OPRAH!!!

Dream come true... I made it to a taping of Oprah! The show airs on October 17th. Bill Cosby was the guest. He unfortunately was not there to be funny, but to talk about all the trouble with kids these days and about his new book "Come On People". It was very moving to hear him and audience members share stories. I will probably only be on T.V. with an ugly cry face with my luck! Anyway... super cool to be so close to Oprah. What a woman. Totally down to earth. She came out carrying her high heeled shoes and talked about how her "girls" were falling out of her shirt! Something I had said about my shirt earlier! So much in common (hee hee). Great experience all around!!

Lovin' Fall Soccer Season

Kid from the "Parenthood" movie... I think so.

Pudding Plunge

Lindsey was the lucky student in her class to do the Pudding Plunge for Spirit Week. (also crazy day) What you do is put your face (hands behind the back) in pudding to find the wad of gum and the first kid to blow a bubble wins. Looking good Louie!

Big Wheel Race

When you are the 3rd child you go right to a trike or bike... you never ride a "Big Wheel"! So... it cracked me up when Abbey signed up to be in this race for Spirit Week for school. She asked me the night before "What's a Big Wheel"??? (her team came in last! But she looked sweet on the BW)

Wings for Lunch

I hook that husband mine up all the time with my work connections! He is pictured here with 2 Red Wings. Hasek & some other guy (oops!) and he bought a small jersey for Mark and got 4 signatures at this meet & greet lunch with the Wings.

Our kids school tradition for the last 5 years for Patroit's Day. Each child puts a flag in the front of their school. It's an awesome show of patriotism. It's hard to look at Abbey and see how big she is getting and realize 9/11 happened when she was a month old. And now even more people I know are headed off to war. Keep the troops in your prayers.

2 minutes alone

Luckily... they were washable markers!!!

And then there were two... well, one at home

Abbey is starting the world of being at school every day, all day. It's been an adjustment, but she is getting used to it now. Her emotions were "it's a long day" and "I miss you, can't I do what you are doing today?"

Lindsey, Miss Independent is in 4th grade and running the show! She gets Abbey up and gets them breakfast and packs lunches. I try to pamper these two and they don't let me do a whole lot more than brush their hair! Much different than Ashley and Mark. Must be the middle independent gene!

(first day of school)

MIDDLE School??!!

Ashley is the big 6th grader now. Walking to the bus stop with me pitch black at 6:55 a.m. I am still packing her lunch, helping her get hair done, reminding her to put stuff in her back pack... my way of not letting her grow up too fast! (plus, she let's me spoil her!)

(first day of school)