Wednesday, October 29, 2008

More Field Trip Pics

This is how much snow was on the ground when the bus pulled back into town after the field trip. This is October people!! BRRRRR!!



Angela, I thought you'd get a kick out of the next two pics. That's Mady bringing up the rear of the line in both pictures. She's so stinkin' cute!!




This is what Bee's bangs looked like when we took her stocking cap (or tobaggan as my hubby calls it)off when we got home from the field trip. Yikes!!

Bee's First Field Trip

Both the am and pm classes went on the field trip together. They are sitting listening to the teacher give a few instructions before we left.



Getting on the bus in the snow. For many of them this was the first time to ride on a school bus.



You can see how big the snowflakes were as we drove to the pumpkin patch! They were the size of quarters!



Still snowing!



The hayride out to the pumpkin field.



Walking out to pick out their pumpkins.



Listening to a demonstration about how pumpkins grow.



My Bee!



Both the am and pm classes. We couldn't believe both classes stood and quiet long enough for this pic to be taken. I actually had time to take about 5 pictures while they stood there.



Bee holding the bag that contains her pumpkin and her popcorn.



The little one in the middle is Kristi's little girl!



Friend's of Bee's and mine.




Bee and Mommy.



Love that kiddo!!



Between the am and pm class we had four blogger kids there. From left to right... Ang's little girl Mady, Stephanie's little boy Bryceton, my Bee, little one that wanted in the pic, and Kristy's little girl Lilly! Someday we'll have to get a pic of the four of us grown-ups together. Yah, I know cheesy. Hey, I've been called worse...just yesterday as a matter of fact, huh!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Boys' 4th Grade Field Trip

The entire group listening to a demonstration about pumpkins, potatoes, wheat, and corn, and how wonderful corn syrup makes our food taste. My boys were muttering under their breath about how bad it is for us thanks to the very anti-corn-syrup diet they eat!!



Homemade, warm potato chips!! They were delicious!!



A HUGE room full of potatoes. This room was about 80 feet deep and the ceiling was as high as most gymnasiums.


Watching potatoes loading.


Prophet's landing after sliding down a huge tunnel slide into a corn crib!


D.K.'s landing.




The hayride out to the pumpkin patch.



The young lady to the right of D.K. has a thing for my son, and it drives me nuts!! She declares her affections for him one day and then the next day she totally ignores him and tells him to get lost! Ugh!!




Everyone picking their pumpkins in the field.






After that we went into the cornmaze in the shape of the state of OH. It was the coolest thing. It was actually a map of OH with all of the roads and rivers marked like a map, with signs of info about the "city" they were walking thru at that time.
The young man at the top has become the bane of my exsistence. He's one of the biggest bullies I've ever encountered in any of the schools we've been in. The young man with his head cut off was a perfect angel the entire day. Thank you!!


Walking the maze.


Damage done to the corn when the effects of Ike came thru our area.



Writing info down on their question sheets. They each were given $10 of school cash for each correct answer they had. They then can use that money for extra recess and such. All four of the boys in my group had alot of the info filled out, but D.K. lost his somewhere between the farm and the school! So, he lost alot of cash from the oops! He was not happy.



You can see the I71 sign leading them thru the maze if they followed the map and compass they had correctly.

Here's a Pic of the Newest Member of The Family of Greatness

My new nephew!!

Remember the Pumpkin Baby Shower?

As of a few minutes ago, I have a new nephew. My little BIL just called me with the info. He's a baby beluga, weighing in at 9 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long! That's more than my first two babies combined. That total would only be 6 pounds 3 ounces. The second two combined only weighed 10 oz. more than him. Way to go Divine! Congrats to all of you! We love you and can't wait to see him!

Pics should be arriving soon!!

In Response

Below is the post in question. This will be the last time this will be discussed on my blog. I will not give anonymous the satisfaction after this post. I'm tempted not to hit publish and give the satisfaction at all, but alas my personality must defend myself. In the end, it's MY blog, and I can say whatever I want to on here. Yes, it's public, you have as much of a right to say what you want to in response, as I've done myself on other blogs (Hey Farmie and Bre), but I had also already commented on those peoples' blogs several times before so they knew me and I've ALWAYS signed my name to the comment. It's only decent. Anonymous is either a lurker whose been reading for awhile, or one of my regulars that just didn't want to put their name out there, because they know that I have a medical issue requiring alot of care, and I haven't spoken of that for awhile on here. So, without further ado...


"Have you ever had the desire to look at someone and say "You are barking up the wrong tree, dude?" I had the oppurtunity to do just that last night, and took it. One of the women in our church was complaining about how her daughter-in-law's private pediatric practice had to hire another doc just so they could split the malpractice insurance four-ways instead of three. So, now instead of $33,000 a year, it's $25,000 a year! She then made a statement about how the money they charge for medical care is somewhat justified between the malpractice insurance and their schooling. My response was "You've obviously never been sitting on over $50,000 worth of medical bills, have you. We are, and believe me, what they charge is anything but justified." She shut-up about it real quick."


This was the comment left from anonymous a couple posts ago...

"Are you sure that you have all the facts on this subject? Do you know how much the doctor truly gets once the health insurance has cut out their portion? That women's daughter is only trying to make a living just like everyone else in this world. It is not that doctors fault that you have a disease that requires a lot of medical care. I don't think you were justified in saying anything but, that is just my opinion. You seem to feel you are knowledgeable in most all areas of life but I don't think you have all the facts on this one. Just because you are upset that you have medical bills don't take it out on other people."



"Are you sure that you have all the facts on this subject?"

I'm not sure what facts you're speaking of. All I did in the post was state what was said in the conversation. There were no facts really to speak of.


"Do you know how much the doctor truly gets once the health insurance has cut out their portion?"

Well, my insurance does send me statements with the amount they were billed and the amount that they adjusted the bill to. And since you brought it up, why is it that the medical system will take the lower amount from an insurance company, but last year when I was without medical insurance for almost a year that they still billed me for the higher amount. This has never made any sense to me.



"That women's daughter is only trying to make a living just like everyone else in this world."

Yes, you're right, she's only trying to make a living. I never said otherwise did I. The thing is, is that most docs make way more than "a living". My family and I also would like to be able to make "a living", but with the med system in this country the way it is, that is an impossibility for anyone with any health issues.



"It is not that doctors fault that you have a disease that requires a lot of medical care."

Oh geez, I don't recall ever once blaming any doctors for causing my Crohn's disease, but then again my memory's pretty crappy these days, maybe I did! What I do know for sure, is that it definitely wasn't said in that post!!



"I don't think you were justified in saying anything but, that is just my opinion."

...and you're entitled to it, just don't ever put it on my blog again without a link back to you.



"You seem to feel you are knowledgeable in most all areas of life but I don't think you have all the facts on this one."

I don't even quite know how to respond to being called what basically boils to down being "a know-it-all" which I'm sure totally surprises anonymous since they apparently think that I think I know everything. And once again, what "facts" do you speak of! I was just repeating a conversation I had!!



"Just because you are upset that you have medical bills don't take it out on other people."

Okay, I won't take it out on other people. I wasn't taking my medical bills out on someone else. I was simply stating that the money that is charged for someone to have care to stay healthy (which in every part of the world should be a right, not a privilege IF you have the money or insurance to pay for it) in this country has gotten totally out of hand. Trust me when I say all of feelings about this issue are more for others than for myself. Yes, we owe ALOT of money. Total, we owed around $90,000. Right now it's about $51,000. We pay docs before anyone and anything else most months. BUT, there are many, many people in this country that owe more than we do, and unlike myself who now has good insurance, have no chance at getting insurance and will end up in bankruptcy. Unfortunately many of those same people without insurance are those that make just enough money that they don't qualify for any help at all like we did last year when I had no insurance.






