The girls

Abby has really been started to talk lately and has been cracking us up! She says the funniest things. She always tells me what she wants to do by using 2-3 short sentences, like "Daddy, you roll. I jump. You roll". That means she wants to play steamroller on the bed where I roll from one side of the bed and she has to jump over me to avoid getting "steamrolled"! She also really, really loves to go places with me. Every time she hears that Jack and I are going somewhere, she always comes running and says, "Daddy, I go with you???" I usually can't take her because they are getting ready to do something else like take a nap or go someplace with Mommy, but the other night I took the kids shopping for Missy's birthday presents and after about 2 hours at the mall, they were getting really tired and fussy so I decided to skip the last place I wanted to go (Best Buy) and just take them home. Well, on the way home, I called Missy and asked her if I could drop the girls off and take Jack to Best Buy since I knew it would be hard for me to get another chance to go before her birthday. Well, as soon as Abby heard me say that, she said, "Daddy, can I go with you?" I asked Ally if she wanted to go and she didn't so I dropped Ally off and Jack, Abby, and I went to Best Buy to get Missy's IPod radio transmitter for her van. Jack and Abby had the best time playing Xbox and WII and watching the other kids play.

Ally is such a princess! Every time I come home from work, she's got a dress on with high-heels, a crown, and some kind of scarf or sash. She does not care one bit about playing with Jack or Abby – she is completely content sitting in the rocking chair and watching TV! She reminds us to Emily Blake. That girl can sit and watch TV for hours and never get bored. Jack and Abby are bored and looking for something else to do after an hour at most. I really try to find other things for them to do when I'm home. I don't like her to watch that much TV, so I try to take them upstairs to wrestle or go outside to ride their bikes if it's nice. Ally is also such a sweet girl and I finally have my cuddler! She even purrs when you hold her! She grabs her blankie and puts her thumb in her mouth and just purrs when you cuddle with her. She is so sweet. Last night she was being a hard-headed about going to bed so I told her, "OK, we're going to do it the hard way" and picked her up and carried her upstairs. At first she was crying and telling me she didn't want to go to bed, but about half way upstairs she put her head on my shoulder and said, "Daddy, I love you". Those moments are what life is all about!

OBAMA WINS!!!!!

This is one of the most important and historic nights in my family's life and I am so elated at this moment. They just announced on the news that Barack Obama was won 283 electoral votes (270 are needed to win) so he will be the next President of the United States!!! Our country is in complete shambles right now and we desperately need someone to change things for the better and Missy and I both think Obama will do it. I just watched McCain's concession speech in Arizona and it was truly one of the most impressive speeches I have ever heard. McCain is truly a great American and I have the utmost respect for him. The crowed boooed several times during his speech when he mentioned Obama or Biden, but McCain hushed them and brought everyone together and said he was proud of Obama for winning by such a wide and decisive margin. Americans spoke loudly and clearly tonight and the Democrats won a landslide victory. I am so hopeful and thankful for the future of our country right now. I think Obama will fix the economy, turn around our devalued dollar, help us rid our dependence on foreign oil, clean up the environment, get us out of Iraq, help us develop alternative, renewable energy sources, and end global warming. This is truly a great day for the country and my family.

Well, we tried...

First things first... Missy thought I was wrong about something and I ended up being right and that doesn't happen very often so I wanted to blog about that too... We headed out to vote and I started heading down Lincoln Ave. towards Bell Road. Missy immediately said, "Where are you going?" I said, "To vote!" She said, the library is down by the river on Market Street. I said, "No, it's on Bell Ave. by Schnucks". She said, "No, there's only one library in Warrick County and it's down by the river". Well, we went back-and-forth a while and finally I just gave in (because she's only right about 99% of the time) and headed downtown. She decided to go in first to vote while I waited in the van with the kids. About 2 minutes later I saw her come back out of the library with a HUGE smile on her face. It was a smile I had only seen a couple of times in my life and I immediately knew what had happened... I was right and we couldn't vote there!!! I immediately jumped out of the van and started dancing my butt off in the parking lot!!! We both cracked up and she said that the lady told her they just built a new library and moved the voting to it. She asked where it was and the lady told her it was ON BELL AVENUE BY SCHNUCKS!!!! Awesome...

Anyway, we went to the new library and went inside and there were about 30-40 people in line so we asked the guy how long it was taking and he said 30-35 minutes, so since we had the kids with us, we decided to try another night. Hopefully the lines will get shorter over the next couple of days and we'll be able to vote early. They said the early voter turnout is incredible and we definitely experienced that tonight. This really is a historic election.

We're voting tonight!!!

We're taking the kids to the library tonight and voting early for the first time in our lives. I think this is probably the most important election in my life and I feel very, very, VERY strongly that we need the change that Barack Obama will bring to the White House. Our economy is on the verge of probably the worst depression since the Great Depression, our dollar is at historic lows, inflation is out of control, and we've got to do something to stop the bleeding of $10 Billion per month for the war in Iraq. I honestly think we'll be better off with either candidate than we were with George W. Bush, but I just feel like our family will be better off with a Democrat in the office, so I'm voting for Barack. Missy doesn't follow politics as closely as I do and doesn't feel as strongly as I do, so she may not agree with me and that's fine. I know she likes Sarah Palin, so she may vote for McCain. Either way, we hope to teach the kids that voting is an important part of Democracy by taking them with us and letting them watch us vote.

