Rain Out

My husband, the AVID Cardinals fan, has asked me to post that his Opening Day Party has been postponed due to RAIN. Yep, after looking forward to Cardinals Opening Day for a while now, dvring the game, sitting down in a peaceful, quiet, kid-free house to enjoy the first game of the season, the rains came and the game was canceled. Imagine the let-down...

Ladies, if your husband has ever played sports, lost a game, and was depressed afterwards then you can probably sympathize with me here. It wasn't a pretty scene in the Mueller household tonight.

Those redbirds better not get rained out tomorrow!!! I want a happy husband!

Babe Root

In keeping with the baseball talk, just a second ago Drew was telling his friend, Kara, that he got his baseball uniform this weekend (he's playing Start Smart). He told her that he was number 3 - "like Babe Root."

Hmmmm....

In honor of OPENING DAY!

Those that know us well know that my husband is a HUGE (and that's an understatement) St. Louis Cardinals fan. The g, Owen's nursery was decorated Cardinals and the boys room now is baseball. I had to sit in a car for SIX hours when I was 9 months pregnant with Owen so that all our kids could see their first Cardinal's game in the old Busch Stadium. The guy loves Cardinal's baseball!

Today is opening day and the game is set on our DVR to tape (yes, he has the MLB package too LOL) and he has plans to watch it with Drew later.

So, to honor a team I've grown to love as well, here is yet another blog change.

GO CARDS!

A few Easter pics

Okay, I have felt like being a bit blog lazy as of late. I read blogs but just haven't felt much like posting on my own.

This past weekend we went to MO to visit Eric's family. We haven't been out there way since this past summer, I think. Way too long. The new van made the 6 hour drive VERY nice (the DVD players for the kids didn't hurt either LOL).

It was fun to hang out with family. The kids had an absolute BLAST with their cousins. I'll go through the pics and add a few later but in the meantime, here are the kiddos before church on Sunday. Poor Morgan had a bad cold and you can tell by looking at the photos. Also, it was SNOWING on Easter so it was a bit cold.

"I want to grow"

At school Drew has learned a song that he loves to sing. The first verse goes like this:

"Read your Bible
Pray every day
Pray every day
Pray every day

Read your Bible
Pray every day
and you'll
Grow
Grow
Grow"

I don't remember the words for the second verse but I know it says that when you don't read your Bible every day and pray that you'll shrink.

As you can probably guess, there are motions to this song.

We just got back from a weekend with family in the St. Louis area that was a blast but that brought lack of sleep for the kids. They were already 2 hours past their bedtime tonight so I really just wanted to get them in bed the fastest that I could.

Typically we read from a children's devotional book that shares a scripture, short message, and prayer. The kids really seem to enjoy this time and will ask for it if they think we are forgetting.

Tonight I truly didn't want to do it. Like I said, I just wanted them in bed as quickly as they could get there.

Then Drew shouts out "But I want to grow!"

Wow! My 4-year old just delivered a "spiritual spanking" to his mom. Ouch.

Needless to say, we did our devotions tonight.

What a week for adoptions!

Last week I had two good friends deliver newborn baby girls and this week I have two good friends overseas, adopting their baby girls!

A couple from my Oklahoma days are in Taiwan right now with their young son (also adopted from Taiwan) to pick up their new little girl, Alexis! They've been emailing pics and messages along the way and it is just so exciting!

Today a friend from Tennessee is on her way to meet her little girl, Savannah-Hope from Malawi! You can follow her adventure here: JOHNSON BLOG.

Please pray for these families as they celebrate the arrival of their new little girls!

Praise GOD!

Girl's Weekend Away

Last weekend I had the awesome chance to get away from the daily grind and hang out with 9 other girls from our small group. When talking about what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go, we decided that we wanted to find a cabin in the middle of nowhere where there was nothing to do and just hang out. No shopping, no nothing, just hanging out doing whatever. Ashley found us a GREAT cabin and away we went.

The evening that we arrived the weather started to change and a winter storm blew in. It snowed ALL Saturday - it was great! In a cabin, in the middle of nowhere, snow falling, hanging out with friends, no kids crying or wanting something - PERFECT.

Most of the girls brought sewing to do. Pillow case dresses, purses, and quillows were made (Becca was the champ - she made 2 quillows, 2 dresses, a purse, a bag, etc). Tammy & Jennifer decided to scrapbook and the rest of us, well, we just hung out. I brought a quilt to work on (hand quilting - OUCH!) and got a fair amount done. I think the caretaker thought we were nuts though - he gave us a funny look when he came in when he saw 5 sewing machines going. Oh well, we were having fun.

I know I didn't want to leave and I'm sure the other ladies didn't either. It was SO GREAT to get away!

Can't wait for the next, semi-annual, girls weekend out!

The Quest

I promise to upload some pics from the girl's weekend out that we had this past weekend with ladies in our small group but, in the meantime, I just couldn't help sharing our latest experience.

We have been looking for a new van for several weeks. After much research, we decided that a Nissan Quest was the van that we wanted and set about trying to find the best deal possible. We got our financing in order and were ready to go.

I got back from Girl's Weekend and Eric showed me an ad from a Nissan dealership about 40 miles away. It was one heck of a deal on a 2008 Quest. Up until this point we weren't even considering a new van as they were well above our price range but this deal was too good (no need to give financial specifics - you understand, I'm sure).

On Monday morning I called this dealership and inquired about the vans in the offer. I was told that one of the two vans was available. Eric arranged to go visit the dealership during his lunch hour (for him it was a 20 mile trip one way). Upon arriving he was told that the van had just sold. Later he got a call that the financing had fallen through on that van. I arranged for a babysitter and we went up to the dealership.

You would think this would have been an easy transaction. We knew we wanted the van, we had our financing lined up, checks in hand, etc. It should have taken an hour, tops.

NOPE.

Three and a half hours later, we emerged from what Eric termed as "The Worst Consumer Experience Ever" with a new van and a huge mountain of frustration with a dealership who did not train it's employees in the finer points of proper customer service (it's a long story, believe me).

My normally even-tempered husband was so ticked off that he sat down and wrote a LONG, involved email to the GM of this dealership, Financial Manager of this dealership, and several executives at Nissan USA.

If you know Eric then you know that this is very unusual for him. He tends to look past poor customer service and move on. Rarely in our married life have I seen him upset enough to say something about it. This was a huge deal and honestly, after thinking back over the night, I don't know why we didn't just take our money and walk out.

So - the "Quest" to find our Quest was a bit frustrating but I am LOVING the new van and am so thankful for a new vehicle with more room.

Super Target!

First I find out that there is such a thing as Caffeine-Free REGULAR Dr. Pepper in Middle Tennessee and now this - SUPER TARGET - 4 miles from my house!!!

YAY!

It opened tonight!!!

Can't say that taking 4 children (I had a friend's son) to Target by myself was a smart move, especially since one of my children in particular has been a bit of a challenge today, but I did and LOVED IT!

Chick-Fil, Super Target, Caffeine-Free Dr. Pepper - it doesn't get much better than that.


Oh wait - it does - RED ROBIN coming too!!!

Nielsen TV Ratings

About a month or two ago we received a postcard in the mail from Nielsen TV Ratings saying that we had been chosen to be apart of their tv surveys for a week. As a former Broadcasting student (focusing on tv production), I was excited. I had learned about the Nielsen rating while in school and often wondered how they came up with the sampling homes.

They called, explained what they wanted us to do, sent us the information and away we went. In the mail a week later was 4 tv watching diaries, instructions and $30 in cash (why would a big company sent CASH??).

So, we were supposed to keep track of everything that was watched during the week. "Watch" was defined as when the tv was on and you were either watching or listening to the program. The kids playing while Dora is on is considering "watching", me doing dishes while the tv is on is considered "watching." We had to keep track for each individual person and also for any guests. It was a bit tedious. Here is what the diary looks like (there is one for each tv):



Here's what I learned through the week:

1. It's harder than you think to write down everything you watch.
2. Tivo & DVR adds another challenge.
3. I watch entirely TOO much tv.
4. Worse, my kids watch entirely too much tv.

I'm glad the survey is over but I'm also glad that we had a chance to participate.

We have a tie!

Thin Mints & Samoas tied for the best Girl Scout cookies!

Both are good. Mmmmmmm.....

My neighbor sells girl scout cookies, I think I need to give her a call tomorrow. :)

Thank you Suzanne!

This may seem silly but one thing that I've missed since moving to Middle Tennessee is CAFFEINE-FREE Dr. Pepper - not diet either! I have only ever seen it in Oklahoma and believe me, I've looked every place I've gone. Caffeine irritates a medical condition I have so I try to stay away from it but I have a weakness where Dr. Pepper is concerned.

Guess what my friend, Suzanne, found today at Publix?????

Isn't that a beautiful sight??

Another Snow Day - Pics!

Today has been a weird day. It will snow like a blizzard is coming and then five minutes later the sun is shining and any of the snow that has fallen is now melted.

My friend Shea came over with her son, Dillon, and the kids got to play. On one of the downfalls we took the kids outside. It was fun. Here are some pictures (I did put a hat on Owen, the pics of him were taken just prior to that):

Please pray for this situation (click title for link)

This was shared at something at church a while back. I was reminded to keep praying for this situation when I saw this article today on Foxnews.com


Aid Group: Kidnapped U.S. Aid Worker Feared Dead

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — An American aid worker and her Afghan driver kidnapped in southern Afghanistan a month ago are feared dead, a statement from their aid group said. Afghan and U.S. officials said Wednesday they could not confirm the report.

Cyd Mizell, 50, and driver Abdul Hadi were kidnapped in a residential neighborhood of Kandahar on Jan. 26. Mizell worked on aid projects for the Asian Rural Life Development Foundation, or ARLDF.

"Although we have no confirmation of their deaths, we have received information over the past few days indicating that our two aid workers have been killed," said a statement posted on ARLDF's Web site Tuesday.

Kandahar's Gov. Assadullah Khalid said he did not have any information about the case, and a U.S. Embassy official in Kabul said he could not confirm the report.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abductions.

Although the kidnappings happened in an area known for insurgent activity, the Taliban denied that its fighters had taken the two. Kidnappings for ransom by criminal gangs in Afghanistan have been on the rise the last year.

An official with ALRDF in Kandahar said the group had received reports in recent days from two Afghan sources that Mizell and Hadi are dead. He said officials were working with the Red Cross to try to recover the bodies. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

Mizell, of Eureka, California, was wearing a burqa -- the traditional all-encompassing dress worn by many Afghan women -- when she was taken.

Mizell taught English at Kandahar University and gave embroidery lessons at a girls' school. She spoke the local language of Pashtu well, colleagues said. She had worked for the foundation in Kandahar for the last three years.

Several foreigners -- including 23 South Koreans, two German construction workers and two Italian journalists -- have been kidnapped in Afghanistan in the last year, but kidnappings of Americans have been rare.

An American civilian was briefly abducted in Kabul in April 2005 but escaped by throwing himself from a moving car. Two of the 23 South Koreans kidnapped in July were killed, as was one of the Germans. The other foreign abductees were freed.

Another "Snow" Day

Yep, one snowflake fell in Middle Tennessee and all the schools are closed - again. Okay, I'll concede that more than one snowflake fell but you can still see the grass and most of our windshield so it wasn't that much snow. The roads are FINE and yet school is out.

Crazy.

Americal Idol

Any other Idol fans out there??

What did you think of the guys tonight.

Here are my thoughts (I know, you were waiting for those, right? ;) )

1. David Archuleta - WHAT? That kid can sing - wow.

2. David Cook - he's got a nice voice but I can't handle the facial expressions he makes. He reminds me of Phil Stacey from last year but with hair.

3. Robbie Carrico - this is Morgan's favorite, she's funny about it too. He's got a nice voice I think.

Well, why not?

Everyone else has gotten it, why not me.

Yep, I'm talking about the FLU!!!!!!

Hopefully the tamiflu will take care of this quick, I've got three kiddos to take care of!!!

Snow Day

Sometime last week (or the week before, I can't remember) it "snowed" here in Middle Tennessee and the kids were out of school (don't get me started on that one, I'm still bitter over having to go to school in 7th grade after it snowed 2 feet overnight a la a superintendent from ALASKA! We only got a DUSTING of snow here and they were out!). Morgan's friend, Bailey, came over and hung out with us. Here are some pics:



They both have webkinz and I hooked up both computers so they could play each other. Their game of choice - Webkinz Supermodels. Oops - I think this was taken at a sleepover - can't remember that either.

My little lefty

Owen and I were coloring a picture of one of his favorite characters the other day - Pooh Bear, of course. Here' s my little lefty. He doesn't use his right hand except to pass things over to his left.




And, Owen has a fondness for his binkie (yes, I know, we need to get rid of it, no lectures). He was in heaven when he was given a "Candy Binkie" (Ring Pop)for Valentine's Day from Morgan's friend Bailey! The kid did not take that thing out of his mouth until it was gone.

He can write his name!

At the beginning of this school year Drew could barely color in the lines, make anything purposeful with crayons other than scribbles and certainly couldn't draw his name. He's come leaps and bounds since then and can now write his name!

See: