Jamie McNeel's Life

Ry's pre-school graduation

2009-05-20T14:43:00.005-05:00

Today was Ryan's pre-school graduation. He was so happy to perform the songs he's worked so hard on this year and to eat the cool cake with their picture on it. They do such a good job here, and put together a fun event for the kids.

Also, he was voted Mr. Sociable...because he's a chatterbox in class!!! That's funny...have NO idea where he gets that from!!!

2009-05-10T08:30:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I had my first run. It was the 5K Truman Run. I feel really great about how I ran my first race. I came in 5th in my division of 24 women, 91st overall out of 222 (yes..I beat 131 people!!) and our team came in 3rd overall!! I also beat my own best time, running 8:12 min miles. Our team leader pointed out that had I ran the same race last year with the same time I would have taken first for my division. He also mentioned that I should have made my debut last year! I plan on continuing training and working hard cause I have a 10K coming up next month!!

Lacy's poem

2009-04-28T17:38:00.001-05:00

There was a cat named Joe
He lived in Tokyo
He didn't know where to go
So he went in a trash bag
It couldn't breathe
And Joe had no teeth
So he texted his friend Keith
But Keith didn't like Joe
So he said no
And then Joe broke his toe
And it fell in some bread dough
And Joe was like "what the heck?"
The next day Joe died in the trash bag
And they picked him up with a rag
That they used to wash the toilet
Then they realized Joe was a girl
So they ate Joe for dinner
And he was nasty

2009-04-02T13:25:00.002-05:00

Today was Grandparents Day at pre-school. Uncle John came to be with Ryan and even got to drive Ryan home, which Ry loved!! Then he took us out to McD's for lunch!! OH JOY!! You can guess who got to pick can't you?

Uncle John cracked me up. He said "They did the Hokey Pokey! I hate that! I thought that would have died out 50 yrs ago!"

Oh, and Ryan has been saying some funny stuff lately as he's growing up. He said last night while I was making dinner, "Come on Woman! I need to eat!" (wonder where he heard that???!!!) Then he came out of the bathroom and said "Mom, I'm big enough to pee standing up now..but don't worry when the pee gets on the floor I just wipe it up with my sock."

2009-03-02T11:18:00.002-06:00

We had to say goodbye to our Beloved cat Jinx today. He has truly been the best pet we've ever had. He started out healing my heart after my miscarriage 7 years ago when I adopted him sick, and hopeless hours from being put to sleep. After sleeping in a kleenex box in my bed for 10 days and being nursed and medicated around the clock by me, we were both at a place of healing. He spent the next 6 years sleeping at the foot of my bed and being the best, most loving loyal companion ever. I've only been attached to one other pet ever, and I still to this day miss my dog Gunner. Jinx was so much like Gunner and I'm gonna miss him even more. I'm just glad that God brought Jinx to me when I needed him most and he needed me. I hope that we did him justice and that he had a happy life at the McNeel house.

2009-02-06T17:27:00.002-06:00

I am absolutely amazed at how quickly time is flying!!! I haven't had any desire to blog because so much is happening and we're so busy but it just doesn't seem like Blog material. Plus with my facebook addiction it seems like anything I'd blog about is already common knowledge!

Today we went to Plattsburg and had lunch with a high school classmate that I haven't seen in about 16 years. It's amazing how easy it is to be with some people and we just had a great visit!! I think it's neat for my kids to meet people that I knew as kids!! I definitely plan on doing it more.

After lunch Ryan and I headed to the nursing home to see Grandma. We sat with her while she had her lunch. She was in very good spirits today and it was a great visit too. Ry talked her ear off and she really enjoys that. I'm glad that my little guy is so loving and sweet with his great grandma.

While I was there, I recognized another resident. It was my elementary school principal Mr. Burns!!! I was able to talk to him, and I'm amazed that he still looks like I remember him. Sad though, that his mind is so lost, and his face is so expressionless.

Old age is hard..

2009-01-10T22:19:00.002-06:00

Poor Jinx...he's been so sick for quite a while. Turns out he has feline diabetes...which is what I thought he had. We took him to the vet thinking he was dying or that we'd have to put him to sleep. After lots of treatments he's back home. He's down from 16 lbs to 9 and when we first got him back he couldn't purr or walk or anything. So, after his 2nd hospital stay he's back and his purr is on full force!!! He's a very special cat. It's amazing how a pet can bring such joy to a family and how your thoughts can change when faced with losing a pet. We are very happy he's home and think that he's VERY happy to be here if his non stop purr is any indication!!!! He's taken up residence on my computer which is his favorite place next to my bed!

2008-12-24T08:49:00.005-06:00

It's beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas!!! This year has been the best as far as stress wise and celebrating the true meaning of the season. Yesterday we baked cookies with the kids and they had a blast doing every part of it (except the clean up!!). We made thin mints, which only half made it into a tupperware to take to Mom's for dessert. Then we made sugar cookies. THEN we made pizza, then we rolled out, cut, baked and decorated the cookies. I will admit that I'm not the best at letting the kids just have free reign for creativity but I am working on it. They got to throw flour at each other,and they could make anything they wanted. I got some ghosts, some boots along with angels, teddy bears, christmas trees and christmas bells. And through it all I just kept my back turned and my mouth shut!! Here are some photos of their creativity!! You can tell that Jake is REALLY enjoying himself.

2008-12-15T20:37:00.004-06:00

One of the benefits to Mark being out of town is I can kinda do whatever I want! I tend to fill my time up, every little second and keep the kids busy so they don't have time or energy to drive me crazy!! Ryan and I had a great day with Sarah and Haley!! My blog readers haven't seen my little Tinkerbell Haley in quite some time!! They were so cute together today. They were like a little miniature married couple. Ryan said "Haley, let's play Hide and O Seek" and she told him, "Ryan, it's called hide and GO seek." So, he disagreed and she crossed her arms and said "I'm not playing cause it's called Hide and GO seek" so he said "Ok ok, gosh, I'll call it Hide and Go seek!" Then later on when we were eating, she said "Ryan, you need to use a napkin, you've got ketchup on your face." so he picked up the napkin and said "where?" so she took the edge of the napkin and wiped the ketchup off. It was SOOOOOO cute!!!! The best part of it was that Haley had cream cheese ALL over her face and Ryan said not ONE word!! Typical male reaction. Cute little married 5 yr olds. They've been friends their entire life and I hope they're friends for the rest!!

2008-12-10T19:48:00.003-06:00

Today was a good day!! We went to Children's Mercy Hospital for Makenna's final surgery (well...scheduled surgery.). Ryan did great again. He acted much better at the Hospital than he's been at home lately! He's had a very messed up school schedule and he's letting me know he doesn't like his routine messed up! ANYWAY, Makenna did great! The cyst was huge and although I have a picture I'll save you from having to look at that. I'm just glad it's out of her little body. Here are pics of me and Makenna right before they took her for surgery and then Ryan talking to the lady at the desk sitting under the big tree!! He walked right up to her and said "I remember you from last time!!" and she said to him "I don't think I'll EVER forget you!!" She remembered his name, how old he was, the fact that he was a preschooler and not a kindergartner, even that he liked Bakugan!! He talked to her endlessly and he actually listened to her when she talked back! I went to the desk and asked her some questions about walking to Truman Medical Center since a friends son is there in ICU from a car accident on Saturday night. She gave me all the information and then pulled out a slip of paper and asked me his name. I gave it to her and she said "thank you, I'd really like to pray for him." I'm amazed at how many people out there are willing to lift up perfect strangers to our Lord! I got even happier when I got over there and Ben was breathing on his own!! It shows me that God truly IS at work!

2008-12-04T21:11:00.002-06:00

Mark has been home for a thousand years using up his trade days and random miscellaneous days. That's why I haven't blogged cause every day is a constant clean up/maid service. SO, today Juliana joined me for our monthly food pantry day. She got the super yucky job of sorting strawberries. She asked if I'd trade and I pointed out 2 things to her: ONE: I was on onion duty last month so I deserved my cush job this month and TWO: if I had to sort those I'd take one look and say "Sorry, we have no strawberries today!!" She did a great job sorting and I didn't hear any complaining! It was very nice to be able to bless these people less fortunate at Christmas time. It's nice to recognize that these people really NEED our help. That they look forward to the help and they're so happy to receive it. Jake and Lacy didn't make it this time because of school but several people asked where they were! I thought that was great that their hard work was recognized.

2008-11-26T18:16:00.001-06:00

The weather has been awesome!!! But, I'm afraid that we'll be paying for it. We all spend all day outside, then at night we get scratchy throats and sinus pains....blech!!

I've been enjoying lots of little visitors lately! This pic is of Ry and my friend Lyndsey's baby Teagan. He had so much fun holding him. I got to sit on the couch and rock him to sleep and hold a sleeping baby for 2 hours!! It was so relaxing and sweet!!!

Guess what I get to do on Sat??? I get to see the May's!!!! Heather is gonna pimp my computer for me!!

2008-11-23T09:04:00.005-06:00

We have had a very pleasant fall. It seems to have been just filled with family and friends and I LOVE that!! It seems like the older I get, and the older my kids get, the more important everyone is to all of us. It's like I just want to soak up every single second and really live in the moment and enjoy things. I'm trying really hard to be more spontaneous, cause those of you that know me know how schedule oriented I am. I've really given that obsession up this year!! I'm also trying to not have to have everything so perfect and so clean and wigging out so much when people get sick. I'd rather change to giving a sick kid a hug instead of pushing them away with all their germy-ness. It's just been a great week with friends and family. Thurs we went to the neighbors (Heather and Daniel) for games(with Jim and Juliana) which was a ton of fun and lots of laughing. Then Fri was very nice just spending time together me, Mark and Ry and Lacy's friends that slept over. And then Sat was dinner and games at Rick and Susanne's. There were so many kids and adults there ALL playing with each other! Ry had so much fun he asked me if I'd go home and get his Chip (stuffed puppy) and his big sea turtle, blanket, nightlight and some clothes so that he could stay for a while. Apparently it was going to be a long visit cause he asked me to write a new letter to Santa so he'd know where to drop off his Christmas present!! Today is dinner with Jodi, Brandi, and Jules for Brandi's birthday!!

2008-11-19T09:59:00.000-06:00

Happy 14th Birthday Jake!!!

2008-11-16T09:47:00.004-06:00

We had such a good time for Uncle John's Birthday!! He came over for dinner and I made him Yummy Salsbury steak with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. Then Ooey Gooey Butter Cake for dessert. He ate so much he was stuffed for hours, but he really enjoyed a homemade home cooked meal since he eats out so much. I guess I could have picked something healthier but that's comfort food at it's finest! After dinner Brad and Haylee, Jim and Juliana, Daniel and Heather and all their kids joined us to watch the UFC fights. Us girls chatted....made police reports....and played games all while the guys watched either football or the fights. It was a blast!! And the kids, after their initial wildness at getting together settled down to play nicely. At one point every kid was on Brad on the landing watching a movie on a tiny DVD player. And the other crappy picture is just to point out that the guys are all watching TV and not one person is sitting on the couch or the recliner in there!!! CRAZY!!!! Heather had a little too much to drink and decided to reveal her true nature! LOL!!!

2008-11-15T09:17:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we went to Plattsburg to have dinner with Grandma for her Birthday. We took her pizza and Uncle John took butter cookies and chocolates. I can't believe how long McNeel's live and what good health they stay in!!! It might not have been the best match for Mark to pick a Bouse/Hill. If I got more Bouse genes than Hill then we're all good. The Bouse's live long but the Hill's tend to die of cancer. Maybe cause they all smoke....I don't smoke so maybe we'll be old and have to build a front porch so we can rock together and watch the world. Who ever heard of doing that on a back porch? Mark actually got to go with us, as long as he worked on the road. Which he did.

2008-11-12T19:13:00.002-06:00

The cats do this every year. You'd think that Lovey, after 8 yrs of living in a house and Jinx after 6 would remember from year to year that warm air comes out of the vents. Our heat pump emits a high pitched sound...maybe that's what they're freaking out about? By the end of winter they'll be laying on the vents. Right now, they're just gonna watch them for a bit before they get brave enough to love the warmth.

2008-11-11T13:06:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it's already that time!!! Christmas shopping!! My plan for this season is to take each week's plasma money and buy as many Christmas gifts as I can. So, I went out yesterday to spend my first $65. We went to the mall and lo and behold there was Santa sitting all by himself!! Ry said "MOMMY!! Can I go talk to him?" So I sent him over. This has been the best visit ever. He got so much time to just sit on Santa's lap and tell him eeeeeverything he wants for Christmas. He told him how good he was, and how his brother isn't really good and that his sister is "mostly" good. It was really very cute!! I managed to get 3 of the names done that the kids drew for their gift exchange with their cousins and I got half of Nick's (since I drew his name), before my Biolife Debit card was empty. That's good progress!! I also had enough cash in my purse that I'd taken out for my "date" with Mark that I didn't get to go on cause Ry was sick, that I bought 3 stocking stuffers for the kids!! It was a great shopping day. Today has sped by too. The kids had a late start day so I made them a big breakfast (which I usually don't get to do since they leave so early) and then raced out the door as soon as they got on the bus, to take Ry to school and head over to a girl from Bible Studys' house to clean while she's at the hospital having her baby! I'm thinking maybe we need to get a group of girls and we need to clean that way in our own houses! It's so much fun to turn on some music, and work as a team and chitchat the whole time. We got so much deep cleaning done and it was done so quickly!! It was very nice!

2008-11-08T09:29:00.004-06:00

Things have changed in the McNeel household, and it has definitely been a change for the better! I've been taking a Bible Study class called Nurture by Lisa Bevere. If you are looking for a great book to read, read that one! In this study, I have really gotten back to the basics and what is really important to make a family run smoothly, and what my role as a mother is. I've learned in this study that my job as a mother isn't to make my kids happy through material things but to nurture them, and help them to grow NOT relying on these types of things. This works really well for us right now since I'm not working. I have felt really overwhelmed and stressed learning to live w/o the income I was making doing daycare, and working in the BBQ restaurant, but at the same time I have been blessed beyond belief being here with the kids, and being available to them. I've been able to go back to volunteering, and just really feeling like I'm taking care of my family first. One of the big changes is that I'm having the kids really be involved in family things. It seems like there for a while we were so busy that we were all going in different directions just to get everything done that needed to be done. Now, we're working together as a team to get things done and going and supporting each other at our various events. Instead of having friends over to play all the time, Jake and Lacy have been doing things just the two of them or Jake and Ryan or whatever. We've also changed the policy on gifts. The kids have always had this expection about gifts and I feel like they lost sight of the meaning of what a gift is, and the expression of love it is from the giver. So, now instead of being able to ask for things, they can express things they'd like to have, and maybe they'll get one or two things. I've even told my sisters/bro that my kids don't need 5 million things (which I'm SURE they're relieved to hear!). We also made a family decision that we'd give up one gift each at Christmas time (they usually get 3) and instead give to someone that wouldn't normally get a gift. The kids have had a really hard time with this, but I think the turnaround for them was the other day we went to work in our Monthly food pantry. Harvesters drops off 4 tons of food and it's all perishable. Needy people in the community come in and we sign them in. My job was in the warehouse packaging onions. We get things on these huge pallets and we have to open it all up,and bag it up in bags depending on the size of the families. So, for 3 hours I did nothing but onions. The kids job was to help the people there getting the food by getting boxes and a dolly and putting the food in the boxes and dollying it out to their cars. They were told over and over again how grateful they were to get the food. Jake was upset at first because a lot of people there were complaining and grumpy, and I told Jake they weren't there to bless us, we were there to bless them. That we don't know their situation. He quickly changed his perspective, and put a smile on his face and saw how their attitudes changed to respond to his. I've never seen my kids work so hard. It was cold and it was very physical work for 3 hours w/o a break. I was so proud of them. After it was over, Lacy said "Can we always do this?" They realized how much they have, and now are willingly going to give up a gift. So many kids came through there in these HUGE families. It showed them how lucky they are that they get gifts from so many family members. Now they're excited about shopping for a gift to give to someone else! I hope this is a change that lasts. It really takes the pressure off and hopefully leads to a deeper happiness that isn't based on "stuff".

2008-11-06T19:00:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was a long day for Jana and Nick. Makenna had her cleft surgery at Children's Mercy. Mom and I and Nicks Mom and Sister and Dad went up to sit with them during the surgery. It lasted about an hour and a half and then her recovery time was about an hour before they let us go see her. We waited in this big waiting room that had a fun area that Ry was easily entertained in. He walked around for 3 hours entertaining all the other people in there waiting. When we got upstairs to see Makenna they met us in the hallway to walk us to her room. They'd decided then that they'd keep her overnight instead of just letting her go home. I think it was because they ended up putting stints in her nose and that was more than they had originally been going to do. She was tossing her head and getting angry at them being there! She wanted to reach up and yank them out, but they had restraints on her arms and that made her even more mad!! Makenna is such a trooper though. I'm so impressed at how fast kids bounce back from things!!

Beware, more politics!!

2008-11-03T08:27:00.003-06:00

I don't feel like I represented my feelings too well in my last post. I tend to feel passionately about something and get all stirred up and it turns into a rant and I get all tongue tied. As you can tell, Abortion is a huge issue on my mind, and something that I get caught up in, and can't just overlook. This letter I am posting is something that I've read over and over again that more clearly represents how I feel. No, I'm not a father or a business owner, but I am a parent and a member of society. What he says about the silent, hardworking, tax paying majority, etc....is exactly where I fit. Where I have always fit. This is the first time that I have felt compelled to speak out about my opinion. And that's just what it is, and opinion. This letter I agree with wholeheartedly, from a man who is better at wording, what I feel in my heart.

> >>     Subject: ILLINOIS CITIZEN SPEAKS
> >>
> >>     THIS LETTER MAKES MORE SENSE THAN ANYTHING I HAVE SEEN, HEARD, OR
> >> READ, CONCERNING THE UPCOMING ELECTION...
> >>
> >>     IT'S A LETTER FROM A U.S. CITIZEN... WHO LIVES IN ILLINOIS ... AND
> >> OBVIOUSLY IS A 'SELF-THINKER'... NOT JUST A 'FOLLOWER'!!!
> >>
> >>     IF YOU ONLY READ ONE THING, REGARDING THIS ELECTION... LET THIS BE
> >> THE ONE THING!!AFTER READING IT, YOU WILL PROBABLY WANT TO FORWARD IT TO
> >> OTHER AMERICANS WHO ARE 'SELF THINKERS'!!
> >>
> >>     H.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     An impassioned letter from a 'nobody'. But he gives his personal
> >> information at the end.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 3:19 PM
> >>     Subject:  A letter from Illinois
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     Dear Friends:
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     My name is Joe Porter. I live in Champaign , Illinois . I'm 46 years
> >> old, a born-again Christian, a husband, a father, a small business owner,
> >> a veteran, and a homeowner. I don't consider myself to be either
> >> conservative or liberal, and I vote for the person, not Republican or
> >> Democrat. I don't believe there are 'two Americas ' - but that every
> >> person in this country can be whomever and whatever they want to be if
> >> they'll just work to get there - and nowhere else on earth can they find
> >> such opportunities. I believe our government should help those who are
> >> legitimately downtrodden, and should always put the interests of America
> >> first.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     The purpose of this message is that I'm concerned about the future of
> >> this great nation. I'm worried that the silent majority of honest,
> >> hard-working, tax-paying people in this country have been passive for too
> >> long. Most folks I know choose not to involve themselves in politics.
> >> They go about their daily lives, paying their bills, raising  their kids,
> >> and doing what they can to maintain the good life. They vote and consider
> >> doing so to be a sacred trust. They shake their heads at the political
> >> pundits and so-called 'news', thinking that what they hear is always spun
> >> by whomever is reporting it. They can't understand how elected officials
> >> can regularly violate the public trust with pork barrel spending
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     We are in the unique position in this country of electing our
> >> leaders. It's a privilege to do so. I've never found a candidate in any
> >> election with whom I agreed on everything. I'll wager that most of us
> >> don't even agree with our families or spouses 100% of the time. So when I
> >> step into that voting booth, I always try to look at the big picture and
> >> cast my vote for the man or woman who is best qualified for the job. I've
> >> hired a lot of people in my lifetime, and essentially that's what an
> >> election is - a hiring process. Who has the credentials? Whom do I want
> >> working for me? Whom can I trust to do the job right?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     I'm concerned that a growing number of voters in this country simply
> >> don't get it. They are caught up in a fervor they can't explain, and
> >> calling it 'change'.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>            'Change what?', I ask.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>            'Well, we're going to change America ', they say.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>             'In what way?', I query.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>             'We want someone new and fresh in the White House', they
> >> exclaim..
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>              'So, someone who's not a politician?', I say.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>              'Uh, well, no, we just want a lot of stuff changed, so we're
> >> voting for Obama', they state.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     'So the current system, the system of freedom and democracy that has
> >> enabled a man to grow up in this great country, get a fine education,
> >> raise incredible amounts of money and dominate the news and win his
> >> party's nomination for the White House - that system's all wrong?'
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     'No, no, that part of the system's okay - we just need a lot of
> >> change.'
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     And so it goes. 'Change we can believe in.'
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     Quite frankly, I don't believe that vague proclamations of change
> >> hold any promise for me. In recent months, I've been asking virtually
> >> everyone I encounter how they're voting. I live in Illinois , so most
> >> folks tell me they're voting for Barack Obama. But no one can really tell
> >> me why - only that he's going to change a lot of stuff. 'Change, change,
> >> change.' I have yet to find one single person who can tell me distinctly
> >> and convincingly why this man is qualified to be President and
> >> Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful nation on earth - other than the
> >> fact that he claims he's going to implement a lot of change.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     We've all seen the emails about Obama's genealogy, his upbringing,
> >> his Muslim background, and his church affiliations. Let's ignore this for
> >> a moment. Put it all aside. Then ask yourself, 'What qualifies this man
> >> to be my president?  That he's a brilliant orator and talks about
> >> change?'
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     CHANGE WHAT?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     Friends, I'll be forthright with you - I believe the American voters
> >> who are supporting Barack Obama don't have a clue what they're doing, as
> >> evidenced by the fact that not one of them - NOT ONE of them I've spoken
> >> to can spell out his qualifications. Not even the most liberal media can
> >> explain why he should be elected. Political experience? Negligible.
> >> Foreign relations? Non-existent. Achievements?  Name one.  Someone who
> >> wants to unite the country?  If you haven't read his wife's thesis from
> >> Princeton , look it up on the web. This is who's lining up to be our next
> >> First Lady?  The only thing I can glean from Obama's constant harping
> >> about change is that we're in for a lot of new taxes.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     For me, the choice is clear. I've looked carefully at the two leading
> >> applicants for the job, and I've made my choice.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     Here's a question - 'Where were you five and a half years ago? Around
> >> Christmas, 2002.  You've had five or six birthdays in that time. My son
> >> has grown from a sixth grade child to a high school graduate. Five and a
> >> half years is a good chunk of time.  About 2,000 days.  2,000 nights of
> >> sleep.  6, 000 meals, give or take.'
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     John McCain spent that amount of time, from 1967 to 1973, in a North
> >> Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     When offered early release, he refused it.  He considered this offer
> >> to be a public relations stunt by his captors, and insisted that those
> >> held longer than he should be released first.  Did you get that part?  He
> >> was offered his freedom, and he turned it down.  A regimen of beatings
> >> and torture began.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>      Do you possess such strength of character?  Locked in a filthy cell
> >> in a foreign country, would you turn down your own freedom in favor of
> >> your fellow man?  I submit that's a quality of character that is rarely
> >> found, and for me, this singular act defines John McCain.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>                                     Unlike several presidential
> >> candidates in recent years whose military service is questionable or
> >> non-existent, you will not find anyone to denigrate the integrity and
> >> moral courage of this man.  A graduate of Annapolis, during his Naval
> >> service he received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and
> >> Distinguished Flying Cross.  His own son is now serving in the Marine
> >> Corps in Iraq .  Barack Obama is fond of saying 'We honor John McCain's
> >> service...BUT...', which to me is condescending and offensive - because
> >> what I hear is, 'Let's for get this man's sacrifice for his country and
> >> his proven leadership abilities, and talk some more about change.'
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>                                     I don't agree with John McCain on
> >> everything - but I am utterly convinced that he is qualified to be our
> >> next President, and I trust him to do what's right.  I know in my heart
> >> that he has the best interests of our country in mind.  He doesn't simply
> >> want to be President - he wants to lead America , and there's a huge
> >> difference.  Factually, there is simply no comparison between the two
> >> candidates.  A man of questionable background and motives who prattles on
> >> about change can't hold a candle to a man who has devoted his life in
> >> publi c service to this nation, retiring from the Navy in1981 and elected
> >> to the Senate in1982.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>                                     Perhaps Obama's supporters are taking
> >> a stance between old and new.  Maybe they don't care about McCain's
> >> service or his strength of character, or his unblemished qualifications
> >> to be President.  Maybe 'likeability' is a higher priority for them than
> >> 'trust'. Being a prisoner of war is not what qualifies John McCain to be
> >> President of the United States of America - but his demonstrated
> >> leadership certainly DOES.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>                                     Dear friends, it is time for us to
> >> stand.  It is time for thinking Americans to say, 'Enough.' It is time
> >> for people of all parties to stop following the party line.  It is time
> >> for anyone who wants to keep America first, who wants the right man
> >> leading their nation, to start a dialogue with all their friends and
> >> neighbors and ask who they're voting for, and why.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>                                     There's a lot of evil in this world.
> >> That should be readily apparent to all of us by now.  And when faced with
> >> that evil as we are now, I want a man who knows the cost of war on his
> >> troops and on his citizens.  I want a man who puts my family's interests
> >> before any foreign country.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>                                     I want a President who's qualified to
> >> lead.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>                                     I want my country back, and I'm
> >> voting for John McCain.
> >>                                     Phone: 760.434.1395
> >>                                     E-mail: ronald.hess@alumni.purdue.edu
> >>
> >>
> >>

2008-11-02T20:45:00.005-06:00

What another great fun fall weekend!!! Ryan had a double header on Saturday. It was a great day for it, nice and warm with full sunshine. Susan dropped Amelia and Bailey off and went shopping for Bailey's Birthday present. Between the game and the park right there, we had a blast and got plenty of exercise. We also had his Awards Pizza party right afterward. After that we headed to the mall to check out the Tigers store so that Mark could see some things that he might want to put on his Christmas wish list. After a very busy, full day, Mark and I kicked the kids out into the basement to watch a movie and we vegged out and snacked and watched a sappy romantic movie. On Sunday, after church we headed to Mom and Dad's for our Monthly family lunch. It's a very nice tradition that Dad started and it's nice to see all my siblings and nieces and nephews on a more regular basis. It was a great weekend, and I'm afraid that snow and cold, and no more outdoor activities are very close!! So, I'm gonna enjoy it all while I can! I'm gonna add another picture of Ry. He's in the back of the group on the far left in the police costume. When I walked into his classroom at Church, his teacher was very animatedly reading them a book. It was so cute that I had to snap a picture. Every time I pic Ry up he has this police costume on. I might have to buy him one for Christmas!!

Do not attack me, just know where I stand.

2008-11-02T07:30:00.004-06:00

I will warn you in advance that this post is probably the most controversial topic that I can pick, but as I'm blogging for my children's sake, I feel that I need to address it. Especially in light of the fact that they are hearing so much, and are exposed to so much. This is the first election I can remember really feeling passionate about. The reason for that is my kids. They have come to me with fears and concerns that I never even considered them having at their age. I want to post why I'm voting the way I'm voting, and why it is so important to me that my kids know this. I would like to first make it clear that I am not happy with either choice and that I'm not a person who only votes Democrat because my whole family always have "we've always been Democrats" or the same thing about Republicans. I will always vote based on Biblical principals and not worldly principals. This election is important to me because the entire dynamic of Family can and will be redefined. I am extremely upset that my 12 year old daughter could cross state lines and get an abortion without my consent. I am extremely upset that my boys could lose their rights as Fathers if a mother chooses to abort a child. That that babies heart can be silenced. For their head to be crushed with forceps because it can't fit in the waste tube to be vaccumed out and tossed with the rest of the waste that it can be cut apart piece by piece. I'm sad and hurting that God made that baby and it is alive at the moment of conception that baby was another human being. That there will be no limits on how late you can have an abortion. That no matter if the baby could live outside the womb if the woman want's to throw it away, she can and it will all be legal and NOT called murder. That a baby born alive after a botched abortion can be killed because it was "supposed to already be dead". I'm also appalled that the founding principals of the United States are going to just be tossed out. This was why the world worked then and doesn't now. We've removed everything that worked and protected us and that we stood for just so that we can have more "rights". I'm sad that my pastor could be arrested for a Hate Crime for preaching the Bible if it passes that Marriage is NOT man to woman, but woman to woman, man to man. It burns me up, that that will be taught to my children. None of this stuff hurts me because of me. I'll never have an abortion. I'll never want to marry another woman. But, it affects my kids. It affects how they will grow up. I don't believe that "tolerence" is what God has planned for us. We are to stand on the Truth. The whole country used to be expected to do that. Now, we can actually throw all of that out the window just because a new man comes in and promises Change. Yes, we all want change. But at what price?? At the price of our children?? At the price of all the unborn babies that are being murdered daily so that they don't have to hide it or go to Abortion clinics because our hospitals and our doctors won't murder our babies?? Do I want better health care at the expense of my kids knowing that Marriage is a Biblical principal that takes place between a man and a woman?? Do I want them being taught in school that "family" is whatever people want to do and feel like doing? NO WAY!! I want a public education for my child but if these things are being taught in school then I cannot and will not send my kids there!! This economy cannot be fixed by one man. The Health Care system cannot be fixed by one man. But, through ONE MAN, we were saved from our sins. We are able to stand on the Truth and make change happen without the promises of a man that will change the way our families are. We CAN protect our families and our children from this man. I can vote against a set of moral values that I believe can be so destructive to the way our kids learn and grow.

