"GNO" Birthday Party

Alexa's real day of birth is the 4th of March but we had her birthday party tonight. She decided to have a GNO (game night out) and invited some of her friends from school and church. Alexa decided what games she wanted to play and I think everyone had a good time.
They played animal bingo, charades, statues in the park, balloon relay races, hot potato pop the balloon, and human knot. Everyone also got to decorate a t-shirt...

Statues in the park... I think Dayton laughed more than anybody during this game.

This was the pose after we played statues in the park.


Presents... she got a lava lamp, 3 webkinz, clay, an origami book, and a game called Hyper Dash (fitting in so many ways).


Alexa decided to have some kind of a game cake and we found this idea online. In case you are unable to tell.. it is a checkerboard. No it is not up to game code but there is a very good reason why. I made the cake and it was square. I had frosted it and had to leave to run an errand. Upon my return I found a large corner of the cake missing. Harley had decided to help herself to Alexa's cake. So after I had trimmed off the contaminated portion, I was left with less than a square cake and decided to make due. Nonetheless, I still think it turned out cute and it tasted yummy, which is really all that matters anyway.

The CAKE...

T-shirt design... fun to see so many creative ideas.

Happy Birthday, Alexa!!

Alexa, pioneer program

Yesterday at Cumberland Road Elementary School, Alexa and the other 4th graders performed a pioneer musical/dance program. Nathan, Dayton and I were able to attend and it was very well done. Several students played piano pieces, a few guitar demonstrations and some solos. All of the kids played their recorders and did a very good job. Then they all danced the Virginia Reel and the Broom Dance. Alexa was in a group with 11 boys, shocking, I know. Apparently one of her many "boy" friends didn't want to dance with the boy he had been assigned to, so he requested to dance with Alexa. The switch was made and Nathan and I had a good laugh watching our daughter in the midst of all these boys. Nothing could have been more natural. A surprise in the program was when some of the students got to choose a participant from the audience to dance the Virginian Reel. I was the lucky participant. Alexa had come home earlier in the week and given me a few lessons so I would be prepared. According to her I did a pretty good job other than being a little "slow" in some places. I fault that to old age.

FHE Page Chore Chart

Nathan and I decided we needed to get the kids more involved in daily chores but didn't want to assign specific jobs to them. We came up with a list of chores they could easily do alone or together and whoever did the chore would get paid for doing it. In reality, Dayton could decide to do all of the chores while the girls are at school, though I highly doubt that would ever happen. So, for family home evening last night I told a story from the friend about a little boy who was finally old enough to have the job of milking the cow every morning. He would almost be done and have a full bucket when the cow would kick over his bucket of milk. I asked, "Who is the cow and who is the boy in our family when it comes to chores?" They all responded, "we are the cow and you are the boy." "So," I say, "when I spend time cleaning the bathroom, and you go in to brush your teeth and make a huge mess, you've just kicked over my almost full bucket of milk. Right?" "Right," they respond. We then proceeded to have a demonstration on how to clean a bathroom. I was actually very excited by the response we got to our chore chart. All of the kids took time today to complete 2 if not 3 chores. I hope this lasts. The incentive is money so I am fairly optimistic that we will be successful. As a disclaimer, I was the one who drew the lines on our dry erase board chore chart and I am very much aware of how uneven they are. My incredibly anal engineer husband has not made any comments regarding the unevenness nor has he tried to fix it, YET.

Pioneer Day

The 4th grade classes at Alexa's school are
learning about pioneers. She needed
to wear pioneer dress today and again
Thursday. This dress was made for her
by my mom when Alexa was 3. Yes, it
still fits her. It is a bit snug but not too bad.
She was, shockingly, not excited to wear it and
tried to convince me she could dress like a
pioneer boy. She looks much cuter as a pioneer
girl, I think. But then again Alexa really doesn't
like to be described as cute.

Bribery by her dad got this smile...

Snow Forts

We finally got a little more snow, so the
kids played outside with our backyard
neighbors, the Wadsworths. They
decied to build snow forts. Alexa and
Dylan were on one team and Regan,
Jordan and Dayton were on the other team.
The sides were fair until Jordan and Regan
had to leave and Dayton was left defending
his fort alone. Alexa did not have any
sympathy for her younger brother and
used the unfairness of the matchup to her
advantage. Dayton was upset and came home
in tears because Alexa and Dylan were throwing
snowballs at him at the same time. Well, it started
off as a fun time in the snow....

"I love to read"

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture for this post. However, the story, to me, is worth writing down. I visit Dayton's kindergarten class just about every Monday to help out his teacher with whatever she needs done. Yesterday, I was there as Mrs. Walter was having each child come over to her desk and read a book to her. Dayton had his turn while I was there and she told him he was going to be able to take the book he had read home to share with his family. Dayton was initially excited and came over to show me the book. Then as we were getting ready to go home, he got very upset, tears were involved, and was mad that he had to take a book home. Mrs. Walter was shocked to see this "side" of Dayton. I explained to her that Dayton was mad because he was the only kid who had to take a book home today and it was my fault because I was in the classroom. Dayton continued his "fit" on the ride home. It wasn't fair that he had to bring home a book and the other kids didn't have to. He had to read a longer book than the other kids and that wasn't fair either. "Dayton," I explained, "you should be so proud of yourself that you are a good reader and that the books you read have more words in them." "I hate reading!" Dayton informed me. At this point I am slightly annoyed by this crazy behavior over getting to read a fun story to your family. So, his punishment, he has to read the book to me, Daddy, Alexa, and Mackenzie. Shockingly, Dayton was not happy with the outcome of his tantrum. By 7:30pm he did read the story, quite well, and we all enjoyed listening to him read to us for a change. Wow, I thought boys were to be less dramatic. Hopefully, we will not have to repeat this senario anytime soon.

Mackenzie, the artist

Mackenzie has always had a knack for art

projects. She loves to draw, paint, write, and

sculpt. In her 2nd grade class she gets to buy

things from "the store" periodically after

having earned money for good behavior. She

consistently brings home "crafty" stuff and

usually clay. She could spend hours, literally,

molding and shaping and then reshaping this

clay to make just the right creation. I envy

her determination and her creativity. Who

knows, maybe one day Mackenzie's name

will be known around the world.

Adventures in a Pilot

True to our habits, we found our new car on
Ebay. This one was for sale in Westerville, Ohio,
which is just on the NE side of Columbus. We
started bidding and doing our research on the
dealership, the car, our trade- in , etc. So, on
Saturday, the 16th of February, we drove to
Columbus and bought this car. We got a great
deal and we were starting to get excited about
the next chapter in our car lives.
We left the dealership at 5pm and headed back to
Indy. At 5:15pm while driving southbound on I-270
we were involved in a hit and run. I was driving the
car and we were on a 4 lane highway. The far
left lane was ending and I was in the far left 3rd lane.
The 4th lane ended and Nathan told me to watch
out as a black Grand Prix came up on my
drivers side and sideswiped and dented my new car!!!!
I swerved and slammed on brakes and pulled
over to the left shoulder and the
Grand Prix took off. Nathan called 911 and told me to
chase the guy down. So off we go trying to catch the
idiot who just hit our new car while Nate is trying to
tell the dispatcher where we are. We followed him for
2-3 miles and then after I honked he pulled over. The
police showed up soon after and the other driver actually
had to nerve to say it was my fault. Yes, my fault as I chase
you down and call 911. Unfortunate for him, he didn't
have a drivers license so he was arrested. We were all
pretty shaken up from the whole experience. Mackenzie
was crying as the police officer arrested the man. It
provided one, of I'm sure many, teaching moments for us
regarding adherence to the laws of the land. Shortly after
the officer arrested the hit and run driver, another car
pulled off to the side of the road. It was the brother of the man
who'd hit our car and 3 other people. Well, this guy was driving
without a license too so he was arrested as well. YIKES!@!

After about an hour we were released by the
police officer. After having taken both of our
statements and looking at the damage to both
vehicles the officer was more inclined to believe
my story.

Apparently the other driver was from Indiana.
The officer said that was "funny." I kindly informed
him there was not anything "funny" about this
experience. We drove home and made it without
further incident, thank goodness.
As I have reflected on the crazy events of that 15 seconds,
I am so GRATEFUL. Annoyed, yes. But keenly aware
of how lucky we are to be alright. I truly believe had
we been in our Expedition and had the same experience,
we would have rolled it. We are lucky the guy we
were chasing down the highway didn't pull a
gun out and shoot us. But most of all, I'm grateful for
the reminder of how precious time is here in
mortality and how quickly things can change.
I am so thankful for my family.
I love them and although I'd like to never repeat
this experience, I appreciate the reaffirmation I have
had regarding how much they all truly mean to me.
We got a phone call today from the police officer letting
us know that the other driver had been charged with
improper lane change and driving without a license,
so we are optomistic that his insurance will cover our
repairs. Yes, he was insured, another blessing.
So... what an adventure. We will never forget this
new car buying experience and I think we all look
forward to many more "adventures" in our Pilot but
hopefully they will be less "scary."

"Ode" to the Expedition

My friend Sara recently published
an "ode" to a vehicle on her blog and
I loved the idea so here is my "ode" to
our Expedition. First off, a little background.
In January of 2004 we purchased a '97
Ford Expedition on Ebay. We were living
in North Canton, Ohio at the time and the
car was sold to us by an owner in Witchita,
Kansas. Nathan flew to Kansas and paid the
man and drove our new car home. Sound crazy?
Perhaps, but what a car. I loved that car.
After we had owned it for a few months it would
occasionally, on super cold Ohio days, make a
noise similar to the noise the car on "Chitty,
Chitty, Bang, Bang." My kids love that movie and
therefore decided to name our Expedition, "Chitty."
I have picked up every one of my kids from
Kindergarten in "Chitty." We have taken numerous
friends and family members with us to various
places in "Chitty" because we could all fit. I have driven
back and forth to Ohio safley in "Chitty." We have had
great teaching moments, not so great parenting moments,
and many found memories in "Chitty."


I took the car in to get the oil changed and the tires
rotated and the mechanics told me that we needed to
have some brake work done and we needed new tires.
Nathan and I decided that it was probably not worth it
to put a ton of money into an eleven year old car with
135,000 miles on it. So we decided to trade it in for
a 2004 Honda Pilot.

It was an emotional day at the dealership.
Mackenzie did not want to sell "Chitty."
And quite frankly, I had mixed emotions as well.
My practical side was sure we were doing the
right thing, it just made sense. But another side
of me really loved that car. What is it about a car
that makes us so attached sometimes? in the time
I have thought about it the more I'm convinced it
is because we spend so much time in our vehicles.
Running errands, driving car pool, family vacations,
deliveries, etc. And, at least for us, we were able to
spend a lot of family time in this one. I will always
remember our ebay expedition, "Chitty,"
and the good times we had in it.

Valentine's Day

On the eve of Valentine's Day I set the table
for breakfast and try to make it really nice.
The kids asked why we only use the nice stuff
on Valentine's, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I do it because I remember my mom making a
big deal out of Valentine's day. We always had a
red table cloth for dinner and there was a special
surprise under our dinner plates that I looked
forward to getting. The past 2 years I have had so
much fun deciding what to get the kids for a special gift.
Two years ago it was lightsabers.. last year it was Harry
Potter wands. This year it was just a box of chocolates.
Kind of lame... but we did have strawberry milk for breakfast
and heart shaped sugar cookies with pink frosting.

I don't think the kids were too disappointed
with the hearts...but then again who doesn't
like chocolate?

While I was at the grocery store on
Wednesday morning I found a great
deal on flowers. So for $1.49 I bought
this bouquet of flowers. The kids were
wondering who brought us flowers
because they are kind of a rarity around our
house. Especially fresh flowers. Nathan used to
bring me flowers all the time for no reason
at all and because I have inherited some
crazy practical gene... I would complain
that he was wasting money on something
that would die in just a few days. Needless to say
Nathan no longer brings me flowers. Lesson to be
learned, just be grateful he's thoughtful and forget
about the money.

Dinner Drama

Tonight we had chicken pot pie for dinner. It is a freezer meal that we have eaten before. Dayton, Alexa, and Mackenzie, amazingly, have opinions regarding what we eat for dinner and they are quite vocal with those opinions. Needless to say, tonight no one was excited about dinner. Dayton adn Mackenzie were taking forever to eat and I was threatening "no dessert." After Dayton's 3rd or 4th bite he looks at me and says, "Mommy, when was the first time you thinked of this recipe in your brain?" I supressed a laugh and told him that this was a recipe from Sister Norton, sorry Traci not Dayton's favorite. Mackenzie requested that we "Never have to eat this dinner again." Alexa liked everything but the crust. Oh how grateful I am that my kids do have opinions and are capable of expressing those opinions...however, sometimes I just wish every night could have dinner comments like this: "Mom, this is the best dinner ever. Thanks for making us such yummy food!" Maybe if I was better at thinking up recipes in my brain I would get those comments on a more frequent basis.

"Science Works"

Dayton came home from school today with some
new books from the library.
He was very excited about a science experiment book.
He decided to participate in some of his
own "experiments."
First he used a glass of water and several
objects to see what sinks and what floats.
Then he became interested in magnets
and invited us to attend his show,
"Science Works." It was really fun to see
him get excited about something.

He asked for volunteers from the audience
and Mackenzie was more than happy to
help out. She was the entertainment
while Dayton got ready for the next part
of his show. I think she has a future in acting.
She was pretending to be an "old granny" and
was using a funny high pitched, slightly scarry voice.
It was entertainment. For one of Dayton's experiments
he figured out how to "magically" lift up
a towel or napkin by just putting a magnet on top of the object.
He liked listening to the sound he could
make by putting the cups over his ears.
Not to mention it is a funny looking
picture, but what a cute kid.

Mom.. Please, Please, Please can I adopt a rat?

Are you kidding me? Do you not know that I have serious aversions to rodents? Alexa came home from school today with a paper explainning that her class just received 2 white albino rats to be used for a nutrition experiement in class. Apparently, after the experiment the rats will be up for adoption and Alexa's life will be over if she can't be the adoptive parent. I wish I could have video footage of the pleading in her voice and eyes. I calmly tried to explain to Alexa the expense any pet brings with it and asked how she planned to fund this new pet. She was not quick with any suggestions. Mackenzie was quite clever in her roll as the "peanut gallery" informing Alexa and the rest of us that rats are dirty and we have a dog to think about. After posing the request to Nathan, I am still not ready to cave in and let her adopt a rat. However, I may be open to a weekend baby-sitting experience:)