I am alive....

So I dropped out of the blogging world for almost 2 months - wow - where does time go? I think I need a time management course, because I'm sure I'm the world's worst at getting things done!! But, alas, I am back. I'm having Thanksgiving at our house. I just went grocery shopping today - but the crowds weren't too bad. My Uncle is coming, so it will just be us and him!

The kids are good. Caleb finished up with football, so our evenings are a little less chaotic. Of course, it gets dark at 530pm, so it feels like it's time for bed at 7pm.

Glenn is interviewing for a new position with his company. He is on interview #2 in Chicago as I type this. He's driving home sometime tonight. I got Hairspray for the kids to watch tonight, so that's our plan for the evening. I'll probably have to tie Hannah and Caleb to the couch to watch it, since anything that's not Rated R is so "uncool!"

After Thanksgiving, I have to start Christmas shopping. I actually don't have too much to buy because we are going to Disney from Dec. 20th - Dec. 26th. I just need a few little things for the kids to open, a couple things for our families and friends. I'm hoping for nice weather in Florida in Dec. It would be great to swim on Christmas!

Okay, I think I'm caught up......2 months summed up in 3 paragraphs. I guess that's good - we are all healthy and happy and well, just boring!!

Love to all. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

You know you have a spoiled 4 yr old....

when she comes in to your room at 3am, gets in between you and your husband and says "I want Daddy to sleep on the couch!" And he does!
(This is a battle I don't fight, she's the last of the babes and before long will probably not even speak to me, let alone want to sleep with me!)

Sunday catch up...

Not too much to report. Everyone is healthy and back to normal - yeah!
I finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and loved it. What a awesome book!
I just finished watching "The Holiday" and I'm sure in one of my past lives I was romantically involved with Jude Law! (At least I'm wishing that to be true!)
The kids are doing well in school. Hannah started a boxing class last week at a gym in Dayton. She really liked it, but was really sore - it was quite a work out. Caleb is still involved in the world's longest football season - he loves it, so I'm supporting it. The kids and Glenn are doing well.
Short and sweet tonight.....more later!

Weekend update

Maddie ended up getting strep. She was way worse off than Noelle. But after one dose of antibiotics and a nap, she was a new woman on Thursday.
Glenn got home Thurs. night at 11pm. He wasn't supposed to be home until Friday night, so it was nice he got home a whole day early. He took the kids Friday to see some horses and get ice cream, while I got my hair done (which is a whole other story - I DON'T have good luck with hair color. I'm now in the "goth" crowd - I think I scared a few of the other mothers - my hair is sooo dark! Yuck!). Then Friday night we took the kids to the high school football game - whew hew! I can honestly say, I didn't see one play - which was fine, since I basically went to socialize!
Saturday, while Glenn held down the fort and took care of all the kids' activities, I went shopping with some girl friends. I left at 9am and got home at midnight. It was a fun day and a good get a way - I felt so young again!
Today, was spent cleaning up, doing laundry, grocery shopping and running the kids a couple of places. We did have a nice dinner and then played outside before bed. All in all, a pretty good weekend!! We're having summer like weather - a high of 92 tomorrow!
I'd like to close with a special hello to my friend Diana, who lost her Mom to cancer on Thursday. I just want her to know she, and her whole family, are in my thoughts. Her Mom was very nice, so full of life. I told Diana she was the one that made her such a great person and wonderful Mom. Keep Diana and her family in your thoughts.

Glenn, Noelle and books...

Glenn is still in FL - I think he's been gone about a year - or at least it feels that way. Usually his trips are a piece of cake for me, but this one has been long!
Noe has strep. I caught it early - fever and headache Sunday. I took her in Mon. a.m. and we were taking Amoxil by 11am on Monday. You would hardly even know she was sick.
Finally, I just wanted to talk about this new book I'm reading. I listed "The Kite Runner" as one of my favorite books (which by the way is being made into a movie). Now I'm reading the author's (Khaled Hosseini) second novel, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" - I can't put it down! I'm so attached to the characters. I'm about 2/3 of the way done with the book and it is such a good read. There is a lot of history of Afghanistan also, which is confusing, but I just stop and google things!! Just wanted to recommend this book - it's excellent!

Hump day (I hate that term!!)

