Beltz Bitz

Feelin' Like the Milbourns

2009-08-06T22:41:00.003-04:00

As I sit here and finally post something to this poor blog that has been neglected, I feel like our friend's the Milbourns. I am sitting in bed on my new laptop, surfing the web. Right beside me is my lovey on his laptop surfing the web. We don't have the Internet cafe thing goin' on in the dinning room yet, but just give us time.

I am Out

2009-02-25T13:55:00.002-05:00

Do you every have one of those days where it seems like everything you use runs out? Well, today was that day for me. In the shower I ran out of conditioner. After the shower, I ran out of lotion. (I also had an empty contact solution bottle on the counter waiting to be recycled from yesterday.) While getting the kids breakfast we finished off two different boxes of Pop-Tarts and a bottle of syrup. While making their lunches I finished a loaf of bread, the deli ham, a bag of chips, the carrots, a container of applesauce, a plate of cookies from Grandma, and juice boxes. And this was all before 7:30 a.m. when the kids get on the bus!

Look out Wal-Mart, here I come!

The Good, Bad News

2009-02-10T10:00:00.002-05:00

Last Friday, I had an upper GI.

The good news is, I think they have found out what is wrong with me.

Finally!

I have acid reflux, a hiatal hernia, and ulcers.

No wonder I have not been feeling well.

They have me on Protonix for the acid reflux and thankfully my insurance is now paying for it.

I am suppose to see a gastroenterologist as soon as possible. So after giving the nurse times I was available this week and next, she called the Dr. to set up an appointment. Well when she called back to tell me the date it is set for March 23rd.

So much for getting in right away.

I am hoping they will not have to do surgery to repair the hernia.

Maybe I should have kept my gallbladder!

Getting To Know Me!

2009-01-08T09:47:00.003-05:00

Jessie e-mailed this to me the other day and I thought it would be fun to put on my blog. Anyone reading this consider yourself tagged. Put it on your blog, e-mail me your answers or leave me a comment with your answers. Have fun.

1.What is your occupation right now?

Stay at home Mom of 3

2.What color are your socks right now?

Brown

3. What are you listening to right now?

My computers humming

4. What was the last thing that you ate?

Kellogg's Special K bar

5. Can you drive a stick shift?

yes

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?

Jessie

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?

Yes (it was Jessie)

8. How old are you today?

35

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?

gymnastics

10.What is your favorite drink?

Hot tea

11.Have you ever dyed your hair ?

No

12.Favorite food?

Chocolate

13. last movie you watched?

Disney's Bedtime Stories

14.Favorite day of the year?

Christmas

15.How do you vent anger?

yell

16.What was your favorite toy as a child?

Spirograph

17.What is your favorite season?

Are you kidding me here? SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

18.Cherries or Blueberries?

blueberries

19. Do you want your friends to e-mail or blog you back?

YES

20.Who is the most likely to respond?

?

21. Who is least likely to respond?

?

22. Living arrangements?

Hubby, Kids and a cat

23. When was the last time you cried?

Can you believe it, I can't remember.

24.What is on the floor of your closet?

TOO Much stuff

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to?

Don't know?

26. What did you do last night?

watched TV, finished a really good book, helped with homework, relaxed

27.What are you most afraid of?

snakes

28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?

Cheese

29.Favorite dog breed?

German Shepard

30. Favorite day of the week?

Saturday

31.How many states have you lived in?

4

32.Diamonds or pearls?

Diamonds!

Let me know if you are putting it on your blog so I can read your answers.

Happy Anniversary

2009-01-07T10:27:00.002-05:00

Hello!?! Is anyone still out there? No, I didn't think so. Anyway, today is Trav and I's 20th dating anniversary. Sometimes I think about it and think "Wow that has just flown by" and then I stop and think about all that we have done together and it amazes me. I am so thankful for Trav and all that he is and does. God's perfect gift to me! Here's to 20, 40, 80 more years of dating!!! I Love You Honey.

2008-10-18T17:43:00.000-04:00

Sorry this ended up in two post. I hit the wrong button:)

Picture of the Day

2008-10-18T17:42:00.000-04:00

I was going through some pictures and ran across this one I took this summer in St. Louis. We spent a week at my brothers and did all of the touristy stuff. We had a great time!

The Word and the Election

2008-10-15T10:52:00.002-04:00

Proverbs 28:2 (Msg)
When the country is in chaos, everybody has a plan to fix it- But it takes a leader of real understanding to straighten things out.

Tonight is another Presidental debate. God, Let us have eye's and ear's to see and hear, who you need to run this country. In Jesus name amen.

The Word

2008-09-24T12:00:00.001-04:00

Proverbs 25:13
Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat- refreshing! (Msg)

My Gallbladder

2008-09-22T11:34:00.002-04:00

Well it is official. After an ultra sound and a Hida Scan, my gallbladder is not functioning properly. So I will have to have it removed. I go Friday for a consultation with the surgeon and then they will schedule the actual operation. I am not really looking forward to this, but at least maybe I will not feel so bad all the time. Hopefully it will cooperate while we are in Mazatlan!

Wow What a Day!

2008-07-28T23:20:00.004-04:00

Wow this was a long day. We finally got the keys to our new house late yesterday. We of course went out to see it. Well to sum it up it was really dirty. So today we have been cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. We also (by we I mean myself, B, Z, L, my mom, Trav's mom, Jessie, Kai, my Dad for a little while, and Trav once he got home and before he went to City Band practice) ripped out the carpet on the main floor and upstairs, rolled it and labeled it (it is going to Jessie and Kevin), striped wallpaper, cleaned three of the four bathrooms, cleaned out the kitchen cabinets, cleaned a ceiling fan, and vacuumed the whole house (yes even the carpet we ripped out). After all of that my mom, Trav's mom, and I went to Lowes to pick out the new counter tops and paint for the kitchen and family room. Now it is 10:30 p.m. and I am dead tired but so keyed up I can't sleep. My mind is spinning with all that we still need to do! And to top it all off they are going to show the house we are living in tomorrow afternoon. So in the morning I will be starting off by cleaning and getting this house ready to show!!!! No wonder I can't sleep and feel sick to my stomach.

I'M BACKKKKKKK!!!!!!

2008-04-01T15:56:00.002-04:00

O.K. enough already. I will post something. I really have like 10 min. before I have to rush out the door and pick Zia up from school, wrestle her into her leotard, and dash across town to ballet. While Leighton complains that he wants to stay with Brenna and he needs a snack for the hundredth time today.

