Pictures from our Harvest Festival a few weeks ago...can you guess who Ellie was?

Well 3/4 of my children are sick with chest colds. Erik fell this morning to the bug...of course with his asthma, his chest cough always seems worse. So now I'm pumping Emma with vitamin c and encouraging more hand washing than normal to keep her healthy. We're 3 1/2 weeks away from The Nutcracker production...hoping she can make it unscathed. Colds come and go. I think the average kid has 4-6 colds a year. But with 4 kids...that's 16-24 colds/year...almost seems like someone is sick all the time, though I know it's not true.

Haven't posted pictures because I think my camera is broken. I discovered my #3 child playing photographer with it recently and haven't been able to turn it on since then. I'm in a state of denial about it. I was just starting to really like the digital camera...now I'm camera-less. ARGH!

Well I need to tend to some sick kiddos.

Race Results

The girls ran in their first Road Lizards race this Saturday. It was about 45 degrees at race start and they were shivering! Erik placed 2nd and ran 9:04, Emma placed 3rd and ran a 9:38 and Ellie won a Finishers Medal for her 14:31 mile!!! Ellie ran much of the way, but she also stopped and hugged a few of her new best friends, picked up a few rocks along the way, and stopped to watch some of the big kids run by...Erik and Emma were not in competition with eachother, the results are boy/girl and broken into 2-year age categories. At any rate, the girls were very pleased with themselves. Ellie was so excited to earn a finishers medal that she skipped and jumped her way up to the coach to receive it...like she had just won and Olympic gold! She came home, proudly wearing her medal and exclaimed to her daddy, "Daddy, I won a finishers medal, because I didn't quit!!" There was another race the next day and the girls had tasted victory enough to want to try it again, but we didn't. Emma was so proud of herself that she wanted to wear her medal to Nutcracker rehearsal that afternoon. I told her that it would get in the way LOL. The next race is a big Veteran's Day race. We're really enjoying this activity, even Everson runs a bit at practice...and I get in some of my doctor-prescibed exercise.

In August, Emma and Erik learned to knit. I snapped this pic recently . Emma keeps unraveling her projects, because she can't seem to make up her mind what to do. She made a little pink purse for Ellie's birthday. Now, when she's invited to a birthday party, we buy a skein of yarn and some knitting needles and enclose a coupon for knitting lessons. I had to learn along with the kids, so that I could help them. It was stressful at first, but now I find knitting to be actually relaxing and easy to do while Doug is watching football or when we're watching a movie with the kids. Erik can get a row or 2 done, then thinks it doesn't look right, so he unravels his before I get a chance to check it. It keeps them busy a couple times a week for 20 minutes or so at least LOL.

The Armstrong Runners...
After a visit to the doctor last week to follow up my pleurisy I'm compelled to lose a few of these baby pounds, eat less junk food, and exercise. So now not only Erik runs with the Lil Lizards. The girls started running this week and I started walking with the club. Not a leisurly stroll, but actually moving to get my heart beating. It has felt good. Much to her surprise, Emma can run a mile effortlessly, while Ellie has surprised me and has given 100% to run a mile with short walks to catch her breath. I don't see myself running anytime in the near future, but a good aerobic walk seems doable 2x/week. The dr 'recommended' I exercise at least 5 days/week and suggested that 1 mile each time out wasn't enough, "I'd recommend you work up to running 2-3 miles each day." I wanted to laugh, hard. Walking 1 1/2 mile twice a week is the most exercise I've done since having kids!

We've been reading about Columbus in school, which led us to a study on slave ships in the 1500s to work on Spanish plantations. When Ellie realized how slaves were packed onto ships for 50-day journeys from Portugal to the Indies...she exclaimed, "I'm glad my skin is white! That must have been horrible to be a slave." Erik's emotional response to the lesson was, "You mean they just went to the bathroom right where they were chained?! They had to lie down in their b.m.?!?! That's gross!"

Everson continues to spend his days dressed as a knight, building castles out of legos and playing with Erik's old Imaginext castle sets...can you get a picture of the world Everson lives in...a brave knight, fighting dragons and rescuing princesses. Occasionally he wants to play pirate with the big kids. On the trampoline, the 4 of them play super heroes, or a game I have yet to understand, called Shamu - Ev is Shamu and the girls are mermaids and I think Erik is Neptune. Since our trip to Seaworld a few weeks ago, we have checked out a dozen books on dolphins and whales for little Everson. He's quite fascinated with Shamu Shamu Shamu. We watched Free Willy last week and I thought he'd explode with the footage of the killer whale LOL.

