Goodbye 2010!

I know my blog will soon become out of order, but it's all good. I promise to blog about our Christmas soon and it will include photos as well. :)
2010 is quickly drawing to an end and I am SO thankful to be saying goodbye to it. This year has been full of lots of everything.
January was off to a great start. I was very excited to begin losing weight and getting to a healthier me. With that came the pain in my pancreas increasing.
February the pain continued and even sent me to the emergency room that sparked the start of really finding out what was wrong with me. For that I was thankful.
March and April were all fairly calm and peaceful. Easter was fun. I love watching Bayleigh hunt for eggs. :)
May brought the passing of my wonderful friend Candi. Her death brought our hearts great sorrow. Then promptly following the loss of Candi came the loss of our Papa. That was such a great loss as well. Candi's death was so quick and Papa's was so unexpected so May proved to be a very difficult month. R.I.P. Papa and Candi. We love you so much and think of you both often.
June was fun. We took a family trip to Disney World thanks to my father-in-law. It was fun being with him and my brother and sister-in-law and my handsome nephew. I love looking back through the photos and letting the memories flood back in. :)
July came and hopefully started a tradition of Waldron getting the fireworks back and therefore us hosting a summer gathering of grilling out, playing cards, cornhole, and just relaxing in the summer sun.
August brought about the official start of Bayleigh's school career. She loves Kindergarten and is doing quite well I might add.
September I had my first surgery of having a stent put in my Sphincter of Oddi. I was never so glad to have that done! I felt so great afterwards! It also brought about the sadness that comes with the loss of a relationship that I still miss, but understand it is for the best for both parties involved. :(
October brought with it an unexpected hospital stay and a second surgery regarding the removal of my gallbladder. Next came pumpkin patch outings, Zoo Boo, and Halloween. I am sure that I had the most adorable Tooth Fairy EVER! Aunt Teresa and our cousin Angel coming up and celebrating Halloween with us was an added bonus.
November was FUN! Bayleigh turned 6 and this was by far her best birthday party to date. The carnival/circus theme was a blast and the hiring of the clowns was super cool! Thanksgiving was terrific as well. I LOVE hosting Thanksgiving here. We have began many traditions that are so much fun. Black Friday--it was FUN! It was interesting. It involved Bayleigh making a parking lot a potty to say the least. LOL! Man Black Friday was COLD!
December, well it is proving to have it's ups and downs. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a fan of cold or snow and we have had plenty of both. However, I am a huge fan of our cabin trip and Christmas so it makes up for it.
All in all, I would say that 2010 was just OK. The lows were LOOOOOOOW, but the highs were HIIIIIIGH, so it is very hard to judge. I would say the two major losses in May tend to kick it on the side of not being a great year, but how selfish of me to say such things. Candi is no longer in pain and Papa went very peacefully. They are both in the company of God and loved ones that too have passed and those thoughts are very pleasant.
I am very greatful to have such wonderful family and wonderful friends. I am greatful that we are all happy and healthy and I feel like we are all super blessed. So, here is to everyone having a terrific 2011! May you have health and happiness and more blessings than you are even able to count. Peace out 2010!
Much Love,
Jennifer
**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Just Checkin' In.

Christmas has come and gone and our time with family was wonderful. Friday night we went to Kim's and celebrated with Larry's family and then Saturday we celebrated here with mine. I have not posted about our days or photos for a specific reason that will come later. LOL! I will say that it was terrific though. Not long after opening gifts here Christmas morning Bayleigh and I both really started feeling crummy. We are now on the upside of that brief cold, but I spoke to Larry on the phone today and now he sounds like he is getting it. :/ The first day we really felt bad, but the following were/still are just really an annoyance of sounding bad. (Hope I explained that right).
We have one more Christmas this Friday with Eric, Rachel, and Max and then hopefully we can get back into routine and get back into some normalcy. I have throughly enjoyed Bayleigh being home with me. I love having her here and even though we don't do much it is nice just being together. Yesterday I joined Netflix so we spent the day watching movies and will probably watch another after lunch today. :) I am going to try to get us out of the house tomorrow, even if it is to only go to the store, but I feel myself getting major cabin fever.
I hope that your Christmas was as wonderful as mine was. I hope that you took the time to celebrate Jesus and if you have children I hope you explained that the birth of Jesus is what Christmas is truly about. Have a safe and Happy New Year's! More blogs very soon with pictures and possibly even a year end blog! Maybe I can get that one done tomorrow!
Until next blog!
Love,
Jenn
**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

It's A Good Day For God!

Monday was my 29th birthday. It's nothing to get excited about. To me, my birthday is simply another day. Not that I have a problem getting older, I just don't care to get all excited about myself. LOL! My birthday was good. We had our wonderful friends over for dinner since we missed their daughters baptism the day before. When I made the plans for the dinner I didn't even realize that I scheduled on my birthday--which is perfectly fine because, like I said, to me--it's just another day. I have upset my mother though. I should have taken into consideration her feelings and that she might want to spend the day with me. I didn't, which worked out well because she was able to take my sister out to dinner, but it has unleashed this terrible fight between the two of us. To put it quite simply--I have hurt her feelings and for that I am sorry.
Last night I was rereading the text messages from mom and I was pretty depressed. I was probably in the darkest place I have ever been in my life. I was thinking thoughts that shouldn't be thought. I was basically just feeling sorry for myself to be quite blunt.
I came downstairs to talk to Larry about how I was feeling. Anyone knows Larry, knows that talking to him about this type of stuff is not easy to do. Larry is a very black and white person. Things with him are pretty cut and dry. Now, don't let that mislead you into thinking less of him because Larry is a loving, caring, patient man as well. It takes him a very long time to the point of just flat being done and not caring about the issues at hand. He thinks that I should just let it go. Not let it get me upset--which is most mens thinking, but I am a girl and doing so is not an easy task. I can't count the number of times Larry says, "Jennifer, stop worrying about what everyone else thinks"! I am a self proclaimed OVER THINKER on EVERYTHING.
When I came downstairs he could see that something was wrong with me. (No, I was not crying). I stepped outside and came back in and he hopped up and handed me this drawing that Bayleigh did while I was sitting in my bed feeling so depressed and feeling so sorry for myself.

It says, "I (then she drew a heart) u God. It is a good day for a good day for God." I lost it. I instantly started crying and realized how selfish I had been. While I was sitting in my room feeling so down and feeling sorry for myself. God made his way into my living room and into the hands of my artsy 6 year old to let me know he is here for me. If this were a Footprints in the Sand moment, then this would have been the spot where there were only one set of Footprints in the Sand. Talk about an eye opener. I framed it immediately. While Bayleigh knew nothing about me being upstairs upset she was down here thinking about Candi and this is what she drew. I think it is most certainly a message from God that was meant directly for me. If I had the guts to put in writing exactly how low I was feeling you would more than likely agree with that statement.
I am deeply saddened by the argument with my mother. I am not exactly sure where we stand at this time, but no matter what the answer to that question is--I have the MOST WONDERFUL daughter in the world. I have a husband that loves me with all of his heart and it is 100% unconditional. I have a wonderful family. And yes, we are all hard to get along with, but we typically have our say and then we are good. I have wonderful friends that are loving and supporting and unjudgmental. I love them as if they are my family as well. I have good people in my life and for that I am very blessed.
My hopes are that this storm too shall pass and things will go back to normal between mom and me much sooner than later. I am sure they will.
For the record, this blog is not meant to be a feel sorry for Jennifer blog. It is not a whoa is me blog. I wrote this blog to show you the power of God. He is always there for us even when we feel so alone. Even when we feel there is no hope. Even when we realize all those emotions are nothing more than just flat feeling sorry for ourselves. God really is good. Don't ever lose site of that.
On a side note--HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my bestest friend in the world! Larry, I love you with all of my heart. You are my rock. You are my love. You are my best friend. I hope your birthday is as wonderful as you are! xoxoxoxo!
Thanks for checking in.
Love,
Jenn
**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Cabin Weekend 2010

Each year, the weekend before Christmas, Larry, Bayleigh and I got to stay in a cabin with the Burris family just to get away before the craziness of the holidays. This years dates were December 17th, 18th, and 19th. We always go to Poland, IN to Wasatch Lake Cabins and it is always a good time. Our menus even stick with tradition being the same foods every year with the exception of dinner on Friday nights. Even kitchen duties stay the same each year. :)

Bayleigh and Steve making biscuits and gravy Saturday morning!

