The kids are quite excited about all the activities going on tomorrow. Zach's class is having a Halloween dance, but it's not an after school dance - they are having it sometime during the day. He is looking forward to that. Hunter has a class party tomorrow afternoon and as soon as that is over, then Peyton's class is having their party. I have taken some vacation time tomorrow so that I can attend their class parties.
Speaking of vacation, I took the day off today and went to my MIL's work to attend their Holiday Craft event - there were all kinds of things being sold from some jeans, candles, jewlery etc. I attended and sold some of my photos that I have made into notecards, as well as, some photos that were framed. I had no expections going in, as I didn't know how much of an interest there would be, but I ended up selling 140.00 worth of photos/notecards. I was quite excited about this. There were several people that walked by and said "oh those are pretty pictures" and just walked on, but that's okay - I was still very pleased with the outcome of the day.
Tomorrow evening after the school parties, the kids and I are going to head down to my parents to go trick or treating with their cousins. It should be a fun evening for them and they are looking forward to it.
Have a Happy Halloween everyone!
Dawn
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
When Things Go Wrong...
...things go wrong!
The day started like any other Monday, with the exception that I didn't get much sleep last night. Tanner was clearly not feeling well and fussed most of the night. This morning, I was going to stay home from work to take care of him, but he ended up going back to sleep and I headed on into work. Everything seemed to be going along good with our day, until...
I got a phone call from the nurse at Hunter's school that he was in the office with a earache and they believed he might have an ear infection. Would someone please come pick him up. I called David to go pick him up and my plans were to just take him to Urgent Care tonight to get checked out. He was ready to go to the doctor immediately, so I called and was able to get him in by five and decided to take Tanner as well.
According to the doctor, Hunter had Elmo in his left ear - it was quite red and Tanner had Clifford the Big Red Dog in his left ear. We left there with prescriptions in hand and needed to make a quick stop by the store.
I decided to run into the SuperTarget so I could pick up a few groceries and poor little Tanner fell asleep sitting up in the cart. He sure didn't feel well, but I got what I needed to get and headed out to the car. I got the two boys loaded in the car and my bags loaded in the car - went to start the car and it wouldn't start!
I waited a second and attempted to start the car again - wouldn't start. At this point, I could have gotten upset - but I calmly picked up the phone and called my husband. He called his dad who was nice enough to come out and try to jumpstart me - with no luck, so we unloaded the boys from the car, grabbed my groceries and he brought us back to Independence.
As I got home, I decided to call my parents, who along with my brother Brian were convinced it was my battery and that we needed to give it another try. So, I asked David if he'd like to drive back out to Lee's Summit to give it another try before we called a tow truck in the morning. Luckily, I had just purchased a 12 pack of Diet Coke and so I took an extra for the ride. We poured some on the cables, jumped the car (with the car battery charger that David purchased for $25 a couple years ago and I threw an absolute fit about) and it started right up! Thank God! Now I owe my husband an apology for the fact that I thought the battery charger was a waste of money, would not work when needed and was a dumb purchase. Boy, was I wrong and I'm eating my words now. It's good for him to be right, occasionally. :)
Of course, I still needed to get my prescriptions filled. David took me to CVS and I ran in to "quickly" get them filled. This ended up taking almost 45 minutes, but I kept a positive attitude during this and was very patient with the staff who were doing their best to assist the influx of people that were needing prescriptions filled.
I normally handle these situations a little differently, I usually get upset and worry about how we are going to pay for the expenses required to fix, etc. However, tonight I decided to take a different approach - I was bothered, but I did not get too upset and I just prayed that it would all work out okay and it worked out without any added expense and without any added undue stress.
Monday evenings is the one night that we are couch potatos and watch t.v. all evening. After we got home from our big adventures, we decided to watch our tv shows that we recorded since we were out all evening - turns out we didn't miss a thing - they were all reruns. It's not all bad!
We are quite fortunate that things turned out as they did and even though while we were dealing with things, it seemed like everything was going wrong - it wasn't that bad looking back on it all. Just a few little kinks in our day. It's all in how you look at it and I'm glad I had a better outlook on things this time around.
Hope everyone else's day was a little less eventful than ours!
Take Care...
Dawn
The day started like any other Monday, with the exception that I didn't get much sleep last night. Tanner was clearly not feeling well and fussed most of the night. This morning, I was going to stay home from work to take care of him, but he ended up going back to sleep and I headed on into work. Everything seemed to be going along good with our day, until...
I got a phone call from the nurse at Hunter's school that he was in the office with a earache and they believed he might have an ear infection. Would someone please come pick him up. I called David to go pick him up and my plans were to just take him to Urgent Care tonight to get checked out. He was ready to go to the doctor immediately, so I called and was able to get him in by five and decided to take Tanner as well.
According to the doctor, Hunter had Elmo in his left ear - it was quite red and Tanner had Clifford the Big Red Dog in his left ear. We left there with prescriptions in hand and needed to make a quick stop by the store.
I decided to run into the SuperTarget so I could pick up a few groceries and poor little Tanner fell asleep sitting up in the cart. He sure didn't feel well, but I got what I needed to get and headed out to the car. I got the two boys loaded in the car and my bags loaded in the car - went to start the car and it wouldn't start!
I waited a second and attempted to start the car again - wouldn't start. At this point, I could have gotten upset - but I calmly picked up the phone and called my husband. He called his dad who was nice enough to come out and try to jumpstart me - with no luck, so we unloaded the boys from the car, grabbed my groceries and he brought us back to Independence.
As I got home, I decided to call my parents, who along with my brother Brian were convinced it was my battery and that we needed to give it another try. So, I asked David if he'd like to drive back out to Lee's Summit to give it another try before we called a tow truck in the morning. Luckily, I had just purchased a 12 pack of Diet Coke and so I took an extra for the ride. We poured some on the cables, jumped the car (with the car battery charger that David purchased for $25 a couple years ago and I threw an absolute fit about) and it started right up! Thank God! Now I owe my husband an apology for the fact that I thought the battery charger was a waste of money, would not work when needed and was a dumb purchase. Boy, was I wrong and I'm eating my words now. It's good for him to be right, occasionally. :)
Of course, I still needed to get my prescriptions filled. David took me to CVS and I ran in to "quickly" get them filled. This ended up taking almost 45 minutes, but I kept a positive attitude during this and was very patient with the staff who were doing their best to assist the influx of people that were needing prescriptions filled.
I normally handle these situations a little differently, I usually get upset and worry about how we are going to pay for the expenses required to fix, etc. However, tonight I decided to take a different approach - I was bothered, but I did not get too upset and I just prayed that it would all work out okay and it worked out without any added expense and without any added undue stress.
Monday evenings is the one night that we are couch potatos and watch t.v. all evening. After we got home from our big adventures, we decided to watch our tv shows that we recorded since we were out all evening - turns out we didn't miss a thing - they were all reruns. It's not all bad!
We are quite fortunate that things turned out as they did and even though while we were dealing with things, it seemed like everything was going wrong - it wasn't that bad looking back on it all. Just a few little kinks in our day. It's all in how you look at it and I'm glad I had a better outlook on things this time around.
Hope everyone else's day was a little less eventful than ours!
Take Care...
Dawn
Sunday, October 26, 2008
A Chilly Sunday Afternoon
It was a sunny, yet chilly Sunday afternoon and the kids and I didn't feel like being cooped up at home, trying to be quiet while David slept, so we took a little trip out to the Deana Rose Farm. Peyton and Aubrey came out here a few weeks ago with Grandma & Grandpa Bass, but for the rest of us it was our first trip. I have heard a lot about it, so enjoyed our visit. It was sure a chilly day, but they all had a good time. On our way out there, Peyton insisted that I was going the wrong way. I kept telling him that I knew how to get there, but I guess it was a different way than what he went before and he just knew we were not going to make it. He was quite happy when he realized that I did know what I was doing and that we had arrived.
They enjoyed the animals, with the exception of their smell - Hunter has such a hard time with this - remember the pumpkin patch. He walked through a little part of the farm today with his nose held close. Aubrey got up close and personal with a goat 
and Tanner pretty much hung out in the stroller. He liked this goat.
He did see the bobcat and was excited to see that big "kitty". Every animal to Tanner is a kitty, the squirrels in the yard, Grandma's dog, the cows in the field - they are all a kitty in Tanner's eyes. They rode on the tractor's and played on the playground. 
They were so worn out - just the way we like it. We headed home after our adventure and when we arrived back, daddy was awake so we didn't have to be so quiet.
and Tanner pretty much hung out in the stroller. He liked this goat.He did see the bobcat and was excited to see that big "kitty". Every animal to Tanner is a kitty, the squirrels in the yard, Grandma's dog, the cows in the field - they are all a kitty in Tanner's eyes. They rode on the tractor's and played on the playground. They were so worn out - just the way we like it. We headed home after our adventure and when we arrived back, daddy was awake so we didn't have to be so quiet.
Zach, Hunter and I headed out to the store and when we came back home, Peyton, Aubrey and Tanner were sound asleep. You know they played hard when all of them had a nap - that is a very unusual sight at our house!
I'm not sure if I told the story before of how Peyton sometimes just gets stuck where he is standing. Sometimes he cannot make it through the doorway without bumping into the wall or he can't lift his legs to get into the car. It is usually because something has made him mad or he is not getting his way and it can be quite humorous - although not always at the time. I had decided that I would capture this on video the next time it happened and we got to experience this today at the farm.
I'm not sure if I told the story before of how Peyton sometimes just gets stuck where he is standing. Sometimes he cannot make it through the doorway without bumping into the wall or he can't lift his legs to get into the car. It is usually because something has made him mad or he is not getting his way and it can be quite humorous - although not always at the time. I had decided that I would capture this on video the next time it happened and we got to experience this today at the farm.
According to Peyton, Zach slapped him, however I didn't see it and it caused a total abrupt stop for Peyton. Here is a little video of him stuck on the concrete as I'm trying to talk him into going to the playground. Zach ended up helping him get "unstuck" and we were able to move on with our day. I am going to save this little video to show Peyton when he gets older, as I'm sure he will appreciate that! Probably as much as I appreciate having to go through this from time to time.
All and all, it was a good weekend. It was busy as always and next weekend is Halloween and the kids are so excited to go trick or treating. We are planning on going down to Grandma & Grandpa H's house. We normally don't get to go for Halloween, as it is such a long drive for that short of time, but since this year it falls on a Friday night, we're going to make the trip down there so Great Grandma & Grandpa and Grandpa & Grandma can see them all in their costumes.
