happy 2009!

Wow, we are into a new year already. 2008 was jam-packed with a lot for our family!

We are in the middle of an intra-post move. We are bidding farewell to our little shack and moving into a newly built home. Tomorrow the packers come to pack everything we own and by Monday we should be living 100% in our new home. We will then have 3 days to prime the walls of the old house and get cleaned for inspection...fun.

My parents left yesterday and it was very sad to see them leave. It is always tough. We had a good time hanging out and freezing our bums off! Mom and I are seasoned shoppers and we have wrestled with the elements in the past, but never before did we face such resistance! The wind was our enemy and it felt like a million knives cutting our faces! Did I mention that all decent malls around here are outdoor? OMG! Bad idea developers! I am sure it is more cost-effective when building but c'mon, think bottom line! Nobody in their right mind will be strolling along shopping just because on a day like the ones we had! And sure enough the places were bare of all human life-- except for us .

The shots here are form the Kindergarten Christmas program. So cute my baby was (ooh a Yoda moment).

december is almost over?

NO WAY! But it is true... Where did the days go?

My parents are here now visiting, we are thrilled! We are having a good time just chilling and relaxing now that Christmas is over.

Unfortunately, I have yet to send out our Christmas cards. Pretty sad, right? I am so bad about it!

Nothing much is happening other than I am now subbing at the girls' school. I like it.

Additionally, Frank got selected to attend SAMS (School of Advanced Military Science) which we are all very excited about! This also means that we will be extending our stay here for another year. 2 years in Ft. Leavenworth will not be too bad! Especially since a few friends from the past are expected to be here next year! So exciting! Except that we are terribly in need of relation as far as living quarters go! We are literally and figuratively busting at the seams here in this itty bitty house! Cross your fingers that we are moved to bigger quarters now that we are staying for SAMS and are not simply "students" (which he will be but I guess they see it differently with that school).

I know that I have been terrible at keeping you all up to date and I am so sorry! Since my parents have been here visiting I feel that I have an excuse--I can update them in person! :D

so i am bad, i know...

I have so neglected this poor blog of mine. I have to admit that the culprit has been that Facebook hook that's gotten a hold of me! I don't have a lot of time but the time I do make for computer play, I tend to spend on Facebook!

We are now into December, can you believe that? I am still in awe... Where did 2008 go? I still haven't adjusted to writing it--Alexys said that even she was occasionally jotting down 2007 instead! Time truly flies-- so does that mean that we are truly having fun? October and November came and went. I will have to post some pictures on a later date about those poor forgotten months...

Let's see, I will try to do a quick recap:

I am now a certified school substitute teacher for Kansas-- K-12 although I have decided to only limit it to K-9 and only the 2 schools that the girls attend. It just makes life a little easier this way.

I also found out that I have bulged discs and degenerative disc disease in my L4-L5 and L5s1. This is the little bugger that has been putting me in a lot of pain intermittently. Well, I am now scheduled for Physical Therapy, am taking muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory and will devote an hour a day for the practice of Yoga on top of my regular daily run. I also have taken up swimming but I don't have the time to do that as often as I would like--

Alexys made the honor roll for the what, the like 40th time in her young life... She maintains a 4.0 and also made All-county Choir and she was just informed she also was one of the chosen for All-State Choir. Isn't that neat? She still spends every evening in the pool swimming for 2 1/2 hours-- and she has a meet fast approaching!

Angelene and Alanah are doing great in school and are both enjoying gymnastics and swimming. They have a blast doing these two activities. Alanah is working hard with all her K-garden classes on a little skit/play that they will be performing in a couple of weeks. Alanah is proudly playing the role of a cute elf!

Well, that's the quick and edited version of what is going on with this family of ours! I hope to spend a little more time here and write more often and post some pictures! So stay tuned...

concerts & swimming

Alexys had her first Choir concert (in this school) this month. The group sounded great! She got a solo part and did very nicely. Which brings me to the present, finally! Took me long enough to catch-up!

Alexys made the all-county choir and she will be singing for judges in December! Additionally, her teacher just sent in her Demo in order to compete in the state competition. This month, she also started her Swim Meet season-- she did nicely and earned points for her team. The good thing is that Volleyball season is over--she liked it but she had no free time, ever! All this, and she still managed a 4.0 on her report card (even in Biology and Geometry!). There, mom's bragging moment is finished!

Wow! This month is almost done--where did it go?!

silly times

I found these shots in my camera-- I didn't take them...I wonder who...

I thought they were real reflections of the girls in all of their silly glory! Even Blue didn't escape the lens!

more zoo animals

I am partial to Giraffes-- had to add at least one!

zoo trip

Angelene got to attend the Topeka Zoo with her class a few weeks ago. The zoo is small and easy to explore for kids this age. It took us but 2 hours or so to finish the entire thing!

Many years ago when we lived in Fort Riley, (pre-children) Frank and I visited this zoo. It wasn't as "nice" back then but we still had a good time!

All-in-all, the kiddos all had a great time! I had one too, considering I was chaperoning!

book review... or not

I finished reading Capote in Kansas: A Ghost Story by Kim Powers. I am giving it a 3 out of 5 stars. In a nutshell, it is about the life of Truman Capote and his childhood friend Harper Lee-- remember her? Yes, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird Powers admits to some of the facts in his book being of a fictional state. As you know, I dislike writing book reviews, unlike Alexys who enjoys writing them! All I can tell you is that if you have nothing to read, then check this book out of the library--

Edited to add: Okay, I will expand a little about why I didn't LOVE this book and give it 5 stars! First let me start off by stating that by nature I am hard to please. So please don't expect many 5 stars coming from this blog! :)

People that have read this give it mix reviews. I think that the intertwining of true facts with nonfiction is a sticky situation for a writer; not easily done. Powers takes the liberty to expand on some facts by offering his own interpretation, it all falls together and makes sense, yet some readers are left with an uneasiness about it. The consensus amongst some people is that if other books about Lee and Capote are read beforehand, Capote in Kansas..." will be more enjoyable. I will have to report back on this matter for I will be reading some other books in the next few months about these authors.

Sorry about this horrible attempt at a speedy review-- I really do detest writing about how a book makes me feel and what I think about it! It may be contributed by school book reports from the past! So please bear with me!

block party

On September 20th, our street had a Block Party. It was nice to have all the neighbors mingle with each other at one time. We are all usually outside in small groups at different times of the day-- it is funny how this is basically dictated by the ages of our children!

Everyone here is very nice and friendly. We wives have created several groups that meet once a month. We have a Bunco group and a Lunch Bunch. As you can see, we are making the best out of the year we are here and living in not so nice quarters!

soccer

Soccer is finally over! It was over officially last week, yet these shots are from last month! Angelene had a good time! The tough part was juggling soccer and swim class! She had one after the other! She enjoyed her team and overall, had a blast! She will definitely be playing Spring Soccer!

life in kansas

Life here is rather fast-paced! I would have never guessed! I can't believe how fast time passes-- it is almost November already! WOW! Before we know it, it will be Christmas!

Volleyball season is over for Alexys, so that means more time for her to read and do whatever she wants and less driving around for me! Swimming keeps her very busy though.

There are a lot of different critters and bugs here in Kansas. We have lizards and grasshoppers to name a few. The grasshoppers are beautiful--yes, they are! Their colors are extraordinary!

more catching-up

Here are more shots from September 11-- the bird was hanging out under the bleachers where the schools gathered for the Freedom Walk ceremony. He wasn't scared or trying to avoid us, as a matter of fact, he was trying to get us to pay attention to him! It was rather odd-- I mean, this bird was extremely friendly. I got so close to it-- I am talking inches! This bird was not just any ordinary bird... you make what you will out of this.

s