A Group Of Stahrs

19 Mar 2013

Ten On Tuesday

1. Today was 80s day for Mazie at school. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you saw the picture I posted this morning before she left for school. Mazie said that her first period teacher played some 80s music. I asked what was played and she said, “She played a song by some group called Wham!. It was pretty weird music.” Yes, Mazie, 80s music is different.

2. Jacob is one week away from turning 6. I have not yet started hyperventilating. So there is a plus!

3. His big party is on Saturday at Ariel’s Gymnastics. He’s so excited that he has forgotten to ask for things other than generic cars (or any vehicle) and Angry Birds stuff. He just wants his friends to enjoy the party. And his specific cake.

4. He has ordered a chocolate cake with chocolate filling and icing and chocolate chips. He is calling it his triple chocolate birthday cake.

5. Jamie brought home her science fair display board today. It’s bigger than she is. She is so excited about her project. She will be testing different ways to make popcorn.

6. I have an X-rated cake order for Saturday. A lady called me to ask if I can put a tux on a certain male body part and put it on a cake. I said I would do my best. I think he turned out pretty spiffy complete with a top hat and rose on his lapel! If you want to see a picture, email me. I won’t post it here or on the cake site since they are family friendly.

7. I am making a green velvet cake for the cadet birthdays in Jeremiah’s squadron tomorrow.

8. Easter is coming. That means Easter Ham. It’s the one time of the year I make ham. But more importantly, according to my husband, are the leftover dinners that the Easter Ham leads to…ham potpie and ham and green beans.

9. My mom is coming to visit next week. Just in time for our two-week Spring Break. Maybe this break won’t feel like it’s so long! If it’s nice, we are heading to the zoo.

10. I get to go on a date next week with my littlest love in honor of his birthday. There is another good point about him turning 6. He is planning on Zio’s for dinner and then coming back here for his special star cake and gifts.

Posted in Random

14 Mar 2013

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National Junior Honor Society

Meet the newest inductee to the National Junior Honor Society…Mazie was invited about a month or so ago to apply to the NJHS. She filled out the application and handed it in and we waited…and waited…and waited. Just when I thought that maybe I would have to tell her that she probably didn’t get in, she came home with the invitation to the induction ceremony…She was a little disappointed when she could only invite 3 guests! I mean, she texted and called several people. She was also a little disappointed that just Dad and Mom were the only people joining her as her guests.

She came home from school today, a little nervous, and quickly did her homework. We scarfed down some food and dressed appropriately for the event. When the neighbors came to watch the littles (thanks Debra and Johnny!), we were off.The ceremony started and the officers spoke about what it’s like being in NJHS and what is expected of the new inductees. Then the inductees were called forward to receive their candle and meet the officers…After the oath was recited, the inductees signed into the ledger book and had some goodies…

She was begging me to take that last one. She was eating slowly and with exaggerated movements. What kind of mom would I be if I didn’t take the picture for her humility later on when her head gets too big for her body with all these things she is accomplishing?

One last one of Mazie and Skyler (the Skyview Middle School’s Eagle mascot)…

We are so very proud of you Mazie!

Posted in Kids

19 Feb 2013

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Ten on Tuesday

1. Last week on 100s night, Jeremiah found out where our next assignment takes us. We are moving to Utah in June. I hope Hill AFB is ready for this group of Stahrs.

2. The good thing about moving to Utah? It’s only a 9 hour drive from Colorado Springs. After not moving for nearly 6 years, I’d say that is a huge plus in traveling with 3 kids and 2 dogs. Especially when 3 of those 5 are not fans of long car rides!

3. I took Mazie to Target tonight to buy deodorant. She told me a day or two ago that she thinks she needs it and doesn’t want to smell like some of the other kids in her class. So we went tonight for her to pick a scent she likes. She only smelled two before picking on she wanted.

4. After we got home, I hid in my closet and cried.

5. Not really, but I am so not ready for this body changing thing. When I expressed my concern, my wonderful husband told me I should be happy that she came to me and asked about it. I told him he wasn’t helping and continued to whine about how she isn’t really supposed to start this stuff for another year or so.

6. Was asking for someone to join my woe-is-me-pitty party too much to ask?

7. I think I would have done better with the bra dilemma. I mean, if she’s anything like her mama, she won’t need one of those for a few years and that’s because all her friends are wearing them. She won’t really need a bra until she has babies. And she’ll probably start her period first.

