What a weekend!

You may or may not know that Leonard, Tractor, and Elmo were all diagnosed with the H1N1 flue last Thursay and have been confided to Dancer's room. She is bunking with me until they are better and her room can be decontaminated. Now, it looks like Scout might have it as well. She stayed home today as well. Baby Bear has been coming to work with me. That was cute the last Thursday and Friday, but he's tired of it now. I took him home at 10 to take a nap so I could go to an 11 meeting. Hopefully, he'll sleep until I get Dancer home around 130. He doesn't understand why he can't play with Elmo or go see Daddy. Poor baby. He's just too little.
I think I have washed everything in the house. I don't remember ever doing so much laundry. I've put everything in the washing machine or the dishwasher and everything else has been disinfected with Lysol or Clorox. My Bath and Body Works Blossoms can't keep up. I have chili in the crock pot for dinner tonight though and I'm looking forward to it. The house smelled so good when I took Baby Bear home for his nap.
I was supposed to leave for Newfoundland tomorrow, but due to everyone being sick, I had to cancel that trip. I leave for Baton Rouge on 10/21 and that trip can't be cancelled. So, they have to be better by then or suffer while I'm gone.
In addition to everyone being sick and me being exhausted, we had to get rid of our beloved dog, Lani Saturday. We had been talking about it, but putting it off. When we moved to the country in July, we had to move her completely outside because the house isn't conducive to a dog. (No doors on over half the rooms, narrow hallways, small rooms, etc) That left her with no shelter from the elements. When we woke up Saturday and she was limping outside because of ice frozen between her paws, we knew something had to be done. I called the Humane Society and they told me to bring her in. I pray someone wonderful will adopt her and make her the kind of family member she deserves to be. It about killed me to leave her there. She looked so confused. I can't write this without tearing up.

H1N1 Flu

For those of you who aren't also on Facebook, Leonard, Tractor (5), and Elmo (3) all have the H1N1 Flu and are confined to Dancer's bedroom. Dancer, Dennis the Menace (6), and I have been busy disinfecting the house with Clorox and Lysol. Boy does it smell wonderful:) We have washed or are in the process of washing every linen, washable, toy, etc we can trying to get rid of what we can. My washing machine hasn't stopped in 36 hours and I can't fold fast enough. Scout gave Baby Bear a bath last night. He's been at the University 'helping' me. My co-workers and students both love it because "he's so cute" and he's a great distraction from anything productive. I have managed to get some papers graded though, so that's a plus.

Dancer is dancing in Omaha (3 hours each way) this year because we were so disappointed with the competitive studio in Kearney. She is taking ballet and jazz at another studio in town and is enjoying that so far. She will dance in Las Vegas this summer for Nationals and will perform her first solo. She is doing the choreography herself and pretty excited.

Poker Boy is loving second grade. So far, he has a perfect 100% in spelling and is quite proud of that. He really likes school. He has continued with Scouts this year and still enjoys that and church quite a bit. It's not uncommon to hear him singing hymns quietly to himself. He is, of course, still addicted to the computer as well.

Dennis the Menace is in 1st grade and likes it as well, but he generally likes everything and everyone. He is just a happy kid, going along with life. He started Tiger Scouts this year and loves it.

Tractor started Kindergarten and loves everything about it. He has three girlfriends (not sure about that, but one is in Louisiana). He can listen to enough books being read to him. He and Elmo will sit and listen to someone read to them for hours. They recently discovered Poker Boy can read and they are always trying to get him to read to them. Sometimes it works, usually not. He's looking forward to being a Scout next year.

Elmo goes to half day Preschool four days a week and thinks he's big stuff. He's still a 'little boy' though. He won't be a 'big boy' until he turns 4 in January - his words. I guess he's our Peter Pan. The others all want to grow up, but not him. His big accomplishment this school year has been learning how to use scissors safely and he's very proud of himself.

Baby Bear is just growing like a weed. He's a pretty happy little chunk. He loves music, eating, and the cats. Just looking at the cats makes him smile and he loves to pet them. They don't even mind it too much because he's so gentle with them. Right now he's rearranging my office at work. Just what I needed. I'll never be able to find anything again:)

Turtle is due February 2, and we are anxiously awaiting his arrival. We just found out he was a boy last week and Poker Boy was devastated. He has decided we can have a baby sister next year. He doesn't seem to understand Turtle won't be here until next year and even if we do have another one right away, it could be another brother. The other boys were fine with another brother - now the in-field is full. Dancer would like a sister, but wasn't really expecting one.

