Christmas 2008

TADAH!!!! - We have nursery furniture!!!

We decided that with both of us having a week off, we would create a list of things to accomplish. Yesterday I accomplished cleaning (top to bottom) the master bedroom and rearranging it. While I did that, Chad fixed the washer (Thank the Lord!) and sealed the basement wall. He also mopped and cleaned the laundry room.

This morning we took time to relax and enjoy the quiet. Then this afternoon we created a nursery. We put together the changing table and the crib! It looks great and I can't wait to finish putting in the last new door and the trim.

Christmas was spent without the boys (they are with their mom) but Chad and I got to spend 5 days with my family. We spent Christmas Eve with Mom and Dad, after spending the morning cleaning up the mess from a broken wash machine. We opened gifts with everyone (Mom, Dad, Annie, and Tristan) on Christmas Morning. Then we went to the movie "Yes Man." We relaxed the rest of the evening.

Friday - We shopped and ran errands in Mason City with my Mom.
On Saturday - We had the Meyer Family Christmas. Most of the family was able to make it. Below is a picture of the cousins who were there and willing to be in the picture.

Pictured - (L-R) Brian, Rebecca, Annie (behind her Tristan), Brittany, Erika, and Andrea. Behind me is Melissa. We were missing Levi, Amanda, Carl, Jacob, Jennifer (and husband Scott), Lisa, Crystal, & Nick.

It was good to see family and enjoy an afternoon together. The next time we all see each other might not be for awhile. However, this spring will provide many opportunities to gather.

Baby Thomson Arrives around April 12

Brian and Annie turn 21 (April 25 and 27)

Brittany, Lisa, Erika, and Jacob graduate High School (Early May)

Christine (cousin on mom's side) gets married (Late May)

Baby Thomson has proven to be a kicker. Lately it seems that he is practicing soccer or Tae-bo. Either way, he sure is active. I enjoy being able to know his presence. I think my family also enjoys finally being able to see/feel him.

Well - We are gonna grab something to eat so I will try to post more later. If it's not before New Year's..... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Snow Day

We have been so busy with the Holiday Season quickly approaching that it has been a while since our last post. Shawn had his 3rd grade program at school. His class performed a variety of songs from Seussical the Musical. I still love his enthusiasm and musicality. He certainly has a gift of entertaining. ( I posted a video at the bottom of this post.)



We have been going to Bethlehem every Wednesday during Advent. Well, not really, but our church has activities and experiences set up for the kids to enjoy during the season to help them remember the real reason for Christmas. They got to experience the Parfumerie (they made their own bubble bath mixture), the Toy Shoppe (they each got to make tops), The Dye Shop (they dyed cloth to make handkerchiefs), The Synagogue (they experienced a brief ceremony/service), the Farmers Market (they tried... yes my kids tried CousCous and actually liked it), and the Candleshop (they made candles). Every week, the boys looked forward to Wednesday and could hardly wait for Bethlehem Village. As a parent, it is always exciting to know that the kids are excited about Church.



I received a little grief from my mom about not posting belly pics for awhile. Even though I don't like the ones with skin showing, I thought I would post one anyway.



Here's what 24 Weeks Pregnant looks like at the Thomson house....

And...

as promised, I got a decent photo of the 3D photo from our last ultrasound. Here is Baby Thomson. You can distinctly see his face and little hand. We aren't sure if his hand is up with the attempt to

a) suck his thumb

b) show that he is a thinker already (beware mom and dad... I am planning trouble!!!)

c) letting the kids at my school know that he's coming out with his fists up ready to fight (for those of you who don't know, I teach students that sometimes exhibit behaviors and.... well - the baby might be getting ready to fight back)

The nursery is about finished as far as remodeling is concerned. We have painted the ceiling and the walls. Chad and Dave replaced the window a couple of weeks ago, and Chad replaced the closet door and all the baseboards and trim. We have the main door to the room to replace before it will be all done, but it is getting closer. Once it is all done, we will be able to assemble the changing table and crib. Then it will really look like a nursery.

Annie and Tristan came to visit this week on their way to California. We enjoyed their visit and are happy that Tristan will be back in March for the 2nd round of testing for the Omaha Fire Dept. We will be keeping him in our prayers as our family would love to have him and my sister move closer to us. I know the boys are especially excited that Aunt Annie might be able to move a little closer ( and as they say... "Now if only we could see Grandma and Grandpa too).

Well - I should get going... I have one more paper to turn in for my 2nd Master's class. Hallelujah!!! I get a two week break and then get right back to it.

Sadly, tomorrow we drive the boys to visit their mom in Wyoming. Even though we know that they will have a blast, we will miss them lots. It's always nice when we can spend the holidays with them rather than away from them, but we get to enjoy Christmas with them when they return in 2009.

If I remember to, I will post again later this week, if not I will post again when we return from visiting family in Iowa.

Happy Holidays -

The Thomsons - Chad, Katie, Chris, Shawn, Baby and Murphy.

Baby Thomson is a.....

Baby Boy...

For sure, no doubt about it, baby boy. We are happy to see and know that all is well with him. He is measuring between 22 weeks 5 days and 25 weeks 1 day. That scares me a little because it means that I will have to be prepared even earlier for him to arrive.

We got some good 3D images. When I have a chance to scan them in, I will post them for all of you to see his cutie patootie little face.

I told Chad that this just means we will have to try again for a little girl in a few years.

We had a funny correlation at Thanksgiving though...

Up until my cousin Jacob was born, my mom's side of the family had all girls. Now... all the girls are having little boys. It's interesting to see how different each generation can be.

I am ready to buy something gender specific now. I saw the pictures, I saw the parts and yes...

The Thomsons are having another boy!

Christmas By The Lake

I have to confess that pictures would have made this post much more exciting, however I had a dead camera with no charger. So I don't have any pictures at all!

On Friday after work, Chad and I along with the boys (and dog) headed to Clear Lake for the weekend. Every year they have a big Christmas by the lake celebration. We got to town just as it was starting to snow and get slick.

Saturday morning - We got up and had breakfast with Santa, saw some cool decorated Christmas trees and visited Santa's workshop. The boys had lots of fun.

Then we headed home to drop off the "boys" - all of them! My mom, my aunt Jackie and I went on the Tour of Homes. How interesting to see the interior of some beautiful Clear Lake homes. It did spark a bit of jealousy though.

We went downtown to check out the festivities around 3:00. At that time, the temp was about 15 degrees. I don't even want to know what the windchill was! Here are a few things we did -
* Drank Hot Chocolate
* Sleigh ride with horses
* Trolley Ride around part of the lake
* Ate Chestnuts from an open fire
* Drank Hot Chocolate
* Watched the lighted Christmas Parade
* Saw some cool Fireworks
* Drank more Hot Chocolate

Sunday we went to Church. I was so glad to see some friends I haven't seen in awhile. It is good to know that everyone is well.

We are just getting ready to head home. It is snowing a bit, however, it appears from the weather report that it will only last for about an hour. We can only hope!!!

NEXT ULTRASOUND

For those of you who check our site....

We have another ultrasound scheduled for Monday Dec. 8. Hopefully the results will be more definitive. We will let you know when we know (and hopefully baby will be more cooperative!!!)

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! We unfortunately did not have the boys with us, but we were able to see my family. My mom and sister were able to feel the baby move which I think was fun for them. We enjoyed good food - Thanks Kathy and Mom. We enjoyed good football - Thank Tennessee Titans!

Overall, the break from school was enjoyable. I was actually ready to get back into the routine. We (and by we - I mean Chad) has been working non-stop on the baby's room. The walls have been painted, the new door is stained and ready to be hung, all the trim is stained and ready to be put up, and the new window is installed and ready to be trimmed as well.

We will keep you posted!!!

Now we aren't too sure

Well - We thought we would post this picture.... We aren't 100% sure the tech knew what she was talking about. In her words, the baby is sitting on a glass table.... so you are looking up at it. We cannot decide if the thing she is pointing to is a boy part, the bottom of a foot or just something on the screen. Our reason for questioning is that there are two similarly shaped blobs of similar size and shape. (Look west of the blob being pointed to).


The black space where the arrow is could be the opening between the legs, since we can see a leg (where it appears the boy part is growing out of the knee/shin). We also see the typical 3 white dots just north of the arrow (kind of at the top of the arch between the legs?) which might indicate a girl.

Basically, We were told it was a boy, just after she told us that the baby was not really in good position to tell. If any of you have any expertise in deciphering these photos, please do share. We are going to try to schedule an additional ultrasound in a few weeks.