Whew! What a weekend!

I worked non-stop from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening and I think I got more yard work done this weekend than ever before, so I wanted to capture it so I don't forget how much I can do if I set my mind to it! Here's what I did this weekend:

• Cleaned all of the leaves out of the pool in preparation for closing in tomorrow
  
• Went to Home Depot with Mike Coomes to rent an aerator
  
• Went to Rural King to get some straw
  
• Cut the grass (Missy trimmed)
  
• Coached Jack's game at noon on Saturday
  
• Aerated the whole yard
  
• Over-seeded the whole yard
  
• Used the aerator to till up the dirt behind the pool by the new vinyl fence
  
• Raked the dirt to loosen it up
  
• Spread seeds over the dirt
  
• Spread straw over the seeds
  
• Watered the seeds twice each day
  
• Winterized the jet ski and took it to Blake's for winter storage
  
• Cleaned up all the leaves behind the house
  
• Tried to fix the leaking faucet behind the house but couldn't so I tightened it which seemed to help
  
• Trimmed all the bushes around the house and tried to remove most of the leaves so they wouldn't fall off into the landscaping rocks
  
• Trimmed the little evergreen tree in the back (first time I've ever trimmed it!)
  
• Cut down the annual landscaping behind the pool
  
• Went to Home Depot and bought the tools I needed to fix the roof
  
• Fixed 4 broken shingles on the roof from the hurricane Ike wind storm (that was FREEKIN SCARY!!!)
  

Maybe this will be the worst thing he ever telIs me...

My son is totally in love with this girl in his class named Ella! That's literally all he talked about this past weekend. He kept saying he wanted to go to school so he could see her and play with her and KISS HER!!! It was very funny and cute. But the best thing he said was when we were riding in my truck on the way to T-Time to play golf. We were talking about her and he said, "Dad, I have to tell you something, but it's very bad…" So I said, "Uh-oh, what is it???" And then he said, "No, never mind, I can't tell you – it's too bad…" So I said, "It's OK buddy, I won't get mad at you." And he said, "No way Dad. I can't tell you this - you'll get mad!" So I kept trying and trying to talk him into telling me and he just wouldn't budge. Finally, he said, "OK, if I tell you, will you promise to not tell Mommy???" I said, "Yes, I promise I won't tell Mommy." So he said, "OK, here it is…"


"Ella… is beautiful TO MY EYES!!!"


Is that great or what???

Chillin at the Jameson Inn courtesy of Hurrican Ike

We went camping this weekend and got up early Sunday morning and checked the weather forecast b/c we knew there was a possibility of rain today and Missy said there were some storms coming right at us, so we packed up as quickly as we could and got the heck out of there! It was VERY windy driving home and the camper was getting blown all over the road but we made it home safe and sound. About 30 min. later, the wind really picked up and started blowing like crazy. Our power went out shortly after that. We didn't think much about it and figured it would be back on in a few hours, so we went out to eat at Logan's for Lori's birthday. We got home about 7:00pm and the power was still out, so we decided to get a hotel for the night. We packed all our stuff up and headed out to find a place to stay. We eventually found a place at the Jameson Inn on GRR. It's a very nice room and we got the RC rate of $69, so it's not too bad. The kids were kind'of excited about the whole thing, but a little scared by the darkness at home before we left. We were FINALLY able to watch the news and see what was going on with hurricane Ike and the strong winds from today and to our amazement, there are an estimated 40,000 people without power in Evansville today, so it might be a LONG TIME before we get our power back. They said the crews are going to be working around the clock this week, but it might be Wed. or Thurs. before everyone has power again. It should be an interesting week!

“Is that your little helper?”

Well, it finally happened… I've thought about this many times since Jack was born and really couldn't understand why it has never happened to me. Maybe it was a thing of the past and something that just isn't "in vogue" today... Maybe I always seem too stressed-out or rushed and people don't feel like they can approach me… Maybe Dad was just a more charismatic guy that people liked to talk to… Maybe people just aren't as friendly as they used to be… I remember it happening to Dad almost every time he took us somewhere. I remember it happening to Dad EVERY SINGLE TIME he took us to Kuesters Hardward on South Weinbach by East Side Marine. Someone would always ask Dad if Greg and I were his little helpers and he would smile real big, look down at us, pat us on the head or rub our shoulders and say, "Yep, they're my little helpers." It always made me feel so good that Dad actually thought we were helping him when, Lord knows, it was usually just the opposite! Well, tonight, Jack and I went to Sam's to pick up some things for Missy and as we were checking out, Jack was helping me take the items out of the cart and put them on the conveyor belt. All of a sudden, I heard someone behind me say, "Is that your little helper?" It took me a few seconds to realize they were talking to me and when I turned around, there was about a 70 year old man smiling at me and waiting for me to answer him. I said with great pride and a huge smile on my face, "Yep, that's my little helper!!!"

What a difference a day makes!

Today was MUCH better. I was so afraid he wouldn't try again today but was up and ready and excited. Yesterday, I called the bus driver and told him he needed to sit up front and that he was lost. The bus driver told me that he makes 2 stops...the first one is for the older kids (that's the one Jack got off at yesterday) and then the second one for Kindergarteners, 1st and 2nd graders so Jack got off at the wrong spot. I told him if Jack hadn't been in the back of the bus with the big kids then he wouldn't have followed them out! I told Jack all that and then we went down the street last night and knocked on some doors and introduced Jack to a couple little kids that ride the bus so he would know someone. So, this morning, he was ready to go and we waited at the end of the driveway. I was praying he wouldn't start crying and say NO! As I got him on the bus, the driver had saved the front row for him and he said "Is this right Mommy?" I said yes. I then met him at school and saw them stop at the 1st stop and then pull up to the 2nd stop and I waited right there. He came running full speed off the bus yelling "Mommy, I did it!". I was so relieved and proud of him. I told him to now take me to his class since I won't be there tomorrow. He slowly walked in that direction looking at every door and when he found the Kindergarten area, he got so excited and started giggling. He was so proud of himself and it made my day!

When I picked him up today, he said "Mom, you need to just go straight to work tomorrow and tell Grandma not to meet me at school!". He's all grown up now!

Jack started Kindergarten today! :-(

Well, the day started off great. Jack was so excited. He looked adorable. Jeff and I both stayed home to get him on the bus. We waited on the front porch until we saw the bus and then he went to the driveway and waited to get on. I swear, 10 minutes before the bus got there, he looked so old and big and then immediately looked so little. I had told him that he would be sitting in the front of the bus and the bus driver would talk to him when he got on. Well, Jeff and I stood up by the garage and he got on. The bus driver just said HI and then Jack started walking and had to go all the way to the back. Not a big deal but I felt like he was not prepared for that and searching for a seat. I immediately started crying. I immediately jumped in the van to get to school to take pics of him getting off the bus and going to class. Yesterday at orientation, his teacher told us where the bus would drop them off and it was right by the Kindergarten classrooms. We practiced the route so he'd know where to go. Well, I barely got to the school in time to take pics of him getting off the bus. I couldn't even get up to the bus before it stopped and opened its door. Unfortunately, it stopped at a different door further away from the Kindergarten classes. So, I took some pics from further away and then went in the door that we thought Jack would go in. I waited for a while and then started headed towards the direction that Jack came in. As I was walking that way, Jack came around the corner holding a teachers hand crying his eyes out. He didn't even see me and I figured he was just missing us or something. So, I went up to them and he just looked at me. The teacher said he got off the bus and got confused following the other kids (since he was one of the last ones off). He started to cry and went up to her and said "I'm lost and I'm in Mrs. Faulkenberg's class." When she told me that (and as I sit here and type this) I immediately started to tear up. We just talked to Jack and the teacher told him he did such a great job. We got to the Kindergarten area and she told Jack her name and said she'd come back and visit him later. When we finally got to his classroom, his teacher just looked and me and I told her what happened. This whole time, Jack isn't saying anything and just crying a little. His teacher told him he did the right thing and that now that he's had a tour of the school, he's ready to have fun in her class. He picked out his seat and I asked the little boy next to him his name (Ethan) and introduced Jack to him. He was trying hard not to cry but was just shrugging his shoulders from crying. He sat down and I said "can I take your picture?" He looked up at me and tried to smile. I told him I had to leave and hugged him and said I'd be back soon. He just sat there very quiet and never said a word and tried not to cry. My heart was breaking for him. I cannot stop crying here at work. I cannot wait to get back and get him. I prayed that the first day of everything would go off without a hitch. I'm a little worried about tomorrow now...

Bram and Ally

7/20/08 - We had the Blakes and Devonshires over to swim on a hot summer day. Later in the afternoon, Ally and Bram sat on the back step for at least 30 minutes having a conversation. Abram, told him to get her number before they left so Bram said "What's your number?" and Ally said "3"! The next night, Bram wanted to call Ally and this is an email from Nicky telling me how their conversation went...

When Bram was first trying to tell me that he wanted to call Ally, he said, "I want to call that one girl." I asked what one girl and he said, "Abby's friend." I dialed the number once and he grabbed the phone from me and hung up and then started saying, "No, no! Her number is 3!"

So funny! They talked on the phone for a while!!

Ally got her first call from a boy today!

The phone rang this evening and I answered it and heard a little voice say, "Can I please talk to Ally?" So I went upstairs and gave the phone to Ally and she was smiling from ear-to-ear! It was Bram!!! He asked Nicky if he could call Ally so she dialed the number and he said, "No Mom, her number is 3"!!! She said, "Hi", "What you doing", and "Hello" about 6 times and then said, "You wanna talk to Abby?" and handed the phone to her sister. It was very cute.

Honey, you’re awesome!