Our view from the living room in the cabin over looking the lake!

Friday night, I taught Kim, Kaitlynn, and Whitney the very basics I know of knitting that I learned from this YouTube video. It was fun!

Bayleigh and Kaitlynn knitting Saturday morning!

Bayleigh just wanted to help daddy build the fire. She held that piece of wood forever!

Santa always comes each Saturday night to bring the kids gifts. (We even learned that they were all the way in Indy and came back just for this and then went back to Indy the next day)! So nice!

Sunday, before we leave we always stop at the lodge and take pictures and play games!

She loves this piano.

Bayleigh certainly is no pool shark....she gets that from me!

Even our Sunday lunch/dinner even sticks with tradition of going to Cracker Barrel. Let's face it...some traditions are hard to beat.

All in all, the trip was wonderful. It was exactly what I needed....a weekend of doing absolutely NOTHING. I loved it! Thanks for checking in.

Until next blog...

Love,

Jenn


**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Just Listen...

I have known for quite a while now that I am not that great when it comes to actually listening and hearing my daughter out. I am so easily frustrated by her whiney voice. Her sassy back talk followed quickly by her STICKING HER TONGUE OUT! (drives me crazy). Her lack of respect. Bayleigh doesn't treat everyone that way, but she does to Larry and I. I try to tell her that of all the people in the world Daddy and Mommy should be the two people she respects the most. As I sit here now, I am aware that by me interrupting her and not hearing her out--no matter what her tone may be, I am not respecting her as well and for that I am sad. I do this so often. I don't think it makes me a bad parent, but it certainly doesn't make me a great parent either.
Last night, December 14, 2010 we took our annual trip to Christmast at the Zoo with Eric, Rachel, and Max. We went into the pavilion where Santa was and while Eric, Rachel, and Max were visiting Santa, Bayleigh and I decided to walk around. We went over to the section filled with toys and this is how the dialog went....

B: Mommy, the penguins are SO cute.

Me: Yes, they are!

B: Can I buy one....(The dots represent me interrupting her)

Me: No

B: But mommy I just want to buy a penguin....

Me: No Bayleigh. We are not buying another freaking stuffed animal.

B: Mom! Please...

Me: No Bay! You have so much junk. I am not buying anything tonight.

Larry: What's going on?

Me: She wants to buy one of those penguins and I am not wasting the money on another stuffed animal. You deal with the whines because I am done....(I walk away).

(Bayleigh walks up to me again)

B: Mommy, I just want one of those penguins....

Me: NO Bay!

Larry: Jennifer, just shut up and hear her out! Bayleigh tell mom what you want.

B: Mommy, I just want to buy one of those penguins for the kids that don't have any toys!

Me: ((I feel less than an inch tall. I am instantly filled with pride, that my 6 year old seen the Toys for Tots box and wanted to give another child a penguin that she thought was so cute)). I knelt down to her level, gave her a hug, and immediately said, Absolutely, let's go!

She couldn't pick just one so I let her buy two and watched with sheer pride as she dropped them into the nearly empty box.

I think a lot of our miscommunications comes directly from me not hearing her out. It instigates her bad attitude and her sassy mouth. This morning while getting Bayleigh ready for school I hugged her again and suggested that her and I work together and try harder to hear each other out so we can get along much better. She threw her arms around my neck and said DEAL! :)
I still feel pretty bad about what happened last night, but I think it was a wake up call that I most certainly needed.

Moral of the story: Just because it's a child talking to you--SHUT UP and LISTEN!!!!

Thanks for checking in. Until next blog...
Love,
Jenn
**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Bass Pro, Good Friends and Snow....

