It's the Bewitching Hour!

So, if you're sitting around with little ones that can read...close the window until you're alone for this one.

So it's about 11:20 p.m. and everyone has now made it to bed. Rick went to bed as soon as we got home...still dealing with a messy stomach. It's my first year with Jackson knowing about Santa. I was so worried how to "initiate him" ...what secrets do I share...what things do I save for myself. Funny how, without even trying, it all came pretty naturally when we got down to it. He followed me around all wide-eyed...so excited to be included in "THE SECRET".

Tonight, to my dismay, my little boy grew up right in front of me as I shared "some" of my secrets...Come on folks..I couldn't share them all!

SHHHH: He knew to be quiet...but I shared the secret about how we don't really talk, we just air finger snap and point a lot and shake our head "yes" and "no" because at ANY MOMENT...little feet could come walking down the stairs and catch us! He looked at me and with all sincerity asked, "What if she catches us?" I said, "Well, we plop ourselves on the couches and act like we're sleeping!". He looked at me like I was a genius! (That doesn't happen too often anymore!)

THE MILK: He drank the milk...but I shared the secret that we always leave a little in the bottom of the glass because Santa has to drink a lot of milk during the night...and the likelihood of him being able to drink a whole glass is pretty slim!

THE COOKIES: He ate the cookies...but I shared the secret that we always leave one cookie with a big bite taken out of it...and we crumble up some crumbs because who eats cookies and doesn't leave a little crumb or two behind!

THE PRESENTS: He helped put out a few things...but I shared the secret of how we open the fire place doors and place a few presents strategically in the fireplace as if they fell out of Santa's sack! He said, "Oh, I get it...Hey, remember the year there was white powder all over the fireplace...how did you do that?" I said, "I don't know...I don't think I ever did that... maybe it was the real Santa." He looked with this look like, "THERE IS A SANTA".... and then said, "Real funny Mom!"

THE STOCKINGS: He stuffed her stocking...but I shared the secret of how we place things in the stocking so they are just peeping out over the top of the stocking...I explained "We want her to be able to see that she has treats as soon as she comes down the stairs!".

THE LETTER: I showed him where Emma left a letter for Santa by the fireplace. He picked it up and it was just a bunch of scribbles and letters, "A G H U F E E M". He laughed to himself quietly, like he got the joke. And without even sharing my next secret, I saw him crunched down over the coffee table writing her a letter from Santa! I think he's been waiting 10 years to be able to do that!

After all of this, I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "And that's how we do it!". He looked at me like, "Is that it?". I'm sure he was wondering where all his presents were..Like I was going to give him first dibs on viewing his presents before bed! Yeah, right!

He hugged me good night and whispered in my ear, "Merry Christmas Mom, Love you!" I watched him take double steps up the stairs and he was gone. My baby boy...my first born...the "light of my life". Thank God the lights were off, because I stood there and cried at the bottom of the stairs.

But I quickly wiped my tears..."FOCUS" I whispered to myself. I still have to put all the presents under the tree, wire up a Wii (that may take me all night) and wheel in two bikes before dawn. No time for tears...I have work to do!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Emma in full force effect! WHAT A RIOT!

So tonight, we went to Emma's Christmas Program for school. She's been practicing for at least two months for this! She has been singing Feliz Navidad every night...and talking about the "bila" (dance in Spanish) that she was going to do. When I asked her about the dance, she just showed me this hip swinging dance that her teacher, Ms. Maria taught her...no big deal, right? YOU HAVE NO IDEA!

When Ms. Maria gave me Emma's Christmas Tree costume, she said, "Dis eh Beddy Beddy importante! Emma eh dance en front!". I could barely understand her...in fact Ms. Maria actually corrected herself half way through talking to me and said, "Awhhh...I sorry...that is French that I just say".. WHAT?!@##!@!..... she speaks total Spanish and just happens to throw in a few French words? I almost stopped her and said, "You know, I took 15 years of French, I bet if you just spoke in French, I could pick up more than I am right now! With all that said, I could tell, she was trying to tell me something about Emma's tree being very important...I just took it as a teacher expressing how wonderful my daughter was!

