Put it to a Vote

Alright, enough pussyfootin around! Let's put it to a vote! Can you do June 3-6 or something of that nature? Vote via the comment box with your name beside it!
Meow!
-mcat

Hello Cats!

I am up for a weekend in May or June as well. Somebody pick a weekend for goodness sake!!! I am in definite need of some cat time! My children are sick, one with an ear infection and the other with the flu---wonderful times of screaming, crying, and fevers in the Kiser home. WE made it through the winter without any sickness, but Spring has not been so good so far! Don't know much else, I finish teaching my pre-schoolers in May and am glad. I have enjoyed just working part-time, but am ready for down time and time to prepare for baby number three. I hope everyone is doing alright during these interesting economic times, I have heard of a few friends who have lost jobs or been laid off. Well, guess I need to clean my house, does it ever end??
V

"we'll get together, we'll nosh, we'll tipple, we'll dish, dish, dish"

Ok, well I just read a Dean Koontz book--I'm still not sure why.  He is such a strange writer.  Anyway, he dedicated this particular book to a bunch of lady friends of his including his wife.  In the dedication he wrote, "we'll get together, we'll nosh, we'll tipple, we'll dish dish dish."  I'm going to leave it up to you girls to figure out what each of those words mean.  All I'm going to say is that we need to get together, eat, drink and chat!!  I miss you all so very much.  Can we truly pull of getting together in May or June?  Sounds like Bets is available anytime other than Memorial weekend.  Please post what you could realistically do...please!!

I just finished a round of clomid and the fun starts tonight and everyother night, Baby (say it with a swanky Austin Powers voice!)  I know that Fulty swears by the fact that twins are wonderful and not that much harder than having one--but I have to admit...I'm really hoping that I only end up with one baby!  Maybe it's kinda counterproductive to hope for the clomid to work but not produce twins--but I truly don't know what I would do with twins at this point.  Have mercy!!  So keep us in your prayers.

We're taking the kids to see Sesame Street Live this weekend.  We're going to Louisville and will be staying in a uber nice hotel thanks to Priceline!  I bought the kids a Sesame Street shirt each to wear the day of.  I hope they enjoy it.  I also hope it's not too cheesy.  I truly love Sesame Street and could watch it all day.  It must be the nostalgic memories that I have wrapped up in it.  

Eli still hasn't started the detective position and they haven't been very forthright about giving us information until we absolutley have to know.  Could be in a couple weeks or could be in a couple months.  Who knows.  So we continue on with our little lives until we're told otherwise.  

Not much else exciting is going on in our lives.  I will say that it is nice to finally be present in a church that is healthy and vibrant.  I actually look forward to Sunday mornings!  I think we got out of our old church just in the nick of time.  Sounds like things are getting kinda ugly there.  I can't imagine how this breaks God's heart....

On that note I depart.

Please fill us in on your Catty lives

L

Hello Strangers

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. We have been busy around here. Brevin was in Disney for a week at the beginning of the month with my mom and sister and then we went up to Ohio last week for spring break. Now I am counting down the days until summer break!! Not much longer. I don't know if we have plans made for getting together- I am going to be in Cincinnati Memorial Day weekend with my family. But other than that most of my weekends in May and June are free.
I don't know if any of you would be interested in this but I thought I would let you know. There is a website called blurb.com that makes books. From this website you can make a book from a blog. So I decided every Christmas I am going to ask for this book as a present and then I will have my blog printed out in book form. It is a great way to have memories and pictures without doing all the work (like scrapbooking). I recently received my book from last year. I just did a small hardcover book and it ended up being about 60 pages and cost I think about $30. You can also do softcover which is cheaper. It is really easy, you just download the free software from blurb's site and it finds your blog and automatically inserts all the entries and pictures- then you can rearrange, edit, add, or erase anything. It is simple and easy. Plus my family likes to look at my blog to keep in touch and see recent pictures and knowing I am going to put it into a book helps me to try to remember to update it often. Just thought I would let you all know in case you were interested in something like that.
Mia's 2 month appt. is Thursday- hard to believe she is that old already. She does well. Gets a little cranky in the evenings but is only getting up once at night so that is great. Hope you all are well and getting ready to enjoy this nice weather- I am hoping it stays!!

OK, who's the 'comment button' smart ass?

QUIT WHININ' I CHANGED IT!

Now you can SEE the comment links. They were just invisible until you ran the mouse over em. Blast!

Watch this!

Cats, you'd better empty your bladders before you watch this. Since most of us have been to China and the others have heard all about it...please watch. unbelievable.

http://gmy.news.yahoo.com/v/7540766/20090302/av_yugc/_goodmorningyahoo_yugc_subway_sardines

Klep is cool with end of May.

Um...why does our blog look different? I'm not sure I like it...I can't find the buttons! Is anyone else having that problem? Maybe it's just my computer.



Sorry I've been a stranger...not much to say: school, volleyball, school, reading Harry Potter and loving it - does that spark any controversy?, school, and did I mention school?



Actually, Eric and I flew out to TX last weekend to see my brother Rory's graduation from ENJJPT (EuroNato Joint Jet Pilot Training) - along with my whole family. It's a very prestigious fighter pilot school and it seriously was like being in 'Top Gun'!! Rory got his assignment and he'll be flying the F15-E Strike Eagle. Darn sweet. Good weekend; we are all very proud. It's interesting to see how we all are turning out to be; Rory I know still believes in God but really doesn't want much to do with Him. Also, he and Mom had a issue in high school and I think he still harbors some resentment towards her for it...and it still shows which is sad when we all get together. He comes off as a major conceited ass (I guess it comes with the fighter pilot territory somewhat) sometimes, but I know deep down he still wants our approval really bad and it meant tons to him that we spent a lot of money to fly out there and see his big day.



Daniel is graduating from the Academy in May and we're driving out for that...had to save up for this year! He is also going to a fighter pilot school in the fall in Columbus, GA. Rory may be going to North Carolina to learn how to fly his plane; and it looks like East may try to go active in the Marines (instead of reserves) and may end up in North Carolina as well. So, I told my parents they needed to retire in Tennessee since we're all here except Molly now.



And there's Molly... :) Not sure what she wants to be - she says psychologist but I think she's a teacher of small children through and through. She'll figure it out. She's got a boyfriend and working at the YMCA and going to college (entirely via the internet - we'll see how long she thinks that was a brilliant idea). I think we're getting closer as we get older, which is cool.



Hmmm...no fun stories of children that are my own, but I do spend 6 hours a day with 12 year olds and i really really enjoy them!!



1. Yesterday I found a cigarette in the girls bathroom (unsmoked) and a student named Jessica said she knew whose it was. Today in fourth period, another student knocks on my door and says "Jessica's in the bathroom and she said to come get you - it's an emergency." I go in and Jessica's bawling and says she was up all night (we all were wondering why she literally was sleeping in all our classes) because she was so upset...she confessed to being the one who had the cigarette and said she had to tell me because she felt so guilty. I hugged her - her family totally does nothing for her and I suspect she's abused in numerous ways. Then of course we had to 'deal' with the issue.



2. We read an article about the underage drinking law and they had to write about their opinion of it. One particulary sheltered student wrote, ""I think American soldiers should be trusted with beer with the exeption that they can only drink 3 bottles. They can't drink it before and when they ride in their tanks...but they might win a battle or war and want to celebrate. If they don't get to drink, they will feel left out and might quit the army."



3. This is the same student who wrote in response to a sentence in that article about how one effect of binge drinking is underage pregnancy "You can become pregnant from sex?" !!?!



4. Apparently, to "irrigate" means to get on people's nerves according to Edward in 5th period.



I don't have much to add to the current issue Liz has brought up besides that I have totally felt that same way around those kinds of people - the gal Rory used to date being one of them. Totally not Christian, but spunky and gorgeous and had everything going for her. I wasn't sure deep down if I was 'cool enough' for her if I just acted like myself and sometimes I even struggle like this with Rory. He's got a sweet car, a sweet job, handsome, lives in a sweet house, has no student loans...and here's me and Eric - haven't bought a new piece of clothing except maybe once in the last four or five months, live on a budget, work with children which is the antithesis of glamorous, and just wondering how we're ever going to pay off our debt and maybe not live in an apartment our entire lives.



I struggle at school because I see children every day whose lives are in shambles and their parents don't care enough to help them. I'm on the phone with parents constantly, "Have you gotten your child to a doctor yet?" "Have you found a time to come in and conference?" and they say, "well, no, his doctor just can't get him in for two months, so..." I mean, if my child may possibly have a learning disability or ADD that's causing him to have straight F's, I'm pretty sure I'd be driving up and down the road and dragging him into every doctor until someone would see him and give me a diagnosis. I mean, duh!


And I so desperately want to share some truth with these mothers and children...but I don't know how to ride the line since I am employed by the state and I'm really not 'allowed' to say much. ?

Everytime I get on this blog, I am cracking up and reading everything to Eric and we crack up together. I have such great friends and I love hearing it all.
You're all in my prayers - klep

OOOOHHHHH!!! Byrd...when I read #7 on the list I was ranting to ERic for like five minutes - I can't believe he reads our blog!! I've said some personal stuff! Mr. Robinette!!?? What? and then i read #8 and cracked up. wow, you'd think we all spent some pretty major years of our lives together or something to know each other this well . :) (really, I don't care too much! I love Ryan, too!)

Alyson, the neighbor

I've been thinking all afternoon about Fulty's prayer request at the end of her last blog--about her desire to have more non-Christians in her life.  So, I'm going to turn this into a little forum...a time to ponder these things.  Obviously we need to be present in the lives of those who do not know Jesus.  I have a handful in my life but could certainly stand to extend outside my social bubble.  I was forced to do so today when an out-spoken, Children's Place clothes-wearin' six year old came bounding into our yard and wanted to play with Kenna.  Her name is Alyson.  She moved next to us with her mom and stepdad right around fall and it is only now that the weather is getting nicer that we are finally starting to meet them.  

Many things about this new family make me shrink back to the mousy junior higher that used to be nervous and intimated by the 'popular kids'...their brand new BMW suv, nice clothes, she works at a hospital and a bar, he apparently makes enough to pay for a BMW suv (or atleast enough to go into debt for one) and they lived together before getting married.  Then there was the time I watched her rake her leaves while smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer one glorious late morning.  This family, in so many ways, couldn't be any more opposite than Eli and I--yet we are called to put our hand out, speak to them and be part of their lives.  

So I made small talk with the pretty new neighbor while all the time being self-conscious about my brown helmet or my untweezed eyebrows, or the fact that my children wear second hand clothes and I drive a secondhand minivan.  And also not forgetting that I believe in a God that everyone wants to put in a box, dismiss, judge as intolerable or outdated, or shape into their own patsy go-to god.  

Why do I do this??  Why am I intimidated by people outside the Christian social circle, by people whom, measured up to the world's standards, have a lot going for them.  Why is it hard to proudly be me, the Christian dork who is pleased with her life.  It's not that I want these things that they have--I think I'm just so weary of being labeled, judged and considered odd--all of which I have experienced with my own family in some way--and I'm tired of it.  I think we get to a point where we have been saturated so long in our Christian circle that it's hard to step out and see that we're actually the minority and not the majority in society.  

Then there is the whole issue of the little girl.  She really likes to play with Kenna but she is such an only child--speaks whatever she wants, asks for whatever she wants and bosses whomever she wants and I cringe at the idea of what she could teach my dear sweet Kenna.  But isn't this where the rubber meets the road.  For many years I've talked about wanting my home to be the home where the kids come to play--but now that it's here I get nervous, self-conscious and want to hole up because I don't want to be seen as the weird, different ones.

I definitely need boldness and confidence with my stance on my faith.  I have no problem confidently believing in Christ.  I loose confidence though when face to face with others who are clearly different.  Am I alone in this???

Well, we'll see how things go with Alyson this summer.  I have a feeling this won't be the last of her :)  Time to hike up my skirt, stand proud and plunge forth!  

Keep your eyes open Fulty--your non-Christian just may come bounding into your yard one day!

Murray and Ovejita

I just finished watching the little section Sesame Street does with Murray and Ovejita--surely those of you with little ones know who I am talking about.  Whenever Murray comes on Kenna calls for me to come watch it with her because she knows that I like it.  That about sums up my life right now!

The McAllister's have been battling the flu for the past week.  I think it is the first time I have ever gotten it as an adult and it has not been fun.  So we've been slumpin' along trying not to hack on eachother.  Today I was relieved to wake up to some warm air outside so I quickly opened  windows to air out our sess pool of germs.

For those who aren't keeping up with Facebook Eli got the detective position!  It was two VERY long weeks as we waited and questioned whether or not it was going to happen.  But as it turns out he was their first pick and he'll start as soon as all the transfer paperwork goes through.  So our family will be transitioning into a new pattern of life.  Eli will probably have to give up his cruiser (which I secretly love having in our drive way) but he may possibly get a new Toyota Camry!  We'll see...

We have officially moved on from our old church and have been attending the same church where Scott and Mindy Heller serve.  We're still not sure where we will settle but for the time we don't mind blending in with the crowd.  With spring upon us and all the new changes that we are experiencing it seems like our family has shed some old skin and are entering into a new chapter of life.  I hoping in the next couple months to get pregnant again--I still feel like there in one more little face for me to love.  I only pray there are no snags like last time--I don't think my soul can handle it.  

One little kids story to share...yesterday right before nap I asked Kenna when was the last time she pottied.  She thought for a moment and then looked up at me, "um...about 6 years ago."

Very matter of fact!  

Oh, and I caught her in her first official lie this week.  I asked her to drink her milk and then left the room to get Duncan ready for bath.  She came into the bathroom and I asked her if she'd finished her milk.  She said yes and I went in to check.  The cup was empty and on the counter by the sink.  When I looked into the sink I saw milk residue!  The little stinker poured it out!!  So we had a talk about truth and lie....hmph! Nobody said they would be perfect!

My sister-in-law is in labor as I type so we'll be welcoming a new nephew to the McAllister side hopefully sometime today!  His name is Jonathan.  So that's pretty exciting.

Well, Girls

Stay connected

Lizzy

Have we settled on an official weekend?   We need an event planner--I don't mind doing it but we need to settle on a weekend and know that everyone is committed.  Perhaps I'll give Klepper a ringy-ding since we haven't heard from her in awhile.

bye

Hey cats!

Hope everyone is on the road to healthiness in your homes. Just wanted to say I miss you all! Kiser -bun number three is growing healthy and strong so far! TAke care and let's start making plans for a get together!

Get with it, Ladies!

What's the deal??? I know we're all busy, but that's not a good enough excuse. Most of us still have the time to check/update our Facebooks several times a day. C'mon!

I have been doing well. I was very sad to miss Homecoming, but I found out that (drum roll please...) life does go on.  I was a very sad girl for the better part of the last week as Steve was out of town. It had nothing to do with having 3 kids under the age of 1 1/2 by myself, the kids were great. I was just a pitiful mess with out the love of my life, (I know, it's sappy and ridiculous, but I don't fare well without him.)

He is back now, and all is well.  It has been insanely cold and snowy, and I am so tired of hearing people anywhere south of mid-Ohio complain about all the snow on Facebook. We have already reached an all-time snowfall record in the Cleveland area this year, and that takes a lot! 

I had a slight pregnancy scare, (please spare me the obvious comments, I do know that I have 3 very small children and have been pregnant for the last 2 years, and I do understand what causes pregnancy) but rest assured, I am not pregnant.

I am enjoying my life right now, great group of girlfriends, am part of an awesome moms' bible study, love my family, love my church. I would like the opportunity, however, to have more contact with non-Christians and the unchurched.  My circles are not made up entirely of seasoned believers, but I don't really get access to people until they've at least worked up the nerve to walk through the church doors, and I fell like this something that's missing in my walk right now. I would appreciate your prayers for more opportunities to be a light in the darkness.

What are you all up to?

-Fulty