Happy Halloween!!!!!

Well, the first of many exciting holidays for this season has come and gone!

This Halloween was the best I can remember...I was home from school by noon today and the weather was absolutely perfect! Other than a terrible cold that I can't seem to shake, I really couldn't have asked for a better evening!! Even Jason was looking forward to it, and he is not a huge holiday geek, like I am!

Last year, Isabel saw a girl dressed as Dorothy and for some reason, the costume idea stuck in her head all year. Ashlen wanted to be a princess, and since I am a huge fan of the 'matching sister look', I decided to make the Wizard of Oz a theme for us this year! Here they are attempting to skip (aka, run with limps) down the yellow brick road (aka, the sidewalk in front of our house).

Our neighbors, and good friends, had already planned to make their son a monkey for Halloween, so they added some wings and a vest to his costume to add to our theme! Here we all are:

From left, Ashlen is Glenda, I am the Wicked Witch, Nicole is the cowardly Lion, Isabel is Dorothy, and Bryce is a Flying Monkey.

The kids all had a great time trick-or-treating. Isabel enjoyed picking the houses she wanted to visit and Ash enjoyed trying to eat the candy as fast as she put it into her bucket.

So, now I look forward to pulling my favorites out of the girls' halloween bags and redecorating the house for Thanksgiving...first thing tomorrow...for tonight, I am going to fall into a sugar coma. Hope you all had a fabulously spooky Halloween!

Getting Ready for Halloween!!!

Okay, it is no secret that I am a sucker for the holidays....any holiday! So, we have been preparing for Hallween around here! We carved our pumpkins the other night...the girls had a blast turning up the drama as they "ewww-ed" and "grooooosssssss-ed" their way through scooping the innards out with their bare hands. Of course, Isabel wanted to do a princess pumpkin, so I did my best with that face, but I think I gave her cleft-palate instead of lipstick (shhh, don't tell Isabel!!!). Ash wanted scary teeth, so hers was much easier! Here they are with their pride-and-joys:

We have also been decorating around the house. Every year, I get the girls' pictures taken in costume and then I frame it in a really obnoxious Halloween frame...I put out all of the pictures from past years:

Then we put out our ghosts...they are the girls' favorites...I think at one time Isabel had named them all!!!

Jason has been helping with Halloween by eating all of the Halloween candy...I have already had to replace two bags of peanut butter cups and snickers...no, you did not read that incorrectly....TWO BAGS!!!!! And you all thought I was the one with bad eating habits! To his credit, he went to school with Isabel today to help her kindergarten class carve pumpkins. Pumpkin carving is not his favorite activity, but he bit the bullet and went anyway....my hero!!!!

WIU Homecoming

On Sunday, I loaded up the girls and took a trip to Macomb for WIU's Homecoming. My best friend Brooke's husband Jake played baseball for WIU 'back in the day', so he was playing in an alumni Homecoming game. I usually take any chance I get to see Brooke when it involves a drive of less than 2.5 hours...plus, I hadn't seen her boys since Christmas! They have gotten so big and so CUTE!!!
It was fun to show the girls the dorm I lived in during my freshman year of college and the life science building where I spent most of my academic time...for old time's sake, I parked in the faculty lot where I managed to dodge many a parking ticket as a student. There was a HUGE inflatable 'Rocky the Leatherneck' at the game...Ash was terrified and kept asking "Mommy, why is he so MAD???"...until I took her up and let her feel that he was just a balloon (apparently, his swaying in the breeze made her think he was real).

Brooke and I met waitressing in Macomb. It took us only one shopping trip to become best friends!!! =) We were among the first waitresses when 'Rocky's Bar and Grill' opened and so, of course, we had to go there for lunch! They have these awesome mozzerella sticks (which really deserve a picture, but I didn't think to snap one...probably for the best, or else you would be in your car driving to Macomb to eat some right now) which the wait staff have to roll before they are allowed to finish their shift. I hated rolling those things, but still love eating them! If it were not for my unfortunate experience of setting my kitchen on fire this summer while trying to make authentic fried ice cream, I might attempt to make them...Maybe once the memory of the hours of cleaning grease, soot, and soggy flour off of my floor, stove, and cabinets fades a bit, I will try it out. Rocky's also has Horseshoes. For those of you that have not had the experience yet, let me tempt your tastebuds...meat of your choice (grilled chicken is my favorite) on a piece of toast and smothered in waffle fries, cheddar cheese sauce, and fresh tomatoes. Mmmmm. Anyway, I am letting my stomach run away with this entry...it was a fun trip down memory lane and it was great to see Brooke and her family!

Here is a picture of us in college:

And a picture of us yesterday:

As a cherry on top of the trip, the girls and I got to see Grandpa Whitey and Moppy Jo before heading back to Morton!!!

Getting Started

I am really not sure why I chose one of the busiest times of the year to start this, but it is a rare occasion...a free Saturday morning...and this is where I find myself! So, no promises on regular updates until June...

I absolutely love peeking into the lives of my friends via their blogs, so I figured I would return the favor! It is just such a fun and easy way to keep in touch with those interested in an update. Unfortunately, life is just too crazy right now to have the luxury of calling/writing/visiting my friends and family on a regular basis, so hopefully this will help. I would like to say that I plan to update once a week, but in reality I know that I will probably only update when I have a minute, or when something interesting happens around here. Unless it is summer, and then I will probably update with every sneeze in the house! =)

So, here is a whole-family update to get you up to speed:

Jason-Jason is still working at the Morton Police Department. He likes it, most days! I enjoy the stories and the girls think he is the hero of the town...plus his flexible schedule allows him to be home with the girls most days of the week. He loves taking them to school and hearing all about their day as soon as they climb into the car when he picks them up. He works third shift, so we all appreciate that he is willing to sacrifice sleep a few days a week for his girls. He uses much of his free time to play Fantasy Baseball (just ended) and Fantasy Football (just started). He is very proud of all of his Fantasy Trophies...I guess a competitive spirit does not die with age, it just morphs into strange hobbies! Hunting season recently started, so the Fantasy Sports are taking a backseat to the treestand these days. He seems to think that he needs another head mounted, but I think the one lying on the basement floor (covered in cobwebs) prefers to have the house to himself, so we will see what happens!

Amber-I am in my second year of teaching life and earth science at Morton Junior High School. I still wake up thankful every morning that I get to teach here in Morton. I love this community and feel that being a part of our school district is a huge honor (sounds really hokey, but it is true)! I finished my master's degree in Educational Administration this past summer. It was a very interesting program...I started the program thinking that I was just getting a master's degree for the pay increase, but soon found that I might actually like to try out a desk in the big office someday. But, I have no plans to leave this school district, so unless the perfect opportunity falls into my lap, I am happy teaching protein synthesis and mineral identification to the pre-teens of the town!!! I seem to have a medical condition that prevents me from saying the word 'no', as I am involved in lots of extra-curricular activities this year. I told myself that as soon as I finished grad school, I wanted to get more involved in the school....I had no idea what was in store for me! I am currently sponsoring, or co-sponsoring: Yearbook, Student Council, Spelling Bee, Science Club, and Isabel's Girl Scout Daisy Group. I also serve on a ton of committees this year including the Curriculum Review, Curriculum Mapping, School Improvement, Discipline, and Handbook Committees. Whew...it is a little scary to look at those lists, but even scarier to look at my daily planner! My favorite things to do in my spare time (hahaha, I laugh at that sentence) include organizing (I know, strange, but I get so much satisfaction from organizing a closet or cabinet...the house can be dusty and dirty, but as long as it is organized, I am happy), watching movies with Jason or friends, cooking/baking (I have a new apple dumpling recipe I can't wait to try), and playing with my camera (not so much in an artistic way, more in a documentary way...the girls will never wonder about their childhood because I have boxes filled with snapshots of every moment). Of course, I do enjoy the occasional shopping trip as well.....(more emphasis on the word 'enjoy' than on 'occasional')

Isabel-Isabel is in her first year of Kindergarten...she is in the morning class, which is fine with her because she has always been a morning person. She loves her teacher and often asks for a hairstyle or outfit that might be similar to the beloved Miss Cox. I don't blame her...her teacher really is very sweet and adorable...she is fabulous!!!! Isabel is also involved in dance. This year, she is taking ballet and tap and cannot wait for the recital. She loves the costumes and being on stage...must be a first-born thing to love the drama and attention!!! Over the summer, she was also involved in Teddy Bears (a craft-making playgroup), swimming lessons, and tennis lessons. She loves spending time with her friends. Her best friend and her 'boyfriend' (much to Jason's dismay) are both in her class at school, so she is happy as can be! She is a very emotional, but loving kiddo...she loves to take care of her sister and her dolls and pretty much anything or anyone in need of some TLC. She is a very intelligent and sweet girl...except when her little sister gets into her room...it seems that she has the same OCD tendencies as her mother and she gets very upset when things are moved at all. She came up with the Halloween costume idea this year and is very excited about being Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

Ashlen-Ash is the life of our party! The girl cracks us up on a regular basis. She is so comfortable with herself and can always find the humor in anything...if she can't find it, she creates it! We are looking into have a volume knob surgically installed in her back...as of now, the child has only two settings....quiet and earpiercing. But, she is our little cuddle bunny as well as our comedian. She is in her first year of preschool. She attends Fantasyland (we have an adult club nearby with the same name, so it took me awhile to get used to the idea of sending her there...I can finally say that she goes to Fantasyland without a little giggle under my breath...I am really immature like that!!!) Preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. She absolutely loves it...although, I had to re-think her school wardrobe when the first four outfits she wore had to go in the trash due to paint, chocolate, etc stains. It is a very hands-on school, which is perfect for her! She is taking dance for the first time this year. She is in ballet and tap, just like big sister. She is thrilled to finally be old enough to get involved in a few classes! Her favorite activities include pretending (the child has a wild imagination) and playing with her best friend (also in her preschool class). She will be Glenda from the Wizard of Oz this year.

Well, I hope you enjoyed your update and I promise to post more as often as possible!!!