Planes, Trains and Automobiles...

Of course, Gabe loves trains and Hot Wheels and airplanes and anything else that goes FAST! It's a part of his genetic make-up, as anyone who knows him can attest to. He is a speed freak...he even puts his arms up in the air like he's on a roller coaster when I'm driving on the highway! We have three different kinds of train tracks at our house...this one used to be Elijah's when he was three, and it lives in my scrapbook room so Gabe can be entertained while I am trying to scrap. Although, usually Gabe wants me to "help build a track, Mommy", so I don't get too much accomplished. Oh, well, that's what naptime is for :)

I can't wait for some warmer weather, even though I know it's still a while before it comes. I just want to get outside and let Gabe expend some of his pent-up energy, and take some outside pictures. I am so tired of cold! Thank God I live in Ohio and not in Alaska, right?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Baby Fever?

Becky, this one's for you...thank you for letting me watch Summer last week. I know you think I was doing you a favor, but really, I loved having her. She is at such a cute age, and she's such a good baby. And Gabe loves her, too. He is watching me type this right now, and he recognized Summer right away! It will be fun to watch them play together when she is a little bigger :)

You might think that having this adorable baby around for a whole day would give me baby fever, but I truly believe that Gabe has cured me forever of this disease. Can you imagine me with a newborn trying to keep up with that boy? I don't think so! Yes, God knew what He was doing by making Gabe the kind of high-energy kid that he is. And I thought I wanted four babies...

But that's okay, because I can get a baby fix three days a week when I see Becky and Summer, and that will suit me just fine. I can snuggle and cuddle and play, then send her home when I've had enough (although "enough" is a relative term, and three full days of Summer might not be enough). Suffice it to say, Becky, you can count on me to keep your baby any old time :)

"Weekend Warriors"

No, we're not in the military reserves...we are the Weekend Option staff in the SICU at Christ Hospital. Since I can't legally take pictures of our patients, this one of us in our staff lounge will have to do. This was taken on New Year's Eve, not long before midnight...while many of you were dressed to the nines, out partying and getting ready to ring in the new year with champagne, we were wearing our stylish scrubs and trying to keep our patients healthy enough to see 2008! All of us brought in food, and thank goodness we ate early, because after 11:30pm, the proverbial (and literal) "shit" hit the fan...just ask Tara! She got a new admission from the ER who was bleeding out, and was so busy giving blood and meds and offering support to the family that she didn't even notice when midnight came and went. But that brings me to my point...most of us wouldn't have it any other way. Any time I hear someone say "I can't believe you have to work EVERY weekend" or "that sucks that you have to work on Christmas", I remind them that I only have to be there for twelve hours, then I get to go home. How do you think that poor patient (and their family) feels, having to spend Christmas in the ICU? Sure gives you a new perspective. Nursing has been the best career choice I could ever imagine. I have been a nurse since 1994, and I still love my job! God gives me so many opportunities to minister to so many people, whether they are my patients, their families, or my co-workers. I work in one of the best units in Christ Hospital, the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. I am surrounded by knowledgeable and caring staff, and we take great care of our patients. There is nothing I would rather be doing on my Friday nights (well, that might be going too far :). But seriously, how many other jobs can you work two nights a week and get pretty much full-time pay? My kids never have to go a sitter, and they barely know I'm gone, since they are asleep most of that time. If anyone reading this has ever considered going into nursing, I strongly encourage you to give it a try. It's the best decision I have ever made!

Friends

My friend, Renee...we have been friends for over twenty years! I started out being her weekend babysitter when I was just eleven years old, and we gradually became the best of friends. I was there in the room when her last baby was born (is it possible that Kate is 12 years old?!), and she was with me for the births of my first two babies. And although we live an hour away from each other, and her kids are in college and high school and middle school, and my youngest is only three...we still remain close. Isn't it strange how comfortable you can be with some people; only talking occasionally, seeing each other once or twice a year, but still being able to pick up where you left off every time? I love that about me and Renee. She has always been the mom that I have modeled myself after; she is an inspiration! Over the holidays this year we were able to get our families together, and we had such a great time; Gabe cried and cried when it was time to leave, and when Renee offered to let him stay (jokingly), he told me "bye, Mommy", and was totally fine with staying without me. That booger! I know the feeling, though...I have always loved being at Renee's house. Look at our kids together...can you believe I used to change their diapers? Now they're taller than me! I am so blessed that God put Renee in my life...she has been such a great friend, and I know she always will be. I love that girl!

"OMG, Becky, look at her butt"

My sister sent me this pic from our Christmas get-together, and the lyrics from "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-lot popped right into my head. Totally unplanned pic; I love the boys' expressions. They had no idea I was in the background, and I had no idea that I was the center of the photo. Oh, well...now that I am working out and losing weight, this song won't be meant for me any longer! Too funny!

Scrapbooking Addicts Welcome!

Look at this adorable house! My sister, Michelle, and I are planning a scrapbooking retreat here at the beginning of April, and we can't wait! It's called the Scrapbook Cottage, and it's in Richmond, IN, about an hour west of Cincinnati. We have gone on a couple of retreats in the past, and we always have such a great time, scrapbooking and eating and talking and scrapbooking some more (we do sleep a little :) The website, in case you're interested, is www.thescrapbookcottage.net . They are pretty booked, but everyone I have talked to says it is a great place! I am counting down the days until we go. We leave on a Friday afternoon and stay until late Sunday afternoon. Just think of all the pages I'm going to get done! And I love, love, love getting to spend so much time with my big sis. I love that she is (almost) as into scrapbooking as I am. I tend to go a little more overboard than her...just ask her :)

If anyone is interested, I'm sure we'll go again next year. It's so fun to go with a group, and I think the house sleeps twelve or sixteen people. Just think about it, and let me know.

Happy Martin Luther King Day! Hope you enjoyed your day...we had a great day; working out, playing basketball, swimming at the indoor pool, eating dinner at Putter's, and playing some more Euchre (Kay and I finally won!).

Stamp Camps!

Coming up in February, two brand new stamp camps! On Feb 6, come over and make ten cards for twelve dollars, five different designs, one being a sweet valentine. On Feb 17th, I'm going to show you how to make a criss-cross card (if you don't already know how), plus 3 other designs, for a total of eight cards. Leave me a comment or email me to RSVP by Jan 31st. Hope to see you there!

In other news, I made it to the gym three times this week! I am so proud...I haven't done that in years. It takes so much work to stay skinny in your thirties...but it's so worth it. I am back to fitting into half of my size 8 jeans...my goal is Valentine's Day to fit into the other half. I bought a new digital scale yesterday, and almost returned it after seeing how much I weighed on that sucker! 4 pounds more than my regular scale! But this morning, I weighed in again and it was much more accurate :) Probably just got smart and didn't want to go back in the box, so it told me what I wanted to hear (kind of like Joe, huh?)

It's Friday, and you know what that means for me...work! I've been off for a week, so I'm ready to go back...I love the weekend program, other than the fact that I have to work EVERY weekend. It sure is nice to be off for five days in a row during the week, and not to have worry about a babysitter, not to mention being able to do my grocery shopping in the middle of the day in the middle of the week when Kroger is deserted. Love that!

Gabe is down for his nap, and I'm off to make some cards to sell. Cute baby cards, birthday cards, and thank you notes. $2.00 each if anyone is interested. Have a great weekend, and stay warm during the Arctic Freeze headed our way!

Euchre!

One thing I love about my in-laws living right up the street is card night! Bob and Joe are usually teaming up against Kay and me, and unfortunately for us, they usually win. But we sure have a good time losing to them. We mainly play Euchre, but once in a while we throw in something different, like Rook or Rummy. I remember being little and watching my parents playing cards with my grandparents...Grandma Klenk was always so cute when she had the winning hand. Cold winter nights are great for playing cards...now if we could only beat those stinkin' men...

Parties!

No picture to show today, just a short post. I am hosting a Pampered Chef Party next Wednesday the 23rd, at 7pm, complete with yummy food and snacks and free prizes! If you would like to order but can't attend, just give me a call or drop an email, and I will place the order for you. If you haven't tried their spices and rubs yet, you should give them a try...they are awesome! And I can't say enough about their baking stones. I will be closing the party order out by the 30th, so let me know by then.

Also, be on the lookout for my next newsletter coming soon. I will be having two workshops during the month of February...dates TBA. We'll be making some great cards, so I hope you'll be there!

Take care, and have a great day!

Torture...I mean exercise!

So, to fulfill my resolution to lose some weight, get healthier, and have a "Buff Bod", my friend and workout partner, Becky, has inspired me to get on this torture device AKA the Precor 556. We do the "Cross Country" setting for thirty minutes, getting my heart rate up to 170-180, and making me feel like I'm about to pass out. Must be working, right? I have already lost 25 pounds in two weeks...NOT! I do feel accomplished, though, and I LOVE having someone to push me more than I would push myself. Sometimes peer pressure is a good thing!
Thanks for reading my blog, Becky. I love our time together at the Y, and I hope our kids get to be friends, too.

Hot Wheels Octopus Park!

Just had to share a couple more Christmas pics with you. For anyone who knows Gabe, you know how much he wanted Octopus Park from Santa. I love the look on his face as he opened it...although it was from Mamaw Kay and not from Santa, it made no difference to him. We could not get that package opened fast enough! Remember being a kid and wanting a particular toy so badly you could hardly stand it? The one I remember is Golden Hair Barbie...she came with wired hair and a "curling iron", and was dressed in a gold outfit. My dad brought it home from Thriftway one day, and I was so excited. I wish I still had that doll.

What are some of your favorite memorable gifts? I'd love to hear about them.

Enjoy your week, and this brief respite from Old Man Winter!

Brothers

Oh, the love of these brothers. Yes, Gabe can get on Elijah's nerves, but for the most part he truly likes having him around. And Gabe, being the younger brother, worships the ground Elijah walks on. If Elijah is playing a video game, Gabe wants to play or at least watch; if Elijah is tossing football, Gabe is front and center ready to tackle, catch, or run a "play". I hope they always keep a loving relationship like this.

I was the same way with two of my older sisters. Anything Michelle or Rhonda had or were doing just then was the coolest to me, no matter what it was. And although we have different interests, live in different parts of town, and don't get to see each other often enough, I still have that awesome sister-love for them...they are my very best friends! How blessed to have that in my life. I wish Isabel had a sister; I hope God will give her some very special friends to make up for the fact that she doesn't.

Now I'm off to scrapbook some of these precious pictures...after I give Gabe a bath. He is buck naked playing Hot Wheels right now, and it's what, 19 degrees outside? What a sight!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Klenk/Peters/MacDonald/Kelsey clans! From age 84 to 1 1/2, it was awesome to have all of us under one roof to celebrate the holidays! We are so blessed to have such a great family, and the fact that all of us get along well makes it even better.

We were so lucky that Spiderman Junior could join us, as well :) Gabe had to wear that outfit the entire day! Too darn cute!

New Year's Resolutions, anyone? I have made a few...

1. Eat healthier food.

2. Exercise three times a week, for at least an hour each time.

3. Scrapbook 2007!

4. Participate in a mission trip in some way.

5. Be more patient with my kids.

I could think of at least ten more, but I want to be able to accomplish this list. Come on, Michelle, what are some of yours?