School Pictures

Hope everyone had a relaxing Thanksgiving. We sure enjoyed our 6 days off and thankfully the boys got right up this morning & had no trouble getting back into their regular routine.

I scanned their school pictures so you could see them. I agree with Maggie & wish the would smile more, but at least it's not some dopey look on their faces.

I also included a picture that I came across this weekend. it's of Jerry - circa 1977. Aidan thinks it's him.

Halloween Happenings

I know, I know Halloween has been over a week ago, but I finally got a couple of minutes to post the photos.

Austin's pumpkin is the bat & Aidan's pumpkin is the skull.

At Austin's request, we tried our hand at roasting pumpkin seeds and they were pretty good!

Aidan was a vampire for Halloween, his parade at school was really sweet. I love to see all the kids dressed up & strutting to the music of the Senior High Band!

Some Halloween Fun

Aidan & I finished the pirate ship that Shamma brought for him the week after they were here, but I am only getting around to putting pictures on now.

The Ebersole family also made a Spooky Gingerbread House this evening. I thought it came out pretty cool. The boys seemed to have a good time designing it & putting the candy on. They even were cordial to each other while they worked on it together.

We may carve pumpkins tomorrow seeing that Aunt Tricia thinks they need to do that. I hate gutting the pumpkin, but maybe I can get the boys to do that.

Also, here is Aidan's artwork for the Display My Art fundraiser that Brecknock is doing. His fish is very colorful & I can not decide which items I want to get!

FOOTBALL PICTURES

Aidan by himself. He had the dopiest smile. We tried to make him laugh so he wouldn't have such a cheesecake look on his face.

Aidan's team picture with almost all the players & the coaches.

Austin by himself, trying not to smile so he looks tough.

Austin's team picture with his coaches.

I think they look pretty handsome.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2007

Can you hear it? The sound of excitement? The sound of nervous laughter? Well, if you can, it isn't coming from my house.

Today was the first day of school around here & I guess to boys, it's just another day. They could care less. The only thing I hear is silence. Even though the two of them spent the majority of the summer fighting with one another, I would prefer that as opposed to being alone.

I start work after Labor Day, so it's just a few days this week that I have to endure being by myself.

By the way, can you see the excitement on their faces?

I didn't think so.

BUSY-BUSY-BUSY

Well, we have been quite the busy beavers around here lately.

Last week, the boys started everyday football practice from 5:30 to 7:30. Thank goodness they both love it & don't complain about having to go everyday when it's so hot.

The boys are both very good at football & it is fun to watch them practice. Austin always plays with his heart & it is amazing to watch the "one man wrecking machine" take on kids twice as big as him & bring them to the ground. Aidan is the Tazmanian Devil. He tackles with wreckless abandon & runs "mad fast" - scoring just about every time he has the ball.

Austin was assigned to the Maroon team tonight at their first scrimmage & they play on Saturdays. We will probably find out tomorrow which team Aidan will play on, but chances are he will play on the Sunday Varsity team. Hopefully they will let him play on the Saturday team so we won't have football all weekend long.

Friday we went to the Toyo Tires Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. We all love the drags & since they moved them to August, it works out much better for us.

The boys & I went back early Friday afternoon & then came home for a little rest & then went back for night qualifying. We were not disappointed!


Austin got Gary Scelzi's autograph which thrilled him. He told Gary that he picked him every week in fantasy NHRA & wished him good luck in his retirement next year. Gary said that there were weeks that he wouldn't have picked himself, but this weekend he would pick him.








Austin also got Larry Dixon's signature. He is another favorite of Austin's. I have new found respect for Larry. We were standing down by the finish line when Larry finished his qualifying run. Austin said "Mom, look it's Larry." I told him to say "Hi Larry!" and he did. Larry turned to Austin (who was wearing a Dixon t-shirt) and said "Hi! - Nice shirt!" When we were up in the pits later on, he remembered Austin from the end of the track. I thought that was pretty cool considering the thousands of people he sees each day.
Aidan got Tony Schumacher's autograph on his Tony Schumacher shirt which made him happy. I love Tony! He is always so nice to the kids!