8. Oh, gosh, I just thought of her first period. I better stop thinking now.

9. Someone! Anyone! Please figure out how to slow time. NOW!

10. I pinned a quote on Pinterest that stated, “Behind every great kid is a MOM who’s pretty sure she’s screwing it up”. Please tell me I am not the only one who feels I am screwing my kids up all the time. Please.

Posted in Random

12 Feb 2013

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Ten On Tuesday

1. Hello February! It’s almost Valentine’s. Are you doing anything extra special with your sweetie?

2. I made the kids and Jeremiah red velvet heart-shaped cake pops. I’ve never shaped them into anything other than little cupcakes so it was fun to see how they would do with the candy coating. I was happy with them. You can go to the business site to see them if you would like to do so.

3. Jacob’s class celebrated the 100th day school. They went all out with decorations. I personally love the hat and glasses.

4. Mazie is looking forward to her first dentist check up without her braces. It’s been a little over 18 months since her last one. She’s looking forward to each entire tooth being completely clean and to her new retainer. It’s supposed to have sparkles on it! Who wouldn’t look forward to that?

5. Jamie received the Student Of The Month Award for Music out of all the third graders for Music. She’s very proud of herself, as are we. Her picture will be displayed on the board with other students of the months in the other discovery classes for the whole month! And, as you know, Jamie doesn’t really want the praise but she’s happy someone recognized her. So praise away…just don’t say it to her ;-).

6. Jeremiah had dinner at USAFA tonight for 100s night. That’s right, graduation is right around the corner!

7. I am on week 5 of the Insanity workout. To say this workout is insane is an understatement. But I’m enjoying it actually and I certainly feel stronger. Aside from not being able to lift my arms or bend over without crying during the first week, it’s been a good experience.

8. I’ve made the primal fudge from pinterest. Twice. It’s a huge hit. I adjusted the recipe a little by using special dark cocoa. Yum!

9. Jeremiah and I went to see Identity Theft this weekend. We highly recommend it!

10. I also finally saw The Avengers. I think I would really like to be a hammer wielding super hero and give Thor a run for his money. I think I’d look good with a hammer. It’s better than turning into a green monster when I’m angry ;-)!

Happy Tuesday!

Posted in Random

31 Jan 2013

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Photo A Day: End of the Month

So here we go with the last eleven days of January. Are you as shocked that February starts tomorrow as I am? I’m not sure where the whole month went.

Day 21: Martin Luther King Jr Day. Jamie wrote a little note and left it on my bed. She’s such a sweetie.

Day 22: A whole lotta gum in the house. Mazie has requested a few different types of gum since she will be able to enjoy a piece here and there soon!

Day 23: Early morning choir practice…looks at those puffy eyes…Day 24: All those early morning choir practices paid off since the whole choir was selected to play at the CMEA (music teacher conference) at the Broadmoor. Odyssey was one of 6 (out of 100) elementary schools selected! They sounded great too. We couldn’t take any pictures inside though since it was a conference.

Day 25: Jamie and Jacob had a little time before school to play on the computer. They were baking something where they got points for putting the ingredients in the bowl and then putting it in the oven. I think there was a part to decorate it too. It is a game to learn the computer functions better. I just liked that they were playing together and not fighting:-)!

Day 26: iPad game: Stack the States. It’s great if you want to learn about all the states and where they go in our country. Jacob is actually really good at knowing where they are on the map after playing a few hundred times.

Day 27: Mazie’s backpack, which conveniently rolls since she refuses to keep any of her books in her locker and weighs more than she does, and flute bag ready for school tomorrow. She keeps it by the front door.

Day 28: After school craziness…Jamie and Jacob unloading all their goodies from school and then packing their snacks and lunches for the next day.

Day 29: After supper playing…with Mazie’s Barbies. At least Jacob was playing with Ken tonight…

Day 30: I thought it was kind of cool to see the icicles hanging off the tree and dripping this morning.

Day 31: No more braces AND she lost another tooth. Not too bad gaining a dollar after getting her expander and braces off. On the way back to school, she chewed a piece of spearmint gum and was whistling. Two things she apparently missed. She couldn’t believe how big her mouth felt after everything was out.

So there was our month in pictures. Nothing fancy but fun, nonetheless. Looking forward to Feel Good February!

