A Christmas Miracle

Madeline and Amanda have been one of the few of their little friends who still didn't know how to ride a two-wheel bike without training wheels. They were scared, of course, and would only practice with Mike in the grass field at the school. This afternoon, I needed a nap, so I strongly suggested they go outside with their dad and practice in our cul de sac. Mike said he helped them out for maybe 5 minutes, then left them alone, and they did it themselves. We are so proud of them. And, they are so proud of themselves.

Target Practice

Papa set up a target, and The Gals got to spend some time shooting yesterday with his BB Gun.

Christmas Memories

We are all recovering from a wonderful holiday. Mike's folks spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us, and then Saturday we headed for North Carolina and my family. It was really a great and busy few days.

Merry Christmas

Cookie Monsters

The Onofry Girls came over this afternoon to play and decorate cookies. You never saw such a flurry of sugar crystals in your life. They all seemed to have fun - and they all got to eat some of their artwork.

Olivia decorated her cookie, her sweater, her face and her hands

Madeline wants to be one of Santa's reindeer

Emily spent a lot of time building sugar crystal mountains on each of her cookies

Amanda and Megan hard at work

The Christmas Pageant

Last night was our church's Christmas pageant. The Gals are in the Children's Choir, so they had a song to sing in it - "Away In A Manger". They did a great job. And they did a really good job of sitting through the hour long production that came after they sang. (As you can see, they are not dressed alike or even similar. It is part of my "letting go" resolution. I have to admit, though, it was killing me.)

The Big Apple

We are back from Logan's Birthday Trip to New York. We had so much fun! Best part of . . .

Thursday - Bryant Park and ESPN Zone
Friday - Lord & Taylor Christmas windows and Rockettes Christmas Show
Saturday - Dinner at the revolving restaurant (The View) and shopping

I think it was a time Logan will never forget.

The Carolers

Tonight, I had a special surprise. The beautiful ladies from my home MOPS group did some Christmas Caroling on my front porch. They did an awesome job, and I will carry their voices with me all through the season.

The Yellow Butterfly

This morning I walked out on to my back deck to watch my neighbor, Earl, tackle the leaves that have fallen on his grass yet again (he does this every day, and I have become obsessed with watching him). As I was looking (some would say spying), a yellow butterfly came out of nowhere and flew around me for about 30 seconds and left. A yellow butterfly - in December. I have wondered all day what that meant. I looked online, and one of the things I found is that it symbolizes rebirth and resurrection. Our family has had such a hard time the past couple of years as most of you know. I am hoping that it was God's way of letting me know the end is in sight. Whatever message it was meant to give me, it has given me hope.

Thanks A Lot, Kyle

As if the day wasn't bad enough with Mike getting ready to leave for a couple of weeks, our Christmas Tree fell over. We knew it was probably time to get a new one, but we couldn't decide if we really needed to, or if we could wait a couple more years. Well, the decision was made for us. Looks like The Gals and I will get to decorate this tree a second time tonight. Here's hoping it lasts through this Christmas season. Mike swears he has actually fixed it. Course, he's leaving in a couple of hours, so he won't have to deal with it if it happens again.

We Are The Champions

It has been a great day in the Riddle household. ECU won the Conference USA Championship beating Tulsa, and Virginia Tech won the ACC Championship beating Boston College. It was a good way for us to end the regular college football season.

Jill's Elves

I had the family hopping tonight. We had all the decorating done except for the downstairs tree. Mike and Logan finally got it straight, and then they all had fun putting on the ornaments. Mike and I have a tree in our bedroom that has all the ornaments the kids have made and that we have picked up on our many adventures. The downstairs tree is great because it has ornaments that both of Mike's grandmothers made. There are stuffed birds and bells, plus these great crocheted snowflakes. I am going to figure out how to make those one day.

But I'm Still Thankful

So, you already know I have been dealing with Mono. But, I wasn't going to let that affect my Thanksgiving. We went to Ma's house and had a good day. Bright and early the next morning, Logan, Ma and I got up at 3:45 to head over to the mall to start our day of shopping. This year, Madeline said she wanted to go. When I got up, she was already dressed and downstairs with Logan waiting for me. Well, we were walking through Belk's, and Madeline says "my stomach hurts - you need to get me to a bathroom." As we're running and I'm yelling to everyone around me asking where the bathroom is, Madeline throws up in the shoe department. And she throws up 3 more times before we can get her back to Ma's house. But, I wasn't going to let that affect our day of shopping. Mike took her and Amanda home (as previously planned), and Ma and I headed back out with Jenny to do some more shopping. The next day, as Logan and I were driving back home, my eye started hurting. By that night, it was starting to get puffy. Sunday morning, I woke up with pink eye. But, I wasn't going to let that affect my time decorating. We spent all day putting up trees and other decorations. Madeline went to school today. And I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon.



