Rejoice

Heaven is rejoicing and God has opened His arms to welcome the newest little angel..... Matthew passed from this earth into eternal life at about 1:10 this afternoon.


Praise our Lord Jesus Christ for opening the gates of Heaven for us.... and continue to pray for Matthew's family.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/matthewbarr

Stream of Thoughts

I subbed this week.... for middle schoolers.. Ugh!!!  What is the deal with middle schoolers?  I never wanted to teach older kids so my teaching certification is valid only through third grade. A few years ago, when I was offered the fourth grade position, I had serious reservations about wanting to teach kids "that old" but figured I'd take it and maybe something else in a younger grade would open up and I could move.  Wellll... I ended up LOVING fourth grade!  I loved the mature way I could discuss things with them and the semi-complicated things I could teach them.  I even began wondering if, maybe, I would want to teach older grades.... NOT ANYMORE!!   I have had the majority of these middle schoolers in my fourth grade class - it's a very small school and there are only a few that I did not have because they enrolled and started after fourth grade.... boy have they changed!  They are goofy, talkative, and, if possible, even less mature than they were in fourth grade.   I think fourth grade is perfect for me. 


I miss my son!  Nothing more to say on that... other than it would be so great to be able to watch the Super Bowl with him!


Jon got the news this week that he was accepted into Platteville.  This is supposed to be the top engineering college in the state!  He is beyond ecstatic and has decided, at least for now, on a major in Electrical Engineering.  I guess I will have to get used to missing another son.


Matthew is still hanging onto life... but barely.  God's timing is a strange and wonderful thing.  His parents have been busy making memories that will have to last a lifetime.  Keep praying for them.

Another Angel

As I woke up this morning, and before I got out of bed, Matthew came to my mind.  Somehow I thought.... today is his day...


I stumbled down the stairs, started the coffee, flipped on my computer, navagated to his website, and discovered that today, indeed and most likely, will be the day that this little boy will get to gaze upon the face of God! 


How amazing...  and how how absolutely heartbreaking and devastating at the same time. 


Keep his family in prayer today.


www.caringbridge.org/visit/matthewbarr

T-W-E-L-V-E

This little guy is twelve today...

.... and really, not so little anymore!


But still as sweet.. and still as lovable... and still makes me so prroud to his mama.


Happy Birthday, Zackman

Packers = Superbowl

The NFC Championship game is now in the books and the Green Bay Packers have, indeed, come out on top.  I suppose I should be happy because I live in Wisconsin and, if I have to be honest, there was a part of me that really did want them to win... so much, in fact, that I could not stand to watch most of the 4th quarter!  Of course, once the game was over I went into the living room T.V. and hit the rewind button (We can pause or rewind live T.V.) and watched it.


I grew up as a Packers fan.... watching football with my dad in the early 80's.... asking him all sorts of annoying questions because I didn't know the first thing about the game.  I really love football and probably know as much about the game as most men do now. 


So why the laisse-faire attitude about the Packers now?  Umm, that would have to be because liking the Packers would mean I have to admit I was wrong!!!!   I was wrong about their coach... I was wrong about the General Manager... and I was seriously wrong about their draft choices...


I WAS WRONG!  not only are the Packers going to the Super Bowl... but they are going with 12 of their players on injured reserve.  That shows depth of talent that can only be garnered through wise aquisitions. 


Oh how I hate to admit that I am wrong!  But at least this time it comes with a sweet price - the Superbowl!

Tourney Day

It was an incredibly llllooooonnnnngggg day today. 


To start with, Zack's team had a game last night, and after 3 quarters of poor calls/noncalls by the refs.... at which point the coach stepped in and questioned them... they finally started calling a fair game in the fourth quarter.  Actually, I can't even say it was a fair fourth quarter because then the refs got whistle happy with the other team!!!   Anyway, it was not the best game by our team and they only scored 16 points.... the other team scored 17 points!  