I am still dreaming of Alaska and the job is still there, but I know better than to apply for it. Maybe if it's still there again next year...If I were them though, I'd just recycle it. Oh well. Maybe for my retirement I can end up in Fairbanks. I can always dream.

Keep in touch. You can always email (chioalum@aol.com). Either way, I love hearing from family and friends.

I'm sure most of you figured I'd forgotten all about this, but really, I haven't. I've just been so busy, I couldn't see straight. We moved into a new house in Minden and so far so good. It's a little longer drive to and from work, but we have about 5 acres for the kids to run around on, so we like that. The boys are especially fond of the frogs that seem to inhabit the acreage:)
Our newest exchange student, Petra arrived in August and seems to be adjusting well. I imagine our family is pretty overwhelming, but she seems to be be acclimating. She is a senior at Minden High School and doing very well. She likes the school, has made friends, and the classes don't seem too difficult. She even went on the school senior trip - a one day trip to Washington DC. I've never heard of such a thing, but they flew out at midnight one night and arrived back home around 3 AM (27 hours later). She was tired, but she had a great time and got to see quite a bit.
What's ironic is that I was in DC the same day she was and we passed and hugged in the airport. Me on my way in and her on her way out. I was attending a conference on accreditation for work. Not nearly as much fun and didn't get to see any of the sites. I did attend a good conference though.
We are now 5 months pregnant and our ultrasound is tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll be able to find out if it is a boy, girl, or turtle. Our 3 year old thinks it's a turtle. I told him probably not:) As long as it's healthy (and not a turtle), I'll be happy.

Mom

For those of you who I have seen or spoken to recently, you know that Mom is in the hospital. She had open heart surgery on Monday, June 8. The doctor says she is doing fine, but she is having a rough time with the pain. She could definitely use your thoughts and prayers. I created a web site to keep everyone posted on how she's doing. Feel free to visit it at
www.caringbridge.com/visit/peggybostic. There is a guest book and you can sign it to leave her a message.

Other things new in our life...after strongly considering it (and a lot of tears), I turned down the job in Alaska. I can't tell you how hard that was for me. I have dreamt of it for years (since I was 17) and actively pursued it for the last 2 years. I do know that no matter what, they will not offer me another job. They were more than generous, I just coulnd't make it work. Some dreams are hard to let go of :(

So, I am back at work and Leonard and I are busy looking for a house here in the Kearney area. Our lease is up July 23. We found a beautiful 1912 farmhouse in Shelton, about 20 minutes away, and are looking into it. Waiting for the realtor to call me back... It has 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (1 with a clawfoot tub - Leonard loves this), lots of storage (critical to Karen), a formal dining and living room, a huge kitchen (always important when you have a big family and love to cook), sits on abotu an acre and a half, and is just gorgeous. It also has a root cellar whcih we would love to have to store veggies and other items. Keep your fingers crossed that this might be what God has in mind for us.

PokerBoy turns 7 on June 26, but we will celebrate it in Omaha on Father's Day. Dancer has a dance audition in Omaha on June 20. We were disappointed with the dance studio here in Kearney, so we've made arrangements for her to return to her previous studion in Omaha. She loved it there and we were very happy with the owner, faculty, and instruction. PokerBoy has expressed interest in dancing as well. If he's serious, we'll see about enrolling him in a studio in Grand Island. He's not to the competitive stage yet.

As always, please stay in touch. Friends are the jewels of life. One can never have too many. I appreciate you all and miss you often.

Karen

Going to Omaha

I'm at work this morning, but in a couple of hours Dancer, Dennis the Menace, and I will head to Omaha. I have a cheer safety course (required to be a cheerleading coach) and a few errands to run. We'll come back home to Kearney on Saturday and bring Grandma with us. Dancer has ballet recitals all next week and this way Grandma and Daddy will be able to go. We have to have a female who can go backstage to help Dancer get ready and another adult to stay home with the boys or Daddy doesn't get to go. This way, I can stay home and Grandma can help Dancer get ready in the dressing room while Daddy watches. Daddy has missed several recitals over the years because we couldn't find a way for to him to attend, so we are trying to make sure he sees as many as he can now.
Daddy will stay home with the other boys and our exchange student. Brokau, our 17 year old German daughter, leaves in 5 days. She has been busy packing (she has accumulated a lot this year and doesn't have room to take everything home) and getting ready for her parents arrival next week. She has mailed several boxes of items already, but still has a lot. Her fellow exchange student from South Korea leaves this weekend and another from Beligium leaves after her. Tractor and PokerBoy don't quite understand why we can't keep her. We call her a 'borrowed' sister, but they are still very young to understand that she's not really our's. Our next exchange student, Scout, will arrive in early August. We have started telling the boys about her and showing them her photo, but they are still confused. It'll click when she gets here. I can't wait to meet her.

