Honey, I Shrunk the Van!

When Terry asked me what I wanted for my birthday this year (yes, it was the BIG one - half a century), I replied with, "Let's trade in the van!" I wanted to downsize - live smaller (literally). So, after a lot of research and test drives, I settled on a 2009 Honda Fit! Doesn't it look like we left our Odyssey in the dryer just a little too long? It's little like me, yet has 10 cupholders and lots of room to haul things! The good news is the savings. Yes, we're doing our part to keep our planet green -  I'm averaging almost 30 mpg in the city! Of course, now the price of gas has dropped dramatically, but, hey...I don't have to hang off the hatchback door to close it. It's so fun to drive, and it's the best compromise I could come up with since we all know that I'd rather have a Mini Cooper!

American Idol on Tour

For all you reality fans out there.... here's a news flash!  A couple of my girlfriends, their daughters and I went to see American Idol winner, David Cook, when he came "home" to Kansas City at the concert held at the Sprint Center.  I didn't know they made seats that high up!  It was downright scary.  The ride up there in the escalator was so terrifying that we had to take the elevator down, no matter how long the wait.  OK... next time we'll cough up the extra dough for the good seats.  But, hey!  We were there to scream with the best of them as David rose up through the stage floor, wearing his Kansas City Chiefs jersey, among the smoke and fanfare.  It was awesome.  Who needs to be a teenager.... we "girls" know how to have fun!  I would post a picture of the Idols (all the other 9 were great, too, but I'm a little too biased to give the others a line here.....) but my camera can't take decent photos that far away.  Anyway, here's one of us at the Sprint Center - not the best quality because iphones don't have flashes - and be sure to check out the T-shirts that the girls are wearing.  Yes, we had an Archaletta fan among us.  We love our Davids.

First Day of First Grade!

Caleb started first grade (all day) at Harmony Elementary today and here is a photo of him with his new teacher, Mrs. Runnels.  For the first time in 12 years I no longer have kids at home during the day.  This will be different.  I'm excited about getting caught up for the first time on so many unfinished projects, however, in some crazy way I'll miss the chaos of kids running around.  Most of all I'll miss Caleb's sweet smiling face during the day!

Patton Tigers Reunion

I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I went to my 35-year Junior High School reunion at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.  Don't do the math.... "I'll just save you the trouble - we're all pushing the half-century mark!  I was a Patton Tiger cheerleader and it was so fun reconnecting with my "old" Army Brat buddies.  Why "junior" high, you ask?  When you move as much as we did, it was a rare event that we got to stay in the same place for 4 years.  We were just a close bunch.  Since our old junior high school (Patton Jr. High) was celebrating it's 50th year, it seemed fitting for all of it's former students who are also turning 50 to celebrate together.  Here is a photo of us sitting in one of the classrooms at our old school.  We all had a blast! 

Florida Vacation

July ended with a week long vacation to Orlando & St. Pete! Even Terry joined us this year. We started off the week just-a-hoppin' at a new venue in Longwood called Rebounderz (basically a room lined with trampolines). The kids loved it. Had to go 2 days in a row. Then after a couple of days of successful back-to-school shopping with Lisa as my driver (yes, I broke my foot...but that's another story) we headed to St. Pete Beach and checked into the Tradewinds resort to celebrate nephew Jake's 1st birthday. Even my brother, John, & his family joined us for the party which my sister, Jenni did a beautiful job of setting up. Weather was great too. Click on my picasa photo album for more photos. It will be hard to go home to Kansas on Tuesday. Nothing beats the beach (says this girl born in Hawaii).  Yes, I did cut my hair - wanted a swing bob (all the rage in OP), but don't worry.... I'm growing it back out!

Lake of the Ozarks

Just had a relaxing weekend at Lake Ozark, Missouri, at the Eichner's (Ottawa's new Prez) lake house. Did a bunch of boating, eating and fellowship with Ottawa pals. Can't wait till the next Ottawa get-together after the Phoenix board meetings in February '09!

You're a Good Man Charlie Brown

Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to see my niece, Kaley McLean (age 15), star as Lucy in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. Here are a few photos from the play. Yep...she's a drama queen, just like her Aunt Mary!  You go, girl.

July 4th at Theater in the Park

I had to go back and post a photo of our fun evening at Theater in the Park on July 4th.  The play was "Beauty & the Beast" (orchestra conducted by our church music director, Kevin Bogan) and we went with our friends, the Feldmans.  I made my traditional flag cake, the weather was absolutely perfect, the fireworks were orchestrated to patriot music during intermission,.... who could have a better time?  And... it was free!  Some friends gave us comp tickets.... not that the admission of $5 per person is outrageous, but hey.... free is good.  We will definitely put this on our annual to do list!

Caleb's 7th Birthday Backyard Bash!

Since Caleb turned 7 on the last day of school this year, we decided to have a birthday party/end of year party and invited his entire Kindergarten class.  Due to rain we had to postpone it until Thursday, May 29th (instead of on May 27).  We turned our backyard into a campsite (tent, fire pit, and the whole works).  When the kids arrived at Camp Lots O' Fun, they checked in with the Camp Director (me!) and got their name badges.  Then they ate hot dogs & pretzels; they made visors & their own trail mix; they went on a nature hike with Camp Counselor Terry who taught them about conservation and keeping our earth green; they made s'mores (using skewers to roast their own marshmallows over the grill), they ate birthday cake & opened presents, and played tons of backyard games, including flashlight tag as it got dark.  They took home their flashlights, trail mix, canteens, compass whistles, visors, and even this group photo with a thank you note on the back.  Whew!  Mary & Terry are tired.... but happy to see the smiles on the kids faces.  Like Trace Atkins reminds us in his new #1 hit country song... kids grow up so fast and one day...."We're Gonna Miss This!"

Last Day of Kindergarten

Caleb celebrated his last day of Kindergarten on his birthday, May 27th.  Next year he'll be a first grader and gone all day like his big brother.  Maybe then Mom can catch up on her projects.  Or maybe she'll be too lonely without him... Almost like being an empty nester.  Here is a photo I made of Caleb's class that I framed and presented to their teacher on the last day of school.  I thought it turned out pretty cool.

It's a Morkie!

We have a new puppy! We adopted this precious Morkie from a connection Mary had with a friend at church. She was donated to a foundation to raise Aids awareness but it didn't work out and we came to the rescue. The puppy's twin sister is owned by Mary's friend Dena, so they will get to visit each other often. We've been calling her Abby....what do you think?

Caleb Lost His First Tooth....Correction: Teeth!

Caleb, age 6, finally lost his first tooth (Lower Middle). It fell out in the morning, so I snapped a photo, sent him off to school, and alerted the media. By the time we got everything ready for the tooth fairy that night, he jumped out of bed with his top middle tooth in hand, exclaiming that he pulled out a 2nd tooth. Wow! Two in one day. Apparently the Tooth Fairy was pretty impressed because she left a $10 bill under his pillow. Next time, though, I think we'll only see those familiar $1 gold coins like Josh got for each tooth. Still....this was pretty exciting. Don't you think?

Happy St. Paddy's Day

We went downtown in KC to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by visiting the College Basketball Experience, staying at the historic Hotel Phillips, eating in the new Power & Light District, watching the parade in the rain (oh yeah... we opted out on that and went INSIDE the Crown Center), and the best part was: Cabaraoke! Check us out on You Tube by clicking on the link below or watch the full length video here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJGgcrdcFn8

Cutest Nephew Ever!

Can I just brag on my adorable nephew for a minute? I just got this photo from my sister Jenni of her gorgeous son, Jake. He has stolen his Aunt Mary's heart. Now just look at his photo and I'm sure you'll agree that he could endorse any baby product he wanted to. Get that boy a commercial or modeling contract! I love you, Baby Jake!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Suess

This week was Dr. Suess's birthday and Caleb's Kindergarten class had lots of fun celebrating the week with Mixed Up Monday (wearing mismatched & backward clothing), Silly Sock Wednesday, and Wacky Snack Friday. Kohl's was selling Dr. Suess books & stuffed animals for charity so we racked up ... and shared them with his class at Harmony. Here Caleb shows off Horton. We are all waiting for the release of his new movie later this month - Horton Hears a Who!

Keith Urban Rocks Kansas City!

Last night, to celebrate our 17th Anniversary (which is actually today), Terry surprised me with tickets to the Carrie Underwood/Keith Urban concert in Kansas City. We had awesome seats (a million thanks, Debby!!) and Josh even babysat Caleb for us. The concert venue was the brand new Sprint Center. We hadn't been to a concert in a while and had fun during pre-show text messaging to the big screen on stage [they displayed Terry's "Happy Anniversary" message to me] and Keith Urban taught us the "cell phone wave." Concerts are getting so high tech these days. We love Carrie and she was good, but not even in the same league as Keith Urban. He was so down to earth and generous with his fans [he gave a guitar to a woman sitting just down the end of our row]. The quality of his show was top notch. We give the concert 2 big thumbs up!

Happy Birthday, Josh!

Josh celebrated his 12th birthday on March 1st and got a big surprise from Mom and Dad (well.... it was Dad's idea, not mine!). A baja motocross 70cc dirt bike was waiting for him when he got off the school bus the day before his birthday. And, we were blessed with spring-like 70 degree weather the next two days so he (and all the neighbors) could enjoy riding it. Even I took a spin around the cul-d-sac. Then the temperatures dropped back into the 30's. But that hasn't stopped Josh. He's become quite a pro already. Can you believe this is the same kid who drew all over my van with a rock when he was two? They really do grow up, don't they?!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Terry, my Valentine, went to Phoenix the week of Valentine's where it was warm and sunny and left the boys and I here in frigid Kansas with all the snow and ice. But we forgave him quickly when a bouquet of Valentine cookies were delivered to our doorstep on February 14th from "Cookies by Design." Now that's something I can really sink my teeth into. And that I did! I think I've gained a few pounds, but it was so worth it. Oh by the way..... check out Josh's new braces. Next month he's going to get different color bands.

Guess who is 50! Not me... (yet)!

My brother-in-law, Michael turned 50 on December 20, 2007, and I had a lot of fun helping my sister plan a huge surprise party at the Senior Center in Lake Mary, Florida! We went all out, dressing up as senior citizens with wigs and dresses purchased at the Thrift Store and roasting the older-than-dirt birthday boy. In case you don't recognize us, that's my sister, Lisa, and I in the photo. I know you are just at a loss for words right now!

Christmas at Resurrection

As many of you know I'm slightly nuts because I actually enjoy being on stage. So, a highlight of the year for me was Christmas at Resurrection in which both Caleb and I had parts. I wore several hats this year... carried banners, snowflakes, threw streamers, was a "lady of ill-repute," and was in the royal court of one of the wise men. I even had a speaking part as an usher during the transitional skit. It's a lot of rehearsals and I lose an entire week of December because I'm basically camped out at the church, but it's worth the friendships I make during the process. Here are pictures from the show. That's me to the left of Frosty!