Just another day in paradise...

poor neglected blog..

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:36:00 +0000

We are still around. Life just seems to take over.
Girls are busy with school and Laney, Ash and Jord are taking gymnastics classes at the Y. Craig and I have been going 5-6 days a week as well and working out. He has lost 17 pounds and I have lost 10 since joining at the end of January. Of course we are eating better too! Cortney starts a baseball spring training this weekend. The whole family is just loving the Y.

Craig has been super busy at work, working 12+ hours every day last week as his partner was on vacation. He is still working a lot this week, as the partner still isn't back as he broke his foot while on vacation too. Sigh... Its great money wise, especially in these unsure times, but we haven't seen much of him lately.

Had the chance to take Craig to his first hockey game this past Saturday. We went to Seattle v. Portland in the new Showare arena in Kent (love that place!). We had a great time!

I'm still working at the coffee stand and am working a couple extra shifts this week. I still enjoy it, and am coming up on my 1st anniversary there.

We are gearing up for busy times! Birthdays coming up, weddings, babies... should be exciting times! :)

It's the little things...

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:02:00 +0000

That sometime make us happy and here is one... I bought Laney these pink rubber rain boots at the Goodwill yesterday for $4. I was especially tickled as the rain had been pouring here for 2 days and I really wanted some rain boots for her. I went looking for something else, and just hoped maybe I might find some, although highly doubting it, thinking they were an item much in demand.
Well imagine my surprise to find one lone pair of rain boots on the shoe rack, and in something close to Laney's size (a size to big, but she'll wear them and grow into them!). And in pink to boot!!
Apparently, she was quite pleased about them as well. She kept talking about her boots all night. She told me that she can jump really high in them and run fast. She also said her boots are for mud, and snow and rain of course. She refused to take them off, and I finally persuaded her to remove them to put on her pajamas, only if she could put them right back on. So we did.

Do I need to tell you that these pictures are from this morning?? Yep, she slept in them.

Who knew a cheap pair of rubber boots from the thrift store would bring one 3 yr old so much happiness :)??

updates coming soon.

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:49:00 +0000

Sorry blogworld and whatever readers I had... I know I have severely neglected this blog.
I will be updating soon. Hopefully today :)

makin cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:34:00 +0000

Potty training...its going. Slowly. As I learned after the other 2 children I potty trained, you can't force it. So it has to be Laney's choice. I just daily give her the choice whether she wants to wear panties or a diaper. Even when wearing the diaper I ask her "Do you want to go pee on the potty?" once an hour or so. She seems to have figured out what the sensation is just before she needs to go, and when she is in panties she has not been having accidents. She has now gone pee on the potty 5 times. yay!! So....I keep waiting. Hoping that like Ashlyne if we keep heaping on the praise, she'll just wake up one day and want to wear the panties and it will be done.

So Cortney turns 12 tomorrow! I have a full list of things to do today, including get my house clean. sigh...

She has requested I make peanut butter cupcakes decorated like basketballs for her to take to school tomorrow. This is what I plan for them to look like:

I'll post photos when I'm done. Maybe. Ha ha...unless they turn out horribly.

So tomorrow night is her party, 3 boys and 5 girls have been invited and the girls will be staying the night. Its a sports themed party. We are having hotdogs, popcorn, soda, and cupcakes. The original plan was shooting hoops, playing catch, etc. But now with Cortney having a broken ankle, that blew that plan. I still haven't figured out what they are going to do exactly but I'm working on it.

Wish me luck!! Have a super Thursday!

Maybe an end to diapers in sight?!!

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:16:00 +0000

Laney just peed on the potty TWICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you need original gift ideas for the Mom in your life?

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:32:00 +0000

Yes it is true...Mother's day if sneakin up on all of us at light speed. It tends to do that every year.
I just received an email this morning from a website I frequent http://www.coolmompicks.com with news of their Mother's Day Gift Guide. I have put their display button over there on the right, so you can link directly to the guide. There is some very cool stuff, including great book suggestions, original jewelry, and some green choices as well.
Enjoy!!

Spring Snow!!

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:41:00 +0000

So last week was the start of Spring, and we are also now in daylight savings time. Wouldn't it be safe for one to assume that sunshine and warmer temperatures were on their way. Well, as you know, one should never assume....
As last night we were hit with surprise snow showers, and (gasp) accumulation of that snow! It was crazy. So about 5pm we all bundled up and went outside to enjoy a bit of what will hopefully be our last snowfall this year.

Cortney, Laney and Ash just out the front door...

Laney.."See mom...it snow!!"

Jordanna likes to eat the snow.

Craig and Cortney threw snowballs at each other...

Here Laney was trying to catch the snow on her glove..

We went to the park in our development to play..

And here are the loves of my life... :)

So while it was temporary fun...we want our sunshine and warmer temps!!!!!

Happy Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:56:00 +0000

Happy Easter from all of us! We sincerely hope that you had a great day!! Ours was quiet and different. No big dinner, and Cortney and Jordanna were gone all day. We woke up in the morning to Easter baskets for Ashlyne and Laney....

Here is a smile from Laney!!! I guess candy can coax one out of her!

Craig and I hid 128 eggs in the backyard for the two of them to find. They were all stuffed with candy, so needless to say...we have a lot of candy around here today!

And then we went out to breakfast, and were surprised the Easter Bunny was hanging out at Denny's....

Where's the picture with Laney? LOL...she would go nowhere near that Bunny!! She did follow his every move in the restaurant though!

Happy Spring and Happy Easter!

learning to ride a bike..

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:42:00 +0000

Saturday was a beautiful clear and sunny day here. Which was great, as our Homeowners Assoc. had organized an Easter Egg Hunt that morning. Ashlyne and Laney really enjoyed that and got quite a bit of candy.
A little later that afternoon, Craig took Ashlyne out for bike riding lessons. It went very well and she was able to ride for a few moments without Dad holding on!! Check out the pictures below!

You can see the look of determination on her face! A few more lessons and I'm sure she'll be riding all over!!

Ready, Set, Don't go

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:44:00 +0000

So tomorrow night Misti flies out to Alabama. Last Saturday Gma Jan, Laci and I pulled together a surprise going away party for her at a little mexican restaurant in town. She was indeed surprised, and it was perfect, she was surrounded by a room full of people who came to wish her well. I asked her to come up and have dinner tonight so we could say our goodbyes..as you can't really do that at the airport any longer, and this way the whole family could be here to see her.
She requested that I make meatloaf and mashed potatoes and gravy. So the family is coming up tonight for dinner. I'm making meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole and peanut butter pie. So its a busy day for me, cleaning, run to the store for some last minute things, and then cooking.

It's probably for the best I stay busy today. Everytime I stop for a moment and think, tears come to my eyes. I (along with everyone else) am very excited for Misti and the new opportunites on her horizon. I'm proud of her for having the guts to make such a big leap of faith. She is doing what we prepare all of our children to do- Spread her wings and fly. I never imagined how hard it would be to let her go though.

There is this song that Billy Ray Cyrus sings along with his young daughter Miley. It's called "Ready, Set, Don't Go". I googled the lyrics last week and was crying by the time I was done reading them. This song is so fitting for this time in my life, in our lives.

"Ready, Set, Don't Go"

She's gotta do what she's gotta do

And I've gotta like it or not

She's got dreams too big for this town

And she needs to give 'em a shot

Whatever they are

Looks like she's all ready to leave

Nothing left to pack

There ain't no room for me in that car

Even if she asked me to tag along

God I gotta be strong

She's at the startin' line of the rest of her life

As ready as she's ever been

Got the hunger and the stars in her eyes

The prize is hers to win

She's waitin' on my blessings

before she hits that open road

Baby get ready

Get set

Don't go

She says things are fallen into place

Feels like they're fallen apart

I painted this big ol' smile on my face

To hide my broken heart

If only she knew

This is where I don't say what I want so bad to say

This is where I want to but I won't get in the way

Of her and her dreams

And spreadin' her wings

She's at the startin' line of the rest of her life

As ready as she's ever been

Got the hunger and the stars in her eyes

The prize is hers to win

She's waitin' on my blessings before she hits that open road

Baby get ready

Get set

Don't go

And I leave you with a few pictures from the restaurant last weekend...

Misti, Gma Jan, Cortney and Laci

Sisters...Misti, Cortney and Laci

This is a long time coming.. :) Misti and Cortney
I love you Misti. We wish you happiness and joy under the blue skies of Alabama. Always remember that your family is here for you and we love you. Good, bad, whatever.
We are family and that is a never ending bond.

Trip to the dentist...

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:00:00 +0000

I found a Children's dentist up here near our house, and scheduled appointments for all 4 girls. Ashlyne had been to the dentist before, along with Cortney and Jordie, but its been more than a year since their last visit, as we had some insurance changes and went without dental for the last year or so. Laney had not yet visited the dentist.

So Ashlyne and Laney had an appointment this morning. I scheduled it for 10am, which in itself was a bit challenging, as at 10am they are usually just moving around and having some breakfast. But by 9:45 this morning, we were dressed, teeth brushed, hair done, breakfast had, and out the door.

What a cool place!! There is a playroom that has books, games, a train set, a castle playhouse with a slide, arcade games and a 3 horse carousel ride. And the games and ride do not require money!! Yay! The girls were having a blast! Which was almost a problem- Laney didn't want to leave the playroom when their names were called. I was really nervous about how Laney was going to act, as many times at the dr. I have to hold her down for even simple things like letting the dr. look in her ears.

Ashlyne did really well, sat still for the xrays, and was still and cooperative for the cleaning and the dentist examination. They put sunglasses on them to help with the bright light in their face. Ash has a set of molars coming in within the next 6 months the dentist said, and a few of her teeth are just starting to feel the slightest bit wiggly- she was very excited about that. She does have one cavity in a molar. Which is in the top, down in a crevice. The dentist said she would probably have a hard time even getting to it with her brush. She will be getting a filling next week.

Laney was freaked out having to lay down and having someone poking in her mouth, but she did much better than I expected. I held her hand and just kept reassuring her and of course, coaxed her with the promise of a treat when she was done. And she laid there and even opened her mouth. And didn't scream. lol Success!! Her teeth looked great!

The dentist also said that they both have beautiful teeth and they have nice positioning (even Ash's permanant teeth he could see on xray) which means he does not for see any need for orthodontics for either of them at this point. Hallelujah!! With one kid already in braces, we've been worried at how many more we will have...

So they got a bag of goodies (new toothbrush, floss, stickers) and got to choose something out of a vending machine with a token the dentist gave them. All in all, a good experience and Ashlyne is even looking forward to going back! :)

Happy Valentine's Day from us!

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:54:00 +0000

Hope you all had a very Happy Valentine's Day yesterday!! Here is my girls with one of their treats. Grandpa Perry and Grandma Sherryl showed up with this great cookie bouquet and here the girls posed with their cookies and their greetings!!

And this is the very yummy cupcake that they each got from their Dad and I. :) I visited this great new shop in Downtown Puyallup http://indulgecupcakes.com/index.html and got each of the girls a treat for their valentine's goody.
We ordered pizza and had a relaxing evening at home. I hope that you had a nice day yesterday!!

Enough is Enough already

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:49:00 +0000

So I and Craig have been sick since last week. Cortney came home Sunday sick. Jord started feeling sick Tuesday, Laney has been coughin all week, but it hasn't slowed her down..lol. I went to the dr. finally Tues night and have bronchitis. Haven't slept much this week with the kids all being sick, waking up to take temps, give meds, etc.Then the wind last night- holy jesus. Ash and Laney were both scared so they were in our bed half the night. Then Ashlyne starts running a fever at like 5am this morning.
Enough already!! I want to be well (which is hard to get to when you aren't getting any sleep) and I want the kids to be well! So we are quarantined. lol.
bright spots:
Craig stayed home Monday to help out since he didn't feel well and I was feeling really bad. That was great because I was able to sleep all day pretty much.
A new friend of ours sent over dinner last night. lasagna, bread, salad, even cookies. That was awesome and sooo appreciated!! I must say that after having 3 babies and going thru numerous illnesses, I do not recall anyone ever bringing my family dinner. What a blessing!

Friday Gratitude

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:14:00 +0000

One of my goal's for 2008 was to blog more. I miss writing, I used to do so much journal writing and I just don't anymore. (must be the 4 kids running around here..)

So I want to continue to keep everyone updated on anything exciting in our lives, and do a better job at that, but I also wanted to start getting on here more to just write. So I hope you will come along for the ride. Sometimes I might just post musings, funny stories, goals, dreams, plans. It could be anything. It could be nothing.

I want to start committing particular days to a specific post. This might help me get motivated. So Friday's are going to be "Friday Gratitude". I will post what I'm grateful for that week. So here we go!!

Friday Gratitude (week 1)

This week I am thankful for my best friend- my husband. He is such a hard worker, even doing a side job last week that kept him at the shop til 9pm one night. He does this to provide for our family, and he rarely complains. He puts up with me, and I can be challenging. He still adores me and that is amazing. I love him with all of my heart, would absolutely be lost without him. I can hardly remember life before him, and that is probably a good thing. lol

7 years ago tomorrow- we had our first date, and our first kiss. (yes, tsk tsk, I kissed him on our first date ;) and I kid you not, fireworks. We both knew something amazing was happening. Who knew that this would be the road we would travel. I LOVE YOU!!

This week I am also thankful for another month of bills paid ONTIME!

I am thankful that gas prices went down this week.

I am thankful for cupboards with food in them, a warm house, and hot showers.

I am thankful that Ashlyne seems to finally be kicking the crud she has been carrying around since before Christmas.

I am thankful that my children are generally in good health.

I am thankful for their smiles and laughter, that each day keep me going.

This week, I am full of gratitude.

adventures in cheerleading!

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:54:00 +0000

Ashlyne went to a PHS Cheer Clinic last weekend with her friend Dani that she played soccer with. It was a 4 hour clinic for elementary school kids to hang out with the high school cheerleaders and ultimately learn a routine and a few cheers to perform at halftime at a PHS Basketball game. She was pretty excited after the clinic and was really excited when Tuesday came and we loaded up the family to go the PHS Basketball game and to watch Ash cheer at halftime. Here are some pictures that Dani's mom Leanne took of Ash and Dani. My camera failed me miserably that night. :( I really need a new one. Anyway, she did great! She is such a natural at cheer, its so fun to watch her!

Here's our cheerleader......

Big G, Little O, GO GO!

This is definately the "Color Shout", Purple, Purple, Purple,

Gold, Gold, Gold, Gold, Gold...a lot of hip shaking!

I'd say she is enjoying herself!!

Craig and I had this long discussion on the way home about how much cheer costs. LOL We are pretty sure she will be interested in being in cheer in high school.

It's 19 degrees here right now, brrrrrrrrrr. I am so done with winter, we've been so jipped on snow. I'm ready to just move on to spring.

Have a great weekend all!

Christmas at our house

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:19:00 +0000

Christmas has passed for another year. I have to say, that although in terms of material gifts this year may have been less in someways...it truly was the best Christmas ever in all the ways that really matter. Our oldest kids- Laci, Misti and Jordan all stayed the night Christmas Eve, so for the first time ever we had all 7 kids here in the morning when we woke up. It meant so much to us and made the day special. At one point, I had my back to the window and Craig said, turn around and look...It was snowing. It didn't snow long and didn't stick, but it just added a little something extra magical to the day. Christmas Eve we had most of the family over and a big spread of food and plenty of gifts. We are marching on towards 2008 counting our blessings!!

Here are some pictures from our festivities...

