30July2008
Posted by Poppa under: Site News; Technology.
Well, the comment spammers seem to trashed our Photo Gallery pretty good at this point. There’s now serveral thousand comments in there linking to everything from Air Purifiers to Medicine you can take for ED. My original plan was to remove the comments and put better security in place on the gallery to prevent the bots from gettin us, but instead we’ve decided to move our photos over to Picasa (Google). We’re running out of “free space” on the new site, but it’s pretty cheap to add additional space, so that’s our plan going forward. For now, you can see our photos via this link, and I’ll get the “Photos” link on this site updated and pointing to the correct location soon.
15April2008
Posted by Poppa under: Projects.
After many many years of wanting and wishing, I’ve finally purchased my first motorcycle. The bike was taken care of very well, so there’s really nothing that I need to do to the bike other than replace the chain at some point this summer - on some weekend when it’s gunna rain for like two days straight. There are a few modifications that I’d like to do eventually, but they’re more of a “want” than a “need” so I’ll probably put most of them off for a while (I really hate parting with my money).
Today was a beautiful day, about 62 degrees with not a cloud in the sky, so I decided it would be fun pull it out of the garage and shine it up a bit. I started remembering back to the days when I would go and visit my Grandma Pete at her shop where she sold snowmobiles, and how every other day she would be out there with her can of Lemon Pledge shining up the sleds. So that got me thinking, maybe I can do the same with my bike… A few google searches later, and I was out in the driveway with slippery hands, smelling like lemons, and watching the bike come to life in the sun.
Note: if you’re going to try Pledge yourself, make sure you read up on which parts should be avoided (especially the seat (danger, danger) and the exhaust)
20February2008
Posted by Poppa under: Uncategorized.
Finally got around to getting all the photos from Christmas posted. There’s also a few from before Christmas, and a few after Christmas.
Here’s a listing of what’s new, so you don’t have to try to search through the whole list for what you haven’t seen yet: sledding with all the kids at the park (where Momma broke her leg), Abigails Christmas concert at school, Christmas with all the kids prior to Momma leaving for Texas, and Mommas trip to Texas with the Stafford family.
There’s also a few more photos in our Misc folder (which usually is just “us” when we’re getting ready to go out on a date - which doesn’t seem to happen to often lately).
28January2008
Posted by Poppa under: Health; Family.
Momma had her appointment with the “bone doctor” today. After further review of the xrays, the Doctor made the decision that both of the bones in her lower leg were broken, not just the one as we previously thought. She didn’t end up getting her permanent (hard) cast put on today though, because there is still too much swelling. Instead she got some kind of “Big Jones Soft Cast” or something like that, and we have to go back in a week to get the hard one put on.
She’s still in quite a bit of pain at this point, and every little bump or stumble basically still brings her to tears. My thoughts and prayers are with you Momma. I know the healing of the bones will take some time - but having you not be in so much pain is my immediate plea.
27January2008
Posted by Poppa under: Health; Family.
I’m writing a seperate post about where we’ve all been, and what we’re been up to, but wanted to update everyone on what happened this weekend - so I’ll get back to that one another day. On Friday we got about 1-2 inches of fresh snow, and on Saturday morning we got another inch of or so. We had all 5 little ones (some of them aren’t so little anymore) this weekend, and decided it would be really fun to take them all over to the sled hill down the street for a couple hours.
The firt 5 minutes or so were spent climbing up the hill and sliding down half way, falling off the sled, chasing it down the rest of the hill, and walking back up. The second 5 minutes were spent watching the kids continue to do the same thing, over and over - with an added bonus of Abigail nearly smoking some other kid right in the “private parts” as she plowed over him (his parents really should teach him to pay more attention). The third set of 5 minutes were spent watching the kids continue to sled down the hill, and continue to improve their skills on the never before ridden snowboard.
Next it was Mommas turn to try the snowboard. Poppa held it tight at the back for her while she slid her shoes into the binders, and then I let her go and stood up to take a photo of her going down the hill. About 4 seconds into her run I took the photo to the right… and about 5 seconds into the run she was down on the ground in a great deal of pain. “I broke my leg!! I broke my leg!!!” she screamed, as she rolled around on the ground grabbing at the snow hoping it would make her feel better or something. I was first to arrive at the scene (as I was only about 8 feet away), and asked her to “Just calm down so that I can take care of you”… later I learned this wasn’t the best thing to say at the time. A few minutes pass, and I eventually got her to calm down a little, and I do mean only a little. We moved her lifeless body onto one of the sleds and proceeded to, very gently, inch her towards the bottom of the 50 foot hill. It seemed like to took about 2 hours or so for us to reach the bottom, but in real life it was only like 5 minutes. A couple of kind gentlemen came over and helped transport Momma from the sled, to the passenger seat of the truck. Then all five kids jumped into the back seat, many of them on top of each other and we were off.
