On the campaign trail

I had the awesome privilege to see Hillary Clinton today at Mishawaka High School. It was a packed house by 10:00 am - just 45 minutes before Sean Astin took the stage to introduce Senator Hillary Clinton. It was cool to listen to the Senator's views, concerns and plans if she becomes President. I really enjoyed the fact she took some questions. Here are a few things she explained that I liked....

* She would get rid of the "No Child Left Behind" program
* She would like to lower percentage rates on college loans and if the student decided to go into a community service job, the loan would be forgiven

* She would bring the troops home from Iraq

* She would redo NAFTA

* She believes in "God Bless America" and endorses that saying

* She would create new jobs in America

* She would allow every American the opportunity to have health care

* She wants to give young people the comforts of knowing social security will be there for them one day

It was definitely worth going to listen. I also came home to look up info on the internet...check it out if you don't know who you are voting for or have any questions when it comes to comparing our candidates. Who knows, I could have been a part of history today...seeing the first female President in person?????? Pictures from her presentation and appearance here.

American Idol...How am I doing with my picks?

For the guys...not so bad. As you can see, this is what I thought originally. Michael, David and Jason are the only two left of my picks and they really aren't even my favorites after watching and listening for the past few weeks. I would have to say my absolute favorite is David Cook. He has taken risks and turned original songs into his own versions and they have worked for him time after time. I really like him. I am still rooting for Michael (who sang well this past week) and Jason (although I think he will go soon) and David (may be too young, but I could be wrong). I am saying though the top two men at this point are the two Davids. They could win. This is what I thought about the girls. Ramiele and Syesha are the only two left. I am absolutely still rooting for them both but I really think Ramiele is the strongest girl at this point. She can sing well. I still like Syesha and I am enjoying Brooke more and more each week as well. She has a different voice and I like it. I am still saying Ramiele has the best chance of becoming the American Idol. If I had to choose one guy and one girl I would choose Ramiele and David Cook. We'll see what happens.

He is Risen!

Happy Easter! We started our Easter morning with egg/sausage casserole and toast/jelly, coffee, orange juice and apple juice. It was yummy. Gabi got up to find her Easter basket filled with all sorts of cool stuff...new crocs, a stuffed Easter bunny, some magnets she can paint herself and a little tiny stuffed dog complete with a trendy little outfit...not to mention lots of yummy treats. Trenton and Tyler also got up to find their baskets with goodies and some cash (something they are always in need of as of late). Gabi also couldn't wait for us to hide some eggs for her to find and that is what daddy did while mommy cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast. She did well and found all the eggs (with a little bit of help). Trenton was feeling a little better...still had a bit of a head ache but was a trooper and made it to church for the Easter service.

Dinner was great! We had turkey, dressing, broccoli/cheese casserole, noodles, corn and biscuits for lunch - compliments of my parents. It was nice to spend some time with Chad, Amber, Presley and Addy. It seems everyone has been so busy lately that we haven't been able to spend any time together. The kids enjoyed their Easter baskets from maw maw and paw paw and we also had some cake for my mom's belated birthday. Great dinner, mom!

Afterwards, we headed to grandpa's for his annual Easter basket hunt that the kids always look forward to. He even hides the "big kids" - aka mom and dad - Easter baskets. The baskets always come complete with lots of chocolate!!! : )

Unfortunately, we missed aunt Pam, uncle Jeff and Bren but aunt Pam left Gabi some nice jewelry that she passed down to her. Gabi really enjoyed them and had to put a necklace on right away. Thanks aunt Pam!

Pics of our day here.

Now, we are just relaxing...enjoying the down time. We need some R & R.

Happy Easter...He is Risen!

Coloring Eggs

After settling in after wrestling today, we decided to go ahead and color our Easter eggs. Gabi had a blast!
Tyler is off to a party at the Summit club with Marissa and Trenton is sleeping after a rough day.

Wawassee Freestyle

Trenton and Tyler both wrestled at Wawassee today...both at 140 lbs. Trenton wrestled as a junior and Tyler as a cadet, of course. Freestyle is so much different than folkstyle so you'll have to bear with me when it comes to explaining matches, etc.
Tyler placed first today! He was so excited. I got to see his first two matches in which he teched both opponents in the first two periods. His third match was a little tougher. In fact, Ben thought he was in trouble after he lost the first period 0-7. Tyler came back and won though...winning the second and third periods. Tyler's next opponent would be his own team mate and this guy decided he wasn't going to wrestle so he actually forfeited his match to Tyler.


**Can you hear Gabi say "you can do it!" - how sweet!
I have to tell you, though, I missed Tyler's third match because of what happened earlier with Trenton...

Trenton's first match he teched his first opponent (won by 6 points) in the first and second periods. In freestyle you only have to win 2 out of 3 periods to win the whole match. His next opponent was a little more aggressive. Trenton, however, did tech him in the first period but the ref did have to stop the match at one point to settle the kid down a bit. The start of the second period was a little "fast forward" to me...Trenton was keeping up with him but ended up getting hit under his jaw by the other kids' head...really hard. Trenton kind of looked "sick" and fell forward onto the mat losing consciousness for a few seconds. The coaches came to the center of the mat and asked him questions. He remembered names and dates, etc. but could not tell you where he was or what he was doing at the time. In other words, short term memory loss. The EMT that was there checked him out again after Trenton forfeited his match and recommended he be taken to the ER immediately. He also recommended he go by ambulance so IV's, etc. could be started. We agreed, only because he was the professional. Ben stuck it out with Tyler while I went with Trenton to the hospital. They immobilized him on a board and neck restraint until an x-ray and CT scan could be done. Trenton did not like this...it hurt and his head was hurting at this point. They gave him morphine for the pain which quieted him down a bit and was able to get the images completed. The doctor then came in to disuss his findings and luckily showed us he did not have any kind of bleeding from the brain and it was a severe concussion. This meant only time and rest could heal him.

Play Easter

Gabi to me yesterday after school...
"Mommy, do you want to play Easter with me?"
I said, "Play Easter? How do you do that?"
Gabi replies, "I hide the eggs and you find them."
She was the bunny first...then I was the bunny.
Had trouble finding the 15th egg I hid for her...till this morning.

Junior 140 Folkstyle State

Trenton placed fourth for Junior Folkstyle State Finals at 140 lbs. We are very proud of him! The best he has done at a state level ever has been fourth, so this is the second time for him. Trenton got a tough draw off the get go with Ryan Stahl from Elkhart. Trenton had a first round bye and then had Stahl. I always hate it when Trenton has a bye first...he is the one who seems to have a slow going at long tournaments and I would rather him have a first round match then a bye. Trenton got beat by Stahl by 2 points putting him in wrestlebacks, which meant alot more wrestling. With 39 kids in his weight class, this made it all the more worse. His second round was agains Hill from Elkhart - the one who gave Tyler his first varsity loss - remember this. Well, Trenton beat him up pretty bad with a major 14-0. A little payback I guess. Next he had King from Bluffton and won by pinfall. The next kid didn't look like a kid...he looked like a 35 year old man! He wore glasses and was very hairy. This kind of distracted Trenton, because he mentioned it to me several times. Trenton took it to him, though, winning by pinfall again. Next would be Spriggs from Thorntown. This match would take place on Sunday morning because it was so late in the evening (8 pm by now). Sunday came and Trenton beat Spriggs by pinfall first round. Trenton then beat Maxwell from Avon and had Whitlow from Crawfordsville. This kid was not happy when Trenton beat him 11-10. He was throwing all kinds of language out there. It was not a pretty sight. This brought Trenton right back around to Stahl for third place. By this time, Trenton was visibly tired. I know he wanted to beat Stahl this time and looked like he was going to when he got caught and was pinned. Trenton took it well and was happy to place fourth. Pictures here of Trenton.

Cadet 135 Folkstyle State

Tyler got second place at Folkstyle State in his weight class (135 cadet)! We are so excited for him considering this is the best he has done at a state level for club wrestling. He did great! Saturday morning wrestling started at 9 am and Tyler had a first round bye. He then beat a kid from Elkhart 8-0 and then a kid from Leo 4-2 (this kid and his dad were quite the pair...the dad got DQ'd from the tourney because of the mouthing off to the ref while the kid cussed Ben out mat side after he lost to Tyler). This ended the day on Saturday putting Tyler against Sokol from Penn in the semi round for Sunday morning first round. Last time these two met was at Jimtown last weekend. Wrestling didn't end till almost 8 pm that evening. We grabbed some McDonalds and headed back to the hotel where Gabi swam a little while and Tyler relaxed in the hot tub. Both Tyler and Trenton were dead asleep by 9:30 pm. Sunday morning came and Tyler took it to Sokol and won 7-4 this time. This led Tyler to the Championship round against Lynde from Delphi (never heard of this kid). Lynde ended up being a great match. The young man was very built and had quite a bit of muscle over Tyler which gave him the upper hand, unfortunately beating Tyler to give him second place. That's okay. Tyler did well - best he's done at a state level, in fact, the best either of the boys have done at state! We are very proud. Pictures of Tyler here.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

We are sorry we couldn't be with you on your special day but we will celebrate with you next weekend. We love you and appreciate you and your love for us. Happy, Happy Birthday! Enjoy your day!

Do you hear what I hear?

Chirping this morning....early....
I have been hearing this lately (there is a little retention pond near our house)
...and I saw this just this very morning!
Spring is coming, I JUST KNOW IT!

First Floor

First floor almost complete...
View from kitchen window
Sliding glass door
View from picture window in living room...Gabi commented after looking out at the lake, "mom, I'm gonna catch a fish every day."
Family room...basement there on bottom left and front door
Fun to watch progress.

Final Prints

As promised, after some tweaks here and there...the final floor plans : )

Picked out lighting today (three hours worth)...

Building has already been started! Photos to come.

Another New Recipe

Made another new recipe last night from the same magazine (Kraft Foods). YUMMY. Everyone enjoyed it but said it could have used a little less spinach...I had to agree.

WHO IS READY FOR SPRING ALREADY???????????

Party Day

Yesterday was one big fun filled party. All day.We had Gabi's birthday party (from 11am - 1 pm) with 7 other friends (all girls) here. Instead of bowling, though, Gabi opted for the black light golfing. The girls were allowed to golf the entire length of the party and it seemed like a waste at first when they were all excited, basically just ran through the course, putting all at once, etc. It took a little convincing, but it worked out when we told them it would take some patience but it would be more fun to actually putt putt, keep score and see who wins. I know Gabi certainly enjoyed hanging out with all her girlfriends for her birthday. Some of her gifts included a Hannah Montana purse, two webkinz, a few craft kits, some other stuffed animals and a talking Bratz doll. We enjoyed cheese and pepperoni pizza, fruit punch and confetti cupcakes with pink icing. In between eating and putt putting the girls got some arcade games in also. We even let Trenton and Tyler invite their girlfriends for some bowling while the party was going on.

After the party, we picked up Gabi's cake for the family party going on later that evening (6:30 pm). The cake...of course, Hannah Montana. We also celebrated Trenton's birthday since we never had the chance to throw a "family party" during wrestling season. Trenton got alot of cash (he is soooo excited about that) and Gabi got lots of spring/summer clothes...something she definitely needed. She has really grown since last year.

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Pam came over for the party a little early to check out and try Rock Band. Pam is quite the singer!!!! : )

All the family showed up and we enjoyed chocolate cake/white icing (Hannah cake) for Gabi and a homemade yellow cake/chocolate frosting for Trenton. Alot of candles for that one!

All in all, a good time with family. It was nice to catch up with everyone. Pics from both parties here.

Crazy Eights

Gabi turns eight today - the eighth of March!! Here are eight fun things I love about my baby girl....

1. The way she buries, literally, herself with stuffed animals in her bed so she only has inches on the side of her bed to sleep at night.
2. How she loves to entertain...whether it be to tell jokes or sing Hannah Montana songs in her microphone.
3. The way she puts the worm on the hook and takes the fish off all by herself!
4. When she runs around the house with Maizy, slightly teasing her to run after her and then Maizy attacks her to the ground to lick her to death.
5. The wrestling moves (single leg takedowns and blast doubles) and the gymnastics (back handsprings)!
6. When she asks me to kiss her hand and she kisses mine every morning before school to keep with her when she needs it.
7. Her big "doe eyes" - as called by daddy - first thing in the morning.
8. The MANY, MANY, MANY stories she has written in several notebooks - some fictional (and she has quite the imagination) and some real events she doesn't want to forget.

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY MY SWEET PEA! We love you!!!!!!!

Brennie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to this little guy today!!!! He is 2!!!! Had a great time celebrating with the family last Sunday evening. Bren was too cute playing with Gabi...she was wearing some pants with a drawstring that hung down and Bren would grab her by the string and drag her around with him. Apparently he just wanted her to play with him : ) What a sweetie!

Fettucini Alfredo

I tried a recipe that a truck driver gave Ben a few weeks ago. He claimed it was the recipe they use for Fettucini Alfredo here! Well, I fixed it tonight...super easy, added a nice side salad to make it a dinner, and lo and behold...it did taste exactly like it had come from that yummy restaurant. Try it yourself...
Heat up the following in a pan while cooking up a box of fettucini in some salted water:
1 stick of butter
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
16 oz. heavy cream
When the above is heated well, add the following:
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1 cup of parmesan cheese
Mix until melted and heated through. By now, the fettucini should be finished. Rinse the pasta and add the alfredo sauce. Mix well.
Next time we may just make 1/2 the recipe and eat it with breadsticks like Tyler enjoys!!
Super easy and yummy too!

Ultimate Comfort Food Dinner

Found this in a Krafts Food and Family magazine that I get. Made it tonight and it was soooo good. If you like Mexican food - especially tacos and macaroni and cheese, you'll like this one. Easy to make and tastes great too. I added the extra tortillas for crunch. After dinner, Trenton is off lifting weights, Tyler started Driver's Training, Gabi is enjoying bath time, and Ben is putting in a new garbage disposal. Busy evening again. No rest for the weary, I guess.

Mishawaka Wrestling Day!

Yes, we attended a couple of awesome presentations tonight. The first...an Honor's Dinner at the high school for Tyler. He achieved a 3.0 or higher for the first semester so Ben, Tyler and I were treated to a nice Polish Style Dinner complete with chicken, sausage, mashed potatoes, noodles, cabbage, veggies, rolls, lemonade and cake. It was very yummy and couldn't be more proud of Tyler. He brought home a 4.0 this six weeks as well! Very happy! The Honor's Dinner began at 6:00 pm, we ate and Tyler received his certificate at around 6:50 pm and he quickly told us he wanted to get over to our other presentation going on that evening at 7:00 pm.... The City Council Meeting. The Mishawaka Wrestling Team was being recognized at the City Council Meeting and all of the wrestlers, families, friends and supporters were encouraged to attend. We got over there just in time. All of the wrestlers were there and they started by announcing the Individual State Champs...Josh Harper and Steve Sandefer. They also congratulated the coaches and of course, the team. They called for March 3 being officially "Mishawaka Wrestling Day." Coach spoke on behalf of the team...JV and Varsity. He talked about how the JV has made the Varsity better and did mention Tyler's name (which was cool). He also went on to speak about each individual varsity wrestler. He said if he could say one thing about Trenton Reinoehl, he would say "hard work ethic, didn't matter if he was sick, tired, his g/f broke up with him, whatever, he never has a bad practice, and always ready to bang." How true. The city council members each took time to congratulate the team and say a little something and then the council named March 3rd "Mishawaka Wrestling Day" with each member saying "yes." Very cool! The wrestlers each went up to the bar to shake all of the council members hands and all the parents and fans (standing room only) applauded them on. Great evening of awesome achievements being recognized!

So, Happy Mishawaka Wrestling Day!

Jimtown Folkstyle

Let ISWA begin! Trenton decided to take a week off but Tyler wanted to wrestle since he hasn't had competition in quite some time. Tyler weighed in just as he was...no cutting, no dieting, no nothing. He went Cadet 140. Tyler also ended up wrestling three Penn wrestlers...Dalton Stroupe (beat 5-3), Aaron Hunter (beat 6-1) and then Ben Sokol (the varsity 130 lb. wrestler that Trenton competed against all season) and beat him 2-1! We were so happy for him. His first FIRST place win at Jimtown!!! Great job, Tyler! Pictures here.

Dinosaurs

I got a kick out of Trenton this morning. We decided to stay in bed a little longer than usual considering we didn't have any tournament or practices to get to. It was nice. I made a great breakfast complete with coffee, juice, eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy and jellies. YUM! While I was in the kitchen preparing the breakfast I noticed Trenton had turned his attention to a television show. I had to smile. You see, ever since Trenton was really little, maybe 2 years old, he has been really interested in dinosaurs. What started it all was The Land Before Time movie. He absolutely loved this movie...Petrie, Ducky and Littlefoot. Loved it. I have to say it is cute, however, because now the kids at mom's daycare home are really into The Land Before Time series now. Funny how things sometimes come back from the past. Then as he got older, this came along. Both boys enjoyed that one. Trenton particularly was interested in the raptor. Seeing Trenton watching this series on television this morning just took me back to when he was little. Kind of sad how the time has flown by. Trenton isn't that cute little blonde toddler who sucked on the end of his blankey while watching The Land Before Time. He is a young man who is setting his sights on going to college soon. Scary. But I am up for the challenge...I think {sigh}.