Well, time to get on with our day. Remember to pray for Will.

So I've been told that I must go on and live my life. Can't help but feel a deep sense of guilt over doing that, because Sam and Angies lives will never be the same now that they are fighting Leukemia. But here's what convinced me this morning that I needed to update this site on the life of my kids...Angie checked our blog. So while our family in NC are on the forefront of our minds, my kids still make forts in the livingroom, fight over toys and whine when I tell them to do their chores. I'll take it. I find myself hugging my kids more these days, being less impatient with the silliness (okay, most of the time), and grateful for their good health.

A message from Angie, Will's brave mom....

Dear Friends and Family,
I created a CaringBridge site to keep you up to date on William Armstrong. CaringBridge is a nonprofit organization that helps friends and families stay connected.You can visit William's CaringBridge site at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/williamarmstrong.
If your e-mail program does not allow you to click on the above link, just copy and paste the address into your Internet browser address location.
Please visit the CaringBridge site anytime. You can use the site to check in onWilliam, read journal entries and sign the guestbook.
Please print and save this e-mail for future reference.
CaringBridge enables unique and personal communities of support that enrich family andfriend connections during times of need.
www.caringbridge.org

*i'm sorry if you've received this email twice, i'm just trying to quickly get it out to as many folks as possible. if you'd rather not receive updates, please let me know and we'll take you off our list. also feel free and please do forward the caring bridge site address on to whoever you think would like to have it. i may have unintentionally left someone out.
thanks,
aa

Will has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Just googled it...it's the more agressive type of leukemia (just our luck). Sam and Angie are meeting with the dr this afternoon to come up with his treatment plan. Spoke briefly with Angie this am...she says she does fine as long as she's with Will...but when she's not with him... Keep them in your prayers. The next few days and weeks will be trying.

LEUKEMIA

My phone rang at 7:30 this morning. It was Sam, Doug's brother (who now lives in Cary, NC). Their 2 1/2 year old son, our only nephew, Will had just been diagnosed with Leukemia. They are awaiting transfer to another hospital (where one of the top Leukemia doctors in the country works). Once there, more tests will be run to determine what kind of Leukemia Will has, and how to treat it. Naturally, everyone is reeling. Will has not liked being stuck with needles (who does), but has been very good through all of this. This afternoon Sam told me that Will has been friendly to everyone, saying, "Thanks for coming," as people left the room. So pray for Will, for Sam, Angie and 14 month old Katie. They are in for a long journey.

Here's Emma, all ready for her Little House on the Prairie party this morning. When she gets home, she's off to Nutcracker rehearsal, then we're going bowling with my stepbrother, Jason (who is a 20 year old Marine, just returning from 7 months in Iraq), then a family with 6 children is coming over this evening so the mom and I can go out to dinner... Read that last part again...Doug is staying home with 10 kids (age 1-13) so that I can go out with a friend. Her husband is a Chaplain in the Air Force and has been away at a training school for 4 weeks. Doug's a saint for this one!!!

Hi, this is Emma and I'm writing in the blog for now. Actually, my mom is writing, but I'm telling her what to write.

I'm excited to be in The Nutcracker. It's fun. I have to go to the studio 4 times this week. 2 are for classes, and 2 are for rehearsals.

I have school this morning, and after school, I'm going to one of my best friend's houses. Her name is Katie Stoup. We usually play American Girl Dolls or Barbies with her HUMONGOUS Barbie dollhouse - it goes all the way up to the ceiling (almost that high). Ellie is coming too, so she can play with Katie's little sisters, Kenzie and Karlee. Katie has a big sister names, Kaycee...did you notice that they all have "K" names? They are adopting a baby boy, whose name will be Kelby. He's from Ethiopia. They homeschool their kids, too. We might go swimming today, if Katie's mom cleaned out the pool...it was very yuccy the last time I went over there.

Tomorrow, I'm going to go to a birthday party for a friend turning 8. It's a Little House on the Prairie party.

I'm doing AWANA again this year. I have LOTS of friends in AWANA. The new 3rd grader girls are on my team so I got to make friends with them too. I have 2 3rd grade friends, Karalee and Cali.

