Merry Christmas

Christmas Day (Click on the grid for a closer view!)

Alexis was up at 5am Christmas morning - we made her stay in bed until
7:15 (and she was in our bed and didn't go back to sleep)
I picked up my Grandmother Dorothy so she could see Joe and Alexis open
their presents. We made a big breakfast and enjoyed each other's company. After
a short nap for Alexis and me, we went over to Omi & Opasan's to enjoy the rest of the
day. The kids opened their gifts over there, we played games, and had an amazing
dinner. It was a good time had by all.

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve Celebration (Click on the grid for a closer look)

I had to work on Christmas Eve but luckily I was off work early enough to
enjoy the 2nd part of the day. We went to Omi & Opasan's at 3 and had a great time.
Ayanna, Hailey and Keelan opened their gifts after dinner. Hailey brought her guitar and played
a few Christmas tunes for us to enjoy. We had a great time.

Go Broncos

Go Broncos!

A few weeks ago Joe used his allowance he had saved and bought
a Denver Broncos Jester winter hat and a Broncos "fanatic" mask. During the Bronco/Raider game last Sunday he got decked out in his garb so we needed a picture.

Joe's Surgery Was Successful

Joe's surgery is over and thankfully all went well. As you can see, the pictures
of him with his Surgical Alien Cap ~ He is in a great mood.
Afterwards, he was not feeling too hot!


The surgery took about an hour and a half. The outcome was completely
different than what they originally thought they were going to do. The little piece of
bone fragment was actually his bone growing in correctly. As you probably already know, children's bones
start out as cartilage. As they get older, they calcify. His bone is starting to calcify and it looked
like a fragment ~ but the Doctor got to the source of his pain and was able to correct it. Joe had a nickle size inflamed
fascia area on the palm of his hand. (fascia is very strong connective tissue) Dr. Wyatt was able to shave
the spot off of his muscle. Once his incisions heal he should be feeling much better. He has been a real
champ over the last few days. He hasn't complained of pain once. The only thing he has complained
about is that he can't zip his pants (so he is wearing warm up pants daily) and the tape that we
cover his dressings with, for him to take a shower, pulls his hair off of his arm. We are thankful
that he is dealing with this so well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Please keep him
in the prayers are we still have more weeks of healing.

Advent Festival 2009

Last Sunday was the Advent Festival at our Church. The kids really enjoy attending
every year. The best part is the impromptu Christmas Pageant at the end. This year Joe and Hailey were
Shepard's and Alexis was an Angel. Joe ended up befriending a little lion that was about 2
years old at the end of the play. It was the cutest thing ever!

They got to make lots of cool crafts ~ there were booths set up to make things
like they would have had years ago in Bethlehem. Leather Bracelets, wooden tops, and they even
made their own dinner rolls!

The picture in the top left corner is of the kids with Rev. Trudy. She is the senior Pastor and we
love her so much!

Alexis' Last Gymnastics Meet of the Year

The Saturday after Thanksgiving was Alexis' last gymnastics meet for the year.
She did a great job and we are amazed at how much she improves at each meet.
(Click on the grid below for a closer look)


She competed in Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise and Vault

We were excited to hear that she is being offered the chance to move up to team 4 in January.
With the advancement comes many hours of practice and commitment for Alexis. We have talked to
her a few times about it and plan on trying it to see how she handles it. She was so thrilled when
we told her the news ~ but she hasn't started the intensive practice schedule yet. More than
likely she will end up giving up soccer and girl scouts to be able to
make the practices. I will let you know how it goes.

Joe's Hand Surgery Has Been Scheduled

Clint and I were completely surprised when I received a call from Dr. Wyatt's office at 10 pm on Thursday evening - they work nonstop there.

Originally, when we talked to Dr. Wyatt last week he indicated that we wouldn't be able to get Joe's hand surgery completed until after the new year. I was guessing the end of January as Dr. Wyatt is usually 4 - 6 weeks wait time for surgery. But.....Joe is scheduled to have his surgery this coming Friday, December 11th! We are all thrilled as baseball practice takes a short break the last two weeks in December so he will be able to heal and be ready to roll when practices start again after the first of the year. I will keep you posted on his healing but we expect a speedy recovery.