The boys also got Robert Hight's autograph. I think they did that more for Jerry than they did for themselves. Robert is John Force's son-in-law & also drives for him.

On Saturday morning, Tricia, Maggie & Charlie arrived for our tattoo weekend. The Myers' girls went to Mike's Tattoo & Body piercing to get inked.

We had decided that we wanted to get the Chinese symbol for sisters. I would get two younger sister symbols, Tricia would get one older sister symbol & one younger sister symbol & Maggie would get two older sister symbols.

Well, my sisters decided that they didn't want just the symbols, they wanted a little extra. Tricia got a gladiolis flower which represents strength of character & Maggie got three lilac blossoms which stands for beauty, which all of us are absolutely stunning! I opted for just the symbols, in each of their favorite colors: Tricia's in green, Maggie's in blue. I am loving the location I chose (after consulting with the tattoo artist about the least painful spot) & the actual tattoo itself. Now every time I look at it, I think of the two people in this world who mean the world to me & I couldn't imagine a day without. I am so glad that they were able to come down & that we could do this together.

And not to leave out my little chunky monkey nephew. He also got inked on his arm, (even if it was just temporary).

And I just thought this was so sweet. Aidan fell asleep between our screen door & our front door with Ruger. What a good dog & a super sweet boy I have.

WHAT'S NEW AT THE ZOO

Well this week has proved to me that even though nothing special was planned, you can still have a fun time!

This week the boys both had doctor's appointments for their physicals for football/school.

We had to start going to a new doctor because the previous doctor could not schedule us until the end of October. That would not work for us.

Austin's appointment went off without a hitch. He is 4'9" tall & weighs 70 1/2 pounds. The doctor said he is a little underweight, but he looks good. He also has 20-15 vision which means it is better than 20-20. I thought that was terrific!

Aidan's appointment was going really well. He weighs 54 pounds (didn't ask how tall he was) & I wasn't with him when they tested his vision. However when it came to the portion of the physical where they checked him for a hernia, I thought I was going to tinkle in my pants.

Now keep in mind, Aidan has no idea what a hernia is & had no idea what the doctor was going to do. I seriously thought Aidan was going to punch the doctor in the face. He growled at him & stood there tapping his foot. He was not happy about this at all.

He told me later that the next time the doctor tried this, he was going to punch him in the hernia. Won't the doctor be surprised!

Tuesday & Wednesday night were spent at football mini camp. It was so stinkin' hot & I am so proud of them for not complaining & doing what their coaches told them to do.

They had lots of water breaks where they drank copious amounts of H20 & despite the heat, were really glad to be starting another football season.

Next week they start everyday football practice with helmets & pads. Hopefully it won't be so hot. For their sake & mine!

POTTER COUNTY HEAVEN 2007

Well, we are back from ten, county 'em ten action packed days in Potter County. Okay maybe action packed is a bit of a stretch, but nonetheless, it was still a very relaxing vacation.

I love going to Cherry Springs because first, it is the only vacation I've ever really known.

I mean I've been to Florida & a couple other vacations with my parents & sisters, but Potter County is well, consistent.

I know before I ever go that it is going to be relaxing & there will be lots of time to do absolutely NOTHING. I know that my family (parents, sisters, brother-in-law, nephew, uncles, aunts & cousins) will all be there & I will get to spend the week with all of them in one place.

That to me is one of the best things.

Another awesome things is the fact that there is no electricity. That means no television, no computer & no X-Box. The boys have got to use their imaginations & make their own fun. Almost everything they do involves something physical, they run from our campsite up the hill to Saba & Shamma's or Em & Dan's or they sit & play cards...it's good for their minds.

During the course of the week we...

Went to an informational lecture given by the park that was about the history of Cherry Springs State Park & the C.C.C. Mom asked a question about this structure located across the road to Galeton from the park.

The park naturalist said she believed it was old well. The funny thing is, neither Jerry nor I had ever noticed in our 33 years if camping at Cherry Springs.

Jerry, Michael, Jason, Austin, Aidan & I also went to Coudersport one day & on our way back we drove out to the Cherry Springs Vista Overlook.

The view was spectacular & sometimes it's hard for me to believe that this is in Pennsylvania.

Dad took Jerry, Steve & Jason golfing on Wednesday & that night the boys went up on the old airport runway & tried out each other's golf clubs. Apparently Steve really likes Jason's new driver & Jason can't hit it worth a crap. He shanks it to the right every time.

Maggie, Charlie & I walked up to the runway to watch them. On the way Charlie stopped at Jason's truck & turned on the siren & lights. I was so proud!


Steve was instructing Maggie on the proper way to swing a golf club (yeah..right - notice his hand placement?)















And look at Maggie, Charlie & I. Aren't we just the cutest?







On Thursday night, we went to Gary's Putt Putt - It's More Than Miniature. Included in our golfing crew was Dad, Mom, Maggie, Steve, Charlie, Dan, Andy, Austin, Aidan, Tricia, Jerry & I. Matt & Emily went on a paddle boat ride while the rest of us golfed.

The greens were a little tricky, but we all emerged unscathed & anxiously awaiting a call from the PGA.

Friday & Saturday I spent most of these days with Dad & Mom. I am definitely sure that we will be camping up with them next year.

I guess I don't really think about how much I miss them until I am with them & then it slaps me in the face how much fun they are & how much I truly miss them.

On Saturday, Jerry & I walked up to the Woodsmen's Show . There really wasn't a whole bunch of stuff up there. It's kind of sad to see the decline of something that used to be quite an event.

Jerry & I walked back down & then Jerry went back up with Austin to watch the Woodsmen's Show.

I remember the taffy people who had the most delicious cinnamon flavored taffy, then huge tractors with the tires we could sit in, Re-Creation from Penn-State coming to sing, thousands of people coming to see the show. It's definitely not like this anymore.

Also on Saturday night, we had a bit of a (sniff-sniff) sentimental moment. Somehow, Kevin's wood name plate got unscrewed from the Swavely sign & ended up in the fire.










Sunday, we packed up and headed back to Berks County. I will go & do some laundry tonight & will finish it up later in the week.

Another successful year & we are all waiting with baited breath until next.

Altered Six-Pack

My friend & Creative Memories upline Nicki recently promoted to Unit Leader.

Our unit had a party for her this past Tuesday evening.

I was perplexed as to what to get her when I came across this little item on the Scrapshare website.

It is a cardboard six-pack holder that Jerry spray painted blue for me & then I used die-cuts from my Sizzix machine to embellish it.

The little tags read as follows:
"You aren't a DUM-DUM" filled w/ Dum-Dums
"You're a SMARTIE" filled w/ Smarties
"Now before you make a $100,000 GRAND" filled w/ $100,000 Grand bars

"TAKE 5 for yourself!" filled w/ Take 5 bars
"Lots of HUGS &" filled w/ Hershey Hugs
"KISSES to you!" filled w/ Hershey Kisses

She really liked it & I loved how it came out. It was a terrific way to recycle & have a unique gift!

Helipcopter

We had a little excitement in our neighborhood last night.

The fire company was dispatched to assist Bowmansville for a trailer fire at Sun Valley Campground.

Since we live so close, Jerry was the first person on location. He arrived & found the resident of the camper badly burned. Apparently there was a gas leak in the camper & when the resident tried to light the stove/oven, it exploded.

It was decided to fly the man to the hospital.

They landed the helicopter right down the road from our house.

The boys & I walked down the road to watch the helicopter land & we got there right before it did.

















Jerry took these pictures. I must say my husband is a terrific photographer.

ONE OF MY BIGGEST PET PEEVES

You know what one of my biggest pet peeves is???? People telling me how my youngest son is and the asinine comments they make about him.

It especially irks me when the people making the comments are ones that don't even have any children themselves. I mean come on.

My youngest son is no angel. I know this. He has an alter personality we affectionately call "Buttholio". He can be very VERY difficult, stubborn, mouthy, obstinate & just downright mean. I KNOW THIS.

Here are examples of stupid comments & the answers I would like to retort. Most of the time I bite my tongue until it bleeds.

