First Timers...

But we did a wicked good job. we all skied today at Pleasant Mountain.

A new Merry Christmas

For the first time, we brought all the kids home for Christmas. It has been nice to see my home state in winter. The kids have enjoyed seeing relatives and playing with cousins. For the first few days, we stayed at an inn because there was no room in our family's stable.

Just had to share this

Melt my heart

Earlier this week, Matthew was working on homework and was having some difficulty with the problems and was asking for help. A little later, Erin came out of the bathroom holding my book Promises for Moms and said she found something for Matthew.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:25

How sweet and helpful.

Busy Christmas

Sometimes it is difficult to make time for the important things. Our schedules are booked solid. But we are making time to go to Maine. Wahoo in whoville.

Thanksgiving

We do Thanksgiving a little different each year. This year it was dinner at home and then a trip to Des Moines to take in a hockey game and do some ice skating. No shopping though. That would be insane. We are headed out to Ohana's Japanese Steakhouse for the cooking at your table experience for supper tonight.

We tried out the Wildwood hotel. It is meant to look like a lodge in the North country. It is really smack in the middle of West Des Moines.

I love 5 day weekends.

Omaha Zoo Trip

This spring Kelsey and Tim went to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha for an overnight 4-H trip. They spent the night behind glass by the monkees and gorillas. I am not sure who were the ones behind glass, the monkees or the people. Kelsey also saw this dancing polar bear.

A joke video made by Kelsey and Matthew Schott.

It all started in Iowa

About a year ago, on 11/11, we were invited to a birthday party of a friend and state representative. We got the chance to meet the guest of honor, now our First Lady-elect.

My Hero

Usually I blog about the activities of our family. The kids are always doing some creative thing that they want to share. They have informed me that they have a bunch of video that they want to put on the blog. Maybe I will get on that soon.

But today my thoughts are on the reality of my life. My mother is growing older and her Alzheimers is taking its toll. The most obvious symptom is her voice. She no longer sounds like herself. Her voice is weaker and higher than normal. The best description of it is the voice you might here from a resident when you are visiting a nursing home. That is fine for these residents, but this is my mother. I want her to sound like herself.
I miss my mother's voice.

We had been singing on the phone together. We would sing our favorite scipture songs and of course, our favorite, What a Day that Will Be. That is the song I first harmonized to when I was 6. We were on our way to Grammy Day's house and I put my head down and covered my ear to find my note. We have been singing it ever since.

The words to What a day That Will Be are so fitting. First, it has her name in it. My grandmother, her Mother, had planned to name her Glorious Peace Day because she was born on Veterans Day. She shortened it to Gloria. In the Hymn it references what a day, Glorious Day, that will be.

I shared some of this with my Bible Study and sang the song. I got through the whole thing without crying, but not many of the other ladies did.

So, these lyrics have become so much more meaningful.

Here is a website with the lyrics and the tune. My mother has a scooping voice so be sure you slur the notes if you want to sound like her. Also, close your eyes and focus on the words. That is what she would do. You might even raise one hand just a little.

http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/whataday.html


I hope you can picture it now. Except, now she can't sing. It was really amazing, because up until about a month ago, I could sing some old song we may not have sung for 20 years, and she would know it and sing along. About 6 weeks ago she sang along with me to Psalm 100. She knew the whole thing. She still knows it, but she can't get the sound out.

But she is still able to show what a sweet person she is inside. While being assisted in the bathroom, she looked up at my Dad and said, "Thank you so much."

And that is my mother. Such a very happy and sweet person on the inside that even Alzheimer’s cannot keep it from coming out.

They say Alzheimer’s is like a long goodbye. I just don’t like the sound of it. My mother is my role model. She is my hero. She is my standard of what a wife and mother should be. I could go on with all the wise saying she has. Maybe later.

October Camping

We are having such a beautiful fall. We are out camping again this weekend. Can you believe camping in October? This time we are at Kennedy park. The are celebrating 50 years of the Webster County Conservation dept. There is boating, archery, fishing, etc. Matthew is in his element. We are also celebrating Tim's birthday this weekend.

