Happy New Year's Eve!

I can't believe today is the last day of 2008! It seems like the year just flew by, but yet we had an awesome 2008. I'm sitting here this morning thinking of everything that has gone on in our lives this year, and we are truly blessed. I sat and read some of the blog this morning and it's so nice to look back and reflect.

I'm looking forward to tonight though!!! Nick & I have a babysitter for Jeff and we are going out on the town...well not really, but we are going to dinner and then out to a movie with a few other couples. Should be fun!

I hope all of you have a safe New Year!

Some Videos

Christmas Morning

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Grandma & Grandpa gave Jeff a vacuum for Christmas since Jeff loves helping Grandma...it was a hit...kind of, but it sure is now!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Uncle John & Jeff bringing the bear to life!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Jeff enjoying some boy school with his cousins!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Freiburger Christmas

As if yesterday wasn't bad enough, the "good news" just kept coming! Today we were suppose to have Christmas with the Freiburger's and some of dad's sisters were traveling to the house. Well we woke up to lots of ice on the roads but they figured they could make it anyway. In the mean time I took Jeff to the doctors because he was still having the high fevers and just a joy to be around. Of course Jeff's thing is just viral and nothing I can do for him, expect what I'm already doing.

So while I'm on my way home, I learn that Eileen has been in an accident on 24, and Sue and her family are stopped at a Burger King waiting it out a little bit! Luckily no one was hurt in the accident, but it was still scary. No one of course gets to the house at 9:30 like they were suppose too, it was much later. It was nice being able to visit with all of them though! Once they got here we had a great time, lots of laughter. Jeff of course was a pain, but what can you do...he's not great all the time!

Jeff & Simon playing together having fun!

Enjoying some cousin time!

John has taught Jeff that his bear can "come to life..." it's really cute and Jeff thinks it's hilarious!

Merry Christmas!!!

And what a Christmas it has been! So much happened today I don't even know where to begin...

Let's see Jeff started to get sick last night with a high fever and of course that continued on so at 2 am when he woke up, I took him into the living room and he saw the Christmas present that Santa brought for him. I hurried and got Nick up and the boys spent a good 45 minutes playing with the train...it was a hit!

We were up early then, around 7 or so and got ready for the day since Nick's parents were coming up at 9. We were able to do presents before they got there... Nick had gotten lots of clothes, Santa was so good to Jeff, he got a pistol, a movie and a few outfits, and mom & dad got him an airplane that goes with the train set. He loved everything!

Well Nick's parents arrived safetly and we had a wonderful breakfast with them, and then exchanged gifts. We sat and visited for a good while and then they were off to another child's house. I headed out for a nice Christmas day run...it was gorgeous out...the day could not of been nicer.

Of course the day can't go just perfect... around 1:30 Nick got a phone call that his dad had collasped at Laura & Matt's. I felt so bad for Nick, he was a mess. He & I took off for Upper, but got a call down the road and they told us to wait because he was going to be life flighted up to St. Vincent's and that way we could be there when he arrived, so back home we went. Good thing we did too because Jeff was not being good for mom at all. I sat and rocked him and we waited forever for the phone call that said we could leave for the hospital. We arrived at St. V's and told them we were waiting on Life Flight to arrive, but of course they hadn't even left Upper yet. We waited about 1 1/2 hours and he finally got there. Poor Howard was a mess when we got back to see him, and Nick of course makes jokes the entire time to his dad. They took him off to CT and Nick & I went to have Christmas dinner in the cafeteria...some Christmas dinner, but the main thing was Howard was awake and alive, thank goodness!

I left the hospital around 730 and headed home to take care of Jeff. He was happy to see me that was for sure. We sat around and everyone let him open the rest of his presents and then we decided that we wanted to do our family Christmas too, so we started opening gifts. Nick & Ruthann arrived about 830 or so and we sat around for awhile and talked.

It was not the Christmas we planned by any means, but we won't be forgetting it any time soon!

It's Frigid Out There!

I think that is only title that I can come up with for this post. Right now Toledo is having arctic air over us and it really is cold. My weather bug on my computer says it's 4 out right now... it definitely needs to warm up a bit for my liking!

Well it's Monday again, what else can we say? I'm not happy to be back to work this morning, but I'm happy that it's only a 2 1/2 day work week. I just realized that I took no pictures this weekend...not sure why, but disappointed. I'll have to break the camera out tonight. We had no major plans this weekend, but somehow the weekend was full!

The weekend started off great though! I got to leave work Friday at 11:30 so I could go and get Jeff from mom, since the plant was having their Christmas party. Well we ended up getting to stay and eat so that was really nice. Nick also got his Christmas bonus, which was incredible. RRP was extremely generous to their employees this year and we are very grateful. I took Jeff over to Lily's Friday night and the kids got to play together. They get along pretty well together which is good, but I don't appreciate the fact that Lily is allowed to do whatever the hell she wants. I still discipline Jeff when we are over there, but it's just hard when one child is allowed to do something and the other one is not. Of course Jeff picked up a few new bad habits, but we are trying to break those.

I didn't sleep very well Friday night, was up coughing most of the night, so I went back to the doctors in the morning and I got another round of medicine and some cough medicine with codine to help me sleep at night! Rushed home, hurry up and got ready, and then we all headed up to Stanley's, a polish deli, so we could get kiebashi for breakfast on Christmas. It was so much fun to go up there, I hadn't been up there for years, and Nick had never been. It's just a neat little place! Then we headed to Nick's basketball game and Nick's parents came up with Kyleigh to watch to game. It was nice having them here. Jeff & Kyleigh played together for a good while, and then he went down for a nap, and I left for the Y so I could get a good workout in. Got home and everyone had left and Nick was sound asleep on the chair...he stayed that way for most of the night too! Since Nick was being a humbug, Jeff & I went to Anderson's and looked at the fish and birds. We needed something to do, but I wasn't about to deal with the crowds. Then as a treat he & I went to Chiptole and got some yummy food! After we had eaten, Nick decided that he couldn't wait to give me my Christmas present so I got to open it...Jeff & Nick gave me an Ipod Touch and the Nike Sport... I LOVE IT!!!! I'm so excited to figure it all out so I can use it when I run and workout.

Sunday I was woke up to a screaming baby and no power at 6:20! And the bonus to this was I had not slept well the night before either. So since we were up so very early we headed off to church at 7, then out to breakfast. When we got home the electricity was back on, thank goodness!!! We sat around for a little while, then John asked if he could take Jeff out in the truck to salt with him. I was shocked but more then happy to give this little guy away. John & Steph left, I fed Jeff and got him ready and Nick got ready to go too. Well god love John, but he doesn't realize that when you tell an almost 2 year old that you'll come back soon, you have to hurry back! Jeff was so ready to go, but had to wait almost an hour and a half for John to get back to the house. He was happy to see him though! We loaded up the boys and got them off, and then Steph & I went and dropped of the Stratus to get the oil changed and then headed off for some shopping. It was so nice not to have to worry about taking Jeff out in the cold. In the meantime, the power had gone out again at home and Jeff fell asleep in the car...shocking I know! It was nice to get some time by myself though. Steph & I had fun too, so that's all that really matters! The rest of the day was just relaxing, I cleaned out my car, the guys brought Jeff home around 2, I tried to lay him down for a nap, but that wasn't going to happen, and we watched movies...a nice day!

Just Jeff & Mom

Nick has been working weird/long hours at the plant the past few weeks so it's just been Jeff and I. It's nice to have this special time with him, but I know he misses his dad too. Last night I figured I would take some pictures of our fun so Nick could see what we really do when he's not home!!!

Who could not love this smile?

Giggling and have a grand 'ol time!

Dancing to Barney...little goober...

Such a little ham!

Helping grandma vacuum (Jeff uses the lawn mower to vacuum while grandma uses her big sweeper)

Since Nick is working so much I decided to take some video so you could see what Jeff & I do with ourselves...nothing to exciting!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

First Snow of the Season!

It snowed about 3-5 inches here last night, it was beautiful too. Of course I'm only saying it was great because it was the first snow of the season. If this was February I'd be irratated we had gotten another snow storm, but this snow really put me in the Christmas season. I was even more excited to learn that we'll probably be having a white Christmas which I think is even more important.

I decided to take Jeff out into the snow this afternoon and see what he thought of it... conclusion was he didn't like it very well! I got him all bundled up, even got him to keep the gloves on his hands, but it was a no go, he whined the entire time, which was a bit disappointing. He likes being outside so much during the summer that I was hoping he'd like it outside right now too. I did put him in the sled and pulled him around the yard for awhile...he was a little unsure of that too. When I was clearing off the driveway I put him in the stroller, he had asked to sit in it, and he enjoyed it. I think he misses the walks and runs we used to take during the summer. I might just have to suck it up, bundle him up even more and go for a 15 minute walk every now and then, I bet he'd really enjoy getting some fresh air.

Jeff got his first Christmas present today in the mail from Uncle Dick & Aunt Cathy and he LOVES it...it's this dump truck that has a front loader in the back of it and everything has lights moves...etc. This thing is very cool! Thanks for thinking of him!!!

It's Wednesday Already

Thank Goodness! It's all I can really say. I'm so ready for it to be the weekend...well really next week at this time because I'll be done working for the rest of the week, but I just want the weekend to get here. We have nothing planned, Nick will probably be working, and has a basketball game, I'll wrap Christmas gifts and finish up any last minute items, but I just can't wait not to be on a schedule...

Santa Clause

Well Jeff has officially seen Santa Clause this year. Tonight we took him to Bass Pro out in Rossford and got his picture taken for FREE...yes that's right FREE. It's a really nice setup and best part was there were no lines, just walked right up there. Jeff didn't cry at all, which was even more amazing since we weren't sure how he was going to do, but it was great. We got a great picture of him kind of smiling...actually it looks similar to last years now that I'm looking at them both, but it turned out great!

The snow is starting to fall though. I bet there are going to be lots of schools on delay
tomorrow!!!

Santa's Workshop @ Bass Pro...it looks really neat

Jeff & Daddy looking at toy guns

Jeff deciding which gun he likes best!

Lots to say...

Well let's see, since I've become horrible about writing posts... I can't believe that I don't have 10 minute a couple of times a week to get on here and update what's going on in our lives. I'm going to try and get better about it, it's important that I do it...

Lots has been going on this week... Nick is extremely busy with work. He has been working 10's, but today it was more like a 12. I don't think he got home until 7 tonight. A long day for him for sure, but of course he has to go into work tomorrow. It's always busy this time of year for him, but hey on the plus side, the checks are great!

I decided to call this week and try and get Jeff setup with getting some help with his speech. I just think it's odd that he's 22 months and he really doesn't say anything yet...not even mom, dad, hi, etc. These are things that he should know how to say by now! Wouldn't you know that after I left a message with someone, he started saying words, all kinds of words! Mom, Dad, Papa, Bob (as in Bob the Builder), dog, Steph, John, yes, please, ball, and I'm probably missing a few others, but it's amazing the progress that he's made this week. I'm happy...I still might get some help so he gets further along, but thank goodness he's finally saying something!

Do you realize that he's going to be 2 in about a month??? I'm okay with it I think. It was horrible when he turned 1, I hated that my baby was 1 and no longer the little baby I remebered, but Jeff is so much fun now that how can I care. Of course the tantrums have started, and he has a huge attitude problem(he gets that honestly from me, his father, and grandfather), he is getting in trouble all the time. But for the most part he is awesome to be around. When he starts talking it will really be something!

I'm trying to finish my semester at school. Only2 more exams to take and then I'm done...I can't wait to have a month or so off. It will be nice to not have to worry about getting homework done during the week for awhile. I'm trying to decide what to do about next semester - do I take 9 or 12 hours??? Not sure what I want to do yet. I signed up for 12, figuring I could drop one, if I decided that it would be to much.

Looking forward to the weekend! Lots of good stuff going on. Nick's team have their first basketball game tomorrow, Nick is working tomorrow, I have some errands to run with Jeff, need to find something cute to wear to my parents Christmas party tomorrow night, need to make food for the party, and then tomorrow night is the party!... Whew, I think I'll need Sunday to sit and do nothing!

Hopefully I'll get some good pictures this weekend and get them up here too! Oh yeah, Christams Cards went out Thursday night, so people should be getting them soon. I LOVE the way they turned out and hope everyone enjoys them too!

Thanksgiving Fun at Hoover's!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Fun with the Balloon...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Jeff's Dance to "Bob The Builder"

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Birthday Steph!

Happy Birthday Steph! We celebrated Steph's birthday tonight and had a great time. I got a babysitter for Jeff while the rest of us went out to Red Robin for dinner...it tasted so good! Jeff was so excited to celebrate with his Aunt Steph!

Jeff & Aunt Steph

John & Jeff checking out what was on Jeff's cup.

Jeff loving his balloon...look at that look...it just spells trouble!

Final Christmas Card!!!

Well after much debating the Christmas Card is finally finished. I couldn't decide about the photos, but luckily Gerri helped me out with that! She said "People already know what you like...do the fun pictures!" Hopefully everyone enjoys them!

Thanksgiving Weekend was Awesome

It was great having 4 days off from work. Just felt nice and the time actually went slow, which never happens. We started off the long weekend by going out for dinner Wednesday night with the family, well Jeff & I went, but Nick had basketball practice so he didn't get to come, but it was nice to go out with everyone else, then later Nick headed down to Tiffin so he could go out with all of his friends. He said it was great to see everyone and spend time with them.

Thursday I got up and sat and talked with mom & dad for awhile. They were heading up to the lake, and I got ready to go to my preturkey meal turbo workout, and Caroline came to babysit for Jeff for me. The workout was great! We were suppose to head down to Tiffin for lunch that day, but Nick's dad was sick and they weren't going to have everyone over. Truthfully, it felt good to be home and not do a darn thing. Jeff & I made our way to the grocery store to pickup a few items, but that was it. When we got home, I made our Thanksgiving lunch which consisted of steak, rice casserole, and asparagus...it was different but good. After Jeff was done with his nap, we headed over to Hoover's to have dessert with them. It was nice to see everyone over there, and Jeff had a great time playing with all of the kids... he loves that family!

Being a goofball...I love the lips though!!!

Friday was another early day! I went to Anderson's so I could get one of the "Black Friday" deals...mom wanted a Hoover Steam Vac that they had on special, and since she was out of town, I was the one who got to go and get it!!! It was actually fun standing in line talking to people. They opened the doors a little early, so I got what I needed and was out of there and home by 7:15...not bad right? But lets see by the time I got home, Nick & John were getting ready to head to the lake so they could go deer hunting, Steph & I were going to ride up a little later. It felt great to get up to the lake!!! We hadn't been up there for a few weeks, and it was nice to get a little different scenery. As we got there we saw a couple of deers in the back lot, which was neat to see, it turns out Nick had kicked them up while he was hunting! The guys got back to the cottage right as we were getting there, and we had to do the traditional hunting pictures!

Nick, Dad, Jeff, John Tourney, & John

John, Jeff, & Nick

Mom & Dad had to go into Ft. Wayne to go to the funeral home, so it was up to Steph & me to make the Thanksgiving dinner... no big deal! Well when we went to baste the turkey, there was no baster, so into town we went... luckily the family dollar had just what we were looking for!!!! Dinner was awesome and it was nice to be with all of us! The afternoon was great because I got to take a 5 mile run which felt awesome. It was gorgeous outside!

Saturday we headed into Ft. Wayne for the Didier Thanksgiving!!! It was so nice to see everyone and Jeff got to spend some time playing with cousins. Mom, Dad, Steph, & John were in town until late, so it was just the 3 of us at the lake for the evening, which was a nice treat.

We headed home early Sunday. Jeff was done at the lake, and since the guys weren't hunting that day, we figured why stay. We got home at a decent time, I started laundry, Jeff took a nap, and I even got a 5 1/2 mile run in...it was awesome!

The weekend was great... it was so nice to see everyone, but it also felt good to get away!

Christmas Pictures!

I took Jeff to get his Christmas pictures taken tonight! He didn't want to sit for them at all, so we had to bribe him with a piece of chocolate. They came out pretty good actually... I would prefer not to have the chocolate, but oh well, right?