Queen of the Juggle

I can’t believe how fast these little guys are growing!

We have a new ritual…Watching the Disney movie “Cars”. The boys just love it. I was as surprised as anyone that they actually are interested in it. One evening we took out “couchbed” and I made a batch of popcorn! HOLY COW! They loved it. Had a fantastic time. So did mommy and daddy. We finished the movie after they went to bed. It was too funny. Our first family time. It’s wonderful. I love it.

All the little guys are using semi-full sentences. Like “Watch Teletubbies” from Ben and “Daddy do it” from Gary and RyRy still talks the most “Uh-Oh phone”. “Ready eat” is pretty common from both Ben and Ryan. Gary tends to drag out his words adding more syllables.

Ben is far more out of his shell, talks some. Ben tends to cry more to communicate his wants or speaks in one or two words. He LOVES the Leapster game and they all really fight over it. They also like our old cell phones. Gary and Ryan fight and “trade” often. Gary and Ryan also use the phones and say “Take a picture”. Ryan also says “Get up” and both Gary and Ryan say “Open gate” and “Go outside”.

All of the boys are sitting at the table with no trays and eating with utensils a good amount of the time. Ryan and Gary LOVE Bacon and meats. Ben on the other hand is our carb boy. All of them like corn, Pirate’s Booty, Cheetos and hot dogs. Mac and Cheese is a fave too along with any pasta with red sauce. We’ve graduated from sippy cups with handles to “new cups” and plastic plates with Monkeys on them. We still had a few from when Kaitlyn and Gillian were little, so on occasion they eat off of a Barbie or Power Puff Girl plate. I don’t think it will cause too much damage.

As for movies, they still like shapes, but are really into Teletubbies and watching YouTube videos while we eat. They like Laurie Berkner “5 days old” and “Family”. They hear it so often, they like to even sing along. Gary loves to have “iPod on”. All the boys love their sister’s when they’re here. They tell the girls “come in Gill Gill” or “KK do it”.

Gary is obsessed with accessories. He loves glasses and shoes. We joke often that maybe he’ll be a fashion designer…

Ryan is still very particular about clothes. He still loves stripes and red. Bat shirt is less now. Sometimes it’s not fun when he doesn’t like what he has to choose from, but we make it through some morning fits to get him dressed.

All 3 boys have had trouble over the last 6 months at least with constipation. That seems to be going away. Thank goodness! I was beginning to think we needed to buy stock in the Miralax company.

Video of singing and popcorn eating…along with images.

Just starting the second week of the new job. Lots of new stuff. Many webinars and webex meetings. I love it. Equipment is here and appears to be working fine. Connected with the new boss. She seems very nice. A former TravelCLICK employee. We had met before, but are pretty much acquaintences. Ironically Natalie brought us together. Can’t believe how over the last 10 years the people I’ve met and worked with have been key in situations as time has passed. It’s all good. It reminds me NEVER to burn a bridge if it can be helped. Hopefully the good job trend will continue. It feels so good to start new things. Really using my mind and learning. Getting the office together too. I’m really happy for that too. Tax time is around the corner, so we need to get organized anyway. Hopefully the numbers will work in our favor.

Received a notice of delinquency from the child support division. I know, I know…Happy New Year to me, right? Gotta love former spouses. What a jackass he is!

My mom also came to us in the last few weeks and let us know she actually wants to have her own life! She has done so much for us. But yeah, she totally deserves to live her life. She’s been doing for us and everyone else since my dad’s death in October of 2007. I’m proud of her strength. I’m proud of her toughness. We’ll be fine…more than fine. She’s got many, many years to live and should be happy, happy, happy. Everyone does.

So the first thing I did was put an ad out on Craigslist. I received over 10 responses in the first 24 hours and I posted the ad at 10p. Brandi was the first to answer. I immediately felt good things about it. She came over on Monday afternoon, and then we decided her first day would be 1/25/10. Unfortunately she got sick and I sort went into a panic. Really there was no need for it. She came and began her first full week on 2/1/10.

Here’s our letter this year…I’ll be the first to admit it’s not fabulously positive, but it’s our life.

Happy Holidays 2009

Hello to all of our friends and family! As 2009 comes to a close and Christmas seems upon us, I am still wondering where the year went. Reflecting back it seems that like many families, this year has been a challenging one for us. I’d like to think that it’s very temporary and it will only get better in 2010. I’m hoping for that, but am happy that just around the corner is a new opportunity for things to be a little better. That’s our wish for all the people that touch our lives.

On to the news in 2009…The holidays were really nice and we had our Colvins here to celebrate with us and ring in the New Year. My mom had the opportunity to go home to Winnemucca for awhile to have a bit of time for herself and well, truth be told, have a little bit of her own life. Kaitlyn and Gillian were with us too, so our whole family enjoyed Christmas together. We just didn’t know that 2009 would be as challenging as 2008…

Into January and February we went with the boys just growing and growing and the girls coming to Reno from Vegas two weekends a month. The arrangement was hard on all of us. All of us were hoping that March would bring some good news from the family court in Vegas. As I finish this piece of our letter, please try and understand our bitterness. We learned in March that Kaitlyn and Gillian would primarily remain in Vegas. Our time was cut to one 3 day weekend a month, Spring Break, ½ of the holiday break and 5 weeks in the summer. I am forced to pay child support after my ex-husband didn’t for 5 ½ years. I also will be paying – Chip will be paying – for health insurance for the girls that their dad didn’t provide either. We are also responsible for all travel expenses.

We found the court to be incredibly one sided. It was amazing to watch my ex husband lie and lie about so many things. I had no idea that he was capable of such cruelty to me and my family. All of this is probably more information than necessary, but the emotion and impact is still pretty raw. The other important piece of this is that we had so much support from so many people behind us. We appreciate all of the support and willingness to help. A few of you joined us in court and wrote letters and that means the world to us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. This situation has weighed very heavy on us both emotionally and financially. We honestly thought we did the right thing by moving to Reno and finding a better place to raise children. Apparently not. We also had a woman judge. I found that to be interesting that we lost out so badly considering the judge is a mother as well. I didn’t expect to win by a landslide, only to have the girls be primarily with us.

As a result, we’ve felt the financial pinch the entire year, just as did many people have. Please know you’re not alone. The legal fees, supporting several mortgages on properties we have not been able to sell and the upkeep on those properties has taken us to the edge more than once. Hopefully, now that we have new tenants all will be better. We’re hanging on in the real estate arena. Anybody want to buy a couple of houses in Vegas? Both Chip and I are incredibly grateful to be employed, which has enabled us to keep pressing forward in the dark days this year has brought us. Thankfully, because of that we haven’t lost any of the houses. Again, we appreciate all the support we’ve had from our Vegas friends that have shown houses, unlocked doors and made trips over to the houses to help us. With damaged and/or empty property it isn’t easy to navigate. We could not have done it without the help of a key group of people. Your generosity is appreciated and won’t soon be forgotten.

Mom went to Alaska in February to visit a close friend who is terminally ill. Colvins came back to help. I don’t know what we’d do if we didn’t have all of the support that we have. Again, words cannot express how much we appreciate our “village” that it takes to make our life work. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The summer brought the girls back for five weeks. What a visit it was! Kaitlyn arrived with the swine flu. All of us in the house did our doses of Tamiflu to fight it. Luckily no one else was ill. It wiped out a week of our visit, which was incredibly frustrating. After Kaitlyn made it through, we made a long list of things we wanted to do before they had to head back to Vegas for school. We did so much and had a blast! From floating down the Truckee River to Tahoe beaches, it was wonderful to experience our area. The girls and I also spent a day in Virginia City. What great memories we created. Those are the ones you want to bottle up and keep right in the front of your mind forever.

Kaitlyn and Gillian started school in August (8^th grade and 5^th grade). Both are doing great. Both are involved in Karate here in Reno and gymnastics down in Vegas. Kaitlyn is in journalism this year and loves it. Gillian is into books and is finishing out Elementary school. Makes me wonder where the time goes. Both are active in Girl Scouts as well. We’re more than proud of them. Now they’re frequent fliers too. They handle it very well considering all the circumstances. Thank goodness for Southwest Airlines!

Another unfortunate twist with the ex husband for us. We learned that he had been downloading photos and some legal documents from our server. Immediately we involved the police and they confiscated 1 of his 5 computers. We’ve just learned recently that although this is not a good thing, it’s not bad enough to have enough to prosecute. Another legal system disappointment. We feel pretty violated but it doesn’t appear that we can do much.

Meanwhile our little guys turned two in September. We celebrated big with ice cream and gifts. The girls were with us to celebrate the big birthday, which was wonderful! They are just talking and expressing themselves so much. Gary is just in love with books and is Mr. Snuggly and is probably the most sensitive. He’s also the “silent bully” and will take one of the other boys down silently while they scream their head off. Ben is more reserved, loves his DVD of shapes and playing with cars. Ben tends to be the quietest. He’s been the latest to talk, but is quickly catching up! Ryan is the most vocal and very particular about his clothing. He likes red and stripes. It’s very funny. He also wants to have the “red cup”. All three boys know their shapes and letters. It’s amazing to watch them learn so much and suck it up like a sponge. Each child is so very different and wonderful. We’ve been so blessed for sure. It’s pretty noisy and chaotic in the house. All three are talking constantly. I think they’ll eat us out of house and home here pretty soon. We’re taking donations…just kidding.

Another bit of news came out way in October, on Chip’s birthday in fact. We’ve kept it quiet until about the last month. Surprisingly to all of us we are expecting! Yep, really. Our LAST child will be born in June 2010. It has taken quite awhile for it to sink in for us. I just wasn’t feeling good and took a test, then another and then a blood test. Yep, nature has taken it’s course. Odd since it was almost 3 years and many painful and disappointing tries before we had success with the little boys. We’re not sure why this has come our way, but here we are. We’re starting again, as I’ve given away stuff as the boys outgrew it. The best part is that it’s just a single so it should be easier. The morning sickness has passes, but I am tired ALL THE TIME. It’s been interesting and fun to watch people react to the news. Like us, many are surprised. It’s all good now, but it took about a month for me realize it really is true. This will be it for us. 6 is plenty. J

Meanwhile, Chip is working at home for Quest Software and that is going well. It’s been about a year and although the company has laid people off, Chip is full of talent and is valuable to the company. Hopefully all will continue on a great path. I’m still at the Nugget Casino and my job still has its challenges. It’s definitely a process. I’ve excelled in my job in the 1½ years I’ve been there. The Nugget has also laid people off in almost all areas. Just like all of the other casinos in the nation, gaming revenues and room rates are down. Not good, but the reality of the economy. Everyone in the Northern Nevada area seems to trim down accordingly. Hopefully it will turn around.

We are hanging in and hanging on for whatever 2010 brings. There is so much to be thankful for…the visits we’ve had over the year form Hortons, The Hollenbecks, visiting with local family on occasion and keeping in touch with Vegas friends. Please forgive me if I’ve forgotten anyone. Our heartfelt thanks and so much love to Fred & Celia and our ‘Nina ‘Nina for their willingness to spend any free moment with the McVeys and making it look simple each morning as I walk out the door and someone is either wailing or demanding their bacon. My mother is a huge help and is vital to our day to day operation. We can’t thank her enough for the loads of laundry, helping with dinner and watching the boys. She makes it look easy too. Some days I wonder why I’m so worn out when I see how well our support system makes it work for us. All of us have felt the stress of the business of life this year but have an amazing group that never hesitates to help. We thank you all by adding one more!

It’s our hope and wish that all is well with you and yours and that the joy of the season is in your lives. Happy Holidays! We look forward prosperous 2010 for our family and yours. Please know that you’re always welcome to visit. Feel free to drop a note if that work better. Both Chip and I are also ALWAYS updating Facebook with photos and statuses. You can search our names to find out. We can be reached by phone at 775-545-1241 or email at sherri@metaforge.net

December has come full on. Fred came in on December 2 and Celia followed 5 days later. Mom went home to enjoy time off. Chip got busy right away putting up Christmas lights. It was pretty cold outside and he was definitely a trooper for his cranky pregnant wife.

Went to Las Vegas for HSMAI, HEDNA and the Expedia Partner Conference the first week in December. It was busy but good. Had dinner with Deann, saw Jenni and did a little Christmas shopping in the evening. Stayed at Palms Place. Also had dinner one evening with Bonnie. Tried to get Kaitlyn several times, but was put on ignore. I guess it’s her age, but it was offensive and finally I told her in no uncertain terms that it was unacceptable. We had dinner Thursday night (Dec. 10), went on to the Expedia party after that and I flew home on Dec. 11. I saw so many people at the Expedia event that I hadn’t seen for years. It was really nice to have the opportunity to talk to everyone. I learned a ton of stuff about social media and online travel trends. It’s really stimulating for my brain and I love it! So much to learn, so little time.

I also checked on the house while in Vegas. Lawn issues of course. Freddie needs to just take care of Sweet Jewel. Oh yeah, after I got home I learned that the faucet is broken and that it’s $300 to fix. Crazy. Brittany and her family moved in fine and all was good otherwise.

We had a snowstorm on the way out of Reno and down to Vegas. Very cold and about 5 inches of snow. It was beautiful to see, but not great travel weather. It took almost 1/2 a day to get to Vegas. Between de-icing and plowing, it was an interesting morning trying to get South. Coming back was a little hairy too. It’s snowed a bit more since then. I love it, but people are crazy when it snows. Here it is the 23rd and the snow is still here. Nothing wrong with that. Boy it’s cold outside!

Gillian has been with us since Thanksgiving and going to Karate. Everything is good and she’s been doing a great job of enjoying all that we have to offer. The little boys just love their “gill gill”.

The boys are just talking up a storm. Ben had his first true haircut on Sunday (Dec. 20). He looks like such a little boy! He can also say “I cannot beweeve it” like the Little Einsteins. Celia told me about it and then I heard him say it. Oh my god! It was SO cute. He’s talking so much more lately.

Ryan is just going to town repeating and saying short sentences. It’s really cool to hear him say “Daddy do it” and “I see you”.