Christmas '09

This year was a different Christmas, to say the least. With all of the snow, we couldn't even get out of town. In fact, our driveway gave the Gaschos some trouble! We opened presents Christmas Eve after supper of chicken soup and oyster stew. That's a Bumblebee gun, by the way. Bumblebee has arrived! He didn't take off that outfit for several days! Thanks, Aunt Kass!:) Cael got a set of flower pots with some seeds from one of my students. Cael and Daddy got it planted.

1 year

As I'm typing this, I'm thinking back to one year ago. At this time, (8:40)I was almost to Arapahoe, not knowing what to expect. I had gotten the call from my sister that my mom wanted me to come home - it was time. I knew that it would be coming, I just didn't know it would be that soon. I'm sure my Dad's first year in heaven has been a good one. I'm sure he's been doing all of the things he hasn't been able to do for so many years, and that makes me happy. It's been a rough year without him. So many things have happened that I would love to call him and tell him about. I can't call him, so I just talk and hope he can hear me. It's not the first Christmas without him, but it's the first Christmas season. I caught myself thinking that I needed to go get him some sugar-free chocolate covered peanuts, because he loved them and that's what I always got him. I've heard that the first anniversary is the hardest, and I'm sure that's right, but I don't think I'll ever get over walking into Mom's house and wanting to go talk to him, or thinking about the food that I cooked him when I'm cooking it for my own family. I'll never stop missing him, and frankly, I don't want to. Love you, and miss you, Daddy. My new favorite song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLgLfD3wElQ

Snow Angel

It was so nice today when we got home from church that Cael and I built a snowman!

'Tis the Season

Yep, one line of lights. That's all. Baby steps... Our first tree in our new house.

Play is over!

Well, the play is over. Finally. This year we did 12 Angry Jurors, and I was very proud of my kids. They did a fantastic job! Now - on to speech season!

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day. I didn't really think today would hit me so hard. Dad would always go to the Veteran's Day program at the high school where he got to be recognized. I would call him to ask him how it went and he would usually tell me an Army story. The Army meant a lot to my Dad. As a helicopter mechanic, he had a good time with his buddies while stationed in Korea. I always enjoyed his stories, and he enjoyed telling them. Cael went to school today, and getting dressed, he picked out his clothes all by himself. He picked out his "Land of the Free because of the Brave" shirt with no earthy influence. He had to come show me while I was getting ready, and felt a little stupid crying in the shower. I put on my glasses instead of my contacts just because I knew I would probably cry more. After school, I won't be making my usual phone call. I'll probably call Mom or my sister, but it won't be the same.

Excited

We are really excited to have the SmartBoard. I haven't gotten to play with it yet, but my time is coming! We have to (yikes!) Share!

Article in the Grand Island Independent

Heartland Lutheran receives SMART Board from Hy-Vee Grand Island Hy-Vee store director John Griesenbrock laughs along with teachers at Heartland Lutheran High School Tuesday morning during a SMART Board presentation. The school won the technology through a promotion between Proctor & Gamble and Hy-Vee. (Independent/Scott Kingsley) Click here for our photo reprints By Harold Reutter harold.reutter@theindependent.com Published: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 11:03 PM CST Most of the students at Heartland Lutheran High School raised their hands Tuesday morning when asked if they were familiar with a SMART Board. That put the kids ahead of the teachers, most of whom had never used a SMART Board, which is an interactive white board that is hooked up to a laptop computer. That lack of SMART Board experience should change after Tuesday, when the school was presented with the device by Hy-Vee. Heartland Lutheran Development Director Lloyd Wagnitz said the SMART Board's interactive feature helps draw students into a teacher's classroom lessons. More Local Former wrestler sentenced to probation for selling ecstasy Heartland Lutheran receives SMART Board from Hy-Vee Statewide emergency radio network rolling out despite budget crisis Northwest makes state history with use of electronic polling books Vote Yes group discusses health care reform Robin Keilig, who teaches pre-algebra, computer applications and physical education at Heartland Lutheran, said she got training in using SMART Board technology in the classroom through Educational Service Unit 10 out of Kearney last spring. But she had no idea when she would actually get to put her training to use because the high school did not own a SMART Board. However, Wagnitz heard her talking about the SMART Board and what it could do. As a result, when Heartland Lutheran officials learned that the local Hy-Vee was sponsoring a contest for schools to get a SMART Board, the school quickly jumped in. Schools could earn points for buying a specified amount of Proctor & Gamble products at Hy-Vee, then going to a Web site to show that they had purchased those products to benefit a particular school. "I was going up and down the aisles, buying Proctor & Gamble products," Keilig said. As development director, Wagnitz felt it was his job to get the word out so all Heartland Lutheran parents and supporters would do the same thing. He also made it easy to get the results recorded on behalf of Heartland Lutheran. Wagnitz used the Heartland Lutheran High School Web site to provide a link to the Proctor & Gamble Web site. To even out the competition, Proctor & Gamble divided points by total student enrollment. In that situation, Heartland Lutheran's relatively small enrollment worked in the school's favor in the competition with other Grand Island area schools. Jesse Romero and John Griesenbrock, Hy-Vee store manager, told students at the end of their chapel services on Tuesday that the SMART Board presentation was a reward for what people had done on behalf of Heartland Lutheran. As the staff member who has had training on the SMART Board, Keilig said, she will be responsible for training fellow teachers in how to use the new technology. The school plans to get a stand on wheels to make the SMART Board portable between classrooms. But Keilig knows how much fun the SMART Board can be to use. "If we don't get a stand, we'll just hang it on a wall in my classroom," she joked.

Halloween

Cael decided to be Optimus Prime for Halloween this year. He had outgrown his Yoda costume, so it was time for a change. We went to Ravenna as per tradition and had a great time!

New tub

We have a new tub and shower! Yea! If you would've seen the one that was in our house, you would understand why I'm sooooo happy. We also got the living room painted. It was a horrible combination of light and dark mint green with an ivy border in the middle. yucko. As soon as we painted it, our eyes stopped hurting, and it was definitely calming. Now maybe we can get some bigger furniture in there and start setting it up as a real room! Yea! Baby steps... This is the living room 'before.'

SOLD!

Well, we're moved out. Not quite moved in yet. Right now I'm in the Sleep Inn in GI trying to motivate myself to get going. I've got the last of my teachers' conference this morning, then I can start on my loooong list of things to do. It's been raining and sleeting here for the last couple of days - just so happens that we've been trying to move in it. Yuck. Luckily, we had awesome family and friends to help out. My mom came from Arapahoe, Allen's Mom and step-dad helped, as did our friend Jo. Some of my students even came out last Saturday morning and Wednesday night (with the promise of food, of course). I didn't take pictures of the roofing - I was too busy directing traffic inside. I'll get pictures of our new house soon. Cael is really excited to go get moved in. He told me yesterday that he wanted to go to his new house RIGHT NOW. It was sad leaving the house that Allen and I bought as a starter home, we brought our new-born baby home to, and we have so many wonderful (and not so wonderful - water in the basement) memories of. It's time to start a new chapter in the Blake saga. Come on down everybody! We have plenty of room!

Still waiting

Our house has had its inspection and appraisal, but we won't know anything for sure about them until tomorrow. Tomorrow, we have to be in Wood River for that house's inspection. We're getting some things packed, and we got the garage painted. Lots of things on the check list - now we just have to start crossing them off!

SOLD

The house has an accepted offer, now we're working on the inspections for the house in Wood River. Unfortunately, both closing dates will probably be Oct.22. It will be a busy month!

Waiting

So we've had an offer on our house, made a counter-offer, and are now waiting for news to come back to us on whether it's accepted or not. If it is, we will have to move quickly on the house we're trying to buy in Wood River. It might get a little hairy depending on closing dates and all. We think we'll probably rent a storage unit in Wood River if our house gets sold just so we can start packing things up and getting them moved south. That way, when we get rooms painted and ready, we can move things in as we go. Keep us in your prayers!

Cael's birthday

I always forget to load pictures on in the reverse order I want them! Oh well. Cael decided that on Sunday he wanted to go bowling for his birthday and take his buddy Ethan from church. Ethan's mom Jenny and little bro and sis came with us. It was pretty fun! Cael got a huge helicopter from Grandma and Papa Tambling. We took pictures out on the farm of Cael in his cowboy outfit. Cael got to help Uncle Todd drive the tractor. Cael didn't want a cake - he wanted ice cream. So he picked out an ice cream cake at Dairy Queen. One of my students gave him a Darth Vader candle! Cool! Opening presents at Grandma Breinig's.

Cowboy Cael

Uncle Brent and Aunt Kassidy gave Cael a cowboy getup for his birthday. Draw! Allen taught him to say, "My name is Wyat Earp!"

Catching Up

The last two weeks have been hectic around here with a few people looking at our house, Open House, and sickness. People have looked, but no one has made an offer. We're hoping to get an offer in the next 6 weeks, or else we'll have to take our house off of the market due to the crazy schudules Allen and I keep during the winter. Cael has had a bout of sickness. He had allergies first, then a sinus infection, then it all culminated Friday night. We almost took him to the ER, but luckily a breathing treatment calmed him down and we kept them up every four hours through the night. Allen took him to the doctor yesterday. Pnemonia. So now we're on two antibiotics and continued breathing treatments. He goes back to the doctor on Thursday for more x-rays to see if he's cleared up. Poor kid. He's so hard to read when he's sick. Hope everyone else is staying healthy and having a good fall!

Half Marathon

Labor Day weekend I ran a half marathon in Grand Island. It's an annual thing for the local YMCA. We started and ended at Fonner Park - it was really foggy that morning!! There we go! Here I come! Keith Harders and I after the race. I think I'm eating an orange wedge. I didn't think I'd be that hungry!

First Day of School

Today was Cael's first day of Preschool! We had to do our pictures inside, since it was raining pretty hard this morning. He was so excited when we pulled up to the building, and wasted no time getting to his room to play. They got a new Story Bible and made a handprint painting to go alongside a poem. Cute! :)

Shrimp Boil

Last night we had a shrimp boil. Robin, Ethan, and Elly Keilig plus Brent and Kassidy came over. It was fun! Cael told me "I don't like shrimp, Mommy." Ya, he ate about 10 of the little buggers!