On that note, Jake believes that Obama is the anti-Christ. I don't happen to believe that he is, but it does raise the question in my mind. If the rapture were to happen today, do you know where you're headed? Can you say without a shadow of a doubt in your mind where you stand on the subject of Salvation? If there is any question in your mind at all PLEASE PLEASE talk to me and allow me to pray with you to clear this up. If you'd like to check the Bible for yourself, you can follow the path of Salvation in the book of Roman's. In this order you will know exactly what God's plan for you is, and the simple prayer you can pray. Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9-10, Romans 10:13.

2008-11-01T10:25:00.006-05:00

Halloween was a blast this year!! It gets a little sad for me that the kids just all kind of have their own things to do, so I decided to have a party!! The Gallagher's, and The Barnes Families came over for Chili, Chili Dogs, Frito Chili pie, Apple cake with french vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. I also hit the jackpot and found my FAVE FAVE FAVE wine!! I was so excited when I found it because I thought the only place I could get it is at the wineries in Hermann. So....anyway...back to the kids...Lacy went to a sleepover at Megan's for Halloween, after her and her friends filled up on chili. She was a dead bride and Jake went out with his friends and he was a bank robber. I only have this one pic cause big kids don't really leave their costumes on very much. The kids had the best night for trick or treating!! The weather was GREAT!! Rachel and Jason brought David and Jackson over to go trick or treating with us. Ryan said "Shane, all our best friends are here!!" We ended up with a ton of candy!! In the pic of the pumpkins, Ry wanted to show that he painted it AND cut it into a vampire so he turned it sideways (he took the pic!!) and Lacy's is puking, and Jake's is cool! I had to add the pic of Jim and Shane and Kayla. Juliana and I spent a whole morning coming up with this costume and he looked GREAT!!!

2008-10-31T08:18:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween!!! The kids are so excited about today! This might be the last year that Jake gets to dress up. He got one of those really cool masks that distorts your features but is see through. So, he's going as a bank robber/mobster. He wanted a real cigar, but he's at that age that I'm afraid he'd smoke it! Lacy got a white and silver wedding dress costume from the thrift store and some tulle and lots of blood and is going as a dead bride. And Ry-Guy is a black Ninja. Mark is coming home from TX today!! We survived the week w/o him and he'll be arriving just in time for our Halloween party here! Gotta make it fun for the adults so we're having friends over for Chili, honey corn muffins, Apple cake with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce and hot cocoa with marshmallows! We've done a lot of things to build up the anticipation. Pumpkin carving, hay rides, hot cocoa nights!! Here are a couple pics of that. Ry-guy and Shane carving pumpkins. I got to scoop the guts cause Ry couldn't get them out well. I'll take a photo of the kid with their pumpkins today too. Lacy made a puking pumpkin, Jake made and I don't know pumpkin and Ry's is a vampire pumpkin. He did so good cutting it out himself with the exception of the mouth when he ran out of time and Juliana helped him! Here are the kids enjoying a cup of hot cocoa and Kayla trying on my silly winter hat. Looks so cute on her!

2008-10-26T08:23:00.005-05:00

We had a fun Fall Saturday yesterday! I wanted to make the most of our weekend, before Mark's training all week, and because there is snow coming up in the forecast!!! We started out by going into town in Blue Springs and trick or treating the Merchants on Main street. They had some fun stuff like face painting and crafts but the main draw for the kids was the bag full of candy! Then we headed straight from there to Ry's football game. It was such enjoyable weather!! Karen brought Matthew up to watch and he was so cute yelling "RUN RYAN!!" Sarah and Lacy played with Kayla on the playground, and Shane and Jim played football while Juliana, Mark and I sat and enjoyed the game. After a quick run home for lunch, we all piled back in the cars and headed downtown to the River Market. I had NO idea that there were such treasures to be found!!!! I got so much fresh produce and I only spent $9!!! It was so nice to be outside, and do my fruit and veggie shopping in the sunshine. I think we're gonna have to make a habit of going there and just making it a fun family day! We also took the time to go into the Chinese Market. It smelled so bad in there and looking at all the gross stuff they sell was very entertaining. Lacy and Sarah decided to try on some hats. Shane and Ry liked identifying all the meat. Jim and Mark were oblivious to the smell and stayed back there forever, while Juliana and Jake and I browsed all the other chinese condiments. Those guys sure like their condiments!!! After we left there, I came home and made dinner with some of the yummy things I brought home from the Farmers Market, then Juliana and I headed back out for some more fun fall/halloween stuff. After a 2 1/2 hour wait out in the cold, we got to enter the enchanted forest. Wouldn't you know....Ry decides right then to start the pee-pee dance. He had to pee the entire time but he made it through the forest and through the hay ride and hit the porta potty right as we left. By then it was after 10 and our boys were exhausted. They were such troopers. They had done nothing but WALK for 12 hours straight. And Ry ran and played in a football game!! They both fell asleep as soon as they sat in the van. Ryan said "that was the BEST day ever!!" as Daddy was putting him in bed last night.

2008-10-24T16:42:00.007-05:00

Juliana and I took Ry and Kayla out shopping today!! Juliana was very successful getting Shane's costume, so that he and Ry could be the same thing, w/o being the same thing! Plus we had to hit Stein Mart to look at their liquidation (which was freaking hilarious!!! nooooooo I didn't buy anything). We hit a couple garage sales (got Ry some lawn toys he's been wanting and a new helmet he's been needing), went to Deals (bought cheap lights to go inside the pumpkins, and some fun things for the adults to wear on Halloween, and Bandaids since I keep cutting myself and never have a bandaid in the house). We also stopped by Price Chopper. Did you know that you can get a bottle of water, a bag of chips and a Brat or a Hot dog lunch for $1.01 on Red Fridays??? Talk about a cheap lunch!! We gathered up Shane after his bus dropped him off to do half of that running. It was a fun day, but the best part was Party America withKayla and trying on Sunglasses. Every single pair I put on I'd ask "How do I look?" and her answer every time was a very enthusiastic "BEAUTIFUL!"

2008-10-21T14:20:00.003-05:00

Pictures of Ry from Jessie's Party (Thanks Jess!!)

He had such a good time. I'm thinking now that he knows cowboys don't ride cows, he'll REALLY wanna be a cowboy!

2008-10-19T20:39:00.002-05:00

What a fun, busy weekend we had!!! Life just keeps getting better and better!! Friday, my Mom came over and watched Ry, Shane and Kayla so Juliana and I could go with Karen and Sonja to Atchison, KS to see some Haunted houses! I've read a lot about them, and seen some on A Haunting and have always been intrigued. The Gargoyle house really freaks me out. The reason it freaks me out is because, it is said that the owner in the 1800's made a pact with the Devil and that's how he gained his riches and the gargoyles were a symbol of that pact. A later owner tried to remove them and fell to his death down the stairs. I'm always afraid that the curse on the gargoyles will be broken and they'll come to life and I can tell you I want to be NO WHERE around when that happens!!! Although we didn't get to go in any of the houses, we did get to capture some Orbs in some of our photos!!!! That was so exciting to see something that I've only seen on the ghost hunting shows before!! After a very fun, freaky night, Juliana and I got up early and headed to a Women's conference at church to learn about Personalities. It was so enjoyable and very very informative. I just loving learning things that will help me to be a better friend, Mother, and wife. I'm the first to admit that I will always have room for more insight!! I left there feeling empowered and refreshed. I headed straight to Jessie's house where Mark and Lacy and Ry had already been for about an hour and a half for Alyssa's b-day party! I don't have any pics cause my cell phone broke and I had to get a new one....so the pics I took are lost. I'll post some after Jessie sends them to me. She did a great job entertaining the kids and they had so much fun riding the ponies and doing crafts. And the weather was PERFECT!! It was nice to just relax and catch up with friends! Sunday after church we headed straight to Mom's house for Max's birthday party! Max absolutely LOVED his gift from us! He said " WHOA!!! SWEET!! I really like this present!" After presents, we ate some blue cupcakes!! They were yummy and Camille looked so cute putting on her "lipstick" that I had to add it!! Again, it was another GREAT day weather wise and we spent most of it outside. I'm really enjoying these last nice days of fall before cold winter sets in! The only downside to all of it, Mark is really fighting off a Sinus infection....usually he gets one and is laid up for 2 weeks. If we caught this early enough...hopefully it won't turn into that! Especially since he's covering for his boss this week and will have a TON of work to do before his week of classes next week!

2008-10-15T13:38:00.002-05:00

WHOOOOO!!!!!!! 2 blogs in ONE day!!!

I finally used my gift certificate from my wonderful siblings for my b-day. Had to wait for 40% off! I got this great table for the entry!! Now I have my counter space back since I have somewhere else to put my fall stuffs!! I'll try to eventually get a small wine rack that will fit underneath..if I don't drink my 13 bottles before I come up with the money to buy the wine rack. Oh, that's depressing....I should probably open wine.

2008-10-15T07:44:00.002-05:00

I was browsing through pictures on my phone this morning and saw this picture of Heather. It reminded me of something exciting I get to do this weekend!! Sonja's b-day celebration will be going to Atchison to tour the "real" haunted houses. The reason this picture reminds me is because Sonja called me right when we were in this bird place and I had a bird on my head and a bird on my shoulder. It was really creeping me out but I was afraid to move for fear that it would bite my ear off....so Sonja wants me to go to something scary and she just so happened to call when I was already doing something scary. You can tell by Heather's hunched shoulders that she wasn't all that pleased to have a bird on her shoulder and no food in her hand.

2008-10-13T10:06:00.002-05:00

Today Ry came to me with my Bible and said "Can I look at this? I want to find the truth." So, I said sure!! He came back in a bit with Judges chapters 20/21 open and said "Can you read this to me? I found it. I found the truth." So, I started reading it to him and he said "no, that's not right. It says Worship the Lord with gladness 100 verse 2" So, I went to looking and sure enough I found that verse. It is Psalm 100 verse 2 that he had memorized! So, he took the Bible from me and said "never mind I can read it. This whole book is actually the Truth." I guess the kid is catching on! It just made my heart sing for him to say that!! I had to take a picture so you could see my little guy vegging out on the couch reading The Truth.

2008-10-11T08:22:00.002-05:00

Last night we went out to Gomers in Lee's Summit for a Deck party and wine tasting. It was us Jim and Juliana and Sonja and Tim We were having a great time with our group but then we met this guy and girl who were sitting behind us!! They ended up being a TON of fun!! This is Jen AKA Gonzo and James AKA Jamo The band was really great and Mark turned out to be known by everyone. Bill (the singer of the band who played in Mark's Band Harpo's Garage) announced over the mic that "There's a special guest in the audience, Mark McNeel, who will appreciate this song". Next thing you know people are coming up to him. Small world..it was fun though! Every time I got up my camera (ok ok, so it was my phone!) was used by other people. I'll share a few of those just cause they're fun. And I'll share others from the night...in no particular order..LOLWe got some free shirts from the owner. Only me and Sonja did and Jen wanted one so Sonja was so nice and gave hers away!! I gave mine away too...to Mark and then to Jim so he could change out of his white dress shirt and REALLY cut loose!Hope ya'll love pictures!

2008-10-06T19:05:00.002-05:00

Today we had a very nice visit with Grandma. Ryan is a really neat kid. I think he just intuitively knows how much he means to grandma. She isn't all that affectionate but with him, she constantly has her hand rubbing his back or his hair or the back of his neck. And he always just climbs right up to her and gives her cuddles. One of the ladies up there (nurse or someone..) said that for days after we leave she'll talk about Ryan. She'll remember exactly what he was wearing and things he said. The rest of us she forgets as soon as we're gone. But he's stuck in her mind for days. It makes me realize how important family is. Even when you lose a lot of your memory, you just know when your family is here, and when you're in the presence of someone who just loves you unconditionally. I hope when I'm older, that I have a Ry to make my day brighter.

2008-10-03T21:14:00.003-05:00

We went to the zoo today!! It was great weather for it and there were NO crowds!! Heather and I decided to make good use of coupons and a Friday off from school, and Daniel and Ry were super happy about it!! Heather and I were just happy to do our walking in a different location. I would also like to point out that Ry really likes to show off his missing teeth when we take pictures now!!All Ryan talked about prior to getting to the zoo was King Kong. So, when we got to the carousel he beelined straight for King Kong!!They also had all their fall/Halloween stuff out!! So, there were lots of things to pose in, under, around...It was a lot of fun! And a lot of walking and the boys were super tired by the end and so were we! But, Ry perked right up for a night at World's of Fun seeing all the Haunted attractions and going through the Haunted Houses. Hopefully that'll be my next blog topic!!

2008-09-30T21:09:00.002-05:00

I know...haven't posted..I know. You can see pics on my facebook page though if you so desire!! http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=653312540&ref=profile

2008-09-29T20:38:00.002-05:00

So, I came home all prepared to blog about my trip...but I got back quite a bit later than I thought I would today, so I'm kinda overwhelmed...but I HAVE to share! While I was gone, Ryan lost his first tooth!! He called me and asked me if I would come home and take his picture. So, here he is with his Sombrero and his missing tooth! And then about an hour later he came to me and said "Mommy this other tooth is bugging me, can you pull it?" So, I reached in and pulled it right out! I had no idea they were even loose!!! So, here he is minus 2 teeth!! I'll post a blog soon about my trip to Hermann!!

2008-09-27T08:15:00.004-05:00

Too much fun to blog!! I haven't disappeared, I've just been having too much fun outside playing with my friends to blog!! But, I'm going to Hermann for the weekend with the FART girls, so I'll blog when I get back! Here are a couple pics to tide you over.

2008-09-21T16:46:00.002-05:00

My birthday was super fun!! I had a great day even though Mark had to work all day. I met up with some friends at Outback Steakhouse for dinner and we had a really good time. Jim was the photographer and he's such a goofball so I'll start with a pic of him! We had a really good time,but you can tell how nerdy some of us are cause we were talking about facebook and this dumb game on there that some of us are addicted to. Well, Derrell and Dianne hadn't ever heard of it but Heather and Daniel had heard of it but had no interest. So, that was funny. Here it looks like Dianne and I are talking politics..(but I think it's actually the bills that we're frowning about) And Jules is in deep thought about whatever her pretty little head was thinking about Heather was trying to get Daniel to not be Daniel for 2 seconds. (Didn't work)Derrell was conveniently a big red blob in all the pictures so I don't have one of him. But Dianne brought me a great crown to wear. It wasn't at all humiliating...not at all.Thanks Dianne....Love ya girlfriendAnd thank you Mark for working Saturday so you could buy me dinner at my FAVE restaurant!!!

2008-09-20T15:17:00.012-05:00

I'm afraid this blog is gonna be INSANE!!! I don't have my internet pro to tell me what to do and I want to post a blog so this is just the way it'll have to be!! Sorry Faithful readers..you'll have to forgive me since it's my birthday! I'm having a GREAT birthday by the way!! Jodi came by this morning and brought me a gift card that all my siblings got me to Hobby Lobby!! I'm gonna have so much fun with fall/Christmas decorations with it. I can't wait to go spend it. Jodi also brought me a cake that she'd made. It's Devil's Food with Chocolate icing. She knows I'm a chocolate junkie! Thanks JODI!! And while you're looking at that great cake, look at Faith's hair! We decided today to give her a cute chin length bob. She looks so adorable with her hair cut!! I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Luckily Jodi was sitting and entertaining her. I think she was afraid to let me too close with the scissors...maybe because the only other experience she'd had was big brother Ben cutting her hair! We also had a football game today for Ryan. The kids are doing so good. They are really getting the concept of the game. It was so funny to see them watch the coach for a play and then do it! They all look so darn cute too. These kids are all 5 yr olds. I can't wait to see how they do next year, if they're already getting pretty good. I'm going to try to add some video clips. This is where the blog gets insane. I have no idea how they're gonna land on this page...I'm just gonna try to get them on here. I'm trying to show you a variety of things. Like how well Ryan can throw, How well he can take a football to the head.. (LOL!!), how the kids can completly get confused and run the wrong way for a touchdown, but also how they can come back from that to get it right and score!! There are 2 clips that for some reason paused in the recording, but it's the same play. Hopefully you'll get the general idea and when Heather gets back online....she can tell me how to fix this problem for future. I'm also gonna add a pic of Ryan at last nights rodeo cause it's so darn cute, but I gotta wait to blog about it til Jessie sends me some actual pics.....either that or she blogs about it! He really had a good time at the rodeo. He really really likes Jessie's "Daddy" as he calls Curtis. He thinks he's the coolest cowboy ever! He LOVED riding Jay too. It's all he's talked about all day!

Now that I've added the videos I feel the need to clarify. One is Ryan being Center with Ethan running the wrong way for a TD. 2 is Ryan going for a TD. 3 is Ryan hit in the head! 4 is Ryan throwing his spiral and 5 and 6 are the play with Ryan Center and our team getting a TD!!

2008-09-16T06:34:00.003-05:00

You can definitely tell that fall is in the air. It's parade weather, and football weather, which translates into "go outside before you get dressed" weather. Saturday we woke up nice and early for football pictures. We had to be there by 8:30. I looked outside and it was gloomy like it had been the 4 days prior so I put on jeans a t-shirt and grabbed a hoodie. By the time I pulled out of the driveway I'd ditched the hoodie and was wishing I had on at least capri pants instead of jeans! After pictures we headed up to the Blue Springs Fall Fun Fest to watch the parade. It rained on us some, but overall we got pretty lucky. Here are the kids while it was still dry out, before they were huddled to grab candy! Then the rain came and Flavia huddle under our umbrellas and threw ponchos over the kids. They ditched them immediately cause they wanted to be wet! As warm as it was out, I just let it go. Here they are, wet and Ry waving at his favorite things. TRACTORS!! Last night we went to Ry's football practice. They had a BLAST!! He actually is remembering what he learned and doing drills and not just running around like a crazy kid, although there was a lot of that! Here he is Mr. QuarterbackSorry about my shadow...there just wasn't a good place to be w/o being a distraction to the kids. They're still at the age where they want to stop and look and say "cheese"!! Tonight Jake has a game in Excelsior Springs. The bus leaves at 3:30 and gets back at 10. He's gonna have a really long day!

2008-09-13T13:02:00.002-05:00

I'm still being nickel and dimed to death at school. I got ONE...yes I did say ONE picture of Jake from football and it cost me $25.88. It's basically one 4x6 of him and one of his team right next to it and it cost me that much money!!! But, it's a memory that I want to be able to look back on and remember. This year has brought so many changes in Jake. He's really growing up and maturing. God must really be polishing him cause this has been a year for changes!! His next game is in Excelsior Springs. The bus leaves at 3:30 and gets back at 10 pm. So, as if I don't miss out on enough time with him NOW, I'll soon be missing even more. I never knew when Jake was 5 and all in my hair, that in a very short number of years I'd go entire days w/o even seeing him. Maybe that's why it meant so much to me to have this last year with Ry before school starts.

2008-09-12T06:42:00.002-05:00

Last night, Ryan and I headed up to the football field..not to practice as he hoped, but to have a meeting and pick up uniforms and vote on a team name and all that fun stuff. They voted on the team name "The Pirates" which Ryan absolutely loooooved since he loves pirates so much. He really liked his coach and was giving fist bumps right off the bat. Well, while we were standing around signing the code of conduct forms (which I'm pretty sure I forgot to sign. Guess I don't have to be nice!) a little boy walked up late. Ryan looked over and said "MOMMY!!!!!! It's LOGAN!!!" It's been over a year since he's seen him, but when we moved he was so traumatized by not seeing him that he would even ask perfect strangers "Have you seen my best friend Logan anywhere?" In case you don't remember from previous blogs, he was the little boy that lived behind us in Oak Grove that Ry was inseperable with. I'm so happy that they got to reconnect. I was thinking that middle school would be a long way off, and Ry would probably forget about him by then. I think seeing Logan and knowing he's on his team trumped even the name The Pirates! Ry's number is #6 so that'll be easy for me to remember since Jake's # is 66. As long as I don't line them up we'll be ok! Here's a pic of Ry and Logan just to refresh your memory. (and because it's super cute!!)

2008-09-09T18:37:00.004-05:00

I have to say that yesterday was utterly exhausting. It's amazing how one day can feel like 25 or like -10 depending on what you're doing. Jodi and Jessica and Josh arrived at my house shortly after 4 to leave for Grandma's. When we left it was thundering and lightening and I was dreading the drive, but it cleared up less than an hour away from home. At that time of morning, there isn't really any traffic and we all had plenty to say to each other. It's been YEARS since us siblings have all been in the same car (Jana wasn't with us). We stopped at IHOP for breakfast about 2 1/2 hours into the drive. Jodi gets very car sick, so she didn't want to try to hit a drive through and eat in the car. I was fine with that, cause I hate how a car smells after eating fast food in it, and it's been a while since I've had a huge breakfast like that. We were a tiny bit giddy and silly but in short order we met up with Jana, Nick Makenna, Mom and Dad. We got to the church about an hour and a half before the funeral which was very nice because it enabled us to catch up and visit and pass out hugs to people as they arrived and not try to do it in a huddle all at once. I saw cousins and aunts and uncles that I hadn't seen in years!! One cousin was a pen pal during his duty in Desert Storm. It's amazing how much life can change and change people. We had more driving after the funeral to get to the burial....Poor poor Jodi. That road was so hilly and windey and we were on it for a good hour. She was a trooper though, and we tried to keep her laughing (which honestly isn't too hard to do with Jodi!!). After that, we had to drive all the way back to the church for a lunch that the people there provided for us. by this time, we'd been on the road for almost 11 hours!! I was so sick of driving and being in the car that I thought I'd have a tantrum...but after the yummy food and more visiting with the family we decided we were ready to head back. The trip back, we were even more silly and giddy and I swear we laughed hysterically for the next 2 1/2 hours until I suggested we stop at Steak and Shake and have shakes and fries for dinner. THAT we did eat in the car cause we all wanted to just be HOME! We made it back safely after being either driving, or sitting for the last 16 hours!!! Here are 2 pics. One is with one of my very favorite uncles in the world. We've always been super close and make the most out of our visits. This is my dad's younger brother (well..he's 5 in the pecking order, and my dad is #4) Mike. His daughter Melissa and I have always been close cousins too. She's like another sis to us. She's right between me and Jodi so staying summers at Uncle Mike's were always great for us. We have some wonderful memories!! And yes, by then I'd had heels on for 12 hours so they were OFF!!!

2008-09-07T20:03:00.003-05:00

Gonna go say goodbye to Grandma tomorrow. It'll be a long day. I'll be up and ready by4am and hopefully back by at least 8pm. Luckily Josh Homan is watching Ry-Guy for me so I won't have to worry about him. J and L have Dad to get them going in the morning. Luckily they go to school at 6:30 in the morning. Mark will have to do the football rounds...but he'll survive. I was nice and sympathetic and gave him some money to grab some fast food so they don't starve while I'm gone.

I'm really looking forward to seeing my family. This is a link to a poem that my cousin Joseph wrote about my Grandma. It really is a pure, true show of who my grandma was. I'm going to miss her. http://www.christianpoetry.org/newpoem.php?aid=30456

2008-09-02T10:26:00.003-05:00

I'll warn you in advance that this blog will be a bit long and full of pictures because we just had a fun/busy weekend and I want to share it all! Ever since the kids started back at school, me and Ry have been having so much fun!! I really missed this one on one time with him. As child #3 he's kinda at the bottom of the heap and doesn't get a whole lot of one on one time. So, we've been getting up and having some cuddle time first thing (cause he gets up after Jake and Lacy leave) and then we work through 2 worksheets from his Scholastic Kindergarten book to earn some video game time. He loves to sit on my computer playing learning games! We got up early Saturday and loaded up the car for a weekend at the lake! We had a blast!!! The kids got their wish and got thrown off the tube...after we got the boat unstuck after running it into a mud bar. Ryan cut his foot right when we got there, so I didn't want to let him into the lake to swim so he spent EVERY spare second in the hot tub swimming!!Jake and Lacy joined him a lot, but they alternated between swimming in the cove and soaking in the hot tub.You can see Ry in there if you look. He spent a lot of time finding things people tossed in from the deck above! He was easy to entertain! Mark didn't end up rowing in the raft race, so while the guys were scrambling to get the raft patched and ready to go, he got to relax...which he is ALL about. I have to say...the guys didn't try very hard so they didn't win. But, it was a ton of fun out on the lake in the boats. It was a HUGE water war with firehoses, water balloons and guns GALORE!! We left late so we could squeeze in as much fun as possible on Sunday, so the kids crashed 5 minutes into the car ride home. So, Mark and I not only had privacy, but we had adult converstion and adult music for the entire ride home!! Yesterday we had our annual BBQ at Mom and Dad's. It was nice to sit and relax and not have to watch the kids for a while!! Today, my little guy started his first day of his last year of pre-school. He was sooooooo excited!!! We were getting all his stuff ready for today, and Shane gave him his Darth Vader backpack from last year, so Ry was ECSTATIC!! As soon as he came out of his room he saw the backpack he got so excited for today. He knew exactly how he wanted to look for today. He cracks me up with his fun personality. I love how he expresses himself. Here he is with his mohawk and his "vampire cool kid" shirt on.He actually wanted 3 "popped collars" but I had to draw the line somewhere and I drew it at extra laundry! He was also very happy that Dad was home for his first day of school. What boy can get enough dad time??He told me when I took him into school, "Mommy, I hope I get that helper with the yellow and pink hair. I really like her" hahaha..

2008-08-27T07:35:00.002-05:00

Lacy really really really wants a puppy. She has been asking for years. I feel bad that kids just don't understand. Puppies chew and pee on the floor and turn into BIG dogs that chew...and pee on the floor. And Mark just simply cannot BREATHE around dogs. Plus, we have 2 cats she claims to take care of, but she shuts her bedroom door when she's in there cause "they get cat hair on all my stuff and they meow at me when I'm busy". And I don't think anyone besides me has scooped or cleaned the litter box in years. As far as feeding them and giving them water, Ryan does that just because it's one of his chores. So, for now, we'll visit puppies and then leave them there when we go.

2008-08-25T06:54:00.002-05:00

Happy 5th Birthday Ry-Guy!!! Ryan had his Birthday party yesterday. I think that he had a blast!! He hasn't had a birthday party since his 1st, so this is the first one that he remembers having, and he thinks they're pretty special! He requested chocolate cupcakes, with chocolate frosting and "all color sprinkles". So, I let him help! He did really good, and he has this thing with not getting his hands messy. So, it was interesting watching him try not to get messy. I think he did a GREAT job making the "all colors". He loved blowing out the candles and being sang to. He said "No one has ever sang that song to me before!!" He had his party at the mall. We got to enjoy a ride on the carousel and they got huge punching balloons after their ride. We went to the food court after some playing and had cupcakes and opened presents. We were in a rather large blocked off corner of the food court, so after cupcakes and presents they got to have a huge punching balloon fight. They were all giggling so loud! After more playing in the play area, we headed upstairs to Build a Bear for some more fun! The boys were so excited by this time, that they had a hard time listening, but our party person was GREAT!!! She was so good with 6 rambunctious boys, and they had a great time building their animals. Ryan picked a T-Rex. Shane, Ben, and Max picked puppy dogs, Daniel picked a cheetah, and David picked a blue and white teddy bear.
Ryan's Birthday from Jamie McNeel on Vimeo. We ended the day with dinner at the Birthday Boy's choice (El Maguey...all my kids pick that place) with David's family. After dinner we went over to David's to play and Ryan got to play with his buddy he hasn't seen much, and ride his four wheeler. When he went to bed last night, he was singing SpongeBob's "Best Day Ever" song!! It was sooo cute!!! Happy Birthday my Big Little Man!!

2008-08-24T21:00:00.001-05:00

We had a really fun day today! I'll blog more about it tomorrow for Ry's birthday, but I just wanted to share this picture. I love the parent/child relationship. I think that it's so cute when you can see the impact that a parent has. Here is Ry looking to Daddy for guidance. My Guy is getting so big!!

2008-08-23T22:03:00.003-05:00

So, we went to a party tonight...it was super boring. Didn't know anyone. Lots of kinda scary people. Mostly bikers. All seemed to be lost...til Mark brought me THIS drink!! That is a normal sized beer on the left and a 16 oz cup on the right! BTW, it was Mark's BFF, brothah from another mothah Brad's party. Happy Birthday Brad. Thanks for the drink! And, it was called a "loose caboose". Which Jake and Lacy think is hilarious. I promised Ry the cup. Wonder where they bought that straw?