Missy's in Wabash, IN this week for work and I've been taking care of all 3 kids by myself and I just wanted to write a quick note about how neat this experience has been for me for many reasons. I've really enjoyed spending so much time with the kids and learning how to take care of them. I help as much as I can around the house, but doing EVERYTHING by myself with no one here to tell me how to do it and to show me where things are, has been a fun challenge! I have also enjoyed the new-found level of respect I have for everything Missy does. I really, truly don't ever take her for granted and I tell her as often as I can how much I appreciate everything she does, but NOW I REALLY KNOW! Thank you honey! You are the backbone, heartbeat, and lifeblood of our family and we all, really appreciate you and everything you do.

NOW HURRY HOME!!!

Proof that a Father should not be taking care of 3 kids by himself!!!

I dropped the kids off at Marlena's house this morning then headed to work at Atlas (by the airport). I had made it almost the whole way to work, but got stopped by the light at 41 and Lynch. Suddenly I noticed in my rear-view mirror that the motorcycle behind me was getting closer and closer to my back bumper. Then he rolled up beside me and came right up to my window and made a motion for me to roll down the window. So I did and he said, "Hey buddy, did you know you have a little pink umbrella stuck under your truck???" I had no idea what he was talking about so I pulled over into Whirlpool's parking lot and looked under the truck and sure enough, there was Ally's pink umbrella wedged under the driveshaft and dragging on the ground! I guess I backed over it this morning and dragged it all the way to
work!

Mommy’s out of town all week… :(((

Missy left for training in Wabash Indiana last night and the kids and I already really miss her… We had a good night last night but during dinner, Jack asked how many days until Mommy gets home. I told him 4 days and then started talking to Ally. I looked back at him a few seconds later and he had his head in his hands… I said, "What's wrong buddy?" and he looked up with tears in his eyes and said, "I really missy Mommy and want her to come back home". Poor guy… The girls each said they wanted their Mommy too and kept asking when she's going to be home. Unfortunately, I went on our guy's golf trip to Brown County this past weekend and was gone from Fri. morning to Sunday afternoon about 1:00pm. We had to take Missy to Jaci's house at 3:30 so I barely got to talk to her before she left. This has definitely been one of the hardest couple of months in our history as a family with all the traveling and events we've had going on. I sure miss her too and can't wait for things to calm down.

“Daddy, I love you…”

Abby's such a sweet girl. She has started this habit of coming to see me right before she goes to bed, and giving me a big hug and big kiss and saying, "Daddy, I love you…" It's so sweet and just warms my heart. I can hardly ever get her to give me a hug or kiss during the day, but for some reason, she's very loving right before bed. It's great, I love it, and I hope she keeps it up!!!

No wonder Jack got a 22 on his 3rd golf tournament!

Grammie cracks me up! She took Jack to his 3^rd golf tournament at Tee Time on Tues, June 17, 2008. He got a 24 on his first tournament at Wesselmans, but cut his score in half on his second tournament at Tee Time with a 12!!! Well, we were kind'of puzzled when he got a 22 on his 3^rd tournament, but figured he just didn't try too hard and Grammie didn't remind him to take practice swings and tell him what clubs to tell him to use.

Well, Jack told us when he got home that he hit it the wrong direction on the 3^rd hole, so we were beginning to see what went wrong… Then I get this email from Grammie today:

The people at the golf course knew Jack from the time before, when he won the trophy, and were bragging about what a good golfer he is. They all remarked how good his swing is. He would have done better, I'm sure, had you or Greg been there to help him. I will know better next time, and we WILL win a trophy. Plus, don't say anything, but I think the other parents were cheating on the score because I counted every swing, and noticed that they counted only the swings that the kids made contact with. But, of course, I didn't want to say anything to anyone.

She cracks me up! Of course you don't have to count every swing! There's no telling what score Jack really got, but all that really matters is that he had fun and he did. He was very excited about spending the day with Grammie and doing all kinds of crazy things.

Grammie, we love you!!!

It's Potty Time!

Started really working with the girls on potty training last Monday, June 9th. They've been doing really well. Today, both girls pooped on the potty (Abby at Hacienda!). Abby is great at just pulling down her panties and shorts, going on the little potty, pulling everything back up and going about her business. Ally has to be reminded more and doesn't even mind wearing poop in her panties! We've (me and Mom) decided that Pull Ups are no better than diapers and went straight to panties. We've got until mid-August to get them trained so they can start Totten Hall! Oh the joys of parenthood!!

Jack’s First Golf Trophy!

Jack had his first golf tournament last Monday at Wesselman's and ended up with a 24 for 3 holes. Missy said he did a good job driving the ball off the tee, but would take 5-6 shots to get it on the green and 3-4 putts to get it in. Well, they didn't realize until the end that the first 3 finishers got trophies and Jack didn't get one! A boy named Zeke Neihouse got a 13 and got 1^st place, and his buddy Ethan Elkins got a 19 and got 3^rd place, but Jack was very confused when he didn't get one. He always got a trophy with his other sports (soccer and TBall), so Missy explained that not everyone gets a trophy in golf – you have to get one of the top 3 scores. Well, he was determined after that to practice and get better. Missy took him to Dick's Sporting Goods to get his birthday present a little early this year – a new set of clubs. His current set only included 3 clubs: a driver, a putter, and a 6-iron and they were too small for him anyway. His new set is for 6-9 year olds so he'll be able to use those for several years. He was very, very excited about his new clubs and asked me every day after work to go play, but we only made it out one time. He did a lot better though and was chipping and putting much better now that he knew how important it was.

Well, I was able to go with him yesterday at Tee Time. It was a hot day and was very crowded since it was a Saturday. They moved the tee boxes up a little for the 5-6 year olds so that probably helped a bit too. He started off with a very good hit and his ball landed on the green! The other 2 boys were close but not on the green. Jack didn't putt too well though and ended up with a 4. One other boy got a 3, so I was very proud of him for getting such a good score, but figured he'd still end up with an 18-19. Well, he hit his next shot very well too and chipped it right onto the green! Then he knocked it in with 2 putts! Now he had 2, 4's in a row and we were really getting excited! The other boy got a 4 too, so Jack was one down. The last hole was the longest and he hit a great 9 iron which landed about 3 feet from the green. He putted it from there and ended up with another 4!!! We were all really excited at this point. The other boy ended up with a 5 on the last hole so we knew he and Jack had tied. We were the first 5-6 y/o group to finish so we went to the clubhouse and turned in his score-sheet. Jack and Mason Auker were tied with 12's! It took quite a while for the other boys to turn in their sheets, and I was in agony when they did. We knew a 12 was a very good score, but we figured one of the other boys would do even better and get a 10 or 11. We watched the scorekeeper write the scores on the board and my heart sank a couple of times when he wrote what looked like a 10 but ended up being an 18! We were super-excited when they wrote the last score and Jack and Mason had tied for the lead! The boy keeping score said they had 2 options to settle the tie: a Western Draw or a chipping contest and he was going to do a chipping contest b/c it was more exciting! If he had done a Western Draw, Jack would have won b/c he got a 4 on the last hole and Mason had a 5! Well, Mason went first and chipped it about 5-6 feet from the hole. Jack went next and just barely hit it – not a good shot at all. It rolled up to the green and a few feet on the green, but Mason clearly won. It was pretty exciting and we all clapped and cheered for both boys. Then they announced the winners and read each boy's name and gave them their trophies. I don't think I've ever seen Jack so proud! He knew he had truly earned that trophy and not every kid got one. Hearing his name and seeing his proud smile was by far the best Father's Day present I got this year!

Jack Graduated from Totten Hall!! :-(

Well, after 2 yrs, the day finally came…Jack graduated from Totten Hall Preschool!! He was so excited and they practiced so hard to prepare. I was dreading it and took a box of Kleenex’s! I had helped set up the night before so KC Bennett went over and reserved seats for us that night so we had great seats!! I went early and then Mom, Katie, Jan, Jeff and the girls and Dad followed closely behind. As soon as the music started playing for them to walk in in their little green caps and gowns, I started getting teary-eyed. I just couldn’t believe Jack was that old. They sang several sweet songs and Jack was all smiles. Once done with the songs, all the classes sat down except for Mrs. Virden/Mrs. Wheatley’s. They then asked the mother of each child to come up front and get in line down the center aisle. The children all had large flowers made of tissue paper to give us. I was about 4th in line and was fighting tears so hard just waiting my turn. As I stepped up and Jack came down, I knelt down and he hugged me and gave me my flower. I cried and told him how much I loved him. We went back to our seats and the children then got their diplomas. Again, Jack was all smiles. He couldn’t have been any happier. After their class was all done, they sat down and each class went through the same routine. After all classes were done, they played a very emotional slideshow of pictures with 2 songs playing in the background. Not sure what the first one was but the second one was “Let Them Be Little” by Billy Dean. I was sobbing through it. The pictures were so sweet and really showed how special Totten Hall really is. Well, when the lights came back on, Mom said to me “Missy, Jack is crying.” I went up to check on him and he was crying so hard. They were going back to the altar to sing 2 more songs. Jack said “Mommy, I can’t do it” and I told him he could and hugged him tight. He went up there and sang the last 2 songs just sobbing with his shoulders going up and down. After the 2 songs, they went out and then came back in for pictures. He was still crying when he came back in and Mrs. Virden said that he said "I can't leave Totten Hall because that's where all my friends and family are." It broke my heart. He’s such an emotional child and truly gets so upset. I think it was the sad song on the video just like with Mom’s retirement party but he could not stop crying. We took several pictures afterwards with him looking so sad. We then headed over to the Parish Hall for a reception where he livened up. He had cake and punch and then got presents from Grandma and Papaw and Grammie. He was very excited about that. He kept telling me “Mommy, I tried so hard not to cry but just couldn’t help it.” I felt so bad for him. I just wanted to go home and snuggle with him and ask God to please stop the growing up process now! But, instead of doing that, I rushed them home to stay with Jan (Mom had to go do something with her Mom) and rushed them in the door and ran out to get to work. When I got to work, I just cried because I had such regret for doing that and not just taking the day off. It just made it seem like any other day and it wasn't. We did take them to Chuck E Cheese's last night and told the worker girl that we were there celebrating Jack's graduation so he was pretty excited about that. Sometimes I just hate working and always being in a hurry...hard day! Needless to say, it was a very hard, emotional day but Jack is now very excited about Kindergarten at Newburgh Elementary and being a Wildcat! He’s going in the mornings and his teacher is Mrs. Faulkenberg. He passed his Lollipop screening with flying colors (and of course was the first one done!). The next Friday after graduation, Jack and I made a “chain” to count down the days to Kindergarten just like they do at school. That day, he only had 95 days to go! He’s getting so big…it’s sad!!!!!!!