You can throw what you want to at me, but I'm still standing. And, I'm still thankful.

Santa

Mike loves to take The Gals to go see Santa, but normally - because he is always in New York for two weeks in December - he is rushing at the last minute to catch Santa before he leaves to go back to the North Pole. So, this year he decided to beat the rush and take The Gals early. They decided to leave their list of 45 things here and made new short lists to give him.

I wonder how many more years Mike will get to take them. I can picture him dragging two teenagers into the mall, and him smiling as our "angels" scowl at the camera. And then, he'll drag them both home, they will shut themselves in their bedrooms and think about what dopes we are and how we treat them like babies, and he and I will sit down with a glass of wine and laugh and laugh and laugh.

Wii Wee Wee

Ma, Jenny and The Gals had a great time bowling on the Wii. It was a nice way to work off that big meal we had.

Maggie

This was our first Thanksgiving with Ma and David's English Golden Retriever - Maggie. The kids had so much fun with her. Scarlett wasn't too happy about having a canine cousin, but she got plenty of loving, too.

This Year I'm Cooking The Turkey

I am about to put a turkey in the oven to take to my Ma's house tomorrow. Last year, as you will recall, Mike tried to fry our turkey in our turkey fryer that had a broken thermostat. The story of us having to call the fire department never gets old. Neither do these pictures.

Forty-One

Today is my birthday, and I am 41 - BO -- RING. It has gotten me to thinking about birthdays in general. Your first birthday really isn't for you - it is for your family. The best part is that it is probably the first time you ever get to try cake. Then, there are a bunch of birthdays that are boring - like 9 - and then comes 10 - double digits. That's exciting. Then 13 - a teenager. Yikes! Then, nothing big happens until 16 - Sweet Sixteen. But, wait, with the new laws you probably don't get to drive by yourself until you turn 17. Then, you turn 18 - you are an ADULT. But, you really only get to vote and buy lottery tickets. More boring ones - then you hit 21. That's always a biggie. Then, nothing, until 30, although I do remember 25 being a bad birthday. It seems to be the age where you think your life is going to be all set, and it never is, so you are depressed. Then, we stop celebrating except for the decade birthdays - 30, 40, 50. . . . It's like we will get more birthdays if we only celebrate them every 10 years. And, then, if you are lucky enough (like my dear Grandpa Van Eaton) to hit 100, everyone shows up, and it really isn't for you - it is really for the family, and the best part is that you probably are getting to eat cake again which they haven't allowed you to do for a long time because of some medical condition. So, as with everything else, birthdays are really all about the Circle of Life.


41 is boring. But, at least it isn't 46. If I were turning 46, I'd be on the bad side of 50. Not quite ready for that yet.

The College Man!

Today Logan got his acceptance letter to Johnson & Wales in Charlotte. He is excited! We are excited! He was taking a nap, and I called him downstairs. When he got down, The Gals and Mike and I were standing with balloons and his letter and I yelled "You got in! You got in!" He was so surprised. We are so proud of him (and no - I am not thinking about how I am going to let him go off to college next year - right now I am just thinking about the fact that he got accepted).

Dress Sale Time

Dark and early this morning my Dear Katie, her sister and I headed once again to the Dress Sale at Star Warehouse. We look forward to it every Spring and Winter. The line wasn't very long, and we were let in early (as usual). I wasn't in the market for any fancy dresses this season, but I did manage to find a few smocked ones that I just love. And, yes, I did look like the woman in this picture - full make up, hair done, sporty tank top. Right! I threw on some jeans, fixed my hair in a ponytail and hit the road. There's no time for primping when sale prices are involved!

Flurry Of Excitement

This morning, as The Gals were getting ready to leave for school, I looked out the window and it was SNOWING! We all ran for our coats. Around here, you never know how long snow is going to last, so you have to take advantage of it every second it is here. It's funny. Growing up in Michigan, we had a bunch of snow. I actually had to walk to my elementary school (which was across the street) no matter how much there was. I can remember stomping through it when it was higher than my boots. If you were lucky enough to have had someone walk in front of you, you could just step into their footprints. Problem was, I was short and sometimes I couldn't make it. In those cases, I would try to reach, but ended up falling on my face. I was so happy when I went to 5th grade because I didn't have a big enough locker to hold a snowsuit anymore, so I got to get a regular winter coat. The one thing I don't remember was being excited about snow. Now, my own kids go crazy when there are just flurries in the sky.

They Really Do Love Each Other

Poor Amanda has had a stomach virus for the past two days. Last night, before she went to bed, Madeline asked me to wash her baby and puppy that she sleeps with today while she was at school. Tonight, I said - I'm sorry, Madeline. I forgot to wash Baby and Puppy. She said - Mommy, you need to stop worrying about Amanda and start taking care of other things around here like washing our stuff. Sorry Madeline. I was too busy washing my sheets from this morning when Scarlett decided to throw up as a way to get me out of bed. Ahhh! If she hadn't of had such a big smile on her face when she said it, I might have had to throw her in the washing machine.

Rainy Day Fun

I don't know about where you live, but today where we are the weather was super wierd! You would see sunny skies one minute and black clouds and big wind the next. We didn't know what was going on. The Gals played outside for a while, then moved to play in the garage and then, when it finally did decide to rain, they grabbed their umbrellas and had some fun outside!

ER

Logan hurt his shoulder today at work, so the kids and I headed to the Emergency Room. He has a severe muscle strain in his left shoulder. They gave him a sling to use and, hopefully, he'll be back to bussing those tables again soon.

Really?

I have to admit that I am torn by yesterday's election. I think it is cool to be alive during this historic event, but I would have been happier if it had been someone who I knew anything about. After all this time, I still have no clue what this man stands for or what he believes in. Times being what they are, it isn't so clear-cut anymore by party lines. The only thing I can hope for now is that he doesn't make things any worse than they already are. I feel sorry for those people who voted for him just because their skin is the same color. That is real discrimination.

I was, however, very happy that The Gals seemed to get so excited about this. They took their own polls among us and their grandparents. We made popcorn, and they watched the election results last night until bedtime. I told them that one day maybe we would be watching election results for them, but Madeline put me straight saying no, she couldn't be President because she is going to be a dance teacher.

Sweet Ballerinas

My ma sent me this picture today that she had found on her computer at work. Of course, in my current depressed state with this Mono, I start crying thinking of how tiny they look, how we started our wonderful playgroup when they were this little, how time has flown by, etc. boo hoo, etc. Ahhh - I need a drink!

Logan Rocked The Vote!

How cool is it that Logan's first time voting is a presidential election? He won't tell us who he voted for (which, by law, is his right), but The Gals are working him hard so I may have that news later. Of course, I wanted to take pictures of him signing in with the volunteers, a picture of his ballot, a picture of him at the booth, and a picture of him putting it in the machine at the end. Unfortunately, they don't let you have a camera in the place - something about privacy. How can I scrapbook these important milestones if I have to worry about people's privacy?

It is pouring rain here. We did not have to stand in line at all at 9:00. Mike said he did at 6:00 for 30 minutes. I hope the rain doesn't keep people home. I have a feeling as the day goes on the lines will get longer and longer.

Nice hat, Mike!

On their way to trick-or-treat

Two Jasmines Are Better Than One

This year, Madeline and Amanda have both been asking for Jasmine princess costumes. Actually, for the past couple of years they have been asking. I'm not much on the costume because it comes with a belly shirt, and it isn't a pretty dress like the other princesses. I have been able to put them off thinking that eventually they would forget Jasmine and move on. And, I have the cutest 50s skirts in the closet just dying to be worn on Halloween. Well, last week I found out Costco had princess costumes and guess who they had. Yep. So, in a moment of weakness (I blame it on the Mono), I gave in and got them their outfits. They look cute as buttons. And they were both so happy when I pulled them out that it was worth the money I wasn't going to spend on costumes this year.

My Little Boy

He's not so little anymore.

Funny Faces

The Gals and Mike decided to work on their pumpkins today. This year, Amanda decided she only wanted to color a face on a small pumpkin, while Madeline said she wanted to keep it old school and have Dad carve one. As long as their happy, we're happy.

Sweet & Salty

Amanda's very favorite snack is the Kellogg's Sweet & Salty Chocolatey Peanut bars. But, lately, I have had a hard time finding them. We look every time we go to any store, but no one seems to be carrying them. Well, we were in Target and were looking AGAIN and guess what we found - two boxes! I said, "Amanda, look." She grabbed them both right away, threw them in our cart and said, "God has made this a good day." I wish it was always so easy to have a good day. Thanks, Amanda, for reminding me it is the little things we need to look for - not the big ones.

Have a good day!

My New Friend

After getting lost in Dallas for an hour because I didn't want to pay the extra money on the rental car for the GPS system, I came home and ordered a Garmin. It came in the mail today, and I cannot wait to use it! I know Mike is going to have a hard time because he is a paper-in-hand kind of guy, but I give it a few trips, and we will be fighting over whose car it stays in.

I love new toys!

It's Back!

For the past few weeks, I have felt awful. I thought it was because of how tired I had gotten at the MOPS Convention, but it lasted longer than it should have. So, last Thursday I went to the doctor. This morning they called, and I tested positive for Mono - AGAIN! I cannot believe it. It's rare for this to happen they tell me. I would have preferred that, if something rare would happen to me, it would be winning the lottery or finding a check for $250,000 in my mailbox. But, no, I get MONO. Lucky me.

Logan's New Ride

The old Jeep finally died, so this week Logan got a new car. It is a 2002 VW Jetta. He is really excited about it. It has heated seats and a sunroof. His favorite part is the gas mileage. He's been getting like 5 miles to the gallon with the Jeep. We got a good deal on it - the woman who was selling it was moving to NYC yesterday and needed to get rid of it quickly. The Jeep is being donated to the local Tech Center for future mechanics to practice on. They will get LOTS of practice!

Madeline's New Bed

The Gals have been doing a bunch of sleepovers and got tired of one of them always having to sleep on the floor, so Mike brought home a new bed for Madeline's room this weekend. He had gotten it from his grandparents and had been storing it at his folks' house. After we set it up, Madeline yelled to Amanda and said, "Come join me in my luxury bed!" She loves it - doesn't even seem to mind that she doesn't have as much play area anymore. She brought me the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and showed me all the new bedding she wants. I have created a monster.

Pretty Pie

Logan made a lemon meringue pie yesterday in his baking and pastry class. His meringue turned out beautiful, but the lemony part brought on a bit of a pucker. Let me tell ya, it takes a real man to walk around school with a cake carrier.

Termites!

Yes, we have TERMITES! Those disgusting, nasty things have infiltrated our garage. THANK GOD Mike made us get a monthly contract with a local pest control company - it will cost us nothing to get the problem fixed. But the thought of those gross bugs eating away at whatever they can find out there makes me want to vomit.

The Many Adventures of Jill

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of joining two of my MOPS buddies and speaking to a group of UMC ministers and children's ministry personnel about starting a MOPS group. For those of you who have known me long, you know that speaking in front of a crowd is completely out of my comfort zone. In high school, I stopped speaking in the middle of a speech I had to give on sign language and faked a coughing attack. In college, I had to have one of my favorite adult beverages before I gave a speech on business communication. It was not until a couple of years ago that I felt like I had something to say, and not until recently where I felt like people actually needed to hear it. I don't know - maybe it comes with age. You stop worrying about what they are thinking and start to take advantage of having a group of people trapped in a room having no other choice but to listen to you. It doesn't mean I don't shake like a crazy person on crack - but I do it, and I make it through.

All I know is that I would never have imagined I would have been able to sit in front of a group like I did yesterday. And I had to do it for two different sessions. Amazing.

Go out today and do something out of your comfort zone. You'll be glad you did.

Yee Haw!

Howdy, Y'all! I'm back from Dallas and better than ever. It was an absolutely awesome time. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be in a room with 5000 women. This was my first Convention as a MOPS Field Leader, and I have to tell you that it was terrific. It was a lot more work, but it was also enlightening and touching. It puts it into perspective when you hear there are over 100,000 MOPS moms and only about 250 Field Leaders. I got to spend time with my dear ladies from my home group, and, as always, they didn't disappoint. They were loud and crazy, and I cannot tell you how much my stomach muscles hurt from giggling so much. I got to see my favorite Julie Barnhill TWICE. It was just really great all the way around. It completely revived me as a wife and mother. Of course, I got absolutely no sleep, and the bags under my eyes could hold all of my winter clothes, but it was worth it. I do have to say, though, I do not like Dallas at all and would not ever go there unless I had to. One night, my dear Katie and I got lost in the rental car and drove around for about an hour. We couldn't find anywhere to stop to ask for directions. It was awful! And, unfortunately, I did not find one thing that said "I Shot JR". And I looked. So, I was forced to spend my t-shirt money on many other things. Oh - and the hotel where the convention was held had a sports bar. Our group was in hog heaven sitting in recliners, eating bar food, and watching football. It was lovely!

Next year is Nashville. I can't wait!!

Goin' To The Big D

I am off to Dallas on Wednesday for the MOPS Convention. I am so nervous about flying that far by myself (I HATE to fly), but I know once I am there it will be an awesome time. It is just so amazing to be in a room of 5000 women all of whom have the same goal. I told Mike that I am coming back with an "I Shot JR" t-shirt. I don't know why, but that cracks me up! Don't you just love it when you find yourself funny. :)

I'll let you know how it goes when I get back.

Indian Princess Campout

Yes, it was time again for the Indian Princess Campout. The Gals have talked about nothing else all week. It rained this time, but that didn't put a damper on their fun. They just got to get muddy! Mike said he couldn't take the cabin and the snoring and bathroom trips anymore, so the second night they slept in a tent that the Onofry family was nice enough to share. Madeline and Amanda thought that was great!

The funniest part of the whole weekend had to be this: Madeline came home and told me all about how they had new bathrooms there. But there are no signs on the door to tell you which one is for the boys and which one is for the girls. So, Madeline said she smelled each one, and she knew that the one that smelled better was for the girls. Those daddys can really stink up a bathroom. :)