So anyway, pan to tonight...I was so nervous for my baby! She looked so cute in her green turtle neck...green tights...green Christmas Tree jumper. I bought her a Christmas bracelet to wear and SHE WAS SET!

So the lights dim, her class walks out on stage...there were boys dressed as shepherds...girls dressed as Santas and then there was Emma...front and center as THE ONLY CHRISTMAS TREE! Mr. Kerry announces that Ms Maria and her class are going to "do a little show"...and then...the music starts. Ever heard Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas?" For weeks, Emma kept yelling, "It's my song!"...when it played on the radio...I thought, Oh, that's cute...she likes this song...LITTLE DID I KNOW!

So it starts off soft and slow..."Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas...there is just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents...underneath the Christmas tree...I just want you for my own...more than you could ever know...make my wish come true...all I want for Christmas, is youuuuuuu".. Badum Badum Badum Badum...

Then...the hips were in full force and didn't stop...No matter what was going on around her on stage...she was on target...dancing her little heart out. And the end...she gave the audience a big two fisted kiss! I swear, this girl is destined for something great! She's a natural!

She was awesome! Rick told her that she looked like a movie star up on stage! She said, "I know!". Then tonight when I tucked her in, I leaned down by her ear and whispered..."I love you, my little Christmas Tree"...and she said, "Mom, it's movie star!". Can you believe it...fame has already gone to her head!

I had you all in mind as I shot video...knowing that my blog could only show video of 20 seconds or less...I've been working on this blog, trying to load video for 2 hours now...so I ended up finally opting for Smilebox and loaded the videos. So enjoy! Don't be surprised if it takes a few minutes to load...and each slide seems to take a few seconds to load...must be all the videos. I'm apologizing right now for the camera shaking...I was laughing so hard, I couldn't hold it still...This is a RIOT!

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THE DALEENS SAY GOODBYE TO CHARTER!

More like Good Riddance! I have been battling with Charter for a while on billing issues...and today, I finally lost my cool! Actually Saturday, when I was still running a fever with the flu, I received a letter in the mail that they were going to disconnect my telephone over a bill that I paid in October! I'd been in bed all day with the flu, wearing an old maternity nightgown (hey, it's comfortable when you're sick!), hair sticking up, sweaty with a fever and I was screaming cuss words in the phone to someone in India! Jackson stood next to me and just quietly put his hand on my shoulder...I think I scared him! When the woman on the phone suggested I just go to the local office and bring all my paperwork to show them, I slammed the phone and said, "GREAT!".

So today, I ventured to the Charter office in St. Peters. No surprise that they have a big sign on the front door that says, "No concealed weapons"...interesting don't you think? So I put my oozy back in the car! Then as you enter the office, there is a closed circuit TV/camera...so I quickly put on my black ski mask and proceeded to the front desk! After arguing with the woman behind the counter, she finished with, "Well, I don't know what to tell you!"...So I stopped screaming and ran out of the building throwing my paperwork all over the parking lot! It seemed really effective for the 7 or 8 people behind me as they all rolled their eyes like they could feel my pain! I got more satisfaction screaming to the pretend Charter Customer Service Woman in my car...threatening that I was cancelling my service as soon as I got home than I did from all the phone calls to their Customer Service Dept. in India and the visit to their local office!

So I am pleased to say...we are no longer Charter Communications customers! And the 4 hours it took me to figure out who to switch our phone, Internet and cable to...was SO WORTH IT!

