A Post Christmas Prose

Twas the day after Christmas,
The holiday went well.
Presents all over,
Now my house looks like hell.
I shall get OFF the computer
And don cleaning gear.
In hopes that my carpet,
Soon shall appear.

The children are playing
with toys that are new
There's another beep from the cell phone
of our oldest Trittschuh.

We've eaten all things
That are fattening and good.
I've not had the will power
That a girl really should.

My jeans, they will not button.
My blouses do not fit.
So sweats is the answer,
Until I get rid of this shit.

These holidays are great.
And oh so much fun,
But after it's over,
You see the damage it's done!

But would I trade all these woes
For a perfect house or waistline?
The answer is no,
For these memories are divine.

In January I'll work out,
Eat less, or at least try it,
Now I say Happy New Year to all,
And to all a good diet!

Preschool Christmas Programs are Precious!

I had the pleasure of attending the Salem Christian Preschool Christmas program yesterday morning to watch John perform. Holding true to my "emotional mush" status, I could feel tears burning my eyes even before the program started. Once the show was underway, I had to swallow hard to overcome the lump in my throat watching my baby deliver the only child-spoken part in a strikingly sweet version of the the very first Christmas. John portrayed a very convincing Inn Keeper.

Once the skit was over and the songs began, I indeed ended up with tears running down my cheeks. But not from crying. I was laughing hysterically at my little man with his smokin' moves! He's a superstar.

Here's a taste of John's mad dance skills...

And now a sweet one.

SOLD!

We finally sealed the deal and sold our house on Tuesday of this week; after more than two weeks of negotiations, inspections, the appraisal, and subsequent re-negotiations. I'm happy and excited at the possibility of getting into a more functional house very soon. In fact, when I'm helping Mary up the stairs to go to bed, take a bath, or to play in her room, one of us chimes in with a "not much longer" or "man I won't miss these."

But to tell you the truth, our house has been a good house. We've renovated almost every room inside (some twice!) and have learned a lot along the way. I just hope the next family enjoys it as much as we have.

Now we only have to find our new house, pack up and move by the first week of December. Anyone have boxes?

Chicks 'N Peeps

At least once a year, the ladies in Matt's family all get together for some shopping, drinking and belly laughs. We lovingly refer to ourselves as the Whittington Chicks (a term that I believe was brought about by a drunken karaoke rendition of "Earl Had to Die" by the Dixie Chicks.) Ladies, correct me if I'm wrong on this one!

This weekend, we were able to get our ever-growing group together (minus Amanda and Lisa) :-( and knocked out another great get-together. We laughed at the rapid expansion this year of the next generation of Whittington Chicks, or Peeps, as we decided that they too need a name until they earn their "Chick" right of passage some day. (We've had 4 baby girls born in the last 12 mos. with one more due in a few weeks!) It's good to know that our beer drinkin, loud talkin', overspendin' tradition will be secure with the next generation. Woooo hooo!!

Happy Halloween

It's the year of recycled costumes!

I think Beth looked pretty bas ass...

The End of the Wee Bolt Era

You know, when they were little you could say, "Get together for a pic" and they'd all huddle together with big cheesy grins. Now as sixth graders, this is what you get with that same request.

What goofballs! I'm glad it's over but I will miss them. (Most of them anyway...)

;-)

Gotcha!

I was taking pictures a few weeks ago and trying to get a rise out of Beth since she was refusing to give me a cute smile. I may have mentioned that she might like a certain new "someone" that goes to her school and caught this reaction. Ah ha....gotcha!

John Turns 5!

We had a fun day today. All of our food and activities were decided by the birthday boy. We started our morning with blueberry pancakes and sausage, immediately followed by PRESENTS. A live demonstration of proper form when weilding a sword was given... ...followed by a live duel right in the kitchen. The party then moved to a local bowling alley... (stupid rain ruined our plans for the park) ...where both Dad and Miss Mary each bowled a STRIKE! After working up an appetite over the course of the afternoon, our boy decided that he wanted to eat his birthday supper at McDonald's (Lord, help me...McDonald's?!) and then we'd come home to eat cake and ice cream while enjoying his favorite Nickelodean TV programs til bedtime.

I may poke fun at all of this, but I have to tell you, it really was a fun family day. I can't believe my little guy is 5. He's developed into a fun little person with real likes, dislikes, interests and opinions. I love him like crazy and can't wait to see how the next 5 years go. Happy birthday baby boy!

The Last Wee Bolt Cheer Photo

Sixth grade....whew, she's almost done. I mean, "YAY, go Bolts!"

The Climb

Every time I would hear "The Clmb" on the radio, I would get choked up as it reminded me of Mary. I took that inspiration and created Mary's Journey.

Fun at the Fair

We had a great day at the Great Darke County Fair. We endured the weather (brr!) and spent the day riding rides and playing games all the while scarfing enough fair food to choke a horse. By the time we left, we were tired, dirty and all had bellyaches....BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT!!

No More Baby

I kissed my baby goodbye this morning and sent him off to school for the first time with Daddy. (Well, it was Pre-K, but it still counts!) John was pretty excited...until he got to school. Then he put on his bravest face and tried to choke back the tears. He held it together until it was time to say goodbye...the tears just rolled as he hugged Matt tight and said "I love you Daddy." John wasn't the only one fighting the urge to cry at that point.

I'm happy to report that he had a good day. He made new friends, he colored a picture of shapes and told me that he needed more apple juice in his lunch next time. I guess that means he survived. He's ready to tackle it again tomorrow.

First Day of School

With backpacks packed, and finally being able to wear their brand new shoes, the girls excitedly returned to school this morning. The rain outside prohibited me from being able to walk behind them snapping pictures like a complete goober as they were walking into the school, so I had to settle for the standard pose in our kitchen.

Here's Mary, off to tackle the third grade.

And Beth, ready to rule the school as a sixth grader.

Stay tuned...tomorrow John starts pre-K!

Beth's Birthdays in Pictures

Let's take a stroll through memory lane...

One

Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten

And as of yesterday, my baby is eleven. Just like that.

I'm almost afraid to blink. She grows up too fast.

Third Phase of Mobility

First phase; crawling

Second phase; walking

And now, John has a bike!

VACATION!!

We had yet another great vacation at the lake. Seriously, who wouldn't be able to relax when this is your view every day? We fished... We swam... We took boat rides... We played with our very good friends Sam & Dani from Minnesota... We went to the zoo...(Except for poor John who had a nasty tummy bug and had to stay back at the cabin with Grandma & Grandpa. Sad!) The kids even took turns cheating to beat Grandma at aggravation. (Oh yes, I have much to be proud of)

Thanks again to Grandma & Grandpa Trittschuh for being wonderful hosts and spending an exhausting week helping us wrangle the kids, enduring countless hours of kid TV programming, and having to sit in the garage for hours every single morning in the chilly air waiting for us all to wake up. (Grandpa is a VERY early riser....we, however, are not.) We love you....AND WE LOVE VACATION!

My MVP

Back in May, Beth was awarded as on of the MVPs from her elementary school. She was thereby treated to a Dragons game a few weeks ago, given some Dayton Dragons merchandise, and invited to "Field Day" at Dragons Stadium today.

Field Day was a blast! Beth got her picture taken with two very cute ball players... ...hit wiffle balls pitched by a Dragons infielder ...got a poster autographed by the team, ...raced the bases against another MVP from her school She also got jump on inflatables, get her face painted, and scarf popcorn while roaming the field. What fun!