Right now we are more confused than ever. We are thinking boy, but definitely could be a girl too.

Please Please Please.... HELP US OUT IF YOU CAN!!!!

It's a.....

Boy! The technician is pretty sure that she could determine boy parts, though the baby really was not in a mood to cooperate. Guess that means more football and wrestling around here!

Still due around April12th. Weighs about a pound right now. Everything looks like it is growing in the right place so .....

It's a boy (most likely)!

BorG Day

Tomorrow is the day!!! Assuming that the baby cooperates, we will find out the gender between 12:30 and 2:00 tomorrow afternoon. Does anyone wanna place any final bets??? Here's a picture from tonight at 7:30.

If you check tonight or before I post the results... feel free to place your bets. Keep in mind... As of today I am 21 weeks along. Ahhh!!! I can't believe it.

Murphy's very fickle about me these days. Tonight, he seems to be my shadow. As you can see, in the 30 seconds it took to take the photo, he had to sit right at my feet. Mostly, he prefers to be with Chad or Chris these days. (He's become quite the rabbit hunter though!)

In other news (because life is still occurring outside baby world...) We got the boys' school pictures back. What cute kids I have... though I can't claim genetic responsibility, I am sure that outward cuteness comes from environment. Chris got a guitar for his birthday. He has been very interested in learning how to play so we may have a new musician on our hands. This makes me very excited. Shawn is prepping for his school concert coming up in December. Lots of singing coming from him.

Chad has been a super dad these days. Last weekend, he put two coats of primer on the baby's walls and repainted the ceilings. Then yesterday we hung the new closet door and today, he painted the room. A nice neutral shade of cream/light yellow. Friday we will install the new window, and then it will be time to set up furniture and prep for baby's arrival.

I am still taking Master's classes, working (though the next 5 days will be fabulous!), and ... growing a belly. We decided not to enroll the boys in a winter sport as Chad and I needed a break. We start swim lessons in January.

Check back soon for updates..... Maybe even tomorrow!!! Can't wait to see who will be joining our family. Bring on the __________(pink or blue)!!! Fill in the blank with whatever you think it will be.

Almost 20 weeks....

Annie requested a recent photo of the baby belly so I had Chad take one tonight. Doesn't seem like we are already close to the halfway point. I will be at 20 weeks on Wednesday. Here are a few pictures. Not really looking too pregnant yet, but enough so that people kind of look at me funny trying to tell if I am just fat or actually pregnant. I enjoy watching the looks from people as we walk through stores.

I also made Chad take a front picture. Mostly I had to know what other people see as I approach them, prior to the side belly view. It will be interesting to see how these pictures change in the coming months.

Well - Annie ... hope you enjoyed the pics. I know that since I don't get to see my family very often, it is hard to picture what the changes look like. I am excited to see everyone in about a week and a half.

*** I also have pictures of Great Wolf Lodge and Chris' 11th birthday to post, but I will have to get to it tomorrow or Tuesday.

Heartbeat

Our pre-natal appointments have been going well. The quad-screening came back indicating things were normal. That is good! The doc says everything is measuring well. We continue to pick his brain about the rate of the heartbeat... is it fast or slow? He always says, "Right in the middle, about average." We have two theories on this information....

Theory 1 - Chad
He is trying to be partial and not give anything away until the ultrasound. It could be fast or slow but he is just not telling us to keep us guessing.

Theory 2 - My Mom
Really I am having twins and the boy's heartbeat is cancelling out the girl's heartbeat making it appear to be an average heartbeat rate.

We will find out for sure what the heartbeat actually says about the baby on November 26 at 2:00. If you think or hope it's a boy... wear blue on that day. If think or hope it will be a girl... wear pink on that day. We'll see what God has in store for us!

Things are well here though. We have a football banquet on Thursday which is also Chris' 11th birthday. This weekend is his birthday party. A housefull of even more boys... heaven help us!

Halloween/Hairspray

First of all - all the sudden, my pictures are posting the opposite order I add them in... kind of weird. Well I guess we will start with Halloween then...

Chad and I thought our costume this year would be t-shirts. A little boring, but it worked especially because it ended up being about 70 degrees during the day. Though the evening cooled off, it was still beautiful.