So, in closing, it makes me so sad and angry that there are people in this country that apparently feel no responsibility to hold up someone who is in a very hurtful and seemingly hopeless situation. The fact that someone could possibly invade MY blog anonymously, and make me feel that I have no right to be frustrated with the medical community after what I've been through show's me that we as people have a ways to go in teaching other's what compassion means.

The more I think about it, I actually feel sorry for anonymous because they obviously have no compassion.
I love it when people want to make nasty comments on my blog, but don't bother to leave their name!! Fun, fun, fun!! I'd just like to say thank you to the anonymous person who left me the nice comment two posts ago, you made my day!!

Our The Weather Outside is Frightful

It's snowing!!! Bee and I are headed to the pumpkin patch for her field trip with both the afternoon and morning kindegarten classes (aka... more 5 & 6 year old than anyone really wants to be around at one time, yikes) in about 30 minutes! BRRRRRR!! We've both got layers of shirts, pants, and socks! Coats and gloves will be our friends today!! Should have pics later !!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Out of Control

Have you ever had the desire to look at someone and say "You are barking up the wrong tree, dude?" I had the oppurtunity to do just that last night, and took it. One of the women in our church was complaining about how her daughter-in-law's private pediatric practice had to hire another doc just so they could split the malpractice insurance four-ways instead of three. So, now instead of $33,000 a year, it's $25,000 a year! She then made a statement about how the money they charge for medical care is somewhat justified between the malpractice insurance and their schooling. My response was "You've obviously never been sitting on over $50,000 worth of medical bills, have you. We are, and believe me, what they charge is anything but justified." She shut-up about it real quick.

Red Ribbon Week

It's drug awareness week at the kids' school this week. They looked so cute all sitting in their red clothes at breakfast this morning that I had to take a pic. Ignore the messy hair! The bottom one is after all had their hair prettied up for the day!!



Thursday, October 23, 2008

I know it won't last, but yesterday I put $30.00 of gas (okay, $30.02) in my tank and it filled it to HALF a tank! Hallelujah!!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Extra! Extra! Read All About It

Bee has lost her first tooth! It finally came out! She has been TOTALLY obsessed with her loose tooth for over a week now, and she finally pulled it tonight! We had a few moments of panic when she dropped it on the dining room carpet and we couldn't find it anywhere, but Daddy came to the rescue and found (ironic how he can find the tiniest of teeth on berber carpeting, but can't seem to find the many other things that would have killed him had they been a snake in front of him:), I love you, Honey)it! Now we have to be sure to remember to get up to her room and get it from under her pillow before we actually fall asleep! Ah, man, my baby's actually gonna grow-up! Dangit!!

Friday, October 17, 2008

$$ChaChing$$

My precious little Bee is upstairs right now frantically searching her room for the three one dollar bills that she has hidden away from her brothers...

She is really into helping me in the kitchen right now, so I've almost always got a willing helper if I want one. I'm getting ready to bake a carmel-apple cake for our care group meeting tonight. As I'm getting ready, she asks if she can help me. I said, "Not this time babe, Mommy's got alot to get done today and I just wanna get it finished." Her response? "I'll pay you if you let me help you." With this statement I instantly melted, realizing how important it is to help me bake, and decided to slow down and let her help, knowing that she won't always want to be standing on the chair next to happily helping out. But of course I don't want to ruin a good thing (like actually being paid by one of my children for helping me out, this could work out nicely in the future ya know) and being the wonderful mother that I am, I said, "Okay, go get your money." So, she brings me two nickels, three dimes, and six pennies from her well-kept stash. Gaining my composure so as not to laugh, I told her it wasn't enough, so she brought in another handful of change and plunked it on the counter on top of the rest. Then I told her I wanted paper money, three dollar bills to be exact, knowing that's exactly what she had hidden away! Yes, I know I'm horrible!! So, now she has moved to her section of the playroom to search for the purple purse that she is sure holds the three green pieces of paper that hold her key to helping mommy make the apple cake!

I love that little girl!! I just hope she grows up to torture her children as much as I torture her!! She should, with the perfect example being set for her :)!!


*Update... Geez people, by a couple comments, you actually think I'm so awful that I'd actually KEEP my poor child's money! No, I gave it all back to her, of course!!I'm mean, yes, but there are limits!!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

I'm So Thirsty

This is so funny! It shows just how much my hubby spoils Miss Bee! This is at Brown County State Park a couple months ago and we just did manage to get it uploaded onto Youtube!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Scaring Our Boys (or is it scareing)

...whichever it is, they're probably gonna be scarred for life!! This happened one night after I found a mask in our Hallween stuff from last year's Trunk or Treat at church. We decided to scare the boys with it. They had already been put to bed and were in their room reading before turning out the lights. Bee never even woke-up during all the noise, and her room is right next to theirs'. Listen closely for the frantic (panicked) screams of the boys after Smart Guy pops in their room and yells!!

WARNING... IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH PARENTS SCAREING THE BAJEEBERS OUT OF THEIR CHILDREN AND THEN THINKING IT'S FUNNY AND ALMOST WETTING THEIR PANTS FROM HILARIOUS LAUGHTER, AND THINK YOU MAY HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME NOT TURNING US IN TO THE BAD PARENTS POLICE, THEN DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO. IT WAS ALL DONE IN GOOD FUN, AND KNOW THAT WE ARE JUSTIFIED AS THEY'VE DONE MANY, MANY THINGS TO DESERVE THIS AND THEY STILL HAVE MANY YEARS LEFT IN OUR HOME TO PAY US BACK!!

Eye Appointment

Bee and Prophet had their yearly eye exams for their neurofibromatosis today. While we waited for the doc to come in, we had a quick photo shoot. I thought these were funny and so showed her ornery personality!!





Another Baby Shower

This last Friday, Miss Bee and I packed up the van and drove over to WV to give my SIL, Divine, a baby shower with Mountain Mom and my other SIL, Care Bear. We had fun staying up baking and talking way into the evening and then decorating the church hall the next afternoon. Since my new little nephew is due to arrive on Halloween, I chose to go with a fall theme... Let's Celebrate the Upcoming Arrival of our Newest Little Punkin'. I made little tiny costumes to fit little bears, sewed a runner with pumpkin fabric for each table, used candy corn in canning jars, then we threw leaves all over the place and ate everything pumpkin we could think of.
The house smelled like Thanksgiving from cooking pumpkin goodies. All the menfolk in the house were drooling like St. Bernards!! It was hilarious!! My nephew Columbus, 16, was our little gofer Friday night and all day Saturday and I felt bad smackin' his hands away from everything, so I was glad when there were plenty of leftovers to take home to him. Divine, SIL, seemed to enjoy herself and she got several nice things. I unfortunately did not get too many flattering pics of her, and she'd kill me if I put up a few of them that I got, so there's only a couple here with her in them...


Well you can tell what's important to me. The first picture of both showers was of the food table.


This was how the table were decorated. If you blow up the pic you can see the little bears I made the costumes for.


Divine looking at the hooded towel I made. Inkling's looked just like it. The brown and blue was just perfect little boy. I also made her a taggy blanket just like the one in Inkling's pic two posts ago.


Mountain Mom and all her girls! Although there is at least one little boy in the pic. Divine is the one in the blue with the very pregnant belly. The shorty with the pregnant belly is Care Bear, my other SIL who isn't actually due until March (we think)! So, yes, I'm the only non-pregnant daughter in the family right now. My kids were all done and had years ago, now it's their turn. The little girl standing arm in arm with Bee is my niece Nini. The two of them have a love/hate thing going on. They love each other one minute and the next minute they're yelling at each other and tattleing. Drives us nuts!!

Pumpkin Patch 2008

We made the trip out the to pumpkin farm again this year. For me, this signifies the beginning of the entire holiday season.


I have no idea what's up with the weirdo face that D.K. is making in this picture.


I abosolutely love this picture of Bee and D.K.



Between Mom and Dad's pumpkins and ours, we ended getting around 130 pounds or so of pumpkins! Yummy!!


That's my dad in the back. He doesn't show up on here very often.