The Latimer Bunch

STORM WARNING

2010-06-15T13:04:00.003-04:00

So last night we had a bad storm move through, with the possibility of "tornadic activity" (lol, that term always makes me laugh). So, Bill and I put the kids to bed telling them that the worst of the storm was almost through, and there would be NO tornado's. There was still some thunder and lightning, which they've never had a problem with before, but a few nights ago at 2:30am we had this GINORMOUS crack of thunder that woke up Emma and she came running to our room...this was followed by lightning so fast and bright that it looked like we had a strobe light in our bedroom. All was well, and we survived. But, back to last night...Bill and I were watching "Shutter Island" (wierd move, btw) and she at some point had run downstairs and threw this note on the floor and ran back to her room. :) So sweet.

It says:

"Dear Mom and Dad I am scared. Please come and snuggle for 5 minutes. Love Emma.

I just LOVE her!!!!

Emma's Tea Party

2010-04-02T18:55:00.003-04:00

A couple of days ago Emma mentioned that she wanted to invite a few friends over for a real life tea party. And knowing me, I jumped all over this idea. Emma wrote out invites for 5 friends, and we planned it for toeday, the first day of Spring Break. After the invitations were delivered at school, I received a phone call from one of the mother's wanting to know if the invite was "legitimate". So, then I called the other mothers and assured them that it was in fact a real thing Emma was planning. Emma had 3 friends over for tea at two. We planned a menu of cucumber tea sandwiches (made espcially for you Opa!), pb&j tea sandwiches (for the finicky sort), strawberries, cookies, and of course tea (decaf). We spent the whole morning preparing/cleaning for our afternoon tea. It was a great success and Jenny (bless her heart) even came up to help with the party. I showed the girls how to put their tea bags in the water and then how to take them out and that a lady drinks with her pinky out (i know they don't do that now-days, but it was fun) and Jenny taught them that a lady always "dabs" with her napkin and never "wipes". We had a fun afternoon of being ladies. I'm so proud of Emma coming up with this idea all on her own, and I had soooo much fun planning it with her and making it happen.

Emma

2009-12-30T19:43:00.004-05:00

Emma has created her own personal list of things to do to get ready for tomorrow, which is New Years Eve...

#1...."Take A Nap"

#2...."12:00 Midnight"

Hahaha! I wish I could have "to do" lists that short!!!! Happy New Year to everyone!

Here I am

2009-11-17T13:14:00.002-05:00

Forgive me family, for I have slacked, it has been two months since my last post.

I promise to get something in the works in the next few days. It has been crazy with work, sickness, and Facebook! (darn that Facebook!!!)

I love you all!!!

The Children's Museum

2009-09-06T15:42:00.005-04:00

Quick post. The kids and I went to The Children's Museum today. It's a good thing it didn't cost us anything (we have a membership), because it was soooo crowded. I figured that with this being a weekend that it would be busy, but I never could have imagined! There is a King Tut exhibit there right now until October so I think it was especially crowded.

Just to give you an idea, this is PART of what I was up against.

The kids and I just visited two of the floors and then a quick run through the Dinosphere. After only one hour, we were ready to go! I told the kids that since it was so busy it was very important that they stay by me. Emma was so cute...any time that I was out of her sight she would slightly start to panic yelling "mom! mommy!!" At least they listened to me this one time! :-)

Here Come The Irish

2009-08-27T18:47:00.011-04:00

"Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."

Ok ok, enough of the nostalgia....Bill and I have been talking about taking the kids up to South Bend to walk around campus at Notre Dame. On impulse we made our 2 hour pilgrimage up to South Bend last Saturday. It was cold, drizzeling and a little windy...typical South Bend weather. We went to the book store and bought all of our goods that we would need for another football season. (I TOLD BILL NOT TO LOOK AT THE AMOUNT WHILE I PAID!!!) Then we walked around campus. Emma and Nicho loved all the trees and "meadows" as Emma called them. Really they were grassy knolls and flowers, but it was really cute. We walked by the statue of Father Sorin, the kids didn't seem to care, but I could tell it was bringing back a lot of memories for Bill. So we walked to the "Golden Dome" and tried to get the kids interested in it. It's so beautiful to see in person. I'm sure the picture won't do it justice.

I tried to change the shading on the picture so you could see the dome...but it didn't work...so now it blends in with the sky. But Bill and the kids look cute.

So then we went to the Basilica and did a quick walk thru...then on to The Grotto. We wanted to walk around St. Joseph's Lake, but since it had been raining, we decided not to. The kids were getting tired so we went back to the car. On our way back this older couple walked by us. It was really funny...they said hi...and the man says "wow, these freshman keep getting younger and younger every year!". It was pretty funny. Bill said we were showing the kids where they will go to college in a few years. Combine the drizzling rain and two whining kids...that equals "let's go".

After that we made our way over to LaPorte. Debbie, Bill's sister, was nice enough to have us over for dinner. It was wonderful to go up there. They have a Christmas tree farm and it's absoultely BEAUTIFUL up there. The kids had a great time! I wish I would've taken more pictures, but as they say hind sight is 20/20! We had a great visit with Debbie and Mike. Mike even taught Nicholas the correct way to dunk an Oreo! It was hilarious!!!! They have a yellow lab (Bo) and a black lab (Molly) and a one-eyed cat (Kelsey). The kids really adored them!!! We left a little after 7, which put us home at almost 10pm. It was a great day!!!!!

I love spending time with my family! Special thanks to Debbie and Mike for hosting us for dinner! We love you!