Hunter has decided to be the black Spiderman and Peyton is a Blue Power Ranger. Aubrey wanted to be a princess or ballerina, but when we were at the store looking at costumes, she decided she wanted to be a kitty - so she is going to be a black kitty and Tanner will probably be a pumpkin. Zach has some costume that isn't my first choice, but he's pleased and he will have fun walking with the little ones.
Have a good week!
Dawn
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Friendship and Fun
I spent a fun evening last night with my friend Lori. We attended the Holiday Mart at the Overland Park Convention Center and enjoyed walking around looking at the different things. We reminisced on our trip last year and how it hadn't seemed like it had been that long ago. We have already made plans to attend next year and make this an annual event. There are lots of different ideas out there and we snacked on the samples - our favorites was the cherry booth. We visited twice and ended up both making a purchase. I got a pistachio, cherry, cranberry, macadamia nut mixture - very yummy!
David got up early this morning to umpire a tournament today. I put together a pot of chili and am waiting for him to arrive home to see him for a short bit before he has to head to work tonight.
Zach stayed home today with Peyton, Aubrey and Tanner while Hunter and I headed out to Lee's Summit for a birthday party for our friends Zach and Josh Walker who will be turning six this week. Happy Birthday Josh & Zach!
The birthday party was at a bowling ally and Hunter had never been bowling before, so he really enjoyed it.
Zach has some school friends over now and they are out back playing football. It's a fun Saturday afternoon enjoying this weather for another weekend.
Tanner is needing me to get him some milk and get ready to lay down, so I'd better go help him out. He's a tired little man right now.
Have a good day.
Dawn
David got up early this morning to umpire a tournament today. I put together a pot of chili and am waiting for him to arrive home to see him for a short bit before he has to head to work tonight.
Zach stayed home today with Peyton, Aubrey and Tanner while Hunter and I headed out to Lee's Summit for a birthday party for our friends Zach and Josh Walker who will be turning six this week. Happy Birthday Josh & Zach!
The birthday party was at a bowling ally and Hunter had never been bowling before, so he really enjoyed it.
Zach has some school friends over now and they are out back playing football. It's a fun Saturday afternoon enjoying this weather for another weekend.
Tanner is needing me to get him some milk and get ready to lay down, so I'd better go help him out. He's a tired little man right now.
Have a good day.
Dawn
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Hunter
We had parent teacher conferences last night with Hunter's teacher and he has come so far since that first week of school. We were visiting with the community liason for the school and he said Hunter is the talk of the teachers from where he was the first couple of weeks to where he is at now. He started off disliking it and crying each morning, to getting his responsiblity award. We're so proud of him.
As we were looking through his papers of pictures he had colored and labeled, he puts his name at the top of each paper as Hunter5 and sometimes Hunter5 Bass. His teacher wasn't sure what he was doing, but on October 15th, it changed to Hunter6. So, he is including his age on every paper he turns in. We just thought this was cute.
She was going through all the different things and explaining "think sheets" to us. We have been fortunate with Hunter that he hasn't received any think sheets and that he has been very well behaved. He works very hard to get a treat out of the treasure chest each week and so I don't think we'll have any problems.
He is still the teacher's helper when it comes to transporting non-behaving classmates to the buddy room. She said it's interesting that the one little guy will go with Hunter just fine - maybe Hunter can give him some tips on how to reach the treasure chest at the end of the week.
His teacher did say her life would be much easier if she could just clone him into 23 other children, but since this is not an option she will just continue to use him as her helper. All and all, he is doing remarkable and we are quite proud of him!
After we got home from conferences, I went and met my mother-in-law for dinner at Chick-fil-a and then we headed over to JoAnn's for a while to look around. It was a very nice evening.
I got to work early this morning since the kids are out of school and found out first thing that my trip to Sacramento in December has been postponed until early 2009. Everyone on the trip will be given the first opportunity to go, but we'll just have to see what is going on during that time. A co-worker and I were looking forward to some sight-seeing on the side, so we were both disappointed.
I am looking forward to Holiday Mart/Ladies Night Out tomorrow evening with Lori! We went last year and had such a great time and have been looking forward to this event all year!
David asked me this evening if I just didn't want to be around him, as he found it interesting that the past week as he was working every night, I was home with the kids. He hasn't had to work since Tuesday night, and I was out last night with his mom, had Pilates tonight (which killed me by the way) and am out tomorrow night - he's getting a complex. I told him I'll be home all weekend, with the exception of a birthday party on Saturday and he has to work. How funny! Just happens to be the way things worked out.
Upcoming topics - Aubrey and Tanner
Take Care...until next time!
Dawn
As we were looking through his papers of pictures he had colored and labeled, he puts his name at the top of each paper as Hunter5 and sometimes Hunter5 Bass. His teacher wasn't sure what he was doing, but on October 15th, it changed to Hunter6. So, he is including his age on every paper he turns in. We just thought this was cute.
She was going through all the different things and explaining "think sheets" to us. We have been fortunate with Hunter that he hasn't received any think sheets and that he has been very well behaved. He works very hard to get a treat out of the treasure chest each week and so I don't think we'll have any problems.
He is still the teacher's helper when it comes to transporting non-behaving classmates to the buddy room. She said it's interesting that the one little guy will go with Hunter just fine - maybe Hunter can give him some tips on how to reach the treasure chest at the end of the week.
His teacher did say her life would be much easier if she could just clone him into 23 other children, but since this is not an option she will just continue to use him as her helper. All and all, he is doing remarkable and we are quite proud of him!
After we got home from conferences, I went and met my mother-in-law for dinner at Chick-fil-a and then we headed over to JoAnn's for a while to look around. It was a very nice evening.
I got to work early this morning since the kids are out of school and found out first thing that my trip to Sacramento in December has been postponed until early 2009. Everyone on the trip will be given the first opportunity to go, but we'll just have to see what is going on during that time. A co-worker and I were looking forward to some sight-seeing on the side, so we were both disappointed.
I am looking forward to Holiday Mart/Ladies Night Out tomorrow evening with Lori! We went last year and had such a great time and have been looking forward to this event all year!
David asked me this evening if I just didn't want to be around him, as he found it interesting that the past week as he was working every night, I was home with the kids. He hasn't had to work since Tuesday night, and I was out last night with his mom, had Pilates tonight (which killed me by the way) and am out tomorrow night - he's getting a complex. I told him I'll be home all weekend, with the exception of a birthday party on Saturday and he has to work. How funny! Just happens to be the way things worked out.
Upcoming topics - Aubrey and Tanner
Take Care...until next time!
Dawn
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Zach
Isn't this the most handsome young man? Well, I do believe so, but I might be biased!
I attended Zach's parent teacher conferences tonight and he seems to be doing quite well in school. I was glad to meet his teachers and learn how he is doing. They had good things to report, he is participating in class discussions and is making wonderful grades. I am so proud of him. He has really has excelled this year compared to the years past. I was so nervous of him switching from a small school to such a large school and I obviously had nothing to worry about. He says the biggest difference is the kids - he says the kids in his new school are much more laid back and not so "stuck-up", which really surprised me of his classmates from the years past. I never realized he felt that way. I am so happy he is doing so well and enjoying school to the fullest.
Zach was telling me that a friend of his had noticed a sign in our yard promoting one of the presidential candidates. His friend asked him if we were supporting this individual and Zach said yes. The kid told him that if that were true that he would rather not be friends with him. I was proud of Zach because he said he just looked at him and said, oh well - I'm not changing my opinion. I seriously doubt that this young man will stop being friends just because of who we are supporting, but if he does - that is his loss and I believe Zach feels the same way. I told Zach that being friends with someone doesn't mean that your views have to match 100% and that's what makes relationships interesting. How boring would life be without some differences.
It seems as if my biggest worry is around finances. I was leaving the grocery store tonight and thinking about how much I had just spent and when payday is going to get here. I happened to look down and there on the floor was a penny face up with the message "In God We Trust" and I couldn't happen but think - okay I trust everything will be okay. Sometimes I wonder if these pennies are randomly scattered to remind us to Trust in God.
Tanner is slapping my arm, holding out a book for me to read to him, so I am going to spend some time reading to my little guy who is growing impatient with me by the moment. Oh, now he's reading me the book - how cute.
Take care...
Dawn
Monday, October 20, 2008
Peyton
I dropped Peyton off at preschool this morning and his afternoon teacher was there this morning. I really haven't had the opportunity to talk with her as David always picks him up from school and I have only got to know the morning teachers. She was having a little issue with a little girl in his class who was making bad choices and the little girl was sitting there and I asked Peyton, does this sound familiar to you. His teacher said to me - "Oh, Peyton is such a sweet wonderful little boy who ALWAYS follows directions and we never have a bit of trouble out of him." I looked at Peyton and said - is this the same little boy we are talking about - he just gave me this little smile like in the picture below. See those dimples!
The one thing about Peyton is that he will always make the most out of life and will be able to have fun out of any situation. He has already proven that. Peyton is one of the sweetest little boys and the most onry all wrapped in one. I thought after our struggles yesterday that I owed him a good story.
Dawn
The one thing about Peyton is that he will always make the most out of life and will be able to have fun out of any situation. He has already proven that. Peyton is one of the sweetest little boys and the most onry all wrapped in one. I thought after our struggles yesterday that I owed him a good story. The way I look at it, he can be his true self with those he is most comfortable with, therefore, he can truly be his self at home. Plus, I would much rather have the occasional struggle at home than think he is having struggles at school!
Dawn
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Our weekend was quite busy and it had it's ups and downs to say the least. We headed to Grandma & Grandpa Harris's on Saturday and spent the day down there. The kids had much fun playing with Jon, Tyler and Nikki and were worn out by the end of the day. They slept all the way home and I was quite tired myself, so Zach & I unloaded them, took them straight to bed and then headed to bed ourselves. David had already left for work, so we missed him. He was lucky to have a nice quiet day to sleep from working nights the past week, without all the noise that happens with all the kids in the house. Sorry Grandma & Grandpa that I didn't make it by - we'll be back in a couple weeks.
Days like today make me happy that tomorrow is Monday! The kids and I went to Mass this morning and I decided we would sit in the cry room today instead of in a pew. BIG MISTAKE! I thought it would be much better, but the truth is, they acted worse than ever. Peyton and I were having a small battle and I had somewhat been wrestling with him and finally had enough. I got up to take him outside and when I got out in the lobby area, realized that my entire shirt from the bottom button clear to the top had somehow come undone! I looked down and there for all to see my shirt open wide - I was so embarrassed. No one was out there, but the cry room is in the front of church with windows looking out over the church. I don't know when this happened - it had to be when Peyton and I were struggling, but I sure hope that no one saw anything. I have never been so embarrassed! If I didn't have enough to deal with, that had to happen. This will go down in history as my most embarrassing moment for sure!
Every week is not like this - we do have good weeks where we make it without incident. Peyton actually pays attention and will watch what is going on, but if you catch him in the wrong mood - all heck breaks loose - as was the events of today. I think this boy is going to give his father and I a run for our money.
After that fiasco, we headed up to my friends house near Gallatin to take pictures of her little boy. They turned out so cute - was such a cute little guy. He wouldn't smile for me though, but I think we still got some great pictures. I like this picture of him - he was checking out a caterpillar that was crawling by.
Well, tomorrow is Monday and it should be a very busy week at work, so I should really be getting off of here. I hope everyone had a good weekend and a good week to come.
Until next time...
Dawn
Friday, October 17, 2008
Ready for the Weekend!
Do you ever have weeks that just seem to go on and on and the end never seems in sight? That seemed to be this week - mainly at work though. It was a fun week in celebrating Hunter's birthday, going to the pumpkin patch and last night we went to the Family fun night that was held by the early childhood program at Peyton's school.
I have to admit, I was quite bad last night, as I have signed up for an 8 week Pilates class on Thursday evenings. I skipped the session to attend the family fun night - I felt like spending the time with the kids were much more important! Plus, I can easily be back there next week. I did debate on this issue though, and thanks Lori for helping me to make my decision. I knew a good conversation with you would help set me straight on what I should do! :)
This weekend is sure to be filled with lots of fun and will probably be over before I know it! The kids and I will be heading down to Grandma and Grandpa's house tomorrow morning and will spend the day playing and celebrating Hunter & Nikki's birthday together. This weekend has been planned for a while, as Brian and I usually arrange to meet there when he is back from Iowa - but, the exciting news is...he is moving back home! Maybe in a few years when Tony is out of the Navy, Carrie and family can move back to the area too - I can only imagine our family get together's then with all the cousins growing up together.
Speaking of Carrie, I spoke with her tonight and they are hoping to come home for Christmas. That will be so nice and I will be so excited to meet my new niece that is expected to arrive in early December - if not sooner. From the sounds of things - little Miss Natalie Grace is trying to make her arrival before then.
I have another busy day planned on Sunday. The kids and I will head up to Gallatin, MO to take photos for a friend of mine at work. As long as the weather is nice, which I think it's supposed to be decent all weekend. I think this is the fourth weekend that I will be scheduled for a picture session and I just love it!
It would be nice if I could make this my job, but money doesn't allow for that! I would love to have a job that I loved to do, not that I don't enjoy paying invoices to demanding suppliers who want their money now and a set of co-workers who can't seem to get along on a regular basis. Oh well, I do have a manager that I like and some good friends that I've made and the opportunity to travel - so it's not all bad. I am actually very lucky that I have the opportunities that I have had.
Speaking of travel...I am excited that I will be going on another trip soon. I love these trips as I use them as my own personal way of getting to do some sight seeing and exploring new places. Last year, I went to Asheville, NC in late October and I absolutely fell in love. If David and I had the opportunity to move there, I would probably not pass it up. I worked 12 hour night shifts, came to the hotel got a couple hours of sleep and then headed out by myself to see the sights. It was amazing and I think I took over 300 photos while there.
This year, I am going to Sacramento, CA and I volunteered to work the nights - so I can spend the days sight-seeing. The hardest part of the trips is that I miss my husband and kids so much, but it pays so well and with Christmas around the corner, I can't pass up the extra money.
I better be heading off to sleep so I can be ready for our trip tomorrow. Have a good weekend!
Dawn
I have to admit, I was quite bad last night, as I have signed up for an 8 week Pilates class on Thursday evenings. I skipped the session to attend the family fun night - I felt like spending the time with the kids were much more important! Plus, I can easily be back there next week. I did debate on this issue though, and thanks Lori for helping me to make my decision. I knew a good conversation with you would help set me straight on what I should do! :)
This weekend is sure to be filled with lots of fun and will probably be over before I know it! The kids and I will be heading down to Grandma and Grandpa's house tomorrow morning and will spend the day playing and celebrating Hunter & Nikki's birthday together. This weekend has been planned for a while, as Brian and I usually arrange to meet there when he is back from Iowa - but, the exciting news is...he is moving back home! Maybe in a few years when Tony is out of the Navy, Carrie and family can move back to the area too - I can only imagine our family get together's then with all the cousins growing up together.
Speaking of Carrie, I spoke with her tonight and they are hoping to come home for Christmas. That will be so nice and I will be so excited to meet my new niece that is expected to arrive in early December - if not sooner. From the sounds of things - little Miss Natalie Grace is trying to make her arrival before then.
I have another busy day planned on Sunday. The kids and I will head up to Gallatin, MO to take photos for a friend of mine at work. As long as the weather is nice, which I think it's supposed to be decent all weekend. I think this is the fourth weekend that I will be scheduled for a picture session and I just love it!
It would be nice if I could make this my job, but money doesn't allow for that! I would love to have a job that I loved to do, not that I don't enjoy paying invoices to demanding suppliers who want their money now and a set of co-workers who can't seem to get along on a regular basis. Oh well, I do have a manager that I like and some good friends that I've made and the opportunity to travel - so it's not all bad. I am actually very lucky that I have the opportunities that I have had.
Speaking of travel...I am excited that I will be going on another trip soon. I love these trips as I use them as my own personal way of getting to do some sight seeing and exploring new places. Last year, I went to Asheville, NC in late October and I absolutely fell in love. If David and I had the opportunity to move there, I would probably not pass it up. I worked 12 hour night shifts, came to the hotel got a couple hours of sleep and then headed out by myself to see the sights. It was amazing and I think I took over 300 photos while there.
This year, I am going to Sacramento, CA and I volunteered to work the nights - so I can spend the days sight-seeing. The hardest part of the trips is that I miss my husband and kids so much, but it pays so well and with Christmas around the corner, I can't pass up the extra money.
I better be heading off to sleep so I can be ready for our trip tomorrow. Have a good weekend!
Dawn
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Happy 6th Birthday Hunter!
My little Hunter bug is now 6 years old! It seems like just yesterday that he was a newborn, amazing how time flies and now that he has started school, the years will go by faster. That is one thing I learned with Zachary - once they reach kindergarten - the years fly by and they don't stay little for long.
Hunter was so excited to take cupcakes to school today for snack time. We are not allowed to make homemade treats for school, so I picked some cupcakes in the bakery section at the store. He picked them out and when I volunteered to take them to school for him this morning, he quickly informed me that he could handle it - and he did.
I told him that I would make him a special dinner tonight for his birthday. His first choice was lasagna, but I told him that by the time I got home from work, picked up the missing ingredients and got it made, it would be late - so he decided on the next best thing - hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. Easy!
After they ate dinner, we went over for a short visit with Great-Grandma Elliott since she was unable to attend his birthday get together on Monday evening.
Hunter got many calls tonight wishing him a Happy Birthday - Grandma & Grandpa Harris, Uncle Matt & Aunt Megan, Geoffrey the Toys R US Giraffe! and he received birthday greetings from Lori! We called Nikki, his birthday cousin to wish her birthday greetings, as she turned 7 today.
I'll never forget when Nikki was born - how badly I wanted another child and thought I'd never have another one, one year to the day and minutes apart, we were blessed with Hunter. Looking back, it's interesting to think that I thought I'd never have anymore children and to look at us now! If anyone would have told me that I would end up with five children, I would have never believed them. We are truly blessed!
Tanner keeps hitting me on the arm to get my attention. He brought me a book "My Mommy and I" to read to him. He is getting mad at me, so I had better go and read him his story.
Until next time...
Dawn
Hunter was so excited to take cupcakes to school today for snack time. We are not allowed to make homemade treats for school, so I picked some cupcakes in the bakery section at the store. He picked them out and when I volunteered to take them to school for him this morning, he quickly informed me that he could handle it - and he did.
I told him that I would make him a special dinner tonight for his birthday. His first choice was lasagna, but I told him that by the time I got home from work, picked up the missing ingredients and got it made, it would be late - so he decided on the next best thing - hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. Easy!
After they ate dinner, we went over for a short visit with Great-Grandma Elliott since she was unable to attend his birthday get together on Monday evening.
Hunter got many calls tonight wishing him a Happy Birthday - Grandma & Grandpa Harris, Uncle Matt & Aunt Megan, Geoffrey the Toys R US Giraffe! and he received birthday greetings from Lori! We called Nikki, his birthday cousin to wish her birthday greetings, as she turned 7 today.
I'll never forget when Nikki was born - how badly I wanted another child and thought I'd never have another one, one year to the day and minutes apart, we were blessed with Hunter. Looking back, it's interesting to think that I thought I'd never have anymore children and to look at us now! If anyone would have told me that I would end up with five children, I would have never believed them. We are truly blessed!
Tanner keeps hitting me on the arm to get my attention. He brought me a book "My Mommy and I" to read to him. He is getting mad at me, so I had better go and read him his story.
Until next time...
Dawn
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Pumpkin Patch
It was a cold and dreary day, but it was fun for Hunter's kindergarten class as they took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch. I took a vacation day to attend the field trip with Hunter and we had a nice time. The bus driver got lost on the way to the pumpkin patch, but it was simply a wrong turn, so a quick turnaround and we got there just fine.
Mrs LaMaster's Kindergarten class 
They also got to feed the animals, however, Hunter was not to fond of this! He wasn't afraid of the animals - he just didn't like the smell. While his classmates was in the barn feeding and petting the animals, Hunter stood outside the barn holding his nose during this event.
They crawled through a blow-up caterpiller tunnel, went on a hayride around the farm and sat and listened to a story that was read about pumpkins.
They also got to feed the animals, however, Hunter was not to fond of this! He wasn't afraid of the animals - he just didn't like the smell. While his classmates was in the barn feeding and petting the animals, Hunter stood outside the barn holding his nose during this event.
This is Master Chief Hunter
I hadn't been on a school bus in probably 18 years! What an adventure with a bus load full of kindergartner's. It was a fun day and lucky for us, it didn't rain!
Take care.
Dawn
Monday, October 13, 2008
Celebrating Hunter's Birthday
It's hard to believe that Hunter is turning six on Wednesday! We celebrated his birthday this evening with Grandma & Grandpa Bass at Chuck E. Cheese. Everyone had such a good time - here are a few pictures from the evening: David & Zach enjoying a race while Hunter looks on
Hunter and Grandma enjoying a game of air hockey
Peyton showing off all the tickets he won
Aubrey enjoyed redeeming the tickets as much as playing the games - she said:
"That's my job"
Tanner had a great time playing the games. He thought he was as big as they were!
Here is a picture of the entire gang after a fun evening of pizza, presents and playing!
I have posted more pictures of the evening out on flickr. Enjoy!
Dawn
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Lazy Day Sunday
Today was a lazy day of sorts - the kids and I got up and attended Mass this morning and the kids were surprised when Grandma showed up. I knew that my parents were up in the area, and was happy to have my mom join us - especially for an extra set of hands. I was walking outside to have a "talk" with Peyton on his behavior in church when she walked up - perfect timing! They were overall pretty good, but they know when I have my hands full and take full advantage of that. I always describe church with the kids as a three-ring circus, that's how I feel when we're done.
After Mass, we went and had lunch with my parents before they headed back home. The kids and I were going to go to a park, but when we got back home David was awake, so we stayed home with him. I ended up taking a nap and I think I slept for about 3.5 hours! Tanner came up and joined me and we both slept so good, but the bad part is that I felt worse after sleeping than before. I woke up with a headache and have been blah all evening. I don't understand that - maybe too much sleep, I guess.
We enjoyed some time outdoors with the kids riding their bikes and now almost everyone is asleep ready for the new school week.
Have a good week!
Dawn
After Mass, we went and had lunch with my parents before they headed back home. The kids and I were going to go to a park, but when we got back home David was awake, so we stayed home with him. I ended up taking a nap and I think I slept for about 3.5 hours! Tanner came up and joined me and we both slept so good, but the bad part is that I felt worse after sleeping than before. I woke up with a headache and have been blah all evening. I don't understand that - maybe too much sleep, I guess.
We enjoyed some time outdoors with the kids riding their bikes and now almost everyone is asleep ready for the new school week.
Have a good week!
Dawn
Saturday, October 11, 2008
The weeks just seem to be flying by since the kids have started school. The weekends seem so short! Today was a very busy day for me - I got up early and went to the eye doctor. I am excited to be getting contacts again, I haven't worn them for a few years and have been wanting to get back into them. I went to a new doctor this time around and I was very impressed with him. I learned from him that I have a mild case of allergies. I didn't know that you could tell this from an eye exam - learn something new every day.
After my appointment, I headed over to Wal-Mart to pick up some training wheels for Hunter's new bike. David and the kids were over at his Grandma's yesterday and the neighbor had a bike for sale and I guess no one bought it, so they just gave it to her for the boys. We brought it home and they are having a great time riding bikes. Peyton has a bike that we got him for his birthday a couple years ago and so they are both set now. David took them to a park today to ride bikes and they had the best time - I wanted to go too, but I was out busy taking pictures. I think they already have plans to head to the park tomorrow with their bikes, so then I can get some pictures of them riding their new wheels.
I took some senior pictures for a daughter of one of my co-workers and we had a good time exploring the allies and streets of KC. I really liked this picture from the side of a random building that we found. It almost looks to me like she is a part of the painting on the side of the wall. We spent a good 3 hours together and got some really nice shots. I think she will be quite pleased with her senior pictures - I know I was!
As soon as I was done with Kassie, I headed over to Unity Village in Lee's Summit and met my friend Jennifer and her son Landon and we took some pictures of them. Landon was quite the little ham and so much fun to work with. We got kicked out of the main section of Unity Village, as I guess they are "closed" on Saturdays for weddings. I didn't realize this, but we headed down to a big open area with some great trees and I think they turned out very well.
All and all, it was a good day for photos and I think both of them will be quite happy with their pictures. I am my own worst critic, but even I was happy!
Take care!
Dawn
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Praying Mantis or Preying Mantis?
I have always been fascinated with the Praying Mantis or is it Preying Mantis? Here is a picture that I captured yesterday of one hanging out on a flower. 
I have seen them in the flower gardens before - but I never saw them take control over their prey. This poor yellow butterfly didn't have a chance when it flew in the path of this Preying Mantis...
Actually, if truth be known - this isn't the same yellow butterfly - but, this is what the butterfly looked like that became the prey of the mantis.
This pretty yellow butterfly became a victim to this creature called the Preying Mantis. I wondered if it would eat the entire butterfly, wings and all, but when it was done it dropped the wings on the ground. I guess this is a little different post, but found his act of nature interesting in a weird way.
Dawn
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
A Beautiful Day!
What a beautiful day! I couldn't have asked for weather more perfect for Aubrey, Tanner and I's trip to Grandma's house.
We got to Grandma and Grandpa's house this morning and visited for a little bit and then went in and visited with Great-Grandma and Grandpa Harris for a while. We had a great visit and the kids were in such a great mood today. Tanner kept giving Great-Grandpa kisses bye-bye - and Aubrey enjoyed sitting on Great-Grandma's lap and looking at pictures of Grandpa when he was a little boy. We had a nice visit and I'm so glad that I took a vacation day to spend time together!
We headed back out to Grandma's to see Grandpa before he headed for work and then spent some time in the flower garden. I took a ton of pictures today of the flowers and the butterflies were all over the place. Aubrey kept saying - "Look at the butterbly" -- I love the way she says Butterblies, it's so cute.
Aubrey was helping Grandma water the garden and she was in total control of the waterhose and ended up spraying Tanner and upsetting him over that, but she was proud of her job. I think she even sprayed Grandma - she was having a good time.
Overall, we had a great day and the boys were forgiving of us not taking them along. They were much more understanding when realizing that their cousins were in school too. Lucky me!
Dawn
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Fundraisers and Road Trips
Tonight was the first fundraiser event that was held for school and Hunter insisted that we attend. It was "McTeacher" night at McDonalds and a percentage of the proceeds between the hours of 4-8 are given to the school. I had to work late tonight and I told him it wasn't a good night to go and that I promised him we would go to the next one. He just wasn't having this - his response "but Mom, it's a fundraiser!" So, I agreed to go down there, but not for dinner.
He & I headed down and returned home with a sundae for everyone. Our small contribution for the event and a small dish of ice cream for everyone makes for a happy family!
I am looking forward to tomorrow as I have taken a vacation day. Aubrey, Tanner and I are taking a little road-trip to Grandma's house. It's pretty much top secret around here though - it will make for some very unhappy boys if they find out that we're going without them. Aubrey doesn't even know yet - can't have any bragging going on! David is looking forward to a quiet day at home. I'll just have to ask for forgiveness after we get home - probably a little easier to get from the boys than permission to go without them!
I'm looking forward to spending a day with my mom and enjoying a nice visit with my grandparents. I love my Grandma & Grandpa! It just seems like I don't get to visit much when I have all the kids with me, so this trip is for the purpose of getting to spend a little more time with them. So, Grandma - have a pot of coffee ready in the morning!
The kids are all in bed, except Tanner and he's playing so well by himself. I think I'm going to go get David & I's sundae and have our treat before heading off to sleep.
With that...have a good week!
Dawn
He & I headed down and returned home with a sundae for everyone. Our small contribution for the event and a small dish of ice cream for everyone makes for a happy family!
I am looking forward to tomorrow as I have taken a vacation day. Aubrey, Tanner and I are taking a little road-trip to Grandma's house. It's pretty much top secret around here though - it will make for some very unhappy boys if they find out that we're going without them. Aubrey doesn't even know yet - can't have any bragging going on! David is looking forward to a quiet day at home. I'll just have to ask for forgiveness after we get home - probably a little easier to get from the boys than permission to go without them!
I'm looking forward to spending a day with my mom and enjoying a nice visit with my grandparents. I love my Grandma & Grandpa! It just seems like I don't get to visit much when I have all the kids with me, so this trip is for the purpose of getting to spend a little more time with them. So, Grandma - have a pot of coffee ready in the morning!
The kids are all in bed, except Tanner and he's playing so well by himself. I think I'm going to go get David & I's sundae and have our treat before heading off to sleep.
With that...have a good week!
Dawn
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Weekend's Over
We had such a nice weather weekend again - I keep telling the kids to go outside and play and enjoy the weather for we don't know how much longer we have with these beautiful weekends.
I don't feel as if I had much of a weekend as I worked most of it. I had a wedding yesterday in Blue Springs and the couple was such a pleasure to work with. They were not from here - this was just the middle ground for their families to meet. It was a very nice wedding and for having many travelers, they had a great turn out. I enjoy photographing weddings, but they make for a long day.
The boys and I attended Mass this morning and right after we got home, I headed out again for another photo job. This time, senior pictures. We could not have asked for a better day for outdoor pictures. We took pictures at Unity Village in Lee's Summit - I just love that spot for pictures - it is the same place where we had our family pictures last year (photo at the top). I've decided it's my new favorite place, as Maggie and I discovered several different areas that just made for such wonderful backdrops. After finishing up there, we headed to Blue Springs and took some studio pictures. All & All, I think we spent at least 3 hours taking pictures today.
I sure enjoy taking the photos and the bonus part of earning a little extra money, but I don't like it when I don't get to spend my weekends with the kids. Hunter was very irritated this morning when he found out I was leaving for more pictures! How sweet - he wanted to spend the day with his mom!
The boys, including David, were long overdue for haircuts - so, everyone, with the exception of Tanner are sporting brand new haircuts. Tanner was sleeping and isn't quite in the need as the others were, so he missed out.
That's about it for this weekend - pretty uneventful. I hope everyone has a great week!
Dawn
I don't feel as if I had much of a weekend as I worked most of it. I had a wedding yesterday in Blue Springs and the couple was such a pleasure to work with. They were not from here - this was just the middle ground for their families to meet. It was a very nice wedding and for having many travelers, they had a great turn out. I enjoy photographing weddings, but they make for a long day.
The boys and I attended Mass this morning and right after we got home, I headed out again for another photo job. This time, senior pictures. We could not have asked for a better day for outdoor pictures. We took pictures at Unity Village in Lee's Summit - I just love that spot for pictures - it is the same place where we had our family pictures last year (photo at the top). I've decided it's my new favorite place, as Maggie and I discovered several different areas that just made for such wonderful backdrops. After finishing up there, we headed to Blue Springs and took some studio pictures. All & All, I think we spent at least 3 hours taking pictures today.
I sure enjoy taking the photos and the bonus part of earning a little extra money, but I don't like it when I don't get to spend my weekends with the kids. Hunter was very irritated this morning when he found out I was leaving for more pictures! How sweet - he wanted to spend the day with his mom!
The boys, including David, were long overdue for haircuts - so, everyone, with the exception of Tanner are sporting brand new haircuts. Tanner was sleeping and isn't quite in the need as the others were, so he missed out.
That's about it for this weekend - pretty uneventful. I hope everyone has a great week!
Dawn
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