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Great News for Joe!!!

After over a month of waiting.......we saw a hand specialist for Joe's broken bone.

The original appointment was disappointing because his CT scan was not sent to the Dr's office but tonight the Doctor called and we are thrilled with the news. Joe is able to start catching and playing full speed again starting now!

Joe did break a small bone in his hand called the hamate bone and that piece of bone fragment is sitting in the fleshy part of his thumb area and is causing him pain. The example of this is like having a a rock in your shoe. Joe does have to have it surgically removed but the healing process shouldn't take very long.

We are pleased with the news and I want to thank you all for your prayers for Joe's speedy recovery. God is good! (I will keep you posted with his surgery date.)

Happy Thanksgiving

(Click on the grid for a closer view)
Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours!

(After our volunteer trip to the Salvation Army ~ we spent the rest of
our Thanksgiving Day at Omi and Opasan's house. It was a great time had by all!)

Volunteering at the Salvation Army for Thanksgiving

Clint and I took the kids to the Salvation Army to volunteer on Thanksgiving. We originally went to serve food
but by the time we got there they already had enough people to serve so we ended up wrapping socks for the needy and getting stockings ready for children less fortunate. It was a great experience and I hope to do it again next year.
(We were able to take Aunt Kyoko, Ayanna and Keelan with us)

It's time to decorate the outside of the house for Christmas!

On Wednesday Clint, Alexis and I decorated our yard with Christmas decorations.
We are one of the first ones on the street this year that are decorated and ready to go
by Thanksgiving. I can assure you ~ many will follow over the next few days.

I know, I know.....It isn't Christmas yet!

I couldn't help myself. I woke up yesterday morning, there was a little snow on the ground and for whatever reason ~ I am now in the mood for Christmas. So, I had to add a little Christmas Bling to the blog. I tried to put a Thanksgiving background but that didn't hit the spot so although it is one holiday too early, I am READY for Christmas.

Everyone made the honor roll

We couldn't be any happier, all 3 kids made the honor roll the first quarter of the school year.

We had parent teacher conferences last week and left them feeling like we had not only the smartest but the best kids in the world. We have a lot to be thankful for.

You make us proud Joe, Hailey and Alexis!

Happy Halloween

Our Cat Juggs dressed up as a bumble bee!

Alexis is a clown Joe is a Ghoul named "Deadly Silence"

Hailey is a Vampire

Anthony (Batman) Celina (Michael Jackson) and Alyssa (Rag Doll) stopped by to Trick or Treat

Pumpkin Carving

On Wednesday since there was a snow day from school we took the extra time to carve our pumpkins. These are pictures of the gang at the kitchen table cleaning out the pumpkins.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Alexis' 3rd Grade Music Program

Tonight Was Alexis' 3rd Grade Music Program!
The entire elementary school had a special visitor from Australia a few weeks ago and
the 3rd graders incorporated what they learned from him into their music program. As you
can see they all looked like true Aussie's with their hats!

Alexis is a ham on stage and loves to perform!

(Click on the grid for a closer look of the pictures)

Pumpkin Decorating Contest

Every year Jessup Elementary has a pumpkin decorating contest and for the past 3 years Alexis has won first place! Each year I tell her "Alexis, we can't win first every year." She stays positive and says "Yes, we can!"

"The Swimmer" is this years decoration. Wish her luck!

Past Winning Decorations:

Kindergarten: Lady Bug

1st Grade: Hamburger

2nd Grade: Gumball Machine

Update on Joe's Hand

The news wasn't what we were hoping from Joe's CT of his hand. It turns out the he definitely broke a piece of his hand and he now has to see a hand specialist for surgery.

To make it worse his appointment isn't until December 1st. That was the earliest we could get him in. He is still currently playing football, the playoffs started today. He played with his brace on. He is also going to baseball practice he just isn't able to catch for now. Please keep him in your prayers, he is so bummed as we are too. We hope for a speedy recovery and he can get back to what he loves - Catching!

Happy 12th Birthday Hailey

Since I was already on the blog posting Joe's Swine Flu news I decided to take a second to wish an early Happy 12th Birthday to Hailey tomorrow on Tuesday, October 20th - She is growing so quickly.

No longer a little girl but a young lady - a PRE-TEEN!
I will post some pictures as she is at our house this weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROWN EYED GIRL!

When it rains it pours with Joe

Joe has never been a normal kid - when he does something it is always bigger and better than the rest. I think since he was born he has always been sick during Christmas or Thanksgiving each year.

Last week we felt terrible for him because of his broken thumb/hand/wrist....But it just gets better! (We had a CT Scan on his hand today and should get the results tomorrow)

On Friday evening Joe was feeling pretty rotten and had a fever. I made him stay home Saturday morning from Alexis' gymnastics meet not knowing what was wrong with him. By the time I got home from the meet he was feeling even worse. He had fever, coughing and was really congested. They did a Flu Test and it came back negative. (The kids had the nasal flu "shot" a few weeks ago) They told me to have him drink lots of fluids and just watch him. That night he spiked a 103 degree fever and I couldn't keep it under 101 even with constant meds. Today Clint took him to Children's Clinic since he was worse than on Saturday and looked terrible and still had a bad fever and constant cough. He was tested for the flu again and guess what! It is positive for H1N1 - That's right ~ The swine flu. The poor guy has been miserable and we feel terrible for him. He is already many days into it so there is nothing that can be done for him to decrease the symptoms. To make things even worse, he is supposed to go to the Teton Science Center in Jackson, WY tomorrow with his 6th grade class and stay 2 nights and return Friday night. It is supposed to be a great learning experience. He isn't able to do that either.

Please keep him in your prayers - and the rest of us too. Joe has been coughing nonstop on me and Clint for days now. I am hoping that we don't get it. Chances are: We will.

I thought this joke was appropriate for this post:

How to get swine flu!









Some good news: Alexis won 3rd place overall for her Team Level/Age Group in her Gymnastics meet on Saturday. She was so proud (we were too)!

Joe's Hand Problems

Last Spring during baseball I remember Joe hurting his hand while he was playing catcher. He ended up sitting out the rest of the game and was in tears because of it. We iced it up when we got home, he took some ibuprofen and after a few days it seemed some better.

Last Sunday was his first practice for the next baseball season. He was stoked because he got to catch. But, unfortunately after catching he was in pain. He said that his thumb hurt really badly and that he couldn't really move it much. We again iced it up and told him he would be fine.

By the middle of this week he was still nursing a sore thumb and we decided to get it checked just in case. We took him to a sports medicine Doctor and they took xrays. Amazingly they found an avulsion (which is a broken piece of bone possibly torn away from bone or a tendon) sitting in his thumb/wrist area. They currently aren't sure where it came from but he does have a broken bone! So, we get a CT Scan of his hand and wrist on Monday afternoon so they can pinpoint where it popped off.

Joe was freaked out at first (I think we all were). His main concern was that he wouldn't get to play baseball but we are all sure that he will defiantly be able to do that once it is corrected. I will keep you informed. Please keep him in your prayers.

Click on the grid for a closer view of the fun!

We went on our annual pumpkin patch trip - I think this is our 5th year
It was extremely muddy out because of the melting snow and we had to be
careful when picking our pumpkins so we didn't get frozen ones.

They had a petting zoo there and I had to get a picture of the baby pig
munching on a pumpkin. He was so sweet!

The picture on the bottom left is classic DRAMA QUEEN Alexis! She had to take her eye
covers so she could sleep in the truck on the way. She didn't sleep but she sure pretended well.

Sledding Fun

(Click on the grid for a closer look)

Clint took the kids sledding this morning before lunch. As always, they
had a great time and enjoyed themselves. The Hi temp for today is only
supposed to be 19 degrees! BUURRR
I remember as a kid playing in the snow and never getting cold - now just standing
outside for a few minutes freezes me.

Early October Snow

We have received our first big snow - It started snowing yesterday morning and continued a little throughout the day. Then yesterday afternoon it came down pretty steady ~ we ended up under a Winter Weather Advisory and 4-7 inches were predicted. This morning when I went to work it was DEEP.

Clint measured the snow on the back porch with a ruler and he said that it indicated that we received 10 inches! It is a nice wet snow and will be great for the ground but I must admit it sure seems WAY too early for snow. I never felt like we had much of a summer this year. I am hoping that this big snow is out of the way until after Halloween. Other than last year, which was beautiful for trick or treating, it is normally really cold and sometimes snowing when the kids are out getting candy. I hope for another warm Halloween evening.

Our First Family Haunted House

Last night was our first family trip to a haunted house. Years before Clint and I would take Joe to the Cheyenne Goblin Walk which is lots of fun but the girls (Hailey and Alexis) either couldn't handle it or weren't ready yet. We ended up taking Hailey out twice in tears years before. This year I mentioned to Clint that we should try to take them all to the Haunted House down town in Cheyenne. He thought it was a good idea too!

Last night after dinner we headed in that direction - Joe was feeling good about the whole thing, thinking he is the king of scary since he attends the Goblin Walk every year. Hailey was pretty freaked out beforehand as she does not handle anything scary very well. Alexis was excited but scared. She seems to talk a lot of junk when she was scared and she had diarrhea of the mouth on the way there - indicating nerves!

When we got in there they all did well - The funniest part is that Joe was the most scared. He even admitted in the truck on the way home that it FREAKED him out! He clung to the back of my coat so tight that I thought he was going to choke me. The girls both did well and made it through without tears and even enjoyed it. I must admit that it is much scarier than the Goblin Walk. Joe and I decided that it is because it is such a confined space, you cannot run out - there is no where to run!

Go Seminoles!

Joe's football team is undefeated! They are so excited. 7 -0

The received the first seed in the playoffs in two weeks and they are looking forward to the games.


GO SEMINOLES!

Mel's 32 Birthday!!

On Monday, we celebrated a monumental moment in modern history!!!
It was a mere 32 years ago ---- the stars aligned in the sky;
The moon emitted a particular gravitational pull
against the ravage seas!
The earth stood still for a brief moment.
Kings and Queens throughout the world
rejoiced with glee;
The cities came to a brief, yet momentous pause
around the globe.
The crosswalks were empty,
the traffic had stopped.
The doctors grasped the feet of a infant girl
And declared to the world that Melissa was born!!!!
Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife!!
I must admit, she looks a whole heck of a lot
better now than she did 32 years ago!
Happy Birthday my love!!!!

A few weeks....

It has been a few weeks since my last post. Not because there is nothing to write about but because as usual, we have been busy.

Clint and I celebrated out 5th wedding anniversary on Sept. 11th
We didn't do much. He and I both were sick. We both had a cold and were not really up
to even going to dinner. Although my friend Kim did offer to keep the kids so he and I could
do something ~ What a great friend she is!

We had the first Bronco Game Party at our house that same weekend. Thankfully the Bronco's won, I say by luck but all the same, they did win. Now our house isn't jinxed. All last year, every time we had the Bronco game party at our house, the team would lose so we decided that it was just because it was at our house. Thankfully we are in the clear again.

This weekend was our normal weekend of kids sports. Both Hailey and Alexis had soccer games on Saturday and Joe had a football game late in the afternoon.

This morning Clint and I (not having kids this weekend) did something we haven't been able to do in who knows how long....Sleep in! We actually slept in until almost 11am. You would think we are teenagers but actually quite the opposite - we are full time working parents with three busy kids who needed our rest.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Golf Tournament on Sunday

Jessup School (Joe and Alexis' Elementary School) held their 2nd annual golf tournament this Sunday - the proceeds go to the school PTO. Warren Federal Credit Union sponsors a hole and a team from the Yellowstone Branch (the branch I work at) We had to have 4 players.