Things have been quite crazy with us lately. Most of you already know that ;) So here a some post that I have thought about doing but haven't had any time too.

Our trip to Aruba- Wow it was so beautiful. Leighton thinks everyone should go with us next time.

10,20, 30- See Jennifer and Kathy's blogs

God's amazing provision of a house

The saga of Leighton and his ears.

Zia and her excitement over losing her tooth.

Brenna's high temp and sore neck yesterday. Scared me a little. She is doing better today.

Having our house on the market! Yikes that was a lot of work :) Think I would be better at this by now!

Pictures and more pictures.

How I thought I might crash my computer!

Where are we going to live?

And the list goes on and on. Maybe someday I can sit down and actually write about a few of those. Now that you see what I was think about blogging about. You really haven't missed much. Maybe you all should vote on your top three and maybe I will be able to get one of them done sometime.

Or maybe not!

Homeward Bound

2008-02-20T17:16:00.002-05:00

YAAAAAAAA HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! We are moving home! Travis got transfered back to Robinson as their PDU Manager. We are beyond excited. Don't have too many details yet with a date or anything. We still have a lot to do here to get the house ready to sell and then house hunt there before we can schedule the movers.

Yum!!

2008-02-08T14:29:00.000-05:00

You will never guess what I had for breakfast this morning! It was so good and brought back some childhood memories. It was a fried egg sandwich. And man was it good. For some reason (maybe Mom or Dad can help out with this) any time I eat one I think about when I was little and my Dad and Uncles sided our house. I think my mom made a whole big bunch each morning for the crew before they started working on the house. (I guess I thought I was part of the crew:) Anyway this morning I was frying myself some eggs for breakfast and with the second one I broke the yolk so I threw it out and tried again. Well I did it again. So this time I thought I might as well just make a fried egg sandwich. Boy, am I glad I did. It was so yummy. So now go fry yourself an egg and make a fried egg sandwich. You know you want to.

Fireworks In Our Ears

2008-02-01T14:46:00.000-05:00

The other day my "voo doo nutjob" friend Kathy blogged about using hydrogen peroxide to help ward off a cold. Well I had never heard of this so I checked out the link she had and read a little bit about it. One of the comments said it also helped with wax build up in your ears so being the thinking girl that I am I thought to myself "Man Leighton always has a lot of wax in his ears, and must not be able to hear very well because he is always yelling. Maybe I should try this on him." So off to Wal-mart I went and spent a whole $1.93 on a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and two medicine droppers. (thanks Denny for the heads up on the dropper issue :)

So last night after I gave the kids their baths and was drying Leighton's hair, I told him what I was going to do. By now Zia was getting her hair dried and I thought "I probably ought to do her ears too, because she has a little speech problem and maybe it is because she has wax build-up too and can't hear very well either." So I started explaining to them how they would lay their heads down and I was going to put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in their ears. I told them it would feel really cold and sound like fireworks. I didn't mention that it might sting a little. Just thought I would keep that knowledge to myself.

Now sometimes Leighton can be a little scared of things so I thought Zia should go first and show her little brother there is nothing to be scared of. And after all Zia always tells us she is not afraid of anything. Just bees sometimes, especially when we lived beside Bobby! So Zia agreed to be my first patient. She laid her head down on the counter and I put the drops in. She said it felt cold but she didn't hear anything. But soon after it started bubbling and she said it does sound like fireworks. So Leighton thought that that was pretty cool and laid down on the floor to get his. He loved it and couldn't wait for me to do his other ear.

Well in came Brenna and she wanted to know what we were doing. I then explained it to her and she looked at me like I was crazy. (I get that look from her a lot any more. I am sure it is only going to get worse as she gets older.) But Zia and Leighton won her over after she looked in their ears and saw the bubbles and heard them laughing. She consented, so I put a few drops in her ears. She started laughing and had a good time with it to. An interesting note is that she didn't have the noticable bubbles like Zia and Leighton did. She did say it sounded like fireworks, but she doesn't have as much wax as the other two do.

As we were finishing up in the bathroom Trav made it home. Leighton was so excited about it he insisted that Travis try it. So Travis got down on the floor and had me put drops in his ears. He also had noticable bubbling in both ears. (They must get it from their Dad) By this time it was time to head to bed. As I came back into our room Trav was laying on the bed. I ask him if he felt O.K. and he said "No, I can't hear out of my right ear now." So he was giving it another shot. I am not sure if he can hear today. I will try to remember to ask him when he gets home tonight. Hopefully it won't take him as long to get home as it did to get to work this morning :)

Nothing New

2008-01-25T15:01:00.000-05:00

Hello All. That is if anyone checks this thing anymore. I know it has been a while since I posted anything. Not much is going on here that I have wanted to post about. Leighton seems to have more of a social life than I do right now. He had his friend Travis over to play Tues. played at Sarah's house on Wed. and went and played at Cade's house on Thurs. He is a little upset today that he doesn't have anyone over to play today.

Beth and Randy did get to come and visit us last weekend. We had a really good time. We didn't do much. They brought our new T.V. and picture for the wall that they got us for Christmas. We couldn't get them in the van when we came back home. So we hung a few pictures and got the new T.V. working. Beth and I made a trip to Home Goods and got a few more things to hang on the wall. Luckily we got those hung too. We played lots of games, ate, and started planning a summer vacation.

I still don't know where we are going, but it was fun looking at different places! One place I do know where my family will be going next month is Aruba!!! Now that is exciting. We are using our timeshare and we can't wait. Since we live in Michigan now the kids get a winter break the last week of Feb. Last year we went to Disney and had a great time. So this year we are headed to Aruba. Leighton is looking forward to wearing tank tops and shorts. Right now it is around 15 degrees out and he just has a pair of pants on. He makes me cold just looking at him. I think it is going to be warmer this weekend. Around the 30 degree mark!

Who Knew!

2008-01-07T20:31:00.000-05:00

In case you ever wondered, Barbie's hair will melt when put on a light bulb that has been on for a while.