I lub dancin witchu Daddy!

American Idol was on tonight and they were singing Neil Diamond songs. The kids were running around, dancing, and acting crazy like they always do when we're trying to watch a show… Finally a slow song came on and I stood up and went over Ally and asked her if she wanted to dance with me… She said "No" immediately so I asked her again and she shook her head "no" again, but then she finally realized what I was asking her so she said "Yes!" I picked her up and we started dancing and spinning around in circles and she was cracking up! She said, "I lub dancin witchu Daddy!" and melted my heart.

7 outs in one inning!!!

Jack had the best game of his life yesterday! I'm not sure if they got 7 outs all year last year, but that boy played one inning at pitcher and threw 7 runners out at first base!!! It was absolutely amazing!!! Aiden Graper was playing first base. He's the best catcher on the team and Jack is the best thrower on the team, so the two of them together was an unbeatable combination. Brian and I were looking at each other and cracking up! We started to get a little uncomfortable at one point because only a couple kids got on base and the parents on the other team were starting to grumble! It was awesome.

An email from Mrs. Wheatley

Today, while unloading our flowers, I noticed that Mrs. Virden pulled a hanging plant aside and Mrs. Wheatley had a fern. So, I told Kairon that I wanted to buy each one for them for all they do! Here's an email from Mrs. Wheatley!

**************************************************

On Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 2:09 PM, David & Sherri Wheatley wrote:
Missy & Jack,

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I just hung my ferns and they look awesome. I hung the fern you & Jack gave me on my back porch (that was very bare) and it just made the whole room...everytime I walk out there I will think of my Jumping Jack Patterson! I will miss him...he has been a blast this year and the class would NOT have been the same without him!!

Sincerely,
Sherri Wheatley

**************************************************

My reply:
We are so happy you love the fern! Luckily the girls will be around next year but I can't imagine Jack going anyplace else. It still breaks my heart and graduation is going to be so hard! I know I've said it before but Jack is a music kid and I love it that you encourage that and allow him to
blossom. He's a very lucky boy!

Thanks again for all you do!!
Missy and Jack

5.4 Earthquake this morning!

We had a very scary experience this morning. At about 4:30 am, Missy woke up in a panic and said "Get up there's a tornado"!!! The house was shaking like crazy and (thinking it was a tornado) it seemed like the roof was about to come off any second. So we ran into the kids' rooms and grabbed them out of bed and ran downstairs to hide in the closet under the stairs. I had Jack's hand and pulled him down the stairs and Missy ran into the girls' room to get both of them out of bed. She shouted "Just throw that stuff out of that closet", so I started pulling stuff out and throwing it across the room. By the time I had cleared it out enough for all 5 of us to get in, the shaking stopped and it then it was completely silent. Eventually we realized there was no wind, no rain, and no thunder or lightning! So I went outside and it was a silent, peaceful, calm (and dark) morning. It finally hit me that we had just been through an EARTHQUAKE!!! Missy and all the kids were crying, so it was definitely a very scary event. I looked down and Abby and she said, "I hold Daddy" so I picked her up and she was trembling like crazy.

When the news finally came on a 5:00 am, they started off right away with a breaking news story that there was a 5.4 earthquake near Mt Carmel, IL. Apparently that ties the record for the strongest earthquake on that fault line. They said it wasn't on the New Madrid fault, but another one I hadn't heard of. They were very flustered because it happened right before they were getting ready to go on the air. At first she (I think it was Angie Richards) said it lasted 10 minutes and I was shocked (and disappointed) at how long it took us to wake up, get the kids, and get downstairs. But eventually she corrected herself and said it lasted 10-20 seconds. We felt much better after that, because we had all the kids downstairs before the shaking stopped! Pretty good for 2 tired parents with 3 kids at 4:30 in the morning!

WOW...that's alot of words!

Well, where do I begin? It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything so there’s so much to write about if I can remember it all. Here goes!

Jack:
At 5 ½, this boy is growing every day. I swear he gets taller overnight. He’s like 45 inches tall and weighs about 53 lbs! He wears a 13 shoe!! He still loves school and usually stays at aftercare on Mondays and plays until the girls get up from nap.

Last week (Thursday, April 3), Jeff and I picked him up from school and went to Newburgh Elementary to Kindergarten Roundup. Jeff knows me well…he brought a box of tissues for me! :-) I did ok though because I didn’t have to leave him!! We had to sign in (all electronically) and then go to the library. The Principal just happened to be in there and walked us to the library. He told Jack that they had a #1 boys basketball team! Once in the library, I had to fill out lots of paperwork along with providing Jack’s birth certificate, Social Security card and immunization records. When filling out the paperwork, I started to get nervous about when filling out information about buses and lunch. I’m so afraid he’s going to get lost in the shuffle. He and Jeff sat and looked at books from the shelves. He was in heaven! Warrick County is still going to be half day Kindergarten next year so I’m a little worried about how I’m going to do it all. I requested mornings but we’ll see. If he goes in the morning, he can ride the bus to school which I would prefer because then I know he got to school. If he goes in the afternoon, he can ride the bus home and then I’ll worry about getting him from the bus stop to home when I’m at work! After we finished signing him up, we went to the Kindergarten area. They have a “Gathering” area that is brightly painted and then there are 2 classrooms. We went into both and he just played like he’s been going there forever. The rooms were definitely a lot bigger than TH so he’ll like that. We met both teachers and they were VERY nice. He has to go back Friday, May 9th at noon to take a Lollipop screening test and we’ll find out then if he’s morning or afternoon and which teacher he’ll get. As we were leaving, his final question was “Where are the basketball goals?”! He also found out that he would be a Wildcat so he was VERY excited to be a Wildcat like Troy from “High School Musical”. The next day, he told his friends and teachers at TH that his name was now Troy!! :-) We took a few pictures and he was very good. Another milestone with him…it’s so sad!

Jack’s about to start getting very busy! Tonight we start T-ball practice, and in May, he’s going to start playing golf with the Evansville Junior Golf Association. Jeff and he have been outside practicing baseball and Jeff just said last night that he’s going to be VERY good this year. I just hope he doesn’t hurt anyone!! They also went to play Par 3 a week or so ago and Jeff said he got a true Par 3. He’s just too good!

Things at Totten Hall are winding down. April 18th is his Spring Program and then May 14th is graduation. I’m so not going to be able to make it through that with dry eyes!

Abby:
Miss Abby is still a little pistol. She’s so funny. She rolls her eyes at you and when you ask her a question, she’s say “Ummm…NO!” She is horrible about running from me. Jeff said he’s a little worried that she won’t have many friends when she gets older because she’s a “loner” and just wants to play by herself. She gets irritated with people/things easily (not sure where she gets that!). When she gets mad, she squeals at the top of her lungs! When she does something wrong like pulls Ally’s hair, she just laughs and takes off running! We’re going to have our hands full! She’s such a pretty little girl. Her eyes are so pretty and she’s so petite. She now gets her hair trimmed about every 10 weeks. It’s growing…slowly but surely! Little Bit is now 2 ½ and weighs a whopping 25 lbs! She’s 34 inches tall and wears a size 6 shoe.

Ally:
Miss Ally is such a social butterfly. She always talks to people and answers for Abby. If someone asks her name, she says “I Ally Beth” and then says “Her Abby Dawn”. I’m a little afraid that Ally will always try to do the talking for Abby and Abby won’t be able to get more sociable. Ally’s hair is soooooo gorgeous. I’d kill for that hair! She loves her baby dolls and TV! When all 3 kids are playing, Ally does exactly what Jack does. She follows his every word. Abby could care less! She’s a talker for sure! I can’t even list the amount of things she is saying. Big Momma is now 2 ½ and weighs 33 lbs! She’s 37 inches tall and wears a size 7-8 shoe. Needless to say, she towers Abby!

Girls:
The girls are going to be starting Kindermusik in May. I think they are going to LOVE it…especially Ally. It’s a 5 week course so it’ll be quick and fun. Then, in the fall, they will start going 2 days a week to Totten Hall!! I cannot believe they are old enough to do that! Jane Hayes will be there teacher and they will love it. They are already so comfortable there that it’ll be no big deal (for them anyway!).

Dylen:
After being sick all Sunday night, February 10th, and going to her weekly appt on Monday, Lori’s doctor decided to go ahead and induce Monday night. She went to the hospital Monday night, February 11th, at 8pm to begin Cervidil. She was 1-2cm upon arrival and had light contractions throughout the night. At 6am Tuesday morning, February 12th, they finally started Pitocin. By 10am, she was 4cm and had her epidural. The baby's heart rate was great and she was completely comfortable. Well, at 5:00pm, when her doctor came to check on her, she was still 4-5cm! So, after another hour and a half, she and the doctor decided a C-Section was best. At 6:40, they had her all prepped and she was being wheeled back to the OR. At 7:30, Mom came out and said she had a beautiful baby boy...Dylen Michael, 7 lbs, 6 oz, 20 in, 7:05pm. He's an absolute beauty!! Our kids absolutely love him so much. Believe it or not, Abby is the best with him. She can’t keep her hands off him. He’s a very sweet baby and we love him so much!

Grandma Dot:
Back in February, Grandma Dot went for a routine Mammogram and they found a spot. After a biopsy, they found that it was breast cancer. She had immediate surgery to get it removed and they said they got it all. Needless to say, we were all very upset. But, things are good now. She refused Chemo and Radiation so we’ll just keep praying that everything stays this way!

Us:
We have several camping trips planned this summer already. We also have our annual Cardinals game planned. But, our big event is that we are going to Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica in November to celebrate Jeff’s 40th birthday! We are SOOOOOOO excited!! This is something I’ve always wanted to do and since we never had a honeymoon, this is finally it! We got the honeymoon suite and cannot wait!! It’s a 4 day trip right before Thanksgiving. We’ll miss the kiddos but we are really looking forward to it.

Jeff is helping coach Jack’s T-ball team again this year. I’m sure he’ll be involved in the Golf Assoc too. Jack keeps him on his toes!

We had all those pine trees pulled up last fall so this year, we are cleaning up and getting a fence put up. Needless to say, it’s always something and it’s always expensive! We also got a new Washer and Dryer and I love it (after Derr Heating and Air came out and cleaned out the pipes under the house)!

I still love my new job. It’s so different than my job at Berry. I’m definitely involved in LOTS of Internet decision making. Probably way more than I’m qualified to be involved in!

Jeff is working on the side building Vacation Rental websites. He’s hoping they really take off!

Guess that’s it for now. I know there’s so much more that I could write about what the kids are saying and doing but can’t remember it all right now. I need to do this more often!

Got this email reply from Grammie yesterday

Thanks for your kind words. Most of the time I felt pretty incompetent. I hate to see kids sit in front of the TV for hours on end, especially your three because they're exuberant about any little thing you do with them, and Jack's imagination is limitless. Glad they had as much fun as I did.

Love you, too


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Patterson" <jeffpat@gmail.com>
To: "Mom" <janlynch@wowway.com>
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 11:14 AM
Subject: Thanks Mom!

Hey Mom,

I just wanted to thank you for watching the kids this week. They had a really great time with all your activities! Thanks for trying to find things for them to do. I really appreciate all your hard work (and I know it was hard work!)

I love you!

Jeff

A story from Dad

Dad had collected a ton of orders for flowers from Totten Hall and I thanked him. Here's his reply!

"Believe it or not I remember when I was in Little League there was a contest each year on who could sell the most cans of salt & pepper for our fund raiser. Whoever did got their entry fee waived. My dad took it to Whirlpool a couple of years and I think everybody at Whirlpool bought cans of each. I don't know if I ever had to pay a fee when they had that incentive. Oh, the good ole days!!"

An email from Dad today

I don’t know if you have talked to your mom this afternoon but I stopped by the apartment right after the girls laid down so I went in to say hi to them before they went to sleep. Abby was sitting up and Ally was lying down. When they saw me they started talking but Ally never did sit up, I think she was ready for her nap. But Abby just started jabbering and when I told her I had to go back to work as your mom and I was closing the bedroom door she yelled papaw – when I turned around she had her thumb sticking up. It was hilarious. That girl is something else.

Giants stun the Patriots 17-14

I think I'm more depressed tonight than when the Colts lost in the playoffs… It's so sad to see the Patriots lose the last game of a perfect season. I feel sooo badly for Mom and Jake. I wanted sooo badly to be able to say I saw a history-making team play. They were the first team in 35 years to go undefeated for the whole season. The last team to do that was the 1972 Dolphins who went on to win the Super Bowl. It's just so hard to believe that it's over and they lost! How can this happen? The Giants defense was absolutely flawless. They sacked Brady like 5 times, hurried him like 12 times, and seemed like they had 3 extra guys on the field on every play! I think Greg said the Patriots were a 21-point favorite, so this was probably one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. We all went to Greg's house to watch the game, thinking it was going to be a fun-filled afternoon and a cake-walk game, but it didn't turn out that way at all…

It's a sad, sad day…

Missy started her new job today!!!

Missy had her first day at Escalade Sports today and it sounded like she had a very exciting day and is going to love it there. She went from meeting-to-meeting all day and really "hit the ground running!" She is already the owner of the SharePoint project and is getting very involved in the launch of the new Goalrilla website that DBD created for them. They are supposed to launch this Friday and have a big celebration party for the whole company and she's even going to go in on her "day off" for the event! She got a very sweet Dell Latitude laptop and a PIMP Blackberry Curve phone. She had her face in the phone reading email most of the evening tonight! I'm not so sure I'm going to like that every night? J I am very proud of her and think she's going to really shine in this position. I can tell she was very excited to be around *people* again and getting involved in the decision-making process. I can't wait to see her excel there and show everyone else (what I already know, which is) how talented she is! I sent her some flowers late last night to congratulate her and wish her the best on her first day, but I wasn't sure they would get to her! I forgot to tell them on the phone that she was a new employee and/or she worked in the IT department, so I was afraid the delivery person would get there and tell them they were for Missy Patterson and they'd send them away saying there was no person with that name in the company! But they arrived safely, and they were beautiful, and Missy was very happy to receive them.