2008-08-21T06:33:00.002-05:00

Karen and I have been working on Amy's room for a couple days this past week. She wanted her whole room to be black and purple. She even has black AND purple carpet. It's a purple square in the middle bordered by black. Then she has 2 walls black and 2 walls purple. She wanted black circles randomly all different sizes on the purple walls and purple ones on the black. I never before realized how precise you have to be to make something look random! And there is a very fine line between polka-dots (which she was very clear she did NOT want) and random circles. I think we did a great job!! The room is super fun and looks awesome.

Here's something that occurred to me today. Jake and Lacy used to be BEST FRIENDS when they were little. They even chose to share a room because they never wanted to be separated. Then when Jake got into middle school a lot of bickering started. It seemed like they were worst enemies. Now, they're BOTH in middle school....Jake thinks Lacy's friends are hot, Lacy thinks Jake's friends are hot, Jake knows all of Lacy's classes and teachers so she frequently asks for advice and all of a sudden they're Best Friends again. They're sharing inside jokes, and laughing about the goofy bus driver....etc... I have to admit. I LOOOOOVE this side of them!

2008-08-19T07:08:00.003-05:00

This isn't an excuse...cause there is no excuse for it...but I've been too busy to blog about Lacy's Birthday!! And here it is the first day of school, so I'll just have to combine the two.Lacy's party turned out great! The girls had a great time. Mark and Jim had a great time scaring them...but they can't claim them all because the neighbors next door got to them first!! We roasted hot dogs and made s'mores. The kids all played outside until close to 11 and then we got the girls settled in the giant tent. Lacy got money from her friends and some family and the next day after most of the girls went home, I took the 3 remaining girls to the mall. They promptly ditched me and disappeared for the next 3 hours. Luckily for me, my mom took pity on me and came up and kept me company. Yesterday, Jodi and I tested out a new plan for the school year to help each other out and keep each other company and let the kids have a buddy. We took the kids with us to Biolife to donate plasma. It was a really crappy experience because it took FOOOOOREVER!!!! I got done almost a full hour before Jodi and there were so many kids in the childcare room that I took hers and mine outside and entertained them out there. They did really well because I "just so happened" to have a bag of library books and a backpack full of toys. It was a really nice day out, so I can't complain about the extra one on one with my niece and nephews. And then, here we are already at the first day of school. We ran around and worked non-stop to prepare for today! It seemed like as soon as I completed one form, there was another one waiting on me that required me to run an errand to complete. But, we got it all done, and the kids tested out their alarm clocks for the first time in a couple months. They were excited! Jake is top dog at school this year, so he's excited. And Lacy is just happy to be in Middle School. When I told them they had to pose for a picture they both grumbled. When I suggested we go outside and they saw their friends already at the bus stop, they both said at the same time "YOU are NOT taking our picture like a bunch of babies!". I eventually talked them into one shot. I only got one! You can tell Lacy is thrilled.

2008-08-16T14:05:00.002-05:00

Ryan is officially a bike rider!!! He did so well yesterday that I told him I'd take him to buy a toy if he could ride his bike all by himself! I guess that's a good motivator because here he is riding. It took 3 days of working with him to get him to this point. The first day there were lots of tears, and blood and scrapes. The second day was a confidence builder (and recovery from the day before) and by day 3 he was off and riding. Hope you don't get motion sick. Josh wasn't very steady taking it, and I had to provide security by running beside him. Like Jake and Lacy he is riding before his 5th birthday!! So, they can never hold that one over each others heads. They were all 3 the same age!

2008-08-15T08:24:00.002-05:00

Everyone here is getting excited about starting school!! I am getting excited about having just me and Ry time. It really hit me the other night that this is the last year I'll have him home with me for the majority of the day. Next year he'll go to all day kindergarten, and then he'll want to come home and play with his friends and the next thing I know we'll be celebrating his 13th birthday. Him being child #3 makes him both lucky and unlucky. By the time you get to #3 you realize what's REALLY important and what's just fluff. So, he's not the least bit spoiled. He has a lot less "stuff" than Jake had at that age, and he's very happy with the little things. I'm also not as strict with him as I was with Jake and Lacy. But, mostly it's because I've realized that the things he does are age appropriate growing and not him being bad or disobedient. Starting next week it'll just be me and my guy!

2008-08-11T10:33:00.003-05:00

We have had THE most fun/busy weekend. There has been a lot of preparation leading up to this weekend, so it's been a busier than usual end of July, beginning of August for me. Friday we had Rick and Susanne's wedding. They had a luau themed wedding and it was a blast!! At the last minute, Karen and I had to finish decorating the cake. It was a little intimidating because Susanne had worked SOOO hard on it for so long that I was scared to death we'd ruin all her hard work. But, it came out beautifully! Here's a pic of me and the Bride! And then here is Ry. He had so much fun!!! He's getting to the age where he really enjoys outings like this. He likes to mingle, and he just loves to see so many people that he knows. He looked adorable, because my friend Chris brought him a Hawaiian shirt to wear. Then on Saturday we met the May's at World's of Fun for our annual fun family day. We had a really good time as usual. Ryan was a bit on the bratty side due to being out so late the night before and then getting up early. Combined with a fresh batch of people to show off for. But, him and Jonas played together much more this time than they ever have before.Lacy and Mark wanted to do the ripcord for their birthdays, so Lucky Jake got to tag along since it's cheaper to pay for more people. Lacy absolutely LOVED it. It was her first time, and she declared that it was the best part of the day. She got a little nervous when she couldn't pull the cord, but she managed to stay calm and get it done. I actually got a picture of me and Heather on a ride....I don't remember which one. I think the carousel. And then here's a bonus picture that Ry took and is insisting goes on my blog. On Sunday we had Mark's 40th Birthday party. We had a really good turn out and GREAT weather for it!!! I have some pictures courtesy of Heather. The kids had a blast and all the adults had a great time playing games and visiting and watching the kids interact. These are just random...fun..look for you in them pictures! Dianne was invaluable to me!! She was great at helping me set up and break down and serve the food. She's such a people person! It made it a really non-stressful party for me!! Here she is helping the kids make plates and shooing off flies. Over all it was a GREAT weekend. I got to see all my favorite people and spend time with all my favorite kids!! Thank you thank you!!! to everyone that came and was a part of it!

2008-08-06T22:06:00.003-05:00

WHAT a fun fun night we had!! Lacy asked me to take her and her friends to the skating rink. See, I don't let my kids go there unsupervised anymore. There was a time that certain things passed right over their heads. Now, is the age that more sexual things are starting to happen and there is NO way they're going there w/o me anymore. So, I took Ry along since I knew that Lacy would ditch me the second we walked in the door. I geared up for a session of holding him up and using my abs to keep me from falling down with him. Turns out, the kid is a natural!!! I have to post two videos. Just cause I don't have the patience to edit (and honestly, Heather, I could use another tutorial). I've only taken him one other time, and he tried for about 2 minutes and then just quit. This time he got a buddy right away and wanted to impress him cause he was 7! If you listen in one of them, you can hear a warning "shoe behind you!!" I was skating backwards taking the video. I appreciated the warning.

2008-08-06T13:20:00.002-05:00

Well, another week is just absolutely flying by!! This is the week of my friend Susanne's wedding( it's on Friday). We are trying to help out as much as we can, so that she can have less stress during what should be a super enjoyable time for her. Sadly, her salon is closing this same week, so she's had to postpone her honeymoon, and find a new place to lease, and then do construction so it'll pass code, and then move her whole business!! So, Monday we threw her a bridal/pool party. We had an absolute blast!! I have to brag on my husband a bit. We were literally gone for like 12 hours for this thing. Me and Karen and Sonja because we had to go early to cook, decorate, and set up. And then stay late to break down, undecorate, and clean up. Well,the other girls just stayed like 7 or 8 hours and their husbands were VERY angry...it didn't end well. I'll just leave it at that. So, my darling sweet husband called me and said "can I do anything to help?" and I told him that I wouldn't be home before 8 to take the kids to residency verification and to get their schedules, so he did that for me! Saved me having to be there super early the next day. Then he called a little later and asked when I thought I might be home. Me, after hearing these other husbands go off, said "I'm not sure..why?" and he said "just because I'd like to see you to say hello at some point today." AWW.....what a good hubby. He's so sweet. Today, our air conditioner decided to quit working. Good thing we have 2 weeks left on our home warranty!! But, I still had to clean, and do laundry....no matter how hot it gets in here I can't veer off course! I have too much to do! We did have a great Monday, so it was worth catching up the rest of the week. And, the guy in the picture is the owner of the house where we had the pool party. He wanted to be in the pic and who can complain when we invaded his house for 12 hours??!!

2008-08-03T18:23:00.005-05:00

I've got some REALLY terrible photos to share!! I know all my faithful readers want me to enroll in a picture taking class. In fact, I'm just gonna slap em up here since they're too bad to even bother uploading to flickr. We spent yesterday having some wonderful quality family time. We rode go-carts, rode the tilt-a-whirl, did some laser tag, mini-golf and bowling and had a taco/pizza buffet!! Ryan was a heck of a bowler!! He did so well launching his 8 lb ball (it was the smallest one!). Jake isn't in any of the pictures because I guess the 13yr old code is "ditch the folks at the first available opportunity". You'll just have to picture him in his blissful freedom doing whatever he did at Powerplay. After we were all done, Ry's legs were hurting so bad he couldn't even walk. He gets really really bad growing pains, so he's spent all the rest of the evening yesterday sitting and having us fetch him stuff and all of today really gimpy. He decided that he'd veg out and watch Harry Potter with Josh. He's such a pleasant kid to be around!

2008-07-31T20:27:00.002-05:00

I've been getting ready for 3 birthdays and the upcoming school year for 3 kids! Mark's birthday party is well on it's way to being planned. A few things I've encountered are: 1. I originally reserved the park shelter 2 months ago. At that time, if you put in my zip code it came up Grain Valley, so I put down the deposit to pay the remainder 2 weeks before the event date. When I went up there last week to pay the remainder, I was told that now my zip code comes up Blue Springs, so I would need to pay the non-resident fees which are roughly double. THAT really made me mad. Cause if I had paid it in full when I reserved it, the price wouldn't have changed! 2.Then I went back and forth on what the entertainment was going to be. I asked them when I reserved the shelter if I could have a DJ or a band. They agreed that that was fine, and even pointed out the power sources to me. When I went up to sign the final paperwork, I was asked, in casual conversation what kind of party it would be. When I told the guy, I was informed that "I was renting the park shelter, and not the park, and that I couldn't be disruptive to the other patrons of the park." WHAT??? Seriously? We're outside!!!! Grain Valley is a pain in the tush!!! So, after many modifications (which actually make my life MUCH easier and are much better on my check book!!!) the invitations are sent, the party is planned, and I'm ready to have a great time! OH!!! I forgot...I had to get an alcohol permit (that cost me $25!!!!!!!!) just to stick beer in a cooler!!!

SO...the next thing I've been doing is whittling away at the kids school supplies and school clothes. No one prepared me for the way a teenager grows. They pass up 2 whole sizes at at time!!!! Jake and Lacy completely missed pre-teen sizes!!! 14/16...they missed it entirely!! Jake is almost wearing the same size as my DAD!!! And Lacy has robbed my closet of anything good, then hidden the new clothes we bought for school on the off chance that I'd want to wear them! It's exhausting keeping up with them! It's so different for Ryan being child #3. I'm not buying him ANYTHING!! It's hand me down's all the way!! For as long as he doesn't care, I'm gonna save my money! They care way too much later on in life!

I thought I'd add a picture of Ryan screaming when I pushed him in the lake. It was actually quite funny if you can get past the fact that he never cries (so it MUST have been bad!) and the look on his face of pure misery. THEN you can laugh!

2008-07-28T16:00:00.004-05:00

We're back from another fun fun weekend at the lake. Each time we come back I say it was better than the last! They seem hard to top. Especially this one! We celebrated my friend Susanne's 50th birthday at the lake. It was supposed to be Mark and Susanne's b-day party since they were both having milestones this year, but Mark had to work so him and Jake stayed home.Susanne is the one on the right. Beautiful at 50!! Friday night we just let the kids play in the hot tub by the light of Tiki torches and we hung out and snacked until the whee hours of the morning. Ryan didn't go to sleep until 4:10. Saturday he woke up at 7:30 and we started our entire day of celebrating a birthday! The big kids were able to earn some money babysitting the little kids and we headed off to the 5 G's to listen to a band play for a while. Then we went back to the house for our feast and cake and ice cream with all the friends and family. After dinner and putting the kids to bed we walked over to the Oar House (which is w/in sight of the house conveniently for all the drunkards that need to get back home!) for a couple games of darts and pool. Susanne WON! Which was a great birthday gift for her cause she's extremely competitive!! I wanted a picture of the oars here, cause this place is covered in them signed from all different people. There is one right above this bar from the fart girls when they won a race! Sunday was all about the kids. They had so much fun. We (meaning ME) got up early and entertained the kids and hung out at the dock eating watermelon. Ryan loved fishing!! He was walking past a fishing pole on a prop and said "there's a fish!!". He started reeling it in but it was super heavy. So, Chris came over and thought it would break the line if she pulled it up (it was a tiny Barbie fishing pole!!) and so we extended a pole and pulled up a big pile of barbed wire and a medium sized catfish! Ryan had a hard time giving up ownership of that fish because he's the one that noticed it and tried to reel it in. But, it was Shayla's pole that she put in the water so it was her fish!! I have another picture on actual film with the fish Ry caught. He was much happier once he got to claim his own! So we went out on the boat to go tubing and water skiing. Ryan had soooooo much fun tubing!!! Lacy is a GREAT big sister. He was really afraid of the water (more what was IN the water) and she held on to him and reassured him until he got comfortable. In this picture he was actually crying and saying "That was so much fun!!" He was just so tired and sleep deprived that he was very emotional! Lacy did so great water skiing that I wish I had a video!!! She got up on her second try and she literally skiied for EVER!!! It took her a really long time to wipe out. She is a natural and she had so much fun!! I was so proud of her! I, on the other hand flushed out my brains with e.coli water when I fell in head first at about 30miles per hour! It was a blast though! Now, we're back home and when I put Ry in bed he said "OHhh...my nice soft bed. I missed you too much!" He is covered in tick bites and mosquito bites. Some in some very uncomfortable places. But, he's a trooper!! I even got brave enough to pick the ticks off!! (no one else was home to pawn it off on!)You can see all the bug bites on his chest and shoulders. His entire body is covered like that!!

2008-07-21T20:06:00.003-05:00

We've had a fun few days! The other night me and Ryan got to spend the entire night alone, while Lacy was at the lake and Mark and Jake were at Foo Fighters concert! We got to eat snacks and watch scary movies. He helped give me a pedicure by rubbing lotion all over my feet for me. Then we watched Fear Itself and cuddled on the couch. I asked him "Ryan, will you go get my calendar?" and he said "I'm not Ryan, I'm Bob the Builder". So, I said "Bob, will you go get my calendar for me?" He came back in with a bandanna and his guitar and said "I'm not Bob, I'm Gene Simmons". I ended up getting the calendar for myself. We've also spent a lot of time at the pool with Juliana, Shane, and Kayla. Ryan and Shane are such great motivators for each other. They are typical boys in that they're competitive. But, they like each other so much that they encourage each other when they're trying something new. The only bad thing is..Ry forgets that Kayla is not a big "boy" like they are. Kayla got in the pool at one point and Ryan decided he'd help Kayla get off the steps!!! That was a little scary!I liked it much better when Mommy was holding her, than I did when Ry was holding her!I did manage to get some good video of Ryan and Shane and even little Kayla swimming. They're really teaching themselves. The pool says 3 feet in this area but Ryan cannot touch and Shane can barely touch. (it also says 5 feet at the other end and I can't touch!! hehehe!!) I think they're getting better and better. Today with Ry we worked on trying to flip over to his back and float if he needed a rest. He does a lot of dog paddling and treading water, but he really swims well if he goes under water. Shane cracks me up cause he does really well swimming and if he'd let go of his nose I bet he'd just shoot across that pool so fast!

2008-07-18T16:44:00.003-05:00

Today we went to Ocean's of Fun for a day of Fun!! Didn't turn out exactly how we planned. On the first ride of the day, Jake flipped out of his tube and smacked his teeth on the bottom of the slide and BROKE THEM!!! He really tried to be a trooper and he made it almost 3 hours before he was in enough pain to ask to leave. They didn't have any Advil at the First aid place, but conveniently they sell it at the gift shop. While Jake wasn't really up for any more water rides, Justin and Ryan had a BLAST!! Justin is sooooooo good with Ry. He took him down the lazy river (aka Caribbean Cooler) about 4 times and then took him to the wave pool. I had to have the kids get out for a while because their lips were blue! It's amazing that it's the middle of July and it was cold swimming!! I don't think Justin and Ry were too disappointed. They were really sympathetic for Jake and completely understood when he was ready to leave.

2008-07-16T21:40:00.002-05:00

Summer is continuing to get away from me!! We had a great time at the lake. I have NO pictures. I forgot my camera. I'm sure no one is really surprised. One of the things I brought back from the lake was Wasabi Peas. Anyone who hasn't tried wasabi, the only way I can describe it is it's not exactly hot, but the flavor is like needles in your tastebuds. It's not at all pleasant. So, here is a video of me making Ry taste them. At least I didn't do to him what Mark did to Lacy. He told her "Try this Jelly bean" Also, I have to add that when you get older, your body can't take as much abuse! My hands are so hurt from volleyball. My knuckles are all black and my fingers are swollen. To make it worse, I tripped going after a ball and my toe hit a big hidden rock in the sand and I'm gimpy now. So, nothing is permanently damaged, but my fingers are certainly jammed and bruised!! OH, and last summer by the end of the year, Ryan was swimming totally w/o aids. I was afraid to just let him jump in the pool this year, so I've had his lifejacket on the whole time. Today I took it off and he picked up right where he left off, after overcoming his initial fear. He was swimming under water and dogpaddling, and treading water like a trooper! I need to get a video of that cause it was so cute! He's such a little daredevil!

2008-07-11T12:07:00.002-05:00

Mark and I are off to the Lake of the Ozarks to enjoy a weekend with only Adults!! That can't come too soon for us. Mark has been on vacation all week long and it's been nothing but running the kids around, and listening to them running their smart teenage and pre-teen mouths. Now Momo and Pop can listen to it, and break up the fights between Jake and Ryan since Ryan is now defending himself against Jake and applying the things that Jake has taught him back to him! Jake HATES that and has no idea of the concept of "If you don't want him to do it to you, then don't do it to him." Lacy was smart and called a friend and asked if she could stay there for the weekend! I'm excited for Mark to see where our girls weekend takes place, and for him to have as much fun as me!! He's not in the habit of going out and having fun without the kids so this'll be a new experience for him. I think he figures he's away from them so much at work, that it never occurred to him that he might have some fun with just adults for an entire weekend! I'll let you know if he survives it!

2008-07-05T20:04:00.002-05:00

This long weekend has been just what I needed!! I almost blogged about my weekend, until I realized that it was only Thurs. and Fri. that I'm blogging about!! Thursday I honored Jake's request for his summer mohawk. He can't have crazy hair at school cause it's not allowed, so summer is kind of a free for all in the style department. It's how I keep my kids from really fighting me on their school attire. I sent Jake over to borrow Jim's clippers, cause I decided I might as well give Ry his hair cut for the summer as well. When Jake got there Shane said "I want a hair cut!" so I said "Line em up!" Here is Ry finished with his hair cut (he requested a "daddy" hair cut" and Shane all wet down and ready to go! And Jake with his super cool Mohawk Then on Friday we had our annual 4th of July party! We were going to jokingly call it Quatro de Julio instead because I told everyone we were making Mexican for this holiday. Between all the picnics and birthday parties we've attended lately I couldn't stomach the thought of MORE BBQ!! But, the decorations where too expensive so I stuck with Red, White and Blue. We had black bean and corn salsa, and pineapple salsa, and spinach dip and nacho cheese/hamburger dip and taco fixins and enchiladas and for dessert we had a super yummy flag cake that Jules made, and these cool sorbets that were in their shells (like coconut in coconut shells, and pineapple in pineapple shells, etc...) Nick made Red white and blue mixed drinks that I'd a paid good money for! The little girls loved Pop cause he had poppers. It was so cute cause they were stepping on them and thought that was the coolest thing! The boys were having a blast playing Hillbilly Horseshoes. That game seemed so addictive!! I got my fix of hogging the baby!! Cause we know that it won't be the same next year. She'll be toddling around with the big kids! At the end of it, after everyone left, Shane and Ry wanted to still hang out, so after a dunk in the tub to wash all the black off their feet, they vegged out to Power Rangers. By this time it was after 11!!! Those boys are troopers. They had SO much fun!!! We say this EVERY year. This was the best one yet!! Hard to believe it can be topped!

2008-07-01T21:45:00.002-05:00

We have been having some fun fun summer days! I know I keep saying that but it just keeps getting better!! Mark and I have been playing on a sand volleyball league on Tuesday nights. We really started out the season ROUGH!! I don't think I had played since High School in Lathrop up at the park with all the adults that used to hang out with us for whatever reason (Jodi and Jessie...I'm referring to Stacy and Runt! lol!!). So, we decided to get a couple practices in during the week. Luckily Jim and Juliana are willing participants. Especially since Jim has already had to sub twice and Jules had to step in tonight because Susanne got caught up at work making up for the holiday this week and her vacation last week. So, Sunday we went to the park with a group of people and had a good time playing and getting better. It paid off tonight because we *almost* one our first game!! It was 15-13..sooo close! After practicing on Sunday we went for some free food with Jim and Juliana to their church picnic. It was so nice cause there was someone there for each kid to play with! Shane LOOOOOOVED the slidy thing and Ryan looooooooooved the balance thingy. They were each so cute cause they were so wrapped up in what they were doing. They did each of these things for like an hour non-stop. Monday was a great day in Plattsburg with Grandma! It was super nice outside so we were able to sit out there with her for about 2 hours. That gave Ry the chance to find this super cool moth. I've never seen one like this before!! He took it around to other residents sitting outside and "shared" his find. He was so cute. I love that he's not afraid of bugs cause this thing was creepy and cool at the same time!!Grandma gets a HUGE kick out of the kids. I don't know what I'll do if I go to visit without them. How will I entertain her?? After the bug flew away out of self defense someone brought up puppies!!!!! What little boy can't resist puppies?? He had a really hard time sharing them with the other residents. They were sooo cute and they wimperd and made him say "awww he loves me " about a million times.I have making sure lately to really enjoy the things that I'm blessed with. Even little things. I started out walking last night, and ended up walking for about 5 miles just talking to God and feeling the breeze and smelling the air and thinking about how big my kids are and how smart and all those traits that I think we take for granted. Instead of focusing on how great they are, I tend to focus on little things that they need to improve on. I'm working on changing that. Sorry for the novel. I should blog more often so they're not so long huh!!

2008-06-25T20:39:00.003-05:00

So, there's a small price to pay for my wonderful, fun float trip:

I have poison Ivy. On my face, on my arms, on my legs, on my back.

2008-06-24T08:35:00.003-05:00

I'm back from the float/camping trip and I had a BLAST!!!!! I only have a couple pics right now that I took with my phone, cause the other ones need to be developed. We left early Saturday morning and met up at Papa Joe's for breakfast. It's a small diner where it says "where good friends have good food" so it's the annual meeting up place for "a quickie" (That's actually on the menu!) to start off the Friends Annual River Trip (FART from here on). We got the camp site and I was soooooo relieved to see a Porta-potty right in reasonable walking distance from our campsite, which was the one closest to the river. This was the first weekend they were letting canoes on the water and it was super flooded so we were highly entertained watching the flipped people try to recover their stuff. We even helped a few out! Here was one of our absolute favorite drunkards. We called these two "sombrero man" and "banana beads". Debbie was very single and young enough to WANT those Banana beads and Chris was JUST buzzed enough to REALLY want that sombrero. So, they both worked their magic and poured on the charm and after mixing one fresh Mojito Debbie walked away with the beads and sombrero man walked away with his hat. They lost their shoes, and sunglasses and all their beer when the canoe tipped but by Golly they kept the beads and that hat!! We got our camp all set up and things were looking rather homey. I was in charge of bug control, and tent helper. No one but a girl would think of this little gem of an idea. How do you like that door mat!!?? Next we had some snacks that the girls all set up. I swear I ate better on the river than I do at home! Some of the things we had to eat are: Salmon, shrimp, filet mignon, asparagus, spring salad with homemade dressing and feta cheese, cabbage patch salad, cheesy potatoes, corn bake, fruit salad, corn on the cob, bacon, cheesy eggs, hashbrowns, black raspberry and walnut pancakes, sausage links...lots of food! There weren't any pics of me and Christy, so Karen had us pose for one. I told Christy she had to put away her boobs for me to be in a picture with her. She just got a boob job and they are like triple D's on her 100lb frame and I wanted there to be room for me in the picture. She hid them nicely but I was way too cracked up for this to be a good picture!!Here were Chris, Christy, and Susanne who were the welcoming committee for all the drunkards who needed to bank at our campground to try to recover from their tips. They were there to laugh in their faces, but then soothe the blow by passing out Jello Shots. Little did they know we gave them the virgin jello!To make my night even better, Karen mentioned washing her hands and I was like "where did you wash your hands?" and she said "There's a bathroom up there with showers and running water and antibacterial soap."!!! So, as pleased as I was to see the porta potty, imagine my face when I heard THAT news!! The only bad thing was having to go out in the middle of the night to pee. I waited one night for so long cause I was such a chicken. I could hear the bull frogs, and the raccoons scavenging for food, and the screech owls were especially scary.. We almost lost Karen. We crashed into a cluster of trees (which happened multiple times..we weren't too into rowing) and she just fell out of the raft and the current just took us away from her before we could do anything. The girls in the canoe were too wasted and too far back to be of any help. So, I stood up and grabbed a tree with my arms, but the current was so strong that I couldn't hold the raft by myself. I wasn't about to leave Karen though! If there was gonna have to be a rescue I was gonna stick around so she wouldn't be lonely. That's just the kind of friend I am!! But, right then Debbie stood up and grabbed on too and we were able to hold on long enough for Karen to extricate herself from the mass of limbs and float down to us. Turns out, the reason it took her so long is because she was trying to figure out a way to get untangled so that she wouldn't have her butt in the air cause she was afraid I'd take a picture!!! hahahaha!!! Like I would do that!! We also almost lost Susanne. At one point the current was so strong that I couldn't even walk out into it w/o being scared but Susanne was drunk enough to have a buffer from fear. She fell into the current face first and couldn't stand up again!! We had to make a chain of hands and fish her out downriver when the current got better. The only thing we lost to the river was Debbie's flip flop. Chris's shoe was gone at one point and she was crying because it was so sentimental to her, but she put out an SOS and someone found it and she paid $4 to get it back! Then we lost Susanne's pink coozie and found it later with a group of kids and stole it back. All in all the BEST trip ever!

2008-06-20T13:30:00.003-05:00

Going on my float/camping trip!!! I'm leaving tomorrow!! I'm still not packed, but I'm sooooo excited!!! This'll be the initiation for me and the start of the Friends Annual River Trip (F.A.R.T. Girls!).

Mark is the BEST! He already has a very fun filled, not missing mommy weekend planned. I bought a waterproof disposable camera too. So, my friends and family will be very happy that I can share pictures. OH, and I'm not a beer girly, so the whole float down the river drinking beer just won't work for me. So, in honor of my float trip, the makers of Mike's Hard Lemonade came up with Mike's Cocktails. They even made my favorite flavor. So, while I'm floating down the river with my straightened hair, and make up on, I'll be sipping my Pomegranate Martini's!!! Hopefully I won't get wet...or dirty..And I should send Mike's a thank you. That was really great of them!

2008-06-15T21:34:00.011-05:00

This was another fun, relaxed, busy summer weekend!!! Saturday, Josh came over and bribed me and Lacy with coffee from the Steaming Bean to give him a mohawk. He knows that that takes me FOREVER because I'm all about precision and uniformity. But, it was nice to spend some time with him. You forget how used to being around a person you are, until you're no longer around them full time. I've now lived in TWO houses that Josh hasn't lived in!!! In fact, he just saw this house for the first time last Tuesday!! While I was giving him his hair cut, Ryan took an almost 5 hour nap to recover from his sleepover. After Ry's and Shane's naps I picked Shane back up again and headed back to Blue Springs for my friend Flavia's daughter Taylor's 16th birthday party. A few highlights from the party are: It was a surprise...but no one hid. Lacy hid. Here's the photo to prove it. They had Karaoke and a live band, so Lacy sang a few songs and Mark played drums for a few songs and they both LOVED it. Ryan and Shane had a BLAST!!! They had this huge inflatable there that was an obstacle course. They were so smart!! They figured out early on to wait until a big kid got on there and then follow right behind to stay safe. They also figured out that the best water for the water guns that made the girls scream loudest came from the melted ice in the coolers!! Shane only has eyes for Lacy, but Ry found a cute girl right off the bat and was merciless in his pursuit of her! After everyone was stuffed with food, soaking wet and covered in dirt and sand we headed home to rest and get ready for our Father's Day of fun at World's Of Fun with the Gallaghers!! It was iffy...it POURED about and hour and a half after we arrived so we left and stayed gone for lunch, then got back right when the rain stopped. We had another period of showers, but were under cover riding the train at the time and when it got back to the station, the downpour was over!

