Milan's birthday & update

Hello all. So sorry I have gotten so far behind. I promise I will soon update. Watch out for a month of posts to pop up! Thanks to all who have called and emailed to make sure we are ok and nothing has happened. haha!

Today is Milan's 38th birthday. I was going to post a few weeks ago on our anniversary and tell you all (like you don't already know) how awesome he is. I met him when he was only 20 years old. He is the greatest husband and dad!! I have been asking the kids all week what we should get him for his birthday and no one (yet) has an idea. They all made him cards and he got cooked cereal for breakfast since that's his favorite. Tonight we are hoping to go to Tommy & Shelly's and we'll take a cake.

It's almost 40 degrees here today. I was so excited to get the mail for more Christmas cards/pictures/letters. I think Milan got more b-day cards. I haven't even ordered our pictures yet. I need to get them ordered by this weekend!

I enjoyed a phone call from Chris this morning. She asked me about Uncle Quill and how I was doing. It was ironic because I had thought about him all day yesterday and last night. I remember spending the evening with him the night before he died (with Gpa Hartzler) and I wish so bad now I would have said more. I guess you live and learn. I can't think of anyone that I personally knew better that I spent their dying days with. I have told myself next time I won't let that moment pass by again without saying what I all I really want to say to someone. I still can't believe he is no longer around us. We also chatted about the kids Christmas program at school and what else our kids and family have been up to. Thanks for the chat even though it was interrupted with kids crying!!!

Today I have Noah---who is saving his money for us to get a TV. He also brought Romain noodles today in his lunch. He sometimes shares with my boys. I have to admit that I tried a bite of them because the boys loved them. I don't think I've ever had them in my whole life. Callie will be 1 year old this month. She has 2 teeth and has started the teething symptoms. She has been a really good baby and the boys have adapted to her well.

Here is a quick update before I sign off again:
Milan is 38 today. Still just as good-lookin as ever!!! My kids think he is the greatest!! He has been busy at work. He was going to take a trip to Wyoming over Christmas break but it looks like it needs to go out sooner. He is really into his 300 chickens. I think we are getting over 70 eggs a day. He is digging (by hand) a water line to the barn so we don't have to carry out water every day.

Molly is still loving 4th grade. She is my reader! We went to the library Monday and she is just about done reading all her chapter books she got. She has a pen pal. She has a project in Social Studies that we haven't started yet. Something about the counties in the state of OHIO.

Megan enjoys 3rd grade. I get lots of details from Megan. She works every night on spelling words and reads 15 minutes (for those Pizza Hut certifs). She made her Christmas list out and keeps wondering if she needs to tell me again. I got her a dress for her program and church at Kohl's on my black Friday deal (a whole other post) and I got the wrong size. She has been on me all week to go get the right size. It's on hold till tonight so we'll have to go get it.

Adam loves 2nd grade and all his buddies. He told Milan he is now older than Austin's dad, Steve. He loves helping his dad outside. He practices his spelling words each night, has a fluency he has to read 5X each week and his 15 min each night reading. He has homework every Tues night.

Maddie is still my greatest helper at home. She leaves for Kindergarten at 11:30 each day and then gets off the bus with the kids in the afternoon. She loves her teacher, Mrs Sterling. And she enjoys when her teacher talks about her son, Carter. Maddie has poetry each week and has to read 15 books a month. Right now we're working on seeing how far she can write her numbers. She gave me a paper full of numbers and I asked her how she did it and she said Adam wrote them out for her....:) She still enjoys playing with her baby dolls and dressing them and wrapping them up in blankets.

Adam and Eli are my ornery boys at home. We have added 2 locks on the outside of rooms because they get into trouble: bathroom and girls bedroom. I just told Milan I need one for the pantry..they climb the shelves and my cleaning cupboard--even though it's Melaleuca--Cooper sprayed my bathroom with spot remover. Talk about a filmy mess all over everything!! They love to have books read to them. Eli is starting to memorize them. They love for me to read with them in the morning after the kids get on the bus. Cooper even brings books to me and says 'read' 'read'.

Well, nap-time is about over and the kids will be coming home from school soon. I hope to go back and update where I left off and add lots of pictures (Joy loves them I know)!