HLHS Wrestling Team

Is this freaking cool, or what? Allen ranks this in the top 5 coolest things he's ever done. Our airport is home to the Army's post of the Chinook choppers in our area. As PR, they let people come out for photo shoots. SWEET!! We're getting posters made. I love the Chinooks because my dad was a chopper mechanic in Korea and worked on them. "The girls" of the team. Me, Taylor, and Brooke. Kyle, Kajo, Allen, Brad, and Jacob.

Carving Pumpkins

Along with English and Speech/Drama, I also teach FCS (Home Ec)(go ahead Alison, laugh it up). Anyway, this week we carved pumpkins. I have some talented carvers! This is Derek and the headless horseman. It's kind of hard to see. Kara and her traditional smiling pumpkin. Adam made a spider.

Nothin' better than a box

Why do we buy toys? I mean, really. Just give this kid a box, and he can entertain himself for hours. But then again, I did the same thing, right, Mom?

Long weekend

We had a short week at school this week because we had the Nebraska District Lutheran Teachers' Conference in Fremont. Robin picked me up Thursday morning so we could head out, and Allen and Cael came up just in time for supper. It was good to see them after my long day of meetings. Friday morning was more meetings, but after lunch we headed to Lincoln. We stayed with Allen's dad (when I say "we" I mean Kerrey's family and us). We went up to the zoo in Omaha today. It was a long day, but lots of fun. It was actually sunny and got up to 67 degrees. Quite different from the rest of the week! Here are some highlights from the Henry Doorly Zoo. We first went into the Desert Dome. This fox was chillin' out. "Is it real, Mommy?" No, it was just a statue, but very life-like! This is the outside of the Desert Dome. It's pretty cool. Also inside is the Nightime exhibit. Alligators, bats, and all sorts of creepy crawlies! This is the bridge over the Koi pond. There were fish bigger than Cael! And lots of them! No visit to the Zoo is complete without a train ride! Gorilla Valley is really neat. There were three large gorillas that were "playing" with each other and with us. They would run by the windows and smack the glass, then chase each other. This sweet gorilla was in another part of the Valley. You can't see it very well, but Cael has his hand up to the gorilla's hand on the glass. Cael thought he was pretty special. By far Cael and Allen's favorite exhibit - The Aquarium! I get a little claustrophobic (I also have a thing about water), but I stayed with the boys. I usually just walk right on through. Sharks!

Puppies!

Zoe (Allen's mom's dog) had puppies today. She had trouble and had to go to the vet. 3 boys and 1 girl, all cuties!

Watching the Veggies

Here are the pics of VeggieTales Live. I was surprised at how big they were. They were bigger than the actors that were on stage with them. Cael had to have a Larry Pirate. We also got a t-shirt. Boyz in the Sink "I've got to tell you somethin'. I don't have a bellybutton..." "You are his cheeseburger!"

All Hallow's Eve

Here are the pics from Stuhr Museum. We go out there every year for this event. It's really fun! Cael loved the firetruck! There was a little girl dressed up like Anikin and her brother was a Storm Trooper. Cael marched right up and said, "Hey, let's play sabers!" So they did! Their mom and I thought it was pretty cute. Part of the fam. Reese, Allen's sister, Kerrey, Rylee, and Rylee's boyfriend, Gage. Every year there is a guy dressed up like a scrarecrow. We tried to get Cael to sit with him, but he wasn't buying it. Right before I took this picture, he jumped at Cael. Reese was NOT impressed. At the train depot there are sticks that you can tie either a donut or an apple on the string. Kenidee and Cael had a donut. Rylee and Carter had an apple.

If you like to talk to tomatoes...

This weekend was a big one for Cael. We went to All Hallow's Eve at Stuhr Museum with Allen's mom, stepdad, and sister (sister's fam included)on Saturday. Cael got dressed up like Yoda (again this year) and took his pumpkin to get some treats. It was so funny watching his face as I was explaining what would happen when he says "Trick or Treat." The light came on and he thinks that's pretty cool that he can get candy so easily. We did the donut/apple "bobbing," and sat with a funny "scarecrow." Cael drank my apple cider while we stood in line to go through the haunted field and Mill. A person in the Mill tried to scare Cael, but he just yelled and threw webs at the dead-looking creature. It was no biggie to him. THEN we went to Lincoln on Sunday for VeggieTales Live!! FUN!! Cael had a blast. I'm sure it would have been even better if he wouldn't have had to have some Benedryl right before we went. We were walking around Home Depot and noticed that Cael had hives all over his arms. We figured it was his shirt, so we changed really fast and drugged him up. By intermission, his hives were pretty much gone, but we had one sleepy boy. Cael did manage to sing along and learn some dance moves from the Boyz in the Sink. As soon as we were in the car, we had to call Grandma Breinig to tell her about it. We took lots of pictures, so I'll post those as soon as I can. We're also waiting on Grandma Tambling's dog to have puppies, so I'm sure I'll get some good shots when they come!

Family Time

Allen, Cael and I are back out at Arapahoe, spending time with the fam. My sister found some old photo albums in the attic. We found some pictures of Dad when he was three. I asked Cael who it is, and he said "That's me!" It really does look like Cael (and my pictures when I was that age). I guess I know what Cael will look like when he's older. A good looking guy!

I haven't updated for a while. Life has been crazy around here. My dad got his MRI results back, and they weren't good. (for those of you who don't know, my dad has been diagnosed with lung cancer for a year.) The cancer has spread. Dad's not going to take any more treatments, though. He says it's not worth it. I don't blame him. I went out to Arapahoe yesterday, and we got a lot done. We'll be going out there to see him as much as we can. Cael didn't want to leave Grandma and Grandpa, but we'll see them again soon.