Just a quick update. Glenn left for FL Mon. and arrived safely. He said his class is going well, but I think the evenings are going better - dinner, pool and beer! Friday night Glenn and one of our neighbors, who is flying down to meet Glenn, are going to Key West for the weekend. How I would love to say "I'm jetting off to Key West for the weekend darling, ta ta!" Ha! I know they will have a great time!
My week has been busy just running the kids to and fro. Tonight was football for Caleb and Hannah went to the Jr. High football game. I met a couple of Hannah's friends and oh my goodness - they looked 20! I'm so leery of all of her friends. I view them as drug users, drinkers, sex addicts. Is that normal? Do I need professional help? She worries me the most out all my kids. I'm sure that's why I'm 60% grey!!
My excitement for the day was when the UPS man came to the door with my new vacuum. I'm sure he thought I was a raving loon, when I greeted him at the door, panting with desire for my new vacuum. Gosh, I'm pitiful!
I'm working on getting video added to my blog. At least getting video to youtube.com and then posting a link. So far, it's been a bust! But I'll keep on keepin' on!
Goodnight all!

New blog layout and football...

Thanks to Suzanne all the way in the UK for pimping out my blog! I love it!! It's so luscious and festive (an old family joke to all who don't know!)
Caleb had his second football game tonight. It was called when the storm of the century blew in. I wish I would have video recorded the girls running to the car. It was blowing so hard. I'm sure at one point Noelle's feet weren't even touching the ground. So, I got the girls settled in the car and we had to wait for Caleb to finish playing. They played for awhile longer, then the lightning came and the game was called. Now we go back tomorrow to play 1 quarter. Jeez, let's just say the other team won and call it a day. The score was 21-7 when we left.
After football we went to the new Sonic that opened this week. Yummy junk food with yummy slushies - can't beat that!
Hi to all and I hope you are well!!

Noelle's first day...

of preschool!! This year Noelle is going M/W/F mornings. I stayed with her yesterday, but Friday she goes it alone. I think there may be a few tears shed because she wants me to come too! I love walking away from school feeling like crap because your kid is crying!!!

Alas, we found Noe's blankie! She was very excited!

And finally this morning, Noelle was walking into the dining room and screamed "There's a big daddy leg!" Meaning there was a spider - any spider is a "daddy leg" not just daddy long legs, but tarantulas, black widows, even little house spiders. She's funny!

Good day to everyone!!

Catch up blog...

According to my blog advisor, Diana, I'm over due for a post! =)
I worked a few extra days last week and over the weekend, so I'm not at the top of my game. I don't see how people work full-time. I useless after I work! Thank heavens I have a sugar daddy to take care of me! Ha!
Okay, where to begin...last Friday Glenn and I and a few friends, went to dinner and to see the new Halloween movie. It was a good remake - not for the weak hearted or if you are offended my cursing, naked ladies or excessive blood and gore! There's NO WAY kids should see this movie. Hannah loves the original Halloween, but she'll have to wait a few years to see this one. You can thank Rob Zombie for that!
Caleb had his first football game on Sat. and his team won 38-0. He was so excited!
Glenn and Caleb went to see Rush Sun. night in Columbus. They said it was great, but I think they are lying! Ha! Rush is not one of my favorite bands - it's not even in my top 50! It was an outdoor concert and the weather was awesome for them.
Hannah is chugging along in school - we are holding our breath that she has a better year then last year. She's going to play basketball this winter, I can't wait for that to start!
Maddie is good. She is still enjoying gymnastics and piano starts next week.
Noelle, had a tragedy this week. We CANNOT find her blankie anywhere! The last 2 nights she has cried, it's so sad. I know she almost 5, but she loves her blanket! So, Glenn thinks if I clean the house I'll find it, but I'm not willing to go that far - I'll take a bullet for my kids, but asking me to clean the WHOLE house is asking a lot! Actually, I'm going shopping today, so I'm going to try to find the same exact blankie - wish me luck!
Alright, I think that's enough excitement from the Ohio LaCombes.
Hope all is well. My love to all!

Lunch date...

Noelle and I had lunch today with Aunt Becky. We went to Tipp City, had lunch at Harrison's (which I love) and then hit a few of the shops. We took Noelle to the toy store first, thinking she could get something and be satisfied, but she pulled an Uncle Jeff and was ready to go home and play with her stuff! (Ha,ha Jeff!) The best store by far was the Gallery (I'm not sure of the full name), but it's in a really old hotel and each room focuses on a local artist. There was pottery galore! It was neat. It was great to see Aunt Becky, she's so easy to get along with and it was like we see her everyday! I took my camera, but forgot to take a picture. Maybe next time.
Good night all.....