Chris was dressed as an Army Spaceman and Shawn was Iron Man. Amazingly enough, Chris helped create his own costume (mostly because we wouldn't buy him the $100 costume) and Shawn contributed to his costume because he had to have the one with puffy muscles.

This was the reason we had to find the perfect pumkin.... Chad and Chris worked so hard to create "The Puking Pumkin." I am very glad they put the liner under it for easier cleanup. Boys!!! What are you gonna do?

This week on Tuesday, Chris had his school concert. They have a new music teacher this year and he had them act out scenes from Charlie Brown and Hairspray. Chris' class did Hairspray. We have crossed the line of whether or not Chris actually takes notice of girls. Melanie (below) is Chris' best friend. She is usually very tomboyish (jeans, t-shirt, hair down). Well, the music teacher said no pants for the girls so.... she had to dress up. Now the story has 2 versions....

Chris' version "Melanie, You look odd."

Melanie's version "Melanie, You look hot."

Talk about a mom/dad heart attack.... Our little boy is definitely growing up!

I only had to include this picture to prove that Chris actually did dance at his concert.

I have a short video clip that I will try to post later in the day. Boy does the singing and dancing bring back some memories.

Pumpkin Patch

Our family met up with Rachael, Andrew, Emma and Macy Carlson for an afternoon at the Pumpkin Patch. We weren't too sure how it would go with our boys being much older but I figured Chris would click into caring mode and want to help Emma. Boy was I right! I failed to realize however that Shawn would also want to be with Emma. This caused the typical Thomson argument over who got to be with Emma the most! (Heaven help the baby!!!)

Chad says the pregnancy has made me more sentimental about the beautiful fall colors.

Rae and I are both expecting! She is due in February and I am due in April. However, as Rachael said... the 3rd baby shows much faster than the 1st! Anyway, we had to get a picture with the bellies so we can show our babies when they meet each other next fall. Maybe another trip to the pumpkin patch will be needed to take more pics of the babes.

This was the first time we actually got on the hayrack and rode out to the pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin. We usually just pick on that is around the activities instead. However, aside from the cockleburrs it was much more fun to go out and pick our pumpkins straight from the vine. (Chris is grimacing because a cockleburr made it into his sock.)

Probably one of my favorite moments of the day was shortly after we arrived. Emma wanted to go down the slide so Chris hopped up into the tractor. He told Rae to hand Emma up to him and he would help her. That way Rachael could catch Emma at the bottom. It was absolutely adorable, and it made me excited for them to be big brothers. Chris will be amazing with a little one around. We will just have to work on taming Shawn's energy level a bit, especially around a baby.

I am so thankful we had the afternoon to spend with our friends. It is not often that we are all able to get together. Hopefully next fall will be easier, when/if Rachael and Andrew move back to the Omaha area. Chad and I agreed it was one of the most enjoyable days out of the last few weeks.

(***Thanks for sharing time (and your kiddos) with us Rae. Can't wait to see you all again!)

Home Safety

We had a neighbor whose home was broken/entry was forced during the night last night. The owner is an older gentleman whose wife passed away within the last year. He was pretty severely injured. The intruders first assaulted him and then took all of his expensive possessions. (We have reason to believe it was someone he knew... lots of money, expensive items, frequent female friends, recently fired housekeeper.... it could add up to a lot of potential intruders.) This gives us reason to believe that it was an isolated incident.

With that being said, it is always good to remember home safety.... so please please please take a minute to review your home safety...

Do you lock the doors?
Do you have lights near entries and exits?
Is your yard a haven (with darkness) for people to hide?

Just something to think about! I know we have revamped our family plan tonight. Better safe than sorry!!!

Baby Bump

As promised... a prego photo. I can tell you that I am not quite sure what to think of this growing belly, but it is very weird. Chad had been telling me that one day I would just wake up and have a tummy. When I woke up on Wednesday morning... there it was. I haven't gained more than about 1 or 2 pounds so it is funny how the bump just appears out of nowhere!

Needless to say, it is becoming more obvious that I am pregnant. Though I wouldn't mind it being a bit more obvious. Right now I just feel like I have been gaining weight in my belly and lower back. It will be nice to look "prego" rather than just slightly overweight.

We are at 16 weeks tomorrow.... no gender known yet.... probably around Thanksgiving. Boys heard the heartbeat two weeks ago. We go to the doc for the bloodtest that tells your chances for down's syndrome and other disabilities in a week. We will keep you all posted....

busy busy busy

Wow - It has been a long time since I last wrote...

A lot has been going on, so I guess it's only fair that I haven't posted any pics or news. We told the boys about the baby in the last post. The following weekend, my mom and dad came to visit, along with Aunt Annie. They came to watch the boys play football, but we found a little time for fun too.

Saturday night we went to the Pumpkin Patch (which Annie found out is much more than just a pumpkin patch). They have these huge trampolines coming out of the ground. Annie and I jumped with the kids. FYI - babies do not enjoy this activity so much!
We also rode the go carts. These are tricky because one person steers and the other one pedals. Annie and Chris ended up beating out Grandma and Grandpa.
A sister pic....
We rounded out that weekend with a football game. Sadly, the boys lost, but this last weekend Chad's mom came to visit. She got to see the boys play football and see them win. The boys also found/made their halloween costumes. It was nice to have Chad's mom in town since we don't have the opportunity to see her very often.
This week is conferences and next week is finals for my first master's course. Time sure is flying by. We also hope to get together with friends Andrew, Rachael and their girls Emma and Macy in a week or so. This weekend is the youth group function and also the boys last regular season game. We then move on to the tournament. Funny how busy life gets to be....

Hopefully we can post more news later. I might even post a belly pic... we will have to see. As of 15 weeks, there isn't much of a belly to take pictures of. We also won't know the gender of the baby until around Thanksgiving. We sure have a lot to be thankful for this year!

Announcing to the boys....

We took the boys out to eat tonight and told them about the arrival of a sibling in April. I tried to take video of the event, but it is a little bit noisy in the background. The conversation was funny and the reactions were priceless. Hopefully you will be able to enjoy it at least a little.

They had some trouble figuring out what the shirt meant. Shawn's says I am a Big Brother and Chris' says I am a Big, Big Brother. I had to ask how Shawn would become a big brother and they respond that I would have to have a baby. You will see Chad smile and then Shawn replies, "No you're not Katie" By the end of the video, Chris is wanting to know exactly when we found out.

Kids are very funny, and I had no idea what to expect as a reaction from them. I laughed, cried and it was great!

They are now looking forward to "telling" their grandparents, friends and other family. Play along if you see us....Thanks!!!

Boys will be boys....

Did I say in my last post that being a mom was exciting??? Well - Last night (23rd) we spend 3 and a half hours in the ER. Shawn cut off the top part of his finger/skin by getting his finger caught in a helmet at football practice. Initially the other coach wrapped it up and said he was good to go, but after looking at it, we decided an ER trip was necessary.

Shawn did okay until they did the numbing shot. That was excrutiatingly painful for all of us. I think I can handle a baby getting shots. At least I won't have to lay my entire body over his/her chest to hold 'em down. Shawn was not happy to say the least, but we got it cleaned out and they determined that they could try to save the chunk of skin hanging off his hand by putting in 3 stitches. We all survived an arrived home around 11:00. Shawn is out of football for about 2 weeks and he's pretty bummed. Also no PE or recess at school for a week. Man... Stitches take out all the fun!


Only when we got home at 11:00 - WE lost power to the house, so that made bedtime, showers and everything that much more difficult. Ugh! When it rains it pours I guess. Well - I have to go wake up two very tired children and hope they can pull it together at school today.

Let's just hope the next one is a girl... I don't know that I can take the adrenaline rushes of another boy!

Being a Mom...

Even though I have not actually accomplished the task of "having" a child, I have two boys that I love very much. They provide entertainment, insight (into the minds of children) and sometimes... a little frustration. On this occasion... Entertainment and Excitement.

I would not replace the feelings I have every time I watch one of my boys get ready to perform, either on the field, at the front of the church or at school. They bring me to tears (happy ones of course) and that alone excites my oldest.

Today was the 3rd football game of the season. Chad received a call this morning that the head coach would not be coming to the game and he would have to take over. The head coach has cancer and just recently began chemotherapy and radiation. Needless to say, everyone was a little more nervous than usual. Chad had a lot of weight on his shoulder.

My 3 boys took the field ready to face the challenge of the Scouts team. The first 3 quarters were uneventful. Many turnovers were made in our favor, but we just couldn't seem to make any progress. Shawn was in on defense. He really knew his job today and protected the line exceptionally well. I was impressed to say the least. I will admit though that the line is one of the hardest places to take a picture of.

In the 4th quarter, Chris began leading the team down the field. Through a series of off-sides and illegal blocking we ended up about 5 yards from the end zone. Chad called for the boys to run a QB sneak. (Christopher is the QB - AHHH!!!) Then it happened... The Touchdown!

Chris was so excited and I was so excited I almost had an accident (refer back to my previous post about exciting news!) The defense held off the other team until the end of the game which gave us our first win of the season. YIPPEE!!!!

Well - I should wrap this up but getting back to my original paragraph... I love being the mom. Granted it is a bit lonely on the sidelines at times, since all of my family is on the field, but I love watching my kids succeed. Their happiness is so fun to watch. Chris wanted this QB thing so bad. It's fun to watch him enjoy a win with the team. I just don't know how I will even come close to being able to handle High School....

For Anyone Who Hasn't Heard....

That's right! We brought an extra "souvenir" back from our vacation this summer. Chad and I have known since the end of July. We got a medical confirmation on August 4th and since we got to hear the heartbeat on Wednesday (Sept. 10) we are okay sharing the news with everyone.

So get ready because the Easter Bunny is bringing a pretty big egg for Easter this year. The expected arrival date is Easter Sunday - April 12, 2009. This puts us at 11 weeks pregnant today.

Chad and I have had a lot of fun enjoying this news together. We have not yet told the boys as we then have to let other people in their lives know (their mom) and frankly, I'd like to enjoy the happiness of being pregnant for awhile first.

We will add more information about Baby Thomson as it becomes available. Keep us in your prayers for a healthy baby boy or girl. We welcome any name suggestions you might have. All options are still open!

Rounding out the Weekend

We ended the weekend by taking the boys out for their first round of "real" golf. They have been out to the driving range before but never actually played a game. So our adventure started...

Well - of course, we had to try out the cart! Let me tell you - the driving... a little scary. Good thing 16 is a few years off yet! Needless to say we headed out on the course. Since all of the clubs fit on the back of the cart, I actually didn't have to carry mine. This made the experience very weird. I cannot recall the last time I golfed without carrying my clubs with me.
Both of the boys did a great job. Chad and I are still trying to figure out how in the world Shawn's ball went straight. His swing was something between a baseball swing and a slap shot in hockey.
Chris was so frustrated when we started. He had perfect practice swings, however when he stepped up to the ball he would try so hard that it was nearly impossible to hit the ball. He finally got the hang of it about 5 holes into the 9 hole round.
I sometimes struggle because I missed the baby stage with the boys and they are influenced by dual families, but times like these make me so happy that they are in my life. I think the times of my frustration are matched with God's overall plan for me to remember why I am where I am. All grumpiness and frustration aside, being a parent is a lot of fun....
In other news....
I am starting my graduate program tomorrow (Sept. 2) so basically today was my last day of summer vacation. Hopefully this will go smoothly and in two years I will have my Masters!

Busy Weekend

Our weekend has been very busy already, and it is only half over!

We went to the Bellevue East vs. Bellevue West football game on Friday night. We sat on the East side since that is where the boys will go to high school. Most of the kids from the Warrior football team were able to come as well. The kids had a lot of fun. I just cannot believe how big the high school boys look. It is a little alarming that I will have one of them in my house in just a few years...



Then on Saturday, we went to the Nebraska State Fair. We were able to see some cool shows including one with high divers and another with trained dogs. Probably one of the coolest exhibits though was this giant sand structure. My kids were just amazed and wondered how the sand stayed together.

Finally, we ended the day by seeing a drumming group that I believe originated in Garner, IA. It is called Sheltered Reality. They are kids of all ages that drum to songs together. During the show, they invited kids up to participate. Chris jumped right in. I will try to load the video of him drumming, but let's just say it was a very proud mom moment. I love seeing my kids try new things and not be afraid to get up in front of a big crowd. He did fantastic! We are thinking maybe he would like to look into joining the Council Bluffs group.

Beautiful Lengths

BEFORE.....

AFTER....
Well - It's not done the best... I spent the whole day at work and then went to football for 2 hours but you get the idea.

I cut off 8 1/2 inches of hair and donated it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. www.beautifullengths.com They accept 8 inches instead of Locks of Love 10 inches. I may have had a minor heart attack if I had lost another 2 inches! Anyway - I donated my hair once before when my grandfather passed away. He had cancer. This time, I am donating my hair in honor of Lorie. She is the pianist for our worship team and has been battling Brain Cancer.

Air Force Week

Sorry it has been so long since our last post - Things got pretty crazy around here as soon as the kids got back. The boys were selected for a team for football. They are officially both "Warriors." It wasn't really a surprise since Chad is the assistant coach for the team and this will be my 3rd year as a team mom.



This past weekend was the Offutt Air Force Base Air Show. It is typically a big local event and there is a lot to do. This year however, it was a nationally publicized event. Only 3 cities around the U.S. were chosen to host an Air Show for National Air Force Week. One was on the East Coast, one was on the West Coast and the final location was Bellevue, Nebraska.

Needless to say, the Air show was even bigger and better than usual. We watched demonstrations and toured planes for about 4 hours. It was hot but for the most part an overall enjoyable day.
This is one of the planes that did a demonstration. It is amazing how big this plane is, yet it was the quietest plane in the air!

The finale was the Thunderbirds. We were all awe-struck. I just can not imagine my children waking up one day asking to do stunts in a plane going over 300 miles an hour.

We spent the end of the weekend fixing the rest of our deck. Sadly, two children, a teenager with down syndrome and a little girl (about 3 years old) from about 2 blocks away wandered out of their home and went missing for awhile on Saturday while we were at the Air Show. (The family of the two girls walks the neighborhood frequently.) While they were wandering they came across our neighbor's pool with the gate unlocked. Unfortunately the little girl fell into the pool and the other girl was unable to get help. Instead she wandered to a nearby parking lot where the police eventually found her. When medical officials finally located the 3 year old, she was floating in the pool and was unable to be revived.

It makes my heart drop to think that it could have just as easily been our pool. How tragic for the family and for the neighborhood. I just can not imagine returning home to find that this had occurred at our house. The people who lived at the home with the pool were at the Air Show as well.

Well - Now that I have bored you with our local news... I just cut over 8 inches off my hair today. I am hoping to post some pictures later this week. Let's just say, that it is the shortest I can ever recall my hair being!

Football

THE BOYS ARE BACK!!!!

We are super happy to have the boys back in Nebraska with us. They had a good summer, but it is definitely time to get back into a routine. They have spent a lot of time "relaxing" this summer and now they are paying the price at football.

Chris has two years experience behind him already. He knew what to expect and was excited to get on the field. If he didn't have a little brother joining the action this year, he would probably be moving up the "A" team. That team is the one that travels and competes. We think 10 is a little young to become so competitive. We want the kids to enjoy the sport and then worry about competing in Jr. High and High School. It is a serious compliment though to have the coach of the A team really wanting Christopher to move up. That coach has spent lots of time trailing Chris during the conditioning activities.

Here's a quick picture of Chris avoiding a tackle...

Then there is my little man. Isn't he sooooo cute? I just love them being so little in those big ol' pads and helmet! He has been quite a trooper... His first day of practice was with 104 degree heat index. YIKES! But the biggest trauma of the night was his sock pinching his toes. He didn't have any trouble tackling or being tackled. He just cared that his clothing wasn't fitting right.

He has made quite a few gains in the past two days. I am impressed how well he is doing for having no prior experience. He is working to earn the nickname "Taz." Then we will have TAZ and TOM TOM.
Let me just say - I love being a mom - even if I am only the "step-mom." I love my boys. I love football and wrestling and all the craziness of being busy every night. It just feels right! Chad and I thrive on the success and happiness of the kids. Their smiles are so contagious, and seeing them feel proud of themselves is great. I watched Shawn go from a timid little man (I know = Shocking.... yes he was absolutely silent prior to the first night of practice!!!) to a determined young man who wants to play football with his dad and his brother. Chris has stepped into the leader role. Even when he fights with his brother, he is still watching him during the drills, telling him "good job" and encouraging him to keep going. He will likely be a captain this year for the team. It's amazing how quickly they grow, but with each new age comes new and excited adventures (for both the kids and the parents).