Happy Birthday Jayna- and more!

Can you believe it that our youngest has now turned 7!!! Jayna celebrated her birthday at Chuck E Cheeses yesterday. I would have to say the best part of it was her excitement- she was just bursting with excitement the whole week leading up to and had a great day. Today a day after, she was going to play with something and she said there is so much to do the day after your birthday. She's been enjoying her new toys ( I would say favorites are new pet shop things and her cleaning set- broom, mop...) I have to say it was hard for me to buy her the cleaning set- who wants stuff to clean with!!! But she wanted it and has enjoyed being her sister's maid!!

div>Jayna is such a special child to us ( of course all our kids are) Jayna's specialty is being sweet- she still likes to give and get hugs, and she has a good sense of humor ( according to my sister she wonders where my kids get their humor- since Richard and I aren't really funny!)





Jayna and her friends at Chuck E Cheeses

Hat and purse and card from Grandma and Pap Ashead

Riding a ride at Chuck E Cheeses with Matt

Thanksgiving ended up being really nice- the morning I spent working on an OT college project- ugh, but it's done and I should have a presentation on it tomorrow. Then we went bowling- who knew so many people went bowling on Thanksgiving? Anyhow it was nice to get out of the house- made me give the project a break- then we came home and I worked on dinner- turkey breast, potatoes... and some pies with the help of Sara Lee!!! ( My mom would have never done that!)

Reading now: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

And so it goes...

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Nov. 23

Thanks for the comments on Thanksgiving. Richard had actually mentioned going out to eat, but it just didn't seem right to me. So I think this is what we're doing: having a smallish thanksgiving dinner, then going bowling sometime that day. We had planned bowling as our family fun activity for the month (there's a process to that at the Ashead home!) and haven't gotten around to it, so that will work as some good Thanksgiving family fun. Plus we have a coupon for 99 cent games, so that's good too. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Jayna's birthday party is Saturday at Chuck E. Cheeses. She really loves that place!! Andrew and Whitney never had a party there. I'm not sure how many kids will be there yet- I think they have until Tuesday to RSVP. Few or many, it will be fun! With her birthday being so close to Thanksgiving and me being crazy about school I really need to make sure I give it enough attention. She recently started a Brownie (Girl Scout) troop. One of her friends down the street goes to the same one.

Middle School dance last Friday. We ended up with 4 girls sleeping over. Whitney and her friends have decided that after every dance one of them will have a sleep over. They were loud, but not too bad, and Whitney is always good about cleaning up after them. Middle school time I think is such a time of trying to figure out who you are, what you like..., I see friendships that Andrew and Whitney have had changing. With Whitney being in middle school now- that adds a whole new group, since 2 schools join to form the middle school.

Andrew and Whitney will both be starting practices for the school musical soon.

School has sometimes felt brutal lately for me. I have to say that I think the whole thing is harder than I thought it would be (always good to get humbled I guess) I'm still doing fine gradewise. I have an OT project due the first week of Dec. that I really need to put some concentrated effort into. I've thought about it, picked up some supplies, but really need to make myself start putting it together. It's a poster presentation and unfortunately I'm not that artistic- so I think that has inhibited me somewhat. I had advisement for next semester- I'll have 7 classes which is one more than I have this semester ( 1 credit more too). It seems crazy when it is hard already, but I was so thankful they counted another class from Hiram so I'm not taking 8 classes! ( Plus it made me feel like that first year of college years ago wasn't totally wasted)

Well, I gotta go get Whitney (she's at a friends again!)
And so it goes...

Thanksgiving thoughts and more

So it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but Jayna is watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" on tv. Isn't it a bit early? I have to say I'm a little excited myself for Christmas already, but I do hate all the commercialization so early.

Thanksgiving- who knew it was going to be so stressful to do nothing?? We had said we weren't going to go to my family's this year and that we were just going to chill out here. Here is my dilemma though - I still want some kind of nice immediate family activity, but this is what I envision- me spending all this time cooking while the boys (Andrew and Richard) playing video games, while Whitney hangs out in her room and Jayna does whatever. Buffalo has a big Turkey Trot that I thought would be fun to just get out and watch, but Richard didn't feel like it. Whitney knixed the idea of doing crafts (we could of done something grown up), Jayna would like to play games together- but I didn't have many takers on that idea. I just want it to be a little special. Here are some things I'm thinking may be a possibility: all go see Madagascar 2 together, simplifying the Thanksgiving dinner- pie is important to Richard and Andrew, mashed potatoes and gravy for Whitney and turkey designed cupcakes; so maybe just do a turkey breast,with potaoes and dessert, but skip the stuffing?, maybe we could buy a new game like a kids scene it and enjoy some time playing that together? I don't know- I just don't want to be angry on Thanksgiving- I don't expect us to do stuff together all day, but I would like to have some kind of plan that everyone else could be on board for.

Okay, enough ranting- on a happy note our Tom Turkey is getting full of feathers, so that is nice- I've been remembering to ask people who are over to add a feather. And I really do have so very much to be thankful for.

School has been overwhelming lately, but I guess that happens. I'll just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

And so it goes...

reading now : a long way gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - it is good so far,something that always intrigues me is how some people can come through really awful situations, and still thrive, but how others go through awful situations and become bitter or lose themselves.

Hope everyone is well.

Nov.8- 1 More Picture

Andrew playing his bass guitar at a choir concert.

Nov.8- Pictures/Halloween

Halloween Spider Treats!
Our Jack-o-Lanterns! This was the first year we used the kids carving knife! Their awesome- so easy and safe, but really work!
Fun at the pumpkin patch!
Checking out pumpkins
Jayna wanted to be a Zombie Skeleton!