What's Happening?

The kids have been in school for 3 weeks already!  WOW!  Luke had a bit of a rough start, but now, he loves school!  YAY!!

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What have I been doing while the kids are at school?  Well, I got a job.  Yep.  It's been a good long while, but I did it.  I had a bit of encouragement from Jon, but it's ok.  I am working at the school that Luke went to last year, East Cross Early Childhood Center, with the toddlers.  It is a Parent's Day Out program, so I only work Monday's and Friday's.  After two weeks of working, I have decided that it isn't as bad as I expected it to be.  Those little munchkins are so fun and lovable!  Plus, the days pass very quickly!

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Ben is deep in the throes of marching band.  He has to be at school everyday by 6:15am!  He has rehearsals every Thursday night from 6-9pm.  And this week he starts hour long sectionals (on the other side of town!) on Tuesday nights.  That might not sound like a lot, but let me just remind you that he is almost 16.  Apparently, when you are 16, all you want to do is hang out with your friends.  Ben has some really great friends!  However, I truly feel like I run a taxi service a lot of the time.

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Abby is in the middle of her middle school softball season.  I couldn't be more proud of this girl!  She has worked so hard!  One of the requirements on the team is that you need to be able to run a mile in 10 minutes or less.  Seriously!  Abby has worked SO hard to be able to accomplish this.  So far, she has made it in 10:45.  She is almost there!

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We are going to be in a world of hurt when Luke discovers that he could have a life too!

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Jon is, also, still in school.  Blah!   He is one busy guy.  Working full time.  Going to school.  Spending time with the family.  Figuring out how to be the assistant treasurer for the band boosters.  Keep up on yard work.  It is hard!  On all of us!  But mostly him.  He is stressed out a lot of the time, but I know that in the end it will be good.  I am so proud of him for all of his hard work!

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My foot is still a mess.  It hurts!  I have been back to the doctor.  He thinks that the tendon that was repaired last year has been re-injured.  Super!  Last week I went for a bone scan to make sure that nothing was going on there.  I think an MRI is going to be next.  I have a feeling surgery might be happening again...

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Ben turns 16 in less than 3 weeks!  NNNOOOOO!!!!!

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I have rediscovered reading!  I have always loved to read.  I just don't take the time to read.  I guess I have let myself become so busy with life and kids, that I hadn't read anything in a long time.  Well, all three kids are back in school and I have no excuse!  I am  going to read!  I am currently reading Longing by Karen Kingsbury.  It is book 3 in a series of 4.  My house just might be a wreck for a while longer...

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Life is busy!

God is good!

I am thankful!

It's Been a While...

 I have been informed that I haven't blogged in a while.  No, I haven't.  It's not that there hasn't been anything happening .  It's just the opposite.  There has been SO much happening that there hasn't been a whole lot of time to sit at the computer and blog.  I have had hundreds of thoughts about different blog posts, but now, they are all going to be downsized and put into one post.  Enjoy a few weeks in the life of the Grief family. (:

 

Apparently Abby needs a reminder that she has to go to school during the week and stay home on the weekends.

Lukey loves to soak his feet with me.

Packing lunches is what I do.
Why do I loathe this job each morning?

A friend saw a cute idea on Pinterest and asked if I might be able to make it for her.  I was thrilled to be able to do it!  I think they turned out pretty cute!  I have plans to make more!

I got a surprise (well, I knew a day earlier that she was coming.) visit from my BFF, Karen!!  We didn't have a whole lot of time together, but I was beyond happy that I got to see her and her family!

I think Luke was trying to write his name.  Can you see it?  I could definitely see the 'L'.  Luke told that the thing that looks like an 'O' is actually a 'U'.  I could see it once he explained to me, "See the little stick on the side."  I get it.  Then I got teary when I think about my baby growing up so quickly!

I chaperone my very first band trip.  It was the first football game of the season, which happened to be an away game in Tulsa.  When I got to the school and got the list of students that were on my bus...let's just say that I thought I was being punished.  I got put on the bus with 35 ninth and tenth grade BOYS!  Seriously?!?!  I was pleasantly surprised.  On the round-trip, those boys were all so well behaved!  There were four moms on the bus and I don't think any of us ever had to correct any of the boys.  Impressive!

The night that I chaperoned was also that band's very first performance.  How could I possibly miss that?!  It was amazing to see how  far these kids have come in just a few short weeks! 

The first Bruin home game.  Jon and I worked the concession stand.  It was kind of fun because we worked on the visitor side which meant we got to have the band students on our side.  Fun stuff!

Jon was experimenting with the camera.  I was his subject.  I don't love it.

I am one proud band mom!
So proud to finally have my shirt to make it official!

I took Luke to the ENT last week for a routine check-up on his tubes and a hearing test.  He loved wearing the earphones!  He sees his daddy wear them, which makes them extra cool when you are 4.  Update on the ears:  The tubes have been in for nearly 2 1/2 years.  I never thought they would last that long, but I am happy that they have.  Luke didn't do terrible on his hearing test, but he didn't do fantastic, either.  The lady that did that test said that he might have some fluid in his hear or something causing him to not hear the sounds.  Sure enough, the doctor looked in there and there was fluid.  He said that the tube is still in there, but isn't functional.  In the other ear, the tube is still in, but it is crooked and working it's way out.  We knew that at some point, if the tubes didn't come out on their own, that we would have to decided whether or not to surgically remove them or just let them eventually work their way out.  At this point, that decision seems to be becoming clearer and clearer.  Luke's ear (with the fluid) is ripe for an infection.  If an infection occurs, the decision is made for us.  We would have to have it taken care of pretty quickly.  Normally we schedule a follow-up appointment for three months out.  This time the doctor wants to see him back in six weeks.  This isn't sounding great.  Please pray that everything will work out.  (With surgery looming for me, I can't imagine surgery for Luke too!)  Anyway...look at all those stickers on Luke's shirt!  That means he did a super job at the doctor!  (He was most thrilled that they had Avenger and Iron Man stickers!  Can you tell he has a teenage brother???)

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the little guy before he left for school.  He has been waiting since March to wear this particular shirt.  He couldn't have been happier to finally get to wear it!  I couldn't get over how cute he looked in the grey skinny jeans and Converse.

Luke and I LOVE the Dollar Tree!  We got there fairly frequently.  Luke has had his eye on a collection of whales, sharks and dolphins for quite some time.  I told him earlier in the week that we could go on Friday after school to check them out.  You would think that he might forget.  Nope!  First thing Friday morning he asked if we could still go to the dollar store after school.  How could I resist?  I also couldn't resist letting him get not just one, but two creatures.  He really wanted to go home, fill up his pool in the back yard and play with his shark and "sperm whale".  Well...our extremely hot summer has finally chilled out and we were actually having rain come through on Friday. The next best thing...the kitchen sink, of course!  Luke was happy as a clam to play with his new sea creatures for a nice, long time in the kitchen sink rather that in the pool.

I love flightaware.com.  I love that anytime Jon is on a trip, I can track where he is at.  No, not stalk him, but there is something comforting about knowing where he is at.  How did we ever live without all of this modern technology?

So...that's where we're at.

Life busy around here.

But really...God is good!

A Very Welcomed Visitor/Helper!

A few weeks back I made a very sarcastic comment to my mom about coming out to help with our garage sale.  Little did I know that a few weeks later she would call to say that she was coming if we wanted her to!  How could I say no?!  A visit from my mom!  I would never say no!  I also had no idea how much I would need her help!   More to come on that.

It worked out just perfect that Grammy made it here on the day of Abby's last softball game.  It stinks to live so far away from family, so it is very special when an out of town family member gets to be here for things like this.

Ben and Luke are old pros at hanging out at Abby's games.  Luke loves the games.  Ben endures them.

I have no idea how we would have pulled off this garage sale if Mom hadn't come out to help!  With all that has been going on in the last few weeks and in my current foot status, it was very difficult to get things ready.  I worked as hard as I could whenever I had time, but there was still much to do.  We worked late in the hot garage to get everything ready for the next morning.

Thankfully, with Jon and Mom's help, we got everything as ready as we could.  The garage sale was a success!  The main point of the garage sale was to make some money for our trip to Ireland with Ben.  We had a goal and we made it!!  Praise the Lord!!  I love when I can see Him at work working things out just perfectly!

Friday night was mine and Jon's anniversary.  We didn't make any plans because of the fact that we were having a garage sale, and up until a few days before the garage sale, we didn't know that Mom was going to be here.  We ended up going to Tulsa to a Driller's game complete with fireworks.  FUN!

Yeah...and then there was this... all week long...

We went to Tulsa on Sunday after church.  We spent a lot of time at one store and my knee was very tired.  I mentioned that if we were going to go to Target, that I would be willing to sit in a wheelchair.  Yep, I've sunk to that low.  Ben and Abby were thrilled and said they would be happy to push me.  Fortunately/unfortunately there was a powercart.  Oh the humility... I hated the thought of having to use one of these things, but the thought of kneeling on the scooter just wasn't pleasant either.  I have to say that there was much  laughing as Luke and I powered through Target.  Luke still talks about how funny it was!

There is always plenty of time for playing cards while Grammy is here and during the summer!

Grammy and Luke love to go for walks together.

Kiddie Park is a must!

And so is "the ice cream factory"!

(Also known as Braums!)

Signing Luke's cast was quite an ordeal the whole time Grammy was here.  Luke was completely against letting her (or anyone else, for that matter) sign it.  On the night before she left, he finally let her sign it.  So sweet!

Thank you so, so much, Mom, for coming out!  It was so nice to have you here!  I don't know how I would have made it through the week without you!

Happy Father's Day

When I asked Jon what he would like to do for Father's Day, he said that he would like to grill hamburgers and hang out outside all day.  He didn't want to have any kind of plans.  He just wanted to spend the day outside with the fam.  Sooo...that's exactly what we did.  There weren't very many pictures taken, but there were some cute ones!

Of course, the day started out with a few little presents!

(Check out the cute bow!  Abby made her own bow for her present.  Jon thought it was the perfect accessory for the morning!)

Happy Father's Day, Jon!  Thank you for being such a great father to our children.  I appreciate the example you are setting for them as such a hard working dad!  I know that our kiddos are at difficult ages, but hang in there, it will get better!  (I have to tell myself that too!)  I love you and appreciate everything you do for our family!

Happy Sounds

I LOVE nothing more than the happy sounds of my kiddos!  Listening to Ben and Luke having fun on the trampoline definitely made me smile!

Hand-Me-Downs

I love hand-me-downs. I love when the kids played with each others handed down toys. I love that all three of my babies slept in the same crib. I love that, even with two boys and one girl, that there are articles of clothing that they have all shared!

I don't think Luke had ever seen this shirt hanging in his closet before, so he was pretty excited when he saw what I chosen for him to wear that day. I had to explain to him that this was once Ben's shirt, then it was Abby's and now it was his turn to wear it. He thought that was pretty cool! (Even cooler is that it was first Alex's shirt and she is now 17!)

I wish I had time to go digging for pictures of Ben and Abby in this shirt. Maybe one of these days. In the dreary wintertime...

Halloween ~ 2011

As a kid, my mom always made our Halloween costumes. Now, I don't believe there is any other way for my kids! I am not opposed to store-bought costumes! I just enjoy making my kids costumes!

Having said that, last year after Halloween I bought Luke a Yoda costume for this year. He loves Yoda and I couldn't pass up the bargain. (How do you resist 75% off?) As we were thinking about what each of the kids were going to dress up as this year, I tried the Yoda costume on Luke. Everything was looking great until I tried to stuff his head into the Yoda hat. The child does not have a small head! So...now I didn't have a clue what he could be! As I was searching my obsession for Halloween costumes ideas I came across a cute idea for a box of popcorn. It looked super cute and fairly easy to accomplish.

I think it turned out great! Is this not the cutest box of popcorn you have ever seen?!

On to Abby...She didn't have a clue what she wanted to be for Halloween. She finally decided that she would just be the clown that she was a few years ago. I was fine with that since it was something that I had made and was pretty proud of. I loved the fact that she would get more wear out of it. Well, while searching for costume ideas I came across something very fun and colorful that I thought Abby would love. I was right. She fell in love and immediately decided against the clown costume.

Abby's hot air balloon costume turned out SO great! She loved it. I loved it. It. was. a. hit!! As Abby was trick or treating, I can't tell you how many people asked to take Abby's picture! It was crazy! As she was walking around people kept telling her how awesome her costume was! (Yes, I was a proud mama! Thankfully the Lord has forgiven me!)

Ben wasn't so sure whether he would go trick or treating this year. He thought he might be getting too old! I assured him that he wasn't too old, but that if he was going to go, he had to wear a costume. (I hate it when kids try to get candy without dressing up!) He decided to go as a hiker/backpacker. I liked it! (Sadly I didn't get a picture of Ben by himself.)

There they are. My hiker/backpacker, my box of popcorn and my hot air balloon. :)

Trick or Treat!

Abby and her ninja, friend, Anna.



Silly boy!



Checking out their loot!


I think the kids all had a fun night! Ben went trick or treating with some friends. Abby's friend, Anna called and asked us to all come over there so we could all go together. Luke has been sick all week and I was concerned that he wasn't even going to be able to go trick or treating, but he made it to about 8-10 houses before he was ready to be finished. I'm glad he made it!

We are already thinking about next year's costumes! :)

Mom/Grammy Comes to Visit!

While Jon has been away in South America (I know, sad, huh?), Mom came to visit. It was nice to have someone to talk to and hang out with while the kids were back at school or in bed for the night. We kept very busy!

A random buffalo in Bartlesville.
One of these days I am going to make a picture of something using pictures of these buffaloes!

You got it, dinner at Frank & Lola's is a must!


Like any other time my Mom comes, there was shopping involved! For one, Mom ALWAYS finds the best deals! Two, we have a wedding (my sister, Kris's) to go to and this is the best time to find a good deal on a new outfit!
Ben and Luke aren't much into shopping. Ben spent a lot of time helping out with Luke. Luke spent a lot of time on my iPod. I'm not sure how we ever survived without the iPod!!


Luke thought this table was the perfect place to take a little rest.

You could tell little Lucas was wore out from our day of shopping. As soon as he walked in the door he hit the couch!

Even Elvis made an appearance!

And we played LOTS of rummy!



Yes...even I had to try out the Elvis glasses...

Normally when we go out for ice cream we go to Jared's. It's actually custard, but you know what I mean. Sadly, Jared's has been closed due to broken equipment. :( We made the best out of the sad situation and headed to Braum's. It was SUPER! And cheap! (Jared's is a little on the pricey side.)

This was Luke's first attempt at an ice cream cone. It was hilarious! We all enjoyed watching Luke eat his ice cream! He just enjoyed eating it! :)


Time to play outside :)



Abby got a hold of the camera.

Time to play at the park.








Mom and I talked to Kris earlier in the week about her bridal shower and found out that nobody was doing a favor for the guests. Kris asked if we could come up with something. You betcha! It took almost the entire week to come up with something, but we finally figured it out!
Cheesecakes in a jar!
Well, Mom and I made the jars and then the day before the shower Mom will fill them with the cheesecake. I think they turned out adorable!!

One more shopping trip! Luke was a super shopper! (Thank you, Lord!) You just wouldn't even believe the deals we got! Here's one short (well, I'll try to keep it short...) little story about one of our super, fabulous deals.

I saw this purse back in June. It was on a 50% off rack, plus there was supposed to be some other % off of the sale price. I scanned the tag to see what the price would be. It scanned for $118.00. Not. on. sale. I about cried. It's not very often that I find a purse that I like. I didn't just like this one. I fell in love with it! I was very sad to leave the store without it.

Fast forward about two months. Mom got an e-mail from Dillards saying that all clearance items were an extra 40% off. Great! We knew we had to go check things out. When we walked into the store we noticed signs that only said 30% off. Hmmm... Mom and I questioned one of the employees and found out that this Dillards was the ONLY ONE doing extra 30% off. WHAT?! The employee lady said that they would give us the 40% since we had the e-mail with us, but also showed them that the website said 40% off as well. Great! Well, it ended up that they gave us the 40% off, but then when Mom scanned her card, it took off the extra 30% off too!! NO WAY!! It all sounded too good to be true! We showed the lady (who turned out to be a store manager) what had happened. (Had to have a clear conscience!) She said, "Consider it your lucky day! We did what we were told to do. What the computer does after that is out of our control." YES!!! Back to shopping!

I was looking around the purse department and found the purse that I had fallen in love with two months back. They had ONE. I told Mom we had to give it another try and see what happened. It was originally $118.00. It was 30% off, plus an extra 40% off. Good so far. Mom scanned her card again and it took off the extra 30% off AGAIN! I ended up getting that purse for $34!!! Again, there were tears in my eyes! I got the purse that I had wanted SO bad! I guess patience pays off! I think the Lord really wanted me to have that super adorable purse! THANK YOU, LORD!!

Luke had seen so much of us girls trying on shoes that he had to give this cheetah print pair a try. He's so funny!

See, what would we do without this modern technology???

This is a story for another blog post, but Abby and Grammy stayed home together on Wednesday night and Grammy taught Abby how to sew. So neat!

We had a fun time while Mom/Grammy was here! It made the first week of Jon being gone go by much faster!