First Day of School

2009-08-19T17:37:00.007-04:00

I really have dropped off the face of the earth! I was enjoying our summer vacay with the kids and have such lost track of time. I will try and catch you up on what we've been up to this summer.

First, I need to tell you that my WONDERFUL husband bought me a laptop as an early birthday present. I got it on Monday. I LOVE IT!!! This one runs on Vista, so I had to download something from Sony so that my pictures would work on this. I have to say that I'm pretty proud of myself for figuring this out on my own. Many times I just wanted to call my bro Rich and have him come do it for me...but I kept telling myself that I could do it...and I did! (I'm giving myself a pat on the back even as we speak...ha!)

My posts will be out of order, but I figured I would start with the most recent event first and work backwards. Emma started 1st grade last Wednesday the 12th. She was so excited to get back to school and see some of the friends she wasn't able to see over the summer. Here are some pics of my big girl Emma!

And here is a picture of Nicholas saying that he wants to get on the bus too! He really was going to miss his big sister that day!

(That's a rug burn on his forehead...no worries, it was gone a couple of days later)

WICKED....Take 2

2009-06-08T16:04:00.011-04:00

Last Saturday, the 6th I had a wonderful date with my husband. We went to see "Wicked" for the second time. My wonderful best friend Jenny and her husband Hank (aka "Aunt Jenny and Uncle Hank") came up to watch the kids for us. (Thanks again guys! We love you!) We met our friends Andy and Kathy downtown at The Capital Grille for dinner. It was so delicious! We had Calamari in a sweet chili sauce for an appetizer, yummy! Then we each had a nice juicy steak with sides of parmesan truffel fries and broccolini (that is a cross between broccoli and asparagus....yummy!) For dessert we shared creme brulee...yummy! It was all sooooo good, as you can tell from my "yummy" comments.
After dinner we walked half way across downtown Indianapolis (me in some way cute strapy silver high heels) to the Murat Theatre to go see the show. I have to say that it is sooooo much better the second time. Don't get me wrong, the first time was great, but this was way cooler. Part of it was that I knew the songs so much better, and the other part is that we were 7 rows from the front of the stage. It was so cool to see all of the details in the costumes that I didn't notice before. The sheer power behind their voices was amazing, and I have to admit that I teared up a couple of times. Once at the end of Act 1 when Elphaba sang "Defying Gravity" and then towards the end of the Act 2 when Glinda and Elphaba sang "For Good". I laughed a lot more seeing it this time. There was this guy sitting next to me that was cracking me up because he was laughing too. It was a genuine laugh and I could tell that he was really enjoying the show.
Anyway....after the show we had to walk BACK to the car...that was a painful walk. I have never been so happy to get my shoes off. It was an awesome evening...and since we had bought our tickets in January, I was glad that the day had finally come.

Ahhhh....I heart WICKED!!!!

Happy Birthday Margaret!

2009-05-26T20:27:00.007-04:00

For those of you who don't know Margaret, she is Bill's mother...thus, my mother-in-law. I love her to pieces. She is VERY funny and VERY unpredictable. You never know what she might say. Well, today is her birthday...number 77. Yesterday we had a birthday party/cookout for her and my neice Hannah. Hannah (Banana) just turned 13 last Saturday. I love her so much and she has turned into such a wonderful young lady, of which I had no doubt, considering that her parents are two wonderful people. I can't believe that when I first met her she was only 2!!!! Children really grow up too fast.
Back to the story.......Margaret had been saying for at least the last 3 months that she was upset that we got rid of her electric can opener when we moved her to assisted living. I guess we figured that she wouldn't need it. Our bad! So with her birthday falling so close to Mother's Day, I figured that I would get her something that would be a surprise. Well, of course I got her an electric can opener. This is the picture of her opening her gift....

Let me paint the rest of the scenario for you...she is turning the box over and over and over...and she says "well, what is it?" I say, "It's a can opener! I thought you wanted one." Then she says....which I thought was so priceless...."Well honey, it's so FANCY!" I wanted to laugh a lot harder than I did. I think the last one she had was that "green" color...and this one was white...maybe she thought it was fancy. I don't know, but "good golly" she makes me laugh! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARGARET (MOM)!!!!!!
Here are some more pics...Hannah is the beautiful one with red hair. Sarah has the blonde hair and then of course you can figure out which ones are Stephen, Nicholas and Emma. Sorry I didn't have time to edit the photos. Just wanted to get something posted.

Oh Emma, you are so cute!

2009-04-30T22:51:00.008-04:00

Nicholas and I were out shopping today. The one place I cannot avoid is Target. I love that store! I had a few things I needed and then I remembered that Emma needed a few more t's for summer. Well, I come across the clearance rack and there is ONE Hannah Montana cute shirt in here size, so I snatch it up. I was thinking to myself that she would be so excited about the shirt. Well, she was excited....and LOVED the shirt. Then she wanted to know how much it cost. I told her it was $8. The next thing I know...this is what I find.....

Emma said she took the money from her piggy bank and wanted to make sure we weren't going to die. How funny is that??? Really it all goes back to our Disney trip when she thought we weren't going to have enough money to get home. I guess our little sweetheart may just really know the value of the dollar.

I'm still here

2009-04-13T20:30:00.008-04:00

Yes, I am still alive. I have been working on my post for our DisneyWorld trip. It has obviously taken me longer than expected, seeing as how we've been back for a little over a month...I promise it's coming soon. But to keep you all coming back I thought I would post something recent.

This past Saturday we decided to go to the movies. Bill and Nicho went to Monsters vs. Aliens (and loved it). Nicho did a lot better than expected and said "I loved monsters!" Emma and I went to the long anticipated release of Hannah Montana: The Movie. And please don't tell anyone...but I actually really liked it. I think the part I loved the most was that I went to it with my baby girl. It was a fun mommy and daughter date. There is a song in the movie that I really liked and thought I would post the video for your viewing pleasure...hope it works...

For some reason it brought tears to my eyes. I think most of it was because Emma was sitting on my lap at that point of the movie, and I was so happy. I was really thinking to myself..."Get a grip woman! You are at a Hannah Montana movie and you are going to cry???" So I choked backed my tears and thankfully left it at that. I did wonder though, how many other mom's were doing the same thing....SURELY I have not been the only one! We had a great time and Emma did get up and dance to the "Hoedown Throwdown". Great dance and you will have to get on YouTube to learn the dance. I'm going to! heehee

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Snow Day!

2009-02-03T18:28:00.006-05:00

Before I begin, I just want to thank those of you that read my last blog. I know that your prayers are helping. Again, thank you. They are going to need the Lord's strength in these next days, weeks, months, years.

Last week we got A LOT of snow. For us it was a lot anyway. In one day/night we got over 12 inches! (today we got another 4 inches). Anyway, the schools ended up doing a couple of 2 hour delays and one day school was cancelled. This was a very exciting day for the kids and I thought I would post a couple of pictures.

Before that snow last week, I was really hoping that we would get some good snow that the kids could go out and play in. But after a week, and it wasn't gone....and then getting this snow today...I am really really ready for SPRING!!!!

Emma and her room

2008-12-04T13:12:00.013-05:00

Before I begin, let me just preface by saying that last night I was talking to Cheri and she told me that I needed to check my blog because ALL of my latest posts were "missing". I don't know where they might have gone! I think somebody must have hijacked them! Oh dear! Let's hope that it doesn't happen again. ;-)

So, on with the story....This is Emma...

Most of you already know that Mom, Dad, Nicki and Addison are coming to visit for a week right after Christmas. We are all sooooo excited about it. I told Emma that Nicki was going to be sleeping in her room. Emma is very excited about this, and talks non-stop about it. I have to say that she comes up with the cutest things to do and say, and I know that I should blog about them more often, but I don't. Don't ask me why. Yesterday she said she was going to play in her room. I told her that she needed to clean it up too. She loves to clean her room (not sure where she got that from), so off she went! A little while later she called for me to come see her room. She is always so proud of herself. So I walked into her room and this is what she showed me. I will explain after each picture. It's too cute!

She said, "I hid my calculator".

She said, "I put all my writing stuff away".

She said, "I hid all my other stuff". (blanket lifted for your viewing pleasure)

She said, "I made my bed".

And she said, "I put my books together here, and cleaned out a drawer so Aunt Nicki will have somewhere to put all of her stuff!"

It was much funnier yesterday when she showed me, and I guess you just had to have been there. But for any of you who know Emma very well, you know that in order for her to give up ANY of her space, she just really, really must love you! (Even if it is just a night stand drawer!)

Go [Oakley] Hornets!!!!

2008-10-25T15:21:00.004-04:00

Ok, well I wish I could claim for my insight on this, but no...it is Bill. I bought this shirt for Nicho before school started because I thought it was cute yet still boyish enough for him to wear. Then the other day Bill makes mention of Nicho's shirt and says something like "Go Oakley Hornets!!!" Then it all comes clear in my head! I just told him that I did it on purpose. Yeah, I don't think he believed me.

Calling all Oma's!!!!!

2008-10-17T18:10:00.006-04:00

Before I begin this post, let me just say this one thing....NO I am not dead, nor am I in hiding either. However, I have been working a lot (like 5 days a week!!!) and am so exhausted when I get home that all I want to do is make dinner and then veg on the couch. I'm so sorry to those of you who have missed me. I'm not even sure if anyone even checks my blog anymore because it has been so long. I will not even make empty promises to do better (I've done that before after a long absence). I will say that I will try to do my best. You have to understand that there really isn't anything going on here that is worthy of blogging about.

Bill and I did go out last night to dinner at one of our favorite places for our 9th anniversary. That was so nice to go out to eat without the kids. I wish the night could have lasted longer.

Now that that part is taken care of, I will get on with my post. Picture this...I was driving the other day to pick up Nicholas from pre-school. I was stopped at a light and I look over and there is this yard sign in front of this nursing home or assisted living home. I read it and was thinking to myself "yeah, yeah, ok, they must be desperate because they always have a sign up there, must be a pretty crappy place to work." And then, I'm like, "wait a minute!!!" and I read it again. I started laughing so hard and fumbled for my phone so I could take a picture. It was too good to be true! I had never, ever, seen any company that was hiring for RN's, LPN's, CNA's and OMA's! See for yourself if you don't believe me!!!!

So, now I am calling upon any Oma's (of which I know of only one!) If you would care to move to Indianapolis, I know of a job opening! I'm not sure what the pay is like, but I'm sure it's more than what your grandchildren pay you now!

Emma got her school pictures back, so I will try and get that posted this weekend. I love and miss you all! Take care!

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round (First day of school)

2008-08-11T12:12:00.008-04:00

Well, the day is upon us. The first day of Kindergarten for Emma and Nicholas's first day back to pre-school. I do have to say that I didn't cry when Emma got on the bus. I think it made it easier because she was with friends. She was so excited to ride the bus!

Waiting for the bus at the bus stop!

Here comes the bus! All the kids were so excited!

Emma getting on the bus! I wasn't sure if she was even going to say good bye to us!

Bye bye Emma!!!

We'll see how she does on her first day. I pick Nicholas up at pre-school at 3pm and then we'll pick up Emma from the bus stop at 4pm. I can't wait to talk to her about it.
My original plan was to do something exciting with my day (I took today off). But really I've just been enjoying the peace and quiet, so I don't think I'll be going anywhere.
I'll let you know how the first day was! Love you all!

Emma loves her daddy!

2008-08-03T13:47:00.003-04:00

Just something funny and sweet to share with you all....

Yesterday afternoon we were driving back from Aldi's (a little grocery store here) and we had brought along Emma's friend Cole (he lives next door). They are great friends and are looking forward to starting Kindergarten next week. Anyway, back to the story...They are in the back seat and were talking non-stop. I stopped at a light and was watching them in the rear view mirror. And this is Emma..."my daddy works at a hosipal (that's how she prounounces it). I have the best daddy ever!" And then, with the cutest look on her face, she says with a smile, "HE calls ME a PRINCESS!!!" I just thought that was the cutest thing ever! I just wish I would've had my camera with me so I could have caught the look on her face.

Just had to share that with you!

BEST HUSBAND EVER!!!!

2008-08-01T23:58:00.003-04:00

I just have to proclaim to the world that I have the BEST, MOST UNBELIEVABLE, CARING, SWEETEST, NEED I GO ON husband in the whole world!!!!! Not ONLY did he work 11am to 11pm...(that's 12 hours, folks,in an Emernacy Room) but he came home and changed clothes and then went to Borders and purchased us the 4th and (final???) copy of the "Twilight" Series. Yay!!!
I have trueley enjoyed Stephenie's quotes of the day and am looking forward to reading the book. I'm so tired now. I need to call Bill and find out where the heck he is!!!! (I have the BEST husband EVER!!!!)

I look forward to your coments on the final?? book. My love to you all!!!

Happy Father's Day! (please forgive me for my absence)

2008-06-15T13:18:00.005-04:00

I know, I know, I know! It's been awhile. But, in my defense, I have been THINKING about posting. Time just gets away from me. Also, there hasn't been a whole lot going on to post about. We are busy getting ready for our drive to Idaho. We leave Indianapolis on the 24th, hopefully around 5am. We will also have my WONDERFUL niece, Kehli with us. I am really excited about that. I have always felt especially close to Kehli since we are both "middle children". She is such a sweetheart. We can't wait to be out in Oakley. It is going to be so much fun! Now if I could just fast forward through the 2 day drive that would make it even better. No, really it will be a great memory building experience. I just wonder how many times we will hear "are we there yet???" Hahahaha!

So, let's see, what have we been up to? We went to the zoo on May 31st (that was the last day before our membership expired). The zoo has two Koala's until September so we had to be sure to see them. And then of course we went through the Ocean's exhibit (twice). It was actually a nice day, so we were there for a couple of hours.

I also want to wish all of you dad's out there a Happy Father's Day! I hope your day is filled with much relaxation and grilling! Bill had to work today, so that really stinks. We will hopefully be able to grill out tomorrow evening if the rain holds off.

Take care and hopefully it will not be as long before I post again....but I am NOT making any promises. I have enjoyed reading all of your blogs though!

Nicholas' Surgery Day

2008-04-29T15:06:00.002-04:00

We just wanted to let everyone know that Nicholas' surgery today went off without a hitch. He had tubes put in (again) and his addenoids out. I meant to bring the camera, but since we had to be at the surgery center at 6:15am, I was still half asleep. He did great and didn't even cry, even when they took out his IV. We got home from the hospital about 6 hours ago, and from the moment we walked in the door he was walking, then soon running around. You would never have even thought he had surgery today.

Nicholas has something to say..... uyt4i46ou64u66666666666666666666666666666666666[]66666666666bbrzghcfzzgkghl

Our love to everyone!

I love my new look!

2008-04-19T20:43:00.005-04:00

I had a haircut/highlight appointment this past Thursday....and had a serious "bug" about doing something different with my hair. I was tired of normally just getting it trimmed...only to put it into a ponytail almost everyday. (Girls, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about) So, for those of you who have watched the CBS show "Big Brother" at all this season will know who Chelsea is. That is where my inspiration came from. Luckily the gal who does my hair watches it too, so she knew exactly what cut I was talking about. I did want it a little shorter than Chesea's though. Funny thing....I earned (yet again) $30 in free "product", so I opted for some moisturizing spray and a pair of sunglasses that I absolutely LOVE! I felt like a movie star. I was going to try and post the pic from the actual day that I had my hair done, but haven't gotten it yet, it's on a friends cell phone. Hopefully soon.
When Emma saw my new hair cut she said I looked beautiful and hoped that the next time I get it cut that I get it done the same way. She is so sweet! Bill is a "long hair" person, so he said it looked cute for short hair. I love it though! I feel like a new person. I didn't take a "before" picture, but just picture semi-long hair up in a pony tail. Our love to you all!

The Tooth Fairy is Coming to Town!!!!

2008-03-14T16:18:00.006-04:00

Emma lost her first tooth today! Of course it happened while she was at school, and only 3 minutes before I got there! According to her teacher she was so excited when it came out and she was showing all of her school friends and then they started yelling "It's bleeding, It's bleeding!" Apparently there was total chaos. When I walked into her classroom she was bright red and she said her head felt hot and she wanted to lay down. So, we went and got Nicho from him class and went to the car. It only took her 3 minutes to fall asleep. We got home and she layed on the couch for a few minutes, but now feels fine. She says that she will get a "coin" from the Tooth Fairy tonight. (This is from "Charlie and Lola", one of her favorite cartoons).

She is quite excited about her first tooth!

Nicholas wanted a picture taken too. He wanted to show everyone his teeth!!!

...And Good Will Conquer Evil

2008-02-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

All hail the New York Giants! I am so happy that the Patriots did NOT win the superbowl. Life is good.

Been there, got the t-shirt!

2008-01-31T13:53:00.000-05:00

My wonderful mother came out for a two week visit earlier this month (and I have now just realized that I didn't take any pics while she was here, so Mom, you have to post them on your blog now) Bill and I were fortunate enough to be able to go away for a mini-vacation. We went to the Cincinnati area for two nights and on the second night went to see "Wicked". Let me tell you....it was WONDERFUL!!! We went to see it on January 15th and I still have a few of the songs going through my head. It doesn't help that I listen to the CD everyday! I have "Popular" memorized and am really thinking about trying out for American Idol next season. Yeah right! I couldn't type that without laughing. I would NEVER subject anyone except for my children with my singing, and that is only because they never complain and they love me.
Anyway, Bill enjoyed it too, and apparently he was as surprised about this as I am. I thought we were going because we BOTH wanted to see it, when truth be told, he was doing it for me. He called Mom during intermission and said he was pleasantly surprised. Go figure!

Well, yes, I got the t-shirt to go along with it. I love it! I haven't worn it much though...I'll wait until summer. I do have to say that I look much cuter in it than this gal....geez, don't you think they would have tried to find someone better looking???? (just kidding)

Well, I was hoping to post more, but I've got to make some phone calls before Nicho gets up from his nap and then I have laundry to do.
Always a mom! Our love to you all.

Remember Me?

2008-01-25T15:05:00.000-05:00

I know, I know....I've been gone for quite some time. All I can say is...Emma's Birthday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day, Family, Football, Mom Visiting, Bill and I going on a mini vactation (thanks mom!!!) and Edward Cullen (oh...how I love Edward)! I do promise that I will be back this weekend to post some fun pictures and stories. I hope you all are doing well. Hugs and Kisses!

School Pictures 2007

2007-12-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

Here are the kids school pictures. We just got them back yesterday. It totally turned out the opposite way I thought it would. Nicholas' teacher said that he didn't want to have his taken, so I thought it wouldn't be so good. But his turned out AWESOME! If you enlarge the picture you can kind of see "water" in his eyes, like he was wanting to cry. But, I couldn't be HAPPIER with them. His FIRST school pictures. Now Emma's on the otherhand....she totally has that "forced smile". I thought she would do so much better. But, I can't complain too much because last year she absolutely refused to have her picture taken. So this is better than nothing. Let me know what you think!
We love and miss all of you!

Our Fieldtrip

2007-11-21T19:58:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I have this patient at work that is the nicest guy you would ever meet. Well, one day he came in for his appointment and he had little bits of straw on his fleece jacket. So, being the nosey people we are, we inquire about this. He said he had to feed his animals and was running a bit late, so he didn't have time to change. Then, being the even nosier people we are, we start quizing him....never imagining what he was about to tell us. He says he has quite a few pets such as Camels, a Zebra/Donkey mix, Buffalo, a Donkey, a Yak, Watusi's, Highlanders and Indu's. A couple of which I couldn't even picture what they looked like. He goes on to say that he lets some people come up to his house and see and help feed the animals. Well, we called him about a week or so later and ask if we can come up and see his animals. Being the nice person he is, he says YES! Well, we pull up to his lavish drive to the gate and ring the bell and tell his wife who we are and she opens the gate and we pull in further up the drive to see this wonderland! And these are the first of many animals we see....

These are a couple of his Watusi's. I've never seen horns this big! They are very nice and calm (at least these were, they are probably used to being around humans. The interesting thing is is that they regulate their body temperature through their horns. When you touch them, they feel warm. Arden (our patient) says that if their horns get cut, they bleed to death! So sad. Bill was paying more attention than I was to their history, so I'll have to have him add some more info.

Then we went over to their "baby pen". This picture is of Jasmine, their white camel. They have three, and I only remember her name because she LOVES attention. She got upset when the other camels were getting the attention she wanted. All the animals in this pen are 6 months old. There are the three camels, a yak, a buffalo, a Zebra/Donkey (named Z-Donk) and donkey (named Donkey) and some kind of animal that I can't remember, but his name was Oreo because he was black with a white strip in the middle. They were fun and Jasmine liked to try to eat our coats and get Nicholas' belly which he thought was too funny!
Then we piled in for a tractor ride out to the pasture.....

These are more Watusi's. The kids loved to feed them, they would come up and eat out of our hands.

These are the Highlanders. They seemed to be pretty calm and didn't care that we were there.

This is one of his Indu's. Her name is Snowflake. They have a dark brown one and his name is Chocolate. Go figure!
Then we went to see the buffalo. He said they only have about 25 now, and they used to have 150. They came running out of the valley towards us (luckily there was a gate) and it was such an amazing site! I couldn't imagine having a herd of thousands running towards me. They are so beautiful.

Arden told us about the biggest buffalo he has (can't remember his name, but he is HUGE), but one time they were coming up to eat and there was a younger buffalo eating at the spot where he usually eats, and he threw him up and over the fence, which is about 8 feet high! I couldn't believe it.
I know this post has turned out to be a lengthy one, so I'll try and wrap it up. It was just so exciting to see these animals up close and personal. Trust me, I would have had more pictures, but the batteries were dying. I'm hoping to go back and take Bill's sister and her kids and Rich and Cheri and the kids.
It was a very good day...and best of all, it was free!!! (except for the $1 we spent on the little "rides" that the kids went on)....

Our love to you all, and I hope you have a great and thankful Thanksgiving!

Fall Festivities

2007-11-05T12:16:00.000-05:00

I meant to post last night, but I was so upset by the Colts game that I just sat around and sulked.
The kids had fun on Halloween. Nicholas was especially cute in his costume, and Emma was a beautiful Princess Fiona.

Our neighborhood had a parade. There was a great turnout and the kids really were excited about the firetruck.

A few days before Halloween we carved our pumpkins, or as Emma insists we call them by their proper name "jack-o-lanterns". They had fun scooping out the "guts".

We went to a pumpkin farm a couple of weeks ago and the kids had a blast playing in the huge pile of hay. Emma was very good and kept Nicholas safe. Such a good big sis!

As you can see, we had a great time!

Tag...I'm it!

2007-10-24T16:21:00.000-04:00

I've never done anything like this, but it sounds like fun. What a great way to make me really think about myself.

I've been tagged by my wonderful sis in law RACHEL!

The rules:

A. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.

B. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog, for these rules.

1. I absolutely LOVE to cook...anything! As long as it's not boring, ordinary food. I love to try new recipes and then add my own "secret" ingredient(s) and make it even better. As a matter of fact, I've been inquiring about "The Chef's Academy" here in Indianapolis. It will be a couple of years before I start, but I'm doing my research. Funny thing though that I never thought about....Bill and I were out to dinner the other night with some friends of ours and we were trying to figure out what something tasted like. Kathy said "well I think we might have to go to cooking school." I said "you know, that is what I'm going to do. I'm going to be a chef!" She said "Yeah! Like Monica on Friends!" Then Bill said something like "You ARE trying to become Monica!!! This all makes sense now!" Anyway, NO I'm not TRYING to be like Monica, I already am!! Just kidding! :-) So, yes, I LOVE to cook.

2. I love to be alone. I love peace and quiet. It's hard to come by with two little ones running around and causing chaos! I had some alone time today while the kids were at school and got some shopping done. Then came home and enjoyed the pure silence. It was heaven!!!

3. I am being sued. I NEVER in my wildest dreams thought that I would ever be sued. But yes, the jerk that I used to work for is suing me over a bunch of nonsense. He's just doing it because I went to work for one of his old associates and he knows that it's costing me a lot of money I don't have. It started in July, hopefully it will be over soon. Unfortunately I'm becoming more knowledgable about the legal system then I would ever care for! Please say a prayer for me!

4. I love to read. I have to read before I go to bed or I can't sleep. Even if it's just a page or two (which usually ends up being a couple of chapters). I love mystery novels. Normally I read James Patterson, Iris Johansen, Patricia Cornwell or Sandra Brown. They are all excellent authors. Speaking of authors, did you hear that JK Rowling "outed" Dumbeldore??? That is so rediculous. Seriously!!!!

5. I love to watch movies with Bill. We don't get to see very many movies in the theater, so we wait until they come out on DVD and rent them. We pop popcorn and he has to have Twizzlers and Pepsi and I have to fix my "movie drink" which is Sprite and cherry kool-aid. Half the time I fall asleep, but it still is a good time.

6. I don't like Halloween. Actually, I'm getting better about it for the kids sake. It all started in Wurzburg when a girl named Cathy rode by on her bike and stole my candy. My friend Jenny has taught me that it can be fun. Halloween is her FAVORITE holiday, she goes a little crazy though. Last year she organized a halloween party at work. We do take the kids trick or treating, but I'm always on the look-out for "candy stealers". I wonder if Cathy realizes that she scarred me for life!?!

I tag Mom! As for the other 5, I'm not sure. This has been fun!

Mom and Dad's visit to Indy

2007-09-23T16:14:00.000-04:00

During mom's visit she took some great pictures. Thought I'd share with you.
Love you all!

Movie night!

Emma and Nicholas are so proud of their puzzle skills. It runs in the family.

Sweet Baby Tayler.

Emma-ism

2007-09-03T20:53:00.001-04:00

Ok, Emma says funny things all the time. But this is one that I could not resist repeating.....this is right before bedtime....

Emma: "I want to marry Gabe" (a boy from school that was in her class last year, but not this year)

Me: "You still want to marry Gabe?"

Emma: "Yeah, but he's not in my class anymore(sad face). But I see him on the playground. He's mean to me. He's says he's not my friend anymore."

side note: in the school they call their classmates "friends". so I think that since Emma and Gabe are not in the same class this year that he thinks that they are not "friends". probably logical thinking to a 4 year old.

Me: (sigh) Well, you know, he's a boy.

Emma: (thoughtful pause) "yeah, so he doesn't know what he's doing."

Me: EXACTLY! Don't ever forget that!!!

You never know what she is going to say next!! She cracks us up. I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day.

Just having some fun

2007-08-28T14:14:00.000-04:00

Our Prince and Princess!
After getting home with Nicholas' new lunch box for school we found this awesome piece of cardboard type paper inside. Well, you know me and how creative I am (NOT EVEN!) I made a crown for Nicholas and then when Emma saw it, she had to have one too. So this little piece of cardboard lead to a whole afternoon of fun! Who knew?? And you might be surprised to know that after over two weeks, they are still in one piece!

Back to school

2007-08-28T14:01:00.001-04:00

Ok, so our children aren't the best posers for pictures, but hey, we have fun! They are in their 3rd week of pre-school (I know, it took me long enough) and they are loving every minute of it. Emma goes Mon, Wed, Fri. Nicho goes Wed and Fri. They are both there from 9am to 3pm, so it's nice to be able to get things done (even though I haven't yet) if I'm not working...which I usually am. The only funny school story I have thus far is this...I ran into Emma's favorite teacher from last year and she said that she saw Nicho in his classroom the other day and he was just as happy as could be but he was trying to escape! See, they have this half door and on the inside door knob is a plastic knob thingy (moms know what I'm talking about) and so he was reaching around to the other side of the door and was trying to open it that way. She said "I took one look at him trying to escape and said to myself 'he's definitely a Latimer'"! It was really funny, but I guess you had to be there. It should be an interesting year.

Long Time, No Post

2007-07-26T13:34:00.000-04:00

Well, it is really easy to let time get away from you. It seems that life gets so much busier in the summer, but I can't tell you that we've done a whole lot. We did however go down to Santa Claus, Indiana and went to Holiday World/Splashin' Safari. It's about a 3 hour drive through the middle of nowhere, but it was so much fun! We have never taken the kids to any type of amusement park, so this was an extra special treat for all of us. We went down and spent the night at a hotel (which is a whole other story) and so we were able to go to the park that evening and then spend almost the whole day there the following day before driving home. Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot for Nicholas to do, but he was a good sport about it. Emma on the other hand wanted to (and did) ride everything that spun around in a circle. She was tall enough to go with an adult, so Bill and I would take turns going with her. Bill doesn't do so well with those rides. Poor Bill, but he loves his daughter, so he did it anyway. She had so much fun and would laugh and laugh. One funny incident was when her and I went on the Scrambler. I put my arm around her to make sure she was ok and she promptly says "Mom, don't put your arm around me, I'm fine, I can do it myself". Ok, well then I put my hand on her leg and she says "MOM! I CAN DO IT MYSELF, I'M OK". Those are not words I am ready to hear, especially since she is only 4 1/2. She is so independant. Bill says she is a lot like me. :-) Anyway, we had a great time and I can't wait until she is tall enough to ride the roller coasters...we are so going to be on those all the time. We did get to ride a kids roller coaster and she wanted to ride in the very back (a girl after my own heart), and before the ride even started she had her hands up in the air whooping and hollering. It was too funny. A lot of good memories were made those couple of days. I've added some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Our love to you all.

Our Little Pirates

2007-07-02T14:28:00.001-04:00

I just had to add these pictures. One of the presents that Nicholas got was a book w/ pirate dress up stuff. It's pretty funny.

To Infinity and Beyond!!!

2007-07-02T14:10:00.000-04:00

Another successful birthday party. I sure am glad that we have 6 months between the kids birthday parties because it sure does take a lot out of Bill and I. I do have to brag a little bit and say that I made the cake. Cheri has taught me a lot, so I'm trying to practice as much as I can. Nicholas had a great time being the center of attention, especially when 30 people stood around him and sang "Happy Birthday". He blew out his candle all on his own, even with 16 children standing close by that would have been more than happy to do it for him. He loved all of his gifts. Bill's mom gave him the first Shrek movie, and it was all over after that. He just kept saying "Shrek, Shrek". I should have known better and given him that present to open last. Here it is not even 24 hours after his party and he's already watched it twice! (though not all the way through). He received some pretty cool Toy Story things from us, and his "Aunt" Jenny and "Uncle" Hank. Lots of puzzles and books, a fun slip n' slide that we will try out after he gets up from his nap. Also some books and Thomas The Train stuff. Richard and Cheri and the kids got him this cool race track for little toddlers that he absolutely loves....even Emma wants to play with it a lot. One other thing that his Grandma Latimer gave him was this t-shirt that says "I'm two....you've been warned!" I think that is great! Too funny. Anyway, we had a great time and enjoyed seeing all of our friends and family. It's too bad that we can't get together more often, but I'll take what I can get.

Keeping Up With Tradition

2007-06-23T14:20:00.000-04:00

It has been a long standing Mickelsen family tradition to have a movie night, and with this movie night also comes POPCORN. Well, it has now become a Latimer family tradition. Most of the time it is just Bill and I since the kids are usually in bed. But, we decided to have an early movie evening and let the kids see what it's all about. They absolutely LOVE popcorn! It's the Mickelsen gene I just know it! We watched Toy Story (for about the millionth time). It was obviously Nicho's turn to choose. We all had a great time!

Nicholas' birthday is almost here, so I've been trying to get that thrown together. Bill told me not to put it off till the last minute, but somehow time got away from me. Nicholas wants a Toy Story birthday party, so I've been trying to find Buzz Lightyear/Woody things. It has been incredibly hard to find because it's not so popular anymore. I think I can make it work. My neighbor was nice enough to give me what she had leftover, and I traveled clear to the other side of town to get a couple of other things. Ughh! The things we do for our children! :-)

I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your summer! Our love to you all!

Getting to know us

2007-06-15T13:20:00.000-04:00

As I continue to figure out the fine art of blogging, I thought I would share with you what we've been up to lately.

Bill - oh sweet Bill. He is such a hard worker and a wonderful provider for the kids and I. He is a Physicians Assistant. He worked in Cardiology for one year just after graduation, and is now in the emergency room, he's been there for 6 years. He is working long 12 hour days. It is very hard on him, I just wonder how much longer he can stick it out without losing his mind. It's difficult to not have him home for so long, and then add in the holidays/weekends that he has to work, it's not much fun for any of us. But the bill's must be paid! He has also become quite the handyman around the house. First, we bought the swing set, so he had to get the ground ready for that. Using landscaping timbers, some of the neighbors tools, and about 10 square yards of dirt, he leveled out the ground and built a 24' x 28' square. It turned out really well and I am so very proud of him. He did all this in under 2 weeks on his couple of days off, and then in the mornings before he would go into work. I think it about killed him, but it looks great. Meanwhile, during all of this, we were getting ready for his mother's 75th birthday party, so I asked him to paint some of the walls in the breakfast nook that the kids had left their marks on. They looked great for about a week. :-) Then his second big job (he calls me "the taskmaster") was to get the garage under control. We've been in this house for only 5 years, but it amazes me how much junk you can aquire. So we made a trip to Lowe's and bought some garage organizational stuff and he spent about a day and a half on that. It looks much much better, but there is still some work to be done. I don't think I will ask him to do anything else for awhile. So, that's Bill. He is a wonderful husband and father, and I love him with all my heart.

Marci- There's really not much to say about me. I'm doing the same old thing. I work at Hamilton Foot and Ankle Care http://www.hamiltonfootandanklecare.com/ on Bill's days off, which is usually twice a week. It's a great job, and I've known the doctor for about 7 years. We worked together at a larger podiatry group for a few years and then he left and opened his own practice and asked me if I would like to work for him. The rest is history. It is also an added bonus because it's about a 1/2 mile from the house and takes me 1 minute to get there.....2 if there is traffic. I've been in podiatry for over 11 years now. Feet are all I know. :-) So, when I'm not working, I'm taking care of the kids and the house. The only part of the swing set part is that I took many wheelbarrow loads of mulch from the driveway to the back and spread it out. That would be 11 square yards! Have you ever seen that much mulch??? It's a lot. I didn't think I would ever finish. That's about it for me.

Emma- She is getting so big! She is 4 1/2 years old. We keep telling her that she needs to stop growing. In a taunting voice she says....."guess what? I'm going to get bigger!!!" She is a stinker, and very loud. She has two volumes, loud and louder. She is full of energy. She is a wonderful big sister and loves her brother. She is a great helper around the house when she's in the mood or is being bribed! She just finished her first year of pre-school. It was a great thing. We absolutely love the school and teachers. She really grew up a lot during the year. She is "learning" spanish (I only say that b/c they only teach them a few words, but don't expect them to actually remember.) She makes up a word that means absolutely nothing and says, "that's spanish for open". She will start pre-school again in the fall 3 days a week, and then on to kindergarten. I'm REALLY not looking forward to that.

Nicholas- Or as we call him "Nicho", pronounced like nee-ko. He will be 2 on June 30th. All I can say is HE IS SUCH A BOY!!! He has to be in constant motion. He only sits still when it's time to eat, and then it's only for about 5 minutes. He always has bruises, bumps or cuts. He loves going into our pantry and looking around. I think that would qualify as his favorite room in the house. He loves his sister because she teaches him everything that he should not be doing. He is going through speech therapy because the boy refuses to talk much in anyway that we can understand him. Erin comes to the house every Tuesday. We can see progress, but she also agrees that he is just being stubborn....much like his father in this way. :-) He'll talk sooner or later. He will start his first year of pre-school in the fall at the same school as Emma. He will go 2 days a week. What will we do with our free time???? I'm hoping that being around other children his age will help him with his speech. Only time will tell. He is still a cutie-patootie and we love him.

Ok, that's a wrap. Cheri is bringing the kids over for a sleepover tonight. Tomorrow is her and Rich's 15th anniversary, so they are going on a date. The kids and I will have a great time. I've got some fun things planned.

Ta-ta for now. I'll try and get some pics on here. Love to you all!

Ok, Ok I give in!!!!!!

2007-06-12T15:23:00.000-04:00

Alright.....since everyone else is doing it I guess I will too!!!! I do know that mom will be a happy camper. (I love you mom and miss you incredibly!!!) I think this is wonderful and I truely enjoy reading about everyone else's family, I thought that maybe you would like to hear about us.....you know, the ones that live far far away! I know very little about this blogging stuff, so don't expect too much! :-)
We have been enjoying the warm weather, although we are praying for rain. We have been keeping busy playing with the neighbor's, going to the zoo, playing on our new swing set, and eating lots of popsicles! Man it's HOT! Normally this time of year it is very very humid.....but NOT this year. We are just plain hot! Keeping the grass green seems futile, but we are trying. Tomorrow we will brave the heat and go to the zoo again. We just got a year pass, so we are trying to make the most of it. They also have an exciting "Oceans" exhibit that just opened a couple of weeks ago and Emma really enjoys "petting" the sharks. Pictures to follow......if I can figure out how. :-(
We miss all of you out there in Idaho (Paradise as dad calls it)....but if you ever want to venture back east, we will welcome you with open arms and show you a great time!
We love and miss you all........now comes the hard part....how do you add pictures?????????? :-)
(Thanks to Crystal and Kyle, this picture has been made possible. Love ya!)