Hello all!! As you can see, there’s been a bit of a change to our family page, and I’m still trying to get a background I can love and stick with, so that may keep changing.
I haven’t been the best of bloggers. I know I want this one for more of what’s going on with the family. I have saved all the old posts from before at www.crashdominoNkids.blogspot.com just so I could know I still had all that information. I have my own blogging page that I need to use FAR more often for the “just me” thoughts, feelings, experiences. This blog however, THIS is for the family. I’m not one for making new years resolutions, but I realized the other day that this would be a good time to really take this one and run with a fresh start. Maybe even with more photos if I really try hard.
Moving on . . .
lets see how the beginning of 2010 has been.
We actually kept things pretty simple to ring in the new year. The older kids had enjoyed an extra long activity at church the night before, so doing our traditional stay at home, make finger foods, play games, watch movies, then enjoy the last half hour of whatever is on tv until the ball dropped…they were cool with that. Jason and I were both so darned tired, I’m still amazed we didn’t just put the youngest to bed, ourselves to be, and remind the other kids to lock up. So, that second wind of energy hit, we watched the ball drop, and then Jason got all the kids to grab pots and pans and wooden spoons and run around banging them in front of the house yelling “Happy NEW YEAR!!” Being that we’re in a neighborhood of military housing, I didn’t know which direction this was going to go. Either neighbors will be mad and the MP’s show up to issue a warning (behind their chuckle that it’s good the kids had fun), OR the whole darned neighborhood is awake and in on their OWN noise making adventure. THANK GOODNESS, this is a neighborhood that is ALL in on it. There was a whole SLEW of people from one party actually walking around the neighborhood, wearing their party hats and tooting on their party horns yelling out to all the other neighbors that had come outside to whop it up for the New Year. :o) Fun fun fun.
The next couple of days were a total mix of everyone drifting in and out of nap time, playing games, watching movies, and using all their way cool Christmas presents. (of course Mom and Dad are always thrilled to see that).
Our first Sunday of the year was quite enjoyable. We share our Ward building with one other ward, and it was decided about 4 months ago, to do away with the 1 o’clock meeting time slot, and over lap use of the building by having the 9am and 11am start times for our meetings. So, now it is OUR turn to be in the 11 o’clock ward. Yippie! Yes, I said yippie! So many others were none too thrilled with the change because they “love” getting the 9-12 time slot, and getting home to feed kids and get them down for naps. For our family, never has there been a time slot that better accomadated food and naps over another time slot. However, now that we have a Dad in the house that has trouble getting moving in the mornings, we LOVE that we can get going slowly, peacefully, and in a relaxed fashion. We all made it to church, and even stayed for the entire meeting. Robbie and I both had tummies that were really trying to twist their way inside out, but we didn’t want to be the cause of anyone else in the family leaving early. Since that day the Young Women and Relief Society were combined, we sat next to each other enjoying the lesson, and enjoying even more how fast the time went by.
This year in Priesthood and Relief Society, the new lesson manual is “Gospel Principles.” I took some time to flip thru the lessons, and it is going to be very refreshing to really get back to the corps basics of the gospel. Also, the lessons are all very short, so the teachers will really get more of an opportunity to either customize more emphasis where individual wards and branches may need it, or it will provide more class interaction. I know I’m really looking forward to it. Along with the new books, our Bishop has issued a challenge (request?…naw, more so a challenge) for each of us to again, read the entire Book of Mormon this year. I know for our little family, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard this challenge. Sadly, I don’t think any of us have ever actually finished. So, now that we’re getting the family settled back into some sort of routine, we REALLY hope to once again establish family scripture reading time, and to read ALL of the Book of Mormon together. Long ago, when my kids struggled to understand the “old language” and “funny way they talk” in the scriptures I taught the kids to view this as no different then listening to the stories by someone from another country that learned English as a second language. They’ve known SO many wonderful people with really cool accents, yet didn’t “quite” have the English language down, that it suddenly made it all SO much easier. So as the weeks progress, if I can keep up on at least weekly updates, I’ll try to hold myself more accountable for making sure we actually follow thru with doing this. Honestly, there is so much to gain, I don’t know why I’ve allowed myself to be such a slacker and not fulfilled this challenge and encouraged each member of my family to do the same every single time.
AND THEN – The glorious day of “Back to School” arrived!!
Zyzax and Craigan absolutely loved being home, but they SO missed seeing ALL their friends each day. I mean, honestly, no matter how much you love your parents and siblings, there really is only SO much of them a kid can take, and even SCHOOL is more marvelous then a longer vacation. Keep in mind, they said they’d love to stay home longer if we could only go snowboarding and skiing, but since we can’t, and there’s NO snow right here, might as well go to school. LOL. They’re too funny.
Robbie, Curtis and Randy actually were all pretty happy to get back to school. They enjoy learning, socializing, and Randy had to get back to the play practices. They’re performances are the beginning of February, so he was eager to get on with regular practice. Curtis likes school, with a tad too much socializing. He’s ready for the end of semester exams to be over with this week so he can get on with a clean slate for the rest of the year. Adjusting to High School while having ADHD isn’t always an easy thing. He is a super smart kid, but now he sees that when HIGH SCHOOL Teachers say they will NOT accept late work, they ACTUALLY mean it! Not like before, where you’d only loose a few points. So, I’m rather pleased to see Curtis working harder to be responsible for his assignments, and not leaning on me or dad or teachers to be his reminder. He’s gotten tons better and taking his meds on time each day, so that is REALLY helping (and I no longer need to ask myself what’s the point of getting them after more then 4 years if he STILL isn’t in the habit to take them. So sad when Zac would go to take his ADHD meds and have to remind CURTIS. funny as I’ll get out, but sad still the same.) As for Robbie, well, she’s doing well, working hard, getting even better at the clarinet, and enjoying that she’s the only one from the family at the middle school. All the friends ALL to herself. She’s struggles with some “obsessive compulsive” issues. Not stuff like washing hands a dozen times. It’s more an obsessive worrier. With all the struggles Jason has been working thru since his return from Iraq nearly 3 years ago, Robbie finds it incredibly difficult not to worry. When she tries not to worry about him, the worry just gets pushed onto other things. We finally realized that efforts to help with natural changes in foods and such combined with her counseling just wasn’t enough. So, she too has joined some of us on the medication train. The upside that helps me feel better…she’s slowly starting to sleep more peacefully, and the longer we put it off, the longer she would have been medicated to help balance the stuff going on inside of her. The hope is to see a good improvement within 6 months. Since Jason has been making improvements, I truly believe that just having Robbie sleeping better and calmer so she can SEE life is calming down quite a bit, then she’ll be SO much better off 6 months from now. Time will tell with that one.
WHILE THE KIDS WERE IN SCHOOL enjoying getting back to things….
I GOT THIS!!!! 
A VERY nice Hyundai Entourage!!
Good BYE to our old money pit van. Hellooo To my Pretty li’l New Friend :o) !!!
The funny thing is, we headed out to check out what was available at one of those “doorbuster” type sales where they were selling off cars that had been repo’d. We REALLY needed something that offered more leg room for the older boys. Randy is beyond 6’1” and Curtis has pushed happily past 5’7”. Our Windstar just did NOT have enough opportunity to slide the back bench further back or any option with the middle bench that didn’t require the kid sitting in the middle to want to detach their legs and just toss-em in the trunk. (Being with the Wounded Warrior Battalion, we know alot of people with prosthetics and so jokes about removing limbs are common and not shocking for us to hear.) So since we wanted to allow our kids to ride with out eating their kneecaps, then HEY…go see if any vans are priced right. This is where it’s GREAT to have a car that is FULLY paid for and to NOT be shopping out of desperation. You don’t NEED to make the purchase but BOY oh BOY do those dealers NOT want you to leave without making a deal.