Twenty minutes later we were at the ER. Momma in her wheelchair, and me at the counter getting quite angry at the check-in lady. My girl was hurting, in pain, and was about to puke all over their floor - and nobody seemed to be in any rush at all to help us out. Fast forward yet again, because nobody really wants to hear stories about hospitals, and we’re ready to leave. Momma had some kind of pain drug injected into her arm, we had a CD with a copy of her xrays in my pocket, and a temporary cast / splint on Mommas leg. Diagnosis - fracture just above her lateral malleosis (outside edge of body, just above that little bone that sticks out on your ankle).
We’ve had her propped up on the couch for about a day and half now, and aside from the pain from her broken bone, her biggest complaint now is that her butt is starting to hurt from sitting for so long. Tomorrow we have to make an appointment with the “bone doctor” guy, to get the hard casting put on her leg. It will likely end up going from just below her knee, to where he toes start. We checked out the xrays that were on the CD, and it sure does look broken to us. In fact, quite broken. It’s no wonder she’s hurting so much.
I have another post I started writing earlier, to update everyone on how everyone is doing. I’ll try to get that one finished up in the next day or so, and will also try to get the photos from Texas posted as well. Will also post some updates (and maybe some more photos) of Momma leg.
30November2007
Posted by Momma under: Uncategorized.
Tomorrow starts the count down. 25 days until Christmas! 25 days until the funnest day of the year for us. Time to make the chain with the kids. I can’t wait. The tree has been up for a week now and first thing in the morning it is turned on so when the kids get up they are greeted with the joy of Christmas. I haven’t even begun to start shopping yet. I think I know what I want to get everyone but the thought of getting out there and getting it all done is… not so pleasing right now. But I am sure that motivation will come.
We are heading down to Houston for the Holidays. I planned on leaving the night of the 23rd when I get the kids back from Dad’s house and just hookin ‘em on down straight through. I don’t like stopping it on delays the getting there part. So I was emailing my Dad and telling him about my plans and made the joke that I hoped there was enough coffee out there to keep me between the lines, and you know what… He went out and bought a ticket to fly up and drive with me down… sent me an email the next morning to just say, “I’ll hold your coffee”. Oh my gosh how sweet!!
Now that is a Christmas gift.
Sorry I haven’t written in a while, life just keeps us to busy sometimes.
I love you all and hope you are all having a wonderful time with all of your family and friends.
28November2007
Posted by Poppa under: Work; Technology.
Load up Google Maps in your browser, and you’ll notice over on the left-hand side a pizza link. Or as I like to call it, the “pizza button”. I like pizza. And I like browsing around the world on Google Maps looking at different places. One day, when I was a little bored at work, I started clicking the “pizza button” in different areas of whe world to see where I could get pizza. Remember, I like pizza. This act has led to plenty of fun on more than one occcasion, and I’ve learned a lot of interesting things. If I ever take a trip to Christchurch, New Zealand for example, I now know that I can get pizza at a place called Hell Pizza. Or if I head to Egypt I can eat a slice of pizza and look out the window at the Pyramids. There are lots and lots of places where you can get Italian Pizza. You can even get Frozen Pizza. And pizza on the smallest of islands at more than a few different places. If you’re bored sometime, give it try. You never know what ya might find.
20September2007
Posted by Poppa under: Site News.
After quite a few requests to update our Photo Album, I finally had some time motivation tonight to get it done. I’m all caught up with the recent stuff now, but still have some backlog from a while ago that I still have to go through. You can find all the recent stuff by using the last uploaded link, but that won’t keep them in Albums like they’re supposed to be - they’ll just be in one big chunk. To make a little eaiser, here are a few direct links to Albums that were updated tonight: Rachels brake job, Nicks haircut, visit from my brother Nick who lives in San Diego, some kids playing in my yard who must think it’s Halloween already, Labor Day weekend, and Michael & Nicks birthday.
20September2007
Posted by Poppa under: Family; Thoughts; Kids.
You spend the whole beginning of parent-hood, hoping and praying that you’re going to instill in your children a sense of “good”. And more often than not, you feel like you just completely suck at what you’re doing (at least I always did) at the time. And then they grow up, and you see them living from day to day, and sit back and smile because you think to yourself that maybe you did a better job than you thought.
But then there are days like today, when they just go off the deep end, and it makes you look at yourself and ask “What did I do right?”. I often reflect back on my childhood and the values that were put into me by my parents, and today the one that applies is that… “If you’re not going to do it right, don’t do it at all”. The only thing is, with kids, there isn’t always a right way. There is only doing your best, and it’s the days when you realize it might not have been enough that can make you humble. I do know deep down though that I have done them well, or at least to the best of my ability. Maybe it’s just those “teen-age” years that seem to make everything cloudy for them.
20September2007
Posted by Poppa under: Thoughts.
Edit: I started writing this about a week ago, and just saved it as a draft because I ended up being too tired that night to finish it. I think it’s done for now, until next week when I change my mind.
Tonight’s one of those nights when I sit here at the computer and think to myself that I want to write something, but I don’t know what I want to write. I feel like there are about a thousand things going through my head, and I really have no agenda. But who really does? I used to go through life thinking that there were so many things that we really have no control over, and that we just kinda ride along and take what life gives us. To the point that I no longer realized what I hoped for. A wise woman once told me:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
What does all that mean to me, and how does it apply to the person I am today? I said earlier that I feel like a long time ago, I lost what I had hoped for. But I don’t think that’s really that’s the case, now that I think a bit more about it. I think I just had too much faith. Too much faith in other people. Too much faith that other people would do the right thing. Too much faith that other people would guide my life to a place where I wanted it to go. Too much faith in life. And by doing so, by just riding along, that is where I lost my hope.
I no longer live a life without hopes. And unfortunately I feel that I have lost my faith in some people. But in the same regard, I feel that I have gained faith in others. It’s kinda strange, and I feel like I’m contradicting myself when I say that, but it’s how I feel. Peace means everything to me now, peace in every single moment of my day. From the time I wake up in the morning until I go to sleep. And to me, that peace comes from a balance. It comes from a balance between faith, hope, and yourself.
You can have all the faith in the world, but if you have no hope, and no drive within yourself to take yourself to the place where you want to be, chances are faith alone will not get you there.
You can have all the hopes in the world, but if you don’t (or cannot) have faith in the people your surrounded by, or the strength within yourself to make it happen, hope alone will not get you there.
And you can have all the drive within yourself to take you to a place where you want to be, but without hope, do you really know where that place is… or will you just rely on faith?
7September2007
Posted by Momma under: Family.
I had absolutely no idea… But the job of a mother truly never stops. It is school season, as I like to call it… kind of like hunting season only it is a test of the mothers that can make it without surrendering to the chaos. But everyday starts a 7pm the night before with the question… “what can I pack you for lunch tomorrow”… then come the 3 different replies…
Preston of course wants a sandwich with turkey bacon lettuce cucumbers, but with the request that it does not get soggy, so how can a mom manage this request… I guess we will put the turkey on then the lettuce then the mayo, then the cucumber, then the bacon, see how this pattern works out for non soggy bread. Then after building the sandwich (I say building because it was gigantic), we stuffed it into ziplock bags that were only made for a simple one layer sandwich. Okay one sandwich done then the drink and fruit go in the lunch bag in such a way that you make the effort to no squish the sandwich, which by the time the lunch box makes it to the lunch room it has been tossed, hit over their best friends head, dropped down the stairs, or whatever they go through before they actually make it to the lunch table. Like I said that is one lunch made. The next two are easier.
Cam gets peanut butter and banana on a regular basis, and Abigail gets a turkey sandwich, a simple one, with their fruit and drinks they are ready to go… but wait I wish I had cookies to give them. I don’t, but I do have some cookie crisp cereal… that will work. Lunch making is completed.
Bathing next, not too bad of an ordeal other than I can’t watch over the boys anymore to make sure they are doing it right, so the simple smell the hair test is about all I can go on. Abigails baths are filled with worries that a shark is going to come out of the drain and get her, or filled with dreams that she is a mermaid and can not stop going under the water to test her breath holding power.
So then it is off to bed with Abigail at 8, only to get up 20 mins later for a drink, not sure why I just don’t remember to give her a drink every-night before bed. Then off to bed with the boys to tell them they have to read before sleeping, and they give me all the 100 hundred reasons why they don’t! And I usually give up unless I am being extra fierce that night.
And then it is 9 o’clock and Mom is still at work ironing the clothes to be worn the next day, making sure backpacks are ready, and around 9:20 I sit down… and start sewing on Cameron’s stocking.
*she sighs*
Then usually around 10:30 I just can not take it any longer and carry myself off to bed with the cell phone with the alarm set for 5:30, should my brain hear it.
*she sleeps*
Beep beep beep… yes another day found me and up I go, but not until I say out loud to myself… “I don’t wanna get up”. Just like I use to say to my mom. But what is a morning without saying, “not just yet”. So eventually I get out of bed and use my first hour to get myself ready for work, and then it is Abigail at 6:30 first because she is the most difficult to get up and we have the whole hair thing to do. So I get her up, usually dressing her while she is still laying down in bed. And stumbling to the bathroom she assumes the position to sit and have her hair done, but the end result… priceless. Then while she is dressing, off to wake up the boys. They are much easier; dressed, breakfast, teeth cleaning, and then before walking out the door it is a quick squirt - squirt and hair is done. And we all head out to the truck to go to dads house before school, only after a few arguments about who called the front seat first. Usually they have it figured out by the time I get out there, because I forgot to pack my lunch so I am scrounging up some cheese crackers and an apple, and then I cant find my keys… I need a hook that they can be found on.
*work and school happens*
Then off to get them around 4 after work and they tell me all about there day. That they usually forgot something, Preston’s sandwich ended up being soggy, and Cam scored a goal in soccer, and Abigail played with the big girls. Then home we go, with chores to be done, litter to be changed, floors to be swept, bedrooms to be picked up, back packs to go through, and dinner to get going. Around 5 we all sit down to eat and by 6 dinner and dishes are done, and then it is time for mom to do her chores (whatever they may be that day). 7 o’clock has found us again and it is time to start the preparation for the next day all over again.
But you know, I wouldn’t give it up for the world… I love the feeling of taking care of them, loving them, and talking to them about things that are special. The little secrets, like Pres almost dying of embarrassment when his brother shouts out at choir who he likes. And then the threats come that “bad things will happen”… It is so fun to watch them grow and be the best of friends whether they can admit it or not.
So there is only one last question… Will the momma make it this school season? I sure hope so.
24August2007
Posted by Momma under: Family.
Welcome home Michael and Nick!! We missed you all summer and thought about you often. How you were, what you were doing, did you grow at all, did you get your hair cuts :)… (I don’t think so on that one)
Your dad and I had so much fun doing your room for you guys, I hope it was a surprise for you. There are plenty of places that you can add your own touches and make it your own.
Enjoy the oatmeal cookies, I got a bit carried away. Have lots of fun with your dad this weekend and make sure to sneak in lots of hugs here and there. Take good care of each other… and I hope you guys are the best of friends.
24August2007
Posted by Poppa under: Kids.
My boys finally came back from their summer long vacation to their grandparent house. They’ve been gone for about 2 1/2 months now, and this morning about 9:30 I got to see them for the first time. I can’t get over how much they’ve grown, how long their hair is, and how much I missed them.
We’re having a great day so far. We spent about and hour or so talking, hugging, catching up on things, showing them their new bedroom, and visiting with Harley (my dog). Then it was off to the front yard to play some Football, and had about ten rounds of “Lightsabre Battles” with the neighbor kids. By then, they were all really hot (it’s quite humid here today) and asked to go swimming. So that’s where they are right now, in the pool with the neighbor kids. Been taking photos of the day so far, and will continue to take more as the day goes on. Poppa’s Happy!
19August2007
Posted by Poppa under: Trips; Family.
Well, we made it home safe and sound from our trip to Florida. Finally got the photos uploaded to the site, they’re in the Photo section under Trips and Vacations. Being able to get tickets to go down there so cheap, will probably mean we’ll be taking another trip soon… not to mention the fact that that we only left like 7 hours ago and I already miss Kim & Mike.
I think the last time I posted we were getting ourselves cleaned up to head to The Alley. We all cleaned up pretty well, so we headed out. Met up with some of Kim and Mikes friends there, had a few drinks, checked out a few of the motorcycles parked out front, and heard some decent music. Not quite sure why this sign was written on the wall, at first we thought it was an omen or something and that maybe we should leave. But everything went well, and nobody tried to kick us out.
Saturday we headed off to New Smyrna Beach, which is just south of Dayton. Brought along their Boogie Board things and we must spent like 3 hours riding those things. It was so fun, minus the nasty tasting water - and we only got yelled at by the lifeguards once when we tried to swim out to one of the floating buoy things. After that, it was back home, chowed on some pizza, watched a couple of movies and just chilled for the night.
The flight back home was very un-eventful which was good cause that’s how they’re supposed to be. The only downside was when we were taking off, and the pilot said ”Weather at our destintion is 60 degrees and it’s raining”- this news, as we’re just about to leave sunshine and 95 degree temperatures. All in all, it was an awesome trip. We had a great time, and we really appreciate Kim and Mike letting us come down at crash at their house for the weekend.
ps - sorry for pushing you in the pool with your clothes on - I thought you went inside to put on your swimming panties
17August2007
Posted by Poppa under: Trips.
Had an excellent day so far, and it’s still not over. Swam most of the afternoon, even fell asleep on the raft for about an hour or so. Hoping that my back doesn’t end up getting burnt, but it’s been about 5 hours and it’s not burnt yet so I don’t think it’s gunna be. Once we woke up, we headed over to Flea World for about an hour or so and walked around looking at all the funny people (and a bunch of junk). Then we came home and my sister cooked up some yummy mexican lasagna type stuff. While she was cooking, the rest of us all took another nap (yes two in one day). Bellies are all full now, and we’re getting cleaned up so we can head out to The Alley tonight - we’re supposed to meet some of sisters friends up there. I know I said I would try to get some of the pictures up today, but all those naps kinda took all the energy outa me.