When I called Charter this afternoon to let them know that I wanted all services cancelled, the woman from India said she needed to forward me to "someone who could help me through my situation"...They transferred me to Matt...obviously an American..sounded like a college student! He said, "Whoa...I am totally sorry...I don't even know what to say...based upon what I'm looking at...your account is totally screwed up and I can see why you're done with us...looks like this has been going on for a few months....whoa! So I'm not even going to try and talk you into staying..I'll leave you with ...hope you have a stellar rest of the day! "

How's that for Customer Service!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Well, I hit 39 this year on Dec. 7th! Started my birthday celebration a few days early. Rick planned a getaway to Embassy Suites...my favorite!! I was so excited to sleep in those big fluffy beds...no kids...sleeping in until I woke up! At 1:45 I woke up feeling sick. Finally at about 4 a.m., when I had been up about 7 times, I realized that I had the flu. Finally at 10:30 the next morning, as I sat in the bathroom dry heaving and crying, I asked Rick if we could just go home.

For those that know me...You know, that I NEVER leave the house without a shower and makeup! And like the lucky people that we are...it was the one time that we found a discrepancy on our bill! So as Rick cleared up the mess at the front desk...I stood in the lobby leaning against a big pillar by the front door, wet hair, no makeup, baggy sweats, smelling the continental breakfast and gagging! I'm sure I scared a few arriving guests away!

When we got home, I went straight to bed and started praying that it was just a 24 hour bug because I didn't think I would make it if it was a 48 or 72 hour thing! I finally got out of bed on Sunday!

Mustered up enough strength to attend the Borgmeyer Christmas Round Robin party...it's where we all get together and bring appetizers and drinks. In the old days, we used to drive from house to house for a new drink and appetizer and then we realized that if we were going to drink that much alcohol, we better just stay at one house. I'm so glad I went because it was a blast!

As you can see by the pictures...it was another stellar year with the Borgmeyer Clan! Nothing like mixing sweet cider, chocolate martinis, amaretto ice cream drinks and Coronas! I actually stuck with water and was able to focus to take pictures with my phone!

This would be when we put on Dennis' old LP's and the guys sang Hall and Oats' "Private Eyes!" CLASSIC!

And notice the dollar bills tucked in Connie's sweater...I think she made like 5 bucks when she did her Dollar Chair Dance!

And I think this is when Phil was dancing to Janet Jackson's "Control"! Too Funny!

All in all, it was a lot of fun and a great way to recuperate from my miserable flu!

Thanks for the laughs everyone..my sides are still hurting from laughing so hard!

Christmas Countdown Has Begun!

Emma has been busy practicing her songs for her very first Christmas program. I could tell today when I picked her up from preschool that they must have really practiced singing the songs today, because she was belting out the tunes and pronunciating all the words very carefully.

I actually got her to stand still and sing one of the songs...this is the only one I recognize ...as all the songs are in Spanish! Enjoy!

Well, I survived my first day of unemployment! So much for sleeping in...I got up at my usual time (8 a.m.), showered and got the kids off to school. Did a little shopping and actually made homemade lasagna for dinner! Whew! Just call me Martha...Martha Stewart!

Boy! Do we have a lot to be thankful for!

Well, we had a great Thanksgiving holiday! Rick was off, so we were able to spend Tues, Wed and Thursday together as a family!

I started it off on Wednesday...cooking with my Mom..a real treat! I learned the "FAMOUS" family stuffing recipe. Seriously! No joke...I paid close attention and I think I can actually make it again!

Last year, I thought I was going to be initiated into the family by learning the recipe...but when I got to Mom's, she had all the ingredients pre-cooked and I got to pour it into a bowl! My lesson was to learn the careful "toss/stir" of the dressing. Trust me...there's an art to this...it's the secret to the dressing!

This year, I was actually allowed to melt butter...saute vegetables...and do the toss/stir thing! I learned that Mom does a taste test with the raw dressing (stuffing mix, veges and RAW eggs)...she said it's how she can tell if it's going to be a good batch of dressing. I told her that although I could "make" the stuffing, I couldn't bring myself to taste the dressing with the snotty egg whites on it! And here's where you can insert the Kelly gag face!

