Merry Christmas to All

As this year draws to a close, we would like to express our gratitude. We feel blessed to have family close and are thankful for all the tender moments we have together. Many special memories have been made this year and we are grateful that we were able to participate. We are thankful for our forefathers, who came to this country to escape religious persecution, and who may have fought for the freedoms we take for granted today.

Our year has been full of many events. Rebecca, Ashton and Talan were with us until recently when my brother came home from overseas. It has been an adjustment without them here everyday, kind of welcome, but a little sad.

In April we had a special celebration for our oldest, Lyndsey. She is very proud of her Hispanic heritage and requested a Quincenera. This is a celebration, the likes of a small wedding, that is like a sweet 16 in America or a coming out ball of the south. We had much food, music and dancing. It was a fun, tiring time. We were excited that Grandma Vermelle, Aunt Vancie and Erica could join us for the celebration. Lyndsey's other notables are: she got her first car, she qualified for the Renaissance program at school (high grades), she is learning to play the organ, and she is doing very well "throwing" the flag for color guard. She also scored a basement bedroom this fall and is loving her very own bathroom!

Justin continues to amaze us each day. For those who have not seen or talked to him this year, he is definitely growing into a very handsome, very tall, young man. He towers over all in the house and has a goal to be 6 feet. He has also discovered that the female population notices him. I'm not sure, but he might do just as much primping as Lyndsey. He is diligently working on his earning his Eagle Scout badge, and hopes to complete it before he turns 14. He plays the tenor saxophone, enjoys wrestling, basketball and long jump. He also continues to be an avid reader and achieves high grades with little effort.

Clint and I have been working together at his family's collection agency. It is a tough time to have a small business, but we are working hard to keep our family in Kansas. Clint continues his calling of Scoutmaster, going on six years, as well as 2nd counselor in the Young Men's presidency. He loves all that has to do with scouting and really enjoys working with the youth. It is exciting that several of them will earn their Eagle Scout rank this year. He enjoys golfing and cycling, wishes he had more free time to do them. He has been such a good support for all our family, so generous with his time. Even though we tease him about his now, 18 month ongoing project of putting a new deck on our house, we love him!

I have had more free time to help at school, taxi everyone around, clean house, learn new crafts and just relax. I love my calling at church in our Relief Society. I couldn't work alongside a greater woman than Sue Macfee. Some of you may have received our Christmas card, directing you to this blog. That is my favorite new hobby - making homemade cards. In case you were not one of the lucky, here are the examples of my first homemade Christmas Cards.

If you are a regular reader of the blog, you may already know of our last big news. This year we have been caring for my niece and nephew, 6 year old twins, Zoe & Zach. It has been a special privilege to care for them and teach them so many things. They are growing well, gaining much knowledge and really turning into smart, sometimes sweet children. We are grateful that Heavenly Father allowed us to touch their lives in this special way. We know skills learned in our home will equip them for challenges they may face in the future.

As the year comes to a close, we hope you are all happy, healthy and feel grateful for your life as well. Our hope is that no one is left searching, and everyone feels the comfort of being loved.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Bibler Family, Clint, Tanya, Lyndsey (15), Justin (13), Zoe (6), Zach (6) and our two furry kids, Lady and Jenna.

Ready for the Holidays

We have had a very busy fall.

Lyndsey finished the marching band season and her school received all 1 ratings at each competition. This is a very nice accomplishment for any high school band. They are pressing forward, preparing for a trip to New York in the spring (which is almost paid for, yeah!!!). She did very well learning how to throw her flag this year and is participating in Winter Guard.

Justin just finished the wrestling season. He plans to participate in the wrestling club through the rest of the winter. He will probably not like that I am posting about this, but he does have a female friend that he talks to on the phone constantly!! Who knew he would be the child to spend so much time on the phone :)

The twins continue to progress both academically and socially. I have gotten acquainted with the term "play date" as this was not a term used when my children were young. Zachary's speech is greatly improved although we miss him leaving the S off of words, never again will the "nake ride the cool bus". He did have a milestone this week - his two front teeth are gone (unfortunately pulled out) so the tooth fairy came. He was very excited and swears that he woke up when she came and saw her - and she is old! Zoe loves to imitate anything Lyndsey does. She is so cute spending time picking out clothes, fixing hair and applying makeup (just a little and only when we are not going out). The twins are to start playing basketball after winter break.

We spent Thanksgiving weekend in Springfield, MO closing down the office there. Took the whole family and while there enjoyed a few local tourist sites we hadn't seen before. One of these was Fantastic Caverns. I have to admit I was not excited to go, thinking it would be silly. Just your typical ride through the cave, highly overpriced. What a pleasant surprise - it was really awsome. These caves were discovered during the Civil War and explored first by women! Many historic events took place in this cave. Additionally the stalagmites are beautiful, it is amazing how nature creates such things.

Teenagers keep me smiling

First the good news - tonight Justin told me that I was "a beast". For those of you unfamiliar, this is totally a compliment! When he says this it means that you have done something fantastic, or that you are really good at something. As he was trying to explain it to me, he said it is like when I was younger and we called people "the boss". (Ok, perhaps it is just me, but I don't remember using this lingo). Anyway, the occasion for the compliment was that I figured out how to pull music off his old IPOD, put it on his computer (that we had to recently rebuild due to virus so the music was gone), so that he could sync it to his new IPOD. He was pretty excited because he thought all the music was lost. For someone who barely acknowledges I am alive, this was a pretty big win for me :)

Next and definately the reason that I love my smart, clueless daughter - Talan, age 2, was visiting. He was taking a nap in my room and she needed something, so I consented that she could go after it. She came out empty handed and announced "Before I walked in far enough to see him I knew that he was awake because he was breathing"

REALLY...because he doesn't breathe while he sleeps???

Flat Tire

So, for those of you who are my Facebook friends, you may have heard that I had a bad day. And not in the Daniel Powter way... I really had a bad day. Apparently I was not very graceful about it either. I decided that I would share the whole story with you since it was noteworthy.

The day started out quite pleasant. I went to Kansas City to watch my friend's baby, sweet Hannah. She was a delight and it was nice to spend time with her. After I left there I grabbed some lunch - yes, Sonic I am addicted to your Raspberry Vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper! Then headed home.

The trouble began about a mile before the turnpike entrance when a random white vehicle would speed up and slow down, just to be right next to me. At this point you must understand that I am paranoid, seriously. Some may refer to me as a conspiracy therist. I absolutely will not acknowledge this person trying to hard to drive right next to me. We approched the toll both for a ticket and I hear him shouting at me "you have a flat tire" and he is pointing and literally shouting. So I look over (only because I am in the eyesight and safety of the toll booth operator) and he is MAD. I give him the thank you wave and pull out and over to the side of the road. The time is 1:28pm.

I am not a total idiot. I had noticed that my car was shaking in a weird way, so I turned down my rockstar music and listened for the thudding noise of a flat tire but heard nothing. It was raining hard, so I just figured that it was something about the road. Apparently I was wrong. Thank you Mr White Car Guy. I also feel the need to state that I am kind of a freak when it comes to vehicles anyway. I just really feel that a vehicle should be reliable and any sign of weakness and I ditch it like bad milk. My SUV is not that old and we replaced the tires recently.

Moving on...but kind of related to my need to feel safe in the vehicle. I pushed the blue button on my mirror to summon the man who talks to me from the ceiling. From here on out he shall be known as ONSTAR. This is something that Clint and I have decided to pay for each year so that I will feel safe. Because really, aren't the commercials so comforting? They can find you anywhere, they know if you just had an accident, they save your infant who is locked in the car at the gas station? Buyers beware - that was NOT my experience today.

They are so curteous when they answer the call, Good Afternoon Mrs. Bibler, how may I assist you today? I inform them that I have a flat tire and require assistance. They forward my call to the appropriate department (which, by the way, I learned today is a completely different company that handles roadside assistance). A young lady confirms that I am in fact located on I70 and wants to then know what mile marker I am located at. As no mile marker is visable to me, but I have just passed through the toll booth to enter the turnpike, I decide to look at my ticket. There are many cities listed and each one has an exit number by it, with the entrance being listed as 236. This number is important and will be a source of great greivance in the near future. She is able to locate a nearby fix it man and send him my way. The estimated time of arrival is 45 minutes. Shortly the man calls me to say he is on the way, but he is from Leavenworth (just east and north of where I was). Remember, it is raining so I choose to do nothing except whine on FB and wait for him - the professional tire changer.

I feel it important to share that my husband is the greatest samaritan there is. He stops for every person we come across who is on the side of the road. I am not kidding, sometimes it is even to his own detreiment because he will be late to where ever he was going. He is just that nice. Once when I laid down the law (and the car was probably full of kids) he called the motorist assistance highway guy because he couldn't stop. Anyway, this also will be important later. Just a side note, the name of the fix it man's company is STRANDED. LOL, thus my first FB status. Clint thinks that this name was chosen while having a drinking contest!

The stranded man shows up. He does not look to scary so I consent to letting him help. The time is 2:22. Swiftly he pulls out a jack and in no time has my car up, tire off and we head to the back to retreive the spare. On my car it is kept under the car, but not accesible from within. There is a special tool, placed in a hole that lowers the tire so you can detach it. Very fancy you think. Well, not so much. The man worked, asked for owners manual, worked, got under car, worked, called his boss, and worked some more. He finally decided that he was not able to get the spare off. "Something must be faulty in your mechanisim" he says. He puts the flat tire back on my car, charges ONSTAR for his service and drives away. It is still raining, my hair and clothes are soaked, I am wet and cold. The time is 3:34pm.

Another call to ONSTAR, I request a tow truck as there is no fixing the flat at this time. (Meanwhile my husband has been on the phone with dealership and they have been trying to talk him through this. Their idea to tow it in). A decision is made by the roadside assistance that this is a new problem and requires a new ticket. Once again, I patiently attempt to describe where I am located at on I70, as I have no visual of any mile marker. For goodness sake lady, I am just west of the dang tollbooth. She has no idea where that is, she needs me to give her cross streets so she can search for a tow company. REALLY - there is no road intersecting the turnpike at this juncture. I am probably halfway between Bonner Springs, KS and Tonganoxie, KS. My little ticket says it is mile 236, but I am not sure that is correct. She puts in that mile marker and calls a tow company. They answer, ask where I am located, I tell them (at least they know what I am talking about) to which they reply that is out of their area. I ask where they are located and it is Overland Park, KS. To which I reply, well I am not sure why the stupid lady called you because that is far away, there are closer cities to me. FYI, the stupid lady was still on the line with us. She thanked them and we re-defined where I was. She calls another company. That man agreed to come out, said it would be 45 minutes if there was no rush hour traffic. I asked where he is located, response - Kansas City, MO. EVEN FURTHER away...what the heck lady? I start telling her that there are closer places. She informs me that his time estimate is within the accepted standards (I silently say that it is the standard answer) and that if I want a tow, he is the one who will do it. I am not sure why I continue, other than I also have an obsessive need to be correct and it is just ridiculous to me that they will make someone come that far, tow me to Topeka and drive that far back. There are a dozen places closer to me. Surely we can be more efficient? Apparently they have never heard of pleasing the customer. She started yelling at me. The man said for us to hash it out and call him back. I begin to get defensive. She asks me what I want to do, and I replied, speak to your supervisor.

Supervisor gets on phone (who are we kidding - after she was debriefed about the witchy customer). She begins telling me the same exact sentence the little worker used "it is our company policy to use the first listed tow truck that comes up, we may not skip over him to look for another". I did forget to mention that first worker had told me the tow to Topeka would be 47 miles, as I was waiting for supervisor, Inoticed that my GPS unit said it was only 33 miles to Topeka. I attempt to inform supervisor of this fact and tell her that Lawrence is just about 10 minutes in front of me. She cuts me off several times, repeating her stance. Finally she hears me, but to no avail. She says there are no contracted providers in that town or they would have come up on the log, she can not skip over the first guy. I begin to cut her off, as I am positive they have not even checked in the Lawrence area. In fact, I am positive that they have only checked behind me, especially since they thing I am 14 miles farther back than I am. We fight for awhile, both trying to wear the other down. I must have won that battle because she asks me what mile marker is Lawrence (because they can't find that town) and they need a cross street. She has only asked me about 89 times if I am sure I am located on I70. I look at my toll ticket and inform her that Lawrence is exit 204. After a short pause, she says nope, that mile is Wilson, KS...what the heck??? I strongly advise there that it is not, she cuts me off, informs me that she is looking at a US Atlas (one on paper, not on the internet) and that mile is Wilson, KS. I again, strongly advise her that I have been alive for 37 years, lived here most of my life and that it was in fact Lawrence, KS in front of me 10 miles or so. She argued that it must be the county then - I again said no. That I was familiar with all 105 counties in the state and that definately was not the county. She was getting agitated with me - REALLY, it is raining, I have been on side of road for three hours...

Please note that at this juncture of the conversation, I am full on sobbing and starting to have an asthma attack. When I feel the start of it, I just start panicing and it becomes worse. So bad that the woman can hear me and becomes concerned. She would like to send the paramedics to help me...WHERE EXACTLY WAS SHE GOING TO SEND THEM, AS MY LOCATION HAD YET TO BE DECIDED UPON??? I declined, attempted to calm down, found my inhalor and relaxed a little.

Meanwhile, the first worker has been researching Lawrence, KS and decides that I70 intersects Highway 59 somewhere close to Lawrence. Great going smart one. If I had my computer, or my brain, I could have told you that about 45 minutes ago. After the supervisor gets the cross street she does something - that does not take long. All the sudden it is as if a lightbulb has been turned on. "Mrs. Bibler, you are on the Kansas Turnpike, not I70". If this woman had been in front of me, I would be asking for bail money and a good lawyer. NO JOKE! The first worker then contacts a tow company in Lawrence (suprise, suprise - they have contract companies) and my estimated wait time is one hour. The time is 4:24pm. YES, they argued with me for an hour about where I was.

About 15 minutes prior to the arrival time I called the tow company. I was just concerned that they thought I was close to Highway 59. I gave my correct location and the man informed me that his driver would be there soon, that he was on his way back from KC and stuck in traffic, some kind of accident. It becomes apparent to me that I am going to have to take things into my own hands. The rain has momentarily subsided so I exit the vehicle. Upon review of the owners manual I attempt to lower the stubborn spare tire. It is hard to know if the tool is hooked in correctly, so I feel under the car and guide it on. I then turn the handle and the tire begins to lower...excitement, I continue turning, follow directions in book -word for word, all is well. I have to confess that I don't recall operating a jack before and I am super nervous. While I am dismounting the flat tire, the tow truck comes. He informs me of two things. One, he saw me here when he was on his way to KC with two other cars. And two, I am located at mile marker 217. I am grateful that he helped me to finish the job. We put everything away and FINALLY I am on the road home. The time is 5:55.

That is it, let it soak in. Try to comprehend the dramaticness of it all. I know, it is a long story. And I am venting, complaining, whatever. I would like you to consider the following questions, once you are ready.

1. If KDOT is smart enough to redo the toll tickets including a new exit that has not even opened, why can't they update the mile marker of the new toll booth? (the toll booth moved a few years ago)

2. Why is roadside assistance using a paper US Atlas as a guide?

3. If you work for a company that is responsible for guiding help to emergencies, shouldn't you know how to read a map?

4. Did you know that the flashing blinkers on your vehicle (which I formally knew as hazard lights) are called four ways by the tow guy? and that if you keep them on they will run down your battery?

5. Why do men always have to blame someone else when they can't figure something out?

6. If you worked at the toll booth and saw a car on side of road in front of you for 4 1/2 hours, would you not send some help?

7. Should I have stood outside my vehicle attempting to flag down help with my awsome body?

8. Is number 7 the reason my husband always stops to help disabled vehicles?

9. Should I write a letter of complaint to the GM Roadside Assistance regarding my stupid phone call? or should I alert ONSTAR? (who by the way rewarded me for calling in my emergencies each time with a total of 60 free minutes on my car phone)

10. Is this punishment for letting my sophmore skip four hours of school this morning to write a paper for English?
Now that I have gotten it all out I am good. And thinking of another favorite song of mine - Better in Time. :)

Boo at the Zoo

Twins costume pictures - day one

Today we took the twins to Boo at the Zoo. This is where kiddos (and some animals) wear their Halloween costume and walk around the zoo. There are many vendors and they are all giving out candy. It was tons of fun and something we have not attended in quite some years :)

Lyndsey went with us (and even trick or treated). I am not sure what she was dressed as, but no one questioned her - probably the shortness :)

I know this is wrong, but this is my favorite picture of Zoe - she really did have a good time, this is just her normal "pissed at the world" look :)

Me and the kiddos

One of the WILD animals we encountered!

Our Sadness

Well, it finally happened. The Coates family, Brad, Becca, Ashton and Talan have officially moved out. We knew this day was coming, but it was still hard. And I have to confess that I really miss several things. One big this was that in the morning Talan would come to the top of the stairs and hollar for me "Ant Tana". We are grateful that for the moment they are just a couple of blocks away and hope that they are doing well - getting back to being their own family.

They moved out just in time though. We are down with the flu this week. YUCK!! is all I have to say. I am being very cautious and obeying the stay inside rule. Only the well person can go places - Lyndsey. Otherwise we are having to depend on Becca and Mom - thank goodness for family. Once I get better, if I come out in public, please don't cough, sneeze or otherwise in our direction :)

My Brilliant Child

I have to start this post with a few background facts.

1. My daughter is a sophomore in high school, is on the honor roll and taking 3 honors classes. She is so smart, she lettered in smartness. It is what we like to call "book smart". However, she has a little trouble with the application of said smartness. I am positive that she is the dumbest smart person I know! I'm serious!

2. My nephew is two and asthmatic. Frequently during this time of year he needs breathing treatments via a nebulizer. (If you do not know what that is - google it!) He is also very smart and will let you know when he needs said treatment.

Ok, so tonight Brad and Rebecca joined us on our monthly date at the dinner theatre. On these nights we usually hire a sitter and let the teenagers go somewhere they want. Lyndsey had soccer duty before she left for the night. We had just begun our date when my phone rang. It was Lyndsey, she wanted to speak with Rebecca. She said that Talan was coughing and wanted to know if she could give him a breathing treatment. Rebecca said it would be fine and walked her through what meds should go in and how to hook it up.

When we arrived home, this is what we saw:

For those of you familiar with what the nebulizer mask is supposed to look like, she did not attach the top of the med container, but rather just forced it onto the bottom. Perhaps the next picture explains it better, the missing piece is next to the mask.

See the top screws onto the bottom, and then the mask fits onto the tube. Now I know for those of you who have not ever seen one of these, you may be on my daughters defense. But please note that in the same place she found these parts, was a mask already put together. (Its the one on the left).

So as usual, we are not really sure how she completed the treatment, how the meds didn't spill out, how Talan is not on a steroid high right now.

Again, I am sure that many of you are still stumped, not yet rolling off your chairs at the dumbness of our smart child? Perhaps a little more background. I must warn you that these are real life incidents.

a. A phone call I received at work, a couple years ago. "Mom, I know I'm only supposed to call if there is an emergency. But it kind of is an emergency. The computer will not turn on..." huge sighs from me " Lyndsey, is it plugged in?- yes, OK, have you tried pushing the button to turn the monitor on?" "What button?" Seriously - you are 14 and you don't know the monitor also has an on off switch???

b. Family game night, some trivia game. The question asked to Lyndsey was " in baseball, when the ball is hit into outfield and not caught, the batter runs all four bases, what is the term?" Her response - "a quarter, no no, A good job" Seriously - you have been playing softball since you were 8 - and you don't know what makes a home run??????

c. And the winner is -------

Last summer Justin was at basketball camp during the mornings. For some reason she decided to be nice to him and get the lawn mowed early while it was still cool. Being the independent person she is, she didn't call us and ask directions. Ultimately she was not strong enough to pull the cord for the engine to start. However, she found another machine in the garage and figured that would work just as well, had no trouble starting it. In fact she was well on her way when the UPS driver stopped her, asked her what she was doing - she said "mowing". (and here's the kicker) He chuckled and said, "Sweetie, that is not a mower, it's a snow blower!" We are very amused and sure that so were all of this other compadres back at the warehouse. The kicker to this story is that in her truly lawyer fashion, she thinks all blame for this incident lies with the manufacturer of the snow blower, because apparently they should have put in bold letters on the side - CAUTION NOT TO MOW GRASS WITH. I believe she is still writing the complaint.

Lyndsey, we love you. You are a continual source of comedy for our household and we don't know what we would do without you. But REALLY - just take a moment, engage brain, follow through :)

September

As the month closes, I wanted to give a quick recap. Of course the kids are in school - YEAH!

Lyndsey is taking three honors classes and finally finding out how tough High School can be. She is also enjoying throwing the flag for color guard. (And so far no broken bones or ER visits - go L). In the above picture her friend, Tim, is with us.

Justin is getting straight A's and just a little too comfortable with his educational experience. :) I am not sure that his ego could get much bigger! He has officially discovered girls - or rather they have discovered him, and it is just great for us to watch him grow socially.

Zoe is also a good student, she comes home and tells me that she LOVES to learn - Yeah!!! I was fearful that she would spend alot of time in the hall for talking, but her teacher says she is the model student - Really? Are you sure we are talking about the same child? She has started a version of gymnastics called Hip Flop, where she learns modern dance as well as floor routines.

Zachary could do without school. He has some struggles and so it is not his favorite place to be, but we are working on it. He loves his new sport though. He choose to play soccer this fall and is really aggressive with the ball.

We learned that our downstairs tenants will be moving out soon. This comes with many different emotions. Grateful - that Brad is home safe, Happy - that their little family is back together, Sad - that we will no longer get to witness Talan's growth firsthand or hear the daily Ashtonisims, Frustrated - that my card making parter is otherwise engaged, Excited - to move Lyndsey and Zoe around and set up the basement! As you can tell, we have really enjoyed having the Coates family stay with us for the last year....lots of GOOD TIMES!

Soccer Time

Zachary has been so excited for soccer to start. He has been talking about it since late May. We had a small glitch when he broke his elbow this summer. All his national soccer medals flashed before my face...jk... but still. The doc gave him the ok to full sporting at the end of August. He is off and running, dribbling and kicking. He is a stickler for the rules, and knows exactly when the practice/game days are.

Here are a few of my favorites from game day. This is instructional, so coach is on the field and they play three on three. The best is when a goal is scored for the opposite team :)

Zachary

Have you ever tried to do everything with one arm? That is pretty much the story of Zach's summer. On June 30th he fell off the monkey bars at neighborhood park and broke his left elbow. That was his first and last day of swim lessons and a week after we found him a bicycle. Despite this, he had a pretty good summer. We are so proud of him, he finally grew out of some clothes (he is eating and growing - yeah!) He also started Kindergarden this week and says that the funnest part is the bus ride.

Here he is with his best pal, Talan

At pioneer day, very pensive

The day his cast came off, a close up of his pins

He is such a silly guy

At the zoo, before the cast

Summer for Zoe

Doesn't her school haircut look sassy? She looks so much older and we are happy that she is now smiling and letting us take her picture. Zoe had such a fun summer. She spent her days going to library, bowling, zoo, learning to ride her bike and swim. Good friends were made and lots of summer happiness. One of her favorite things to do is follow Lyndsey around and act like a teenager. She started kindergarden this week and is loving it.

At the zoo...

Smashing ice cream topings for the back to school bash!

Not yet mastered the NO thumb sucking :)

First day of school

Aren't I a cutie?

Ok, Lyndsey has always wanted to write spaz on someone's forehead, she was a willing participant

Justin Lane

At the beginning of each school year we measure all the kids (and some adults). This has been a triumphant time for Justin the last couple years because he is the tallest person in our house. 2009 measurement - Five Feet, Nine Inches! He told us that he has a goal to reach six feet, we are not sure how one accomplishes a height goal, I guess just eating us out of house and home!

