefully everyone is surviving these final days of crazy excitement!

Bounce! Bounce! Bounce!

That is the sound of the girls bouncing off the walls. They are getting pretty excited about Christmas. Carina has her program at school tomorrow night. Olivia is just as excited about it as she is. They both have their fancy dresses all ready to go for the occasion.

Olivia's concert was last Thursday - but she was home sick! She was disappointed, but seems to be over it.

This photo is from Dec. 1. Carina is enjoying the snow as much as Olivia this year. I talk about moving somewhere warm with no snow and they tell me snow is their favorite and winter is their favorite season. It seems like we have had some significant snow every week. We're supposed to get 3-5 inches again tomorrow.

The girls got Santa nightgowns from St. Nick. Here is a picture of them modeling. I did not request the glasses. I don't remember what the purpose was, but I had to take a picture of the look.

Until later....bounce! bounce! bounce!

All The Kings Horses

It's been one year and 8 months to the day since my first surgery. Today, I had what will hopefully (emphasis on hopefully) be the final one to put me back together again. There will be a medical tatoo artist step after this, but that is done at the doctor's office.

The surgery started at about 7:30 or so. The doc was talking to Matt 9:10 and we were home at 12:15. I've been hanging out on the couch and enjoying my pain pills. I'm not sure how things turned out because of bandages, so I can't report on the success. I have a doctor appointment on Tuesday, so I'll know more then.

I'm not supposed to make any "big decisions" until 24 hours after the anesthesia, so no online shopping until tomorrow!

Success!

I have a picture for the Christmas cards - hooray! Here it is.....the girls were goofing around with the reindeer headbands and we got this cute picture. Quinn was especially loving it...

We had a great Thanksgiving. We had Matt's parents, my Mom and Steve, Sharon and Dylan, Dave and Sue and the three kids, and Uncle Bob.

Olivia wanted to make this sign for the table - it says "The Thankfulness Table". She also made all the place cards.

I made mashed potatoes and couldn't find the bay leaf I boiled with them. I did end up finding it in the pot - it stuck to the side when I drained them. I thought that I would kill someone by leaving it in....here's what Wikipedia has to say about that....

Facts
Mountain laurel leaves are poisonous to certain livestock and are not sold anywhere as a culinary herb (Britannica). This has led to the mistaken belief that bay leaves should be removed from food after cooking because they might poison humans. Bay leaves are safe to eat. However, a person may accidentally swallow a leaf; and since the leaves remain stiff, even after several hours of cooking, it may cause general injuries in the throat.

I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving too.

The Illusive Family Photo

Home project number two -the dining room, is mostly done - we just need some new art work. Here are some pictures...

As you can see, it is quite a change....

I've been starting to thing about Christmas cards and maybe including a photo of all four of us this year. So far, no success. We had Henry's baptism (Anne & Brad's 2nd son) this weekend so we were all looking half decent. We tried to do a family picture, the results were not good. We'll have to try again this weekend....

Look Out Martha Stewart

Over the past month or so I have been doing a lot of work on our kitchen. It started with taking off the old wall paper - time spent, about 15 hours. Then painting, first primer, then two coats - time spent, around 10 hours. Finally, I looked and looked for something for the windows. Everything I found looked like it should be in either a senior apartment or a country style home - of course, this is not the look I was going for. I checked into having some cafe curtains made - the cost was going to be over $600. So, I took a sewing class at the fabric store. I had flashbacks to middle school home ec and Mrs. deLeo (I think that was her name). I remember a fabulous pair of shorts I made in that class. Anyway, I spent this weekend making the curtains - it took about 8 hours just for the cutting, pinning and sewing. We also went through three different curtain rods for the big window. 30 or so hours later, here is the final product (sorry about the mess on the counter, I was too tired to move it)....





I am so thankful that my next project is painting the dining room and not more curtains.

A Barack Ovama for You, A Barack Ovama for Me

We have two magazines with President Elect Barack Obama on the cover. Yesterday, Carina (3) pulled out the magazines and said to her sister, "Here Olivia, a Barack Ovama for you, and a Barack Ovama for me." Good thing there was enough of him to go around.

The girls had a swimming lesson this afternoon. Olivia was swam her first length of the pool - front crawl with breathing to the side an all. She is very excited about her progress.

Before swimming we went to an office building in Wauwatosa that is displaying art from McKinley Elementary. Olivia had a Self Portrait that was chosen to be on display. It is a great picture. When we take Matt to see it I'll take a photograph and post it.

Dog Free to a Good - no Average - Home

It's been busy, busy, busy since I returned from Brussels. The trip was good - it was great to see all my colleagues from around the globe. We had some time to see some landmarks, including the famous statue Mannekin Pis, Grand Place - the central market square, and the Atomium which was built for the1958 World's Fair hosted by Brussels.

Mannekin Pis....

Inside the Atomium - this control panel was right next to the line for the elevator we were standing in. It seemed to operate the elevators and have something to do with security. Not quite something we'd see at home. Don't push those buttons!!!

Looking up at the Atomium...

Now, onto Halloween. The girls went trick-or-treating on Friday night. We had great weather and they had a blast. Both got whole pumpkins full of candy. However, the supply was significantly reduced when the stupid dog helped himself. It was Saturday morning and I had gone to the gym and Matt had taken the girls to gymnastics. I got home around 10:30 and after I was upstairs when Quinn came up with a Kit-Kat in his mouth. I thought - I wonder if this is really the first thing he got. It was like he was confessing to the crime he had committed.

And a crime it was! I looked in the dining room (the pumpkins had been in the middle of the table) and he had turned the floor into a chocolate, sucker, bubble-gum covered disaster. I picked up 30 mini wrappers - that doesn't count those that appeared later. Apparently dogs don't digest wrappers well. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Quinn is still with us and no worse for the wear. The carpet cleaners come tomorrow. Bad, bad dog.

Here are some Halloween pictures...I really wish I had a picture of the disaster to show, but unfortunately, no.

Carina and Olivia

Some of the neighborhood gang....

Carina and her best pal Mallory....

Liz - Henry is Anne and Brad's youngest. The hair is completely natural!

Hummm...a Title?? Can't Think of One.

On September 13th I wrote about Chef Kevin and his cancer fight. On Friday, October 10th, Kevin lost his battle. I went into the store on Sunday morning not paying attention to my surroundings in my usual fashion. I was at the deli counter for a minute or so before I noticed the floral arrangement with the chef hat on the corner of the counter...it was almost enough to knock me off my feet. I wonder how many other people cried at the deli counter that day? The Tuesday before I had left a package at Kevin's home with a note and his very own pair of Cancer Sucks socks. Boy, does it ever. The deli won't be the same without you Kevin.

I had thought that I would probably ride in the Scenic Shore 150 ride for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society again next year. Now, I will definitely be riding and it will be for Kevin.

We visited the pumpkin farm last Saturday. Here are the girls....

Olivia wanted to take a picture of me pretending to eat the corn. She was instructing me on exactly what I need to do to make it look like I was REALLY eating the corn.

Olivia and Carina with their cousins Greta and Audrey at their cousin Trevor's 2nd birthday. The ladies played all day and had a blast together!

Olivia with her newest cousin, Henry. Henry is 3 weeks old.

On Monday I leave for my semi-annual conference for work. I'm headed to Brussels, Belgium. I'm really looking forward to seeing my colleagues from around the globe. The girls told me they didn't want me to go. However, now that they know that I'll bring back some chocolate they seem to be fine with it. Like mother, like daughters.

My Tooth is Really Wobbly

Big news! Olivia has lost her first tooth, with a bit of my help. She came in the bathroom this morning and her lower front tooth was SIDEWAYS (shiver) in her mouth! I said, "that has got to go." She tried moving it around a bit and finally asked me to pull it out.

Wobble, wobble, wobble....

Checking out her new look....

Hopefully the Tooth Fairy didn't have all her money tied up in the market today or we are in for a very low pay out on this one....

Hooray Team!

Finally! A planned event with good weather! We had a great day for a run/walk for the 10th Annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Bosom Buddies consisted of 21 members and raised $1,770. Great job!! Thank you so much to all of you who participated and to those of you who donated!

(Most of) the group before the race...


We're ready, we have our books, a Leapster, snacks, drinks....let's go.

Post race....Liz, Kayla, Me, and Steph

There were over 12,000 participants in the event and over $1 million was raised for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

It was quite a day - I saw many, many pink shirts (the survivors wear pink shirts) and thought alot about other survivors that I know that are in treatment, not just for breast cancer, but other types of cancer as well. Keep up your hard work.

"You gain strengh, courage and confidence by every experence in which you really stop to look fear in the face" -Eleanor Roosevelt.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Rain!

Well, our entire weekend was a rainy mess - including Sunday's duathalon! As a result, I decided that since I already knew I could finish the event, I would avoid possible injury to myself and my bike by not participating. I was also able to convince my friend Kayla of this. However, we did drive out to Dousman (and I had my Cancer Sucks socks on!) and decided that the people there were crazy and we were not going to stay. It was a disappointment, but in the scheme of things, no big deal.


I saw one of my doctors on Monday. Everything seems just fine and I will see my Oncologist in March. My only orders are to call if there are any problems - otherwise, everything seems to be going just fine.




Today Carina and I went out to the County Grounds to try and see some of the migrating Monarch Butterflies - we only saw about 5, but we did see this Praying Mantis - an interesting looking critter. Carina said that even though we didn't see a lot of butterflies it was fun because we were exploring. I'm sure it really seems like exploring when the weeds on either side of the trail are as tall as you are.



Take care everyone. Hopefully Kayla and I don't bring our rainy luck to the Race for The Cure on the 28th! We certainly don't have a very good track record so far this summer!

Where Are We Going?

Before I start my story, I'm delinquent in posting pictures from Carina's big first day of pre-school last Tuesday. The did great and is very proud of the fact that she is going to school. She goes Tuesday and Thursday for 2 1/2 hours in the morning. Thursday night she was singing us some songs from her week. Very, very cute.


Olivia with her sister on her first day of school....


I've got my backpack and I'm ready to go!

Olivia took this picture for us...

All ready to head into my school....(this picture is ALL Carina!)

The second day went well too. So far, everyone is off to a great year!

So here is my story....

Today I walked into Sendik's (or neighborhood food market) and one of the cashiers was on the phone at the customer service desk and motioned to me to come over. I'm very much a regular at the store - I'm there twice a week since the store opened a few years or so ago. So, they've seen me through hair, no hair, and back to hair again. There are a couple people that I regularly chat with, including the checker that wanted to talk to me. So she comes from behind the customer service counter and asks me my name (this is how informal my conversations are - I only know Luke the butcher by name to this point!) and tells me to come with her to the back of the store. I had to ask if I should be worried - I've never been whisked away at the grocery store before. She takes me back behind the doors to the deli area (this is very, very strange I'm thinking) and has one of the chefs come over. Her name is Beth (I see from her name tag, because she's usually to far away for me to see it) and I've, of course, chatted with her before. Apparently, they've been on the look-out for me.

Beth goes onto tell me that Kevin, the other chef, who I've also chatted with and complimented me when my hair was very, very, very new, has been diagnosed with cancer. Kevin is now a leukemia and lymphoma survivor. He is a tall, happy, strong-looking guy, who is so tall, that he has to duck his chef hat so it doesn't bump the range hood. He is receiving in-patient chemo and has mentioned my name and called me an inspiration. I give Beth a hug and tell her that I am very flattered. My journey has been a cake walk compared to his, I am certain. She tells me that he would like to hear from me and gives me his phone number and an address.

Tomorrow I will go find the best card that I possibly can and send it to him, because there was nothing like getting a good card. I'll give him my number so he can call on his time. I'm not sure how I would introduce myself on the phone - "This is Sandy, the customer from Sendik's that was wearing bandannas about a year ago. I was just abducted at the store..." What will I say to him? I will tell him to enjoy the days where you can eat raw fruits and vegetables and set some goals for this time next year - something you've wanted to do, but never had the time. Before you know it, you will be the one that is some one's inspiration and was wearing bandannas last year.

Chef Kevin, I will wear my Cancer Sucks bike socks for my duathlon tomorrow in your honor.

Home Sick Already???

We're 4 days into the new school year and Olivia was home sick today. She got the cold that Carina "doesn't love" and had a fever yesterday afternoon. She was exceptionally disappointed about staying home because she was missing a fire drill this morning at school. She's clearly feeling much better now and I certainly won't bring up the fire drill issue.

Carina went to meet her teachers and see her classroom today. She didn't say more than two words while we were there, but has been talking about the visit. The first day is next Tuesday. We'll see how that goes....she wouldn't let go of my hand today.

Have a great weekend!

What Did You Learn Today?

Olivia had a great day at school today, from what we can tell anyway. There was nothing but smiles and waves this morning and she said she is excited to go back tomorrow. The news is that she loved music, doing the ice cube experiment, the cheese pizza she had for lunch, and had fun at recess.

Carina did miss her sister. She did fun things with Grandma all day, but around 2:00 she said, "I want to go get Olivia now."

A couple of Olivia's friends were a bit apprehensive about the whole thing. One of her friends told her dad she was a little nervous, kind of like Nastia (Liukin) before her balance beam routine in the Olympics.....5K seems to be quite the world stage in their minds.

We were getting ready for bed tonight and Olivia said something that made me wonder about just what the topics were today in 5-K. We were on the subject of lives not lasting forever, through talking about the neighbor's dog. Olivia finished our conversation by saying, "Mom, I hope I die before an asteroid hits the Earth." Then she told me that I couldn't tell anyone else she said that - so, shhhhhh....it's our secret.

Here are some pictures from the first day....

One more funny story from Carina today. Quinn had an accident in the living room. Carina walked over to some books and told Grandma she was going to "get the pee book out and see why Quinn was such a bad dog." She flipped though the book and said, "it says that we need to get a girl dog that doesn't have a butt." So, the next time you are choosing a pet, keep that in mind.