Christmas Eve
Ashlyne opening a gift from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Brooke, with the help of cousin Rhianne:

Brooke and I on the couch helping the little ones, Ashlyne, Rhianne, Laney and Jordanna opening gifts.
I tried to get a picture of Laney with her new Dora doll, but when I asked her to hold it up, this is what I got...lol

This is the moment that Jordanna and Cortney opened the gift they most wanted, Nintendo DS game systems from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Brooke. Priceless!

Christmas Day

The tree in the morning, surrounded by gifts...

Laney and Ashlyne opening gifts...

Cortney got a new pink Seahawks jersey..

And her autographed Sue Bird Storm jersey framed..

Ashlyne when she stopped jumping up and down and screaming over her new Barbie Jeep!

Laney lost in a sea of gifts...

Laney and Ash sitting in the Barbie Jeep when Dad finished putting it together.

And out riding in it in the backyard.

We hope that you had a magical Christmas and we wish you all the best that life may bring in 2008! Happy New Year!!

Our family :)

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 21:04:00 +0000

My friend Angela came over here the week before Christmas and we had a fun picture taking session...ok, not so fun as Laney was asleep when she got here, and if you know Laney, you know we don't wake her up, for good reason.
Not only did we have to wake her up, we had to change her clothes too. She was not a very happy camper! But since its so difficult to get all 9 of us together, we just went with it. Angela is an amateur photographer, and I think she did an amazing job and was so patient with us all.

We have had pictures of just the kids done before, but none since Laney has been born. And the last "family" picture was of just Craig, Me, Cortney and Jordanna after we first got together.
So... Here are our first ever FAMILY PICTURES!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours...

All my children..

Jordanna, Ashlyne and Cortney (Laney was not havin it at this point...)

Misti, Laci and Jordan

Me and Craig

The whole family...we bleed purple and gold! ;)

Misti

Laci- the last picture we had of her was from her Sophomore year of high school, she was overdue!

Jordanna, my first born, and I.

This is where this whole thing began...a girl met a boy..

Our creative shot:

The only time she wasn't crying or hiding her face...

Let me know what you think. :) And if you want some, let me know as well. Happy Holidays to all of you.

Long overdue Holiday pictures!

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:25:00 +0000

I will have a couple of posts probably to properly categorize these. Christmas is over (whew!) and New Years is tomorrow. It has been a blessed holiday for us so far. Our christmas was great, we had all the kids stay overnight Christmas eve which was incredible. Between Christmas Eve and Christmas day I believe just about everyone in our family was here at some point, with the exception of our family that is out of the area. We are counting our blessings, trying to find a home for all of the new gifts the kids received, and enjoying the time with family.

Here is a picture of Craig and I at his work Christmas dinner. It was a great time and a nice evening out.....

Here is a picture of our house with Christmas lights, and you can see our tree lit in the front window:

So with our vaulted ceilings in our front room, I was determined to get a big tree. I and the kids went one evening and came home with this 9.5 foot tree. It was a bit of a pain to get it in the house and up in the stand and straight. Then came the realization that we did not have enough lights for a tree this size. So Craig ran to the Rite Aid down the road and bought 4 more strands of lights. Every year, we get about a 6 ft douglas fir and we never use all of our ornaments. Well this year, we used every single ornament and the tree still looked bare. I was talking to Craig's Aunt Vivian and she said she had lots of extra ornaments. So at a family luncheon the following week, she brought us a bag of ornaments. Then the week before Christmas, a package arrived with instructions on the outside "open immediately". It was a package of ornaments from Craig's other aunt Gayle. :) So THANK YOU to Gayle and Vivian for helping to finish decorate our big tree. Now its so beautiful I don't want to take it down.
Here is a picture of Laney and Ashlyne next to the tree so you can sort of get an idea how huge it is!!!

Comin up next.... our first entire family pictures :)

Sleepin Cutie...

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:08:00 +0000

This is just too cute to not share...Last Friday (Black Friday)Laney fell asleep about 8pm in the chair in her room watching a movie. She hadn't napped that day and we had visited Santa that day and watched the bridge lighting in Sumner. It was a full day and if you look close you can even spy some candy residue on her face. ;-)

She was OUT for the count.

My little soccer player

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 22:11:00 +0000

So soccer season has ended, with our final game last Saturday morning. (woohoo no more early Saturdays in the cold!). We had the team party on Wednesday. The girls got adorable bobble head trophies and certificates. Coach Scotty gave each girl a special award. Our Ashlyne earned the "Most Inspirational Player" award!! :) I couldn't be more proud of her. Here she is accepting her award.... WAY TO GO ASHY!!!!!

Home Improvement Project #1

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:56:00 +0000

When we bought the house the family room looked like this on the far wall...the "tv" shelf was neat architecturally, but wouldn't fit our big ole tv. And I wasn't too fond of the burnt copper color. So on to our first home improvement project. We had Frank come over and cut the opening to fit our television and then framed it in. I also chose a new paint color "plum shade", and Craig started the painting last night. So here is the after:

We aren't done painting to the right of the shelf and fireplace, and we are still going to drill a hole through the right of the tv shelf to run the wires for the cable box and dvd player. But its getting there...

Welcome to November..

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:36:00 +0000

Wow!! November already! Its amazing how fast time flies, and it seems to be going faster and faster all the time. I signed up for a neat little email newsletter from ivillage.com that will send daily helpful holiday hints. When the first one arrived on Friday, I almost passed out..ha ha...it came with a countdown for how many days left until the holidays!!
So today, days left until ...Thanksgiving-17 days, Christmas- 50 days, and New Years-57 days!! Do you feel my panic?! We are having our housewarming party on Sunday the 18th and 4 days later is Thanksgiving. Apparently, I didn't think that one through really.

I have the girls started on their holiday wish lists, and I myself need to continue to plug away at unpacking and settling us in. I also need to arrange for a family picture, and get started on our holiday newsletter.

How are your holiday preparations coming along?

Halloween 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 18:11:00 +0000

So last night my girls morphed into a monkey, a witch, a spa girl and a cheerleader...Ashlyne- the cheerleader (I know, shocker, huh?!)
Cortney- a spa girl (all her idea, and it was the cheapest and easiest costume ever!)

Jordanna- a witch (costume from the box, she wore it when she was like 7...)

Laney was a monkey. Apparently a very unhappy monkey. Ask her what she was wearing she said "a bunky". :)

Cortney went to a party at her friend's, one of the girls from Maplewood. We took the other girls around the old neighborhood. It was cold but not too cold and they got more candy than any kids need...Hope you all had a very happy Halloween.

Curve balls and home runs

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:31:00 +0000

Somethings are going very well. The girls have all 3 started school now, and so far so good. They all like their teachers, and have met some new friends, including quite a few kids in our development. Even riding the bus is going well. So for that I'm grateful.

We are beginning to settle into the new house. Still have tons of unpacking to do, and things to buy, but we are adjusting to where things are, and to the house. Craig is not liking his drive to and from work, though.

Last Thursday in the very early morning (3am) we were awoke by screams and yelling. My immediate thought was that there was some sort of fight, domestic disturbance. It continued, sounding like it was right outside our house. Then I heard "I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" I knew this was not any type of domestic disturbance. Craig and I both had been looking out our bedroom window and couldn't see anything, but it was coming from out front of our house.
So I ran downstairs and out the front door in my jammies, and bare feet. There was a woman standing in the driveway of the house next door, and she was yelling and there were screams coming from the window up above the garage. The front door was open and there was smoke coming from there. The house was on fire and there was a 14 yr old girl trapped in the upstairs bedroom. I attempted to go in the house, but I only got about 2 ft and the smoke was so thick that I couldn't breath, so I went right back out. The girl was able to get out onto the roof and then Craig and another neighbor helped her down from there.
A window in the back of the house shattered and flames were coming dangerously close to my new house. The house that was burning is directly next door to us. The firefighters had us get our kids out and we all stood outside in the cold and rain, watching this house just burn. It is appearing it is a complete loss, I'm pretty sure the house was gutted. Thankfully everyone got out safely and our house survived in tact and with no damage!

Then Sunday morning, Craig's Mom had a massive stroke. When we got to the hospital, she was on life support and the damage was far too great and unrepairable. His Dad was waiting for the family to all get to the hospital and then he was going to have her taken off the life support. So that is what we did. She was gone within an hour of being removed from the life support machines. This was a horrible, painful thing to watch, and just so sudden. She passed surrounded by her husband, kids, a few of her grandkids, some of her foster kids, and other extended family. She did not suffer, and she went quickly. I guess that is the most any of us can hope for.

R.I.P. Patricia Smith...may you know PEACE now. I thank you for the son that you gave to me that is an amazing husband and a tremendous father.

Yes, life is full of ups and downs. Continually. Just when you get a home run, it throws you a curve ball and you struggle. I am so thankful for my family and for the blessings that He has given us. I'm thankful for the extended family I have that I know I can count on and lean on, who support us in our joy and in our struggles. We are blessed and for that I'm thankful.

and my heart breaks...

noreply@blogger.com (Corina) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:27:00 +0000

Yesterday was the hardest day I've had (we've all had) in a very long time. The end of an era at Maplewood Elementary.
We arrive at school and I am watching Ashlyne get in line with her friends. She has an umbrella (its not currently raining), so that was the cool thing and all the kids wanted to stand under her umbrella (ay ay ay..lol) I turn my head in the direction of the older girls, and I see Cortney embraced in a hug with a mother of fellow Maplewood student. I knew she was crying and I thought, "oh no..already?" I knew in that instant what I had tried to deny....this was going to be a very very hard day.
I came back to the school to pick them up about 20 minutes early. As I stood on the blacktop on the playground, I could see Cortney in her classroom. There was a line of classmates lined up to hug her, and I could see her wiping her eyes. When the doors opened, a few girls came out with tear streaked faces, that I knew were in her class.
The kindergarten teacher opened the door and motioned to me that we had tears today. Then when Ashlyne appeared in the doorway, tears pouring down, I just buckled. I couldn't contatin it myself, as much as I wanted to be strong for my girls so that maybe it would make them feel better. I knew that her heart was hurting and that killed me. She ran to me and I pulled her into my arms and we just cried for a few minutes. Then I tried to pull it together and told her it was ok, that it was going to be ok. She will still see her friends at soccer, and we will still come down for PTA events. (carnival, bingo, etc.) She said her friend Gillyan was so sad too, and wouldn't let go of her. (literally, was hugging her and wouldn't let her go.. )
I looked to the kindergarten door, and there was Gillyan standing with the teacher and she was crying, clutching a little wad of kleenex. I hugged her too and told her she would see Ashlyne at soccer tomorrow and we would get them together to play.
I finally get Ashlyne gathered to go find the other two. We walk over to the the other side of the school. Cortney finally emerges and she is sobbing, and she is flanked by like 5 other girls who are all sobbing. I hug her and I tell her and them that we aren't going that far away, we will still see them!
This is repeated when I find Jordanna. I feel just awful, not only are my girls heartbroken but so are their friends. And I feel completely responsible. My heart is so heavy. We make our way to our car and by this time, I'm crying again. The four of us cried all the way home. Cortney says to me, "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do, leave my friends..." I acknowledge her pain, and I say I understand and I'm sorry that this is so hard for them. I am sad too, and so is Dad. BUT...we are all going to be ok and I promise you are going to make new friends..I promise.
There were sooo many tears yesterday here. One of the worst things as a parent is when your child is hurting. It tears your heart out.
Yesterday our house closed. The deal is done, we are officially new homeowners. I was a bit miffed last night, I said to Craig, um, shouldn't we be celebrating and be happy? Where's my steak dinner and champagne?
Instead I was nursing broken hearts with fishsticks and tater tots and hot fudge sundaes from McDonalds...
It is going to be ok. We are going to love the new house and we will all make new friends. Its going to be ok.