PATHETIC

pa·thet·ic/pəˈTHetik/ Adjective: Arousing pity, esp. through vulnerability or sadness. Miserably inadequate. So let's go with the latter "Miserably inadequate" and that would be how I would describe my blogging for 2012. I would like to commit to "I'm Back." However, let's take it one blog at a time. Where to begin? Let's go with our most recent trip - Ohio. We went to Ohio under the premise of a family reunion. Hamilton (Rusty's Maternal) to be exact. So the Hamiltons traditionally have a reunion over Thanksgiving. It was Rusty's grandmother's, Rose Adaline (aka Lovey, Adaline was given to Shea) request that her children (grandchildren, etc) gather at least once a year. They have honored her request for longer than I have been in the family (20+ years). Each of the living siblings takes a turn hosting in their area. For us, this makes for an awesome vacation/family reunion! Every 4 years, we have the opportunity to visit: Ohio, DC, Ft. Lauderdale, or GA ;). Needless to say, our children have been given some pretty awesome trips in addition to making great memories with cousins. I present to you Ohio 2012!

Day 1 was spent with cousin, Aidan touring Mentor/Cleveland. What a spunky tour guide/photographer/life guard...:) We went by the cemetery where grandparents were buried, then to Lake Eerie, the Zoo, and finished the day with a wonderful dinner with cousins on the Speidel Side.

Day 2 in Kirtland, then visiting the homes of Rusty's grandparents, and enjoyed a wonderful dinner and sundae bar with more awesome cousins!

Kentucky Farms (Rusty's Maternal Grandparents' homestead)

Day 3 we took a drive through Amish Country, Kidron, stopping by Lehmans, on our way to Columbus for Thanksgiving Day!

Day 4 & 5 was spent with the Hamilton Clan running a 2 mile race, catching up, eating good food, visiting, playing games, and making memories! We were treated like royalty and feel blessed to have spent time with so many members of our awesome extended family!

SHAME ON ME!

In the busy-ness of end of school, we also had a birthday in our family, li'l ms. I! She's our mascot, our teddy bear, our sweet cheeks...She's got personality and can be quite outgoing hence our mascot. She's still funsize for ALL of us to cuddle so I call her a teddy bear. And since the day she joined SpyTribe, she has had the most kissable, sweet cheeks! Even when she takes matters into her own hands (scissors), we can't get too mad at her.

She campaigned for a birthday party and won us over (Rett says we're spoiling her. He doesn't help :D) The #6 came with Friends and Fun (and Barbies)! We're so blessed to have her a part of our tribe!

20 YEARS AND STILL HONEYMOONING!

We recently celebrated 20 years of wedded bliss! Months ago we began the preparations, just like a wedding. We started with passports. We weren't sure where we would go, but we wanted to be prepared to leave the country should the opportunity present itself. Rusty's went through without a 'hitch' (pardon the pun). Mine, after much trial and tribulation, came just days before our departure. Hence, we opted for a cruise.
The main requisite for the cruise: diving! Dive we did in Grand Cayman thanks to Don Foster formerly Parrots Landing. Our dive was so great! Our dive instructor, Sergio, promised us the "second best experience" of our life. With 4 births of amazing little spirits and marriage to one of the greatest men in history, that would be quite the feat. However, I would have to say this dive ranked up there with some of the highlights of my life.
Next stop was Cozumel where we took a ferry to Playa Del Carmen so we could see the ancient Mayan city of Tulum. It was magnificent and the beaches were like a dream.

We LOVED the Yucatan and hope to return for more diving and fun!

TIME FOR A CHANGE...

A couple of years ago, Rusty and I got the feeling he should return to school for an MBA. However, he was already very busy with work, life, calling in the bishopric. So when he was released from the bishopric last fall, it seemed time to return to school. He had investigated a program through Auburn that required minimal campus time, more online learning. It was the #1 online MBA program in the nation, but only 1/3 of the applicants got in. In January, Rusty set his goals for the 2011, one was to start his MBA (with Auburn being his first choice). He studied, tested and scored well, but he was especially thrilled to get 6 of 6 for the writing portion. This week he recieved his letter of acceptance to Auburn. War Eagle!

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Then there are the younger 3 Speidels: Shea, Asa, & Ivy. Shea and Asa will be attending the new Cherokee Charter Academy while Ivy have been redistricted to an Elementary School just around the corner!

Big academic changes for the Speidels this fall!

HEY CHICKADEES!

"I'm coming to steal your eggs!" calls out the 5 year old. Thanks to Rusty, the masterful builder, we now have the ChickMahal closer to the house for the kiddos (and mom) to care for and play with the girls! I feel soooo loved that my city slicker guy would perform such a 'labor' of love. :)

THIS IS...

This is the Babe who helped me figure out what I want to be when I grow up...A Mom!

This is the Toddler who screamed at swim lessons and vaccuums

This is the little boy who asked to go to the zoo. We promised him a trip to the National zoo, but forgot to inform him it would be a 10 hour drive.
This is the brother who wanted "10 plus 6 siblings" to hug and kiss.
This is the boy who's heart constantly yearns for truth and righteousness



This is the young man who can now drive our cars (with assistance)



Happy Birthday Rett!

I'M GONNA MISS THIS

That's what they tell me and I have come to believe it. Especially when I taxi my kids around for 100+ miles in a day. I'm totally not kidding. Yesterday, Saturday, we ran Rett to his church basketball game at the stake center (Cobb County), then I took him from there to his swim certification for scout camp this summer. After that, we headed back up to Cherokee County. We had to stop by the sporting store to get Rett some bigger, more coverage, Lacrosse gloves. Not cheap, but considering he used his last pair for 4 years, I felt confident we'd get our monies worth. Hopefully at least they'll last him through high school. From there, we swung by the house to convert from basketball player/swimmer to Offensive Attack (Lacrosse). Coach has him trying a new position. Off to Lacrosse practice, thankfully just down the road so I could return to home intermittently 'til pickup. So all this running around made me thankful for time with Rett. In less than 2 weeks, he gets his learner's permit. We are excited to give him that independence. Yes, I said excited! So I'm relishing in this last year of time with him. When he gets his license, we'll try to see to it that he has a designated set of wheels to get himself around and help mom/dad with chaufferring. I have had some of THE BEST conversations with him, when in the car...hence, I'm Gonna Miss those times when I get to lean on his ear or we have a really personal conversations I could have never imagined occurring.