Paint Job

I have been wanting to paint our bedroom practically since we moved in. It never pleased me, wasn't a haven or sanctuary or any of those things they talk about on HGTV! I finally decided on a blue color in the fall, and yesterday, I got the wild hair to just do it! So, at 1:30 in the afternoon while Dail watched football, I started taping and prepping our room for a makeover. Luke even pitched in - and he was a BIG help! At 10 PM - I had two boys asleep in the middle of a new blue room! (They both wanted to be near Mommy, and fell asleep watching me finish up) I finally like our bedroom!

The whole family

We enjoyed Christmas day with both of our parents - and I made everyone indulge me in a group photo!

Christmas Joy

My parents came to Texas for Christmas, and we have had such a wonderful time! The boys (especially Luke) are at such a fun age where we can play games together now. We played Battleship, Disney Monopoly, and even Farkel. Of course they read books with Grandma, and talked soccer with Poppy. It was a wonderful Christmas - blessings to each of you!

Christmas cookies and fun!

This afternoon I spent enjoying an activity I have done since my childhood - decorating sugar cookies. My friend Cindy and I always made a mess of my Mother's kicthen doing such, and now it is my turn to let my kids make a mess of mine (and they really didn't do too bad!). I covered the kitchen table with a plastic tablecloth, and let them frost, sprinkle, and decorate angels, santas, bells, mittens, snowmen, etc. Of course, half of the fun is licking your fingers every other moment! :)

Also - I was sent this Christmas questionnare - so I decided to answer it on my blog:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Although I know it isn't environmentally as friendly, I love to wrap gifts in pretty paper tied with a beautiful ribbon

2. Real tree or Artificial? I have never had a real tree...

3. When do you put up the tree? Used to be on my birthday when I was a kid. Now it is usually right after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? The day after New Year's (I should really embrace Ephiphany and wait until Jan 6th, but I don't like the look of it without gifts underneath)

5. Do you like egg nog? Not so much

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My toy kitchen set from Santa

7. Hardest person to buy for? My brother in laws

8. Easiest person to buy for? My kids

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? I love to get real mail, so I have to send it! And though I blog and email, I really don't like e-Christmas letters (sorry for anyone who has sent one to me)

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmm - I honestly don't know. I think my high school boyfriend bought me a curling iron once, which I really thought was bad!

11. Favorite Christmas movie? I love all the cartoon classics - Ruldoph, Frosty, and the Grinch

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? As soon as I see something that strikes me as perfect for someone else - often in January!

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Fudge, all the Christmas cookies

15. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear

16. Favorite Christmas song? Mary Did you Know

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? It really depends upon my brother (sorry to call you out David). If he goes to Omaha, then we go. If not, then Christmas is here in Texas

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Of course!

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel

20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve. Our new tradition is to let the kids open their gifts, and then after they go to bed, the adults enjoy wine, cheese, and crackers while we open our gifts - it is wonderful!

21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The rude, pushy, selfish people who seem to forget that Christmas should epitomize kindness, humbleness, and gratitude

22. Favorite ornament theme or color? I don't have a theme or color - just anything that my kids have made or reminds me of them

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Traditional stuff - ham or turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, my mother in law's rolls (they are out of this world!), my aunt's mushrooms, and anything that is *not* pie for dessert. (Not a pie fan)

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? A try to put across my bathtub for books/magazines, a reed diffuser, anything sentimental or homemade is always good too

Now it is YOUR turn - copy and paste this into an email and send me your answers!

Gluhwein Christmas party

Dail had his staff Christmas party at our home on Thursday. He wanted to continue the tradition that our German friends began with us of having an outdoor Christmas party. It was 33 degrees - and I'm quite sure all his staff thought he was crazy, but they had a good time!!!

Italy to me

I think these pictures summarize Italy for me - small cars, lots of bikes (note the family bike with a seat in front and in back for the children), Italians on the bikes or sitting on street corners, and churches looming around every corner. It was an amazing trip - certainly the chance of a lifetime. Thank you to everyone who made it possible for us!!!! Ciao!

Cooking Class in Italy

Our last night in Italy was spent with some of Steph's students at a cooking class. Dail had such a fun time and the cooks were great people to spend time with! I personally liked the chocolate dessert we made - yummm!

