Brandon at the talent show

This is Brandon at his school's talent show. He hasn't had any formal lessons, he learns all of his songs from YouTube! The song is Hotel California by the Eagles. Thanks Tess for the use of the video camera, and thank you Britty for taping this for me!

Happy Sweet 16 Britty

Macy Campbell Wilson

This is Macy Cambell Wilson! She was born today (4-13-09) at 7:52 am she was 8 lbs and was 20 1/2 inches long. She has lots of red hair and her daddy's nose. Joe will be sending me more pics, and I'll get them posted as soon as possible. Congratulations Joe!

Let it snow...somewhere else!

If any of you sang "Let it snow" this past Christmas, thanks a lot! You got your wish. I've had people ask me how much we got, and it's really hard to tell you in inches. I just know I can't remember the last time I saw my front yard. I'm assuming there's still grass down there. I'm posting some pictures of Brian and Brandon shovelling the driveway. It's not the first time this year and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Cookies & Blizzards--not the Dairy Queen type

They've been talking about bad weather for a few days now, and since it was predicted for the weekend and I don't have my holiday baking done, I made a trip to the store for supplies. Most people were getting bread & milk, just what you always need when you're snowbound. I loaded up on flour, sugar, eggs and enough chocolate to send all the kids into a sugar buzz. We did get the snow that was predicted, so I spent all day yesterday making Monster cookies. Thank goodness Bonnie & Britty were there to help, I could never have stirred the batter by myself. Who thought of a recipe with 18 cups of oatmeal? I had to break out my huge roaster to mix it all up, and Bonnie and I took turns scooping out dough and pulling cookie sheets out of the oven. It took all evening, with a short break for pizza, to get them all baked. I counted 5 gallon ziplock bags full of cookies. That's after the kids and their friends snacked on them. The novelty wore off this recipe real fast!

Now today, I'm planning to work on the rest of the cookies. I've got a list of what I want to bake, along with all the previously mentioned supplies, but the girls are suspiciously missing. We're having a blizzard right now so I know they're in the house, they're just making sure they don't get drafted for cookie duty again.

Speaking of the blizzard, they say on the radio to expect "whiteout conditions". This is something I don't recall experiencing before moving to Iowa. That's probably because I've always lived in states that grow trees in multiples, not just as the occasional accent for a yard. There is nothing in the way of woods or even small groves of trees to stop the wind & snow, hence the whiteout conditions. This part of the state is flat as a pancake and that doesn't help much either. The wind is calm right now, just 21 mph and the wind chill is -14. It's creating some interesting snow drifts in my front yard. I let Mowgli out for a potty break earlier, and he just turned and looked at me like I was crazy (You want me to do what? Open that door!).

Well I've put it off long enough. If I don't start now I'll talk myself out of it and I'll end up under a blanket watching CSI reruns. I hope everyone is having a wonderful time, I know today was the Christmas dinner. I wish we could be there to spend Christmas with you.

My Summers With You

Today is the one year anniversary of Mom passing away. I looked for a poem to post in memory of her, but I couldn't find anything I liked better than the story that Joe wrote. I'm moving it back up to the top of the blog for that reason. If anyone has any pictures of mom they'd like to add, please do so.

We miss you, Mom

Debbie tagged me...now it's your turn!

1. Do you like blue cheese? Yes, but I hated it when I was a kid.
2. Do you own a gun? One, and I'm looking for a Lady Smith.
3. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I get the Limeade
4. Do you get nervous before doctor Appointments? Depends on the appointment....
5. What do you think of hot dogs? I try not to think of them...I'm a bratt or burger person.
6. Favorite Christmas movie? It's a Wonderful Life
7. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee with French vanilla creamer
8. Can you do push-ups? I probably could but my shoulders would break.
9. Age? 46
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My pearl earrings I got from Clara & Dick in the 5th grade.
11. Favorite hobby? Cooking, followed closely by quilting.
12. Favorite Actor? Not sure
13. Do you have A.D.D.? Some people would say so....
14. What's one trait you hate about yourself? My lack of discipline at the table (can't put the fork down) --sorry Deb I copied your answer.
15. Middle name? Mae
16. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: Where did the dog wander off to.....what will I make for dinner.......when will I have time for Thanksgiving & Christmas
17. Name 3 things you bought yesterday/today? Nothing, nothing and nothing. I stayed home.
18. 3 drinks you regularly drink: coffee, tea, water
19. 3 Current worries? My kids, money, health
20. Favorite place to be? With all of my family
21. How did you bring in the New Year? Watched TV
22.Where would you like to go? Columbus
23. Tag three to six people... Britty, Bonnie Leigh and Dawn
24. Do you own slippers? Yes cute purple fuzzy ones
25. What shirt are you wearing? purple tee shirt
26. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Never have
27. Can you whistle? No.
28. favorite color? Too many to name---periwinkle is in the top 5 though
29. Would you be a pirate? No but I could use one to help with the kids from time to time.
30. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't, it would not be fair to the family.
31. Favorite girl's name? boy's name? Umm, I have 2 favorite girl names and 3 favorite boy names....lol
32. What is in your pocket? $4 and lint.
33. Last thing that made you laugh? Email from Rodney
34. Best bed sheets as a child? White with pink flowers
35. Worst injury you've ever had? sprained ankle
36. How many TVs do you own? 2
37. Who is your loudest friend? Tess
38. How many dogs do you have? None, but I "share" Mowgli (Brian & Tess' dog)
39. Does someone have a crush on you? I doubt that very seriously
40. What is your favorite book(S)? Twilight series
41. Where were you born? Columbus, Ohio
42. What is your favorite candy? Chocolate in any form
43. Favorite Sports Teams? OSU
44. What songs do you want played at your funeral? Never thought about it. I'll let the kids decide.
45.What are you doing at 12 A.M.? Sleeping
46. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I don't wanna get up.
47. Do you live away from your home town? Where are you currently? Yes, it's about an 18 hour drive. I live in Everly, IA.
48. Do you like to celebrate the holidays? Yes, Thanksgiving is the best.
49. Do you own/use exercise equipment, if so what kind? No, but I should.
50. What do you think of this long list of questions? Glad it's the end!

Maddie and Drew Are Two Weeks Old

Here is a picture Dawn sent me from Maddie & Drew's doctor visit. I'm not 100% sure but I think (judging by the blankets) that Maddie is on the left and Drew is on the right. Don't they look sweet?

Maddie & Drew

Congratulations to Dawn & Mike on the birth of Maddie & Drew! Bonnie called me earlier and said that both the babies and Jen are doing fine. As soon as I have some pictures I'll post them.

A Day At The Lake

Bonnie went to Lake Okoboji (one of the biggest lakes near here, it's about a 40 minute drive) with her boyfriend, Matt. They spent the afternoon visiting Matt's grandparents and went out on the lake. Tess, Brian's girlfriend, went along and of course Mowgli went too. It was his first time on a boat and he didn't want to swim with the kids.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!!!!!

Memorial Day Picnic

Never let Brandon have your camera.

We all didn't care at the time that he was taking pictures, we were too busy eating ribs.

Brian's Graduation

Here are some pictures of Brian's graduation. The one directly above is Brian and his best friend, Scott. The one in the middle is when they were switching their tassles right after they had all received their diplomas. The one on top is the Killer B's, plus Brian's girlfriend, Tess.

Mowgli (Part Two)

Here are some more pics of Mowgli. The one where he's in Brian's shirt was taken the day before graduation. The other two were taken at Gull Point on Memorial Day. Mowgli was eager to get out on the dock but once he was surrounded by the water he chickened out. He had more fun chasing the kids in the grass.

Mowgli

Here are some pictures of Brian and his new dog, Mowgli. He named him after the little boy in the Jungle Book. After hearing the funny noises he makes, I think he should have named him Wookie because he sounds like a baby Chewbaca. He's a smart little guy and we've had a lot of fun with him. Yesterday we took him with us on a picnic, and then to see fireworks up at lake Okoboji. He was a bit nervous at first but soon settled down (as soon as Brian held him, that is) and he watched the fireworks with interest. He went swimming in the lake with Brian & Brandon but I don't think he enjoyed it as much as they boys thought he would.

It was pretty crowded at the lakes and Mowgli got to meet a ton of people. He's very good in a crowd and with little kids. I don't think one kid passed by without asking if they could pet him. He even had some women running to get water for him when we took him to the flea market today. (we had brought water for him but they insisted on giving him some of their bottled water)

Britty

Here's Britty (in the middle) at dance team practice. I can't believe she's a freshman now. It makes me feel old to say my baby is in high school!

Pictures

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks. I am still working on getting the video uploaded. I want to remove the personal information before I put it on the blog. Our friend John is helping me with that because that is way beyond my skills. Here you go enjoy!


This is Jen at 25 weeks.



Vacation pictures from Sunset Beach North Carolina



This is the best image of Andrew we could get. You really have to study it to see him. If you look at the center of the picture you can see a profile of him. You can see a little nose and lips peeking out between everything else.

Here is a very good picture of Madison with her hand up by her face. Everyone says she has my nose.

Happy Birthday, Sarah!!

Today is Sarah Cuckler's 7th birthday.

Dad's heart surgery

Dad had his heart surgery on Monday the 16th. He had a double bypass and a valve replacement. He did great and was able to come home on the 22nd, which is sooner than we expected. The doctors said it went very well. He's sounding better each time I talk to him. Rodney is down there with him, cooking & taking care of things while dad recovers.