Lots of stuff

We went to a wedding in Iowa. Cael danced the night (until about 8:30) away! I was told to "keep off my stage, Mommy!" Cael and Daddy's hat and sunglasses.

scrapblog

Hey! Now that my corn season is over, I can slow down a teensy bit. Well, for today, anyway. I do have teacher meetings this next week. I have been working on Cael's scrapbook on scrapblog lately. It's really fun and easy! I'm pretty sure I'm just going to do them digitally from now on. It's cheaper, and not as time consuming. If some of my friends want to go scrapbooking, I still can. I'll just take my laptop! The new family picture is a page from Cael's 3rd bday party. I hope the spider man cael page will load. This is his bday layout and Spider Man Cael. Hope you enjoy!

Summer?

Ok, show of hands, who's summer is going too fast? Raise them up! That's what I thought. Mine, too. Can you believe there's "back-to-school" stuff in the stores already? Actually, yes I can, because next month the Halloween stuff will come out. I've been thinking and chewing (a horse analogy meaning "to ponder and process." Thank you, LeAndra) about this next school year. I've got soooo much planned, I'm sure I'm over-ambitious. Well, bring it on! Sleeping is completely over-rated. Along with the potential move of our family to a town 15 miles south, scheming about fixing up that house, readying our house to sell, inspecting corn fields, helping with a theatre presentation at our school, hopefully receiving a foster baby sometime, and whatever else God throws at us, I really am quite bored this summer. (Ya, right.) I have lots to do, and I'm glad that God has trusted me with it all. His gifts to all of us are amazing, and I'm managing the present (with His help, of course) while staying hopeful for the future. Who's with me?

Cael's Magic Trick

Cael made this up all by himself! It's hilarious to watch him do it in person! "It's going through my head!"

Piggy Bank

Cael had just gotten done putting the silverware away and put his quarter in the "spend" section of his piggy bank. He's saving up to buy a new toy motorcycle.

Swimming Lessons

This week, Cael has been taking swimming lessons with Bridget, one of my latest graduates. Motorboat, motorboat, drive real fast! Cael and Bridget blow bubbles. Flutterkick practice. The first lesson he got up on the board and I basically threw him to Bridget. This time... he cried. Didn't happen. Daddy even promised him a new Transformer. No dice. Oh well. I'm not going to push. He'll do it in his own time.

Cael's Commission

So we started Cael on commission yesterday. It's going well so far. This is how it works: Cael has two chores that he has to do just because. 1. He has to put his dishes in the sink when he's done eating, and 2. he has to pick up his toys before bed. He has two chores he has to do to earn money (his commission). 1. He has to pick up ALL of the laundry and put it in the hamper, and 2. he has to put away the silverware out of the dishwasher. He gets a quarter for each of those. He has two quarters so far and is very proud of them. He also knows that he has to give two quarters to God every week at church. We're going to go to the store and see how many quarters it will take before he can buy something he wants. If he has to spend his money, maybe he'll think twice. I'm going to go get him one of those save/give/spend banks so he can see where all of his money is going. I made some pictures and HE taped them up on the pantry so he can remind himself what needs to be done. Wish us luck! We also traded in our Aztek for another Grand Prix (we now have 2), and we're looking at a house in Wood River. Don't know if we'll put in an offer or not, but we'll see. Lots of stuff going on!

Allen's vacation

Allen had some vacation time this last week, but it hasn't all been fun. We were supposed to go to South Dakota to see the Moldenhauers, but Allen's grandma in GI passed away. We stayed close to be with our family and get some planning, organizing, and cleaning done. We shared some good memories, and the funeral service was lovely. We know that Gram is in a better place, and is no longer suffering. An eternal vacation! She and my dad are hanging out talking about cows and farming, I'm sure. Last night we went to Allen's cousin's house to have supper and hang out. The boys played Guitar Hero while the girls laughed at the dancing and cheered them on. It was truly a refreshing and enjoyable evening. Just what we needed! Today, Allen's dad came to see us from Lincoln and brought Allen's bday gift. I'll post pictures. It's pretty cool! Tonight we went to "Night at the Museum 2." It was pretty good. Hank Azaria is always good for a laugh. It was a toss-up between that and "Up," but Cael finally made a decision. We hope that summer is going well for all of you!

VBS

Friday was the VBS program at Peace. There was a potluck then the kids sang. Pretty entertaining! And who was the only kid headbanging to "This Little Light of Mine"? Yep, that's right! I tried to upload some videos of Cael singing, but it didn't work.

Beach Boys

Friday night after the VBS program, Brent and Kassidy took Cael so we could go to the Beach Boys concert in Grand Island. We had seats front and center. We were literally 3 feet from the stage. It was awesome. Mike Love can definitely work a crowd. He gave us a five and "sang to" people in the audience. If Cael would have been a little older, we would've taken him since he loves the Beach Boys!