Christmas 2008

Seems like Christmas kind of snuck up on us this year (like that hasn't happened before.....). I had all my shopping finished early but we didn't help Santa assemble the gifts until the 23rd. Santa's workshop was not going to happen in an unheated basement (or an unheated and unlit garage!!!), so Brian and I dropped the kids off at his parents' house so I could wrap and Brian could assemble a train table and a craft center. The train table took him roughly 3+ hours to put together and the craft center was about 45 minutes, but both were totally worth the time because the kids were thrilled with their Santa gifts and have been playing with them constantly.


Christmas Eve was spent at my mom's house. We arrived with Claudia crying hysterically because she didn't want to wear white tights and she had not been able to give Mimi a hug and kiss before she left Mimi and Papa's house, where she had spent the night. She hadn't given Mimi a proper hug and kiss before leaving because she had been crying hysterically then too.......she was basically overtired and a complete mess. She eventually calmed down, though, and the kids opened their gifts from Grandma and cousins. Grandma gave William and Claudia fishing poles and digital cameras, both of which will get a lot of use! She also threw in a few extra gifts such as a remote control car and clothes for Claudia. The kids were also showered with gifts from their cousins. They all had a great time playing with their new toys. The Bentons gave us an annual pass to the Indiana State parks. What a cool gift! We are determined to hit every state park this year and visit the Dunes daily!

That evening, after we got home, the kids and I fixed a plate of cookies for Santa along with a glass of milk. We also leave Santa a beer because, you know, Santa loves a cold beer after all his hard work! As we were doing this, William started with all his questions... "how is Santa going to get into the house?"... "where will he put the gifts?"... "Santa told us to leave him a brat with the beer and we don't have a brat" (thank you to the Bass Pro Shop Santa for that suggestion!)... "how are the reindeer going to see the food I left in the backyard when they land on the ROOF not the yard?" Too many questions for a tired Mommy to answer! I did my best to creatively answer the questions as Brian was unloading the car. After what seemed an eternity the kids finally fell asleep and Santa began his work of carrying the goods from the basement into the living room. Santa also had to assemble the train layout which took a bit of time!

By the way, Santa noticed that the cookies that had been left for him were gone.....he assumed I had eaten them (I would've saved him at least one!), but I told him that it wasn't me. Upon closer inspection, the dog prints on the glasstop coffee table gave away the real culprit! That sneaky Sophie!!!! We don't know exactly when she pulled off the heist, since none of us saw her.....interestingly enough, the next morning William made a statement about Sophie eating the cookies, but we weren't sure if he actually saw the gobbling, or was just being funny!

William was the first to awaken on Christmas morning. He crawled into our bed as he does every morning but didn't say anything about going downstairs to see what Santa left. Eventually he degrogged and asked if we could go downstairs for a drink. He was smiling as he said this and I knew he wouldn't last long before he bolted out of bed. We asked him to go wake up Claudia, who was sleeping soundly and was not very happy about being disturbed. Claudia slid out of bed, hair sticking in all directions (!!!).....Brian asked her if she slept well and she said, "Yes, I was sleeping fine until I was woken up!" (as in, "What's up with that?!?").

We all went downstairs and the kids were very excited to see their Christmas gifts. William immediately went to his train table and began to play. Claudia made a beeline for her craft table and smiled. They played and "checked out" their stockings.... actually William dumped his stocking out onto the floor, looked at his stuff for about 0.3 seconds and went back to playing trains.....while Claudia removed each item one at a time commenting on each one, "markers, my favorite... a toothbrush, my favorite... underwear, my favorite.... candy, my favorite"!!! They both played all morning, sharing toys and eating treats along with a late breakfast.

Later in the day, we went to Mimi and Papa's house for another round of "Christmas". William said we had 3 Christmases. One at Grandma's, one at home and one at Mimi and Papa's house. The kids had fun playing with their cousins and opening all their gifts. William received new toys and clothes, including a Chicago Bears sweatshirt that was a BIG hit!!! Claudia received craft items and clothes. We had the opportunity to have a webcam call with Grandma Betty and family out in Arizona, as well as a phone call with Aunt Christie and Uncle Eric in Florida........they all had a nice Christmas too and it was nice to talk to everyone. By the end of the evening everyone was tired but everybody had a great time!

We hope everyone had a great Christmas and is recovering from the festivites!

Oh Christmas Tree...

William and Claudia with their cousins.

Last weekend we made our annual trip with my sister's family to Kingma's Christmas tree farm in Demotte, Indiana. It was a really cold and rainy day.. not as cold as it is this week, but cold enough for me!

Claudia suiting up for the hayride.

Check out Brian's stylish hat!

Once we arrived at the farm, we hopped on the hay ride to take us out to the field. Usually we find "the tree" right away but not this year... I think it was Murphy's law again.... have freezing rain = will not find tree quickly! So we wandered through the field in search of the perfect tree. Actually perfect is not correct... we just wanted a tree with a straight trunk and no bare spots. Well, after an eternity of wandering Brian found "the tree".

Brian preparing to take down the tree.

William searching for wildlife.

"I'll make sure there are no squirrels in this tree!"

William eating peanuts and warming up with hot cocoa.

It was a long day.....

Our new ornament we bought in Memphis in April.

The tire tread William added to the tree.

Lovely addition...

The final product

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas from the Stage Family!!!!

Christmas and Preschool

When I was teaching, the students and I always made holiday gifts for their parents. The kids always took so much pride in their special gifts... making them, wrapping them and creating special cards. I always enjoyed this time of year in the classroom.

Even after many years of creating gifts for parents, it still surprised me to see my own child bring home a decorated paper bag with a gift from preschool. William was so eager to give his gift to Mommy and Daddy that he smiled all afternoon waiting for Daddy to come home to share his gift with both of us.

This is what we received-- a paper bag decorated like a reindeer with a poem and a gift.

Here is a gift that's just for you,

It didn't cost a penny.

I checked my pockets for some coins,

But I couldn't find any.

So then I worked to make a gift,

It wasn't hard to do.

I made it with my own two hands,

With love from me to you!

Our handmade gift

William also had a Christmas program at preschool. He was really looking forward to being on stage and preforming. We had a little preview of his program at home as he practiced his songs. He did a great job during the performance, sang and used hand gestures to go along with the songs. He even got to wear antlers for a special part he had as a reindeer!

Look at me!

William's preschool Christmas program

Go Bulldogs!

Dear William,

You recently finished your games with your indoor soccer league. I just want to let you know that Daddy and I were so proud of you!

You are a great soccer player. I was amazed at how much control you had over the soccer ball. You were able to run all over the field (basketball court) and not let the ball get away from you.

Your endurance was incredible... you never ran out of energy! You kept going... never complaining that you were tired.

And.... we'll never forget about the awesome goal you made! What a great kick!!!

It was so much fun watching your games and cheering for you and your team! We're looking forward to watching you play again whether it be soccer or any other sport you choose.

Here are a few pictures from your last game.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Go Bulldogs

William (red and blue shorts) running for the ball.

Playing goalie

Just one more picture with Mommy

Happy 31st Birthday Uncle Eric

Detroit 2004

Sarah's 1st Birthday party March 2005


The COLDEST day of 2008



Ode to Eric

Your life is great
You've truly been blessed
You turned out alright
Who would've guessed?!?

A wonderful wife
Two beautiful kids
(But a brother you couldn't auction
For the lowest bid!)

Fast forward to '08
A crazy year
Life at 30....
Need a beer?!?

Your home was foreclosed
Your landlord's an ass
He wanted his deposit
He ain't gettin the cash

You were off in Costa Rica
Panama too
Tropical skies
And seas of blue

Sailing around
Rattling swords
In hopes of catching
Some nasty drug lords

While Christie was home
With Sarah and Lu
The property manager
Threatening to sue

Then Eric returned
To save the day
(Credit goes to Christie
But this is Eric's birthday)

We're happy you're family
We love you so much
So Happy 31st Birthday
You big Buttmunch!

With Love,
Sue, Brian, William, and Claudia


Have a great day!!!!!!

Looking forward to seeing you soon!!!!!!!!

Public Enemies

PUBLIC ENEMIES

OPENS JULY 1, 2009

Johnny Depp

Brian Stage

Christian Bale

The folks over at Empire got their hands on three first stills from Michael Mann's upcoming crime drama "Public Enemies," which lines up an all-star cast including Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Brian Stage, Stephen Dorff, Stephen Graham, Channing Tatum, Marion Cotillard and Billy Crudup.


Set during the '30s, the film follows the FBI's attempt to hunt down American gangsters John Dillinger (Depp), Baby Face Nelson (Graham) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Tatum). Crudup stars as J. Edgar Hoover, with Bale playing lawman and agent Melvin Purvis.

* Note to Reader:

As most of you know Brian was fortunate to earn himself a special role in the upcoming movie "Public Enemies". The release date FINALLY came out and we are eagerly awaiting this summer's blockbuster!!!! Please join us in celebrating Brian's fame this summer!!!

The Truth Hurts

Claudia drew a picture of Brian.

It's one of those "M&M" guys... Round body, lines for limbs.

I noticed that she added quite a bit of detail: hair, hands, feet, a mouth, teeth, eyes and a few holes in his head (she said the holes represented Daddy's forehead). Looks like Brian has two foreheads! Must be due to his receding hairline. Just joking Brian. You have just as much as hair as when I met you 18 years ago only now it's growing in your ears and nose.

After studying the picture for awhile, I began to see a resemblance....

ROSIE IS LOST (AND FOUND)

Our cat, Rosie, escaped from the house on 12/14/08.

Black and tan

12 pounds

front declaw

spayed

18 months

Please call 219-464-3815 or 219-765-8401

**************************************************************************

We had a really scary morning. We woke up and could not find Rosie anywhere! Brian and I searched the whole house shaking her can of treats hoping she would appear. She didn't show up, didn't poke her head out , didn't make a noise...

It's important to understand that Rosie has always had "issues" with being an indoor cat. Every time the door is opened, she makes a mad dash for freedom. I can't even count how many times she has flown passed me or Brian (or the kids) out the door and into the bushes. I have had to chase her through the yard in my jammies way too many times. Her favorite hiding place is behind our thorny bushes. She sits there, laughing at me because she knows that I cannot reach her without causing bodily harm to myself. That said, though, I love her anyway...

So back to this morning. We thought she may have gotten out while the whole bringing in the tree fiasco was taking place on Saturday evening. Brian said he locked her in the mudroom so she wouldn't dash out he door, but you never know... Also, during the night, Brian let Sophie, the dog, out at 1:00am and 6:00am. Either time would have been optimal for an escape (Brian was groggy).

We really searched the house. In every closet, underneath every piece of furniture - every table, chair, sofa, and bed. Looked in her litter box. Scoured the basement, including the clothes washer. She was missing. Brian called our next door neighbors and let them know to keep an eye out for her, then took to the streets to start searching. He crisscrossed the neighborhood, going in every direction at least a block or two.......down streets and alleys, calling out Rosie's name the whole time and shaking her can of Pounces........following up every sound of a barking dog, thinking the dog may be barking at poor Rosie.......unfortunately, no sign of Rosie.

Meawnwhile I began work on a flyer. Of course, Murphy's Law reared it's head. Since our printer isn't working properly, I knew we would have to go to FedEx/Kinko's or somewhere to print......of course they didn't open until noon (it was only 9am). I tried creating a flyer in WordPerfect, but for some reason couldn't save it to a disk. Brian created one on his work account in Microsoft Word and e-mailed it to our home address, but it still didn't work.

I put an ad on Craig's List as well as ads in the local newspaper, both printed and on line, and added a link to the ad from my blog. I asked Brian to go down to our neighbor Kendra's house to ask for her assistance. Kendra walks her Yorkie, Grits, at least 23 times a day (God bless her!) so Brian asked her to keep an eye open for Rosie. She and her boyfriend Mark said they were just getting ready for a walk and they would do that. Brian then continued to search the neighborhood......he ran into Kendra, Mark and Grits later, and told them about the flyer snafu.....Kendra graciously offered to print the flyers if we emailed it to her, then she would drop them off at our house......we tried to do that, but she couldn't open the email attachment (which she told us by phone, after she called our neighbors Jeff and Lori's house to get our phone #!)........Brian re-sent the flier to her from his work e-mail and we waited for Kendra to come by.

After many tears on my part, I decided to turn to St. Anthony (he is especially invoked for the recovery of things lost).... May sound silly to some of you, but I was desperate. I stood up and said, "Tony, Tony turn around. Some thing's lost and can't be found" while spinning in a circle. Then I began to search the house.....one last time. I checked in our guest room under the bed, under a chair in my bedroom and then finally under my bed.

AND THERE SHE WAS!!!! I HAD FOUND HER!!! Under my bed in a little ball. But she wouldn't come out, even after Brian shook the can of treats.......finally she crept out and ate the treats that Brian had spread on the floor, but she immediately returned to her "hiding place". Brian and I thought maybe she was sick... maybe she ingested pine needles from the tree...who knows.........

We then called the neighbors and Brian ran down to Kendra's house....she and Mark were backing out of the driveway with the fliers, ready to deliver them! They agreed that we better keep them for future use (hope we never need them!).

We then went to look for Rosie again......she was under the bed again......after being coaxed out (with more treats again), she ran downstairs where she continued to slink (walking low to the ground) around the house. She was obviously scared, which is very unusual - she's a brave cat! We pet her for a few minutes before she jumped out of our arms and skittishly tiptoed into the library (actually the kids' playroom)...... She took one look at the Christmas tree, dropped low to the ground and bolted out of the room. She was scared of THE TREE! She had been hiding the whole time because of the tree!

Thank God for St. Anthony and his ability to find missplaced cats! We are so relieved that Rosie did not spend the night outside in the freezing rain. I'll take a scaredy cat over a lost cat any day!

Reflections Of Thanks

For me, the holidays are a time of reflection and a time to count my blessings.

With that said, I decided to ask the kids what they were thankful for. Since we pray before our meals, they are pretty good at coming up with goofy colorful answers, especially Claudia who is always thankful for her last birthday party.

These are the answers they came up with:

William
turkey
Mommy and Daddy
flags
Sophie, our dog
the South Shore train
Santa
lobsters
the # 100
sharks
pirate ships

Claudia
toys
markers
Christmas
Rosie, our cat
whales
Santa
princesses
cousins
snow
Bass Pro Shop

Their list got me thinking of all the things I am thankful for. There's the obvious such as my family... and then there's a few things I take for granted...

My neighbors , Jeff and Lori. Academically gifted, yet down to earth. They make me laugh. They endlessly pitch baseballs to William and color with Claudia until her sidewalk chalk is worn down to dust AND they have provided Claudia with her best friend, Ellie.

Our hair stylist who left the salon to go back to college. Patty now comes to our house, cuts all our hair and charges half the salon price.

The flexibility Brian has with his job. Even though he covers a good portion of Northern Indiana, he still makes time to be at the kids activities and take me to my doctor's appointments in Chicago.

I'm thankful that we can pay our bills each month and still have a little money left over for swim classes and soccer.

I'm thankful that our car runs. You have to love Hondas!

I'm thankful that my kids still hug, kiss me and want to cuddle.

I'm thankful for Claudia's "I wuv you Mommy" (even if she's just trying to get out of trouble).

I'm thankful for my rheumatologist who always makes time to thoroughly answer my questions and explain why it is necessary to fill 12 tubes with my blood multiple times a year.

I am thankful that I can take a shower without worrying about bloodshed (on most days) from the little ones.

I'm thankful for reuniting with old friends, many who I grew up with and haven't spoken to in 20 years!

I'm thankful for the diversity in our neighborhood. I like the fact that our neighbors consist of professors, nail technicians, tree trimmers, attorneys, photographers and architects.

I love that our house is old and worn - including our furniture. It doesn't bother me when the kids color the kitchen table with permanent maker. Well, maybe just a little...

Out of curiosity I asked Brian what he was thankful for (I told him not to mention the obvious)...

I'm thankful for all our big trees and the beautiful colors that they show every fall.

I'm thankful that we live close to our siblings and parents. And the ones far away, I'm thankful we have the opportunity to visit them.

I'm thankful we live close to Lake Michigan.

I am thankful for my children's curiosity and never ending ability to ask questions such as, "How do reindeer fly? They don't have wings?".

*He stopped answering my questions because he was ignoring me busy reading.

Christmas Cards And All That Crap

The Stage 2008 Card

This week we received our first Christmas card. The card came from one of Brian's high school friends. The friend that scammed him out of his high school valedictorian spot (that's a story for another day). I think she still feels guilty and therefore still includes him on her list of sendees.

Along with the cards we sometimes get those goofy Christmas letters. You know... the letters that go on and on about how perfect life is. I hate those letters! I truly understand that it is much easier to write one letter, duplicate it and send it with a card, but COME ON FOLKS!

I have one ex-coworker who writes her letter in third person. "Ralph and Wanda painted the house muted green with salmon trim. Ralph and Wanda remodeled the bathroom to match the new wallpaper in the hallway...". Then she signs the letter as "Ralph and Wanda". Hello Ralph and Wanda! This is wrong, not to mention stupid! Don't you realize you are writing in third person and then signing your own name to it? Does this make sense? This does not make sense to Susan.

This year I decided to create my own letter:

Dear Family and Friends,

Christmas is fast approaching once again! This has been one hell of a year for the Stage Family. Brian's recent job interview sucked and our hopes for an increase in his salary have gone down the toilet. His only highlight of the year was working with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale while filming "Public Enemies". Brian played the role of a prisoner . You may have heard the about the unfortunate experience he had in the shower house with the other prisoners....

As for me, I had to commit myself... I have been blogging from my new home, CRAPUS (The Center for Recovery of Adults Putting Up with Shit). The last butt wiping episode with Claudia put me over the edge... The staff here is working with me to overcome my fear of potty training. I can now approach a potty chair without experiencing the "shakes". However, the smell of toilet paper still makes me erupt.

William started preschool and organized sports this year. Have you ever seen 4 year olds play T-Ball? It's a painful experience to watch. We did manage to walk away from the games without any broken bones, unlike last year when he busted his arm. Can't say so much for the other kid... we're still feeling sorry about the "incident".

Claudia made it through two days of preschool before she decided to crap in her pants. We were asked to remove her from school until her potty fear subsided. She's still fearin' the potty.

Sophie, our dog, is on her fourth litter of puppies. I knew we should of had her fixed when that neuter scooter came around....

We almost had a vacation this year.... We made it all the way to Angola, Indiana before the camper split in two on the highway. Golly, I was sorry to part with that camper...

Love, The Stage Family

Anyway... you get the idea!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Happy 9th Anniversary

Dear Brian,

Happy belated 9th anniversary. I know that I promised you that slide show back in October... but the scanner wasn't working and it took a little longer to get together than I thought. Sorry!

Can you believe it's been 9 years already? Nine looooooong painful years! Just kidding. Actually, it seems like the years have flown by, especially now that we have the kids. But, when you think back to all we have been through, witnessed and accomplished in the last 9 years, it seems like a lifetime. Here are a few memories:


Our honeymoon. Three weeks of vacation with you after a seven year LONG distance courtship was way overdue!

Buying our condo in Crown Point. That place was soooo cool. Did you realize that the bathroom at the condo was larger than Claudia's bedroom? That huge tub...the tall windows and the view of the courthouse.... 14 foot ceilings... no maintenance!

My Grandma

You running the Chicago Marathon

My dad

Nana

Buying our house in Valparaiso. What were we thinking?!! Six years later and I'm still finding plaster dust! And.... the awful floor coverings on the 2nd floor! Removing all those carpet squares in a hallway and discovering the four letter words carved in the doors? The previous owners were nuts!

Finding out we were pregnant with William. I think I took 8 pregnancy tests!

The birth of William. I'm still angry that you slept in the waiting room while I was laboring!

Getting pregnant 5 months later with Claudia. What a blessing!

The trips to Hawaii. I still can't believe how well William did on the flight! Remember William's first sentence at the beach? "Bye, bye Sun".

Claudia's birth. Thanks for not sleeping this time :)

Watching the helicopter leave St. Anthony's with Claudia aboard. It still brings tears to my eyes every time I picture her in the incubator being wheeled off by the U of C flight crew.

Our trips to Detroit to visit Eric and Christie.

William's seizure. The never ending ambulance ride. Watching a room full of medical personnel trying to stop his convulsions. The days spent in the hospital listening to him cry. Coming home and watching William desperately struggle to walk and hold his sippy cup.

The trips to Walt Disney World with the Benton's to cheer for Jordan's cheerleading squad.

Building the swing set with our awesome neighbors and Papa! Not that Jeff and I were much help....


I could continue on... but I'll stop here.

Here's your slide show!


Happy Anniversary!

Sue XO

The Little Things

Do you know what this is?

It's William's name.


He wrote it at school, all by himself.


I am so proud of him!


It's the little things like this that outweigh all the struggles that come with parenting.


This printed name, printed backwards, brought tears to my eyes.

Hobart Brickies

Dear Sydney,

Today you'll be on the plane headed for Walt Disney World for your cheerleading competition.

We just want to let you know that we are so proud of you! You worked so hard these last few years and now it's your time to shine.

Even though we won't be physically with you, we'll be with you in spirit

(get it... spirit ... cheerleading?).

We wish you the best of luck.

Dazzle those judges and break a leg (just like your sister did)!

All our love!

Uncle Brian, Aunt Sue, William and Claudia

Aaaaah, Aaaaah, SNAFU

Yesterday William had his last day of library class. This class was special because the end of the class consisted of a cookie walk (basically a cookie exchange). Puzzled by the phrase "cookie walk", the kids had lots of questions and statements:

William:

Do I walk with my cookies?

What if the other cookies are yucky?

Claudia:

Nobody's walking with MY cookies!

They're MY cookies!

I'm not giving MY cookies to those other kids!

I made chocolate chip cookies, randomly loaded them on a paper plate, covered them with foil and brought them to the library. William excitedly gave his plate of cookies to his library teacher and she walked them to the classroom while we waited in the children's' section.

Then in comes Overachiever Mom...

She's always gussied up.... make-up applied, hair perfectly done, nails polished and professionally dressed. She had several platters full of saucer-sized cookies...SEVERAL PLATTERS!!! (I will begrudgingly admit that they were beautiful Christmas platters). The rest of us (Martha Stewart "rejects" I guess) came with our paper plates and subpar mini-cookies.

Her cookies, on the other hand, were perfectly iced, delicately decorated and individually cradled in dainty wrappers! She laid them down on the round child-size table in the library, lined her child up next to the cookies and began to take a series of photos.

Now, taking a picture of one's child is nothing unusual....all parents understand that.

But this wasn't just a picture or two......this was a whole photo shoot! (interrupted only by a wipe of a dripping nose by our Ms. Photographer!) Her kid was giving pose after pose, just smiling away holding his treasured cookies as she fanatically recorded it for posterity.

THEN (and you won't see this on a Martha Stewart show!) THE KID SNEEZED ON THE COOKIES!

Yup, blew a big juicy one on the pretty goods. I saw the mother cast a quick glance around the room to see if anyone noticed the new "sprinkles"......then she proceeded to take them into the classroom to place them with everyone else's cookies!

The whole episode made a smirk come across my face as I discreetly left the room. Just a little redemption for us "underachievers"!!!!!!

All I Want For Christmas...

Note to Readers:

I've repeatedly asked my husband to install a utility sink in the basement next to the washer and dryer, but he hasn't come through... so I thought if I posted my wants on the blog, he might feel a little more pressure to actually go out and purchase this item AND install it in the basement for me for Christmas. With that said...

Dear Brian,

This year, I don't need the Christmas stocking filled with the stuff you find at Walgreens on Christmas Eve (yes, I am on to you...) and I don't want anything under the tree. What I really need is a utility sink in the basement. I know it sounds like an unusual gift, but I am a woman of practicality...

I am tired of having to scrub poopy panties (thank you Claudia), gym shoes full of dog poop (that one goes out to Sophie) , stained clothes (William takes the cake on that one...or shall I say, wears the cake!), paint brushes and the like on the main level of the house, then search for a bucket so I can carry this stuff downstairs to the washer. This sink would make my life soooo much easier!

So Brian... I challenge you to purchase this sink. And, more importantly, INSTALL it (not let it sit in the basement for 6 years like the insulation)!

Thanks and Merry Christmas to you Big Guy!

Love,

Your Favorite Wife

Is Thanksgiving Over Yet?

Boy, was this a busy holiday week!

Claudia's first trip to the theatre

Our festivities started Wednesday night with a trip to the Hobart's Art Theatre to see Madagascar 2 (or Gas Car as Claudia insisted). This was Claudia's first trip to a theater and she shared the experience with her cousins and aunt and uncle. We all had a fun time watching the movie, eating popcorn and drinking soda! Claudia was exhausted after the show and immediately fell asleep on the ride back to Valpo. I think she enjoyed her first theatre experience!

Thanksgiving morning came early for us thanks to Claudia... She's always an early riser. We spent the morning lounging around the house in our jammies and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I've never been to New York City. After watching the parade, I think a trip out east is in order for the Stage Family. My cousin's husband used to work in Manhattan Monday through Friday and commute back to Chicago on the weekends to be with his family. He had a loft in Manhattan which was vacant on weekends. It was offered to Brian and me for weekend trips. We never took advantage of the offer and now regret it because John sold the loft and the opportunity for free lodging has expired.

The rest of the morning was spent raking leaves, bathing the kids and dog and making a necessary last minute trip to the grocery store. I was responsible for bringing a salad and cranberry sauce to Brian's sister's house. The sauce had been made on Wednesday, but I waited to make the salad until Thursday.... when I opened the box of salad greens that I bought at Sam's Club, I found them to be spoiled. Boy, was I mad!

The rest of Thanksgiving Day was spent at Brian's sister's house in Bolingbrook with Brian's mother's side of the family. Once we arrived in Bolingbrook, we found it to be not only a family gathering, but a convention of the Bumpus hounds (from the movie, 'A Christmas Story"-the numerous smelly and bothersome hound dogs of the next door neighbors, the Bumpuses. The dogs destroyed the turkey prompting the family to go out and have Peking duck in its stead, resulting in a giggling fit by the mother and the boys). The house filled with dogs! Two greyhounds, one dachshund, one rat terrier,and one mutt (ours). Turkey and Bumpus hounds are never a safe mix! Lucky for us the turkey was not snatched by the hounds...

On Friday, we went to my mom's house for a second Thanksgiving dinner with my sister's family, the Bentons. The kids spent time decorating Grandma's Christmas tree and did a superb job, even if all the ornaments are on the bottom half of the tree! We took a picture of all six grand kids next to the tree for Grandma's photo Christmas card. It's sooo hard to take a picture of six kids because one always is looking away or has their eyes closed or is busy peeing on the floor! The evening ended with tired kids and a short ride home. Thank goodness!

Cheese!

Saturday was Brian's 39th birthday. He was woken up by his two kiddos climbing into bed with him. William actually fell back to sleep but Claudia continued to stay awake jabbering.... Later that afternoon, we met Gayle and the kids, minus Jordan, at Bass Pro Shops to see Santa and eat supper. The kids enjoyed telling Santa what they wanted for Christmas- fishing poles (William), stuffed raccoons (Claudia), video games (the older kids).... and checking out all the holiday activities that were offered. We had a good but slow meal at the restaurant. The kids had a hard time sitting for so long... we knew it was time to leave when Claudia pinned Sydney to the floor after a trip to the bathroom. Who knew that Claudia had all that strength in that dinky body!?!

Wake Up Daddy! Wake Up!

Brian, Claudia, me

Santa and the kids

Claudia's raccoon, Mrs. Softie, attacking Brian

On Sunday Brian's parents came over to celebrate Brian's birthday. They stayed for supper and birthday cake. Brian's dad fixed my printer so that I can now use the scanner. Mimi entertained the kids so that Brian and I could pull the Christmas decorations out of the attic. We put out just a fraction of our holiday "stuff". We have way too much as far as decorations go. A couple of years ago, I gave away a lot of decorations, but, I swear, they multiply during the year up in the attic (maybe they're fertilized by the bats!) We still need to take down our Nativity scenes (yes, we do have more than one), put up the outdoor lights, head to the tree farm for our tree and decorate the tree.

Sunday ended with a really late night of work for Brian. I found him at 2:00am at work on the computer getting ready for a Monday morning presentation and a Tuesday job interview!

Happy Birthday to you.....

What a busy holiday week we had, but it was fun!

Can't wait for the rest of the holidays to come!

P.S. Brian has a big interview tomorrow. Please say a prayer for him. He really wants this job! Thanks!

Happy Toes

We were getting ready to head out and run a few errands when William removed his socks. When I asked him why he took his socks off, he answered,

"My toes are giggling."

"What do you mean your toes are giggling?"

"My socks are tickling my toes and my toes are giggling."

My Name Is Susan And I'm An Insomniac

Do you remember the story of the Princess and the Pea? The young lady could not sleep because there was a pea under her 20 or so mattresses that she was "sleeping" on. The pea was put there by a queen as a test to see if the young lady was indeed a REAL princess...

Well, I have had peas under my mattress for a long time.... So long that the peas are rock hard. Granted I don't claim to be a princess, I just can't sleep!

I have had this pea issue since I was in high school. Back in the old days, I worked in the evening at a department store, Crawford's, then came home to a night of homework and studying. After the schoolwork, I would be so wound up that I couldn't get to sleep.

Then there was college and yet more peas... Between the typical crazy schedule of a college student, coupled with roommates (one sleep talker- not mentioning any names) and late night phone calls from a particular boyfriend - "Just got back to the house from a late night of, aah, studying. Yeah we were studying... belch...!" - I can count the number of times I slept through the night in college on one hand - Two! Two nights of non-alcohol induced sleep!

Then I got married and the peas multiplied! Brian, my husband, makes a lot of noise when he sleeps. He has the unique ability to produce noise simultaneously out of every orifice of his body! Not only does he "serenade" me throughout the night, but he is also a bed pig. Which isn't to say he necessarily takes over my sleeping space... he's just taken what used to be mine prior to the marriage.

Because of the lack of sleeping space, I just can't roll over anymore. I have to roll over and scoot myself back to my side of the bed so that I don't invade his territory. Roll... scoot... Roll... scoot.... Why can't I just roll and remain where I am? Those were the good old single days.

Then there are the trains. I hate the trains. Never liked them, never will! They blow their stinkin' horns at every crossing- which I now count and recite as they blow, "Roosevelt, Calumet, Franklin, Washington, Lafayette, ....". Some engineers hush the train horns at night. Some, on the other hand, like to blow the horn as loud as they can for as long as they can.....I know it's just to irritate me......some kind of twisted torture.......as if I ever did anything to a train engineer.

Along with the trains, there's the moaning dog, the biting cat and, of course, the kids. Especially William, who thinks our bed is an extension of his.

Once, out of desperation, I brought the issue up with my doctor........She asked me if I had tried "prayer"as a sleep remedy. I had to restrain myself from telling her to kiss my holy ass. But I refrained from profanity and instead kindly thanked her for the suggestion as she handed me a Rx for a sleep study.

I've tried everything from sleep aids to warm milk( disgusting!), hot baths, earplugs, daily exercise, fans, sound machines, less caffeine intake, a regular sleep "routine" and even a lavender spray for my sheets. NOTHING has worked!

I've accepted that I'm going to have to live my life in a pea-induced haze. I can't get rid of Brian, the dog, the cat, the trains or, of course, the kids..........

That extra bedroom is looking better and better, though.....maybe I'll even soundproof the walls!!!

Any Way You Like It....

Today the kids and I made pumpkin bread. The recipe was easy to follow and the result was delicious! Even if you are not a big pumpkin fan, this recipe is worth trying!

Anyway You Like It Pumpkin Breads Estimated Times: Preparation - 15 min Cooking - 50 min

Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Stir Ins (raisins, sweetened dried cranberries or chopped dates)
1 can (30 oz.) LIBBY'S® Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice, apple juice or water
2 large eggs
Directions:PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans. COMBINE flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine pumpkin pie mix, oil, orange juice and eggs in another large bowl. Pour pumpkin mixture into flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in Stir Ins. Spoon batter into prepared pans. BAKE for 50 to 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

FOR EIGHT 5 1/2 x 3 1/4-INCH MINI-LOAF DISPOSABLE PANS:PREPARE as above. Bake for 38 to 42 minutes.FOR TWO DOZEN MUFFIN CUPS:PREHEAT oven to 400° F. Prepare as above. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes.