Our Life & Times

Happy Halloween! Tonight our family and a few friends, 14 children and 9 adults, plan to gather together at Brian's cousin Shelley's house for a Ghoulish good time going door-to-door searching for the yummiest of treats, all the while trying not to freeze to death! Konnor will dress as a soldier, Kashley will be a pink poodle, Dustin is Poncho Villa, Tyler Hayden is Scream, Dillon is going to be batman, and I think we might have a football player, and I'm not sure what else. Then, when we are about frozen, we will go back to Shelley's to check, count and trade candy, and enjoy a chili supper. Should be LOTS of fun!!! Happy Halloween, Everyone, and stay safe out there with your little ones!!

The Little Steelers finished up the season Saturday with a win of 21-0 against Carbon Valley 2. The Steelers' record is officially 5-3. (Konnor is #40.) Way to go!! We had a pizza party Friday night before our last game to give the coaches their thank you gifts (Steelers mugs and footballs signed by the team), and the players each got a Steelers wallet for all their hard work. We have one last league awards night next week, and then the season is over. I can't say I am too disappointed, but I know how much Konnor loves to play football, so I am sure he'll miss it, until next year...

The great thing about Colorado weather (especially when it snows) is that it can be really crappy here for a few hours, and then the sun comes out, dries everything up and warms us all up again all in the same day! My mom has been talking about moving to Colorado for some time now, but one of her worries is having to drive in the snow. Believe me, I also do not like driving in the snow, BUT that's the beauty of Colorado. The snow usually is melted by the time you have to go somewhere, and we don't get that much snow where we live in Colorado anyway. Yesterday was a primary example. We woke up to snow falling, the wind blowing and below freezing temps, and literally by lunchtime the sun was out, the wind stopped blowing, the snow stopped falling, and it was all melting away.

I don't say this near enough, or maybe not in the right ways, but I love you, Brian!!! You work hard to take care of us, and I love you for it everyday! Thank you for always loving me back and for always being there when we need you!

I was going to blog about my argument with Konnor this morning and how it stinks that when kids get a certain age they just turn on you for no apparent reason, and we ALL did it, so don't act like you don't know what I am talking about! BUT, through my blog drafts I have already typed up this morning I answered all the questions I was going to ask you. I was going to ask why kids have to act like b-r-a-t-s sometimes, but I answered my own question. They are seeking more independence, and that is nature's way of allowing the child to do things for themselves, and that is by learning from their own mistakes. If I am always reminding Konnor to do this or that, and I am always checking up behind him to make sure it gets done, how will he ever learn from his own mistakes? I wanted to ask how are we going to raise this boy until he is 18 and not go crazy, well, by the grace of God, and that's how. I don't think Brian and I pray near enough for the understanding, patience, or wisdom we need to raise Konnor everyday, so now I am stating to you that we will make a conscious effort to pray more often for Konnor to make better choices, and so that we can have more peace in our home.

On Thursday, October 26th my mom will celebrate her birthday, and I won't say which one 'cause then she would be madder than she will already be when she sees I posted her picture on the internet! :-) Here is a list of some of the reasons I love my mom:

1. She raised me by herself after my parents were divorced and I never wanted for anything.
2. She took me to church and taught me to love Jesus.
3. She is the best cook I know, and never ceases to surprise me with the recipes she makes look so easy that a gourmet chef probably couldn't do!
4. She loves my son and she tells him so!
5. She has a knack for interior decorating, and if you asked me, between her cooking and her decorating skills I think she missed her calling.
6. When my sister and I were little girls Mom would make our clothes.
7. My mom was a hairdresser before she became a nurse for as long as I can remember, and she would always be around to fix my hair.
8. My mom usually just wanted me to spend time with her, but I was a teenager and didn't think it was cool at the time, but now I wish we lived closer so we could spend more time together.
9. My mom went back to college and became an RN when she was a grandma.
10. My mom has taught me it is never too late to live your dream.

Happy Birthday, Mom, and WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I have passed my 100th blog day without a celebration of any kind, and now I am on my 103rd. Blogging for me has become kind of therapeutic. I like to read my friends' blogs, and I get excited when I have some news or new pictures to post on my blog for all my friends and family to see. I have always been a journaling kind of girl anyway, except more so when I was growing up than when I became an adult. Too many adult responsibilities to deal with, I guess, and not enough time left in the day to ponder about those responsibilities, until now. I try to make it a point at least a few times in the week to read blogs and post blogs. It is sort of a reflection time for me. Plus, it is the only way my mom can see any pictures on the internet, because her computer is SO OLD AND SHE IS STILL USING DIAL UP SERVICE, UGH!!!!!!!
So, I just wanted to tell everyone how much I enjoy blogging, and if you don't have a blog page of your own yet, you should.

We have had our first snowfall of the season today. I would say we probably have just about an inch or so on the grassy areas, but it is snow nonetheless! It is so pretty when it is fresh. I just hate to drive in it...
Konnor had an orthodontist appointment this afternoon and then I took him to get his haircut. Real exciting, huh? Tomorrow night we have parent/teacher conferences at Konnor's school and then we will buy some books at the book fair. Can you stand all this excitement? The best news is that tonight Brian made our reservations to go to Las Vegas January 4th-7th with our friends Jenny & Terin. We are going to stay at The Orleans, which is off the strip. It will be our 1st grown up only trip since we've had Konnor. Konnor is going to stay at Brian's cousin Shelley's house. Shelley & Scott have Tyler 11, Dustin 9, and Kashley 1 1/2. Konnor LOVES to play with his cousins and Shelley & Scott think Konnor is the best kid ever, but wait until they spend 4 days with him!! (Just Joking!)

Congratulations 'Lil Steelers football team and coaches (my husband, Brian is one of them) for a spectacular win over our rival team Saturday!!!! The score was 12-6. There were balloons and banners. There were chants and cheers. All the moms and dads on the sidelines wore 'Lil Steelers hoodies with our players' numbers and last names on the back. Some people said it was like a real college game as much noise and hoopla as we all did during the game. This was the game everyone wanted to win. This was the game we couldn't lose. The boys and coaches have earned their bragging rights. Way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday Konnor and I had the day off from school and work so I took him to the new Family FunPlex. They have 3 indoor pools with huge slides and one of the pools is like a lazy river where the current just takes you along. They have an arcade, open gyms where you can check out basketballs and volleyballs, a weight room upstairs, and putt putt outside. We had so much fun just playing all afternoon! Then, Konnor went to football practice, and I went to a party at my girlfriend Michelle's house with my girlfriend Jenny. We laughed so hard our sides hurt! Our husbands took our boys out to dinner, and then we all met back at Jenny & Terin's for a while.
Today is Konnor's big rival football game against his old team that was split up earlier this season. I hope noone gets hurt, and everyone behaves! Then, he has a birthday party to go to and I have some homework to get done. That about sums up our weekend.

When you get up tomorrow (God willing, of course) are you going to curse the day because you have to go to work or school, or will you embrace the day as another opportunity? What would you like to get done tomorrow? If you don't have time penciled in during your busy day to hug a loved one, call a friend, teach an important lesson to your children, or just to look up at the sky and thank God for your very existence then you need to find time. I often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life just like everyone else, but I am lucky enough to live in the beautiful state of Colorado where I can see the Rockies from my bedroom balcony, or I can drive by a pasture of cows huddled under a tree in the afternoon to stay cool. We have gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. I was a little sad when we first moved to CO because I didn't see the beauty in it like people who were from here. Now that we have been here 6 years this month, I grow to love it here more and more everyday. God has made some beautiful scenery in this place.

God sure does work in mysterious ways, doesn't he? You know, for years Brian and I prayed for a baby of our own with no answer. Then, we became foster parents and then we adopted Konnor. What we didn't realize at that time was that God was opening those doors to us to become Konnor's parents. At first, we were a little apprehensive about raising another couple's child who looks different from us, has a different medical history, different blood, different DNA, etc. Do you know what we have discovered over the 4 years Konnor has been in our lives? We are more alike than we ever imagined we would be. We think alike, argue alike, we are all definitely the most stubborn bunch of people I have ever met, we have alot of the same ideas, views, and opinions on things, like and dislike the same kinds of foods, we all bleed if we are cut, we all put our pants on 1 leg at a time... I guess you get my point. It is just amazing to me that Konnor was brought to us under not so good circumstances and has grown into a handsome, talented, smart, healthy and entertaining young man who has a very bright future. I could not have asked for more if he were my biological child.

Where has this week gone? Whew! Tomorrow is already Friday. I had to have my physical done today and I got a tetnus shot. Everything seems fine, but I have to go back in 2 weeks to get my thyroid retested and all my other physical kind of bloodwork, like screening for cholesterol, etc. Konnor's ankle seems alot better. We let him go to school today with just an ace bandage and no air cast. I will be picking him from school soon so we'll see how he did without his air cast...
No big plans for the weekend. We will go to Konnor's football game, although I am 99% sure he won't be playing because of his ankle, but we are going to let him do a "no contact" practice tomorrow night. Brian took our pool down yesterday for the winter, so that was kind of sad. I remember being SO EXCITED to have a pool this summer, and I couldn't wait to get in it for the first time! The summer just seemed to fly by, just like everything else does.

Oh yeah, and it wouldn't be like me to forget to mention the sadness that happened in the Amish school this week. I was born in Lancaster, PA, and my sister and her family and my dad's side of the family still live there. I was just blown away by the sad news of the school shooting there. I pray that the victims still recovering will heal and be able to live normal lives, and I pray that that small community can rebuild its strength to move on through this tragedy. I hope that we have seen the last of this terrible kind of act towards children. Three school shootings in a week's time is ridiculous and sad, and I feel there definitely needs to be more done to keep our children safe.

I know I haven't blogged much lately, mostly due to our crazy schedules, and by the time I even think about sitting down to the computer to blog it is late and I'd rather go to bed. Anyway, I am FINALLY adding a picture of Konnor's braces on here for all to see. I think he looks handsome with braces. He got the top row last Monday, and he'll get his bottom row in a few months. I can't wait until he is shooting rubberbands across the room everytime he yawns!
An update on Konnor's ankle...The swelling has gone down significantly and he seems to be more stable on it, even when he's not wearing his air cast, so MAYBE he'll be back to normal faster than we thought he would. That's good news, because you can't keep an active kid like Konnor down too long. He'll drive you crazy!!!

It is inevitable if your child is going to play contact sports then he or she will eventually get hurt. Yesterday it was Konnor's turn. During the first part of the 2nd quarter Konnor found himself on the bottom of a pile up and then he heard his ankle pop. Brian carried him off the field, and I can't even tell you how many concerned people we had surrounding my son who was in obvious pain. Brian carried him to the truck and we drove to the ER in Greeley. After some
x-rays, thank GOD, the Dr. said it was only a 2nd degree sprain, and it wasn't broken. Konnor is in an air cast and ace wrap for atleast 1 week to 2 weeks, and has to be out of football for atleast the 1st full week and maybe longer depending on his ability to move it. He REALLY wants to be ready for the Oct. 14th game against his old team, but we'll see... Please pray for his speedy recovery!