54 posts tagged “grandpa”
Thumbs Down:
- A woman looked at our house last week and just loved it. She brought her husband to see it on Monday and he was very quiet except to say one of the bathroom's needed remodeling and they'd already done a lot of that on their current house. Our realtor is hoping the woman just needed some time to talk her husband into it. I'm afraid it was a woman who thought she needed a new house and her husband didn't.
- I was a crabby patty today. It's not very often that I'm in a cranky mood all day but this was one of them. Several little things that put me in the mood.
- My great uncle passed away. He was my step grandpa's brother. Grandpa died when I was 12 but he lived in town and I spent tons of time with him. Out of his 3 brothers, this was the one I was closest to. He and his wife have lived in AZ the past 10 years and had just moved back to MT to be closer to family. I've made at least 3 trips to Billings and wanted to stop and see them but always had other things to do. Now, I regret waiting. I'd also like to go to his funeral tomorrow but it's not going to work out. He has such a twinkle in his eye.
Thumbs Up:
- We really are making good progress on the house. We've started painting the basement even though we don't plan to totally finish the basement right away. The tile is done in the foyer and Lily's bathroom floor and shower. Ray's started hanging interior doors and putting on base trim so the carpet installer can come. 2/3 of the kitchen cabinets are done. I need to get pictures of some of the lights Ray's installed because they are gorgeous! We're very tentatively hoping to be in around the end of the month. (No laughing, mom).
- There's no school tomorrow so Ray's taking the boys hunting. This will be Cody's first time going as an official "hunter" since passing Hunter's Safety.
- The 1st quarter is done at school. Cody really struggled the past few years but is finally taking school more seriously. There is still room for improvement but he made the Honor Roll so we're very proud. All his teachers had great things to say. This is Jace's first year to receive letter grades and he earned all A's and B's. He's also suddenly taken a huge interest in reading. He's always hated reading but is now reading 300 page novels!! Lily is also doing well. All of the kids' teachers are very impressed with their transition into new schools. It truly has been amazing and we couldn't have asked for the move to be any smoother.
- Cody has started Middle School wrestling and his first tournament is Saturday. Wrestling is such a different environment here. In Jamestown, Cody was teased a lot for being a wrestler instead of playing hockey or basketball. Here, wrestling is huge! Last night, they had a photo shoot for their team poster!! He's best friend here is also a wrestler and a super, nice kid.
- Though the weather in October was awful, November is off to a gorgeous start. It's even supposed to hit 60 tomorrow.
They don't have a set age limit for when kids can begin receiving communion here. It's just up to the parents and the there are 3 weeks of classes that the child and parents go through. We decided to have Jace go ahead and do it. Cody didn't get to until the end of 5th grade but it was obvious kids do it younger here. I must say I don't think Jace got nearly as much out of the classes as Cody did and Jace was one of the oldest ones there. I sure don't plan to have Lily do it any younger.
The whole family went to church including my parents and brother. It's so awesome to have them present at all of these wonderful events. We got Jace a dog tag cross necklace and he even wore it to school today.
Which relative - dead or alive - do you wish you knew better?
My paternal grandfather. He died quite awhile before I was born. That's the one who had a heart attack while flying his plane and my grandma had to land it even though she didn't know how to fly. I don't think I ever mentioned that my dad still has the plane and flew it himself up until a few years ago. My brother is wanting to take flying lessons, too. Personally, I find it scary!
We had such a wonderful weekend. We spent Saturday morning shopping for house stuff while my brother took the kids out to breakfast, swimming, and to the Farmer's Market. The tile for the main and master bathrooms is now purchased! We're getting close to the end of picking stuff out for the new house, thank goodness!
Next, we headed to the Indoor Football Championship with the Billings Outlaws vs. River City Rage (think they're from Missouri). We had awesome seats about 10 rows up.
Jace got a tshirt, Cody a hat, and Lily a megaphone. The mascot is a horse named Gunsmoke. Instead of cheerleaders, they have a dance team who entered on the back of Harley motorcycles. They also have 3 "outlaws" that fire their guns whenever there's a score. This is the quarterback making his entrance. It was super neat that several of the players came out with their children.
The game got off to an amazing start. The Outlaws were kicking off and did an onside kick right off the bat and got it! The next play was a flea flicker for a TD!! The crowd went wild. Arena football is done on a smaller field and there are no sidelines. The coach actually stands out on the field and fans could reach over the barrier and break up plays which happened once. Another time, a catch was made but the player ended up going head first over the barrier into someone's seat! I was blown away by the fantastic catches that were made. There's very little running game. Because of the smaller field, there's a lot more scoring which makes it very exciting. The Outlaws led the entire game but the Rage came within one TD a few times during the 2nd half which made it scary. The mascot, Gunsmoke, came around and Cody got his autograph and Lily gave him a hug.
The final score was Outlaws 71 and Rage 62! The Outlaws quarterback was awarded the Best Offensive Player and MVP for the Indoor Football League.
We topped it off with a superb supper at the Samurai where they cook the food in front of you. My very favorite!
Not only are the kids now clothed for school but I just might be, too! My mom totally spoiled me with a great sale at Dillard's. I got 2 new dresses, 5 shirts, 2 jackets, and a pair of jeans! Nothing like some new clothes to make you feel like a million bucks.
We were very disappointed in the strict height guidelines on the rides here. Lily's been going down the big slide in Jamestown since she was 3 and by herself last year. Here, she can't even go down it with us!! She also needs an adult for the Sizzler and Bumper Cars. I tried sending her on them with my cousin's 13 yr old daughter whose taller than me but that wouldn't fly either.
Jace & Katlin were brave enough to go on the Hurricane which spins around really fast and then goes up and down, but only once!
We went to the rodeo Thursday and Friday night. We haven't been to a full rodeo in years as we only got bull riding in Jamestown. It was so much fun! Last night was "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" night. Every person who went to the rodeo wearing pink had $3 donated to our local breast cancer programs. I don't think I've ever seen so much pink in one place and definitely not at a rodeo!
Ray only went to the rodeo the 2nd night. The kids and I went with my brother and dad the first night. My brother insisted Ray come last night because he thinks people assume we're his wife and kids and it makes it hard for him to get chicks. So, I made signs yesterday for him and I to wear that say "I'm not his wife" and "These aren't my wife or kids". He thought it was pretty funny.
The man in charge of the recreational soccer program here told me that Saturday mornings at 10, whomever wants to gets together and plays soccer. I'm quite sure he told me it was mostly middle schoolers. I took Cody yesterday and we got there only to see several h.s. age boys. Cody's soccer coach was also there and said the high school boys and some adults were practicing but Cody would fit in fine and could stay. The goalie was out in the net and some of the other kids were trying to score on him so Cody went out to join them. He was the only one who got the ball in the net and he did it twice. I was still sticking around and then Cody came over and told me that he wanted to stay and I could leave. I was soooo impressed! If it had been me, I would've been outta there. Way too intimidating of a situation for me!
When I returned to pick him up, he said the coach told him that the teens were asking if Cody could be on there team and that they nicknamed him Little Man. They were all tall, skinny kids and Cody's not even 5'0" yet (though getting awfully close).
This morning, I went to church with my dad and brother. The kids were up late so I was letting them have the morning off and Ray was working on the house. Just before the service began, Cody showed up. Apparently, he wanted to go and so had Ray drop him off on the way to the house. He surprised me again!
Thumbs Down:
- The builders are gone this week so very little is happening on the house. Of course, it rained half the time so doesn't really matter if they were here anyway. The rafters have arrived and the builders will be back Sunday so hopefully we'll have a roof next week!
- Missing my friends back in Jamestown.
- Feeling like an outsider.
- Not recognizing people who know me.
- Lily getting green hair from the pool or hot tub.
Thumbs Up:
- Ray & his dad are getting some plumbing done in the house and building walls in the basement.
- Cody making the All Star soccer team here so he gets to go to a tournament next month.
- Jace in wrestling camp.
- Meeting some new people and the kids meeting new friends.
- Eating well :)
- Swimming lessons starting next week so we should all meet a bunch of people there.
At last, the sun is shining. Apparently, we ended the drought here by bringing all the rain with us from ND. I really don't think 5 days of rain and highs in the 50's was necessary, though.
Ray's dad arrived Monday night to help on the house. They all went out to the ranch yesterday to do some more branding - in the rain. Today, it looks like they'll actually get to work on the house and hopefully the rafters can be delivered that were originally supposed to come on Monday.
Lily started gymnastics on Monday. She seems to be a natural just like Cody and already advanced to Level 2 which is tonight. Cody has soccer tryouts tonight and Jace starts wrestling camp tomorrow so hopefully they'll start meeting some more kids soon.
Friday, we went to the first branding of the year. Though I am basically a city girl, I've always loved branding time. Not the actual act of the branding itself, but the gathering of people, the cowboys, and most of all, the food! My dad doesn't actually brand cattle anymore but we still call it branding. Instead, he just does ear tags. At the same time, they vaccinate the calves. That also means a lot less cowboys and no big meal :(
Cody was missing from the pictures because he had a migraine so was sleeping in the car.
The next day, grandpa took us shopping. Lily got a pink cowgirl hat, boots, and shirt. The boys each got cowboy hats, boots, and Wranglers. I even got a little something.
They don't come off at bedtime either.
This is looking at the atrium in the back.
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