I was never so happy to get out of the car on Saturday! :) We got up and decided since Bayleigh was feeling better and not contagious that we would go visit David, Jennifer, Benjamin, and Ethan in Bloomfield. The ride down was nice. It's a 2 hour drive. Our plans were to go to Clarksville to the Bass Pro Shop and visit Santa and then go to dinner. We decided that since money is tight for all we would just get together and go to dinner and just be together. Drew, Stacia, and Nolan were unable to attend because they had to get their Christmas shopping done. :/
Once we got down there, I helped by giving Nolan his bath. I forgot how different it is to bathe a tiny, tiny baby! We got all done and loaded into the truck and all rode together. We met a friend of David's and his family in Bedford and carpooled down. It was rainy and yucky, but it was great to get to sit in the back and just catch up with good friends. We did Bass Pro, got some Christmas shopping done--which officially ends our need for big gifts. Minus Eric and Rachel, but it's just a matter of getting to the store to get theirs because we already know what we are buying. We celebrate with them on New Year's Eve so we have time.
After finishing at the BPS we headed back into Bedford and hit Golden Corral. It was good. By the time we got there we were all starving, so the buffet really hit the spot. We then went back to David and Jennifer's and watched a movie and headed to bed.
Sunday, upon waking, the snow was already falling. David made us breakfast and then I took Ethan's newborn pictures. That is a lot harder than I expected. I think I got a couple of good shots though. :) After taking pictures Drew, Stacia, and Nolan came over to visit on their way to lunch. Nolan is growing so quickly! He is quite the handsome baby as well. :) After that we headed home. HOLY CRAP! It was SLICK! A 2 hour drive took us over 5. We did stop at Steak-N-Shake in Bloomington because right off the bat we got hung up in a wreck. The traffic was backed up for miles. I pray everyone involved was OK, but it looked pretty bad.
I am just happy that we made it safely home. Slow and steady wins the race and that is the mindset we drove with. I say we drove, but really Larry drove! LOL!
Hope you are all ready for the Christmas holiday! I know we sure are. If you have to be out in bad weather please use additional caution and be safe. Thanks for Checking in!
Love, Jenn

Saturday, December 11, 2010, Clarksville, IN Bass Pro Shop.

Sunday, December 12, 2010: Ethan James!!!

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Scratch That Pink Eye!

So, we got some great news, eghhh news, and some bad news....
I took Bayleigh to her eye doctor's office this afternoon and the great news is.....she does NOT have pink eye! YEAHHHH! She has Episcleritis which is inflammation of the eye and that caused the blister on her eye ball as well. It is NOT contagious and any discomfort she has is as bad as it will get. She has to have 1 drop in her right eye, 4 times each day, for 7 days. I take her back on Friday, December 17th at 8 AM for a check up because sometimes the drops require a second round to work. So YEAH for that great news.
The eghhh news is.....since January her vision has changed again. BOOOOOO! Before her glasses she was a 20/30 and a 20/40 and now with her glasses she is a 20/30 and a 20/40. :/ She goes back in January for her annual exam and so we picked out her glasses she will get in January tonight. I hope that maybe after this new set her eyes won't continue to get worse. I know that as of right now that isn't bad, but her dad's eyes are terrible and it is looking like she is getting his vision problems from him. Yes, I have glasses, but he is basically blind without his.
The bad news is......as soon as we were leaving the office, Larry shoved Bayleigh out the door, while I waited for the note from school and medicine and she puked all over the lawn! CRAP! He shoved her because he heard her starting to upchuck. LOL! I thought we were over that. I am HOPING that it was just her nerves that made her sick because she was so worried she was going to have to get a shot. I pinky promised her she wouldn't, but she was still scared. Luckily she is feeling much better.
So, that is what the update is. I thought for sure pink eye because Allie just came off pink eye last week, but it just is a fluke that she gets this right after. Even the pediatrician thought pink eye after I explained the symptoms. I am so glad I had Shelley, (we LOVE her), from eye doctors office call me last night. What a relief. :)
Thanks for checking in.
Love,
Jenn
**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Pink Eye...

You know that saying, "If it's not one thing, it's another"? That is exactly what it feels like is going on in this house!

So, the stomach bug that was mentioned in my previous post ended up keeping Bayleigh home not only Monday, but Tuesday as well. She still had diarrea and I thought it best to keep her home. She still has diarrea, but is making it to the bathroom.