You better hope it's just a stage. Ya think? I mean I was hoping that he would be throwing temper tantrums forever. It would particularly helpful when he is an executive in a boardroom to lay on the ground & kick & stomp.

If I were you, I'd beat him. You know what genius...I've tried. He doesn't respond well to physical punishment. It makes him more physical. It makes me feel like crap for having hit him. I guess you should just be glad that your not me.

You're the parent. I AM?!?!?! I am so glad you pointed this out to me. I was thinking that his real parents were going to be back for him any day. Thank you! THANK YOU!

I'm so glad he's not my kid...I'd kill him. Then you'd be in jail. You say that would be better than dealing with him...okay let me know how you feel about that after a couple months there. You know I'm not thrilled & jumping for joy about the outbursts either, but that's right - I'M THE PARENT.

Thank you for letting me vent.

CROCS & PEPPERS

I was looking forward to this weekend so much. Nowhere in particular to be, nothing in particular to do. Just be with my boys. That's alright.

We got up this morning & went to a tool sale out on Fifth Street Highway. I found a 4 foot table for Potter County & a little somethin'-somethin' for my mama.

As we were leaving the tool sale, Jerry got a fire call so we raced back to Brecknock (didn't make it to the call, everything was taken care of) and then headed out in search of a pair Croc Sandals that I have been dying to get for almost a week.

Well, I found my sandals - YEAH!!! It was only after looking at about ten different stores that I finally found them. I was so happy & as soon as I got in the car, I put them on. OOOHHH - they are so comfy!! AND they showcase my beautiful & original dragonfly tattoo. But what else could I expect from Crocs?!?!?!


We stopped at Weaver's grocery store on our way home to get a few groceries where we ran into our friends Jen & John (it was so good to see them!) & then on to Jerry's parents to get some green bell peppers for stuffed peppers for Sunday. We then went down to Tothero's fruit stand to get some corn (found zucchini too!) and then made our way home.

We made Chinese Coleslaw for supper tonight & also had sausage sandwiches with onions & peppers that were from Jerry's salsa garden.

He picked the peppers this morning before we left & then took pictures of them this afternoon.

In case you can't see from the picture. The one on the left is 8 inches long! It is a grilling pepper that gets a smoky taste when grilled. We can't wait to try it!

HOME

Well, we made it home safe & sound on Saturday, July 7. Mom made the trek with the boys & I and then after depositing us at Snow Shoe with Jerry, she made her way north to Cherry Springs & Keener's Store for some ice cream. I was so jealous!

After an uneventful trip back to Berks County, we started putting our stuff away & then made our way to Shillington for the Greater Governor Mifflin Community Days fireworks display.

As soon as we got there, we made our way down the midway to get Auntie Anne's soft pretzels & lemonade, a chicken quesadilla, a candy apple, cotton candy, nachos & a couple of sodas to tide us over for the rest of the night.

We went up to Cumru Elementary to watch the fireworks & I was not that impressed with the show this year. Thank goodness for all the fire company people that make the evening a lot of fun.

We got home a little after midnight & promptly went to bed.

On Sunday, we went to watch our nephew Scott play baseball. A game which his team won 16 - 0 and was called in the third inning due to the mercy rule. We had planned to stop at Jerry's sister's house to swim & since it was close to lunch time, we stopped at the grocery store on our way there & picked up some hot dogs & chips for lunch. After we grilled & ate we went swimming. The water was a little chilly, but it was stifling hot & it felt very refreshing!

The rest of this week has been pretty boring:

Monday: Finished putting stuff away from our vacation. Aidan & I went to Wal-Mart to get a few groceries. Fire Company meeting at night. Austin & Aidan spend the night at Swavely's.

Tuesday: I went to the laundromat all by myself (thank goodness!) & puttered around the house until I went to pick up the boys that afternoon. Got a phone call from the food services director about a job interview on Friday.

Wednesday: Aidan & I picked green beans (enought o fill two plastic shopping bags) at Jerry's dad & mom's in the morning & then spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading & puttering around. Went to see Lisa when Jerry went to the fire company & was SO glad that I did. I have missed her terribly!

Thursday: Went to a viewing in Honey Brook (my former boss's mother passed away), came home & puttered around the house, read, spent time with my cherubs & then went to Wal-Mart this evening to get pictures developed & pick up some screamin' deals on school supplies. We went to Sonic for supper. I tried my very first Vanilla Coke there & let me tell you - it was DELICIOUS!! We came home & put our groceries away & loaded our golf clubs into the car & headed for the Pagoda Driving Range.

We had so much fun there! The boys were actually encouraging one another & giving each other "knuckles" when they would hit a good shot. I am hoping that baseball isn't going to ruin the boys golf swing. You can tell when then hit the ball that they have a tough time with the correct swing because they are used to hitting a baseball. Nonetheless, it was a blast & we are all looking forward to doing it again really soon!

Tiger Woods??

Arnold Palmer???

Nope - just me & my boys!

WEEK NUMBER THREE

Week number three was a busy one & we still have two more days!

Actually I should start with this past weekend. We (Dad, Tricia, Austin, Aidan & I) constructed a patio for Mom' birthday.

It was an experience to say the least, between trying to hide what we were doing from Mom (thank goodness she is totally unassuming!) and then the actual construction...it was a "making memories" moment!

We started out Saturday by just puttering around the house, "pre-cleaning" for the party. Mom told me to ask my father if he would take down the boxes that were overhead in the garage so she could go thru them when she got home from working at the Historical Society booth.

The thoughts running thru my head at the time were, "When does she think we are going to have time to do that?" Not remembering at that moment that she was unaware of our impending masonry work.

Dad is just awesome, because while she was still here, he went out in the garage, climbed up on the ladder and proceeded to drag down all her boxes of treasures, some of which had been packed up there since we moved into this house in almost 26 years ago.

Well, Mom, Tricia & I started to go thru them. We found her high school diploma, a plate that was my great-great grandmother's that Mom had been looking for, yarn, clothes & among other things, Maggie's Cabbage Patch Kid, Lisa, who Maggie thought was long gone due to Dad & Tricia's cleaning up & burning stuff over the past few years.

Here is Steve with one of the treasures we found. Doesn't he look smashing!

After going through most of the boxes, Mom had to leave to go down to Community Day. Then the work began. Actually the night before, Dad & Tricia had started work on the patio by laying out the edgers & moving ground.

After she left, we poured leveling sand into place, carefully laid out the pavers & then filled in with sand.

She came home from working at the Harbor Creek Community Day down at the township building (actually she walked home!) and came out on the porch to find us putting on the finishing touches. Needless to say, she was surprised, and she said "But all I wanted was a Borders gift card!". Hmmm...not gonna happen. It look really nice. I must say we did an excellent job!

View of new patio from up on the porch.

View from down in the yard.

Our next big project was getting ready for the party. Sunday, we rested & just hung out around the house, Steve, Maggie & Charlie came up for the day & it's always fun to spend time with them!

Noooo...he isn't spoiled at all!

There was cleaning to be done, food to be made, rearranging of outside furniture...all in all there was a lot to do, but we all worked together & got it done.

The party was a huge success, attended by approximately 73 people, lots of food & definitely lots of fun!

The Rodland/Ebersole/Morton boys enjoyed playing together. They had quite a game of football going. Even Steve & Kendra joined in!

My poor nephew! He looks adorable in his frog hat that Shamma got for him, but I'm sure he'll hate these photos when he gets older!

The evening was capped off by a terrific fireworks display courtesy of Chuck, Mark & Matt. It was really nice. There was a little bit of excitement when something malfunctioned on the platform (yes we are rednecks, Chuck has a fireworks launching platform) and a stray firework came flying across the yard at about five foot off the ground & hit Chuck in the back of the neck.

All in all the evening was terrific. It was so good to see everyone, visit with people I hadn't seen in ages & just to be with family & friends.

On July 4th, we attended a picnic at the home of a family friend where there was more tasty food & lots more fun. Aidan was thrilled because Ed was there & he had just commented to me the other day that he hadn't seen Ed for a long time and hoped he would get to see him soon.