I would also like to add, that for all the times it can be a little unnerving for people to see how often Jason is devoid of any connection to emotions, when going car hunting, BOY does that come in handy. Negotiating was a game to him. He HATED our other van, and I wasn’t too pleased with all the things that have gone wrong with it since we picked it up from storage upon our return from Okinawa only 2 years and 5 months ago. (over $4000 of work in that short a time_ ugh). We both really Really REALLY like this one, and little did I realize that Jason was NOT going to leave with OUT that van for me. (what an awesome husband!!) Every time the finance guy came back with a lower amount he’d say something about he was able to PUSH to get down to this, and it’s ONLY “X” dollars over what we told him our max limit was. And every time, Jason would say, well then, that’s ONLY “X” more dollars you need to come down then isn’t it? I really do wish I had a video camera. It became rather funny to me as this guy came back for I think the 4th time, and Jason leans a little across the desk “What is it you don’t hear when I say my payment window goes up to “this” much money, and not even ONE penny higher? Besides, the van’s only worth $14 thousand somethin’ dollars. That shouldn’t be too tough to work with.”
OH, wait, that part was SO funny. The first discussion was about monthly payment amount, and after we’d sent him away with a big old HECK NO! I turned to Jason, “did he even include the total asking price with that?” NOPE. So when he came back, we ask, and Jason asked why nearly $19000 for the asking price when it’s only worth just over 14. First, guys eyes got wider, and he sat back a little from the desk with a touch of “oh crap” being read all over his face”. He quickly regained control of the situation, and says “Where’d you get that number? KBB? NOBODY on the EAST COAST uses KBB. That’s just a free online service for people selling their own vehicles and those numbers done mean a thing with any dealers on the east coast.” WHAT? Uhm, don’t tell that to any of the other places on the east coast I’ve been too, they might feel jilted out of what they could have scammed people for if they ONLY used the other 2 sites he then only referred to in initial form in speed talk.
Yay for my husband, being totally un-phased by this guys efforts to totally double talk. Now, first, he makes EVERYONE slow down so he can understand because of the brain injury, and this man knew that. SO, Jason pretty much told him he was stupid to say NOONE uses Kelly Blue Book pricing for anything out here on the East Coast. Also, he told him what WE would pay total for the car AND how much per month max. He could make it work, or not. I know the man didn’t go to far from the door, because after he left to “see what he could do” I told Jason I was exhausted, and it’s not like we NEED a new van today, so lets just go home. Jason said “Naw, I’m not done playing with him yet. You’ll see.” and he had the funniest, slyest look on his face.
Sure indeedy, Jason was totally un-effected by this guys cat and mouse game, and we walked out of there with OUR price, our terms, and with more for our old junkie van as a trade in then it was worth…especially because the check engine light came on while we were headed out to look at the vans.
Wanna know how we told the kids about the new car??
It was about 8pm when we finally got home. A VERY long day. We headed inside and told the kids to toss on their shoes, coats, and each grab a walmart bag because the van was in DESPERATE need of attention. he he he. I tried to video it with my phone, and it didn’t work. OH did they hoot and hollar and laugh and yell!! Honestly, I’m really not sure who loves the van the most. Me, Jason, or the kids. But I do know this, it is SUCH a wonderful blessing to finally be able to have a van we really WANT to take good care of and make last well into the years of no kids at home (if we’re lucky).
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Last but certainly not least:
We celebrated Grandpa Jim’s 79th Birthday!!!
This is our 3rd year in a row with him to celebrate with him, and I am SO glad he’s warmed up to the fact that those that call you family, just do NOT have to have a blood relation. He LOVED coming over to be with the family, and was SO happy to be surrounded by the kids. They showed him some of what they got for Christmas since we were rotating illness and didn’t want to have him over and risk getting him sick. The best part is that we got more then 3 pictures this year. I realized that with my camera, we can use the remote to take pictures, not just for viewing them if you plug the camera into a tv. So, thru dinner and cards and cake, at least one of us would slyly click away with the remote. Jim loves the pictures, he just isn’t too thrilled when he actually KNOWS someone is TAKING his picture.
He really is a GREAT great man, and we love having made him a part of our family. He and Jason are SO much alike it’s too funny. It was great to have him over. Now, what in the world can we do for next year. He’ll be 80 !! Gotta make it GOOD. I’ve got 11 months to work on it, so hopefully we’ll come up with SOMETHING.
Well, There ya have it . . .
the beginning of 2010 is off to a pretty good start. May you all be well, comment often, and take excellent care of yourselves. Enjoy :o)
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