BUT... it was double elimination so they had another game today... at 1:00.... which they won without trouble.  They played again at 5:00.....won..... and again at 6:00...... won......and then it was on to the championship game at 8:00.


In between those two games, at 7:00, the Oshkosh Christian 7th and 8th grade boys were also playing for the championship.  Unfortunately, despite an AMAZING 3 pointer at the end of regulation to tie it up... they ended up losing. 


Oddly enough, the team Zack's team ended up playing in the championship game was the same team they lost to the night before.  This time the officiating was a bit more balanced and fair... and Zack's team won.  Now, the tournament was double elimination... and this was that team's first loss... but they still awarded first place to OCS sighting the fact that they had "worked their way through the losers bracket" to get there. (???)  I don't really understand that... neither did anyone else.... and I kinda felt bad for the other team.  I am almost wondering if they (tournament organizers...scorekeepers....refs) just didn't want to play another game.  After all, it was already after 9:00.  And truthfully, I don't know if our boys could have played another game since they were all beyond exhaustion by this point.


So, first place it was... and Zack got a nice medal... and the team got a trophy for the school's trophy case..and the team posed for a nice picture... and of all days I FORGOT MY CAMERA!!!!  Arg!


Zack played really well today... but not so much last night.  I figured out to NOT give him his pill when he plays.  I thought it would help him to concentrate and focus but, instead, it makes him too subdued and he is not aggressive enough.  So last night he just pretty much filled space on the court and didn't have any impact whatsoever on the game.... today, he had 4 points.... a couple blocked shots...a couple steals...  and a few rebounds. 


Now we are home and you would think that Zack would be exhausted...  but no... he is downstairs playing keep away with Jon and a friend Jon has over!  25 minutes to bedtime.

Stream of Thoughts

If you haven't guessed by the title,  this post is going to be a collection of ramblings about life lately. Just a warning, it may or may not include ranting and negative vibes..


I called the University about the Spring start date and was told that, apparently, the graduate school for Counseling is a fall admit only.... let me repeat that... fall admit only!  They also informed me, during this converstaion, that I needed to have my file completely submitted by Tuesday (the 18th) - with NO exceptions - or would have to wait until Fall of 2012!!  Stress ensued as I raced to get my letters of recommendation, charater references, and resume together.  Then I also had to complete a questionairre and take a one hour, $75.00 analogy exam... which turned out to be the hardest... and dumbest... test that I have ever taken.  Seriously, at one point during the exam, I wondered if they were actually testing whether people would actually sit and complete it!  But I finished it... and tested out as completely average.... and I am pleased to say that my file is complete and has been submitted for consideration.  Now, I wait.


Crazy week as the Packers are playing the Bears in the NFC championship game on Sunday... facebook is full of trash talk and ill spirited jokes and comments.  No doubt these two teams have a heated rivalry going on but I can't help but wonder.... how important is this?  As a 5 year old boys is dying and his parents are spending their final days with him... how important is this.  Would these parents of this boy rather have an NFC championship or their son?  You don't need to answer that because I know what the answer would be...
LIFE= important....GAME= not important.
If interested.. check out this special little boy at www.caringbridge.org/visit/matthewbarr.


It is supposed to get cold,cold,cold in a couple days...how nice!  If you don't know me... I hate absolutely despise cold weather.  After moving to Florida in 1999, I thought I was done with snow and cold weather forever!  But my wonderful husband someone whose name I will not mention convinced me a few years ago that winters in Wisconsin were not that bad anymore! 


After over a month without a game, Zack is back to basketball tomorrow night...followed by a weekend tournament.  Which is followed by his birthday on Monday!!  Is it really possible that he is going to 12?  Twelve years ago I was set to begin a maternity leave hoping to have about two weeks before he arrived to tie up some loose ends.... I ended up having 0 days as he arrived 17 days early!  


So, between the basketball tournament and birthday I am sure I'll have pictures soon.

Playing In the Snow/General Update

nothing more fun than shoving your snout in a pile of snow!!

Snow covered face


So, we got about 2-3 inches of snow last night and today (how nice).  
The dog just HAD to be outside investigating the different smells.




We are home for one week now and things are getting back to normal...slowly.
Lauren is still here on vacation from college...C.J. started school yesterday...
Jon is back in school... and Zack and I have been homeschooling. 


My allergies have been HORRIBLE lately...since the beinning of December actually.
The only relief I get from the constant sneezing/blowing nose/sinus pressure/ etc.
is when I take my heavy duty medicine at night (cuz it makes me sleepy).


Uhhh..school is not going well...honestly..it's not going at all.  As I have been
awaiting confirmation for my spring enrollment I wondered if they had forgotten
about me.  Not wanting anything to come up while I was in Florida (when I
wouldn't be able to take care of it) I called before Christmas and was told that
there was no hurry.... enrollments are accepted even after the semester starts.
So tell me why the letter I received in the mail the other day says the
deadline for my paperwork is January 15th.....for the Fall semester of 2011???
Speechless!!  I have wasted a full year that I could have been teaching.

Home Again...Home Again...Jiggity Jig



My Boys and me



There's no place like home!  We made it home last night about 5:00 and today is back to homeschooling, then to school for recess duty and gym class for Zack, while I am also trying to catch up on loads and loads of laundry.


The drive was pretty difficulty (emotionally) without C.J. but it was made nicer by the fact that Jon rode shotgun the whole way home so there wasn't that empty passenger seat next to me.  Sunday night we spent in Valdosta, Georgia and Monday night we stayed at a Hampton Inn in Scottsburg, Indiana.  Jon and Zack went swimming Monday night and because Jon is now 18, I didn't have to sit in there and watch them, which was good because the dog did not take too well with being left in the room alone!! 


The pictures above were taken on Sunday afternoon.  We all met at the Ale House in Daytona Beach for the first half of the Packer game and then tearfully said our goodbyes.  Seriously, Zack had an extreme meltdown saying goodbye to C.J. and grabbed onto me and cried into my shoulder for about five minutes!  This was NOT GOOD since I was on the brink of tears myself...so this sent me right over the edge.  So, there were the two of us...in the middle of the restaurant...hugging each other...and crying...and after awhile I didn't really care who was watching us.  I love my son and I am going to miss him and I don't care what people think about it!!!

The Trip Home

How about following up a smothering mother post with another smothering mother moment?   Because...well..that's me.


In the last post I confessed that I love to spend time with my kids.  I also love traveling with my kids!  Over the six years we lived in Florida we drove back to Wisconsin five times - once stopping off in Washington D.C. for a little side trip.  Ater moving back to WI, we have driven down to Florida for five Christmases in a row now...plus one trip in the summer of 2009 (I could make that drive with my eyes closed).   Yes, the kids and I travel well together and many great memories have been made on our journeys.


During all our travels one thing has remained consistant.... C.J. has been my "co-pilot" - inhabiting the passenger seat in the front.  Tomorrow is leaving day and C.J. will not be coming back with us...I know it sounds strange but I almost cannot bear it.   I just cannot imagine making this trip without him... part of our family will be missing!  Normally, as much as we hate leaving Florida, driving home together is an adventure in itself... gas station stops...lunch... Cracker Barrel... motel..swimming... watching T.V. together (always interesting to find something we all agree on watching).  It may not end up as terrible as I am anticipating... but right now...I am dreading this trip without him.


C.J. will be staying in Orlando and going to Valencia Community College while living with his dad.  This was he can also work at Universal Studios.  If things go as planned, he should be able to come back to attend UW-Oshkosh for the fall semester...if he still wants to.  He has already been accepted.


So, the next post will be from back in the freezing state of Wisconsin....until then...pray for safe travels for us.