We then came home & spent the evening with everyone (Saba, Shamma, Tricia, Maggie, Steve & Charlie). The boys played softball & football with their aunts & uncle, Dad burned the huge "white trash" pile out back & we just relaxed & had our usual good time.

Me - doing my favorite thing - spoiling Charlie!

Today is Mom's birthday & we are all going out to dinner at Freeport. I hope to get some photos.

Tomorrow Dad leaves for two weeks on a business trip to Asia & we have a graduation party to go to. That will wind down our whirlwind vacation extravaganza.

Will hopefully have more photos to share!

WEEK NUMBER TWO

The end of week number one was ended with the boys returning from their camping weekend with Saba, Shamma & Rick Stoner. They had a wonderful time at the "Death by Chocolate" weekend at Brookdale. The made a huge haul on candy & had so much fun.

Steve, Maggie & Charlie even came over for the day on Saturday, so Saba & Shamma got to spend the day with all their grandsons.




Week number two started out with a trip to the movies to see Evan Almighty. And might I say, it is a great family movie. A good message for children & adults too!

Tuesday...it was FREAKIN' HOT!!! We went to Waldameer Park & Water World where we spent the majority of our time in Water World.


When Aidan & I finally ventured out into the park, we went on our favorite rides: Sky Ride (Aidan & I), Pirates Cove (Aidan only - I have never liked this ride!), Thunder Canyon (I think this is what it's called - it's the log flume ride where you get wet!) & the Waldameer must ride Wacky Shack (Aidan & I).


While we were waiting in the long line for Thunder Canyon, I said to Aidan, "We should go on that new ride over there!". And with that I pointed to this tall pinnacle towering over us. He said "I don't know Mom if I want to go on THAT!!!".

THAT is the new attraction at Waldameer called X Scream. http://www.waldameer.com/whatsNew.html

It is a ride that sit with your back to the center, your legs dangle below you & it very slowly proceeds to hoist you 140 feet in the air, let you hang for just a second and then lets you free fall back down to within 12 feet of the platform.

I am TERRIFIED of heights & I was really swallowing hard when after we got off Thunder Canyon he said "Sure Mom, I'll go on that with you!". I gulped & managed to tell him "O-O-O-O-kay...L-L-L-Lets G-G-Go" and off we went to wait in the surprisingly short (much to my chagrin) line for X Scream.

We got on the ride & I helped Aidan buckle himself in & the proceeded to buckle myself in. We observed the sign that demonstrated the proper way to sit in your seat (look straight ahead - don't look down). Yeah - no kidding. We'd hate for you to crap your pants on the way up & on the way down.

It took an excruciatingly long time to get to the top of the ride. However I must say the view of the peninsula & Lake Erie is breathtaking. And then like I said,a split second later - Aidan & I were plummeting towards earth.

I wish I could have seen his face & was probably glad I couldn't see my own. I'm sure "Holy S***" escaped my lips.

And then before I knew it, we were unbuckling & off the ride - just like that. We then walked over to the Wacky Shack which is right next door & while we were waiting in line, Aidan says "Mom, I'll go on that X Scream ride again if you want me to" to which I reply "Uh, no we don't have time to do that again, we will have to get back to meet Shamma.".

Thank God for having to pick up Dad from work. I don't think I could have handled another ride.

Thursday we went to the Erie Zoo. I love the zoo & so do Shamma & her boys. Our trip this time was extra special because it was Charlie's first trip to the zoo. And let me tell you, he was thrilled.

We got to see all our favorite animals as well as some new additions.

The boys got to ride the carousel & then the train. We all had so much fun, which is the norm at the zoo.

Austin, Aidan & I, Dessa Hoover & Maggie & Charlie

Austin riding the turkey on the carousel

Aidan riding the jack rabbit

My sweet little nephew

Tomorrow Mom & I are going to see a docudrama called Grey Gardens & we are also going to Borders - WOO HOO!

I don't think anything exciting is planned for this weekend. At least not at the moment.

Jerry~ We all miss you soooo much & can't wait to see you next weekend! We love you!!!! MUUUUAH. XXXOOO