25 of My Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles, and warm woolen mittens, these are a few of my favorite things…

Actually, some of my favorite things are…

1. The laughter of a young child.

2. The smell of rain or a freshly cut lawn

3. Flowers – daisies, sunflowers, hyacinths, daffodils, white carnations (it’s a Chi Omega thing), magnolias, hibiscus, crepe myrtles, dogwood – I love them.

4. The feel of a purrfectly content cat, sleeping next to me.

5. The smell of fresh bread baking.

6. When Baby Bear waves bye-bye and smiles because he knows I’ll always come back.

7. Watching Dancer share her faith with her friends.

8. When Elmo says “phew” and runs away giggling because he got me.

9. Knowing tractor probably will grow up and fish from his John Deere.

10. Seeing myself in Dennis the Menace’s eyes.

11. Playing cards with PokerBoy and knowing that if he wins, it wasn’t because I let him. He’s just that good.

12. Knowing my dissertation is finished. Anything else I do with it is completely optional.

13. Newfoundland dogs.

14. Volunteering at the Humane Society.

15. My butterfly shoes.

16. LSU!!! Geaux Tigers!!!

17. Raggedy Ann and Holly Hobbie – some things we just don’t outgrow.

18. The women in my Wednseday night church Bible Study and my work Lunch Bunch. They have no idea how much they mean to me.

19. Our international daughters – Kathleen, Gloria, Ana, Christiane, Sara, and Petra.

20. The dream of some day owning a home.

21. A well organized pantry. Just ask FireGoddess – she’ll tell you I’m OCD on this one.

22. HGTV – I’m obsessed.

23. Reconnecting with old friends and staying close to new ones.

24. Scrapbooking and Journaling.

25. Friends who will always be there for me, even when I make mistakes.

26. Having the best husband and partner in life I never dreamed possible.

Getting to Know Us

Everyone is always telling me I should write a book, but I don’t have time because I’m too busy with my family, church, and work. Maybe someday. .. for now, I’ll try blogging and see how that goes. I figure it’s kind of like journaling and scrapping combined and online.

Spring classes ended a few weeks ago and summer ones don’t start for a couple of weeks, so I have a short lull. I love everything about my job. It makes all those years of going to school, and there were a lot of years, worth the effort. While I miss my students from Runnels and False River Academy, I feel like I’m finally in the right place. I feel like I belong at the University. It’s just comfortable for me. I don’t know if UNK is the perfect place for me, but I enjoy teaching and I seem to be doing ok. Not too many complaints yet.

My family is my pride and joy. Everything in life revolves around them. If I didn’t have Leonard and the kids, I wouldn’t be me. I have always wanted a large family and we have been blessed with a large, healthy, happy family. I wouldn’t mind having another girl or two, but I’m not complaining. Who knows what the future will hold. Right now we just enjoy life and see what each day brings us. We have 6 wonderful and healthy children and we wouldn’t change a single thing – except maybe to have 7 or 8 or so.

Dancer is 13 and a dancer, among other things. She just finished 7 th grade at the top of her class. She participated in the Duke TIP program this past year and took the ACT. At age 12, she earned a 21 composite – we’re pretty proud of her. She also finished her 10 th year of dancing, her 8 th year of Girl Scouts, 2 nd year of 4-H, and 3 rd year of violin. She played the best of ABBA for school this year and now she is working independently on her violin this summer (no parental nagging required). Her grandmother bought her a new book of music (130 popular songs) and she is working her way through it. She is an avid reader, going through about 50,000 pages a week. Of course, she is obsessed with Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight series. She favors Jacob over Edward thoughJ We volunteer at the Humane Society together as much as we can. We walk dogs and clean cat cages (so we can play with the cats of course). It’s something we both really enjoy doing. We fold their laundry too, but we’d much rather be with the critters.

PokerBoy will turn 7 on June 26, and just finished first grade. He loves school and learning. He’s anxious to start 2 nd grade. His first grade teacher, Mrs. W was wonderful. Because of her, PokerBoy wants to teach 1 st grade and his Daddy and I think that’s wonderful. He would make a great teacher. Of course, he is only 7, but we’ll see what the future holds for him. He also wants to write his dissertation on players facial expressions during poker competitions (thus his nickname). He is learning to play baseball with Mom and Dad this summer and enjoys that – he actually hits the ball! As with all of his siblings, he loves church and Sunday School. Mrs. W told me on several occasions that she heard him singing hymns quietly to himself while working on assignments. This was his first year of 4-H and he enjoyed it, but he’s very much a homebody. Aside from school and church, he really doesn’t care to go anywhere else. He will be going to Vacation Bible School next week though.

Dennis the Menace is 5 going on 6 (August 27). He finished Kindergarten last week and will start 1 st grade in the fall. For now, he’s enjoying summer. He will attend a reading camp this summer in hopes of getting a little ahead (or maybe just caught up). He’s very excited to be a Tiger Scout next year. He got do watch PokerBoy as one this year and is ready for his turn. He and PokerBoy helped a nursing home retire their flag yesterday in a formal flag ceremony. Both boys were pretty impressed with that. It was Dennis’ first official Scout activity though. Tractor is his best friend and they can’t wait to play baseball and go to school together. I hope they are never in a multi-grade, combined class. There teacher will run screaming and never come back. Neither are bad, but they are little boys and very busy. They have lot s of questions and want to understand the world. Dennis is very Earth conscious. He recycles everything, turns off lights, and tries to take care of the environment.

Tractor is 4 and will be 5 on September 7. He is scheduled to start Kindergarten this fall (Nebraska has one of the latest cutoffs in the country with October 15). He is very much looking forward to that. He will be attending a reading and science camp for incoming Kindergarteners this summer and we think he’ll enjoy that. His (current) life goal is grow up and drive a ‘Mater truck (tow truck – think Cars). After work, he’s going to sit on his tractor by the river and fish while drinking root beer. He has it all planned out. He only wants a John Deere, because those are the best. Not bad for a city boy. His favorite song is “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts. He also knows he’s going to have kids because then he’ll be the Daddy and Dennis the Menace will be the Uncle. He hasn’t picked out the Mommy yet, but he really like ‘Akenzie in False River last year. He still talks about her. Tractor and Dennis the Menace are best friends. All of the boys are close, but these two are especially so. As with the other kids, he also loves going to church. All of the boys love wearing their ‘church shoes’ (loafers) and their crosses. They only wear them to church. He likes to watch Arthur, Clifford, and Curious George on PBS. This was his first year in 4-H and he enjoyed making and eating fresh bread. He likes cooking anything though – all of the kids do. Especially, chocolate chip cookies (we eat the dough).

Elmo is three and ‘not a baby!’ He will tell you that any chance he gets. Sometimes he’ll settle for being a little boy, but he usually wants to be a big boy like his brothers. He idolizes Tractor and tries to emulate everything he does. He has laid claim to Baby Bear; that’s ‘his’ baby. I guess Lani is my baby. He has been potty training himself and is making good progress. He did 4-H this year as well and is looking forward to school, Scouts, and baseball. He loves going to church, but is too young for Vacation Bible School this year. He loves to play outside with the brothers (our boys) and balls of any kind are always good. He’s also pretty fond of Elmo. He is very interested in helping Mom scrapbook. I try to do this after the kids go to sleep, but he must have a 6 th sense, because he’s always right there. He loves to help place photos and look at who’s doing what on each page.

Baby Bear will turn 2 on October 2. He walks all over the place and recently learned to wave bye-bye. He almost always smiles. His favorite things to do are eat, play, eat, and play – a pretty consistent guy. He loves to play with Elmo, they run around the house giggling. He likes playing in the church nursery as well. There is a toy vacuum cleaner in the toy refrigerator and that is his favorite toy. He has learned to pick toys up and put them in the bucket or put trash in the garbage can. He’s such a cute, little, round ball of boy.

Mr. Mom is still a wonderful husband and partner after 15 years together. Why he puts up with me, I’m not always sure. Actually I am sure – he loves me more than I ever thought anyone could. That’s the best gift God has given me. That and our children. Mr. Mom stays home with our children and they love it (he does too). He was home with the 3 little boys this year and that kept him pretty busy. He also proofreads a lot of my writing and makes me spreadsheets when I need them. He also does lots of dinner and laundry duty. What more could a mom ask for? Baby #7 would be good…