Day 6 - Venice

Dail and I took a train to Venice on Sunday. It is a gorgeous, romantic city of bridges, canals, and gondalas. We could have spent several days there, and never even have explored half of what is in that city. San Marco's basilica is a gorgeous church, among many others, in Venice. Venice is also known for their murano glass, and Carnivale (a festival 10 days before Lent which culminates with a costume party, thus the picture of masks). We quickly decided it was not a city for our boys - mostly because Aidan would have either wound up falling into the water or breaking one of the many displays of Venetian glass. :)

Day 5 Assisi

Now that I am home, I am going to attempt to collage a bunch of pics so you can see snippets of the rest of our wonderful trip! Assisi was probably my personal favorite - as St. Francis is a saint whom I respect and admire greatly. To be in the place where he gave up all of his worldly possessions and gave his life to God was awesome in the true sense of the word! It is a city set up on a hillside, that is less commercialized for visitors than other parts of Italy (however they did still sell tacky nun salt and pepper shakers at most gift shops!!!) Pictured are St Francis's basilica, and also the church of Saint Clare, another favorite of mine.

Day 3-4 Florence

I don't have any photos from Thursday, as Steph was at work and not with us. However, we spent the morning in the food market, which is an amazing place for your senses. The sights, smells, and visual overload you receive there is like no other. The Italians of course shop frequently for their food, as opposed to our American ways of weekly trips to WalMart/grocery store. Their food is fresh, and without preservatives. The vegetables, fruits, meats, and cheeses were like none other in this market. Dail and I bought food for he and Steph to cook later, which I am very excited about!

If I could summarize Florence simply, it would be this: A beautiful old city filled with Italians riding their bikes down narrow cobblestone streets where at the end, you can always see a church/cathedral/basilica in the not so distant sight. It is simply beautiful. The doorways are tall and have doorknobs in the middle of a massive 10 ft or larger door, the rooftops are red, the window sills either have flowers or someone's laundry hanging out to dry. The churches date back 800 years ago, to a time we can only imagine.

Anyway - after our market trip, we walked past the Arno (the main river artery that many famous Florence bridges cross) and then on to the Duomo (Florence's Cathedral that dates back to the 1300's). We chose to climb the 400+ steps to the top of the Duomo to see the city from up high. It was not a walk for the weary - my heart was palpatating out of my chest when we reached the top. But, the beauty from above was worth every step. The red rooftops, the churches, the gardens - all even more beautiful from above. We met Steph and one of her students for dinner afterwards- enjoying a traditional Napoli meal. Naples is known for their pizza, which has a thicker dough and more savory topping. We began the dinner with wine (as is every good Italian dinner) and pasta frittata (fried pasta that was to die for!). We were not bothered by annoying waitstaff wanting to give up our table to the next person, as is what happens in the states. Instead, we sat together and talked and ate for nearly 3 hours. Italians like to end their meals with a liquor called Limoncello, a digestivo (digestive) drink that aids in your body's processing food. It was like a strong liquid lemon drop. A long, brisk walk home topped off our evening!

Day 2 - Florence

We are having an amazing time here! It is really day 4, but between us going going going and my bugging Steph to upload her pics to the computer so I can blog them, this isn't getting updated daily (Sorry Steph for being a pain!). I may post some of my own photos when we get back home. If not, there will surely be an online album. On Weednesday, we went to Santa Croce (the Franciscan pillar of Florence) where so many famous people have tombs...Dante, Michaelangelo, Galileo just to name a few. There are tombs EVERYWHERE! And so ornate and gorgeous! They have an amazing leather shop in the back of the church (where Steph and I are pictured) where you can buy nice Italian leather for cheap and even have your initials put on it. That night we explored the area around the Duomo and also San Lorenzo (huge outdoor market). We also stumbled across a fantastic place for dinner where Steph and Dail both had gnocci that was unlike any they have ever had before. I had ravioli which was fantastic too.

Day 1 - Florence

So we've been up for nearly 36 hours and I really need to get to bed, but I promised to try to add a pic/blog a day so all of you reading can know what we're up to here in Italy!

Today after we found Steph's apartment, we made the rounds of Florence. Pictured above is a photo of Dail and I by the Ponte Vecchio bridge...a gorgeous spot in this beautiful city! There is also just a view from the bridge without us, and a photo of a street with bikes lining it (who do you think appreciates that?!). The building with the crests is Piazza della Signoria. I could tell you more about what is inside that building, but my interpreter/friend Stephanie has left the room. :) We ate fantastic pizza, had coffee twice, and also gelato for dessert! More tomorrow! Ciao!

August Rush

Ronnie and I went to see this movie last night - and it was absolutely AMAZING! It is called August Rush, and it is about a child raised in foster care who has a gift of musical talent. It stars Robin Williams...and has simply the most touching story line. We both walked out of the theatre expressing it was the best thing we've seen in a long time! I recommend you go check it out!

Sweethearts

Our little Aidan has a girlfriend. He is quite serious about her - her name is Olivia. They have declared their devotion for each other - and even say they are getting married! Ms. Vicki (their preschool teacher) is going to be the flower girl. They have it all worked out. The two of them hug endlessly, and then chase each other across the playground. Oh my! What are we going to do with him??? Last week while we were driving home from his preschool, he was rubbing his sucker on his lips. I asked him what he was doing and he said "Getting ready for my marriage to Olivia. We have to kiss at the marriage you know!" HELP! WE ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE WHEN HE IS A TEENAGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Halloween

I am so grateful that Ronnie and Danielle agreed to take my kids trick or treating tonight! Wouldn't you know that Dail left today for Canada, and I get sick!!! Hopefully I'll fight it off and it won't linger, but I was dreading walking around outside. And - quite honestly - I'm sure my boys had more fun with them than they would have with "Ms Rules Mom". :) Don't they make a cute pirate and dragon???

How much wood can a Neely chuck chuck?

 

Dail's parents' home is heat soley by a wood burning stove. And, as his Dad is getting older, he has a hard time cutting enough wood to heat their home all winter. So, we all came together today to have a wood cutting festival! :) Sissy, Dale and Crickett, and my family (plus Ronnie who is an honorary Neely of course!) all spent the day cutting, loading, and unloading wood for them. It was actually kind of fun all coming together like that. Luke and Aidan even helped - Luke did a remarkable job! He doesn't get tired. We had to tell him to stop so he could be rested for his soccer game today. We finished 3 truck loads - and may have round two in November just to give them an ample supply.

LAST weekend's visit from Grandma and Poppy

 

My parents were here last weekend during MSU's homecoming and the Sheppard AFB air show. We had the best time - though it was quite busy! Colonel Father Munsell, Wing Chaplain at the Base, escorted us around the air show and gave us a personal tour. It was amazing! Luke especially hung on his every word and I'm sure has memorized all the facts he gained that day! MSU won their football game too - yay!
(FYI - for some reason no matter how many times I do this collage, it duplicates the pic of my parents and kids, and cuts my Dad's head off! ARGH!)

And lest I think I'm doing well as a parent...

I have to share with you two very different dialogues I have had with my two polar opposite sons in the last 24 hours....

1) Luke was asking me what day it was yesterday morning, and when I told him Oct 12th, he said "Aidan, that means it is just 2 months and about 2 weeks from Christmas!!!" So I asked him why Christmas was so important....to which he responded "we get to ask Santa for all kinds of presents." OK - true 7 year old answer. So, I probed further....But Luke, WHY is Christmas really important? And he looked at me like I was dumb and said "because Jesus was born on Christmas." Yay - so he does get it! Then I said...why do you think Santa comes on Jesus' birthday? To which he responded "Because Mom Jesus is in our hearts, so when Santa brings us presents, its really him bringing them to Jesus." Oh my goodness isn't that sweet?

Before I get too caught up in how wonderful it is that my son really gets some of the deeper things in life, here comes Aidan to crash my world - - - -

2) As I'm putting the boys to bed tonight, I notice a picture of myself and my Mom on the boy's dresser. I ask Aidan why it is there, and he says "Because I love you Mommy so much that I want to always look at you." Aw sweet - but unfortunately, there's more to it than that. I also notice that there is an out of place towel on their dresser. When I remove it, I realize it was covering the fish's tank. Upon further inspection, I see that the fish tank is FILLED with food, floating and sinking everywhere! It dawns on me quickly that Aidan must have gotten a hold of the food, fed Leonardo without any hesitation, and then remembered that that can kill a fish, so he not only covered the tank with a towel but shoved a picture frame up there so I wouldn't notice!!! Thank goodness Leonardo seemed to be still OK - and I rushed him into the kitchen to clean his tank. But that does nothing to unclench my heart that cannot stop worrying about how this second child of mine will hide anything, lie about anything, do anything wrong without too much of a second thought. Sigh. I always say God has a sense of humor - he gave me two children of the same gender, but their similarities stop there. AHHH!

Shalom brothers and sisters

Last night at the CCC we had the most wonderfully interesting guest speaker...his name is Ira Flax, and he is a Jewish Rabbi. I met him while on Sheppard Air Force Base at a chaplain's luncheon. He is a chaplain there - the first one of Jewish faith since 1969!!! (that shows how many Jewish folks we have in Wichita Falls, TX!) I tell people that I had lunch with a Priest and a Rabbi - which sounds like the beginning of a joke. However, it is the honest truth, and both men were positively delightful! They both have an extremely good sense of humor (my sides hurt after that lunch) and both were very willing to talk about anything. I have since had the priest (who is a fellow Nebraskan) celebrate Mass with us at the CCC, and now the Rabbi had shared his faith and tradition with my students. I know little to nothing about the Jewish faith. For whatever reason, I've never known anyone personally who was Jewish. I found it interesting that like Catholicism, their beliefs are grounded in both scripture (Torah) and church teachings/tradition. Yet they do not have a hierarchy. What a Rabbi says goes at his synagogue. Rabbi Flax answered any and every question my students asked, from their reasons for not believing that Jesus was any different from Abraham or Moses to why and how they eat kosher. He shared his own advice to all of us who plan to raise children as Christians - it centered around Santa Claus and Jesus - and was VERY thought provoking. Ask me if you want the whole story! I could have listened to him for hours - it was so fascinating. And I don't know if my students know how lucky they were to have the opportunity to have him join us - after all with so few Jewish persons in the Falls and Rabbis coming once in a blue moon - it is quite amazing that the event even took place! (incidentally - Rabbi Flax said that one might wonder what HE did to be the next Rabbi stuck in Wichita Falls - especially as this is his last stop before retirement - he joked that it must be his own little purgatory!) Thank you my new friend for making the CCC a stop on your journey of life!

Here's the whole pirate bunch!

Me hearty - my Aidan be 4!

I truly can't believe that my youngest is now 4 years old. Time cannot be halted when it comes to the growth of a little one. It is amazing and sometimes bittersweet.

Aidan is such a special part to our family.

He is:

* laughter we can't help but burst into daily from his funny antics and sayings

* the biggest smile we have in our family

* sleepless nights as he still won't stay in his own bed

* fun filled days, even if one of us is feeling down. You can't stay that way around him.

* his brother's best friend (declared by Luke himself!)

* our cats biggest adversary

* his grandma's favorite date for cookies and milk

* a sometimes short temper, usually followed by a long heart-felt hug

We had a pirate party for his 4th birthday, with only his "college" friends invited. So - no 4 year old, or anyone younger than 21 I guess. There were 3 college students and 2 college grads, plus Mom, Dad, and Luke of course. That forced Dail and I to develop a much more challenging treasure hunt - which I think became wildy successful. We divided them into teams, and they were running all over our yard and house to find the clues. Finally, Aidan, Ronnie, and Luke found the "loot". He also had a pirate cake, which as the first picture shows, he decided to devour prior to my even getting up in the morning. I walked into the kitchen only to find my unfrosted cake with 1/4 of it eaten!!!!! I quickly brainstormed and decided to fill the "hole" with pirates gold. So, that's my secret I've just told everyone! The day was quite a success, all in all, and his college friends had the best time. What a story this will make as he gets older! When he's 18, I wonder how old his party guests will be???

The *almost* whole group...20 years later

Here is the group shot at the park today!

Archer City 20th reunion

 

Dail's 20th high school reunion was this weekend - he had a small class of only 36 people, and nearly all of them came back for the festivities. Football game....social at the Royal Theatre...picnic in the park today. It was lots of fun! I myself, being shy with a sociology degree, enjoyed people watching - as well as meeting the people Dail grew up with, some of whom were with him from kindergarten through 12th grade!

13 years or 13 colonies?

Today is Dail's and my 13th anniversary! It's amazing to think of everything we've been through and done together in that amount of time...starting with being graduate students at Emporia State...to working together at Penn State...to moving to Texas and making MSU our university home...to adding two beautiful boys to our family...to this day. The happiness, the sadness, the laughter, the tears, the SLEEPLESS nights (oh yes and they still continue)....its been an awesome time. Thank you honey!

While I was at work at the CCC today, a woman brought a bouquet of 13 roses to me. Now isn't that the sweetest thing? But when I opened the card, it read "Happy Constitution Day". My Dail certainly does have his own strange sense of humor. Then when I texted him to thank him, he told me there were 13 flowers...one for each colony, not one for each year! Ha ha he's a goof, but that's why I love him!

Family Day

Today was Family Day at MSU - which is always a fun event for the whole family (he he thus the name!) Usually the face painting, bounce house, etc are all at MSU followed by a football game at the stadium later. This year, the entire event was held at the stadium - which was so convenient! We can just walk there! They had a band, mechanical bull riding, face painting, inflatable huge slide, and more. They boys had a blast - and then we went straight to the football game, which MSU won! Good day all around!

Aidan's dentist

If you have been a long time blog reader of mine, then you might remember about a year ago when I was so upset about Aidan having horrible teeth and eyes. In the same day, we learned he needed glasses AND the pediatric dentist we saw said he needed a root canal and 8 crowns!! Well, I'm glad to say that one year later, we have been working with a much more grounded, conservative dentist in Lawton, OK. Aidan has had 2 visits to him, and now today he had his first dental procedure. He was supposed to have 2 fillings and a cap, but it ended up being just 3 fillings. He was given oral sedation - and also as you know if you read my blogs, Aidan isn't very fond of sleeping. So while all the other children around us are conking out from their meds, Aidan is still very much wide awake when they come to get him. Shortly thereafter, we heard loud screams and Dail and I were sure it was Aidan. We sat in the waiting room with knots in our stomachs for quite a while. The screaming subsided, and about a hour later, the assistant emerged to bring us back to get our little guy. She carried our groggy boy out to us. She told us he did great- that he was only awake during the preparation, but he fell asleep for the actual procedure. I told her we heard screaming, and she assured us it wasn't him. Now we are at home, he's supposed to be sedentary the whole day, which is only possible if we let him watch TV 24/7. And, he's starving - poor guy - but is only supposed to have yogurt, milk, pudding, etc. He wants good solid food. Meanwhile, the tingly feeling has begun in his lips...he told me (in his slurred words) - "Mommy, they made something wrong with my mouth. It can't talk." :) He is drooling and rubbing his face on anything he can to get rid of that itchy feeling. But, as is always the case, he's no worse for wear. What a trooper!

Limo ride

Lately my life has been comprised of doing two jobs - both of which are fulfilling, but also take a great deal of time away from my family and friends lately. I barely talk to my parents once a week on the phone, my friends don't hear from me unless they are in the same office as me (and poor Ronnie and Danielle really only get to talk to me about work), and Luke and Aidan each declared last week that they wanted Mommy to quit her 2nd job! Sigh - enter GUILT into the room!

But - there was a small perk to all of this last Saturday night. The potential sorority women were having their "pref night" when they dress up in after 5 gowns and are taken, usually by limo, to houses where the sororities have one last chance to really win them over. All the ladies had left the Clark Student Center, and I was standing outside with Danielle talking to one of the limo drivers as they waited for their next round. I asked him if I ran home and brought my kids back up, would he give them a ride around campus. He said he'd do one better - he'd take me to my house in the limo, let us pick up the kids, and drive them back to MSU in the stretch Excursion limousine! So, Danielle and I loaded up into the limo and led him to our home. I tried calling Dail on the way there, and he never answered, so I was sure they might not even be home! Thankfully, when we pulled up, he was sweeping out the garage and the boys were in the house playing. I ran in, told them I had a big surprise for them, and to get their shoes on and hurry outside. They ran out and saw the limo and their jaws dropped. I grabbed Aidan's carseat, and in we went. I also asked the limo driver if mine was the first carseat in his limo - and he confirmed that he thought it was! :) So, they got to ride back to MSU - all the while commenting on the lights on the ceiling that kept changing color, how many seats it had (it held 20+ people!) and what kind of people usually rode in limos. My only regret is that I didn't get a picture of this grand event! But, I hope it will still be a memory that will last with my boys for a while. I know it made my heart smile. :)

Luke's first day of 1st grade at a NEW school!

Hotter N Hell 2007

 

Today we all rode the 25 mile route of the Hotter N Hell...and it was so much fun! The boys had a blast - the first rest stop was all pirate themed, with stickers, flags, and even pirate cake! The second rest stop was on base, right in the middle of the airplanes. They LOVED it too! Not to mention the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies they got to consume there! :) We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and we are so proud of our Luke going the 25 miles! Its the longest he's gone on the third wheel with Dail. I lugged Aidan and his 40 lbs in the carrier on the back of my bike...thats the last time I'll do it! We need a second clamp on so he can help pedal for me next time! LOL

A Shed A Shed A Marvelous Shed!

We finally have our shed up!!!! It still needs the rest of the shingles, but other than that, it is finished. It is much bigger than the shed at our last home, thank goodness, because we lost a TON of attic space somehow in our new house. You can't even stand up in our new attic. So - the loft in the shed is dedicated to my 9+ Christmas boxes! We'll soon find out which gets hotter - a shed or an attic. Nothing ever melted in my attic.

Also, the boys LOVE their playground thing. This is their "Tarzan" move. It was the best investment I've ever made for them!!