Hello

Well I decided that after two years of reading everyone else's blog, I'd better join the bandwagon. I can't promise that I will have a whole lot to say all of the time, but I will certainly try.

I guess that I should begin with a little catch up. I know you all know our family but here's where all of us are right now.

Phil is still working at Huntsman, and yes he still has CRAZY hours! He works 12 hour shifts with one month on days and one month on nights. Trust me, that gets really old. He does like what he does though so he puts up with the hours. His photography buisness is doing spectacular! I am so proud of him that I could bust. He has weddings booked for summer and fall, senior pictures, and family portraits. It couldn't be better!

Joey is 11 years old and is about to finish 5th grade. He is thrilled about moving on to middle school. I do not share that same excitement. He is as tall as me right now so I have started wearing tall shoes a lot. For the summer he is in baseball. The games start tonight and will go through August. He usually plays 1st or 2nd base. His favorite position though is catcher. He has become quite a social guy on top of everything else. For example, this past weekend he had plans for every second of every day. He has also started babysitting this year. He watches Jimmy for us, which has been wonderful. We have been able to get out and be a couple again. He also watches Danny for Mary and Ben and has been watching some boys down the street for a friend of mine. He is really good with the little kids and loves the extra money. I am pretty sure now that grass cutting season has arrived he will slow down on the babysitting and make money mowing lawns.

Jimmy is 9 years old and is ending 3rd grade. He is becoming his own little person for sure. He is 100% athlete and sports fanatic. He has a baseball or football in his hands at all times. We are always saying, "Jimmy stop throwing the football around the house!" He is also always talking about sports. "Today on Sports Center they said...." or "Hey Mom, guess how many touch downs Groosman threw in his rookie year." I told him last week that he could not tell me one more statistic unless he could spell his whole spelling list to me. Needless to say, I didn't hear stats for a week. He too will play baseball this summer and starts Tuesday evening. He plays pitcher and 1st base. He will be in football in the fall.

I guess that leaves me. Well I am pretty much the same as always, just busier. I am still working as a classroom aide up at the school but only until the end of this year. Next fall I am going to school full time to earn my degree in elementary education. I have been going part time while working full time and it is just not working for our family. The time with my kids is just too precious for me and I am not willing to miss any of it. So the choice came down to not going to school at all and just working, or not working at all and just going to school. We are willing to bite the bullet and pull in the purse strings for four years so that I can have a degree. It will be tough but we can manage. When I am not working I am running around with the kids to their events.

We also have a new member of our family. Belle is our new English Springer Spaniel puppy. She turned 10 weeks old on Saturday. So far she has been a really good puppy. (knock on wood!)

So that is us and where we are in our lives right now. I hope that we are interesting enough to read about.