Posted in Random and tagged photo of the day

20 Jan 2013

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Photo of the day: 11-20

Ten more photo of the days…

Day 11: I saw this on pinterest and decided to surprise Mazie with it for her lunch since I wasn’t going to be able to join her at school. I wrapped her lunch in tissue paper and red ribbon. She had no clue until she got to lunch and opened her lunch bag. She seemed to like the surprise.

Day 12: Mazie’s eleventh birthday. She enjoyed her day (you can see that post here).

Day 13: Jamie didn’t want to share the chair so Jacob decided to lean on her instead…

Day 14: It was so cold Monday morning (in the negatives) so I let Jacob dress next to the fire. He was taking his sweet time getting his clothes on…

Day 15: This is where Maxine likes to rest while I am doing things on the main floor. She needs to know where we are at all times. Can’t say it’s a bad spot to snuggle…Day 16: Fondant pieces for a cake.

Day 17: Laundry day. Every Thursday…six loads of laundry (one was already in the washer). Sunday is the other laundry day which is usually only 5 loads…

Day 18: Our very first shot in the arm. Before today, we’ve always had them in the legs. Today she was due for DTaP and she received it in her arm like a champ. “I didn’t feel a thing, Mom.” was my text from her on her way home (Dad was the privileged one to take her). Far from the little girl who had to be held down by both parents to receive her vaccines…

Day 19: The cakes with the fondant pieces from a few days ago. The cakes were for twin boys!

Day 20: Typical Sunday afternoon, waiting for football to start, playing any electronic that isn’t being charged…

So that means I have 11 days left. I think I can actually get that accomplished!

Posted in Random and tagged photo of the day

14 Jan 2013

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Mazie Monday

Mazie’s eleventh birthday went off without a hitch! The girls started the day with manis/pedis while the boys searched for flowers for Dad’s date with Mazie. With decorations and gifts ready to go…

Mazie was ready to do what any eleven year old wants to do on her birthday…text. Since Mazie is only allowed to receive texts from people who are in her contact list, I worked a few days before hand to contact people who would totally surprise her with a text on her birthday. She was so surprised at the amount of texts (and her new contacts) that she was in heaven for the better part of Saturday for this reason alone.

While she answered her many texts and calls, I finished her cake. Normally she asks for strawberry cake with strawberry icing…the pinkest cake inside and out. But this year she opted for chocolate cake with strawberry icing. She still apparently needed her signature pink!

And since it was just the five of us celebrating Mazie, we went with the small 6 inch cake stacked high but Mazie still got her star…

Mazie actually struggled with deciding on what she wanted for her birthday dessert. She asked if I would make her peanut butter fudge! But then she realized that she wouldn’t get her star and decided on cake instead. I’m so glad I started that tradition and they look forward to it. I can see making stars for them when they are 20!

When Mazie’s thumbs fell off (kidding, they just went numb) from all the texting, she was ready to prepare for her big date. She had her outfit already picked out but wanted me to style her hair. So we went to it and then did a little eleven year old photo shoot.

This was quite possibly my most favorite photo of Mazie ever. Funny that she finally gave me her smile only after she was laughing at herself for doing this…

That’s my Tween, people!

So it was time for the big date. Dad rang the door bell and she answered it after a second to make sure her clothes where in place. And was greeted with beautiful fuchsia tipped carnations. Then they were off…

She chose Fargo’s for the date and even purchased her very first gum ball while there. Oh didn’t you hear? She gets her braces off at the end of the month! First thing she wants to do is have a piece of gum. I’m pretty sure her gum ball is going to be quite stale by then but it’s what it represents more than how it will taste.

They returned and she told me all about her wonderful date. I really hope that never changes even when the date is someone other than Dad! It was time for singing and cake…

Then presents…

Then finishing with skyping. Technology is amazing, right?

I’d like to say that it gets easier. Mazie getting older. But it really doesn’t. I mean, I think I handle it better but I still see her 2-year-old face when I talk to her sometimes. Or hear her little 5-year-old wisdom. Mazie’s all of a sudden a young lady as we get into these kind of scary years. I just want her 2 again. I think I will always want her to be 2. I guess that’s just being a Mama.

Happy Birthday, Mazie Moo! We love you always.

Posted in birthdays and tagged Mazie

10 Jan 2013

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Ten

I’ve never done a photo-of-the-day and I thought I would give it a go for at least the month of January. I was fully intending on blogging for each day to get myself back into it but as you can see that hasn’t happened. So I will split it up as best as I can over the month and we’ll see how it goes!

