Thanks, Momster.  :)

1. What time did you get up this morning? ~ Most days, 7:00ish a.m.
2. Diamonds or pearls? ~ Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? ~ The Game Plan
4. What is your favorite TV show? ~ NCIS
5 What do you usually have for breakfast? ~  Cereal and a banana, sometimes pancakes 
6. What is your middle name? ~ Ann
7. What food do you dislike? ~ Liver, beets, black olives, tomatoes, anchovies, fish..... 

8. What is your favorite CD at moment? ~ Rush of Fools

9. What kind of car do you drive? ~ Chevy Venture
11. What characteristic do you despise? ~ Self-centeredness, meanness
12. Favorite item of clothing? ~ Blue jeans
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go? ~ Hawaii
14. Favorite brand of clothing? ~ One that is on sale
15. Where would you retire to? ~ Where ever my family is
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? ~ I don't like big parties.  A quiet dinner out is my favorite.  And my husband always makes my cake, which is special.
17. Favorite sport to watch? ~ Football
18. Are you a morning person or a night person? ~ Morning.  I am not good for much after 10pm.
19. What is your shoe size? ~ 9
20. Pets? ~  One cat, one dog
21. Exciting news you'd like to share with us? ~ hmmm...I live an uneventful life.
22. what did you want to be when you were little? ~ A mom

23. What is your favorite candy? ~ Peanut butter Twix or anything chocolate
24. What is your favorite flower? ~ Morning Glories 
25. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? ~ ?
26. What are you listening to right now? ~ Cailee singing
27. What was the last thing you ate? ~ a cookie
28. Do you wish on stars? ~ No
29. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? ~ Plum
30. how is the weather right now? ~ Gray and chilly
31. Last person you spoke to on the phone? ~ My husband
32. Your favorite soft drink? ~ Diet Coke
33. Favorite restaurant? ~ Cheese Cake Factory

34. Hair color? ~ Medium brown                                                                                                                               35. Your favorite toy as a child? ~ Easy Bake Oven
36. Summer or Winter? ~ Autumn
37. Hugs or kisses? ~ both
38. Chocolate or Vanilla? ~ both
39. Coffee or tea? ~ tea
40. What is under your bed? ~ a suitcase                                                                                                               41. What did you do last night? watched the Superbowl
42. What are you afraid of? ~ something happening to my kids
43. Salty or sweet? ~ both
44. How many keys on your keyring? ~ About 10
45. How many years at your current job? ~ 0
46. Favorite day of the week? ~ Monday
47. How many towns have you lived in? ~ 1
48. Do you make friends easily? ~ Acquaintances, yes; friends take longer 
49. Do you play a musical instrument? ~ Piano (barely) I used to play the clarinet.
50. Who will you tag? ~ Leni and Mel-in-MO

This is dedicated to momster and BreadLaDee and all the members of the blog police.

In response to multiple threats (althought I am not sure what they could actually do to me - LOL), here I sit.  I don't think I have anything of length ot post about, so maybe some random comments about what has been going on here will suffice.  :)

God is so good.  I sometimes can't believe how he works things out.  My dad has had 3 CT scans in the past 6 months or so.  The first one showed nodules on his lung so the doctor wanted to keep an eye on him because he was concerned about cancer.  The second one showed the same thing.  He just had the 3rd CT scan read last week and the doctor said the the nodules are "amazingly gone."  In between the 2nd and 3rd CT scan, my dad was prayed over for healing.  God is good. 

Baby Taylor is home for the hospital and is doing well.  She is a little miracle baby!  Thanks to all who prayed.

On a lighter note (maybe), we have started school - we have one week in to be exact.  I am on a quest to make school fun this year.  In the last five years, we have lost a lot of the fun to textbooks, workbooks, SAT's, and schedules without must flexibility.  Not that we won't be using any of those things, but this year will be different.  We are going to do some lapbooks and notebooking and lots of reading aloud.  I am very excited and the kids enjoyed their first week back - let's see if I can keep it that way. 

Well, I have to get grocery shopping (...in a couple of hours).  See you in a few months. 

Here I sit at 12:43 am - not because I am a night owl - actually, just the opposite.  I sit here because I cannot sleep.  D.J. is going to leave for college in less than 36 hours and I can hardly stand to think about it.  I thought I was fine with this whole thing, but I have now decided that I don't want him to grow up.  Too bad it doesn't work that way.  Life goes on - whether I want it to or not.

I am not worried about him not doing well or getting into trouble.  My reasons are purely selfish.  I will miss him terribly and our lives will be forever changed.  This is the first step he is taking into adulthood and there is no turning back.  And while I am so proud of the man he is becoming, I miss the little boy he used to be.  I want time to stand still and for all of my kids to be home with us.  I know it is all part of life, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.  :o(

I got a letter in the mail today from the diploma program that D.J. is enrolled in.  It says that all of my paperwork is complete and that D.J.  has fulfilled all the requirements for graduation.  In one sense, I am a bit relieved and excited; we made it through - and without any major injuries - LOL.  On the other hand, it made me sad.  He is done.  We have had some rough spots, but I have truly enjoyed homeschooling him.  After 11 years of being responsible for his education, I have to turn him over to someone else.  I know it is all part of life, but who says I have to like it!  We have read hundreds of books together, sat through many math lessons (I am sure that I know more algebra now than I did in high school) and argued about everything imaginable.  I might even miss that!  Yesterday I was typing up Brittany's and Aaron's objectives for next school year.  It just felt strange not including him.  I guess there will be an adjustment for all of us.  I am sure he will handle it fine.  Me on the other hand.......   His graduation ceremony is on June 22.  I hope I can keep it together and not embarrass myself (or him).

It has been forever since I have posted!  It seems as though there is always something more important to do.  I am going to try to write more frequently if for no other reason, to make my son happy.  He thinks it is cool that his mom has a blog.  So, if that is what it takes to be cool, it is a sacrifice that I am willing to make.

A lot has happened in the past nine months.  D.J. has applied to three colleges, been accepted at all of them and has decided on Geneva.  He will major in Biblical Studies.  We are so proud of the man (that is a hard pill to swallow) he is becoming.  There have been some tough spots and we have butted heads a few times - okay, a few thousand times- but all in all, I wouldn't change a thing (except that mullet he used to sport - LOL). 

He went to the prom a few days ago.  He had a wonderful time, but the whole experience took about 10 years off of my life.  Talk about last minute planning!  He looked very handsome and his date is a doll.  I am so glad they got to go. 

Brittany will be starting high school in a few months - here we go again....and again....and once more, again.  She and Aaron are both playing ball this year.  They have a good time and I love the games, but it sure does make for a busy summer.  Cailee wanted to play this year, but we put her off telling her she can play when she is seven.  It has taken some pretty creative scheduling to make it through this year!  Next year ought to be a treat!

Oh, well.  Time to get back to real life.  Hopefully it won't take me nine more months to get back her again!

So, I was reading over my old (but, not very old since I just started this blog last month) blog entries and realized that I have written a lot about my oldest child and some about my baby, but nothing about the middle children.  I guess what they say is true, that the middle children are overlooked.  So, in an effort to save my 2 middles from being scarred for life, today I will write about them.

Brittany, 13, is child #2 and is my oldest daughter.  She is the absolute opposite of her 16 year old brother.  If they do agree on something, she will be sure to change her position in a hurry.  I don't really understand it because he is a great kid, but she wants to be different, not lumped together with anyone else.  She does not want to live in his shadow.  He likes English and history; she likes math and science.  He likes vanilla; she like chocolate.  He loves the classics; she likes fluff.  I have to repeatedly tell him that if he suggests it, we might as well forget it.

Brittany loves all animals, but her favorite is horses.  She love to ride them, read about them, draw them, whatever!  She also likes frogs and toads.  We have a pond in our back yard that has tadpoles and toads.  She is forever catching them, observing them, and then releasing them.  She is also probably the person in this house that MY cat loves the most.

As she gets older, Brittany is a tremendous help to me.  She has become quite the baker and is learning about cooking as well.  She can clean a bathroom and do laundry as well as any adult that I know. She is a great help with her younger sister and takes on tasks without being told.

She is on a mission right now to read every Star Wars book ever written.  I think the librarians are ready to cancel our cards since she orders 25 books at a time through inter-library loan!  She has also gone through every Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Murder She Wrote book (no, I am not kidding!) that was ever in print.  Did I mention that she likes to read books that come in a series (translation: fluff)?  I am encouraging her to branch out a bit, but it doesn't seem to be working very well.

Aaron is child #3 and my youngest son.  He doesn't seem to suffer from middle child syndrome too much.  He is just a typical 9 year old boy who wants to play and is bothered by anything that gets in the way of that.  Like his older sister, he loves Star Wars.  He has owned (and broken) more light sabers than anyone I know.  He even keeps spare parts in his toy box. 

Aaron is a people person.  He usually doesn't do anything until he finds out who he is doing it with.  On a hot day, if I suggest that he go swimming, his first question is: "Are you going?"  His next question is: "Is Dad going?"  He does swim without us, but we NEVER swim without him!  He is a kid who genuinely misses people when he does not see them.  He hates it if he doesn't get to see his dad before he leaves for work in the morning.  If anyone in the family is away for any length of time, he is missing them.  He really misses his best friend is he doesn't get to see him regularly.  This is a kid who thrives on relationships.  He is very affectionate and sensitive and doesn't like controversy.  He does not like anyone to be mad at him.

So, I think I have written enough that if either of my middle children would decide to read my blog, they would not feel slighted in any way.  I am sure I will have more to write about them at some point, but my oldest and my baby always seem to have something going on, where my middles live pretty steady, consistant lives.  I guess we will see.  :o)

Well, it has been over  two weeks since I have posted anything on this blog.  So, even though I don't really have anything majorly interesting to write I about, I am here because I sort of made a promise to someone that I wouldn't quit.  Not only that, my 16 year old son thinks it is cool that I have stepped into his world.  I really don't think that he reads my blog, but that fact that I have one is enough for him.

If you want to read an interesting blog, his is the one you want to visit.  It is called The Account and is linked on this page.  I just have to say that I never thought about issues of such importance at his age, let alone wrote about them.  It is a sad day when you come to the realization that your teenage son knows more about most things than you do.  Actually, I should be glad, because I am fully functional with what I know.  Imagine what he can accomplish with so much more!  I wonder what he will be like when he actually gets some life experience behind all of that knowledge. 

Q.: What is your favorite night-time snack? What isn't my favorite night-time snack?  Most nights I would choose something with ice cream in it.  (but don't tell lisaok!)

Q If you could choose 3 comfort items to take with you for a year on a desert island, what would they be?  Not counting my family, I would take favorite blanket (yes, my kids aren't the only ones who have them), my computer (does this island have utilities?) and my Bible.

Q: Why did you choose each item? Because I don't like to sleep without my blanket, though I can - LOL, I like to use my computer to communicate, and I wouldn't want to go a whole year without reading my Bible!

Q: What is your first memory? I can't remember  - LOL.  I remember my Nana braiding my baby doll's hair when I was about 4.  I am sure I remember lots more, but that is the first thing that came to mind.

Yesterday evening something happened that I have been dreading for months.  I did everything in my power to delay it, but alas some things are inevitable.  Last night my baby lost her first tooth.   

I have been telling her for weeks to quit wiggling it and maybe it will stay in there for a while, after all, she will just be starting kindergarten.  She is still so young.  But, she just couldn't help herself;  she wanted the payoff too badly. So, now the tooth fairy is $2 poorer.  And I am sad that my baby is growing up. 

There is something in the heart of a mother that always wants to know how her child is doing.  Having homeschooled my children for the past 10 years, I always know how they are doing with that.  But, what about in other areas?  We don't have parent/teacher conferences or progress reports to tell us how our kids behave when we are not around.  When they are involved in activities outside the home, I am always looking for feedback - positive or negative.  I want to know how they are doing in Sunday school or at youth group.  I want other's views from a more unbiased perspective.  Are they getting along with the other kids on their baseball teams?  Are they being polite and respectful?  When I do ask I sometimes get the feeling that I am being an interfering parent or that I am holding on too tightly.  What is that anyway?  Isn't that in the job description?  Shouldn't I know what my kids are doing and how they are behaving?  You can't train your children to be godly adults when you aren't involved - very involved - in their lives.  Wouldn't it be nice if someone would volunteer that kind of information once in a while so you didn't have to seem so nosey?  Well, that is just what happened to me yesterday. My 16 year old son started his first "real" job yesterday.  He is going to spend the rest of the summer working part time for a man that does home remodeling.  On my way to pick him up after work I promised myself that I wouldn't ask his employer a dozen question about how my son did.  After all, he is 16 and getting older everyday.  At some point it becomes his responsibility to make sure he is doing what he is supposed to be doing.  Instead, I asked HIM at least a dozen questions, which I guess is a step in the right direction.  He was happy to talk about his day, but I still had to wonder if the boss thinks my boy is as great as I do.  Well, when I dropped him off this morning, his boss came over to my car and told me that I have taught my son to work hard and that he has a good work ethic.  I was so happy to hear that he did his job well.  His boss must know how nice it is to hear feedback from someone other than a doting grandparent.  He knows because they homeschool, too.

How many times have my kids said, "But ___________ is doing it," and I have responded with, "If _______ jumped off a bridge, would you?"  Well, here I am doing the same thing trying to figure out what all of the fuss about a blog is about.    Most people who know me know I will try almost anything once.  Most times, I do nothing more than once - LOL.  I have tried sewing, crocheting, cross stitch, scrap booking, sponge painting, and the list goes on and on.  I have found that I really don't enjoy doing any of it.  I like the end result, but I don't love any of those things.  My dad recently taught me to use a miter saw when we were remodeling our kitchen.  I really liked working with wood and remembered thinking that it sure beats sewing!  I might just try to make a simple piece of furniture, but I better do a good job because I will probably only do it.......once.  And so I regress.  The point is that this blog may be one of those things that I only do once or for a short period of time.  So, if it does just happen to go away, you will know what happened.