2008-06-13T21:38:00.005-05:00

Tonight Ryan is having his very first "friend" sleepover!! He's had other people stay out of necessity, but this is the first one he's had for fun. I figured it'd be a really good idea to get them out of the house and run off every single bit of energy they have so that they'll sleep really good. We had pizza and tater tots for dinner (NO, the little boys didn't pick that, Mark did!!). And then we had Oreo's for dessert. We went for a 2 hour walk in the neighborhood and spent a ton of time picking flowers and visiting with neighbors who were outside and ran into their friend Kyle from pre-school. Kyle decided our walk looked so fun that he wanted to join us while his dad washed his truck. We finally made it back to the house where the boys collected caterpillars,and stared at them waiting for them to turn into a butterfly. Sadly, that didn't happen. I got the boys all tucked in to watch Abe and Bruno. Luckily Lacy is at a sleepover so I stole her mattress and her TV and got them all set up in Ry's room! Ry told me," Shane's my best friend." And Shane said," Ry's my best friend. I love him so much I told him he could 'seriously' sleep with my cow cow."

2008-06-12T21:42:00.003-05:00

Lacy's game tonight was so much fun!!!! To give you a little background: Lacy has felt like her coaches have been punishing her this season, because one of their rules is that "they don't take requests" and Lacy happened to ask "am I pitching today" because she was pitcher last year. I personally think that Lacy's attitude affected her coaches attitude towards her, so softball hasn't been as easy this year as it's been in the past. She hasn't had fun all season long, and it's come across to her coaches and they haven't played her as much. It's been a learning experience that I think every kid needs to learn about sportsmanship and being part of a team. I, personally think it's a hard lesson learned that I'd rather she learn now, than later. She's come a LONG way since the season started. Tonight they decided to switch things up because the girls have been on a losing streak (I'd like to add, Lacy isn't the only girl with this issue..and learning this lesson....It's been a LONG season!), so they put all the girls in different positions and Lacy ended up at first (which is where she has wanted to play all along, and where she's done really well in the past). She stopped the other team right off the bat with 3 quick outs at first!!! Then the girls scored 6 runs when they were up, one of them being Lacy!! That started the game off great and the girls played aggressively and better than they've played all season long!! At the end of the game, Lacy was voted MVP and given the game ball!!! Here she is with that. Also today, Lacy and Meg let loose their inner wild child...should I be afraid?????

2008-06-11T09:19:00.002-05:00

Life has been so much fun at the McNeel house!! We've been going going going all the time, but I feel so blessed to have this time to BE going going going! This is the first summer in quite a few summers that I've been so available for the kids to run ragged. Last summer I was working 2 jobs, the summer before I was babysitting, the summer before that I was building a house and doing construction work/cleanup, etc...

Mark and I had our first volleyball game last night. Mark had Jim sub for him, since he's duty manager and had to be available to answer calls. We had sooo much fun. It was absolutely hysterical!! I didn't know all these rules, so I kept screwing up. I've got serving down, and I've got if it comes my way hit it down...I just don't have the use your feet if you must, and if 2 guys hit it then girl needs to hit it over the net part down. Mark of course, had lots of advice after the game from his vantage point of bench warmer. The best was "win next time".

SO, the kids are off for a day of WOF/OOF and me and Ry are off to Plattsburg to share the love with Grandma, and maybe on the way home, a visit with Makenna.

2008-06-08T11:02:00.003-05:00

We've really gotten our money's worth on our Season Passes!! We've gone THREE times!! Poor Ry was parked out on Friday. I ended up carrying him for the last two hours we were there cause his tummy hurt. At one point he was on his hands and knees behind a bush cause he thought he was gonna barf. BUT, the big kids have been having a blast and there have been NO crowds there at all!! We've been able to ride whatever we want, whenever we want. Me and Ry have been getting to explore things that normally we wouldn't waste time on. He followed Snoopy around getting a gazillion hugs!! BUT, I got so sunburned at Ocean's of Fun!! I've never in my life been so sore and burned before!! It was terrible. Ryan got to ride most rides all by himself!! Which he thought was super cool!!
'

2008-06-02T20:48:00.005-05:00

For the first time in my life, I bought us World's Of Fun and Oceans of Fun Season passes!! I was gonna use our garage sale funds for Great Wolf Lodge...turns out, that's rather expensive for ONE night. When I can get Kenny to pitch in and use part of Mark's bonus to pay for something that will last us well into the fall!! Especially since we're not planning a vacation for one more year. So, we just dropped everything at 3:00 yesterday and decided to head off to World's of Fun. It was great timing too. With Ry being the age he is, I wanted to see how well he'd do without a babysitter taking him and carrying him and catering to his every whim. He did GREAT!!! He waited in lines nicely, he rode everything that he was big enough for and was very patient on the rides he had to just be an observer of. There were no crowds to speak of and we discovered that we can get a super yummy large pizza for the whole family for $20!!! Here are some pics. They're silly and don't really show WOF, but oh well. They're us! I need to add: Every ride Ryan yelled "FASTER FASTER" to the operator! On the scrambler he said "That was the best ride EVER!! I almost BARFED!!"

2008-06-01T09:28:00.002-05:00

Here's Lacy at her talent show!
Lacy Talent Show from Jamie McNeel on Vimeo.

2008-05-31T17:36:00.007-05:00

It's been super MESSY at the McNeel house!! Any time you do a project, you realize how all the little things you do add up to a clean house at the end of the day..cause you STOP doing it! So, for our Saturday, I made homemade waffles to soften the blow of making everyone in the house clean every single room in here!!!! I finally got Lacy's room finished late yesterday afternoon. Karen then took me out for a pedicure and a Movie. We saw What Happens in Vegas and it was great!! So funny. And the pedi was amazing. I think the lady could feel the tension radiating off me cause she massaged my legs and feet for FIFTEEN minutes! It was so funny cause Amy and Karen's girls didn't do theirs and they just had to sit and watch my heaven! I'm gonna add a few pics of Ryan's bedding, since I didn't show it in the previous post. And in Lacy's room, I still need to do all the stenciling, but you can get the idea of the colors now. Still no purchased colors by the way!!!

2008-05-29T20:48:00.005-05:00

One room down...One to go. Turns out David and Jackson won't be back. This happened last year too! Those end of the year bugs rob me of my last week with them! SO, I jumped right into painting!! I painted Ryan's room completely, and Lacy's room half way. These colors came out EXACTLY how I had it planned in my head. And I didn't spend money on this!! I just mixed colors that the previous owners left in the basement. So, we're one step closer to a race car room for Ry. My friend that works for Pepsi is sending me some race car pictures for his room that she got at work so that and some checkered flag curtains will complete the look. OH...and I bought a car. One more big step in living debt free: NO CAR PAYMENTS!!!!! I'd apologize for the blurry pics..but ya'll know me by now..so they suck?!

2008-05-28T08:57:00.006-05:00

Memorial Day was a ton of fun this year, in spite of the rain! Especially since I got to meet TWO new people in one day. Makenna was the highlight though, for sure. I also got the pleasure last night of taking 3 11 yr old girls shopping for talent show outfits....grrr...I don't know how to describe that experience. All I can say is, there needs to be a de-sensitizing class for things like that. The boys in this picture are quite possibly my best revenge..they're plotting something! And I haven't had David and Jackson yet this week (my last week for the summer) cause they've been sick...so I'll have to cram a ton of fun into maybe just one or two days! I'm sure I'll think of something!

2008-05-26T08:06:00.002-05:00

OH YEAH!! So, I came home yesterday from a fun day of serving BBQ at the races and my back yard was a DISASTER!!, but the shed is COMPLETE!!!! Mark was even organizing it. He had installed shelves and put all his junk on it, and it was so nice to no longer have a tent that someone called a shed and suckered me into paying $100 for. I also need to add that I finally see me in Lacy! She did great at the concessions stand. I took her to work with me, and within the first 10 minutes she had the cash register mastered, and in the next 10 she had the menu down and was able to answer all the customers questions and even take their teasing! I was so impressed!!

2008-05-24T22:27:00.006-05:00

Today was a GREAT day!!! It started out a bit scary when I hopped in the back of the truck with my mom and Dad and it was POURING!! And thundering and lightening. We skidded and hydroplaned all the way to Columbia before it cleared up. Then we stopped at this great place for gifts before arriving in Troy, MO to see my great Aunt Sally and Uncle Lou. She's a crack up and every visit has me rolling from her crazy wild stories. I tried out the Tom Tom for the first time today (cause my Bro is trying to get me to buy it from him). I also printed out maps (just in case). I decided when Lisa (what we named the voice) differed from Mapquest, that we'd follow Lisa. Sally lives in the BOONIES!!! and Lisa got us there! Even though we lost sattelite signal enough times to make me extremely nervous. After our visit there, it rained all the way to Jefferson Barracks but as soon as we pulled in it stopped long enough for us to get out, and place our flowers on my Grandma and Grandpa's graves. As soon as we got back in the truck it started up again. We headed over to White Castle (GOSH I miss that!!) and Dad told me I had to eat 10 white castles..but I only managed 5 with fries and a coke. We headed back in the truck and went to my uncle Philips house which, again is IN THE BOONIES!!! Talk about the middle of nowhere!! His house is absolutely wonderful. It's rustic and they are total earth people. They grow all their own stuff and have a green house and just really use their land to bring them happiness and extra money! They sell their stuff at Farmer's Markets. As soon as Philip saw me get out, he said "oh, there's Johnny's girl that hugs!" LOL!! Yeah, so I might be a bit of a hugger! We left there, very reluctantly, and headed to my grandma's house. She's doing really well for 84!! She can't walk anymore, but she was so happy to see us and to have some visitors!! She and my uncle Stephen caught us up on all the new babies, and job changes and moves and such. We discovered that one of my cousins has moved to KC. So, it'll be fun to catch up with her. We left after a very full day for our 5 hour drive after we fueled up on junk food and drinks and gas to get us home. It was such a nice day! I really needed some time away from being Mommy for a while. I was just a kid going to visit family with my parents. What a great time!!!

2008-05-22T10:54:00.006-05:00

My little guy is sick...He has Strep. Not to get too graphic, but he is miserable. He has a 104.3 (!!!!!) fever. And the Dr. said it's already progressed into tonsil-itis and his entire inside of his throat and mouth is covered with sores and his tonsils are so swollen that they're touching. Even in back of his teeth he's got sores. He's more miserable than I've ever seen him. Poor little guy even is covered in hives and super itchy. But, we're still loving Spring here!! My Rhododendron is in full bloom and blooming more by the hour I think! And the kids are having so much fun being outside all the time. And then I have these beautiful, tiny dainty flowers (lilies Heather?) on the side of the house. My peony's are in full bloom. They're white and they smell LOVELY! So, here are some pics of the boys and what they love doing and all my flowers in various stages of bloom.

2008-05-20T20:35:00.004-05:00

Today was pre-school "Graduation". Even for those that will be back next year. These are the kinds of things that crack me up. I just LOVE to see the teenage helpers and the pride they have after working with our kids! These teenage kids come to love our kids. I'm sure it's pretty good Birth Control too. Here is Ry with Mrs. Hall. It took him all of first semester to quit calling her Miss Speas (which was her name last year!). He does love her. She's gonna be a tough act to follow when he gets to Kindergarten after having her for 3 years. Next is Ry with his FAVEFAVEFAVE helper Jade. I feel sorry for his future wife cause she sure has set a high standard. Anyone that has ever talked to Ry and heard about his love of "lellow" haired girls will now know why. She was with him last year and this year. Here is another one of him and her, just cause she shares so many pics with me. Next is his helper Cheyenne. She's a cutie pie and loves Ry so much. She'll be there again next year cause she's just a Sophomore. She told me today she's gonna fight to have him back as her kid.Ryan was voted "Most likely to become a Ladies Man". Here he is with his certificate. Apparently the boy likes to flirt. Uncle John wasn't the least bit surprised to see Ry win this! I will now attempt to add a few videos. He CRACKED me up. They learned some pretty fun songs and it is so much fun for me to watch him sing and dance and have so much fun!! I would like to add 2 things: 1. I wasn't able to edit these (for some reason Heather, all your teaching just left me?? but I'm still blaming the computer. You up for a refresher course?). 2. Try to get a look at David. He'll be on the far right side of the screen. The little girl's head was in my way and I was getting some rare lap time with Kayla that I wasn't willing to give up for the sake of video. Hope it works. (oops, that was 3)

Untitled from Jamie McNeel on Vimeo.
Untitled from Jamie McNeel on Vimeo.
Untitled from Jamie McNeel on Vimeo.
I have no idea why one of these video's is on twice. When I click edit, there's only 3. SORRY!!

2008-05-18T08:32:00.009-05:00

We have had an eventful last 3 days!! Friday me and the boys went to Costco (they LOVE the samples there) and then went to the park for a picnic. David and Ryan have a blast cause I now allow them to run between the "big park" and the "little park". They have these signs that say what age group they're geared towards, and they get to do both. Jackson was perfectly content just sitting on the ground sifting through the mulch. I didn't even have to worry about him climbing and falling cause he would just play in a pile of mulch, then move on to another pile of mulch. Lacy's softball games have been fun. I love that she plays cause it gives me an excuse to A. Sit down, and B. be outside. They have a huge playground at the ball field and Jake takes Ry there so it's a very pleasant time for me. It's a bonus that Lacy plays with mostly all the same girls that she's played with the 2 years prior to this one, so it's nice to visit and catch up with the other parents. I also babysat another friends kids on Friday evening, and they LOVED being on the teeter totter! It cracked me up! The only bad thing was, they kept falling off the side! Saturday we had our Garage Sale for the LAST time!! And then the May's arrived after a loooonnng wait!! We had a VERY nice visit with them. The boys had a BLAST playing Rock Band and we played several other games. Jared dubbed us the "Loser Penguins" and we SMOKED Heather's and Mark's team! It was a ton of fun. Plus, Heather got me a bit happier with my computer situation. She's got me scanning, got my picture program back that I like, and got Lacy's computer linked to our wireless printer. AND as a bonus!!! I got a hug from all 3 May boys before they left! And they gave them willingly. Even if they did all grow taller since the last time I've seen them!!

2008-05-15T13:50:00.011-05:00

I have to apologize that the pics are backwards to the blog!! OOPS! Forgive me? WOW!! I have a LOT to blog about! May is such an exciting month, but it's also such a busy month and it goes by extremely fast. May means End of the school year programs at school, garage sales, Softball, things blooming, yard clean up, etc...First I'll start with Miss Lace. That girl is so social, and her schedule is so busy from all her clubs and events and sports that I literally feel like I get up at 6 in the morning and start taking her places and I don't get to drop into bed until 11 after running to all her evening events. Ryan is such a good sport running around to all of Jake and Lacy's stuff. He, for the most part entertains himself nicely. But, sometimes...he just gets tired. The other fun thing about Spring is that EVERYONE is always outside playing. This is the best neighborhood for kids! There is always a group of kids playing outside and all the adults have an unspoken agreement to help keep an eye out. That way the little kids can play with the big kids. Especially when they have a kickball game going and the whole neighborhood is involved. Plus, everyone has different toys so the kids never get bored! The next thing is GARAGE SALES!!! I love going to them...HATE having them. I've made about $200 with my crap, but it's so much work!!! This is just one itsy bitsy tiny bit of what I've done to have this crazy sale. This is a king size bed and ONLY Ry's clothes are on it!!! But, now his drawers are clean, and he has clothes for next year, and all his summer clothes ready!! And last but certainly not least on my Spring theme: It's getting ready to bloom!!! I've waited 10 months for this to happen and I can't stop staring at it to see the beauty that I know is to come!!!!!

2008-05-11T08:50:00.004-05:00

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

My kiddo's are GREAT! And my hubby...even if I am still kinda holding a grudge about the whole computer thing. (HEATHER!! Will you help me???!!!)

I got some beautiful flowers from Mark, and a lovely card. And from Ry I got a great picture frame with his handprint and poem. And from Jake and Lacy I got some lovely things from Bath and Body Works (MY FAVE STORE!!!) Their card was funny too. It said: For Mothers day go crazy, dance on the table, swing from the chandeliers. And then on the inside it says: Your kids will go on pretending they don't know you.

2008-05-10T20:57:00.001-05:00

I have nothing...

Mark deleted everything off my computer. EVERYTHING.....

All my recipes I have spent the last 2 and a 1/2 years putting on my computer...

I bought my printer last week. I got it all installed so that I can print out all the recipes I had on here...

Useless....

All useless....

I'd add a PIC...but......I have none.

2008-05-08T08:42:00.002-05:00

I just have to say how pleased I am about my yard!! I was gonna just dig up the stuff on the side, until Heather told me not to. It was so ugly when we moved in, and I had no idea why anyone would actually choose to PLANT that! Now, it looks so pretty, I can only imagine how it'll look when they're blooming. All of the bushes and shrubs are doing so well! I even have Peony's!! And, the tree in the first picture Ryan calls a "baby tree" and I've always wanted one of those!! The bush by the porch when it blooms is gonna be gorgeous I bet! Plus I have a LILAC bush right outside the kitchen window and best of all (the thing I've lived w/o the longest!!!!!!) I have GRASS!!!! I LOVE Spring!!!

2008-05-03T18:32:00.002-05:00

Today was supposed to be a barn(or shed..if we're being technical) raising. Lots of fun, guys drinking beers and messing up the construction, the girls chasing the kids and fetching the beers and laughing at the guys while whirring the blender..But, NO! Mark had to work due to all the damage from the storms. So, instead, me and the kids went up and saw Grandma for a bit today. I need to teach John a thing (or 2) about the art of putting trash in the garbage can. I have never in my life met someone with such an aversion to calling trash trash, or getting rid of it!! I had NO idea that after lunch I would spend the next 3 hours sorting through crap..(seriously!!! an entire box of shoulder pads cut off of various shirts and saved for some un-Godly reason!!! and that's just ONE thing!) and then not throw ONE thing away!!! I'm exhausted. Lucky for me, Mark was home when I got home and he had a nice plate of food waiting for me, and a big bottle of wine open.

Ryan is still Grandma's favorite person. Every person in the nursing home knows him. Apparently she talks about him non-stop. I'm guessing it's because Ryan looks like Mark, and Mark looks like his dad, so there's that familiar connection to her. You get real genuine smiles and tears of joy whenever he's around her. It's the sweetest thing I've ever seen!!!

2008-05-01T08:43:00.002-05:00

Ryan has been asking for a new lawnmower since last summer when his didn't survive the move. I found this one at a garage sale up the street for a buck. David, on the other hand, likes to push Jake's lawnmower!!! They spent about 2 hours "mowing" yesterday.

My guys are getting so big.Jackson now goes wherever he wants in the house. Except down the stairs. But, we've graduated from plunging down head first to stopping and yelling to get me to come get him! He's also giving those big wet kisses that you just hope don't contain food, cause you'll have it all over your face. We went to the park yesterday and he was just on his own just like the big boys. I sure get my exercise chasing these 3 guys!!

2008-04-28T08:28:00.002-05:00

We had a very EVENTFUL weekend!! I'm so exhausted today that I can't really think properly. But, it was super fun and I'll post some pictures from our girls night. Sorry, that's all the effort I can put forth for today. We had too many late nights, too much crap that my body isn't used to ingesting and very early mornings. So, here ya go, enjoy (I won't tell you how crappy my camera is..yadda yadda..)

2008-04-25T09:02:00.002-05:00

This picture wins the prize for WORST photo!! Mark CAN NOT take pictures. I have no idea why or how the man can put wires together so that 6000 people can talk through the air..but he cannot work a camera. LOOK at my EYES!!!!! And this was the best out of like 10!!

But, what I wanna say is "YAY!!! Chrissy is here!!"

2008-04-24T09:26:00.003-05:00

I was Susanne's Latest art project!! I was out til 10:30 last night getting my hair cut and colored. I pretty much told her she could do whatever she wanted. So, she did brown and burgundy foil highlights. And then this really cool cut that is called a "zig-zag". I had a lot of fun chatting and doing girl stuff. I love feeling pampered! We got to sit and look at the Frederick's of Hollywood magazine at all the things we'd never be brave enough to wear!

Go check out Juliana's blog!! http://julianagallagher.blogspot.com/

She has a really great video of Ryan, Shane and Kayla dancing!

EDIT: You can see the highlights a little better in this one:

2008-04-22T14:46:00.003-05:00

I am LOVING the spring weather. I can't express how much it cheers me up to be able to just drop everything and go outside and PLAY! Or to be cleaning, and get a gust of a breeze that cools you off and smells so fresh! I'm preparing for my friend Chrissy's visit from Wisconsin. I decided that she could sleep in Ry's room, so that required cleaning to be fit for an adult. I'm sure she doesn't want to share her bed with king kong, large sea turtles and a dozen rescue heroes and their various vehicles!! PLUS, I'm getting ready for a garage sale. I have a MILLION things to put in it. I haven't had a garage sale in about 8 years, so you can imagine how much stuff I have. Plus, a bunch of baby stuff that will all need to find a new home...(unless Jodi needs it to watch Makenna!) So, between those two things, and it being spring, I've been cleaning and shampooing carpets and purging closets like CRAZY!! Yesterday Ryan played with his friends from 9:30 in the morning, until about 7:30 in the evening!! He didn't even come home for lunch (Thanks Jules for feeding my kid!!). He came home dirty, full of sand, and sunburned with blond hair. I LOVE that!! Poor Jack Jack. He just got to watch from the window!

Another funny Spring story!! Jake has been complaining that a woodpecker is keeping him awake and driving him crazy in his room outside the window!! He has a really big tree/bush outside his window, so it's no surprise that there's a bird living in it. So, I suggested that maybe he build a birdhouse and put it in the tree a bit farther from the house. I also suggested that he maybe do some research to find out what kind of house would best suit this "woodpecker" and the kind of food it would like. You'd think during all that research he would have discovered that this is NOT a woodpecker!!!!!

2008-04-21T18:41:00.002-05:00

This is kinda fun!! And pretty darn funny.

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - MorphHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family history - Family tree search

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Geneology - Pedigree

2008-04-19T18:34:00.003-05:00

Today was a ton of fun! Grandpa Bill and Uncle John came over to visit for a while. Ryan gets Grandpa and Uncle kinda mixed up. He's trying really hard to understand who people are to him. But, Grandpa's lap was a magnet today. Ryan didn't want to leave it...except for the short time that he was running and letting Uncle John "trap" him. He told Grandpa Bill, "you're a really cool grandpa, I like it when you're here". He did fall and get hurt today and in typical Ry fashion, he hid and didn't cry and let me look at it. I thought he bit through his bottom lip, but he assured me that he was "tough" and not crying. I can't tell you how much he wanted to be close to grandpa..these pics were taken at all different times during the visit. Maybe that'll tell you how much he missed him!! Jake and Lacy tried to hang...but the allure of their friends, and the computer and their cell phones kept them away. Even though I pointed out several times how many miles he traveled to see them!

Frustrated with Yahoo 360

2008-04-16T08:34:00.002-05:00

I am so done with Yahoo 360!!! Not only can I NOT add my friends, but my friends that I have added can't comment on my posts! Like this GREAT picture of my favorite guys!! I'm gonna try this out, but so far it seems much simpler and lots less frustrating than Yahoo360.

2008-04-15T20:34:00.000-05:00

There is so much testosterone at my house now that Amelia isn't here!! Well, it was here before, but now it's all boys!!
The funny thing though, is that it has really turned Lacy into the BEST kind of girl. She's athletic, but likes perfume, she can sport a ballcap and basketball shorts and still look girly girl, and best of all, it's made her a really low maintenance girl!! The last few months have been SUPER busy. Jake's and Lacy's schedules are so full that it requires a huge amount of juggling. This morning I got up (you can read about that in a prior blog! haha!!) and ran out the door to get Jake to school..got home late-ish because there is a ton of construction BOTH routes to Jake's school. I used to be able to get back about 7:10, now I'm averaging getting back about 7:17...Lacy has to be at school at 7:30. So, I run in the door and get her and Ryan out of bed (I know!! it would make more sense to wake them up before I leave, but Jake's school is so far away that it would deprive them of 40 minutes of sleep each morning!!) and we have to be on the road to her school at 7:25. She manages to look gorgeous every morning. She's just like her dad too..she doesn't stress or complain about it! She's adopted another little one so she can get her girly fix. This is Kayla..who belongs to Shane AKA Ry's best friend. She was so tired and ready for a nap when we went to lunch on Sunday and Jim and Juliana did everything to pacify her that whole time (which took FOREVER!! Service was so slow!!). So, at the END of the meal, Jim hands Kayla to Lacy so he can take the boys to the men's room and Little Miss Kayla decides Lacy's lap is just the place she wanted to be! Too bad we didn't discover that an hour earlier!!aww...you can still see her tears!

2008-04-12T20:32:00.000-05:00

Awww!!! Just when you think your kids are too big...they do something cute. Like fall asleep!!

So, Lacy posted this bulletin on her myspace. I was happy to see one answer. Can you guess which one?
Do you have any special talents?
I can sing pretty good I guess

Do you regret anything about your past?
Sometimes

Do people ever mistake you for being a different race?
No......

Do you collect anything?
I collect purses

Would you tattoo someone's name on your body?
Only my kids....... but not a lover becuz if something was 2 happen like a break up they would have their name permanently on ur bod

What do you worry about the most?
That I'm gonna make a fool out of myself in front of Riley

Do you have any friends with "benefits"?
Idk

How old were you when you moved out of your parents house?
I still live with them.............. not ready 2 b on my own........... hehehhehe

Who do you miss right now?
Nobody

Are you drinking anything?
Nothin but spit

Do you like beer? If so, what one?
No beer is groady

Do you carry any form of contraceptive with you?
Any what?

Do you have any weapons for personal protection?
My fingernails!!!!!!! Lol

What is the last restaurant you ate at?
Um......... pizza hut maybe?

What is your favorite fruit?
Pine apples Yummy

Do you believe "Once a cheater, always a cheater"?
No because people can change

What is a goal you would like to complete this year?
That I will become a better nicer person with more friends :-)

Last person you had an arguement with?
My...... um............... bff

Have you ever ran away from home?
No....

Where were you 2 hours ago?
Being lazy watchin a movie

Favorite concert you have been to?
Never been 2 one yet

Are you listening to music?
Yea....... 93.

3 and Pump it by the black eyed peas is playing

Describe the shirt you are wearing?
I'm kinda in a towel becuz I just got out of the shower

Do you know anyone named Bob?
Yea I do

What is your favorite candy?
Reeses Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you take your daily vitamins?
Vitamins r groady

What color is your vehicle?
My mom's is blue Dads is black

Where is your most ticklish spot?
I'm very ticklish

Last thing you bought from Walgreens?
I don't remember.

Y does that matter anyways??????

What do you think about the president?
Whatever

What are your favorite pizza toppings?
Pineapples

How much money do you have on you?
Probably 3 cents!!!!! Lol I never get money!

When did you last go swimming?
Megs B-day party in October

How old are you parents?
Mom 31 Dad 39 8 year difference

What is your greatest fear?
ghost and spiders

When did you last hold a baby?
Idk..... couple days ago

If you had the oportunity to open a store, what would you sell?
Awesome stuff

What did you last cook?
Dinner..... chicken, black beans and rice, broccoli and cauliflower

Do you have over 200 MySpace friends?
No not even close

How many splash points do you have on www.

SocialSplash.

com?
None????? Never heard of it

What is your favorite piece of furniture you own?
My bed

Where is your favorite place to eat?
Dominoes

What is your favorite movie theater?
amc 20.

Do you have a favorite number?
Yes.............. 2 is my lucky number

2008-04-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

My little Miss Lace is growing up way too fast!! She's been looking older for quite some time, but now she's starting to get that wonderful teenage attitude, luckily for me mixed with some childhood sweetness so that I don't go totally insane. She's been asking me for a hair cut for several months. The only reason I've said no ,is because Lacy tends to want a drastic change, and then not like the results. She did that at the beginning of the school year because she wanted bangs, and then cried for 2 months cause she hated bangs. I did get her hair cut 2 months ago, about 5 or 6 inches shorter. That wasn't enough for her, so tonight I took her to my friend Susanne's salon and told her to do whatever Lacy wants. Susanne is great because she has a way of just saying things w/o being bossy. Lacy wanted her cartilage pierced too while we were there. It doesn't matter what I say..Lacy wants the opposite. So, she asked Susanne how bad it hurts. She told her that it stings obviously because it's going through your ear, but then because it's in the cartilage it will stay sensitive and she won't be able to sleep on it for 2 months or so. Lacy quickly changed her mind. Didn't matter that I've been saying the same thing for 6 months. Here is Lacy's before and after picture: