Just 2 days of school left....

Well, there are just 2 days of school left... then the kids will be home every day for a "fun filled" summer.
Ashleigh "graduated" from kindergarten last week... and Zach's awards assembly is today. Field day is tomorrow... somehow, I got roped into helping with Ashleigh's class.

Ashleigh Graduating

The kids are also full swing into the middle of baseball season. Zach plays right field and is doing really well when the balls are hit that far. He plays "kid pitch", so, there's more of the batters getting hit by the ball then the batters hitting the ball.
He still has some confidence building to do as far as batting goes, but he at least tipped the ball at the last game. I told him that it's one step closer.
My ball players

Crossing Jordan Cancelled :(

One of my favorite shows, Crossing Jordan, is getting the ax. Yep, NBC has made a big mistake again. And not only are they cancelling the show, they ended the season with a cliff hanger and there are a lot of loose ends. I hate it when they end shows like that. I need to know what happens to the crew after the plane crash.... and what of Lily and Bug and the baby AND Jordan finally admitted that she loves Woody! They can't end it this way!!!!! And they were just making Kate half way likable!
It's about the only show that I watch, without fail, every week! Sigh.....
Hopefully, NBC will come to their senses and change their minds.

TBall and Baseball

The girls finally played a game Monday night after 2 weeks of no practices or games. They did pretty well. Ashleigh got to play catcher the first inning. She has such skinny legs that the shin guards kept on spinning around to the back of her leg. She likes doing it tho'. Allie was her happy self. After fielding, the rest of the team came into the dugout to bat, and there was Allie in "lala" land still on the field playing in the dirt. :)
Zach's team has played 2 games this week with 2 more to go.... all the rain has doubled up their schedule. They lost he one on Monday night..... but the won the one last night 15-14. They barely pulled out the win, but they pulled together and did it.... it was an 8PM game, so it was nearly 10 when it was over. The parents were tired, and the boys were pumped up from winning.... I was afraid that Zach would have trouble going to sleep, but the rush wore off by the time we got home (we can see the stadium lights from our house, so we're not that far away).

Another one bites the dust....

Another game was cancelled... the girls were bummed. Zach was bummed because his practice was cancelled as well.... we'll see we get to "PLAY BALL" tomorrow night. It's suppose to rain all week tho, so we will see.
I am thankful for the rain tho! As one person put it the other day, God is watering all our outside plants for us, so we don't have to!
So thank you God for the rain. :)

Baseball! TBall! Rain! OH MY!

The girls finally are getting to play their game tonight, I think, if the rain holds off. (They also get their jersey's tonight, they are more excited about that then they are about playing the game)
It's getting to the point that I don't know which is a reguraly scheduled game and which is a make up game! Zach's team have several to make up, too. This week he plays, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights with practice tonight. It is supposed to rain Tues, Wed and Thurs.
I am trying to not complain about the rain, too much, 'cause in July, we'll all be saying "It's soooo HOT! I wish it would rain" :)

friday and weekend happenings

On Friday, I went with Zach to his field trip to the OK Aquarium. They all had a great time and I enjoyed getting some time to spend with my son. I was a little concerned whenever I was assigned 4 boys to be in my group, but they all were very well behaved.
That evening, Zach's team had their first baseball game. The won 14-2. He played very well and is catching on to baseball very well, although, I think he is counting down until football. He really likes his baseball coach, so that really helps.
Saturday was a "hang out at home" day. The kids cleaned their rooms while I did things around the house.... as our "reward", we had a silly string fight out in the back yard and then after cleaning that up, we played a game of croquet.
Sunday, we went to the early service at church. We usually go to the later service but chose to go to the early one because Zach was going to the Tulsa Drillers game and had to be there at 12:30 for a baseball clinic. We decided that we should go to church so that Zach didn't get the idea that baseball is more important than church. So, after church, Troy went to work, the girls went with Uncle Travis and Elisabeth and Zach and I went to the Drillers game.... all had a good time except for Troy :)
It was a really fun day for Zach. He even won 2 tickets to see the KC Royals play!
Tomorrow, Troy and I are going with Ashleigh's Kindergarten class to the zoo.

I finally did it....

Yep, I did it. I joined "myspace" last year, but I posted to my blog and updated it today.... here's the address if you are interested....
http://www.myspace.com/zaasmom

Easter 2007

We had a wonderful Easter this year! For the past 20 years or so, we have had a family (and friends) Easter egg hunt and dinner at my Aunt's house in Collinsville. There is always too much to eat and way too many prizes but we all have a great time getting together (even though the weather on Easter was more like winter time.) At church that morning, we had a special speaker at our church. Miss America 2006, came to speak to us about all the crowns she has won over the years, but how they all pale in comparison to the crown that Christians get when they go to heaven.
Afterwards, she made herself available for people to meet her and get pictures made with her. Of course, Ashleigh wanted to meet her, so we stood in line and the girls got to meet her and have their pictures made with her....


Zachary didn't really care to much to meet her, especially after he found out where she was from.... Jenks.... (for those of you who aren't familiar with this area, Owasso and Jenks are rivals) He also wouldn't dare meet a "GIRL" willingly. hehe

Here are some other pics that we took during the day.

Update.....

Whew, it's been a long time since I posted!
We are all doing fine. The girls are playing on the same TBall team called Owasso Power. Ashleigh is really catching on to the game, fielding the ball well and even "took out the first basemen".... when Troy asked her why she ran her over, she said, "she was being mean to me and my team mates at the last game, so I took her out...." I was at practice with Zach during their game, so when Troy told me what she did and said, it was a little hard not to laugh... it's so against Ashleigh's character. Allie is doing okay for a 4 year old. She has finally figured out where first base is and that is where she is suppose to run when she hits the ball. At the first game, Allie ran across the pitcher's mound, to 2nd base and finally to 1st. I got my entertainment for the week.
Zachary is playing baseball for the 10 and under Owasso Reds. He was suppose to play a game last night, but it was cancelled for rain. He was really disappointed. He has another game scheduled for Friday. He is the starting right fielder. He was a little disappointed cause he wants to play first base, but Troy told him that it's better to be playing in the outfield, then being left out and not get to start the game at all. He seemed to take being a right fielder okay after dad told him that. I think he may be the back up 1st baseman, but I'm not sure, as they are still figuring out who works best where.
As far as me and Troy, we are doing fine. Troy is still enjoying his job and I am still staying at home with Allie. We put a contract on a house that has 5 acres with it, but haven't heard if the owner is going to accept our contract yet. The house is a repo and needs some minor inside cosmetic work, but it's on 5 acres, so we are willing to fix up the house so that we can have the land. The girls are already asking for a horse. We'll have to see about that. There is already a barn, runs, and an area fenced off that they used as a barrel racing and calf roping practice area. There is also a very small pond on the back corner of the property.
That's about it for now.... I'll try to update more often than once a month.

Back from Arkansas

Mom and I visited with Aunt Iva Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. She is doing better and is "behaving" and doing her therapy. We also talked her into eating more. She is gaining back her strength slowly.
Please continue praying for her.

Aunt Iva update

Well, Aunt Iva hasn't gotten any better. We found out that she can't keep anything down and that the dizziness was caused by blood not getting to her brain. After an MRI... they discovered that she has Alzheimers. She also won't try to walk on her leg and says it hurts to much.... we are hoping that she hasn't given up.
My mom and I are going down to see her on Sunday and to make sure her affairs are in order. They say that if she makes it out of the hospital, then she will need nursing care, most likely in a nursing home. We are trying to keep her out of there, so, we will see what happens.
She is still mentally active and only seems to have short periods where she doesn't remember things, so she is still doing well as far as the Alzheimer's is going.
Just pray for Aunt Iva's health and for my mom, as she makes decisions on Aunt Iva's behalf.

P.O.G.

One of my friends here in OK, Cheri, told me that we needed to get out and that she was taking me somewhere, so to get child care and then, of course, was cruel, and wouldn't tell me where we were going, until we were on our way yesterday.(my kids stayed home with Troy) She had gotten tickets to the "Point Of Grace" concert in Tulsa. I love POG so, It was a wonderful surprise (even if I don't like surprises) and couldn't be more timely.... It helped me to have a "girls night out" and some much needed "me" time.
(Thank you Cheri!)

Aunt Iva Update

Aunt Iva isn't doing much better. She is still in the hospital, but is now in rehab. She says her leg still hurts really bad and that she gets dizzy when she stands up. Please keep her in your prayers.

Please pray

Please pray for my Aunt Iva who is in her 80s. She lives in Arkansas.
From what we were told, she was out taking a walk yesterday evening, and she was hit by a car. We have also been told that the driver didn't stop. Someone called 911 and she was taken to the hospital with a hurt hip, knee and head injury. She has a concusion and remembers nothing about the accident. She had surgery on her knee today and is in recovery right now. We were told that she would have to stay in the hospital until she can get around with a walker and then was told that she needs to go into a nursing home, something that will NOT sit well with her (can't say I blame her).... so please pray for her healing and that she accepts what the doctor tells her. There is family there in Arkansas who are with her now, and mom and I are planning on going over there in the next few days.

UPDATE:
(WE FOUND OUT LATER SOME MORE OF THE STORY, THE DRIVER DID STOP AND CALL 911)
She is doing better after her knee surgery but is frustrated that she can't get up and walk because of the pain.... my Aunt Iva, even at 85 is more active than most people and is always going out and helping out all the "old people"

Well House

We finally have everyone well again. Ashleigh went back to school last Wednesday and Zachary went back today. He missed a whole week of school, but his sister brought home some of the work that he missed, so he won't be too far behind. I am just glad things are getting back to normal.
Both of the girls are playing T Ball this year, on the same team, thank goodness... and Zach will be playing his first year of "kid pitch". We should be getting their schedules soon.

Sick Sick Sick House

Well, I just got over the flu and now my 3 kids are sick! Fun Fun! The kids are home from school today with fevers, but are feeling better than they did yesterday. Troy somehow escaped the bug.

Happy dance!

Yep! I'm doing the happy dance! School is back in session tomorrow! If it wasn't going to be, I was going to offer my assistance to get the roads cleared. I am sure there are lots of parents who would've joined me, too! :)

Arghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

As many of you know, we were hit with an ice storm about a week ago. 3 inches of the stuff! The kids have been out of school all week cause the neighborhood roads are like skating rinks and I am about to go stir crazy.... and as I am about to have SOME hope that my kids would get to go back to school, I find out that we could get up to 8 inches or so of snow.... when is it going to end?
So far, it hasn't snowed even 1 flake here, they say that the system has slowed down.
The way it looks, the kids may have to wait until the spring thaw before they can go back to school :(

A reminder of why I hate math! :)

My son Zachary, who is in the 3rd grade, started learning his times tables last week. They started with the 11s and 10s and are now on the 9s and 8s. As I am helping him study his flash cards, I remember how much I HATE math. Always have and I always will :) I didn't have trouble with my math facts.... just had trouble understanding that, in life , why does it really matter what the "value of 'x' is" ... my math teachers could never answer that question without the look of anger in their eyes, and never gave me an answer that suited me, so since, in life, it doesn't matter what the value of "x" is, I don't have to learn it. :) (Most teachers thought that I was trying to be a smart aleck when I asked that question.... but I really wanted to know)

Because of my struggles with math, I am being really hard on my son when it comes to math. When I was a kid, I hated math so much, that I neglected to learn some early math principles and then, had trouble when it came to algebra. So, I am forcing him to KNOW how to do math, whether he likes it or not. I told him that he doesn't have to like it, just know it. I don't want him to have the same struggles with it that I had. Who knows, while I am drilling and pounding these facts in his head, maybe I might learn something as well :)

I might even finally find out the answer to my question. Maybe Zach's teacher's will know ;)

Catching up

One of my friends told me the other day that it had been about a month since I blogged.... I hadn't realized that it had been so long :)
Our holidays were wonderful. We got to be at home here in Oklahoma for the first time in years.... and we had Christmas morning with our family here at our house!
Troy and I celebrated our 10th anniversary on Dec 21st. He took me to Branson, MO and we stayed at Chatteau on the Lakes. It was so nice to get to spend some alone time with my husband. When we went out to eat, Troy told me that I could cut up his food for him if I wanted, since that is what I am use to doing for the kids.... I told him that I didn't think that I was gonna miss that, but thanks for offering. It was nice going out to eat by ourselves! We also got all of the Christmas shopping for the kids done while we were there. I'm know that it wasn't the most romantic thing to do, but, it was the only time that we were away from the kids and we could get it done! It was a wonderful trip and I am very thankful for my sweet husband for taking me on a trip for our anniversary.
I realized something this morning, that since we have moved back to Oklahoma, we have had snow already with more snow coming this weekend and in Virginia, they have had unseasonably warm weather. Now what's up with that. Getting away from the snow was one of the things I was looking forward to when I moved back to Oklahoma. Several people here have blamed me for the snow saying I "brought it with me".... well, if you know me very well, you know how much I "love" snow, so, I figured that one of my kids must have prayed for it to snow here, cause they love it so much, and God answered their prayers. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?
Zachary and Ashleigh went back to school last Tuesday. Man has it been quiet in the house while they are gone. Allie misses them though, and asks "when are bubby and sissy gonna be home" and then she fights with them when they are here.
Zachary tried out for the 3rd grade spelling bee and was the first one chosen in his class. He even "practiced" the night before.
Ashleigh celebrated her 6th birthday on Jan 5th. She got a cheerleader doll from her brother and sister. The one thing that she asked for from us was an American Girl doll. So, we gave her a choice... choice #1. We buy here the American Girl doll, and she take one friend with her to Chuck E Cheeses, with no big party, or #2, We buy her a less expensive present and she has a big party here at home with her friends. She chose option #1 and she will be receiving the AG doll sometime this month (we had to order it) and will be going with a friend to CEC's soon. Turned out to be easier on us and she is getting what she wants for he birthday. We will be having a simple cake and ice cream get together with family soon to celebrate. I was looking at this coming weekend, but Allie's birthday was almost canceled, and probably should have been since they don't clear the neighborhoods here, and it was still very slick and icy after the snow storm. So, we will have is hopefully sometime this month.... she never got to have her party last year because Allie had Chicken Pox on every inch of her little body and Ashleigh had 2 pox, so we had to cancel the party!
Well, I think that about catches up the last month! Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!