Tiger Cub Activity today - Police Department

Hannah, Benji (the Tiger Cub), Tucker & I went to the Canton Police Department today.  We went with Benji's Tiger Cubs.  It's always exciting visiting the Police (or Fire) Station.  The boys had a great time climbing in the police car.

Disney, here we come!!!

Well, the kids are in school and the time is going fast.  We have a lot going on over the next couple of months.  Only 8 days until we leave for Disney!  Next Tuesday (11/16) we will be flying down to Disney World for a week.  I can't believe we are actually going.  Not a typical vacation for us, but it is gong to be so much fun!

Then on 12/26, the day after Christmas we will be leaving to take Alex to BYU (in Provo, Utah) for school.  We will be home on January 4, 2011.  I can't believe it's going to be 2011!  I remember when Alex was just born....  Those were the days!  :)

We just had a family photo taken, as soon as I get the prints I'll post the pictures here.  We had a family shot and one with just the kids.

Also, if anyone wants to buy cookie dough Hannah is selling it for a band fundraiser.  I wish these were spread out over the year, this is the 4th fundraiser we've had since school started!!

Pat Buchanan sure knows how to explain my thoughts...

Pat Buchanan's latest thoughts about the whole "should we build a Mosque near ground-zero?" question is really on the mark.  I have been thinking a lot about how I feel about Muslims and how I SHOULD feel about Muslims.  I know that I am expected to love everybody and be tolerant, but I've had a hard time with the ones who think I should die because I don't believe in Allah.  Islam is supposed to be a religion of peace, yet the "terrorists" I hear about nowadays are mostly from the Islamic world.  That doesn't make sense.  I think that Pat Buchanan has explained how I feel about the issue better than I could explain it.  I especially liked this quote:


"Yet one would have to be obtuse not to understand that a Western nation that opens its doors to mass migration from the Islamic world is taking a grave risk with its unity and identity."

I really enjoy reading his articles.

Alex is going to BYU!!

Well, I can't believe this, Alex came home from EFY (a week long church summer camp for youth - Especially For Youth) and told me that he is reconsidering his college decision.  He is now thinking about going to Brigham Young University (it is an LDS-sponsored university in Utah).  This is so exciting!  I am all for the idea.  The only drawback is that he will not be able to go in September, he will have to wait until the winter term which starts in January.  He is not happy about waiting until then but he seems pretty committed to the idea so far.  Hopefully he will be able to continue working his current job at Roush until December.  Here are some pictures of my 2010 Eagle Scout/Graduate!!

More May happenings

Benji went to the Real Life Farm with his class at school.  He milked a cow and said that it felt "bumpy".  He learned about pasteurizing the milk from cows.  He also got a ride on Tank.  You can read more to see the pictures.

Other May Activities

We've had other activities this May besides the basement.  Click "read more" to look at the pictures.

Alex's Senior Prom

Alex went to his senior prom on Friday night (5/14/2010).  He went with a girl from our church who lives in the Dearborn Ward.  Her name is Emily.  They look so great!  The prom was at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi.  These pictures are taken at an old schoolhouse that is just down the road from us here in Canton, it is The Cherry Hill School (that is where we're having his grad party).  They said they had a great time!

We have walls!!!

They took only 2 days to lay the block for the basement walls.  It was amazing watching them work.  Alex told me that we can NEVER move from this house, he now has a sentimental attachment to it, he helped build the basement.  The owner of the business that did the walls hired Alex to move block & mortar and anything else they needed done.  Alex asked if he would be hiring any summer help and the guy hired Alex on the spot.  He told Alex there may be some jobs this summer that he could work on, Alex will have to call him.  I guess it's better than working at Taco Bell!!


It rained the day the sewer line was inspected, the walls caved in and knocked it around.  John had to re-do it, bummer...

It was a cold and rainy day when they started putting in the block, not very good to be working outside.  The second day was better, still cold, but the sun was out and it wasn't rainy or windy.  In these pictures you can see the two big egress windows that are on the back (in addition to the glass block window which is where a bathroom is going).  There is also a Bilco door on the side, there will be a staircase leading to the outside right from the basement.  There are also three other smaller windows, 2 on one side and 1 on the side with the door.

We're almost done!!!

Moving right along...

Wow, it's been over a week since I've posted any pictures here.  They poured the footers and put down the gravel.  Also, John had to re-do the sewer line since it needs to go under the new basement floor.  We rented a backhoe and he did it himself.  They are starting to lay the block today, they were supposed to start yesterday but it was pouring rain so they couldn't do it.  It isn't raining now but it sure is cold and windy.  There are a lot of pictures this time.

Up in the air

Yesterday (Wednesday 4/21) they lifted the house up to dig for the basement.  It is about 6 inches higher than it will be when it's all finished.  I didn't realize how much higher the other houses were that are next to us.  To make room for the sewer lines under the basement floor we will be about 8 inches higher than our next door neighbor.  It seems like we are way up in the air, but once we fill in the yard it will look very nice.  We are able to stay in the house while they are working, although it feels like a trailer does with the floor flexing and you can not only hear, but feel everyone walking around, even on the other side of the house.

In the pictures you can see the ladder we are using to get into the front door.  There are a LOT of BIG cracks in the drywall on the inside also.  We knew there would be cracks, but didn't realize they would be so big.   In one of the pictures near the bottom you can see Tucker holding up the end of the house!!  ;)

Read more to see pictures.

Progress...

Lots of work done in the past two days.  I knew this was going to be a big project, but the hardest part is making decisions about where things are going.  Like the staircase and the bathroom that will be in the basement.  We have to decide that in the next week or so.  The plumbing for the bathroom goes UNDER the basement floor so we have to decide the location now, and the staircase may determine where the beams go that support the house.  John wants a circular staircase going into the basement, that would be cool.  Click the "read more" to see the pictures.

Day 1

We are having a basement put in under the house.  The current foundation (a crawl space) is falling apart and it is a muddy, yukky mess under there.  John can't go under there in the spring because it is so muddy.  We can't use the attic fan either, it just brings up musty, moldy air into the house.  Although John already took down the mudroom between the house & garage, they started bringing over equipment today so today is Day 1 of construction.  Read more to see the pictures.

Finally got Benji's glasses

Well I finally got Benji glasses, again.  Hopefully these will last more than a few weeks.  You can't tell from the pic, of course, but these have a camouflage pattern on the sides of the frames, very cool for a 6-year old.

I really messed up this time...

Well, I thought I would change my blog a little bit.  I should have known to save my template before I started, duh!!!!!!  I really messed it up and at one point it was in Spanish!!!  Good thing it saves the blog posts in a separate place.  All I lost were the gadgets on the sidebar.  Now that it's 4 in the morning, I should probably go to bed.  :(

Hoben Poetry Jam

The kids had a poetry jam at school a couple of weeks ago. Both Hannah and Benji read a poem. I was very surprised that Benji wanted to stand up on a stage and read a poem. Both of them did a great job!!

Alex's Eagle Court of Honor

Alex's Eagle Court of Honor will be on Saturday, June 5 @ 7:00 pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (7575 N. Hix Rd, Westland -- just north of Warren Rd).

The Great Race

Why does race matter so much? I just filled out an application for Tucker for school for next year. Of course, it had the "race" question. I did not answer this. I NEVER answer this question. They called me and asked me what the answer was because they "had to enter it into the computer". I didn't argue with them, it wasn't the person's fault who was on the phone, they were just doing their job.

Am I being manipulated??

I went shopping yesterday and took Tucker with me. He was great, didn't give me any trouble. Except for one incident. I was "in" the freezer inspecting the veggies, deciding which ones to get. Tucker started pushing the cart down the isle. Before I realized it, he had just about run over an older woman. When I turned around and saw what happened I went down and scolded him for pushing the cart into people. I told him to apologize, which he did. Then we went on our way. A minute later he starts crying and said to me, "Mama, you broke my heart!!" Which, hearing him say this to me with tears running down his pudgy cheeks, broke my heart. Of course he said this because I had hurt his feelings when I scolded him for pushing the cart into people, he's very sensitive that way. Is he learning to be manipulative an early age?

I can't believe it passed :(

I can't believe they passed this health care fiasco. What a disaster this going to make the system. Good grief!! I'm so disgusted with politics lately. This proves that the politicians don't listen to their constituents anymore, they don't even pretend to listen.

I'm wondering which industry is going to be next. The federal government bails out the banks, takes over some of the auto companies, now it's health care. Which one will be next? Hmmmm....

"The Room" by Joshua Harris

I know this is a long read but as I read this I really felt that this explains the atonement so well. It created a picture in my mind of how the atonement works. I know Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and I am so grateful for the atonement. Especially with Easter coming soon, if you want to learn more about Jesus Christ or about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints you can go to www.mormon.org (the link is also in the "Links" section on my blog).

Went to Purdue

Well, we went to Purdue on Monday. Kind of a last minute thing, I called them on Friday and found out there was only one opening left for the admissions program tour and it was on Monday, so I made it happen. My family & friends are so awesome for helping us out like that!! Thanks!!

Looking for FREE places to take the kids

The kids are off school this week and have been getting restless so we went to the Henry Ford Museum on Wednesday afternoon. There are always new things to see there. I'm glad we have that family pass. I wanted to go to the Cranbrook Institute of Science as well, but the adventure pass from the library is not valid during this week. It isn't good during the week of spring break either. :(

Does anyone have any good ideas for FREE places to go?

I did get this great picture of the kids while we were there (before my battery went dead!).

I'm a "flip-flopper"

Well, Comcast made me an offer I couldn't refuse, so now I'm back with Comcast. But I am NOT changing my e-mail address or my phone number. I have a faster Internet speed now, twice as fast as it was. I can see it makes a difference, now my computer is slow. I'll have to get a new one...

Snow Day

Well, the kids finally had a snow day today. They went sledding for a while this afternoon, I should have gone out there and taken some pictures of them. I will have to do that.

I can't believe that Benji broke his glasses AGAIN! He has had glasses only about 3 months and he has broken two pair!! We can't keep up with this. Maybe we'll get him those sports glasses this time. I'm glad we have good vision insurance, we wouldn't be able to keep him in glasses otherwise!!

So the kids had a great time sliding down the hill behind our house. There hasn't been a lot of snow this year for much sledding, I looked at the forecast and it is supposed to be below freezing for the next week or so, that's good, the snow will be here for a little while anyway. Maybe more sledding this weekend!!

I agree, Janice...

My friend Janice has a post titled "Just Be Happy" and what great advice that is. I have been thinking about that post since I read it and have been trying to apply that in my life and this week has shown me the wisdom of this advice although it is sometimes a hard thing to do.

President Obama's State of the Union was very depressing. I didn't watch, of course, I knew I wouldn't be able to sit through it, but I did read some of it after and heard some of it on the radio and TV news shows. I don't think I have ever agreed with any of the policies that have come from his administration yet. And he is way more extreme than President Clinton was. I was especially upset about his comment that working for our government is a more noble career than something in the private sector. That is very disturbing that our President could possibly have that opinion.

Another thing that bothered me this week was something I heard on the radio. A morning show was going to discuss the question of whether stay-at-home moms have too much free time! I know that they did that just to stir up trouble, that's what they do. I don't know why I let it bother me, I guess because that is my identity right now and it hurts when somebody criticizes me. I haven't been one to take criticism very well.

Anyway, I let these things of the world bother me and I have to let it go. I am so glad that I am married to someone who doesn't let a lot of stuff bother him. He is such a good example to me to just let things go. I am trying to do that, I have so many other things to worry about that mean so much more in my life.

I hope all of my friends and family are doing well. I often think of all of the wonderful people that are in my life and am very grateful for each of you.

February Already

We went to The Henry Ford Museum on 1/18/2010 (the kids & John had the day off), here are a few pictures.

The Wienermobile!!

Playing with a K'nex car.

Taking a break before we leave, they are tired.

I can't believe it's February already. Alex will be graduating from high school in just a few months. :( Alex didn't go with us to the museum so I had to take his pic later. You know, he hasn't stopped talking since he started about 17 years ago!!! :)


John gave a talk in church today. He explains things so well, I enjoy hearing him talk.

Benji is learning to read, he is always asking, does this word and that word rhyme? Or this is how you spell this word. I forgot how kids do that when they are learning to read. He also comes home with all of these new "facts" he learns in school. I get the feeling he is really liking this school thing. I have been working with him at home helping him learn to read, I think once he is able to read books he is going to be off and reading everything he can get his hands on. He just likes to have so much information.

YAY Alex!!!

Well, Alex has been accepted to Purdue University!! We may have a Boilermaker in our family!! He sent in several applications and hasn't heard back from everyone yet so he isn't making a decision yet. But in the mean time, way to go Alex!!

My K'nex Genius

Well, Benji is a K'nex Genius! I can't believe that he can put these things together. He is currently working on a roller coaster. It is about 3 feet tall and probably 5 feet long. John has helped him with a little but Benji's done most of it. He is almost done, it takes up almost all of the open space in the living room. I'll share a picture of it when he is done. He can look at the picture in the instructions and just put it together. He can work at it for hours at a time!! It's amazing watching your child work so hard at something like this, and he's only 6!! Way to go Benji!! :)

New Year's Resolutions

I am going to make some resolutions this year. I can share a couple with the world, I will NOT yell at my children (I'm sure they will love this one), I will eat less and exercise more.

Let's Begin

John says I don't have time for this. He said I should name this, "As if I don't have enough things to do, I'm going to start a blog...". He's such a comedian.

The boys are playing with Moon Sand right now...quietly. :) Yes, it is real sand, they love it of course, if it's messy then they love it (I guess that's typical for kids, right?). I will try not to make all of my posts about the kids. But that is my life right now so I'm not sure what else I can write about.

We had a great Christmas and New Year. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family and great friends.