Mom's Surprise Retirement Party

Saturday night we celebrated my Mom's retirement after 43 years of nursing.  Boy, was she surprised!!

Ellie & Aunt Terri

Singing Happy Birthday to Dad

Uncle Johnny, Uncle Rich, and Uncle Jeff singing Happy Birthday to Dad

Mom & Dad and their 10 kids.  Back row: Pat, Mike, Ryan, Tom, Danny. Middle row: Jen, Julie, Maggie, Beth, Kayla.  Front: Dad & Mom

We had a Dance Party while at Tom's.  I went to the kitchen for a minute or two and came back to find a line of kids waiting for Jayson to swing them.  Jayson, Madalyn, Ellie, Beth, Katie, Tommy, Alli, McKenna

This is the coat my Dad's Mom made for me when I was a little girl.  It now fits Katie just perfectly and I have Grandma's matching coat.

Christmas Preparations

Last night and this morning we made cream cheese mints using Christmas molds for my Mom's retirement party.  Then we all sat at the kitchen table and signed our Christmas cards while listening to Christmas music.  The boys enjoyed it and we hope everyone likes our cards this year!

Zach, Jayson, Kayla and Wolf at Kayla's sister Beth's wedding in August
Zach placed second at his first martial arts competition!
Wolf pitching
Zach and Wolf
Zach, cousin MJ, and Wolf at Aunt Beth's wedding in August.  They were all ushers.  Beth was married at Werner Park, the baseball stadium.  This photo is in the locker room.

Manti Te'o

We are excited here to see if Manti Te'o can with the Heisman Trophy tonight.  It has been so exciting to watch Notre Dame go undefeated this season.  Can't wait for January 7!  Go Irish!

Comments on Here

I was able to change the settings on here so anyone can comment.  You do not have to be a registered member.  The comments will all come to me for moderation first.  Hopefully that allows more people to comment.  Thanks!

Ancestry

I have begun to look into my ancestry after getting addicted to Ancestry.com thanks to my sisters-in-law Misty and Amanda, and cousin Chelle.   I am finding some amazing documents and already linked to a distant relative in Colorado I have never met before.

I have a little sense of urgency to find out as much as I can about the Irish side of the family before my trip there in June.  I already feel bad for the residents of Kilworth, County Cork, that I will be bothering with question after question.

Last night, I found the actual record of my great, great grandparent's marriage in Middleborough, Massachusetts (they both came over from Ireland and evidently met in Massachusetts), as well as the birth record of my great grandfather.  My great grandfather was a Rough Rider in the Spanish American War and I was able to find his records from that time in the National Archives.  From there, I was able to locate the military headstone application for him, and came to realize he is buried in the cemetery I used to drive by everyday on the way home (right by UNO).

What an amazing time we live in with digitized documents!

I think I will have to start a new blog to share what all I have found with the rest of the family, and to serve as a bit of a repository to share what others have as well.  Here is the link: http://michaelaancestry.blogspot.com/

Thanksgiving Weekend

The holiday started with our annual niece and nephew sleepover on Wednesday night.  We had a massive clue hunt throughout the house with our flashlights, a dance party that was so much fun (video coming!), and then watched Mamma Mia with more dancing!  Alli was the last one to bed and was so entertaining.  In the morning we woke up to watch the parades and made Mickey Mouse and snowman pancakes.

Tommy, Ellie, Katie, Alli, Chloe, and Beth

We spent Thanksgiving night at my parents house where the guys played Call of Duty, and the kids ganged up on Uncle Jimmy.

Todd and Tommy, Jayson, Zach, Jimmy and Beth playing Call of Duty

Katie, Tommy, Ellie, Chloe, Jimmy, and Alli.  I love their smiles!!!

Tommy, Katie, Chloe, Ellie, Jimmy, and Alli.

Dad, Todd, Beth, Ellie, Tommy, and of course, Jimmy

Julie and Beth took Wolf shopping with them on Thanksgiving night.  They were crazy enough to brave WalMart, Toys R Us, KMart, Kohls, and maybe even some others I am forgetting.  They left my parent's house around 7 p.m. and Wolf came home at 2:30 a.m.  He can't wait to go again next year!