Justin had a fairly relaxing summer and just entered the 8th grade. Since he plans on becoming the mexican Tiger Woods he spent two weeks in Arizona this summer perfecting his swing. During that time with the grandparents he also enjoyed being an only child for awhile - I'm pretty sure he had grandma wrapped around his finger.

As a Life Scout, Justin is working hard on earning his Eagle rank. A neat thing he is also working on is that next summer he will attend the Boy Scout Jamboree in Virginia. It is the 100th year of scouting and the last year that the jamboree will be held at this site. He has been mowing lawns to earn money to fund this trip.

In the music department he has taken on Tenor Saxaphone and loves it! He will continue with wrestling, basketball and long jump this year. Some of his favorite activies include: surfing the internet, playing wii games, airsoft with friends and watching Conan. He is a very independant teenager and we are proud to have him a part of our family!

Our Track Star!

Setting a good example? or grilling plastic bottle caps on the grill?
Hanging with his peepsA boys best friend, Lady

In his wrestling headgear

Helping with the Christmas tree - he definately gets to put the top on!

Lyndsey's Summer

Lyndsey - 15 and fabulous. Now a sophmore in High School we are so proud of all her accomplishments. She plays piano, clarinet, basson and just started ColorGuard for marching band. It is also my understanding that she plays with the emotions of many a young man heart. :) In school she is studing Art History and hopes to attend KState for Interior Design (last I heard - but I am sure this will change). Her schedule this year includes 3 honors classes as well as her beloved Spanish. This summer she worked for us answering the phones and data entry. Grandpa also let her umpire some softball games. Other weeks were spent attending EFY in Columbia, MO and her fourth year at camp. I think her best news was that we found her a car to drive to school and work - its name is Black Beauty. Here are a few pics of my georgeous daughter!

Sewing her apron for the pioneer trek

Thinking very hard about her next drill movement

With the RoadRunner during hockey season

Cooking a meal for the family, yum!

First day of driving brother to school, and his scared face.

Camp hair braids, thanks Becca!

August

I can't believe it is August already. I know this has probably been heard by many of you, but time has just flown by. Next week is enrollment and we are really excited (by we, I mean ME and by really, I mean REALLY) for August 17th!!! That is the first day of school in case you did not catch my excitement. Everyone but Lyndsey will be gone that day. She is lucky and gets to stay home an extra day.

July Happenings

Well, since I have last written it seems that alot has happened. May be about time for another rundown, here we go......

The boys survived scout camp.

Lyndsey had a GREAT time at EFY (even if it was in Columbia, MO :-) )

Clint turned another year older so for a few months I get to make fun of him.

Justin was called as the Deacon Quarm President - happy day!

Graps/Gran had good vaca in Vegas, but as we know, "what happens in vegas"

Ashton had fun learning tennis and is now taking private swim lessons. He is in training for an August 1st Triathalon...stay tuned.

Talan has decided that phemonia in the summer was not enough, he has taken it up one step and now needs to see an asthma specialist...again, stay tuned.

The twins started swim lessons,
Zach went for one day, then fell off the monkey bars and broke his humorus bone in the elbow and that was the end of that. So much for the new bike and all other summer activities :(
Zoe completed the two weeks, needs more lessons, but we will probably wait till next year.

Kindergarden camp started today, lots of appointments lined up, dentist, eyes, physical, ortho, shots for Justin, hair cuts for all.

Lyndsey leaves for Girls Camp today. She is excited that it is her 4th year!

Justin is going to Arizona on Saturday to hang out with Gpa Alan and get some awsome golf lessons. I'm thinking I need to send a grocery list and money along, he is a growing boy! Will not survive on fat free cookies and quiznos :)

Soon the summer will be over and we will need to enroll the troops. We have had as much fun as we could in the midst of the commotion. I know we have a couple special trips planned in Kansasa and Missouri. It's no disney land, but we will have fun together!

Rebecca, Clint and I are reviewing all cases where insanity was a plea....might need that information at some point :)

Just a little more of the story

It has come to my attention that some of you are not "up to date" on whats going on over here in our crazy house. We really do like to have fun and only sometimes does the madness of this whole thing take over and make me want to cry. So here is a recap of the last year....hoping that if I say it out loud, the next twelve months will calm down. :)

As I am writing, I feel as though I should start before that, with a quick catch up on our immediate family. Clint, Lyndsey, Justin and I moved back to Kansas from beautiful Colorado in July of 2001. I was on the fence about the move, we built our first home in Greeley, Colorao and felt like it was heaven. Just an hour to the mountains, fishing, hiking, camping, skiing, all sorts of nature. We learned what it meant to chop down a "real" christmas tree (and life will never be the same). Alan asked if we would move back to Topeka and Clint could help him run some of the business's he owned. He anticipated his retirement was pending and wanted to be able to hand over the reins. So we said goodbye and journeyed home. The family bonding we accomplished with our little family, although away from the big family, was amazing. I would suggest it for all young couples.....MOVE AWAY FROM YOUR PARENTS....establish your own life. It is the best therapy in the world.

Nonetheless, we found a home here and settled in. Justin started Kindergarten, Lyndsey was baptized, Brad and Rebecca were married - had thier first child - Ashton Cooper Coates, Brad served his first tour in Iraq. We had a good time getting to know Becca and watching Ashton grow, he was such a funny little guy. Brad returned and accepted a job in DC. Before we knew it, Lyndsey was in middle school, Justin gained a new best friend (Lady, his cocker spaniel), life was just cruising along. Alan did indeed retire and it was sad to see them move back to Arizona. Truth be told, it was alot of work for those left here. We had a good family summer that year fixing, redecorating and selling thier home.

Both of our kids were active in school clubs, music, sports and life rolled right along. We've done glasses, contacts, braces, appliances, more braces, broken a few more bones, but still hanging in there. We feel very blessed to have two smart, happy teens. We love to spend time together, play board games, ride bikes, garden, laugh and eat. We also love to travel. Last May, both children were advanced in school - Justin to middle school and Lyndsey to High School. Exciting times lay ahead.

We took a family trip to Flippin, AR (if you have never been it is totally worth the drive, if only so that you can see a police cruiser that says "Flippin Police".:). This trip was special because we spread my Granpa's ashes in the Arkansas River. Many of my cousins, aunts, uncles, neices and nephews were in attendance. After that trip, we attened church camps for a week (separatly - Lyndsey and I, Justin and Clint) then headed off to Arizona to visit the relatives. We decided to drive so Lyndsey could get in her driving hours. Fun, Fun, Fun is all I can say!!!

**ok, my battery is low, I will finish this in the am. I promise the end is worth the length...

Monday, here I am again. Need to finish this for all the fans :)

I received a call while on vacation that my youngest brother Brad had to serve another tour of duty in Iraq, and that he would leave in less than a week. At this point Ashton is 6 and Talan is 11 months old. They had discussed many options, and ultimately decided that Rebecca and the boys would move back to be close to family while he was away. I just had an impression that I should fly out and drive back with Becca. Even though we get along, we are both very strong women and it was easy for me to offer this, but probably hard for her to accept. She left it up to me and I gladly came out. I have to say that while sending off my brother has never been one of my favorites, and that while our family is open, Becca had been hard to read - I always wished I could do more for her. So I was nervous, but I knew that if I could at least keep her mind off the boys, keep them happy, then all would be ok. I guess as the oldest child I feel like mother goose to all the neices and nephews.

We had the most wonderful 19 hour, 3 day drive back to Kansas ever! Fun, laughs, diapers, no sleep for Talan, first ice cream cone, becoming one with google....very many others. Just a great drive. I think that our sisterhood grew so much stronger during that drive. That we found out our similar interests, similiar dislikes, thinks we had not previously known. Loads of fun for me, loved being with the boys and reuniting my bond with Ashton. I guess kids just feel comfortable with me - because I am a sucker and give them what they want:)

Somewhere during the drive Clint and I decided to ask Becca if she would consider living with us instead of an apartment. We knew it would be a huge decision for her. But were happy when she said yes. Uncle Clint had such a good time being a male figure for Ashton the first time and the same is true of Talan...he loves them up. It has been many years since anyone acknowledged that he arrived home from work, let alone screamed in delight, ran to the door and gave out hugs.

After the movein in August, we started in on the basement. We had to decide on a plan, shop for a contractor, pick out paint, carpet, wood, fixtures. It was a family event and we did much of the work ourselves. So our downstairs tenents settled in, food storage is repacked (and multiplied)...
School is well underway, Lyndsey enjoying seminary, Justin starting middle school, Ashton in a new school - Rebecca and Talan were excited to be spending quaility time together again. We became an organized functioning family. Chores were getting accomplished, dinners being made and yet fun was had. We survived some birthdays, halloween, thanksgiving and christmas, HORRAY!

It was soon 2009 and our Lyndsey had a simple request that was creeping up on us. About a year ago she asked if she could have a quincenera for her 15th birthday. She feels very close to her hispanic heritage, I reasearched it and said ok, as long as you are not also expecting a sweet 16 - no double dipping! The time was quickly approaching for her birthday, so we worked each eveing on some facet of this event. I will have a separate blog entry of all the quince details.

(For those of you keeping track of life, our current chruch callings are Clint - Scoutmaster 5 years, Second Counsler in YM - 3 years, Tanya - First Counsler in RS, over Enrichment - 2 years) We are also working together at Midwest Checkrite, our family comany. Just trying to make the business viable, give a service to other business's and make a little money. Basically we spend alot of time together.

So, during the climax of quince plans (two days before the event) we received a call from the police. Our neice and nephew, Zoe and Zachary Coates needed to be picked up. They live about 80 miles away in Missouri. This was on April 8th. So, we made it through the quince and went right into, well the only word that comes to mind is craziness mode. A world that we are not familiar with. I has been a ride the last couple of months, emotionally, physically, financially. It is a ride that all nine people in our home are riding. We each have different aspects of how it is affecting us and trying to mesh that all together is interesting at best.

We have faith that we will make it through what ever comes our way. We appreciate all your thoughts and prayers. Will keep you posted on our crazy times!

Oh Happy Day!!

Yeah, it is official, the twins are here to stay.....

Hello Summer

We are tan, we are ready, we are bored.........

Already? No really, all the kids have gotten into a routine quickly.

Lyndsey - wakes early (8:30 ish), showers, primps, dresses three different times, listening to tunes all the while, rolls into work at 10am, faithfully taking her 2 Facebook 15 minute breaks, works hard, on the way home by 4...... finish chores, chillax.

Justin - wakes early (11:00 ish), takes time to figure out what day it is and why he is alone in the house, eats breakfast (the most important meal of the day), checks on his sims character, eventually showers, practices his backswing, what is for dinner and how are you going to entertain me this evening.

Ashton - wakes early (7:30 ish), feeds himself, helps his brother get breakfast, cartoons, video games.....ut oh, this week is science camp, no tv this week - get on the bug spray and hats, birdwatching anyone? Tune in for next weeks activity.

Talan - really, need I say more - wake up, eat, breathing treatment, eat, poop, steal household items and hide them for good, eat, breathing treatment, eat, poop, plan elaborate escape from home to endanger one's life, eat, breathing treatment, eat, poop, entertain Justin, breathing treatment, sleep and repeat.

Rebecca - holy crap, does anyone want to trade her lives? Each day she gets to deal with the above and so much more...She is the official summer Taxi (guess perhaps renewing those tags soon will come in handy :) LOL - very long story. But on the bright side, her tan is way better than mine and she gets to spend 5-6 hours a day with the best children alive (then we come home and ruin the nice, quiet day of learning she was having).

Zoe - wakes early (7 am would be late for her), eats dry cereal, wants to know why the entire rest of the neighborhood is not up and ready to go. Would like to be 35 as soon as legally possible. Beleives that as soon as I walk in the door from work that food should magically appear on her plate. The upside is that she loves to do chores....can I get in trouble for child labor laws?

Zach - is forced awake by his sister, eats breakfast willingly as long as he gets to sit by Ashton. The day continues as such until Ashston gets feed up and melts down. He then looks at me and says "I didnt do nothing"....the plus side is that he threat to expose himself in public is getting better....we just act like it is no big deal...as long as Zach wins every game, is taller than everyone else and is not fat - we are good....

As for Clint and I....we really are not sure what day it is, how we got to be here, who is going where or how they are getting there. Thank goodness for Rebecca who keeps us all organized and going forward instead of backword. After all summer appointments, camps, swim lessons have been met, we hope to remain one big happy family. Stay tuned for updates :)

Year End School Events

We have had a busy week already. Saturday, most of us spent the entire day in Kansas City cleaning up Grandma's yard. This was our Mother's Day present to her. It appears that this is the gift that keeps on giving....both my mom and I have poison ivy! What fun. I have lived in Kansas most of my life and never had this, but learned the following recently:

1. Poison Ivy rash is an allergic reaction to an oil the plant produces.

2. Contrary to popular beleif, no one is immune to this allergy.

3. It is not contagious, person to person, you actually have to come in contact with the plant.

4. Topical cream does not really help, you have to let it run its course.

5. When they say "let it be", they are not kidding!

On a happier note, yesterday was Lyndsey's band awards night. She is very excited to have received a letter in band! Just wait dad until she asks for a jacket to go with, or is it the boyfriends jacket we need to worry about??

Tonight was Justin's band concert. He started the year playing the alto saxaphone, then changed to tenor sax at mid semester. Here is a photo of his band groupies.

Everything else seems to be moving along. On Friday we had a family outing to be fingerprinted. This ended up being the highlight of the week - trying to see who could roll their fingers on an ink pad then the paper (this is harder than it sounds), and I do beleive that I was the fastest! This was one of the steps necessary to have the twins stay with us. So, by the end of this week the State of Kansas should know everything they need to about us.....

Birthday Fun

I have neglected to mention that a couple family members are now one year older.

Justin turned 13 a couple weeks ago. He decided to have a birthday with 9 friends. I love to throw parties so that was no problem. But can I just say that I am the only girl in my family amist three brothers and I momentarliy forgot what 13 year old boys do at parties? Anyway, they had a good time. They played a fun game with water guns and colored water, similar to paintball but without the pain :) Then we grilled out, opened presents and they played frisbee. Of course there was cake and ice cream. They all had a good time.

Here is a picture of Justin with his favorite present!

Yes, it is a chocolate bunny. I think it was like two feet tall. He was very excited.

The other birthday was Rebecca. I think she had a good day, despite Brad's absense. Plus she got a really awsome purse to make us all jealous. Watch for it ladies!