That's all for now. Goodbye.

Here's the kids on the Komodo Dragon statue. They were so cute lined up.
Everson reluctantly posed on this Giant Tortoise statue. He got to see one at eye level about 2 feet from him. What a thrill! Behind him is a river...wading was actually encouraged by the zoo.

We're back from our getaway weekend in San Antonio! What a great time we had with my dad and stepmom. The older 3 kids acted like they saw my parents just last week. Everson needed to warm up a bit and was very good at playing catch with Grandpa Quale by the time we left. Here's a glimpse of our few days:

SEAWORLD was amazing! We fed dolphins, saw sharks up close, penguins, sea lions and walruses, otters, coral reef display, and Eversons favorite: Shamu Shamu Shamu. We adults loved the fact that all of the vendors and rides and restaurants were closed. We didn't hear, "Mom,I'm hungry can I get one of those? I don't want to ride that ride alone. Can I get one of those to take home?" You get the point. And at just $8/person and a parking place right at the front gate, you couldn't beat the day. Thanks Seaworld, for making this available just for homeschoolers (and grandparents).

The San Antonio Zoo was our Friday excursion. Because my parents have memberships at the Buffalo Zoo, we were able to get in for half price...always a plus. We spent 5 1/2 hours at the zoo! There was a great hands on area for children 5 and under (and a few older sibs and grandparents). We crawled around in prarie dog tunnels and went fishing and saw giant tortoises. The rest of the zoo was pretty cool too. No surprise that the zoo is one of the top 10 in the country. www.sazoo-aq.org/

The Alamo and Riverwalk were on our Saturday agenda. I think Emma wanted to go on the narrated tour, but was outvoted...maybe next time. We took a riverboat cruise and learned some interesting facts about the riverwalk. Then we had lunch at The Rainforest Cafe. I can't even describe how fun it was walking in this 3-story restaurant decorated lavishly like a rainforest. Complete with thunderstorms and lightning! www.rainforestcafe.com Definately memorable for the kids. And Erik had a heaping plate of spaghetti!

Each afternoon while Everson (and Doug) napped, the older 3 kids went swimming in the pool for hours. Then dinner, play time and bed to rest up for the next day. Doug and I went out for dessert one evening. It was so nice to get out in a fun place like San Antonio. We had some nachos and then the most expensive ice cream cone I've ever had! I think our 2 cones were over $12!!

It was fun to spend some time with my dad and Maureen. Maureen wants to go to Corpus Christi the next time they come to TX...sounds like fun. My father mentioned us all going to Florida. Ellie said that we could do that, when Everson is 10 years old. Don't ask me where she came up with that one.

The battery in my camera died this morning, so I can't post any pictures until I get a new battery. But I promise I will do that so you can see us having fun in S.A.

WE'RE OFF TO SAN ANTONIO!!! We leave Wednesday for a few days of fun and more fun. My dad and stepmom from Buffalo are meeting us there. The 8 of us will stay in a suite and will take in the sights, sounds and smells (and tastes!) of San Antonio. On Thursday, we're going to Sea World for an Instructional Field Experience, especially for homeschoolers. Basically its a regular day at the park, minus the bells and whistles (and upset stomachs) of the rides and concessions. But the cost is only $8 per person...which makes it much much more affordable than the $30-$40/person regular charge! We'll see The Alamo and The Riverwalk and visit the San Antonio Zoo and play in the pool at the hotel. The temps here are in the mid 80s, so it will be a beautiful weekend. I'll post some pics when we return.

Here's Erik after one of his races. I think his best time is 8 minutes and some change for a mile. Not bad for a 7 year old. I don't think I ever could run a mile in less time LOL.

Lil Lizards is a great name for this West Texas running club. We have all kinds of lizards around these parts. Erik is our biggest lizard! He has had 2 practices this week. The coach recognized Erik and even remembered his times from his 3 races this summer! He put Erik in the "2-mile group". This means that Erik runs a 1/2 mile warm up with the whole club, then takes off for a 2 mile run...that's right...a 2 mile run. My stepfather, Tom, told Erik that he was his hero. Tom said, "I couldn't even run across the street for a donut." I'm with Tom.

We are entering our first week of 'full-swing' Fall activities: ballet classes, Lil Lizards running club practice (for Erik), AWANA, coop and Nutcracker rehearsals. Add the regular stuff like school, allergy shots, visiting my 95 year old Great Grandmother, cooking, cleaning and playing, and you get a sense of what life is like with 4 kiddos. Emma had her first Nutcracker rehearsal on Saturday. After an hour, she realized that the Battle Scene is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g scene and the music is fast paced. In a few weeks she'll start practice on the Cake Baker part. I wish I could sing the music for you so you know what she'll be dancing to. It's a recognizable tune. She'll be dancing with 7 other girls, holding elaborately decorated cakes. Oh, and after being asked by 2 more people (5 different people asked me), I've taken the helm as the Props Manager for The Nutcracker. YIKES! I have an assistant, who wants to manage everything once it gets to the theater...so I just have to get it all together and to the theater... Aren't you glad your life is the way it is.... By the way, how is YOUR life? You get to read all about mine...how about an email letting me know what's up with you and yours? We'd love to hear from you.

Before I get to the news of Emma's Nutcracker roles, I'll let you know that Doug will be in Albany this weekend. His grandpa Armstrong passed away Monday evening and there is a memorial service for him on Friday. Doug is leaving this afternoon and will be returning to TX on Sunday. He's staying with some friends in Delmar so if you want to send anything back to TX with him (Dunkin Donuts coffee, ILOVENYPIZZA tee hee), call or email me and I'll get you his contact info for the weekend. We're all sad about grandpa passing, but at 94, he's lived a full life of loving the Lord, and he is worshipping God now. The sad part for the kids and I is staying behind. It never occurred to us that our next trip to NY would be a family vacation, not a funeral. Keep Doug and the kids and I in your prayers this weekend. I haven't been feeling well this past week (I was diagnosed with Pleurisy last Friday night in the ER), and Erik especially is upset about Doug's going. NUTCRACKER NEWS... Emma has earned 2 parts in this year's production. She is going to be a soldier in the battle scene, and she's also in the second act as a "cake baker". Don't ask me what that is, but she'll be in one of the special dances performed for Clara and the Prince in the Land of Sweets. She was disappointed to learn that she won't be in the opening Party Scene, but then realized that the Battle Scene is lengthy and that all of the parts are being played by her Ballet 2A and 2B peers. So we're in for another interesting fall full of 2 weekly ballet classes, and 1 to 2 Nutcracker rehearsals each week until the performance. BTW, the performance is the weekend of 12/8...feel free to come on down ;-)

Ellie turned 6 last monday. I'm still getting over it! She's enjoying her new status as a 6 year old AND in the 1st grade (at church at least). I can't find the camera right now, but I'll post a picture of her as soon as it turns up ;-) Doug and Erik ran in another race on Saturday. This was a different course, all grass. It was hard for Erik...the different course made it seem like a much much longer race to him. They ran a week ago as well, Doug took a whole minute off of his time and Erik was down 30 seconds. In a few weeks (when it's not still 100 at 5pm-hopefully), we'll start Erik with 'official' running practice with the Road Lizards running club. He'll run tuesdays and thursdays from 4:30-5:30...don't worry he won't run that WHOLE hour. Once basketball starts up in November, we'll pull him out of the running and let him just play basketball, then baseball. The girls started ballet this past week. Emma is now in 2A..which means 2 1-hour classes each week. And Ellie is in a 1 hour pre ballet class. Nutcracker Auditions were yesterday and Emma is eager to see what part(s) she earned. The list will be posted on Wednesday...I promise I'll blog the results! Send me an email if I forget. I've been asked to head up the props for The Nutcracker production...Doug and I are deciding if our family can take that kind of a time committment from mama... And AWANA and coop start up after Labor Day too...my calendar is already full of kids scheduled activities.

We've been here for ONE YEAR! It seems hard to believe that. In some ways it's been a very long year, but Doug feels like the weeks went quickly. What do we miss? Family and Friends. Fall. What don't we miss? Just about everything else LOL. We just had some guests this week, David and Becky Pence. They flew down for the week and are already planning their next trip for April. So, we've had both family and friends come down to see us in our new home. We're off to San Antonio for 4 days in September and will meet up with my Dad and stepmother, Maureen. (Doug only has 5 days of vacation until August 2007...with so many dear people to visit in NY, it's not likely that we'll come up before then.) So you'll just have to come down here ;-)