After our fire scare, we watched Notre Dame beat USC on Saturday night and celebrated our uNDefeated Irish getting to play for the National Championship in January!

It Wasn't My Cooking!

This is only part of the scene outside our house on November 24.  A horrible burning smell took over the house in the afternoon, but we could not locate the source.  We had to call the Fire Department as we were afraid something behind a wall was burning.

Three fire trucks with sirens blaring, one ambulance, three captain trucks, one police car blocked our street for nearly an hour while they used infared cameras to search for the source.  They smelled it too, but we could not locate the source.  The next night the boys realized it was an Xbox charger that had burned right through.  It was reassuring to know the source at least.

The Type of Email Every Parent Wants to Receive

This is the email that Wolf's head football coach sent just after Thanksgiving.

Just wanted to see how Wolf is doing. You have a special kid there and he will be a success in life. I have never had a kid so willing to do what we needed as a team. He played out of position and sacrificed himself for the betterment of everyone. I will always remember him for his selflessness.
Joe

But that's not all.  Then he called to go into even more detail for about 30 minutes about what a great young man Wolf is.  He said he was going to talk to the coaches and Millard South to share his impressions of Wolf.  We are so proud of him and lucky to have had Coach Glab and the other coaches for two years.

Chicago Trip

We wish this trip was for fun, but it was bittersweet.  My Dad, sister Julie, and I traveled to Chicago to see my Dad's cousin Bill who was recently diagnosed with cancer.  He was a wonderful man who was very close with our family.  Sadly, he passed on Sunday, November 25, 2012.

Kayla, Dad, Billy's son Brian Thomas, Dad's cousin Billy Thomas, Dad's cousin Tim Thomas, Great Aunt Peg.

Juile, Dad, and I ate lunch at Harry Caray's while waiting for our flight home.

No One Fights Alone

A good family friend, Jeff Holdsworth, was diagnosed with cancer that has spread horribly.  He is an Omaha Firefighter and his son plays on Danny's baseball team.  A fundraiser was held to help raise money for the medical costs and for his wonderful wife, Cassie, and their 4 beautiful children, Jacob, Paige, Ryan, and Drew.  

Here is a link to a story the Jacksonville Jaguars & Memories for Children did about Jeff.  

http://www.jaguars.com/media-gallery/videos/Memorable-day-at-EverBank-Field/61c89c1e-e712-48a2-a8f1-2617e32e92b8?fb_action_ids=10100152206584213&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

Some photos from the fundraiser.  Alli enjoyed seeing the firetruck and ambulance...

...and then fell asleep with Aunt Kayla.

Julie & Todd won in the raffle.

Zach (aka we found Waldo) volunteered at the fundraiser.

Todd, one of Wolf's former football coaches, Tom, and Wolf.

The emcee called on everyone in the hall to raise enough money at one point and said all the police officers in the room would have their faces painted like kittens if they met the goal.  Bill Woodward, Tom Flynn, Andy Woodward, Danny Flynn, Cassie & Jeff Holdsworth.

Get out those cat claws!

Dad is so proud!

The sweater vest!  Jeff Holdsworth wore this Osh Kosh B'Gosh sweater vest to Tom's wedding.  It was one of the big winners in the silent auction.  The Flynn Family wasn't letting this one go!  Pat, wearing the now-autographed sweater vest, and Dad.

More fundraising if Pat would shave his head.

Now that is a free haircut!

Of course, none of this is possible without all the wonderful volunteers.  Beth, Michelle Desler, and Jen.

The Emerald City

I had a conference in Seattle in October.  Some work colleagues and I went to the Pacific Science Center, near the Space Needle.

Love the big table.  My boss is on the right.

Jayson's sister Jennifer lives in Seattle with her beautiful family.  Sweet Georgia was watching the new Tinkerbell movie after we did some arts and crafts.

Fletcher had an accident at school and had to have a tooth pulled that day.  Baskin Robbins pink bubblegum ice cream makes everything feel better!

Fletcher, Kayla, Jen, and Georgia.  Matt is taking the picture after making an amazing dinner!

You have to go to Pike's Market and it has to rain in Seattle!

The guys who throw the fish had to take a break to get their photo with the blind ref.  This was during the "Replacement Ref" period.

I had to stay in Denver overnight on my way back to Omaha.  I had a wonderful visit with my Great Aunt Betty who happens to be a Notre Dame fan.  We watched the Irish beat Oklahoma at home.  They remain undefeated!  During the Obama - McCain campaign I saw the McCain bus during my travels.  The Romney-Ryan bus was at my Denver hotel.  Could this be the new indicator for predicting elections?

Catching Up

Well, the last 6 weeks have been incredibly busy for travel. Idaho, Florida, Indianapolis, Seattle, Denver, and Washington, DC.  Lots has been happening, so I am hoping to catch up over the next few posts.

We celebrated Alli's birthday early at our house.  She took right to her new butterfly chair!

Zach and his best friend Mason were busy building Stonehenge for a World History project.  The spray paint was giving everyone a bit of a headache.

Another one of Zach's projects for this semester was the electronic baby.  Jayson welcomed his first "grandchild", Tyrone, for a couple of days of burping, feeding, crying, and diaper changing.

Jayson had to work, but Kayla, Zach, and Wolf headed to Indiana in mid-October.  Kayla had a conference and she took the boys down to visit Grandma and Grandpa Lucas in Columbus while she had her conference in Indianapolis.  Kayla celebrated her birthday dinner at the Quarterback Club at Lucas Oil Stadium where the Colts play.

Too many of Grandma's brownies...

Twin nieces Katie and Beth played baseball this season.  Here are a few pics from their last game on the big field.  

Katie is so cute, but she really isn't into baseball.  She announced she was retiring after this game.  

And then there's Beth.  A little more competitive and into the game.  Can you see her expression? :-)

Nephew Tommy played soccer.  It was a great day for soccer!  Tommy played goalie.

Bang!

Wolf had a nice fumble recovery on Sunday, but was knocked unconscious on the tackle.  After a visit to the ER and a head CT, we thought all would be okay for him to recover.  He went to school Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  He went Thursday morning and then I picked him up before lunch for his follow-up appointment.  

The appointment did not go as expected.  The doctor did not like his symptoms still being present and ordered him not to go back to school until cleared by him.  Wolf has to lay on the couch and do nothing that requires thought.  It is day 3 and he is getting a little antsy, but getting lots of rest.  We go back Monday morning and will see what he says.  It may be the end of the football season for Wolf, but certainly not worth risking his future health.  

My Sister's Story

The University of Nebraska Medical Center did a commercial featuring my sister Maggie.



http://youtu.be/6BRScN4rAyQ

I Can't Keep Up...

We have been blessed with so much good news lately I cannot even keep up on sharing all the good news.  This is an email from Zach's Algebra teacher last night.

"Hi, I am Zach's Algebra 2 teacher and I wanted to share some good news.  Zach scored a 1 (A) on the last test.  His focus and understanding is great!

-Sara Bonn"

Wow!  First of all, it makes us proud since he has been working so hard in that class.  It is the only class he doesn't have an A in right now.  But for the teacher to not only notice his hard work, but to send a personal email home is incredible.

Election Results Are In!

No, we don't mean the presidential campaign...thank goodness.  Wolf was elected to Student Council!  And he is hogging all the good news from the other kids at school as he came home with straight A's for the quarter on the same day.  We are so proud of him!

Wolf's September 2012 Football Picture

Coeur d'Alene

I had to fly to Spokane, WA and drive over to Coeur d'Alene for a conference.  We had an AMAZING dinner at the Hagedone Center at the Coeur d'Alene Golf Course, home of the world's only Floating Green.  The Center was so beautiful with sliding walls that were open to the night air with a gorgeous view of the lake.  The entertainment was wonderful as well.  Bill Clary http://billclary.com/ was our magician and entertainer of the year.  I had the pleasure of sitting next to him at dinner without knowing who he was.  He did magic for our table and was AMAZING.  I had such a headache at the beginning of the night I almost missed out on this great night.  Maybe laughter was the medicine I needed!

View from my hotel room at the Coeur d'Alene Resort last fall.

My hotel room at the Coeur d'Alene Resort last fall.

View from my hotel room last fall.

From this fall, the world famous floating green.