What have we been up to?

Well, I am really on a picture taking funk and thus the reason for no blogging for about 2 weeks now. I would much rather blog with a cute pic to go or something great to talk about but quite honestly, it's been pretty "same old, same old". Ali is doing great with managing her new allergy to dairy....we made a trip to Trader Joe's and got all kinds of soy stuff....soy cheese slices, soy ice cream, yum! And I think she was missing the hospital because Monday she went to open gym and collided with another cheerleader from her school. The other girl ended up with a black eye and Ali ended up flat on her back and couldn't get up. It was pretty scary and I ended up taking her to Mission Hospital where we might as well have a wing named after us by now with all the money we've dropped there this year. Thank goodness for health insurance because I know it would be alot more. Anyway, no broken bones just a really sore back and neck. They gave her a prescription for vicadin and so that's helped....both of us....just kidding! We also have a very good friend that is a chiropractor and so he fit us in on Tuesday and then also came by our house on his way home to check on her....thank you Dr. Gooing! So, I'm keeping her home from school and she's doing her work online which is so great that they can do. Hopefully by next week she will be feeling better and we won't be seeing the inside of the ER for a while.

As far as the rest of our lives goes, we are just muttling along. Rates are getting better so Doug is getting busier, AJ and Ryan are keeping busy with hockey as usual, and Jack is now sitting proud at the kitchen table....no more high chair! As much as I hate the idea of him getting older, I have to say I LOVED taking that high chair out to the garage! ........just in time to make way for the tool bench Jack will be getting for Xmas. :-) Why are little kids toys so big and bulky?
As for me, I am desperately trying to finish shopping even though we have gone WAY light this year. The kids have had such a great attitude about knowing we are NOT doing a big Christmas and I have to say that I think this is a new trend for us. Doug and I gave up gifts for ourselves a few years back because really it's all about the kids anyway. Ali even made a comment to me the other day about maybe not getting gifts and using that money to give to a charity which I thought was awesome. But when I pursued it with her she said, "Oh no mom, I meant NEXT year we should do that!" Oh well, baby steps right?

Tomorrow we are going to see Santa so I will most likely post tomorrow but here's a blast from the past until then......is it me or does this Santa look like he should be on the Megans Law website????

Laura, Mark, and Adam Rummel - 1983??