Days with the Dorans

 On Black Friday when everyone was shopping, we were hitting the roads too, but to do something FUN!  PAINT!!  I mentioned a while back that for Jodi's birthday we did "Painting with a Twist" (and I'm actually going there for a party tomorrow too).  I found out that they have 'family days' and thought it would be fun for my little artists!  Now Joe has always loved to sketch and draw (mostly comic type things).  He has a great way of catching facial expressions in the characters he draws.  I was curious how he would do with following directions from a teacher in art class.  He actually did really well but I LOVED that I still saw some of 'Joey' in his painting.  He certainly made it his own which is what makes this place fun!  All the paintings look similar but each is unique in its own way! Ali too, was just like I would expect her to be.  Unfortunately, she can be a bit of a perfectionist (wonder where she gets that fro...

 This year we had Thanksgiving with the Drapals. After the run, I came home and sat for a bit and took a shower that probably lasted a good 15 minutes!  After that, I made some sweet potato balls (a recipe from my Nan~ that I just 'wing' every year) and then I was off to pick her up.  She was in good spirits and I told her about my run (and reminded her she was 95) often on the way to my parents'.  She was impressed with both things each time I told her... :-) When we got there, Dan and Steph were already there and the cousins were excited to see each other.  Right away Maddy and Al broke off and started playing and the boys all started doing laps (or so it seemed) and having fun.  The house was loud around us while we watched the Lions WIN (yes... WIN!).  We also got to see my high school band play during the half time show which was really cool! Sitting all that time made my legs really sore (or maybe they would have been sore whether I...

I recently (2 weeks) realized that if I'm going to get any exercise at all, it's going to have to be before school (too much running and work after school).  So I have been getting up to do a half hour walk/run on the treadmill.  I feel better knowing I've done something active and it helped get me get ready for the turkey trot this year!   This year's Turkey Trot was  cold  freezing!!  When I got into the car at 4:45 (yikes), it was 17 degrees.  Chrissy and I met at my folks' at 5 (she beat me this year) and then I drove her, my dad and me to Dan and Steph's.  I told Danny I thought they were nuts to bring the kiddos, but they had them pretty bundled. When we got down to Detroit it had warmed up a bit (22 degrees now).  We went into a building to stay warm before the actual run.  Maddy didn't want to be in any pictures, but she was there too.  One of the best things about the turkey trot was seeing all the fun costum...

Sean is turning into a lover of books (like his sibs, and folks).  He goes through favorites that we read over... and over... and over... and often on the way to school we take turns 'reading' (just retelling the story really). His recent favorites have been "Silly Little Goose,"  "10 Minutes 'til Bedtime," "Go Dog, Go," "Green Eggs and Ham," and "Are You My Mother." I was cleaning my room when Sean asked if he could watch his favorite show (Paw Patrol).  I suggested he find a book instead.  He ran into his room and brought back one of his favorites.  As he started reading, I of course had to stop and (since my phone was nearby)... record!  He did a great job of reading, "Are you my mudder?" You can see it below or click HERE . (And as for that scratch... a kid at his school who has now scratched him near his eyes for a second time... that could be a blog post soon... we'll see.)

 Once again, Ali is a 'Dazzling Star' this year.  She's taking five dance classes (tap, jazz, ballet, tumbling and dazzling stars).  She opted not to take a 'turns' class.  She is going to be dropping tap and tumbling class once softball starts (because softball games fall on the day that she does tap and tumbling).  I know that the time for her to choose between dance and sport is coming but I'm glad (for this year) she doesn't have to choose. This weekend we traveled to Lansing with Al's friend Amber and her mom for a Dance Master's convention.  The older girls danced for scholarship while the younger girls got classes.  The first day, the girls had a blast!  Ali really came out of her shell (and talked NON-STOP) on the way to Lansing.  We didn't stay the night (but will next year).  We told the girls we would stop at a restaurant (they chose a Coney Island) to get dinner and of course~ desserts! After a long first day (and ...

 So I had a really exciting week last week.  As I came into work on Monday (and the internet connected with my phone), my phone started blowing up with dings and alerts and my secretary said, "LAURA!  YOU NEED TO CALL THE RADIO STATION!  YOU WON SOMETHING!!"  I had no idea what she was talking about!  I didn't have time to call because I had to be on our morning announcements but I learned later (from many) that I had been selected as the "Teacher of the Week" by a local radio station! with my principal & the station producer  It was such a surprise!  I guess they read a nice letter about me on the radio and I was so curious as to who nominated me!  I sent out a thank you letter to my current families and on my facebook page but no one came forward to say they were 'the one' who nominated me... talking on the phone with the Jay Towers  All week they randomly announced my name and it was very strange to hear them say my...

I love fall!  I love bundling up, cuddling, and the smell of burning leaves (though it isn't as common as it once was...).  What I am not always a fan of is raking.  When I woke up last weekend and went downstairs, Jeff was already busy at work outside raking leaves!  He had a lot of piles done and had already made great progress! The kids were watching TV on the couch (we are screen free during the week), but as soon as Z learned that Jeff was outside, he joined him!  He worked on a pile further out in the yard which was a good idea since it's no fun to find dog 'surprises' in the leaves! I had so much school work to do, but I felt like I needed to do something, so I cleaned off the deck! I love all the trees in our yard but that does mean we have to clean up after them.  I also stacked the chairs for the winter months and thought about how much I love our new deck. It was great to get the leaves off the deck because with the two doorwalls co...