Hey Alan...

... I win!

I'm still here!!

Well, the entire summer has passed and I've missed a whole season of blogging. There was not one entry all summer... I hardly even thought about it. Too busy? No. Just lazy.

Summer went fast!

A few highlights...

• Ross got braces. He looks good! They'll be on a year and a half. Not bad.


• The family visited Washington DC (and my cousin, Trudy, too). Ross fell in love with the Smithsonian.


• We bought a new car; a Mitsubishi Outlander. Its our first new car since Ross was born.


• Ross' and my passports arrived in the mail so we took a trip to Niagara Falls. The highlight there being a jet boat trip up the Niagara River!


• Ross spent his first week away at church camp. He loved it. He also loved the week he spent at 'Grandma' camp.


• John and I joined John Sr. and Frank 'on the road'. We were invited to play at the Punxy Presbyterian church. We were kind of like the Von Traps, but without silly hats. Just guitars.
  
• We gathered with friends... lots.


• There was paint ball for John and Ross


• Bike trips around the Burg,


• and Concerts for all.

And today... John and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary!

It's been a good summer and I'm sad that school is starting back up. Let's hope with the return of 'routine' we'll see the return of my blogging.

I promise I'll try, Mom :)

Baby Fletcher has arrived!

Check out my new nephew, Fletcher William Dundas! He's absoultely beautiful!

http://natelyj.blogspot.com/2009/04/few-more-pics-of-fletcher.html

Lookin' Good!

I get to dress Ross twice a year: once at Christmas, once at Easter. He doesn't complain too much. I make John wear a tie, too :)

april fools!

this is what i woke to this morning. attractive.

so far ross has placed fake bugs in our bed and a mouse in the kitchen (that one wasn't funny). he's also planned an elaborate silly string ambush for john when he gets home (it involves hiding the car and leaving a ransom note on the front door). and get this... ross actually missed the bus this morning because he was too busy gathering his fake snot, rubber pencil, already chewed gum, squirt ring, and dribble spoon!

i'm glad his friends find him funny... i'm not sure about the rest of us.

en garde!

pretty cool, huh?

ross took up fencing about a year ago and he really enjoys it! he takes a lesson once a week and in december he earned his silver patch (something like a belt in karate)! it was his love for star wars that started all of this. he and john would light saber battle in the backyard (i forced them outside after the empty paper towel rolls, and tree branches left skid marks on the basement ceiling). ross even made up a scoring system for these bouts; if you whacked someone above the waist, you earned 2 points; below, one. game over when someone got 3 hits... or when someone cried. anyway, we signed ross up for fencing lessons when he was old enough, and now he wields a long metal foil with a little rubber thingy on the end.

i still see a little of anakin skywalker in ross when he fences, but actually, he's very good! he's even saving his money for his own fencing gear! after years of swimming, a season of baseball and lots of soccer i think he's finally found his niche!

rock on the yough

we just got back from 'music weekend' at john's parents river house. friends and family bring guitars and voices and rock out to whatever music moves them. john and nina host this event once a year and it is so much fun! i brought my bass, and john, his guitar and drums. my sister-in-law, bri, took some great photos and made a video of the event. check it out.

http://mrsivey.blogspot.com/2009/03/music-weekend.html

willkommen zu hause, john

john has been gone for 2 weeks and I am tired. last week he was in germany... frankfurt. it was his first time there and he was lovin' the beer! he would call home at dinner time (midnight there) with a rundown of each days brew. of course he enjoyed the country itself, but the food and drink were his first mention. his favorites? dark chewy ones that i have no interest in.
he flew home late friday to leave again monday for a week in cleveland. not quite as glamorous but he's been making the best of it. he's coming home today and i am happy. ross and i miss him terrible. last week ross baked john a chocolate cake to welcome him home. this week he wants to make brownies. i hope john stays put for a while. his traveling isn't good for my diet.

twilight... i just can't help myself!

i'm a 'twilight' junkie and i can't help myself! i've been plowing through the 4 book series since christmas, losing hours on end... staying up till 2am, reading till my eyes burn!

i am talking, of course, about stephanie meyers' 'twilight' series; a story of teenage vampire love! hokey...yes, but i've convinced myself that these books, much like the harry potter books, appeal to all age groups... and that includes 40-something moms! however, embarrassing that it may be, i can't help but giggle like a highschool girl as the story unfolds wondering if they're ever going to do it... "i smelled his cool breath in my face; sweet, delicious. it was unlike anything else. instinctively, i leaned closer, inhaling." **sigh**

now, i've seen the movie (already come and gone from the theaters) and i liked that, too. rent it. it's worth a buck. make it a date night. you won't be sorry.

i must admit, i haven't been this enthralled with anything since my michael jackson days (joanie, do you remember?). but all is good. i guess this means i'm just a silly teenager at heart, trapped in the life of a happily married, working mom.

time to make the doughnuts!

if you live in the city of pittsburgh you can't help but be stoked for this weeks super bowl game. i love the hype! i've been wearing my steeler socks and steeler earrings. we're flying our steeler flag out front and i already have my munchie menu planned for sunday's game. but the best part, according to ross (and i really must agree), are the doughnuts! i present to you the Roethlisberger donut!

made by the nice people at Donut Connection, these treats aren't just for breakfast anymore! the brown part in the middle is half of a glazed chocolate donut and the outside, a hole-less donut complete with sesame seeds and a #7. the lettuce, mustard and katsup is, of course, icing. i'm embarrassed to tell you how many of these my family has consumed these last 3 weeks. we've eaten roethlisberger donuts for ross' birthday and every playoff game this season.

so place your orders now! the doughnut shop will only be selling them through sunday. after that you're going to have to wait a whole year until the steelers make the playoffs next season. go steelers!

happy birthday, boys!

a belated happy birthday to my two favorite people! we celebrated john's birthday (january 31st) with dinner at his favorite local brewery and a quiet night at home watching the ball drop... happy new year, by the way. ross chose pierogies for his birthday dinner (January 6th) and this friday he's invited 5 of his best buds for a birthday sleepover. ross is now 11 and john, 41. happy birthday, gentlemen! i love you!