Law School Get Together #2

I thought I'd post a couple of pictures from my get together with the law school girls. The one with all of the kids is a picture of all of our children - eleven of them now! They are a great group of kids, and they had a ball playing together the other night. The other picture is the girls that you have heard a lot about, I am sure. Top row left to right, me, Cheryl Bruner and Debbie Myers Bottom Row, Terri Kirkpatrick, Annette Karem and Suzanne Hite. I added the years the other day, and since we've known each other since the Fall of 1992, I guess we've known each other for almost 15 years! It's great to have these friends on a personal and professional level.

January Blahs

Does everyone get the blues in January and February? This is definitely my least favorite time of the year! I was reading a book that Rebecca loaned me called "Eat, Pray, Love", and I am trying to take the following passage to heart:

"people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck,something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax in maintaining it, you must maintain a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it."

It sure seems like a mighty effort when it's 15 degrees outside, and there are so many responsibilities in this life! I am trying to keep up the fight!

Law School Get Together

We had a pretty fun week end around the Hite house. Yesterday Steven went to the model train show at the convention center, which inspired him to pick up an old hobby and start working on his train again. He really does some good work!

We emptied the jacuzzi and refilled it - so when the water finally gets warm we will be able to have a warm soak while the days are so cold. I love that!

On Saturday all of my law school friends and our kids got together at Cheryl's new house - it was fun to see each other again, and to see our collective 11 children having fun together. Madeline had a great time, and said that she made a ton of new friends! We did a group shot of all of the kids and the moms, so hopefully someone will email that to me and I can post it here. It seems pretty unreal that I have known those girls for fifteen years now! Everyone is happy and well, which is wonderful....

Today Madeline made lunch for the two of us for the first time! It was wonderful to have her peanut butter and jelly with chips. She was really proud of herself - I need to remember to slow down and do that more. Mom and Dad came over at dinner, and we had Taco Soup that I thought was pretty good, if I may say so myself :-)

Charlotte's Web

Madeline and I have started on our second chapter book, Charlotte's Web. Rebecca started the trend by giving Madeline Heidi (one of my absolute favorite children's books) for Christmas. We've now moved on to Charlotte's Web - we haven't gotten to the sad part yet - I'll probably sob when we reach the inevitable! We also went on Sunday to the movie and LOVED it! I was so happy that I recognized many lines directly from the book, it was very true to the book. Madeline loved it, too. All of you adults out there should check the movie out - I give it four stars!

This One's For Steven

Friday Night at Home

We have just enjoyed a night at home, and after the crazy busy week I've had, I am loving it! Madeline and I colored for a long time, after she ate her Red Lobster that Mom and Dad brought her :-) I had to tease Mom & Dad both because they brought some for Madeline and none for me! It is great that they love her so much, so I was really just joking! Since Madeline went to bed I have been moving a copy of all of my old pictures from our desk top to the laptop. I have been needing to do a backup, and that was the perfect way to get it done. After I moved the pictures, I had to spend an hour or so looking at pictures and playing with them. Check out these old ones of Steven :-) Oh Yeah, I just realized that I didn't tell you what Steven has been up to - practicing his guitar and napping occasionally. He's really improving on the guitar!

Big Bummer!

I took the pictures from the water park to be developed, and apparently the roll of film was bad because none of my pictures turned out :-( We'll have to go back to the Water Park!

Caribbean Cove

Hello All - we had a WONDERFUL time at the water park. Madeline loved it - she had fun staying in a hotel room, which she always does. Aunt Marigene let her jump on the bed! She and Braxton ran through the halls, which she always loves to do. The water park was busy, but not too crowded. I was scared of the big water slides, but decided that if you are afraid of something you should do it for sure, so I went down the big slide on a tube (the yellow one in the pictures below). I will admit that I thought I was going to fly over the edge! Madeline was pleased with me for doing it, and it gave me an opportunity to tell her that it is good to try new things, even when you are afraid. Madeline got past some fears too, and she floated around the lazy river on a tube and got her face wet without screaming. She also conquored the curvy little kid slide. It was great to get to spend that time with friends and focused on my girlie! It rained the whole week-end, so we were pleased with ourselves for being inside having water fun!

Steven also had fun this week-end with his friends at Green River. They staying in a house down there, so they weren't doing crazy man camping this time!

