Go Colts!

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas....ok, Christmas is over but not the snow. We are getting some major lake effect snow right now. I say 2 feet. Aaron says we have more like 6 inches. Whatever. It looks like 3 feet and South Bend had that much today. We are currently on our date night at Mom & Dad's, sitting by the fire while watching the football playoffs. Colts play at 8pm and I'm super pumped about it. I think we will spend the night here. Kattor is asleep by the fire. Aaron went to get beer. I'm reading blogs. Life is good.
So update on the last 3 months.....we didn't travel this year to PA or VA. Aaron just laid down the law and said he's not driving in snow this year. Blaine & Connie will be coming in a few weeks and we will eventually go to VA to meet our new niece Eliza Kate Long. We had our Christmas at mom & dad's on the 18th of December. We did some singing, listened to Shelly's Liam recite the entire Christmas passage in Luke, watched the kids open their presents and played games/poker (guys). How did I forget eat? My favorite. The kids got some money for Christmas (and their birthday's) from their PA great aunt & uncles and we decided to allow them to spend it this time instead of putting it directly into their bank accounts. I'm sorry, I meant, we allowed them to blow their money. Thank you Aunt Lindy & Uncle Lynn and Aunt Audrey & Uncle Arnie but let me just tell you what they bought. Laish bought guns - marshmallow shooting guns, dart guns, all of them. Emma bought a $40 dog that eats a dog treat and then shits it out and barks. Now Laish is saving his money for a gun like his big cousin Liam has. No No No No. Emma's been good about informing him that Santa and reindeers do not exist and after the blow of $, I have also explained that Christmas will not likely come again. =)
Speaking of guns, here's my latest Laish story: Our church makes cookies for Gospel Echoes each Christmas which is partly an organization that will deliver homemade cookes during Christmas to people in jail. Laish was disappointed that we didn't deliver them ourselves. Then began the gun fettish. Fast forward 2 months. So one night before bed, I am trying to scare the piss out of him. Telling him that people with guns that shoot people go to jail and people in jail stay in there for their entire life. He didn't blink an eye and said "At least they get cookies."
On Christmas Eve we told the kids they weren't allowed to wake mommy and daddy up before 6am. After that, no problem. Keep in mind, our kids have traveled their whole lives, so we have never had a typical "Christmas morning" where they open gifts etc. My family never did that but Aaron's family always did. Aaron's dad used to have a dairy farm so he would torture the kids by taking his time with his bfast after chores. Aaron was already getting excited about how he might torture them. Poor kids. Well, Emma woke up first and said, "Mommy, it's 7:22!" I have never seen either kid get up so fast. Emma hollered for Laish to come and he came running out. He stopped for a second and said, "If your eyes get a little fuzzy when you first get up, just shake your head a little." We totally surprised them and bought their Uncle Reggie's old Wii. What did we do before the wii? Geez.
Emma started back to school this past Wednesday. Wed's is Aaron's turn to get her up bc it's my one day off. Apparently he set his alarm for pm vs am so she missed the bus that day. She is a child of routine so it wasn't the best start for her. Friday the bus never showed up so Aaron piled as many neighborhood kids in his truck that he could and took off. Then the bus came. Half hour late. Never figured out what happened. She continues color, read and write as her hobbies. She's trying to convince us to let her join Art Club. She's a prankster and a jokester. Shy and not very chatty, especially to strangers. She has an infectious smile and loves her cousins.
Laish/Bodie has moved on from being "shadow". He was sonic for a while and now he's Bodie again. He's really into his big cousing Liam right now. He's very emotional - giggles a lot, can turn his crying on and off in a heartbeat, asks lots of questions, very huggy and snuggly and eats a lot of food. Aunt Renee said she thought he grew an inch or so since she had seen him last. He loves Legos and creating his own airplanes...that have guns on them. He is Mr. Chatty Chat. He will talk your head off if you let him. Aaron said to me the other day that he doesn't really listen to him anymore. I came into his babysitter/my friends house the other night and they had company and Laish was over talking to some random guy there. I went to rescue the random guy. He just said, "yep, he's a talker."
The latest news is that my brother Reggie and Arica had their first baby - little Audree Sue Shetler. Yes, her initials will spell ASS. She was born little and cute. I haven't seen her in a week and having withdrawal. I adore my new nieces and nephew. Berta's Justus is so huge. I love love holding him. Then their's Aaron's sister's new baby. I wish I could post her picture. She looks just like her mommy Beck. She is so cute with her hair spiked so high. I cannot wait to see her. 3 new babies in the last few months. I love it.
Aaron's been diagnosed with hyperthyroid recently, like his sister Beck. We don't know much yet but that his blood tests came back showing thyroid issues. He goes back again for more tests this next week. He's been very cold, not sleeping, irritable (nothing new there), anxious, lack of concentration. I'm working more at my brother's office bc one of the gals quit to be at home with her kids. It's kicking my butt. 4 days a week and I can barely take it. Hard to imagine I used to work 5 12 hour days when at Roadway. Aaron's job as Director at Bashor has expanded yet again. Bodie asks to stay at home more - he gets dished around to babysitters each day and ends up being the one that suffers I think. My sister Berta introduced me to a new author "Francine Rivers". It takes me about 2 days to finish a 2inch thick book. I love her. The kids will yell at me for their food and how hungry they are, but I just can't put it down. Check it out. I cried through one night of book reading and Aaron told me I looked like I had been beat up the next day - swollen eyes from crying and little sleep. They are Christian novels. Not love stories. Just good stories that are half true. Somewhat historical. Good. If you are reading this, buy me more. And for all of you who send out pictures for Christmas, I love it. Especially all my buds from hs and college & who live elsewhere who I don't see anymore - Candi, Laura, Karla, Sharon, Kelly Jo, Kratzer's in MN, Angie. Even the local folks. I don't know why we don't do it. I guess bc we still don't have computer/internet at our home so no time to just sit and fiddle. Ok, it's 8:10 and I have to go watch Peyton Manning and the Colts beat the Jets.