A few minutes ago, I looked over in the family room and saw smoke coming out from the top of the lamp. Leighton was beside it and in his hand was a Barbie shoved up under the shade. I quickly told him to stop and take it out. Now I am trying how to get all of the melted hair off of the bulb. :)

Christmas Pics

2007-11-17T13:45:00.000-05:00

I know it has been awhile since I lasted posted, but I have been busy people. :) Anyway I know we haven't had Thanksgiving yet (or as Leighton has been saying "Turkey Day") but I couldn't resist posting this incredibly cute picture I took of my kids and my brother's kids a couple of weekends ago. Trying to get everyone to smile and look at the camera was worse than trying to herd a bunch of cats, but worth it. Enjoy and Merry Turkey Day!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Fall Around Here

2007-10-30T19:36:00.001-04:00

We had a great time at the corn maze. This year it was Pirates of the Caribbean. Travis kept trying to get the kids lost but they kept finding us. ;)

We had tons of fun picking apples and pumpkins at the apple orchard!

Then we carved them!

Trick or Treat.

We Had A Slide-in

2007-10-16T13:56:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago we had a slide-in. A slide-in is kind of like a break-in but nothing gets broken. Let me explain.

We have a cat named Dotz who as Travis likes to say is an I.D.O.D. cat. (That stands for indoor, outdoor cat) So we usually leave our overhead garage door open a few inches for her to get in and out of the garage when she is outdoors.

Well I guess we left it open a little to far and had more than a cat get in the garage. Someone slid under the door and stole the DVD player out of the van. We were very surprised that Sat. morning when we got in the van. First, I noticed that all of the stuff from the console was on the floor. I, of course, ask the kids what they were looking for and they all denied getting in there. When Trav came out, as I was putting things back in, I ask him if he had been in there. As I said that I realized the DVD player was missing. Everyone was shocked! We had had the dual screen DVD player for a long time. But we were not ready to get rid of it. We have had to have it worked on because it stopped working once, and I had just gotten new cords because we were having problems with the sound and picture not working all the time. But we still used it. The cords didn't really fix the problem so it was probably on its last leg, but it sure made us all mad. And a little scared that someone had gotten in our garage and could have gotten into the house without much trouble. Needless to say I have installed an alarm on the house garage door and we make sure the overhead door is only open enough for the cat. Since it was not working the greatest I figure it ended up in the trash somewhere. :(

Luckily we have only went on a 1 1/2 hour car trip since then. So our next trip back home will seem even longer than usual. :( I bet you can guess what the kids have on their Christmas list already!!!!

L-man's 1st Day of Preschool (This Year Anyway)

2007-09-25T14:33:00.000-04:00

*****Update: After Travis read this he said "Did you really try to cry?" To which I replied "NO! I was trying to be funny. I just didn't have any inclination to cry and that isn't like me." Then he read Denny's comment and said "Do you really think Leighton looks like me?" and proceeded to enlarge the first picture and say "Yeah he does look like me. Especially in this one where his hair looks dark." Just thought I would clear up some confusion at our house. :)

Finally, L-man's first day of preschool this year. They moved to a new building so it took awhile to get all of the state requirements met. We had to get a picture of the backpack too. Sorry I forgot to rotate it before I uploaded it. Now I can't figure out how to rotate once it is up here. :(

This is Leighton's friend Sarah and her friend Cade. They are all in the same class. Hope the boys don't fight over Sarah! All lined up and ready to go inside. Some of the Moms were crying, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't squeeze out any tears. I guess I am getting to old. Even when I thought about the fact that this would be the last time I would take one of my babies to their first day of preschool. I guess the hormones are swinging the other way. Go figure.

Done with the first day. He is such a big boy. I can't believe this is my last year as a preschooler Mom. Boo Hoo. Just kidding. More like Yee Haw!!!!

Quips From the Back of the Van

2007-09-12T08:58:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, my kids said some funny things. Usually I forget them and don't write them down, but today I thought I would share them with all of you.

Brenna "At least it is a nice day for a protest."

Zia "It sure is hard to keep track of 5 wiggly teeth."

Just thought I would share :)

Would You Walk Around Naked?

2007-09-11T10:40:00.000-04:00

Did I get your attention with that title? God did this morning while I was reading in Isaiah. I read again the story of when God told Isaiah "take off all your clothes, including your sandals." Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot. Then the Lord said, "my servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign -- a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia." Isaiah 20:2-3 Can you believe it? God actually ask him to take off all of his clothes. Not for the day, the week, or even a month, but THREE YEARS! I can't even imagine. How humiliating. Yet God ask him and he obeyed. How many times has God asked me to do something? I start, then get tired of it, and put my clothes back on. Can I be that faithful? Trust Him? Let myself eat some humble pie my friend Paula wrote about? Fix my eyes on Him and remember it's not about me and my comfort but His glory.

Later, in Hebrews I read... "For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God whom we must explain all that we have done." Hebrews 4:12-13. There was that word again. NAKED. God has called me to be naked. Not only before him, but with others as well. Exposed for what I really am. A sinner. Someone with bruises, bumps, fat, flaws... Open, honest, real... Seeking him, sometimes failing sometimes succeeding. Real.

Dear Father God, I praise you for your Word. Thank you that it can cut deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. Change my desires and thoughts to you and what you want. Help me be real and naked before you and others. May you be glorified in everything I do and say. In Jesus name. Amen

The Beltz Bean Dinner

2007-09-07T09:23:00.001-04:00

Over Labor Day weekend we got the chance to head back home and go to the Beltz Bean dinner. I am not sure how long they have been having it, but Trav and I have been dating for 18 1/2 years and I think it was going on then. Trav's Great Uncle and Aunt, Dudley and Doris, started it at their house years ago and now it has moved to their daughter and son-in-law, Connie and Larry's, house. It is a big family reunion for the Beltz family. The first picture is of the big bean pot they use to cook the beans in out over and open fire. Larry is serving up a bowl to Dudley. We also have hot dogs roasted over the fire. Larry and Mike are cooking them in the next picture. Everyone brings something to share and we have a great meal.

Connie and Larry live out in the country in a beautiful home with a pretty little pond right behind it. Of course we couldn't keep the kids away from it. They all loved looking for frogs and messing around by the water.

Larry always goes out of his way to make the little guys welcome. This year he made a table just their size. They really liked that. They also had fun making a long train with the Styrofoam blocks. I didn't get any pictures of the big pyramids they were making and knocking down. I think we are getting close to the little kids out numbering the adults.

You never know what will be planned or just happen at the Bean dinner. This year the kids gave each other wagon rides. Many years they have had hayrides. Some that have even taking the crew through the Mc Donald's drive thru. One year jeep rides around the pond to look for bears was on the agenda. Another time an ice and water fight broke out. But every year stories are shared and memories are made. Brenna LOVES the Bean dinner (even though she wouldn't eat any of the beans). This year she said "This is the best Bean dinner ever". Thanks Connie and Larry for another great Beltz Bean Dinner.

1st Day of School

2007-09-06T09:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of school for Brenna and Zia. Leighton had to get in the picture too. He can't wait for preschool to start next week. He would really like to ride the bus too, but will have to wait until next year. The girls like their new teachers and know a couple kids each in their classes. Brenna is excited because she gets to be a safety. I think it is kind of like a hall monitor when the kids are coming in and going out to the buses. She gets to stand in the hall and keep kids from running and stuff like that. The picture with the sign is a tradition I started when Brenna went to preschool years ago. I make a sign that says "1st day of school" and has the date on it. A couple of years ago I had to add what city and state we were living in so I would remember when I finally get around to scrap booking them in say 15-20 years. I am not sure how much longer Brenna will tolerate me taking the getting on the bus shot. But, at least she didn't say anything this year.

I always love this time of year. First, because of new school supplies. If you know me very well you know that I LOVE school/office supplies. I think that is one of the reasons I became a teacher, I could keep on buying school supplies every year! Now I get to buy them for my kids but, they want to pick out their own stuff and don't always want to get what I want to get:( A trip to Office Max or Staples is really fun for me, even if I don't buy anything. Which is really weird because I really like to buy stuff. Anyway the other reason is that we get back into a routine. Now if you have read any of my other posts you will know that I LOVE SUMMER, but I also like having a routine. So now we have to get up and get ready for school and I will have to take Leighton to preschool. Soccer practice, piano lessons and dance classes are all on the calendar and we have a routine. No more sleeping in and staying up late... no more staying in our pajamas all day (until we have a snow day)... no more going to the pool or the lake... no more sunsets at 9:30 p.m.... no more pack up and leaving for home without planning around all the kids activities... Wait a minute, sorry about that, back to the start of school... I like the routine of it. The kids going off and coming home full of what their day was like, homework, practice all that stuff. At least for a few weeks :)

My Heart Is Really Pumping Now!

2007-08-21T21:12:00.000-04:00

Wow! While I was typing that last post Trav let the cat in. Well, she wasn't alone... she had a rabbit and it wasn't dead! Yikes. She let it lose and it hopped all around the house. Luckily it wasn't bleeding and didn't poop while inside. It visited the family room, then ran to the living room. She must have been an elegant little thing because she then visited the dining room. So she got to see all of the formal living areas of our house. Zia got a box and we tried to get her inside of it to get her out but she wouldn't get in. Finally in the dining room Trav was able to talk some sense into her and she went out the front door. But now the poor cat is still looking for her tasty dinner inside. She didn't see it go out. I'm so glad she didn't decide to dine in the dining room tonight.

What a Wonderful Weekend

2007-08-21T20:32:00.000-04:00

WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had a great weekend. Tim, Jen, Isaac, and Ezra came up for a visit and it was a blast. We stayed up late, slept in (oops), watched High School Musical 2, went to the zoo, played cards and games, gimped, made s'mores, went to Cabela's, played in the rain, ate, and laughed a lot. It sure was fun. Here are a few pics. We sure miss our friends. Thanks guys for coming. It really means a lot. Love ya.

Watching High School Musical 2 turned into a wrestling match!

The Toledo Zoo and playing in the COLD rain.

YUMMMMY s'mores and playing games.

Home again, Home again jiggity jog!

2007-08-15T09:10:00.001-04:00

Here is the house!

Here is the crew!

And no it wasn't too much of a zoo!

We had a blast on vacation this year! Thanks Beth and Randy. It was a long drive but we broke it up and checked out the NASA stuff in Huntsville on the way down.

Highlights of the trip!

NASA and a Japanese Steakhouse in Huntsville

Twins!!!

Playing in the ocean!

Playing on the beach!

I will post more later. I am having technical difficulties!

Small Town Life

2007-07-25T19:36:00.001-04:00

I miss small town life. Not that the town we actually live in is that gigantic but we do live within a 60 mile radius of probably 3 million people. So things are definitely not the same. Since we got to visit home this month we got to attend two city band concerts. Now Trav and I both played in the city band and so did his sister and dad but I didn't think I would really miss it that much when we moved away. But I do. Not really playing in the band but going to the concerts. They usually have an ice cream social and there is always the popcorn wagon... It is fun to sit and listen to the band, eat popcorn and ice cream and visit with friends.

And if you get to go to the band concert Friday night don't forget your blanket to sit on, some money for the popcorn and ice cream and dance a little bit for me.

Ski Time

2007-07-24T08:48:00.000-04:00

Oh what fun we have had this last week. The kids and I went home for the week and had a great time visiting everyone. Trav just got to spend the weekend, but he did get to finally water ski and see the girls water ski. Brenna really got the hang of it and can now do it all by herself. Way to go Brenna!

Zia skied too! But really likes the tube more! This is her with her cousin Kai.

Leighton rode the tube by himself. And really liked swimming in the lake.

Zara likes the boat too, but hates her life jacket! Isn't she a cutie!!!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Milbourn Cyber Cafe

2007-07-21T13:47:00.000-04:00

I am in my home town for the week. Well just one more day now :( boo whoo. Anyway. I am at my friends Missy and Denny's house. Check out their blogs in my side bar. I thought that I would post something from their front porch on one of their three laptops. Isn't technology cool!!! I will post some fun pictures from the week later.

Wedding Bells

2007-07-12T05:56:00.000-04:00

Trav's cousin Tom got married this past weekend to Melanie. We had a great time with his other cousin Tim and family on Friday. We are so glad they have a paging system in Cabela's ;) Right Tim!!! Had a wonderful time at the rehearsal dinner Sat. night and a blast at the wedding Sunday afternoon. Welcome to the family Melanie!