Day 1: New Years Day traditional dinner…pork and sauerkraut (and a pork roast without sauerkraut for the picky eaters in the fam), mashed potatoes, corn, cranberries, and bread.

Day 2: My Little Man helping with supper. He was stirring the homemade alfredo sauce.

Day 3: All their new gifts for Christmas and I catch them playing with my kindle fire (a gift from last year). Go figure!

Day 4: He’s so bright in the morning, when he wakes on his own. He has his great grandfather’s eyes…his dad’s head…and his mama’s chin…

Day 5: Playing with their new iPads on my bed while I was getting ready for our day.

Day 6: Finally playing Uno Roboto. The kids were dying to play it since Christmas and we finally had time. We played 3 rounds and had a blast!

Day 7: Window markers. They got a pack of regular window markers and a pack of crystallizing window markers. It’s a really cool effect. The kids love them and I do too since you don’t notice how badly my windows need to be cleaned while their artwork is displayed!

Day 8: Jeremiah’s birthday…and his cake of red velvet with peanut butter icing.

Day 9: Jamie showing one of her new outfits from Christmas. She loves how soft the dress is!

Day 10: After school homework and snack…

First ten days of January. Hopefully I’ll be back with another set soon.

Posted in Random and tagged photo of the day

08 Jan 2013

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Jeremiah’s Birthday

Many of you know that my husband likes to hold it over me that his is 5 weeks younger than me. So from my birthday in December to his, well, today. I have to deal with him being “married to an older woman” and such for a while. But on January 8, it is not the case as we become the same age. Right? That’s how it works, right?

Today happened to be back to school for the kids and Jeremiah happened to have off work. So we took advantage of our kid-free day and headed to the movies to see The Hobbit. It was lovely. We even watched it on the IMAX screen in 3D.

The kids could hardly wait to give Dad his big presents that they worked very hard on. But we ate homemade lasagna and salad (as requested for the birthday dinner) first. Then the kids sang (very loudly) Happy Birthday to our favorite dad as he welcomed his 36th birthday.

Again, the kids could hardly wait for the birthday boy to take his first bite so they could dive into the red velvet cake with peanut butter icing.

It was finally time for the kids to give dad their gifts. They worked so hard putting this together. They made one of the crafts out of their Highlights magazine. It was a game. They all took part in putting it together. Jacob stated that he drew the mountains!

They played a round and happily put it away for another time. I was so proud they made something that made sense and they did it together!

Happy Birthday, Jeremiah. We love you!

Posted in birthdays and tagged Jeremiah

07 Jan 2013

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Christmas 2012 Recap

So it’s almost two weeks after Christmas but here’s our big Christmas post.

For starters, even though I never blogged any of my goodies, we had plenty. I made peanut butter fudge, peppermint bark (some of you received that in the mail), pretzel bark, sugar cookies, red velvet cookies, peanut butter blossoms, peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies, cornflake wreaths, and triple chocolate melty snowman cookies. I did get a picture of the snowmen…

Aren’t they cute? I saw them on pinterest and used my own cookie recipe with vanilla glaze, sprinkles for the face, and a mini peanut butter cup for the hat. They were good too.

Christmas Eve, the kids set out a plate of goodies and milk for Santa (regardless of the jokes about Santa not eating goodies from Colorado ;-)), and some reindeer food and carrots for the deer, and a note for the Claus fam…

They were really messy about eating their treats too…

Santa left a note for the kids which according to Mazie looks suspiciously like my writing (which she pointed out last year as well). I have no idea what she is talking about ;-).

Christmas wrapping and bags and bows went flying around Christmas morning after a breakfast of hot cocoa and cookies (a tradition in this house). We always start with our stockings first…

I seriously have no idea what Mazie and Jacob were looking at but Jamie’s face is priceless! Then we went onto the goods…

There were no favorite gifts this year. The kids were seriously grateful for everything and loved it all. In fact, during the entire break they rotated through all their new things (aside from clothes because we are saving them to show off at school!) several times!

And two of my favorite pictures from the day…

And, yes, I’m aware I am in that last one. Funny, huh? I just love his little face.

And don’t think the second class family members were left out at all. Sadie and Maxine were pampered just before Christmas with haircuts, shampoos, and pedis with red nail polish, of course…