Well, tonight--Thursday, December 9th, 2010 we have PINK EYE! (Hence the font color)! When I picked Bayleigh up from school she said her eye felt chapped (????), but she was fine. She ended up laying down for a nap and woke with a blood shot eye and even has a blister on it. I called my girlfriend and asked if our peditricians office has walk-in hours and she wasn't sure, but suggested I called the on-call doctor and inquire about drops since we knew Bayleigh had been exposed to pink eye last week. The doctor was SUPER nice, (so glad we decided to go with that office), and said that she believes she has Adenovirus. I was like huh??? Ok, so here is what I got that it is from the doctor....It is a virus like the common cold that can lead to viral pink eye--which she believes she has. It's HIGHLY contagious too. Nothing can be done for it. (the other pink eye is bacterial) At the time Bayleigh's only symptoms were the red half of the eye and a blister on her eye. Now, as of writing this her eye is not watering, but looks glassy and I noticed a touch of gunk in her lashes. (You'll see in the picture below--it's not bad). In the same breath of telling me it's highly contagious she tells me she can still go to school. She said that if she developes a temperature of 103/104 and/or if the outside of her eye swells that she must be seen. So, I call my friend back and I was so torn as to what to do about sending her to school. So, she points out that the school nurse is my best friend so I should call for her for a second opinion. She too agreed that with those symptoms it would be ok to send her, but wash hands and don't bother the eye. I made up my mind that IF she woke and it was only red and had the tiny blister I would write a note explaining what I knew to her teacher and send her. Then I got on Facebook--yes, I rejoined yesterday, but have done great about staying off of there--I get on there and my friend from Bayleigh's eye doctor's office is online and I ask her to call me. I explain everything to her and she says NO, don't send her to school and call the office first thing and let them know Bayleigh has an eye emergency and that she told me to call and they would get Bayleigh in tomorrow afternoon for the doctor to look at it and get her drops. ((Now my eye is itching, but it could be in my head--kinda like the word lice, you hear it and your head itches--stop scratching)). LOL!

SO, this is what we have going on. Hopefully it doesn't last long and hopefully nobody else gets it! Please pray for that for us.

If you click or double click the pictures below they will open bigger and you can see them better. (Her eye brows crack me up)

I'll keep you posted on how she is doing. Until then...

Love,

Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Stomach Bug Unwelcome!

It's here! The nasty flu bug that Max dealt with Saturday....it has taken a hold of Bayleigh and doesn't seem to be letting go. Poor girl. Around 10ish last night she said, Mom, I think my tummy is going to be sick. I told her to go into the bathroom and nothing....whew! Well, then dad convinced her to head up to bed and almost instantly my bed was covered in vomit! UGH! I knew it was going to be a very long night. She was up all night long with it coming from both ends. Gross--I know. :( She was on the couch with the trash can beside her and even when she would doze off I could hear her stomach rumble and within minutes she was flying up off the couch with the trash can running to the bathroom. She was miserable. She was doubled over in pain from the stomach cramps. I felt so helpless. She finally fell asleep around 3:30 this morning. It was after 4 for me. I am and she is absolutely exhausted today. I was hoping to catch a nap with her and Trent, but the neighbor ended up staying here home from school too, so no nap for me. My head is starting to hurt and it is hard for me to focus on what I am doing and I know it is from lack of sleep. Needless to say, when Larry gets home I am going to crash.
Here is a picture of Bayleigh watching Alice in Wonderland this morning when she felt some better. The #2's are back full force, but luckily she is able to sleep as of now. I hope she wakes feeling even better. Thanks for checking in. Until next blog.
Love,
Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Forgot to blog about the circus...

Three blog entries in one day! WHEW! Well, this will be short. I forgot to blog these pictures. This is a great shot of how terrific our seats were. You can see the ring behind Bayleigh.

Check out this cute cup I got for Bayleigh too. She wanted a sno cone and then I ended up having to eat most of it because she didn't want it and it was messy! She also got, a DS game, lighted tiger ear (See above), cotton candy with a hat, and a picture on a plastic elephant with a frame. CUTE!

