Homecoming Highlights

Homecoming 2008!

Allie went to Homecoming this year with her "BFF Shannon" and her good friend Jake! Here are the pics of the girls getting ready and all the fun!

Zack's new "corner office!!!"

OOPS!

Well, we had our first accident with our new car! Unfortunately, one of the new cars backed into the OTHER new car! I wish I could say that Allie did it, because that would be understandable and easier to forgive, but it was all my fault this time. Zack & I were rushing out the door after a long night of running Allie to the store, Sophie to taekwondo and Josh to his cubscout meeting. It was 8:00pm, and we were on our way in the Suburban and the brand new Jeep to take Allie to dance and, at the same time, run the Suburban over to the car dealer to drop it off for service (it's making a funny noise) the next day. I was driving the Jeep and was completely distracted- we were leaving some of the kids, and I had been busy giving directions to Emily about the boys' baths, etc., and making sure that the babies were in the car, and it just happened!!! What a HORRIBLE feeling- you just want to turn back the clock soooo badly! Anyway, it ended up not being too much damage and all the electrical stuff still works, but it still makes me sick to think about it! I, of course, was balling like a baby, but Zack was really great about it, and knew that I was going to be very hard on myself. He kept telling me not to worry and that it was okay! I appreciate that so much- what a fabulous husband I have!!! And my mom was also great- I called her right away!- and reminded me that at least it wasn't a child and could have been much worse! And with all the chaos when we were leaving that is actually so true! So, despite two dented bumpers, today I have a lot to be thankful for: my wonderful husband, healthy children, and a great support system!! I am blessed!!!!!!!

Fw: Beautiful Advice

I just found out that I'm not the general manager of the universe- how can that be????!!!!  Enjoy this one- it's good!!! An  Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future.  If you worry about what > may  happen tomorrow > and  it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain  Even if it does happen, > you  have to worry twice.' > 1.  Pray > 2.  Go to bed on time. > 3.  Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed. > 4.  Say 'No' to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that > will  compromise your mental health. > 5.  Delegate tasks to capable others. > 6. Simplify and unclutter your  life. > 7.  Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too > many.) > 8.  Allow extra time to do things and to get to places. > 9.  Pace yourself.  Spread out big changes and difficult projects over > time;  don't lump the hard things all together. > 10. Take one day at a  time. > 11.  Separate worries from concerns.  If a situation is a concern, find > out  what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety.  If you can't > do  anything about a situation, forget it. > 12.  Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary > purchases. > 13.  Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key > buried in  the garden, extra stamps, etc. > 14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut).  This  single piece of advice can prevent an > enormous amount of trouble. > 15. Do something for the kid in You  everyday. > 16.  Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line. > 17.  Get enough rest. > 18. Eat right. > 19  Get organized so everything has its place. > 20.  Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of > life. > 21.  Write down thoughts and inspirations. > 22.  Every day, find time to be alone. > 23. Having problems?  Talk to God  on the spot.  Try to nip small problems > in the bud.  Don't wait  until it's time to go to bed to try and pray. > 24.  Make friends with Godly people. > 25.  Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand. > 26. Remember that the  shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a > good 'Thank you, Jesus  .' > 27.  Laugh. > 28.  Laugh some more! > 29.  Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all. > 30. Develop a forgiving  attitude (most people are doing the best they > can). > 31.  Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the  most). > 32.  Sit on your ego. > 33.  Talk less; listen more. > 34.  Slow down. > 35.  Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the > universe. > 36.  Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that > you've  never been grateful for before.  GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING  THINGS > AROUND FOR YOU. > 'If  God is for us, who can be against us?' > (Romans  8:31)

Baby on the move!

Sophie's Ocotpus

She's getting really good at her balloon creations. The kids loved her at Noah's party!

Noah's 6th Birthday Carnival!

Noah had a fabulous birthday carnival celebration this weekend, complete with "Sophie the clown," face painting, a cotton candy machine and some fun games! We had 16 kids plus teenagers, and the rain held back long enough for us to get it all done!

The Boys are growing up!

Big news- Matthew has finally given up his pacifier! We've tried to take it away several times, but he kept stealing Jacob's, and we decided it just wasn't worth the fight. But he kept chewing holes in his pacifiers, and he was getting a new one EVERY day- a very expensive habit! Anyway, the other day he lost the last one I had, and we just decided to suck it up, tell him it was lost, and deal with the terrible fits to come. But to our great surprise, there have been no fits! He just keeps telling us that his "sucker" is lost!!! Yay!!! Hope potty-training goes this well! The other big accomplishment is that Jacob is going up the stairs- not so great when you have 3 sets of them in your house, but it's exciting! Time to break out the baby gates!

Long-lost stock!

Zack was getting rid of some old Pfizer paperwork when he came across an old certificate from some stock that we bought on our own back in 2000. We had originally invested $1000, and we watched it go right in the toilet when the company tanked and went out of business (it's an oil and gas company), or so we thought! Zack decided to check into it and found out that they had simply changed their name, and our stock is now valued at over $1500 and climbing! It's funny because we had really agonized over that lost money- it had come out of one of Zack's bonuses at a time when we didn't have much extra money. And to know that it's still there (even such a small amount) makes us feel really great!! Hey, maybe Santa WILL come this year- just kidding!!!

Happy 6th Birthday Noah!!

Get a Voki now!

It's official...

Okay- Zack's background check just cleared, and we can officially announce that he will no longer be working for Pfizer! Zack just accepted a fabulous offer with HCA (Hospital Corporation of America- a network of hospitals) and is very excited for a wonderful opportunity to expand and further his career in a way he never could have with Pfizer!! His title will be Vice President of Sales, and he will be responsible for sales for 10 area hospitals! And the best part is- we don't have to move!!! Although Pfizer has been great to us for many years, much has changed recently, and we feel strongly that it is time to move on. This new position will allow Zack to really put his talents to use without all the limitations and regulations of the pharmaceutical industry. He has always loved working with his reps, and he will still get to do that, but now he can use his own creative skills to be an even better manager! Best of all, he is excited and energized again- it's nice to enjoy your job!!!

Crazy Calendar!!!

Here's our "have-we-lost-our-minds" schedule for the fall!
*Monday: 6:00-7:00 Sophie-Taekwondo
7:00-9:30 Emily-Swim team
8:30-9:30 Allie-Dance(Jazz)
*Tuesday: 7:30-9:30 Emily-Swim team
*Wednesday: 6:30-7:45 Sophie-church
8:00-9:15 Allie & Emily-church
*Thursday: 6:00-7:00 Sophie-Taekwondo
7:30-9:30 Emily-Swim team
*Friday: 6:00-7:00 Sophie-Taekwondo
*Saturday: 11:30am-12:30 Allie-Dance(Tap)
*Sunday: (time still to be determined) Emily-Swim team
5:00-6:30pm Whole Family!-church
This does not include:
-Josh's 2x/month boyscout meetings plus additional scout activities
-Allie & Emily's school plays (there are 3 big highschool productions during the year, and both girls will be very involved!)
-Emily's swim meets
-homework & projects x5 kids!!!
-Sophie's orchestra concerts
Poor Noah isn't doing anything this fall- we will try to get him into something for the winter if we can squeeze it in!! For those of you who wonder how we do it- we pray a lot!!!!! It's all good!

Forget crawling...he's WALKING!!!!!!!

Okay- it was just a couple of days ago that we wrote that Baby Jake is crawling. Apparently that just wasn't enough for him to keep up with the gang, and so today he started taking up to 6 steps at a time (and he even stays up after that)!!! He's just barely 9 mos, and this is definitely the earliest we've had a baby walk (Noah walked at 10 mos). My mom says I walked at 8 mos, so maybe he's taking after me! We'll get some video on the blog soon!

Cute baby pics!

You gotta love 9-month-olds!!

Our new cars!

Our 2 new cars!

It's not often that you buy 2 new cars in one day, but that's exactly what we did this past Thursday (on Zack's b-day)! One is for Zack (a 2007 Dodge Caliber) to replace his company car (shh- we're not making any announcements just yet!) and the other (a 2008 Jeep Patriot) will be our "teen-mobile"- if they can pry it away from me- I love it, and I'm still driving my same old suburban (at least it's paid for), so I'm having fun with a new car!!! Allie will get her license in November, but we'll have to see how well she's driving before we hand her the keys! Until then, it's not a gas-guzzler like mine, so I'll be using it during the day when I only have 2 boys at home! We're looking at a Jeep Commander for me in the near future- it seats 7, and we have to drive 2 cars when we all go out anyway. But for now, we have lots of options!

Terrible two fit!

Fun Friend pics!

My Teenagers!!!

I love having teenagers- it's so much fun!! Here is my new car window sticker and our yard sign!

Zack's 39th Birthday!

Baby Jake is crawling!