Jan 30

It has been quite calm and free from drama lately. I am very grateful for that! Thank you for prayers! Another early night tonight except for Chris & Jaclyn going to her game, and off to get his mom from the airport.

Our family is under the weather to put it mildly...a few with the chest cold/cough in the night, and one up all night with the stomach flu. Hope it hits us these 2 weeks and then we're done for awhile.

Grateful for our injury free hockey season. Jonathan had a hat trick recently (his first in District Hockey). And Jaclyn had her first goal of the season and first win on Sat! Katya sang the National Anthem with her school at the Excel Energy Center on Sat evening!

We're having a sick day, wash sheets, sanitize our home day! Jaclyn will be takign the ACT soon, and Jonathan the Explore.

Love from Alesia & Chris

Jan 26

It's Mom &Dad's anniversary, and 2 months after his passing...Mom went out with a girlfriend from work so I'm glad about that and she is taking a trip to warmth in the next couple days....

We had a break through if you can call it that...since Sophia hasn't had anyone lately to go "talk" to about how bad her days are etc, she melted down on Friday for about an hour and let us have it. I think it was good that she was able to get it out...yet, she knows that she kind of over did it a bit. She can be very disrespectful and controlling, and lately, Natasha has been acting up too. I think I"ll just say having 4 girls in their teens/near teens is enough right there, not to mention all the adoption/attachment stuff. Jaclyn & Katya have been kind and loving this week, so all is well there!

Sophia used to say that she only wanted 1 child. Now she said up to 5. I was pretty shocked by that. But she is not going to adopt...it's too hard on the parent and too revealing for the child. Katya wants to adopt. We joked about having a grandkid night available at our home..so that we're not tied down every night of the week for grandkids! It's a funny conversation to have once in awhile, but we're building hope for the future...

We are still shooting for 7pm quiet time, reading, showers, etc, and 8pm lights out..closer to 9pm tonight, but we played games and had some fun. Until homework picks up a bit around here the movies are limited. I do let them at my computer here and there when we're at the rink or something like that. 

The boys are just like 3 peas in a pod most days, but Jonathan likes his space to read and go to chess club, but James and Andre would play all day if it wasn't for school work! I really enjoy watching them get along and play games, but the boy wrestling, "shooting" and sound effects drives me crazy, but they get along like good buds.  (Andre admitted to unscrewing our septic last fall when we had sewer all over in the basement! What stories we will have to tell some day when these guys are adults!)

Chris installed a kitchen stove for someone this week and helped his friend install a water softener, I helped Jaclyn's violin teacher record some pieces for a big graduation show. So I guess we're able to contribute to society a little still!

Jonathan's team is still #1...we've had some sickness around here, coughing at night, etc. But that too is passing. It's 10:23..so hoping for sleep by 11:00.

I have some friends praying for us!!! And that is really helping with a few things this week. We are grateful. I hope to figure out how to get away with my hubby sometime after hockey season is done....

Love from Alesia & Chris

Jan 15....

Sunday night, no school tomorrow...Jonathan's team took 3rd in a tournament this weekend..probably should have been first, but choked on the previous game and gave up a 3-1 lead for a 4-3 loss. Jonathan scored 2x today and had fun winning 5-0 for 3rd place. His team is #1 in the District. Jaclyn's team is on the bottom of the rung, but she is doing her best. Katya is doing well at school and has finals next week. She's a little "off" these past 2 weeks, not sure if it's the finals, or Christmas let down or what. We had fun at Jaclyn's tournament a few weeks ago, when Katya had a fake baby (up at night and all of it!). Christmas and New Years were great, so I'm going to blame her funk on finals and holiday let down. Maybe it's because I've beaten her a few times at checkers. Sophia gives me a hard time at school, and it brings me to tears most days. I think I'll have Chris "relieve" me this week by checking her work instead of me. Natasha has been trying hard lately to be kind and loving. She is also working really hard at skating. Sometimes all it takes is know one child really needs you and things go alot better. Andre is scoring every chance he can get in hockey, and is a very helpful, smiley boy. He helped Daddy today take down the Christmas tree and said, "Now when I'm 43 or 62 I'll know how to take down the Christmas tree, thanks, Dad.." Made me smile and even cry a bit! James is learning how to read, and is getting better every day.

I freaked out recently over some things Sophia was doing, yelled at her and some of her friends and then apologized later. They don't want to have anything to do with our family - I don't blame them, I feel the same way some times too! I'm over it now..just one day at time is all I can do. People just really don't understand the day in day out, disrespect, sassing, unsatisfied, issues that go on, not to mention blatant lying, and other really unhealthy behaviors. We try, but we just get plain worn out. It's hard to find the support we need.

Chris puts up with me, THANK-GOD! We're the only ones who understand us. And it can be kind of lonely here, so we hold on to each other. We've implemented 7pm quiet time, 8pm lights out, and that has helped a lot, and we're just trying to spend more time together whether it's at a hockey game or chilling on the couch with our laptops.

We're considering contacting the county for some aid, but can't quite decide on that yet. Seems so hard to get away for a weekend even and we really need that. We have a few friends that have been encouraging us with kind words and prayers, but what we really need is a break away, just the 2 of us....

Have a great New Year...sometimes I just cry about missing Dad...and other time just remember the good times...

Love Alesia & Chris

Just a few photos of our decorated home for Christmas...I couldn't bring myself to taking family photos this Christmas...(oh..and we were banned from Chris' family Christmas gathering..that was a downer as well)...hope we have a better 2012!

When life gets too hectic, Chance sleeps on our bed to make sure all is well.

We love our new home and places to seat everyone.

Sophia & Natasha were in a Christmas Skating show.

We cut a free tree out of our yard and loved it!

Santa filled the stockings..no fire this year!

7 Child photos up..a step up from last years disorganization!

Hope we get our Christmas cards out!

Love Alesia & Chris

It's a New Year...

Somehow can't bring myself to say "Happy New Year"....with Dad gone and that hole still fresh.

Today we "celebrated" NY's eve with a skating show with Natasha & Sophia doing a duo. Jaclyn was able to get a ride to her practice, and we dropped off our little guys for their practice and then headed back to watch and it was sweet. We all had left over turkey (from Christmas!) for lunch today before heading out for - yes more hockey! Jonathan had a practice in the afternoon, and then a pizza party after. That was fun and everyone enjoyed some time talking and eating. Then we headed to Acapulco to watch the WILD lose to Phoenix...then home for yes...more pizza and movies (Ice Castles & the Proposal)....probably should have had the humor before the drama..but did it the other way around....both were cute movies.

Chris stayed at his folks tonight so he could drive Papa to Palm Springs early in the morning. We enjoyed watching the snow fall, but hope that it doesn't affect their travels.

It's 12:43 and I hear a bit of this and a bit of that..only a little fighting between Natasha & Jonathan before bed (that's to be expected at this hour)......

Anyway...hope we can get our driveway shoveled in time for church and hope you have a really good, peaceful, wonderful 2012...happy or not....Love A & C