Love,

Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Santa 2010

Every year we go to the Greenwood Park Mall and see Santa. HE is the REAL deal! :) This year we went Sunday, December 5th, 2010 and we took Trent with us again because he tends to do much better with Larry than he does for Mamaw. He was so great all day. So was Bayleigh.
Check out this picture of Trent in line with his hands in his pockets waiting in line.

Below is Bayleigh with AG Doll Melissa. Matching. Waiting to meet Santa. LOL! They are cute!

Here it is! The official 2010 Santa pic!

And here is Trent! Santa was tickling him! :)

Holiday traditions have been fullfilled again! Thanks for checking in again!

Love,

Jenn
**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Puke, Circus, Wreck...In That Order!

"Jennifer, you need to wake up. Our nephew just puked everywhere". That's what I woke to on Saturday, December 4th, 2010. I thought GREAT! This day is going to be fuuuun. I had Max stay the night because for Bayleigh's 6th birthday her papa bought her 4 tickets to the Ringling Bros. Circus. Her friend from school was unable to go so we instantly thought to invite Max. Larry then said Rachel could have his ticket because he would rather go hunting--which he didn't end up doing. So, Friday night Larry went to get Max while Rachel worked. I told her that the problem was that I do NOT drive in the snow so Larry was going to take us up to Indy and then we would meet up with her and then after we eat Larry could pick Bayleigh and I up. She then offered to drive us home. So, that was the plan. Then Max ended up being sick so I texted Rachel and she came and picked him up. I waited for the yeah or neah as to whether or not they were going. I got the wonderful news that Max had gone home. Rested. Kept down his fluids and they were going to make it. Larry then dropped Bayleigh and I off at the designated spot for Rachel to drive us on into Indy. We are driving along and all of a sudden you hear the fun in the backseat begin....Max had gotten sick again. Poor guy. I told Rachel that we could totally scratch the day, but she said we were going. So, after a pitstop to clean Max up and a pitstop--record timing too--to buy new pants we were set. We get to Conseco and get through security, get our tickets scanned and OH! We have to go to the box office because our seats were blocked. GREAT! HOWEVER, it ended up being WONDERFUL! We got front row seats in the $90 section! YEAH! :) The show was amazing! Rachel and I both agree that the cost is so worth the money because the show is that good! :)

Me, Bayleigh and Max in our front row seats!
Bayleigh, Max and Rachel!

The pictures above, clearly, are of the contortionists. Their strength and steady was just phenominal! (As you can clearly see). They certainly were not the best acts of the show, but to watch them, you can't help but be in awwww.

What's a circus without a tightrope act. I personally was not blown away by this performance, but it was still great to watch. Their costumes were beautiful!

THIS! My friends was the coolest part of the show--hands down! Rachel and I were both holding our breaths and saying our prayers for these performers. Let me just tell you how many FULL sized bikes were in this ball of steel--Not 1, Not 2, Not 3, Not 4, 5, or 6! BUT 7! YES! 7! It was amazing! One of the 7 was even a girl! Way to go chick!

This tiger was HUGE!

The tigers were fun to watch. They did NOT look happy, but they did what they were supposed to do and were fun to watch!

Ever seen a dog walking an elephant???? Now you have! :)

The trapeze act was great as well. How I got this picture so far out of order I have no clue. LOL!

As you can see from the number of pictures included, the elephant acts were pretty spectacular! I was impressed with their abilities of standing on their two back legs and even on each others backs. As they walked in and out of the arena they would hold on to the tail of the elephant in front of them. So smart!

These men were amazing as well. They at one point were 5 high. They even had a man on a unistilt stand on a teeter totter and two men jumped off of a ladder, launched the man into the air. He did 3 or 4 back flips in the air and then stuck the landing on this huge pillow looking mat that was held in the air by a few other men. They were fun to watch. To get 5 high as well, they used the teether totter and flipped to the top of the awaiting shoulders. Crazy awesome!

Meet the circus's newest member--Barnum!

Pretty impressive huh?! Not even the half of it! At one point, while she was standing on her trapeze bar, dangling from this bike on a tightrope--they did a complete 360! Isn't that cool?!

So, as you can see--we had a great time at the circus! I highly recommend you go if you get the chance.

So, we make it through the circus with no more upset bellies and we are heading to Franklin so that Larry can pick Bayleigh and I up so that Rachel doesn't have to drive us all the way home because after her lack of sleep that morning and Max feeling so yucky I didn't want her to have to do that drive. We are no more than a block from Conseco and you hear screeching tires. Sadly we were in an accident. EVERYONE WAS FINE! Thank God for that, but Rachel has to get her fender fixed and the guy involved as well has to get his doors fixed. I believe the accident will be considered a no fault accident. To be honest Rachel and I both looked and the lane was clear. We think he might have pulled out of the stopped lane to go around and when he gunned it we were already there. :( It was so minor that I didn't even realize we had wrecked. I thought we got stopped in time, but we didn't. Rachel's day was just horrible. I feel so terrible for her. :( I know the plan for today was for her to stay in her jammies all day and just veg. I texted her earlier and have not heard back from her yet so I can't update you on how she or Max are feeling. I can tell you that after the accident her husband met us in Franklin as well and we all had dinner together and during dinner you could watch Rachel melt into a puddle of not feeling so great either. Her head hurt and she sounded terrible. I hope she went home and had her date with a bottle of Nyquil and feels better though. :)

So, that was our Saturday! Fun, Entertaining, and Not so fun--all at the same time. :)

Until next blog--which I am getting ready to post....

Love,

Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

It's SNOWING! 12.1.10

I am seriously probably the MOST conflicted and confusing person when it comes to snow. Me and snow--we have a love/hate relationship. (Weird, I just said I have a relationship with snow). LOL! My thinking is this. IF it HAS to be COLD, (HATE), I want it to snow. I HATE driving in snow and basically will ONLY go from my house to the school and back in it. I am TERRIFIED beyond TERRIFIED to drive in it. I don't even like riding in it with Larry. I trust him 100% and he loves it, but I am more concerned with other drivers around us.

My fears even carried over to Christmas gifts last year for my family members. I purchased small laundry baskets that included throw blankets, small snow removal shovels that the handles extend on, small bags of kitty litter to pour under tires for traction, hand warmers, I THINK candles and matches, emergency contact cards, small first aid kits, and flashlights.

My thinking about cold and snow is this....IF it MUST be cold then I want it to snow. BUT not just enough snow to make the roads yucky and slick. I am talking SNOW--SEVERAL inches of snow that requires schools and businesses to close. Snow emergencies to keep my family home with me so we are safe and can go PLAY! :)

Every year we go with the Burris Family to a cabin to just relax one last time before the Christmas holiday is upon us and just do NOTHING. And EVERY year I hope that once we get down there that we will have a blizzard. LOL! I want to get stuck down there. Our cabin has a big bay window over looking the lake and it is BEAUTIFUL! I don't want a blizzard that knocks the electricity out, but I do want SEVERAL inches of snow Friday and Saturday night. When we are there we always see an array of wildlife and my favorite is probaby seeing the cardinals and blue jays frequent the bird feeders on the deck. The red and blue of their feathers is always so pretty against the white of the snow.

This post started because of the first snow this morning. It did snow on Thanksgiving night on our way to Kim's, but this is one where it is sticking on the ground. Bayleigh woke up and said MOM, you are NOT driving in this....it's on the roads. LOL! That cracks me up that she is only 6 and knows me so well! She quickly bundled up and headed out to get her first taste of the flakes. I attempted to capture her adventure on camera and at the time the flakes were so tiny they didn't show up in the picture. You'll be able to see in the picture below her coat is up over her mouth--I point this out because every now and again you could see her little tongue peek out over her straps in an attempt at a taste testing. LOL!

Below is another picture of our Christmas tree as well. This isn't a great picture, but you can get a better look since it isn't so dark.
I will close by saying this...1. Happy December--it is finally here. And 2. IF you must be out in the cold temperatures and snowy slick roads then please be safe. Always say a prayer before you pull away from your spot and ask God if he will tag along in your travels to protect you on your way. (I do that even when it isn't snowing). Until next blog...
Love,
Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**