Thursday we went to Mom's to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was a nice, relaxing time! Then after everyone left, we scooted over to the Harris Thanksgiving...How could we miss Aunt Kathy's pumpkin cheesecake dessert!! Then, we left there and went to party with the Borgmeyer clan...and I do mean party! It was great to hang out with everyone...we were able to take it at our own pace this year which made it really enjoyable!

Friday, I ventured out to the stores to get a few bargains. Mission accomplished! I took the kids to see "BOLT" at the movie theater.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to really relax and enjoy the movie because I dropped my wedding ring on the floor right when the movie started. It was like a slow motion nightmare! Drop ...Bounce...Clunk...and then silence. Theater dark...my cell phone light not strong enough to see... I sat there through the whole movie ringless, hoping no one would step on it and that we would find it. Then right when the movie was ending, Emma starts with the "OH MY GOSH...I HAVE TO GO POTTY RIGHT NOW!!!" I begged her to hold it so that I could look for the ring. At that moment, I remember thinking...Ring? or Emma wetting herself...I'll take the ring! So as we searched, Emma was in the background saying, "OH MY GOSH...OH MY GOSH...I'M GOING TO PEE MY PANTS...OH MY GOSH!". Always with the DRAMA!!!! Right after the movie...thanks to Jackson's little arms/hand..he was able to reach under the seats in front of us and retrieve the ring. Whew! By the way, Emma made it safely to the restroom and didn't pee her pants!

Saturday we officially kicked of the Christmas holiday!

We pulled the rubbermaid containers up from the basement...all the parts to the Christmas tree and we began the task of assembling Christmas in the Daleen House!

I let the kids sleep on the floor in my bedroom that night. I thought "a treat" right?..but there really isn't any treat that doesn't involve arguing between Jackson and Emma.

They were fighting over who would sleep on the floor next to my side of the bed! Emma was crying and I asked, "Who slept next to me the last time?"...Emma said, "I did". "Well, then don't you think it's Jackson's turn?"...Emma said, "Yeah".

Then she houghed and yelled, "BUT HE'S NINE and I'M ONLY FOUR...AND HE HAS SLEPT BY YOU MORE THAN ME BECAUSE HE'S NINE AND I'M FOUR"...I said, "Wow...I'm impressed...very insightful for a four year old...but none the less, you slept by me the last time...so it's Jackson's turn. Then she laid in the dark whimpering until she finally passed out!


Sunday, Pa Pa Dan took the kids to see Santa. When they got home, Emma ran up to me and said that she told Santa that she wanted a big pony...TO RIDE! G-R-E-A-T! We finished the tree that night..Jackson wasn't real impressed...in fact, he didn't want to help with the tree this year. Emma on the other hand, was SO EXCITED! She helped put all the ornaments on the tree...and she actually did a great job of placing them throughout the tree...not just on one branch!

Tomorrow the kids go back to school and I start my first "OFFICIAL" day of being unemployed! Whew hoo!


Well, talk to you soon!

Creativity Run Amuk in the Daleen House!

So we've been spending a lot of time on art projects lately...Jackson painted an awesome picture of Two-Face (from Batman)...See the resemblance?

And then there's Emma's art...we're all about turkeys right now...

And lastly...as some of you know, the Disney movie, Wall-E came out on DVD last Friday. So Jackson and I built our own Wall-E out of a box, a soda can, a paper towel roll, two plastic forks, a couple of Lego's and lots of duck tape!

We're getting ready for Thanksgiving. Emma has a Holiday Feast on Wednesday at her preschool. Jackson is so excited that he doesn't have school after tomorrow and he gets to go with Rick to "the country".

Recently, Rick purchased a small plot of land in Sullivan MO. A great place for camping, four-wheeling, etc. Rick has been stocking up on all that he needs...He found a camper...he bought an old four-wheeler from his cousin...and of course we have the dirt bike that Rick bought Jackson a few months ago. Have to admit that I was actually relieved when he bought the four-wheeler because Jackson hasn't quite gotten the hang...or even ridden the dirt bike by himself...and it's been about 2-3 months! Jackson loves the four-wheeler. I came home the other day and Jackson was riding it, making circles around the house! Rick has some work to do to cut down some small trees/brush to get the area prepped for a camper...but he is very excited about this new adventure!