I was able to set up my own team :0) and it ended up being okay that I could invite friends instead of coworkers. Which, I don't have a problem with but it was nice to have our friends golf with us.

I took my wonderful husband and our friends Gus and Scott! We had a blast. Thankfully it was a best ball tournament so the guys carried me throughout the 18 holes. Par is 70 we ended with 67. I think -3 is pretty darn good.

Welcome to our Saturday

For the next 2 months - this is how our Saturday's look:
(click on the grid for a closer view of the fun)


Alexis - Soccer Pictures @ 7:45 a
Alexis Soccer Game @ 8:00 a
Joseph Football Game @ 9:30 a
Hailey Soccer Pictures @ 9:45 a
Hailey Soccer Game @10:00 a

I know you are shaking your head saying we are crazy and asking how do we do it?
It's very simple - these kids are the future and they grow quickly, these days will not last forever
and for now and in the future it is worth it.
(Hailey and Alexis' Jersey #'s are both #6 this year - Joe is #54)

Poor Alexis

Today was the 2nd day of school - At 2:30 pm I get a call from the school telling me that Alexis is in the office crying and saying that her head and throat hurt. The first thought that came to mind is "Crying Wolf" ~ Alexis wasn't overly thrilled with her first day of school so I thought maybe this was her idea to come home. Interrupting my thought, the school nurse said she had a 102 degree fever. Yikes

Of all the days....I was short staffed at work today so thankfully Clint was able to pick her up and he ran her to the Cheyenne Children's Clinic for a throat culture. Both Joe and now Alexis are what I call "Strep Kids". I think Joe had strep every 3 to 4 weeks. It seemed as soon as he finished one antibiotic he would start feeling bad and guess what??? He would have strep again. Eventually, his tonsils were removed and life has been smooth sailing for him. Alexis on the other hand is now following in his footsteps and her strep test came back positive today!

So, she missed the end of her 2nd day and won't be able to go tomorrow. She will have a 3 day weekend. In addition, she missed her 2nd soccer game this evening. Thankfully, by tomorrow night she should be able to go to team gymnastics practice and play in her soccer game on Saturday.

For all of you parents out there ~ School is in session, let the germs begin!

First Day of School

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2009

Today was the first day of school in Cheyenne

Joe and Hailey are in 6th Grade, Alexis is in 3rd

They are growing way too quickly!

Another Birthday Celebration

Happy 41st Birthday Clinton John Hanes!

We celebrated Clint's 41st Birthday today. He took the day off of work and stayed home with the kids. I had to work, I can only imagine the R&R he received today....NOT! But it is his birthday and that is what he chose to do.

This evening Omi cooked ribs for dinner. It was DELICIOUS. We had cake and just arrived home.

Here are some pictures of us!

Dinner Time

My Honey and Me

And I Shall Call Him Mini Me!!

Make a Wish

Nothing is better than family!

(One last note - Thank goodness August is almost over. I must say that this month is the most stressful month of the year for me. I have 4 Birthday's to celebrate and my mother's death anniversary. I am looking forward to September)

The Boys ~ Joe's Present to Clint

(After writing and viewing this on the blog I have thought of things to add: 1. One day these pictures will be circulated on those emails that say "What the Heck???" 2. I didn't realize how hillbilly my husband and son look in these pics. I am not sure who is more embarrased, me or them??)

Joe received a paint ball gun for his Birthday ~ Clint wanted one too. So, Joe decided to get him one for his birthday. He will be 41 tomorrow!


Joe begged Clint to open his present tonight. Here are some pictures of the "goobers" posing with their paintball guns this evening.

They have put together a paintball trip for the Saturday during labor day weekend. They will have a blast ~ I will be thankful to be at home enjoying girly things :0)