Sunday in the park...

Sunday we packed a lunch and headed to the park. Here are a few photos. The last photo is a the same park, 4 years ago when we moved to Troy. Look how everybody has changed (except for Glenn - he's got that eternal youth, no weight gain thing going on - grrrrrr!!)

Ahhh, summer is not over yet!

Noelle and I got the kids off to school (btw Diana, Maddie missed the bus again - I swear it's a haunted bus that comes at ungodly hours for a 3rd grader) and we decided to go to the pool today. It was so nice! Hardly anyone was there and the water was great for a 90 degree plus day. I felt a tad bit guilty about the kids being stuck in school - but I got over it after a large Diet Coke and a dip in the pool!
Glenn was checking out my blog and said "the love of my life" picture was really gay, so I change it to the lead singer of the band we saw the other night. That'll teach him to mess with me and my blog!!!

School days and Mom's too old....

First day of school! Wow! The kids were raring to go - seriously! Caleb and Hannah caught the bus at 640am. Maddie and I were getting ready and heard the bus coming down the street - needless to say we missed that bus. I guess the 830a bus has been replaced by a 815am bus. Noelle was upset she wasn't going to school yet, so we ran errands after we dropped Maddie off at school and Noelle picked out a new "My Little Pony"- bribery in it's finest at the LaCombe household! I hope the kids had a great day - it's a hot one. Heat index of 96 degrees.

Now for my "too old" moment. Three friends and I went to see Nickelback and a couple of other bands last night in Cincinnati - the band was great, but I decided I am WAY TOO old to see a rock concert! After about the 10th "F" word, I thought "okay, that's not even funny anymore" and then about 1030pm, we all started looking at out watches, thinking "We really need to get to bed." So, we got home at 130a and I finally went to sleep at 2am and I got up with Hannah and Caleb at 6am. So, this is my official resignation. No more rock concerts! It's sad when you chose sleep over rock 'n roll, but it's got to be done!! =)

Hope all is well. A special hello to Jeff, who broke his collar bone over the weekend in a bike accident. He has surgery today and we hope everything went well!

The countdown continues.....

Only 1 week until school starts. Which Mom hasn't bought school supplies yet? - that would be me. I'll probably begin that adventure on Friday!
Here are some photos from the pool - where we spend 75% of the summer. We don't have any champion swimmers (Diana!), but we do have professional snack bar attendees!






Hope all is well. More later...

We're off to see the wizard....

I know that title was pretty lame, but we actually did go see the Wizard of Oz at LaComedia (a dinner theater south of Dayton). For one that doesn't enjoy anything theatre or musical, I though it was great. The kids enjoyed it too - they were mesmerized during the entire show. Here are a few photos of our off,off,off,off Broadway experience.

Hannah and Caleb wouldn't get any photos taken with the actors - they are way too cool for that stuff! Caleb couldn't understand why people pay money to go out and get "all dressed up" - he had on a polo shirt/khaki shorts - and that was too dressed up for him. It was pretty comical!

Today, we were going to go canoeing, but the river was too low and yesterday people had to get out their canoes and push themselves down river. Sounded like too much work, so we opted for a art show in Kettering at Lincoln Park (great park by the way) and then to get some frickin' chicken from Frickers.

It was a good family weekend. I have a BIG headache right now and Glenn has the bottle of rum out. Isn't that how all family weekends end?

Hope all is well. Love to all.

Heat wave....

Jeez, it's hot!! We did go to the pool yesterday and actually we stayed pretty cool and had a good pool day. Our pool days are numbered - only 14 days until school starts! Caleb's football was cancelled last night and may be all week due to heat - hopefully so, I see no need for little kids to practice football in 100 degree weather.

Maddie did have gymnastics last night and guess who remembered their camera? Yea. Finally, pictures of Madeline!

Noelle (no that's not Nicole Richie driving) and our little neighbor girl, Maya, played "vacation" and drove my van for me while I cleaned it out. I guess they don't mind being out in the heat. I couldn't get them out of the car!

Today is jammed packed with dentist and orthodontists appointments- it's going to be great (sarcasm)!

Hope all is well with everyone! More later...

Garage sale

Seems like we did pretty good on our garage sale. We sold some big ticket items - remainder of our hardwood flooring, furniture, an electric guitar a couple of kids, etc...so that helps bring in some money. People crack me up at garage sales. I had a Talbot's kids sweater marked for $1.00 and the lady wanted me to take less - I said no. Of course, she probably has 12 million dollars in her checking and I don't! Frugal I am not. So, the garage sale is over. Now we just need to get rid of everything in the garage. I have a couple of places to donate to. We may be able to even get a car in the garage!
Hannah is in Columbus for the weekend with a friend that just moved from Troy to Columbus. She left Friday morning and we are picking her up sometime tomorrow. Caleb had football all week, he seems to enjoy it, even though it was extremely hot this week. Maddie and Noelle are doing good - they had a lemonade stand on Friday and made a couple of dollars. Bad mom forgot to take a photo!
Only 3 weeks until school starts! I don't think I'm ready for the madness and getting up before 6am. This week we have a doctor's appt. for Caleb (11 yr old check-up) and Maddie and Noe have dentist appts. Hopefully, we can get a few pool days in too!
Hope all is well. More later......Julie

Insomnia...

This my third night in a row where I can't sleep. So, tonight (this morning) I made some coffee at 330am and sorted all my garage sale stuff in the dining room. It's so peaceful in this house at 330am! The only downfall will be me falling asleep during the day. I think I'm going to try a Tylenol PM tonight.
On another note, Caleb started football tonight. He seems to like it. I think it's a bit much for an 11 year old to practice 4 nights a week - maybe if he was getting paid I could see it =). But, it will definitely keep him active.
Maddie has gymnastics tonight - I'll try to remember my camera, so I can get a picture of her on here.
Sweat dreams, Julie

Week in review...

Since Wednesday, this week has flown by. We did a major shopping day on Wednesday. Thursday was a stay at home and clean day. We put up our new kitchen table, it looks good. Friday night I worked. Saturday I did a few things around the house and had lunch with my friend Terri (no kids allowed). Saturday night we stayed home - it was the first Saturday night in awhile that we haven't been busy.

Today Caleb took a dirt bike riding class at the Honda Education Center. He had fun and was tired and sweaty afterwards. It was fun to watch. I'm not sure what the next step is in his dirt biking career, but I think Santa better start saving up!

We are still working on getting our garage sale ready - it's like a marathon sale. Maybe we'll just have it continuously for a year and see how much money we make!

Also, I finished a book called "The Book Thief". It was slow getting into, but I couldn't put it down towards the end. It is about a German girl during Nazi Germany - that's all I'll give away. It is a good read.

Hope all is well and good night....

Noelle and I went to the park last night in our neighborhood to return some tadpoles to the pond that Hannah and Caleb brought home. Noelle kept calling them "tattletoles" - it made me chuckle!

I'm picking Hannah up today from "Camp Karinne" - her friend from Englewood that she stays with for days at a time!! It's her getaway from our "dreadful" house!

We may go to the pool today - the weather has been iffy. And we'll continue to prepare for our garage sale - I'll probably have the kids for sale by the weekend!!!

Happy Wednesday!

Monday,monday....

We (as in the kids and I - envision lots of yelling on my part) spent the day cleaning and trying to get ready for a garage sale this Sat. What a pain! We did take a break and go to the library, where we ran into Aunt Becky! She looked good and said she was feeling great. She gave me her email address, so I will torture her with my blog too!

We also got new bedroom furniture (our FIRST complete bedroom set - I feel so grown up!) So, everything in our old dressers is either piled on the bed or on the floor or God knows where. It's a mess. But, I do love the furniture. I'm thinking our room should be put back together by Christmas!

All is well and the kids are in bed. It's Miller time!

Hmmmmm...

Trying to post pics - it's midnight and I'm not sure if my brain is functioning, but I'll give it try.

Okay, wow - it worked. This photo is a self portrait of Hannah.

Now that I have that down. I'll add some of our vacation photos!

Good night for now.

I'm experimenting...

not with drugs, but with blogging! I hope to post our daily activities and photos - as mundane as they may be! Time seems to be going so fast, that I thought it would be nice to actually remember the things I did 2 weeks or so ago.
Bear with me! More to come....