It was a great break to be so relaxed during January, which I am not a big fan of!

More Photo Fun

Here is a test - can you tell what has been altered in this photo? No, not my beauty, nor can the computer program I have take ten pounds off!

Although I could probably sit and play with this for 3 days, I we are off to the water park today. It is going to be a ton of fun! Madeline is excited, as I mentioned before. Since there is a 90% chance of rain in the next 3 days with flooding predicted, I think it's a fabulous time to head off to an indoor park! I'll report back tomorrow night on our fun :-)

New Computer Fun

I am having fun playing with the new laptop! Check out the photo - it has been retouched to remove scratches from Madeline's nose, etc. What fun I am having!

New Laptop

I am blogging from my new laptop - it's a Dell 6400. So much fun! We can burn DVDs now, which I am excited about, and I can compute while Madeline does - which is what I am doing right now. We don't have to take turns! I am going to play with the computer for a while, and I'll report back later about how cool it is :-)

Thursday

Nothing huge going on in life today, but I know you've been dying for an update on the paint dilemma! I just could not get my mind around blue, so I went with my favorite color - red! One coat is on, and it is looking great. So, other than Steven's bathroom (his responsibility), I am done with painting/wall colors, and am now on to furniture for my decorating fun! :-) I was never into decorating before, but can't seem to get enough of it in this house! I'll keep you posted....

Other fun - my IPod - you have to get one of these things! I have done the full gamut, songs, TV shows, a movie, audiobooks and photos. I will be in line to get that new IPhone when it comes down in price from the initial $500. For a girl who used to love the Radio Reader, this thing is fabulous! What a luxury to just lie there and let someone else read to me!

Also upcoming - we get our laptop tomorrow! I have never had one, so I am looking forward to running around with it and computing wherever I wish. Hopefully I'll be on here talking about how fabulous it is soon. Then I can blog every 5 minutes :-)

Carribean Cove

Madeline and I are going to Carribean Cove Water Park in Indianapolis next week-end! Madeline is VERY excited! She sounded like her Dad when she said "Can we have a room all by ourselves that we don't have to share?" I promise you, it was unprovoked. Sound like anyone you might know? :-) I love them both. Check it out:

Which Blue?

After the bedroom redecoration mentioned below, I am now doing the foyer :-) Which blue is best? (Quite possibly none of them, but I am leaning to the one that is on the far right)

The Bedroom is Finally Finished!

I know you've probably heard more than you care to about my ongoing bedroom redecoration, but I thought you'd like to know that it is finally finished :-) I am really happy with it! Some pictures are below, plus pics of my redecorated bathroom as well.

Great Football

Who would have imagined just a few years ago that Kentucky would have TWO winners in bowl games this year! It's great when you are a fan of both schools to see them have success! Go Cards and Cats!!!

Back to the Real World

Tuesday, January 2 - back to the real world! Is this everyone's least favorite day of the year, or just mine? First day of New Year's resolutions - the next holiday season is a whole year away. No days off in January. Can anyone tell I am whiney today? Send me a comment and chear me up :-)

My Favorite Guys

Littlest Pet Shop/Ponyville

After taking down the tree, the trimmings, all of the indoor decorations, and the outdoor lights (whooo) Madeline and I made a giant city of Littlest Pet Shop/My Little Pony toys in our living room. Then we had fun taking many many photos of our creations (I know what to get for Madeline for her Birthday - a camera!) I have to admit that it was pretty darn fun - and still will be for the next few days probably, since Madeline won't want to put the stuff away I am sure! Who could blame her?

New Years Fun

Hello All! Five Days, no blog :-( I've been playing with my new obsession, by IPod! I have downloaded songs, TV Shows, and audio books. I have copied some of our large CD library into my collection, and can now rock out to 80s tunes to my hearts content without bugging another living soul - other than those who wish to talk to me. The greatest thing is the car kit for the IPod, so it can go with me too! We also got Madeline a car DVD player that has video games in it, so we are a rolling entertainment center when we are on the road :-)

As many of you know, Madeline went to London for the week-end, and had a big time with her new best buddie, Lexie. Those two are like two peas in a pod, down to asking Santa for the exact same stuff for Christmas. Mom and Dad said they had a great time. Steven and I had a fun couple of nights here while Madeline was away.

Dad shared some pictures with me - here are a few of them: