Mary Penguin's trip to Hawaii

My dear friend Mary is such a good sport, hence why Nick named his beloved penguin Mary! I wanted to mail Mary Penguin to Mary before she left for Hawaii but time ran out. Nick was not happy with me. Mary, being the wonderful friend that she is and not wanting Nick to be upset, suggested I email her a picture of Mary Penguin (thank goodness for technology) so I did and wa-la Mary had a printed picture of Mary Penguin that she took with her to Hawaii. When Nick saw the picture he said, "I knew Mary Penguin would have a weally, weally good time."
On a side note, don't Mary and John look so happy? The glow of newlyweds!

Welcome Winter

I think it's official, winter is here and Nick wanted to welcome it! Ha.

E.R. "Adventures"

Throughout my almost 9 years of having boys I've only had to make two trips to the emergency room and both trips have involved my older son! I don't think that's too bad considering I have very active, fearless boys. The first trip was when Jay was two and he thought he could use his nightlight as a step-stool to look out his window at a tractor. He quickly learned it wasn't a good idea as his foot crashed down on broken glass. That E.R. visit required some stitches but it all healed fine and dandy. Jay is no stranger to needles or dr's offices in general. Jay has been by far my more "sickly" child. He had tubes put in at 11 months, a wart surgically removed from his foot & his tonsils and adnoids came out when he was seven. Earlier this week we thought Jay simply jammed his finger but yesterday morning he woke up in a lot of pain but we weren't certain if the finger was infected. I was hoping to get through the weekend and take Jay to the doctor first thing Monday but no such luck. Jay and I were headed to the E.R. at midnight and he was in agony - poor thing. Normally, Mike does the E.R. thing, aka needles but the boys and I were spending the night with my mom last night, just for fun. The good thing was we were a lot closer to the hospital! When we got the E.R. we were greeted with high pitched screams from a patient. Jay's eyes got bigger and bigger from sheer terror. Turns out it was an intoxicated patient who had to be restrained! Needless to say that patient wasn't helping matters with my scared 8 year old. Two hours later after x-rays and needles I learned Jay has a hair-line fracture and an infection. His finger had to be drained with a giant needle and put in a splint. I was really proud of him though. Jay is quite a trooper. He handles pain well and is very brave. I'm happy to report he's better today - pain wise - but tomorrow we have to take him to the orthopedic doctor for a follow up. And all this just in time for his 9th birthday!

The dry ice incident

Recently Mike purchased food from Omaha Steaks. The food came packed in dry ice. I am not familiar with dry ice but apparently it dissolves in water - I guess. If Mike were reading this he would tell me that if I actually paid attention during his "teaching" moments I might actually learn something but truth be told, he gets all "Mythbusters" on me and I tune him out. Anyway, when I got home from work him and the boys were doing anything they could to dissolve the dry ice. At one point Mike put the ice in a water bottle, took it outside and wanted to blow it up. I was like "Really guys!"

Notice all the "smoke" in the sink. The boys loved it. My home was filled with gales of laughter - all my smoke!

My kitchen was starting to look like the scene from "The Wizard of Oz" at the end of the movie when Dorothy visits the wizard. Notice Mike in the background blowing in the sink, trying to make more smoke. Those boys of mine crack me up. They are always up to something from stuffing frogs into birdhouses to playing in the mud to turning my kitchen into a smoke-house. Gotta love 'em.

Jay's great loves - for 3rd grade anyways!

Every January I get a little sentimental about my first born and it's not because it's a new year, it's because January is his birthday month and he'll be 9 years old very soon. What a wonderful 9 year old boy he is! I won't sugar coat (there's that word again, sorry I tend to over use it) it, 3rd grade has probably been the most challenging for him and I. I push forward one step, he pushes back two steps more. I'm trying to give him some space but I desperately miss his separation anxiety (from his momma) days. Ha! Jay has a few great loves of his life right now and they include: Shiloh (the book), Legos and the TV show, Arthur! My mom bought Jay Shiloh this summer and he loved it. Since that time he's read the book himself at school and I think Shiloh has only deepened his desire for his own dog but that's another blog. Just the other day we turned on the TV to find Shiloh, the TV movie. When Judd Traver's came on, Jay said, "Judd Travers looks just like I imagined he would." Jay also loves legos. If you would have told me 4 years ago that Jay would spend hours sitting at his lego table building I would have told you you were CRAZY. But that is exactly what he does. During Christmas break that boy lived in his jammies at his lego table, building, organizing, etc...I could hardly get him to take a bath and out of his jammies. Moving on to Arthur. Let me just say Arthur has made me want to donate to PBS! I LOVE that show. It's about a group of 3rd graders and I love how they tackle 3rd grade subjects from bullying, siblings, parents and Mr. Rathburn, the teacher. The message is always is a good one. In Jay's world there is nothing that makes him happier than watching back to back Arthur while sitting at his lego table building!

2010 Recap - in pictures

We spent last New Year's eve with our dear friends, the Ausili's! We are so blessed to have them as friends!

In January, me, Jenny, Leta and Sarah went to see Brad P! It was a fabulous concert.

Jay finally got a 4 wheeler. He was one happy 8 year old. Unfortunately as I write this, his 4 wheeler ran for 3 weeks and then broke down. It's been broke down for longer than he's had the darn thing. Ugh! We are waiting on a part that is back ordered.

In June, me, my mom, my sister met up with Kathy and Tracy. Kim and I spent our childhood with Tracy and her sister, Lindsay. Lindsay couldn't make it but Kim and I and Tracy picked up right where we left off and laughed like school girls. Other big news in June: Kim announced she was expecting!

More good times with the Ausili's. We went to TN and had a ball!

In August we visited my college roomie, Mary and her boyfriend, John. I told Mary that evening I knew this was the guy she was meant to marry. On Dec. 19, 2010 John and Mary got married (just the 2 of them) in Hawaii!

Jay played tackle football and found his passion. He loved it and we loved watching him. I really enjoyed watching him play from a physical aspect but he also matured, he learned how to play as a team! Looking back, Mike and I agree that during the time Jay played football he was truly at his best. It's just like I've always said about Mike......Mike is at his best when he has a lot of balls in the air to juggle. Strange but so true.

Truly one of my best moments and I'm serious. The year I dressed up as a giraffe for my 4 year old little boy will go down as one of my heartfelt mothering moments. Nick loved it and I had so much fun dressing up with him.

A scene I saw often during 2010, Mike and Jay working on homework at the breakfast bar. Jay would not be where he is school wise, if it weren't for Mike. Mike worked with Jay consistently everyday with patience in his actions and kindness in his words.

The beautiful scene we woke up to on xmas day. Truly, a winter wonderland.

Things to look forward to in 2011:

*Jay' 9th birthday

*My nephew, Luke, will be born in March

*Nick's 5th birthday which means kindergarten in the fall

*My mom RETIRES in May

Happy New Year

Here it is January 1, 2011! I can hardly believe another year has gone by. What a year 2010 has been. First off, I've discovered that I love blogging and I enjoy following other women's/mom's blogs. It's my "me" time at night. Mike and Jay will see me on my laptop and ask me, "Blogging again?" Ha. I made a book of my blogs from 2010 and I love it. I'm not making any resolutions this year. When I looked back at my resolutions from 2010 I realized I have the exact same "resolutions" for this year: spirituality, finances, weight, blah, blah, blah. I'm always trying to watch what I spend and I'm trying to take more of a Do I need this attitude vs. a Do I want this? And trying to lose weight is the never ending story of my life. However, I think I am headed in the right direction because Mike is really into planning well balanced meals (and cooking them)! I do plan on beginning my search for a new church this year and that makes me nervous, scared, sad, you name it. I have really liked my little church but it's time to spread my wings and find a new church family for my own family, especially Jay. Jay will be 9 in a few weeks and I can really tell he does not have that sense of belonging in our current church - nor does he care about belonging in that church. Please pray for me as I begin this search to find the right fit for the boys and I.
I'm sure 2011 will bring new Siebert boy stories, new adventures and new challenges and maybe if I'm lucky, my master bathroom! Ha. Happy New Year everyone.