Point of Grace

I wanted to do something special with Kelsey so I noticed that Point of Grace was going to be singing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. We ended up standing right in the front. We could even read their song list. One of the Point of Grace members even reached out and took our picture. It was a great evening. We camped at Clear Lake so we did not have a long drive home. It was a great evening.

Back to School

We had a great summer....but the time has come to go back to school. Just what did we do this summer? This year it was a little of this, a little of that:

• Dance Recital for the two girls


• Kelsey had her piano judging


• Our annual trip to Lake Okoboji and Arnold's Park


• A new tradition was started. Seeing the Indy Corn 250 and camping nearby. The kids met the big names in racing.


• Saw Drake Bell in Concert at the Indy Corn 250. Who is Drake Bell? A singer in the tradition of Buddy Holly. Matthew loved it!!


• Kelsey went to music camp.


• Kelsey and Matthew got new bedrooms. Erin got a room of her own.


• Camping at Brushy Creek


• We drove to Maine with our camper. Got to do our favorite things in Maine.


• Went camping at Clear Lake. Kelsey and I went to see Point of Grace who performed at the Surf Ballroom. We got to meet them and were in the front row for the concert.


• The kids played, and played and played in the neighborhood. They would play from sun up to sun down...or even after sun down.

But all fun must come to an end. Back to school. Back to music and dance lessons.

Borrowing a page

I am taking this blog from my sister's. She posted this about a week ago.

So it finally has come to pass! Niece Kelsey (Glorianne's oldest) came to work with me on Sunday at the Shop. She was a great help busing tables and it made the day go quickly. Someone even gave her a tip! We are posing with our favorite cinnamon buns and our look-alike red glasses.

Note: Kelsey purchased her denim dress "uniform" and brought it to Maine just in case she got called up to service. How is that for dedication?

Back from Maine

We made it back from Maine. We pulled our pop-up camper this year. It worked out well. We even traveled through the mountains of NY, VT, and NH.

Our Maine relatives seemed to think we brought Iowa weather with us since there were torrential rains and tornado warnings when we got there....for three days. But then the sun came out and we went to our annual visit to Storyland. We stayed at a campground right on Sebago lake so we were able to swim every day it didn't rain.

The main purpose of our visit was for the 60th anniversary party for my parents and the 50th anniversary party for Tim's parents. They were both great parties and allowed us to see all of our relatives on these two days.

We returned to Iowa to find 100+ heat indexes.

School starts in just over 2 weeks. We are never ready for school to start. But, we still have several camping trips planned.

Land of the golden sunsets

I took this photo the day that the tornadoes hit Iowa. We watched the storms pass by to the North while we were camping. This was the sunset that night. Kelsey is using some of these for her 4-H project at the county fair.

Kelsey's Spring Musical

And now for some random clips. Kelsey was in a musical that was a tribute to the "oldies". She is in the front left in lime green.

Erin is Fabulous...again

Erin did her own dance to this song this winter. Later, the dance studio selected this song for her tap routine. She was well practiced. She is in the second row with the same orange glasses she used last time.

Summer Vacation

What have we been doing since school let out? The girls had their dance recital and we went to our annual trip to Okoboji. The weather has been beautiful now that the rains have stopped.

Glorianne Graduates

We recently traveled to western Kansas to attend my graduation from Fort Hays State University where I earned a Master's in Communication Studies. I got to meet my faculty and see the beautiful campus.

End of school is nearing

I just had to take this picture when I saw it.

Tomorrow we head off for our weekend trip to Kansas. I am graduating!!! The kids are excited because they can add two more states to their list of visited states...Kansas and Missouri.

The kids get out of school two weeks from today. Then we will begin some of our summer activities. So far we have Okoboji, camp, an Indy race, and Webster County fair on our list. We will also want to camp in our pop up camper and see some baseball games. I am teaching all summer (online).

More Spring Pictures

Surf Ballroom

The Day the Music Died. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper last performed at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA. Matthew has been listening to Buddy Holly, so we took a drive up to see this famous music venue. Here Matthew is singing one of Buddy's hits with his sisters serving as back-up dancers.

Bustopolis part 4

After the snow had all melted, we got another 6 inches. That gave Matthew another chance to test Bustropolis.

Ice Skating part 2

I wonder when the next time will be that we skate the day before Easter?

Ice Skating part 1

We went ice skating a bunch of times this winter. Last year the kids went to the skating rink in Des Moines on the last day it was open. They were on the news that night. Auntie Debbie was here then. This year we made it on the next to last day.

It's a xylophone

Grandpa Chuck came to visit and brought a percussion intsrument (like the ones shown here). A little research told us that it is a xylophone not a marimba. Here is the difference: The xylophone can look similar to a marimba to the uninitiated, but there are a number of differences. The xylophone's notes sound an octave higher than written whereas the marimba is written at pitch. If I get different information, I reserve the right to change my answer.

Kelsey

Kelsey brought home this beautiful picture. Our schools take pictures in the fall and spring. Of course we just have to buy both packages.

Bustropolis part 3

We return to the continuing saga of Bustropolis. It has now become a triathalon.

Erin is fabulous!!!

"I'm fabulous, that is my simple request. All things fabulous, bigger and better and best."

Bustropolis part 2

Here is Bustropolis part 2! Watch as Matthew has a second go at destroying Bustropolis again. Watch for part 3 appearing soon.

Erin performs

Since there was no school today, it was a good time to do a music video.

Our little cheerleader

Erin had a cheerleading party for her birthday. She and her friends learned a cheer, a dance routine, gymnasstic moves, and a stunt in an hour.

Bustropolis part 1

Matthew is trying to jump over "Bustropolis", a cousin to Buster from Myth Busters. Tune in later for parts 2 and 3.

Matthew being positive

What happens when Matthew goes overly positive? Watch and find out.

Kelsey's Birthday surprise

Sometimes I'm in a jam

I've got to make a plan

It might be crazy

I blow them anyway.

Crazy Talk episode 2

Crazy Talk---episode 2

Welcome to Crazy Talk

Welcome to our webshow.

Dolphin show at Minnesota zoo

Did someone say change?

Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life.

Old Guard

Here is my whole family. I would guess that this was taken around 1970. I see Erin in my mother. In this picture I see Kelsey in Ruth.

Red Sox Nation

I am not sure how we got this on video tape. Matthew is a Yankees fan and feels out of place among his family of Red Sox fans. Perhaps the pressure finally got to him.

They are the Champions

Matthew had a very full birthday weekend. He had two friends stay overnight. The next day we went tubing in Des Moines, out to A & W for supper, then to a hockey game. They watched Star Wars movies on the way down and back.

Very Funny!!!

This is what 42 lit candles looks like.

World's coolest McDonalds

This is our favorite McDonalds. We will not tell you where it is. You have to come visit us and we will take you there. This is our favorite Juke Box because it is free and it has great hits from the 50s and 60s.

It's our birthday!!!

February brings several birthdays in our family. Peanuts is a frequent theme of card purchases in this family so I thought this decoration would make a good addition to the family.

Welcome Center, Dows Iowa

Welcome Center (click on hyperlink)

We stopped by this town on the way back from Minnesota. It is about an hour Northeast of Fort Dodge. We met a nice older gentleman who gave us a tour and history of this train station. They had a pump organ like the one Grammy had and all kids played it. Sometimes the simpler things in life are the most fun. When I mentioned our visit to Dows today, all three children said they wanted to go back.

Best of Both Worlds

It is a Hannah Montana world after all.

Matthew jumps a ramp

Matthew not only can jump a ramp but he also built the ramp first. Now that is dedication!!

Auntie teaches

Joining in

Since my friends and family have blogs, I might as well join in. It does help me feel that there are quite so many miles between us.