According to My Cell Phone...

...this is what's been going on around here lately:

Clara waited patiently for me to sew the holes in her relatively new toy.

We went out for Chinese to kick off our Thanksgiving break. I thought these "fortunes" were pretty good.

Leaving for Grandma & Grandpa's house. Notice the sunshine and short sleeves. It has definitely not felt like November.

Grandpa & Danielle playing pickle ball.

Grandma & Danielle working on their 3D chalk art. :)

The queen of selfies got a pretty good Thanksgiving selfie.



Ron helped Tyler hang some Christmas lights.

Admiring their work.

 

 

Danielle played in a basketball tournament the weekend after Thanksgiving. This is Tyler's cell phone picture of Danielle shooting and scoring.

They came in 1st place. They didn't score less than 35 points in any of their games, and no one scored more than 9 points against them.

The clouds looked wavy today. It was very cool. I think there is a warm front that's supposed to move through.

I took Tyler shopping after school today. He needed some long sleeve shirts and something to wear to the dance this Friday. Our favorite part of shopping is the Auntie Ann's. It's his favorite because he loves the pretzel bites and cheese and it's my favorite because he talks to me while he eats.

26 Days of Thanks

Day 23

I'm thankful for our home, which is so much more than just a house.



26 Days of Thanks

Day 22

I'm thankful basketball season has started.

 

It's nice to see the results of 3 practices a week for the past 6 weeks. Tonight was a preseason preview. The girls played 4 20 minute games, and they won handily: 28-5, 35-0, 26-10, & 37-3. I think the competition will get a little tougher, but our girls play well together. Their first real tournament is this next weekend.

26 Days of Thanks

Day 20

I'm thankful for Fridays.

Tonight we snuggled in our flannel pjs and watched a Christmas movie while we ate a late dinner. It is the perfect way to end a long week of work and school. I love Fridays.

26 Days of Thanks

Day 19

I'm thankful my kids are smarter than I am. (But don't tell them that!!)

Tyler was excited to show me something he figured out in a game he is programming in his free time.
I hope I oohed and awed in all the right places because I didn't understand half of what he was saying!

26 Days of Thanks

Day 18

I'm thankful for my job (most days). I'm thankful for the income. I'm thankful that I can still be home with the kids when they're home in the afternoons and on breaks and over the summer. I'm thankful that I have the chance to interact with kids during the day and that I can sometimes give a little encouragement... or even a free meal. I'm thankful for the friend I have in my coworker.

We had our big Thanksgiving meal today. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, rolls, strawberry cups, and pumpkin rolls. It was so much food we had to double up the trays so they wouldn't collapse! Getting everything done at the right time is always the challenge. I don't want the food to sit too long, but it all needs to be ready to serve. It was a little stressful. One little girl came through the line today, gestured to her tray, and asked me if we made all that food. When I told her we had, she said, "Wow, thank you. We appreciate it so much. Thank you." Those kind words made all the extra effort worthwhile. Well, that and the fact that I got to eat it, too. :)

26 Days of Thanks

Day 17

I'm thankful Tyler likes to play the trumpet. I enjoy listening to him.

26 Days of Thanks

I happened to see one of Danielle's notes when I put mine in the glass tonight. It was sweet so I wanted to share it. She said, "I'm thankful for a warm shower and a cozy house for a family of 4." It's nice to know the kids think about those things.

Day 16

I'm thankful we have the resources to buy our kids new clothes when they need them. Tyler has a band concert tomorrow and needed some dressy clothes. For a kid that's growing 4" a year, it's not always possible to pull something out of the closet, so we went shopping after dinner tonight. I grumbled about spending the money, but I'm thankful I had it to spend.

26 Days of Thanks

I'd first like to say that I am not thankful for the Cleveland Browns today. I'd like to know how a team can practice and play every single week but still get worse with every game. Every. Single. Game. How?

Moving on...

Day 15

I'm thankful for my mother & father-in-law...for so many reasons. I will share just a few, because it got a little sappy when I tried to write more. I'm thankful for the way they raised Ron. I'm thankful for the way they've always loved me as a daughter, even before I was a daughter-in-law. I'm thankful for the relationship they have with Tyler & Danielle. I'm thankful for their marriage. I'm thankful for their generosity in so many aspects of life, not just with finances.  I'm thankful for their example. I'm thankful for their wisdom. I'm thankful they aren't going to be out of the country for 120 days again any time soon.

26 Days of Thanks

Day 14

I am thankful for a date with my husband tonight! For the first time, we left the kids home alone while we went to dinner and a movie. The only texts I received while we were gone were in response to the ones I sent, and they ended with "Have fun!". The kids had pizza and snacks while they watched a movie, and they cleaned up after themselves...without being asked! Ron and I had a very nice evening out. I'm glad to know the kids can handle the responsibility without killing each other. :)
I'm thinking this could become a regular thing.

26 Days of Thanks

Today Tyler was thankful that school ends at 2:20 and not 2:21.  Ron was thankful for "big markers" because he couldn't find a pen to write what he was thankful for but instead found a big marker. You see what I have to work with?!

Day 12

I am thankful for the wonderful little town we live in. It's small and rural and some would consider it a farm town, but it's the perfect place for us to raise our family. Our neighborhood is amazing. So many families here are all around the same stage in life. Our neighbors have become close friends. The kids all gather and play games - treating the entire neighborhood as their backyard. Danielle and her friends still play kick the can. When we came back from vacation one year, we found our down-the-street neighbor mowing our lawn.  Our police officers walk the streets on Halloween and hand out candy. They ride bicycles through the neighborhoods in the summer. Our schools are small enough to make students feel like they matter, but large enough to be up to date on technology and course offerings. We have great sports programs supported by the town and businesses. Today our HS volleyball team played in the state semi-finals. They received a fire truck escort out of town and circled by all the schools, where everyone piled out and waved and cheered them on their way. A couple years ago the HS girls' softball team made it to the state playoffs. They received a police escort out of town and everyone lined the town's streets to wave and send them off. It was neat watching with Danielle, who dreamed of being inside that bus some day. Our town is conservative but not backward. We still have holiday parades and homecoming parades and prayer before the first pitch is thrown to kick off the summer baseball season. It's small enough that we can know and be known. It's close to doctors' offices and shopping and entertainment, but far enough away to not feel so fast paced and rushed...especially when you get behind a tractor taking his harvest to be weighed. It's just a nice place to be.

26 Days of Thanks

Day 11

I am thankful for all those brave men and women who have served our country and protected our freedoms.

I always think of the veteran I knew best, my grandpa. He was just a kid with a young bride when he went to war. These pictures remind me of how thankful I am for him, his life and his legacy, too. He was a good man.

 

 

WWII Memorial

 

26 Days of Thanks

Day 10

I got groceries after work today, which reminded me of how thankful I am for Giant Eagle's curbside carryout service! I know that's shallow, but I truly am thankful for it!! It has saved us a lot of money over the past 4-6 weeks. Not so much on impulse buys because I'm pretty good about sticking to a list (unless I'm really hungry) but more because we aren't eating out as often. It is hard to fit the grocery shopping into our busy schedules. On the rare days we aren't super busy, it's low on my to-do list. Now, I make a menu and do my online ordering one evening a week while the kids are taking showers and getting ready for bed. I schedule my pickup time for right after school. I can get into town, get the groceries, get home, get them put away, and have a few minutes to sit down before I have to start on dinner. It really is a wonderful thing.

26 Days of Thanks

Day 9

I am thankful for my brother. I'm proud of the man he has become in spite of (or because of?) the twists and turns his life has taken. I'm amazed by how hard he works at everything in his life. I am so thankful for his involvement with Tyler and Danielle. He's been at every band concert and nearly every sporting event, given them encouraging cards & thoughtful gifts. I have pictures of him trick-or-treating with the kids, dancing with Danielle at a cousin's wedding, catching crawdads with the kids, joining us for meals, and posing with his smiling niece at multiple sporting events. Our lives are richer because he's in them.



After a long day of volleyball

Mom's birthday

Birding day out

Fridge full of fuel

Biking portion of his triathlon sprint.

Running with Danielle for her first 5k.

Recent 1/2 marathon, where he set a new personal record for himself.

 

 

Dinner out together

Some of his race medals.

 

26 Days of Thanks

Day 8

I am thankful for Clara, my golden shadow and biggest admirer. It's no secret that she loves me best. If we all come in the house at the same time, she pushes past everyone else with her wagging hind end to get to me. She follows me around the house or lays outside the door to the room I'm in. In the evening she lays on the floor near me and eventually falls asleep with her toy in her mouth. She doesn't care how bad a day I've had or have many times I've blown it. She doesn't even care if I have food. She just loves me because I'm her human. I love her, too.



Hi, Mom.

Sitting in the sun

The birthday girl with her toys

Hi, Mom.

Waiting for Tyler to wake up.

Helping Danielle practice one of her fielding drills.

Laying in the sunshine.



Hi, Mom.

26 Days of Thanks

Day 7

I am thankful for a nice day together.

We didn't have any obligations at all today, so we spent some quality family time together. Danielle needed some new basketball shoes, socks, and a coat so we went to Dick's Sporting Goods. We were lucky enough to find a nice coat in her size on the clearance rack. It was originally $100 and had been marked down a few times to just under $30. Items on the clearance rack were an additional 50% off, so the coat was <$15! Ron and Tyler entertained themselves by riding the escalators and trying out the scopes on the compound bows. After we were done at the store we went to see a movie. We haven't been to the movies together since early July, so that was nice. After the movie we went to dinner at Mellow Mushroom. It always makes me think of vacation because we first ate at one while on vacation a few years ago. We had a nice time together. Before leaving today, I threatened to make the kids clean my bathroom if they couldn't get along. Anytime one of them started, all I had to say was "shower" or "toilet" and the situation resolved itself. :) It was a nice day.

26 Days of Thanks

I was peeking when Tyler wrote down his thanks tonight. He's thankful for free wifi. Seriously.

Day 6

I am thankful for Danielle. It is true, there is something special about a daughter. We definitely have a different relationship than Tyler and I do. She can look at me from the other side of the basketball court, and I know what she's thinking. (And she usually knows what I'm thinking.) She is smart, talented, creative, kind, caring, compassionate, and beautiful inside & out. She is also moody and rolls her eyes a lot...but she comes by that naturally. She works hard at everything she does, and she is probably the kindest, most thoughtful person I know. I think she will grow up to be someone who makes a difference in people's lives, either through her profession or through her friendships. On the down side of that, I know that she will have her feelings hurt and her heart broken because she is so sensitive and compassionate. Even so, I believe that God will use her to make her corner of the world a better place. I'm thankful to be her mom.

Dad won the snowball fight.

Playing volleyball

Selfie before her band concert

Danielle being Danielle

My park buddy

On our way to a softball tourney

Celebrating her 12th birthday

Fall ball with a new team

Selfie with Dad

She has a weekly hitting lesson to help her improve as a lefty batter

Between games

Racing ahead of Uncle Ron at their 5k

Excellent over the shoulder catch

Awards ceremony today for 1st 9 weeks

Click on the picture to see what these awards are for. In addition to practicing softball, volleyball, and basketball and fitting time in with her friends, she managed to be top in her class in every subject. Kind of amazing.