Well, tomorrow is my last day at Corporate Express. I can't believe it's finally here! Have to admit I can't believe I'm actually leaving after 14 years...but I am so excited about the future. Hey, and I wasn't even looking and I already have a lead on a project with a Plastics Company in STL. We'll see how that pans out. Guess I'll have an interview sometime soon--Weird!

So anyway, hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Like my mom says, it's all about the food and family! Enjoy!

I know... it's not even Thanksgiving and we've gone to see Santa!

On Sunday, I took the kids to Bass Pro Shop's Winterwonderland. They had free pictures with Santa, coloring, crafts, pretend shooting games...it was a lot of fun.

Snooze at the Zoo

Without further delay...In his own words...Jackson Daleen explains his recent trip to the zoo called "Snooze at the Zoo".....

Sickness at the Zoo

Well it,s me Jackson to tell what happened to me at a Cub scout thing.It,s called snooze at the Zoo when ALL the cub scouts get to spend the night at the ZOO!We first watched a movie and then played a game then a snack.TWO KINDS OF DOMINOS PIZZA!WOW not really a snack after that the night hike.soooo cooool!Then bedtime.once we woke up every one was moaning.And I heard someone who worked there say...STOP WHINING.then the morning hike.We all got sorrounded by the otters.Well that,s about it and I got a cough thats getting bad and know I shall leave.

Happy 4th Birthday Emma!

Happy Birthday Emma! We celebrated with a party with the family on Saturday. Emma got so many great presents...she has actually played with all of them! When I asked Emma where she wanted to go for her birthday dinner, her first response was "Chinese!"...Then after I explained that they don't really sing to you at the Chinese Buffet...she opted for Chevy's...Not for the sombero...but because you get ice cream! Then tonight, when I tucked her into bed...kissed her goodnight...I asked her what the best part of her birthday was today...she said, "The sprinkles"...on the cupcakes she had at school today. Ahh...to be 4 again!

Happy Birthday Emma...We love you with all our hearts. Put this little slideshow together for you...Enjoy!

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Congratulations to Jackson!

Congrats to Jackson on his excellent report card! All A's and B's--Way to go! We celebrated with a trip to the Magic House and Cold Stone Creamery! Keep up the good work Jackson--we're very proud of you!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Well, it's been a great month for us! We had a party...we went to the pumpkin patch...we carved pumpkins...we had Halloween Parties at school...we tricked...we treated...And now...we're ready for a NAP!

We had a great time at the Halloween Costume Party. We had so many visitors...Dora & Boots...Austin Powers & Felicity Shagwell...Batman & Batgirl...Michael & Janet Jackson...Mr T...A Cat Burglar & Soccer Player...and Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne. Here's a great video of Ty's Michael Jackson impersonation...Check it out!


And then there was Jack and Anita's impersonation....Dora & Boots do OK GO!...Here it Goes Again! CLASSIC! Do you think they do this at home when they're alone?


We went to our favorite pumpkin patch...a hidden secret in Foristell called Valley Farms! It's this great little farm. They have a hayride, a tractor choo-choo train and best of all...panning for gold! The kids both found 5 pieces of fool's gold...Emma decided to turn her gold in for a prize...a bug collector kit! Jackson decided to save his gold..I guess for a rainy day!

We carved our pumpkins. This was the first year that Jackson actually carved his own pumpkin! Excellent job! And I must say, I believe my pumpkin was my best ever!

Emma had her first school party of the year! She had cupcakes...candy...and trick or treated from room to room at her daycare! She was covered in pink icing when I picked her up...it was even on her Batgirl face mask! She said that Noah at her school was Batman and he was her boyfriend! I guess her other boyfriends..the ones she talks to on her pretend phone...the Jonas Brother's... will just have to take a backseat to Noah!

I went and helped at Jackson's Fall Festival Party...it was fun to see him in his element! They played music and all the kids danced together!

Halloween Day, I took the kids down to Main Street for a while...the joys of being off work! Halloween night...we had a lot of trick & treaters! Jackson was Batman..Emma was Batgirl. I was impressed that the kids didn't change their minds about their costumes as we've had the costumes since September! We trick and treated all throughout the neighborhood!

I've compiled all the pictures in a slide show of our adventures...Check it out and Enjoy! Note: If you run the cursor over each picture, you can zoom/unzoom to get a better view!

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The Harris Wedding!!!

Well, what a weekend we have had! We started Friday night with the rehearsal and dinner for Devon and Melissa Harris' Wedding. Rick was a Groomsman, Jackson was the User and Guest Book Attendant and Emma was the Flower Girl...I was on camera duty. I have to admit after downloading the pictures this morning, I realized that I really did just focus on the kids when taking pictures. There will be professional pictures from the Photographer soon of everyone else!

Jackson did his job very well...he handed out the programs, had people sign the guest book and he also told people where to sit...a VERY important job! Meanwhile...Emma was the Flower Girl. She started down the aisle looking shy and like she was going to cry and then when she locked eyes with Rick and I, she was fine and all smiles...Whew!

The reception was a blast...Jackson kept saying, "This is a great party!". We all danced and just had a great time!

And to Devon and Melissa....We're so happy to have Melissa officially join our family! Congratulations Devon and Melissa...you deserve nothing but the best! We're all very happy for you!

So...hot off the presses...enjoy the pictures

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Nothin Like a Good Family Get-Together!!

Well, This month has been filled with family! We celebrated Mom & Bill's 17th Wedding Anniversary, Grandpa Ed's 81st Birthday last weekend and this weekend we had an awesome BBQ at Grandma Dots (minus the mosquitos!!).

Check out the slideshows--there are some great pictures!!








It's been a crazy month --it seems like every weekend is jammed packed with things to do. I've been able to focus much more on my family, which is great!

Emma is still playing soccer...had a game on Saturday and she sat on the sidelines for most of it. Check out the pictures of her doing ring-a-round the rosey with her soccer pals...DURING THE GAME! Nice!

And Jackson had his first newspaper meeting last week. He really liked it..He interviewed a teacher and he will get his interview published in the first issue of the school paper! He asked great questions like, "Do you like to go to Blockbuster or Net Flix?"....What is your favorite pet?" So I'll keep you posted as things get published!
Very Exciting!!!

Coming up next week...DEVON & MELISSA'S WEDDING!!!! Jackson is an Usher, Rick is a Groom's Man, Emma is a Flower Girl and I'll be very busy taking tons of pictures!! Emma is very excited about her princess dress and new shoes...I'm going to start talking to her this week about walking down the aisle so we don't have any hiccups that day! Jackson has a cool new tie to wear and he was very interested in what an Usher does!

Check back next week for more pictures of everyone!!

Emma's 2nd Soccer Game--9/27

Well, this week's game went a bit smoother than last week's. I purposely arrived a 1/2 hour early to help her get acclimated with the field...the players, etc. It seemed to work. Our brilliant coach decided to put Emma in first as Goalie. Emma got to wear a red jersey and she kicked and threw the ball a couple of times. It was the perfect spot for her because there is a dedicated parent there to talk to her the whole time! She served as Goalie for the whole first quarter!! After that, she went into the game a few times...we told her that she didn't have to touch the ball, but she could run all she wanted...that seemed to work! She did great! And she still thinks the best part of soccer is the snack and Caprisun they get at the end of the game. I brought my camera but ran out of batteries before I could even get one shot--so the enclosed shots are from my cell phone...enjoy!

Jackson The Writer!!

Congratulations to Jackson!! He made the school newspaper, called the Exalibur! He will have his first meeting on Oct. 7th! We've been waiting a long time to join the paper, as only 4th and 5th graders are allowed to join the newspaper club. Congratulations to Jackson--we're very proud of you!!! See you in the papers!

A Night With the Kids...

So Rick has been working 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift this weekend...EWWW! I've been left to fill my time and what better way than to have a bunch of kids over to the house! So I watched Sierra, Bennett and Jackson had his friend, Nathan spend the night on Saturday. Check out these pictures...

Emma and Sierra sing Twinkle, Twinkle to Bennett! ....And Bennett's face after that serande...

Who wants their picture taken with Bennett?

More video...Notice in this next clip how puffy Sierra's cheeks are...she sure did like the Mike and Ike Candy...and the night wouldn't be complete without a little drama!

Talk to you all soon!

Busy Week!

This week was busy! Emma had soccer practice on Tuesday and Jackson had his first Boy Scout Pack Meeting of the year. So Jackson is gearing up for Scouting for Food and a cool Snooze at the Zoo sleepover in the coming months. Jackson also had his school pictures on Wednesday and applied for the school's newspaper (keep your fingers crossed!!).

Wednesday Emma was visited by Pa Pa Bill at her school and Thursday she visited the Centennial Apple Orchard. She came home with a sack of apples and proceeded to eat them all! Guess it tastes better when you pick the apples yourself...Maybe that's a clue for me...let her pick her vegetables and she'll eat them all!

Saturday we attended Emma's first soccer game. Game day...she was very excited about the shoes....the metallic shin guards...the jersey...the socks! Everyone was all smiles--Look! Jackson and Emma are actually touching each other and smiling..no fighting..amazing!

So we arrive and position our chairs right along the sideline for the best view...right by the goal! I was so psyched to see her play...she's really a natural athlete! Earlier that week we took her out of the 3-year old league and put her with the 4-year old kids because she was doing so well! She ran out onto the field with the other players and they made a huddle... I was yelling, "Go Emma!"

Then the game started.. right from the start the other kids ran frantically after the ball and I noticed that Emma was holding back...maybe a little shy... She stood in the exact place where the coach told her and didn't move.

Then the coach came over to her....maybe a little encouragement and a hug would help.....yeah, not so much!

Once her hands made it to her mouth...it was over... TEARS OF FEAR!

We tried a couple of times to get her to play but she was more interested in the airplanes flying over and the old man sitting on a bench!

Uncle Jack and family stopped by and after a little coaxing from Jack and Sierra, they got her to go in for the final minutes of the game and actually kick the ball one time!

So...Congratulations Emma on your 1st soccer game! We've come to know...life it just wouldn't be the same without a little drama from our queen! Love you Em!

Finally...A Big Day For Kelly!!

Well, I've spoken to many of you about my job situation. It has been an unbelievable journey and it appears that it is coming to an end. Through this process, I've learned many things and I made the decision the night before last to leave the company after 13 years. I actually made the decision a while back, but actually had to say it out loud to the new owners the other day. It was incredibly scary because the new company didn't play nice and I was forced to get an attorney involved and play the biggest and most important chess game of my life (at least so far!).

It took some manuevering...and had to take things all the way up the chain to the Head Legal Counsel and the Sr. VP of HR to get a decision...but they have advsied that I am eligble for severance. Now I'm negotiating transition times with them to determine when I'll officially leave. Of the 11 people on the Management Team, 10 of us have either chosen to leave or have been asked to leave. Says something, doesn't it?

So, I'm on to greener pastures...the ideas are flowing and I'm VERY excited about the future! Thanks to everyone who listened to me rant and rave over the past few months...thanks for all the advice...all the votes of confidence...and most importantly...thanks for just being there for me!

CONGRATULATIONS EMMA--La nina de la semana!!!

So Emma received an award from her preschool today...La nina de la semana!!!!

Know what that means...yeah, neither did we! Ahh..the beauty of having your child go to a bilingual school...we don't understand a damn thing anyone says! Had to look up in an Spanish/English dictionary on Yahoo to learn that Emma received the Student of the Week award!

She is doing so great at her new school...still says that the playground is her favorite thing! She loves Mr. Kerry and Nucci (The Owners) and her teacher, Ms. Maria. She is also doing very well with not wetting her pants during nap time. We also get the daily run-down of who peed in their pants at school...a very big deal when you're three!

She has already been on a field trip to the Library and next week she gets to go to the Centennial Farms Apple Orchard! She can also count to 8 in Spanish now. It's obvious that they are teaching her how to pronounce words all day long because she comes home and says, "Repeat after me Mommy, say O....livia....Say Nic..olas..." She also talks in jibberish...sounds like another language, but it's not...like she is mimicing what she most likely hears all day. It really is amazing how they are teaching her the language...they speak in full Spanish...repeating themselves over and over...and as she stands there silent with this confused look on her face...they start to pepper in English words so that she can piece the sentence together....Meanwhile, I'm standing there looking at them like, "WHAT Speaka de english?"...Emma just goes with the flow and doesn't seen bothered at all by it.

She received the award because she has been such a good girl at school! Congratulations to Emma...We're VERY VERY proud of you!!

Meanwhile, I just returned from a trip to Walgreens to get Emma some cough medicine. I walked in with my wallet under my arm and my phone. I picked up the cough medicine, checked out...reached in my front pockets for my keys and couldn't find them. I could have sworn I could hear my keys jingling around...and I kept checking my front pockets. So I started re-tracing my steps...and everyone I walked past seemed to sound like they had my keys. Then...after about 5 minutes of panic, I realized...Oh...the keys are STICKING OUT OF MY BACK POCKET!!! Story of my life lately folks...story of my life!

It's Officially Halloween in the Daleen House!

So last night we went to Wal-Mart...Emma was given money because she has gotten up the last three mornings with a dry pull-up...YEAH EMMA! So we told her she could go to Wal-Mart and buy something very special with her dollar. She had to hold her dollar by herself...even when she had to go to the restroom...I offered to hold it in my pocket and she refused!

She walked the aisles, playing mostly with the toys that make noise and then I reminded her that she needed to pick something out. So she started looking...looking...and then she picked out a Princess Television set for $174.00!

So I re-directed her efforts on other toys that were in the price range...she combed the aisles...looking...looking and then with total satisfaction, she picked up a box...it was a MAKE-UP SET! Rick just laughed and looked at me and said, "Oh, yeah...that's something Mommy would love to help you with!". It had glitter eye shadow...lipstick in every color...and I just thought to myself..."Are we seriously at that age?" For a second, I had visions of Emma with gooey glitter under her fingernails, me with blue eyeshadow, glitter lips and purple cheeks. Then I imagined the red blotchy marks I would have on my face after I tried to scrub and scrub to get the oily creamy goop off my face! So again, I redirected...and she finally settled on a Mermaid Barbie...Whew! Thank Goodness!

Then I wanted to walk through the Halloween section ... as most of you know, we tend to start our Halloween celebration in early September...to get full use of the Halloween Costumes! Jackson had already decided to be Batman. I wrote a while back about how he created his costume himself...VERY CREATIVE!

Well, all along, Emma has wanted to be the Disney The Little Mermaid. She was set...until last night. All of a sudden, she said that she wanted to be BatGirl...which I actually thought was probably more appropriate for my little Emma! We were walking through Wal-Mart and low and behold, we found a BatGirl costume. She said she wanted to be like Jackson.

So, this morning, we got up bright and early--mostly because Bubba barked so loud he woke the whole house up! Anyway, Jackson and Emma got dressed in their costumes and as I was dressing Emma, I just looked at Jackson and said, "For all those time that maybe she's been mean to you...just know this...you are her H-E-R-O...and she loves you more than you could even imagine! She wants to be just like YOU!"

So they've been playing Batman together all morning...and as I sit here writing this blog, they keep coming up to me asking me if I've seen any villains or their side-kick Robin anywhere! Better sign off now, I have a sneaky suspicion that The Joker is sleeping upstairs in my bed and they're going to need all the help they can get to get him up and about!!