Webkinz Mania

2007-07-11T08:24:00.000-04:00

What is a Webkinz you ask? Well let me tell you a little bit about a Webkinz. It is a stuffed animal craze that has taken over our house. We only have two but let me tell you they are taking up a lot of our time. They are stuffed animals that you can buy, then adopt online and play with. Brenna got one for her birthday from a friend in Findlay. This summer she has gotten to play with it a lot more than she did during the school year. So Zia wanted one too. So a week or so ago she bought one with her allowance. The real problem lies with Travis. As most of you know he LOVES to play games. Well in Webkinz world one way to make money is to play little arcade games. So it is right up Trav's alley. Now don't think he is the only one. I have to admit that I like to play the games too. They are pretty fun and become addictive. You can make friends and play games together. Add rooms to your house. Buy stuff for your Webkinz. You must feed and care for your Webkinz just like a real pet. (luckily they don't pee or poop on my floor:) You can even invite your friends over to visit your virtual house! I included a picture of our new pets. Brenna's is the lion, and she named it Alexzander. And Zia's is a Lil' Kinz gray and white cat named Sam. So if you can't get a hold of us this summer look for us in Webkinz world!

Oh How I Love This Man!

2007-07-10T08:12:00.000-04:00

This is my man! Oh, how I love him. We just celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary on 07-07-07. He was so sweet this year. He tried to surprise me with a special dinner out. His parents were going to be at our house the weekend of our anniversary, so he had called them a month before and asked them to watch our kids so he could take me out to one of my favorite restaurants, The Melting Pot. Now I said he tried to surprise me because he has a hard time surprising me. I know him too well and I pick up on little things when he is being secretive. He finally had to tell me because one of his cousins, and his family, were also going to come and spend Friday with us and I was trying to figure out what I was going to feed everyone while they were here. (He took me out Fri. night instead of Sat. when his sister and family were also going to be here and we were all going to the rehearsal dinner)

If you have never been to the Melting Pot you must go. But be prepared to spend a couple of hours if you have a full 4 course meal. It is a fondue restaurant and it is fabulous. For my friends in Illinois there is one in Indy across from the Castleton mall. You start out with a cheese fondue, then a salad, your entree fondue, and then the very best, a chocolate fondue. I think I could live on the chocolate fondue! They have several to choose from and I think they all sound divine. We made up our own with milk chocolate and cream de menthe. YUMMMMMMMMM. Travis really liked the restaurant too. So don't think your man won't. Just know that is pretty expensive.

I thought I would share some old pictures with you all. Here is one from when we first started dating. This was my sweet sixteen birthday party. Sorry it is so dark. I think it was from my disk camera. Don't we look so young. We started dating when I was 15 and Trav just turned 16. That scares the daylights out of me now with three little kids one of whom is 9. That is only 6 years away. Yikes!!!! What were my parents thinking?

These two are from college. The first one was at a Pi Kappa Alpha formal in Indianapolis I think. I was pinned as their sweetheart at that formal. The other one is at a Delta Gamma formal. I can't remember where.

Next came the marriage!

We still look so young! What has happened in those 12 years!?! We dated 6 1/2 years before we got married. So that means we have been together 18 1/2 years. How can I be that old?

Now there is special meaning to the date we chose for our wedding. First of all my parents were married on July 6th and Trav's parents were married on July 8th. Also our first date was on Jan. 7th, so July 7th 1995 was right between our parents and exactly 6 1/2 years from our first date.

Travis, you are the love of my life. Thank you for sharing your life with me. You are a wonderful man and I am so glad you are my husband and father to our children. Your love of God and people is such an inpiration to me and so many others. I will love you always.

Summer Fun

2007-06-29T08:37:00.000-04:00

One of the many things I love about summer and being an at home mom is that we can be flexible. Case in point, this week we decided to go back home at 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning and left by 9:30 a.m. Now the day started out simple enough. I got up and started getting ready to go to church like any other Sunday morning. Took my shower, got dressed, made the cinnamon rolls, then it started... Brenna started in with the whining on going home. We had gotten an invitation to a surprise anniversary party for my Aunt and Uncle and my cousin Holli was going to be there. Now last summer Holli got married and B and Z were in the wedding. We had not got to see her since then (she lives in Florida and we live in Michigan for heavens sake!) and Brenna really wanted to go. Brenna had mentioned when we got the invitation that she wanted to go, but I had said no we had other things going on (swim lessons, piano lessons, small group, tap dancing...) and had dropped it. Well Brenna didn't forget.

Well As my friend Missy would say "long story short" we went home. We made it in plenty of time for the surprise party. And yes they were surprised. Sorry the picture is blurry. I had some technical difficulty with my mew camera. Luckily my Dad was there and figured it out. Thanks Dad.

My cousin Lee Ann was the flower girl back in 1972, so her daughter, Ellen, wore the dress she wore in the wedding. This is her and her brother Joe... I mean Josephina. Also all of the bridesmaids in the wedding wore small blue veils so Lee Ann, Miss Creativity that she is, made blue veils for the women folk to wear as party hats. Thanks Lee Ann it was a lot of fun and the fun is still continuing at home with those veils!

We also got to do several other fun things while we were back home but I will save that for another post. Congratulations Brent and Glenda on 35 years!

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-20T22:44:00.001-04:00

Well I am a little late again, but things have been a bit crazy around here. Some friends from Findlay moved to our town and I watched their kids a couple of days, so that made for 6 kids running around my house. Ugh!

We had a wonderful Father's day weekend. My parents got to come up and visit us. They got in Thurs evening just in time for the girls swim lessons. They were very proud of the girls. The kids wanted to roast hot dogs for dinner and have s'mores. So we put a fire in the fire pit and the adults got Mexican. :) Friday morning Trav had to go to work. Dad, the L-man, Zia, and I went to Mc Donald's for breakfast and then shopping for fishing poles and a fishing license. The kids started practicing how to cast. Trav took the afternoon off and met us at The Henry Ford museum. We took the Roush Factory Tour. It was pretty neat and then spent some time at the museum. We grabbed a quick pizza and then headed out to the river to do some fishing. We didn't have any luck at the river so we went over to a little pond at the park. We did see some fish eating our worms but didn't catch anything. We fished until it was dark at 9:30 p.m. So we had a very full day.

Sat. morning we went canoeing down the river and had a late lunch. After lunch a replica of a tall sailing ship from the 1812 war was in port so we went and checked it out. A Coast Guard Cutter was also in port so we got to tour it too. After we got back home we were all hot, sweaty, and tired. We all took showers and Mom and Dad took the three kids to the movies and Trav and I got to go on a date. I really can't remember the last date we had. Isn't that sad. We went to see Ocean's 13. It was good. I hadn't seen either of the other two, so I don't know how it compares.

Mom and Dad had to leave Sun. morning and we headed to church. I am always sad when our company leaves. :( Here are a few pictures of the weekend. Happy Belated Father's Day!

A note to Andrea

2007-06-14T08:02:00.000-04:00

Hey Andrea.
I hope you check my blog often. We can't wait to see you guys. I don't have your e-mail or phone number. I e-mailed Ruth Ann to get your info, but haven't heard anything from her. I didn't know if she is able to be on the computer after her surgery or not. Please give me a call or send me an e-mail so we can work out details. Trav's parents, sister and family will be staying here for the wedding. I think we are about an hour away. They are coming in on Friday I think. Anyway can't wait to hear from you.
G

More Shots

2007-06-07T15:36:00.000-04:00

Here you go Denny. I got one with Travis. He is trying to knock the kids down. I try and bounce them high. I am sure they like it better when I do it.

Look at that action shot. Before I had such a delay that she would have been off the trampoline by the time the camera took the picture. Now I can even get a series of shots. This is so much fun!

Who knew, water balloons bounce on the trampoline. They had a great time today! So did I!

The only problem with this new camera is that it is 10.1 megapixels. Which is great until I try to upload them to the blog and then it takes forever! But I think that is a small incovience for all of the benefits. ;)

I Can't Stop Myself

2007-06-06T12:52:00.001-04:00

Look how close I can get even in auto mode.

I figured out how to turn off the flash.

I am having problems with uploading pictures to the blog right now. So I can't show you all of the other cool stuff I have taken. Hopefully it will be fixed soon. I am still pretty much working in the auto mode. I don't know enough about the f stop, white balance and all that jazz. But I won't give up! I love this new camera!

IT IS HERE!!!

2007-06-05T16:29:00.000-04:00

Woohoo!!!! It is here! I am sooooo excited! I have been waiting like forever for it and it is finally here! I can't post any pictures from it yet because it just came an hour ago and I haven't installed the software yet, but I will soon. So I have just been snapping a few pictures. This is my Mother's Day, birthday, and anniversary present. Isn't it cool! Well I need to go and take some more pictures.

Brenna Is 9!

2007-06-04T16:18:00.001-04:00

Brenna turned 9 a while ago. Can you believe it. I have a 9 year old. It seems so strange when I think about it for too long. Anyway, I was talking to my Mom on the phone the other day and said something about Brenna's new loft bed and she didn't know what I was talking about. Trav and I got it for her for her birthday and apparently I didn't tell my Mom about it. (Sorry Mom) So I thought I would post some pictures. She is proud of her new room.

Brenna and her new bed. She also thinks it is cool that she get the old computer in her room. So far it hasn't been a problem for her letting her brother and sister in to use it. We will see how long that last! LOL Oh! and the shelves on the wall my Dad made. Don't they look nice

This is her vanity. I had it in my room growing up. I Spent lots of time primping in front of the mirror ;) Now she gets to. It was antique white with gold when I had it. My Dad refinished it for me. Doesn't it look lovely!

These are the cute little lights she also got for her birthday!

This is her border in her room. Can you figure out what they are? They are pool noodles that I cut into 1" sections and stuck up with sticky tack. Well that is Brenna's room. Maybe I will post more pictures of other rooms in our house. We will save that for another day.

Happy Birthday Dad

2007-06-02T08:29:00.000-04:00

Today is my Dad's 60th birthday! I think he has a big day planned. They are going to paint the shed in the backyard. Now that sounds like something fun to do on your big day!!! If you see him today make sure you wish him a Happy Birthday. We LOVE YOU DAD!!!!!

Summer Time

2007-05-25T11:19:00.000-04:00

Oh how I love summer time. Warm weather, no school, swimming, warm weather, boating, skiing, laying on the beach, warm weather, sleeping in, vacations... You get the idea. Now that we live in Michigan I love it even more. This is the first week we have been able to sleep with the windows open!!! I wasn't too sure I was ever going to thaw out. And I need some warm weather!!!! But, it also means I will be at home with my three beautiful, darling, perfect children 24/7. Now I am very thankful that I can stay at home with them, but I am not entirely looking forward to it. First of all, they are kids. I would like to have some adult conversation too. Second of all, they are kids. Their first love is to pester each other! Third of all, they are kids. They make all kinds of gross messes that I have to clean up! And I could go on and on but will spare you all the details.

So I have been coming up with some new rules that I hope will make my life and their life easier and more enjoyable this summer. This is what I want to know from you, what works for you? what have you tried that didn't work? got anything new you are going to try this summer? Leave me a comment or drop me an e-mail. Ask you friends, neighbors, gas station employees, who ever!! I just need some help. I am revealing my new plan to the girls tonight, but I will be adding new things as the summer goes along. So don't be shy let the comments fly. And by the way we don't live that far away, Michigan is pretty in the summer (and usually warm), and would make the perfect vacation spot! I even know a really cheap place you can stay!

It's About Time

2007-05-20T12:46:00.000-04:00

Well most of you reading this know that I grew up in a small town and spent most of my almost 34 years there. However, God has had us on a little tour of the U.S. the last couple of years. At least that is what it has felt like since we haven't got to stay in one place for too long. No, I am not telling you all that we are moving again. (Not yet anyway. I keep praying though.) I just had an experience that made me feel like we finally really live here. We moved our things into our house here the 1st weekend of June last year and it has taken a while to feel settled.

So here it is almost the anniversary of our move and I still feel like the new kid in town and don't really know too many people. I know a lot of faces, but don't really know someone ... like see them in the grocery store and smile but don't stop and talk to them. Which back in Illinois I couldn't go to Wal-Mart without it taking twice as long as it should because I was chatting with someone I know or at least could have. (I really miss that :( Sometimes at the time it was annoying but now that it is gone I miss it.) Anyway, back to my story. It was a Tues. and the fastest two hours of the week were happening. (Leighton was at preschool and I had two hours to myself. That is why it is the fastest two hours of the week ;) Didn't you notice how from 9:15 - 11:15 every Tues those two hours fly.) I had five mins. before I had to pick Leighton up and thought I would stop in Sally Beauty Supply. Now I have shopped at Sally before in Indiana and Ohio, but hadn't visited the Sally in our new town. I need some purple shampoo to bring out my blond and was on a mission after all I only had 5 mins.!!

I noticed that someone was at the cash register checking out but since I don't know anyone in this town anyway I just barreled on in to look for my purple shampoo. As I was looking at the finger nail polish (I get sidetracked easily can you tell?) I heard someone say my name. Well I turned around and it was my friend Julie and her two kids. Her daughter had recognized me and got her mom's attention. Well, we actually chatted for a minute and decided to meet for lunch at Pizza Hut after I picked up Leighton. So I was pretty excited that I had a real conversation with someone I knew outside of my house that wasn't preplanned.

I went on to get my shampoo, pick up Leighton, and then meet Julie and her kids. This was a really a good day because I already had made plans with Julie (same one. Come on I don't know that many people) and another friend Alison to have a ladies night out that night. So not only did I see someone I know in public, I had a conversation with them, and got two meals out in one day!!! As we were having our lunch and trying to talk (it is a bit hard when you have 3 children present and the oldest is Leighton who is 4) we were discussing how nice it was out and that we were going to go home and play outside. Now Leighton is my child and wants to have company over all the time so he starts asking if Sarah and Shane (Julie's two kids) can come over and play at our house. I say sure and ask if they can. Julie suggests we go to the park so it is easier for her to get her two children home for their nap then trying to drag them away from my house. So I say sure and we pack up and leave for the park.

We arrive at the park and the kids start playing. It is a beautiful day and all is right with the world. After all I have finally got to see someone I know in public without planning it before hand! All of the sudden I see Julie waving at someone. Now Julie grew up in our town so it did not surprise me in the least that she saw someone she knew. A few weeks before we were at Mc Donald's and I got to meet several members of her husbands family who happened to be at the same Mc Donald's. So I didn't pay too much attention to whomever she was waving to until I saw them. It was Alison and her two kids. (Yes the same one I had dinner plans with. I already told you I don't know that many people) WOW!!! TWO PEOPLE I KNOW OUT IN PUBLIC AND I DIDN'T PLAN IT IN ADVANCE!!!!!!! It had to be a miracle.

Mother's Day

2007-05-17T16:47:00.000-04:00

I know I am a few days late with this but, Happy Mother's Day. We got to go home and celebrate with our mommas. Here are a few pictures.

Grammie and the gang!

Hurry up Grandma. We don't know what is inside.

Ready for the Mother Daughter Banquet.

Grammie and the girls.

Me and my little man.

Man it is great being a mom. I love you guys.

Here is Trav with his mom too.

Hope you had a great Mother's Day too.

Zia Gets Her Ears Pierced

2007-05-16T09:15:00.000-04:00

Zia got her ears pierced a couple of weekends ago. She was too funny. I had ask her last year if she wanted to get her ears pierced and she said "No, I am not 7." Which I thought was funny because I have never had any rules on how old you have to be to get your ears pierced. Brenna wanted to when she was 6 almost 7 so I told her she could for her birthday that year. Well I guess Zia took that as "You have to be 7 to get your ears pierced." So this year she turned 7 and wanted to get her ears pierced so off to Clair's we went. She cracked me up again when she told me she wanted to do it after church on Sunday. Now don't ask me why after church on Sunday. We weren't doing anything Sat. afternoon or Fri. night, it had to be Sunday after church. I can't remember if Brenna got hers pierced after church on a Sunday or not. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was! Zia has such an interesting memory!!! Here are a couple of pics for your enjoyment.

Waiting for the girls.

Watch out 2 guns.

The finished product! What beautiful ears!

Merkels

2007-05-03T16:43:00.000-04:00

Anyone know what that word means? Well I am sure my friend Jennifer does;) Her mom, Polly, made it up. That is just something she did as Jennifer was growing up. Travis and I thought it was too funny and was going to do it to our kids but haven't thought of any new words. I guess we just aren't very creative. Jennifer didn't think it was funny. You see she didn't realize that some of the words were made up until she went to college and found out that everyone didn't know what she was talking about. Anyway back to the word "merkel" (Is that how you spell it Jen?) Polly's definition was when a girls butt cheeks were hanging out of what ever she was wearing. Like "oh look, that poor girls merkels are showing" It makes me laugh just thinking about it. Well today as I was driving Leighton to preschool and there it was ,right on a license plate. Now it was probably a last name, but I sure had a good laugh. Just thought I would share.

Giving Thanks

2007-04-24T11:59:00.000-04:00

Today I am thankful for...

sunshine and warmer weather

finding new snacks at the grocery store (try Gardetto's Special Request Rosemary & Olive Oil Bread Chips)

2 Hours by myself this morning

friends who blog!!! LOVE YA!

a husband who I am totally in LOVE with!

three beautiful children

What are you thankful for?

What a Day!

2007-04-20T08:53:00.000-04:00

Wow! What a day and it is only 8:45 a.m.

This morning started out pretty much like most other mornings. Trav got up and got ready. I got up and got ready and then got the kids up to get them ready. Usually I get the girls up and get them ready for school and out the door by 7:25 and then I eat a quick breakfast and then sit down with my cup of hot tea for my quiet time with God. Now if it is a day that Leighton has pre-school or speech I make sure he is all ready to go and then he watches T.V. or plays while I have my quiet time until it is time to go. Well today he didn't have either so I had got him his breakfast when the girls ate but he didn't eat much of it, which is not unusual.

He had told me yesterday that his blankie was dirty and needed washed. So I had told him we would wash it today. Sometime during breakfast and pestering his sisters he again reminded me that his blankie was dirty and needed washed. So after the girls got on the bus I thought I would put it in the washing machine with Brenna's bedding. Well when I went to take it from Leighton, he wanted no part of it. I picked him up and took him and his blankie to the laundry room. Trying to laugh and tell him I would just have to put him in the washing machine with it. I pulled it away from him and put it in the washing machine. Now usually he likes to put his blankie in a watch it for awhile in the machine but today it just made him mad!!!!

I put him down and let him scream for a while thinking he would get tired of it and find something else to do. And beside that I need to have my quiet time. So I got my cup of tea and headed into the living room to get busy. He wasn't letting up and it wasn't very "quiet" so I picked him up and took him upstairs to his room and told him if he wanted to scream he could do it in here and when he was done he could come out. I returned to my seat in the living room to continue reading my Bible. Now he decided since he wasn't right with me he would get my attention by kicking his door while he screamed. By this time I was getting tired of all this so I decided I would let him get his blanket out of the washing machine soaking wet if he wanted it so bad. Now, I was thinking that he might try it but wouldn't want it because it was so wet. So I headed upstairs and talked to him about how he couldn't kick the door and that his blankie was soaking wet and if he really wanted a soaking wet blankie we would get it. He said he did so we headed back to the laundry room. He fished out the blankie but didn't know what to do with it since it was so wet. I told him he could either put it back or hold the wet thing. He decided to put it back in.

I tried to explain to him that the washing machine would be done in a few minutes and that we would put it in the dryer then he could have it. If he went to the bathroom (which he had not done since he got up and hour before) then he could watch Scooby Doo or Thomas and when that was over his blankie would be done. Well he didn't want to do that he just wanted his blankie. (I really thought he was starting to get over having his blankie all of the time!) So since he was calmed down again, or so I thought, I went back to reading my Bible. He soon started in again with the crying and I tried to ignore it.

One of the passages I was reading was in Mark 6:21-43. The title of this section is Jesus Heals in Response to Faith. This story comes right after Jesus had just healed the demon possessed man and sends the demons into the herd of pigs and the town people tell him to go away. So Jesus gets in a boat and heads back across the lake and is greeted by a large crowd waiting for him. One of those in the crowd is Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue, who's daughter is about to die and he asks Jesus to come to his house and heal his daughter. Jesus heads off with him and the crowd thronged behind. Now I have read this story many times but today while reading this in the midst of Leighton's fit about his blankie I notice that another familiar story is tucked inside of it. The one where the lady who has been bleeding for 12 years reaches out and touches his robe in faith to be healed. Here Jesus is on a mission to help this man Jairus and his daughter and he notices that someone else needs him. And what does He do? He stops and takes the time to notice her and talk to her. The healing had already occurred but he still stops. She is frightened but still admits what she has done. He tells her "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. You have been healed." While he is still talking a messenger comes up and tells them the bad news that Jairus's daughter has died. Jesus still goes to finish the job he started. He tells Jairus "Don't be afraid. Just trust me." They go on to the house and Jesus takes the girls' father, mother, and his three disciples into the room and tells the girl to get up. She immediately did and her parent were absolutely overwhelmed.

That is when it hit me. I was the one on the mission to have my quiet time (Jesus and Jairus on there way to heal the daughter) yet God needed me to stop and deal with Leighton (the lady with the bleeding). If Jesus, King of Kings, could stop in the middle of an important task to do something equally important wouldn't He understand I needed to take a minute out to deal with the son He has blessed me with.

Oh Dear God, Thank you for reminding me of my purpose right now in this season of my life. You have given me three beautiful blessings to train up in the way they should go and I thank you for that. Help me to see the times you need me to be your hands and feet not only to my children but anyone you put in my path. In your Son's precious name Jesus. Amen.

By the way, after stopping to talk with Leighton again and seeing he had striped off his pajama bottoms and underwear and was laying by the front door. I went back and finished my quiet time. This time it was much "quieter". And by the way while writing this I have enjoyed my cold cup of tea and heard 30 times "My blankie done now". I am also grateful no one showed up at the front door to see my son!!!

The Guilt

2007-04-03T14:48:00.000-04:00

I knew this would happen. I was all gung-ho on starting this blog and then I hit the wall. I still check my friends blogs everyday to see if they have posted anything new but yet I haven't. This is were the guilt sets in. I expect them to post something new but yet I do not! I don't have anything else to say but, sorry. I really don't have anything else to say. Maybe I will get inspired soon.

Pretzels

2007-03-23T12:45:00.000-04:00

A while ago the kids had a snow day and we made pretzels. You know the kind you get at the mall. Beth, Trav's mom, had got Zia a kit and we finally got the chance to make them. They were really good and tasted just like the ones you get at the mall. (I didn't care for them once they cooled but fresh out of the oven they were great) Sorry you couldn't join us Jennifer :(

Here are a few pictures. Notice the kids are still in their P.J.'s. They love pajama days!

Sorry the pictures are out of order. I am having technical difficulties!!!!

Complaining

2007-03-23T09:43:00.000-04:00

My great friend Missy has inspired me once again! The other day on her blog she posted an entry on complaining. (If you want to read it click on her blog in my list) Well as most of you know that is something we struggle with here in the Beltz household. She suggested going on a complaining fast. So, since God has put a verse on my heart for a while now from Phil. 2:14-15 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe", I figured He was using Missy to talk to me once again and get it through my thick head. So I am now on a complaining fast. I am tell you this so you can hold me accountable.

It has already been a struggle and I just started two days ago. For example I went to choir practice last night. Now you would think since I was going to a church function it wouldn't be to hard not to complain. Well, I sat beside a lady that only wanted to complain. I don't think I joined in but I have a terrible memory and could have said something that could have been construed as a complaint. However, I don't think I did. And earlier in the day I was at Mc Donalds with a friend and I was telling her a story about what happened the night before. After I got home I was thinking about our conversation and thought "Was I complaining?" Now I don't think I was complaining and in my heart I wasn't but she could have taken it as a complaint. I think.?! I am not so sure

Anyway, all this thinking about complaining has left me a little confused. Have I just become so use to complaining that I can't see it for what it is? Am I trying to fool God and myself and say I was just explaining a situation to someone but deep inside I was wanting sympathy from them? Even though I know I can't fool God, I don't want to fail at this complaining fast!!! But I think I might be. A fast from food is at least easier from the point that if you put it in your mouth and swallow it you know you blew it. This is hard and I don't like it, but I am going to stick with it :)

New Glasses

2007-03-22T08:02:00.000-04:00

Well the time has finally came. The girls had to get glasses. (This will not be a surprise for some of you that have seen the girls recently) Not that we are surprised, since Trav and I both have glasses (well contacts really with old glasses we wear at night:). Brenna had been saying things like she couldn't see the board at school but Zia hadn't said anything. After failing the school vision test I took them to the eye Dr.

They are both excited about their glasses. Which I am very happy about. They got to pick out their frames and are very proud of them. The night they got them they had ice skating in less than an hour. So I told them I didn't think it would be a very good idea to wear them during ice skating. They thought I was crazy but didn't wear them. They have both adjusted to them pretty well.

This isn't the best picture but was all I had at the time. Noticed their forced smiles. Why is it so hard to smile natural when you are a kid?

Here Goes

2007-03-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

Well, here we go. Missy has got another one to join in on blogging. I really enjoy reading everyone's and get kind of disappointed when there isn't anything new to read. And this way I can post pictures for everyone to see without e-mailing them all!! Don't expect anything to profound from this blog. Who knows maybe even the kids will want to post something. (I doubt Trav ever will, but we will see.) Don't forget to leave me a message!!!