Homecoming and Pumpkin Patch

So, I've been informed that I am neglecting my blog:) I'm sorry! It's just that posting pictures on here is so time consuming. I'll try and be better about posting pictures, but for those of you who don't have Facebook accounts, you need to take the plunge and do it! It is alot easier and quicker to post pictures on Facebook! Enjoy the pictures and take care!

Happy 16th Birthday Lauren

Sixteen years ago today I became a mother for the first time. While I was young, I was blessed to have a wonderful husband and supportive family.

The day Lauren was born was almost missed by Dennis. I began having contractions on Friday at 10 am and was nervous, as Dennis was out to sea until later that afternnon. Since Dennis was gone, I was spending the week with a good friend, Tracy, who was also a registered nurse. It was time to go to the hospital and Dennis' ship finally pulled into port in Jacksonville. He made it to the hospital in plenty of time, as I was in labor for 20 hours!! We were blessed to have our good friends Tracy and Amy there to help as well. Lauren came into this world at 6:49 am on Saturday, August 21, 1993 and it's been an adventure ever since!!

Lauren was a good baby - after 4 months of age. This is what she did for the first 4 months of her life:)
This is were she usually fell asleep.

This is what she usually looked like after her daddy would feed her:)

This is when she was learning to stand alone around 9 months.

This is Lauren at 12 months old.

Here is my baby all grown up!!

We love you Lauren and look forward to seeing you grow into adulthood!!

Happy Birthday Julie!!!

To a great person and friend! Love ya!

Happy Birthday ToniAnne!!

To a great sister and friend! Love ya!

Happy Birthday Jill!!

To a wonderful person and friend! Thanks for being a part of our lives! We love you!

Most Clumsiest

Well, I've gone and done it! I've always wondered how I managed to get to my current age without any broken bones, as I've always been so clumsy. I was even voted Most Clumsiest when I was a senior in high school.

This past Thursday, I was getting up off the couch to pick up Lauren at her friend's house when I slipped on the wood floors and rolled my ankle completely over. As I was going down, I heard a loud crack! I laid there with Emily and her friend Macy starring at me lying on the ground crying. Must of been a funny sight. I couldn't get up and after about 15 minutes I scooted my way to the couch.

I propped my foot up and managed to call my friend/neighbor Angela to come over. She took one look at me and told me to call the doctor. My foot was warm to the touch and there was the beginnings of a large golf ball size knot on my foot. Next, I called my mom to take me to RediMed, so Lauren could stay home with Emily and her friend.

My mom and I went to RediMed and they were really nice to me. I had x-rays done and they discovered that I had fractured the bone between my ankle and my toe bone. YAY! So now I have to keep it basically propped up for 1 week with no pressure on it. After that week then I'm supposed to use a special shoe to walk around in. The nurse practitioner says it should take 6 to 8 weeks to heal. Which is basically the whole summer, the rest of my time off! Yuck!

So for me, no more softball, no cleaning, no New York City(might have gone with my mom and dad), no nothing!! I'm praying that since it is only a fracture it will heal quickly and I will be able to do all the things that I want to do soon!

Dance Recital Rehersal 2009

Yesterday, was Lauren and Emily dance recital rehearsal. They've been working hard all year and now they finally get to show us what they've been doing. Both girls like dance, but Emily is more into it than Lauren. She tried out for the Extreme Team again and we won't find out if she made it for a couple more weeks. The team is a more intensive program than the regular dance classes.

Anyways, yesterday we had to be at the rehearsal at 2pm sharp and I had to pick up Emily's babysitter, Alex, and Lauren's boyfriend, Jared, who couldn't come to the recital so he came to the rehearsal. Both the babysitter and boyfriend live out past Reese, so we left home at 11am to run out to my classroom, first, and then left to pick everyone up. We arrived at the Temple Theatre around 1:30pm and got everyone situated for the rehearsal, which lasted until 7pm! We were there for a long time, getting Emily ready for all her dances and once she was done with them and Lauren was done with her dance, then we could leave, so we actually left and they had more dances to go.

Afterwards, we headed to Fuzzy's for supper and ice cream! Yum, Yum! Then we took both Alex and Jared back out to my school, where they were being picked up by Alex's mom. We all had a nice time and Alex and Jared didn't seem too bored/disturbed by the length of the rehearsal:) So, tonight we have the real deal, the recital! I'm excited because my good friend, Dawn, is coming and I'm glad! Below are pictures of the girls at the rehearsal and then tomorrow I will post a few pictures from the recital. Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday Dawn!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day, friend!! Love ya:)

Happy Birthday X2!!

On the way home from Emily's Starpower dance competition last night, we decided to eat at bd Mongolian Barbeque in Flint again. We had just eaten there on Tuesday for Emily's birthday, but what the heck, we like it that much!

The waitresses always ask if you have eaten there before and Dennis went on the explain that we had just eaten there on Tuesday for Emily's birthday. We all laughed, being we were already back. The grill guys even asked Dennis if we lived there!:)

Anyways, Dennis, Emily, and Chloe were up at the grill getting their dinner while I was back at the table eating my salad, when I noticed our waitress putting ANOTHER foil hat on Emily!! This one was a princess hat! Emily dug it and I looked at Dennis confused. The waitress must have misunderstood us because she also gave Emily ANOTHER free sundae! Below are another set of Emily in her birthday hat!!

Why?!?!?

Today I took Emily to dance class, which is off Midland Road and State Street. On my way home, I was driving down State Street and was completely cut off by an older man. He butted right into my lane leaving me no room. On the inside, I was ticked, thinking "you jerk!" But, that was it and I am on my way, driving down the road to home:)

So, on my way home from picking her up from dance, I was turning right onto State Street. To my left there is a HUGE bush which blocked my line of vision. I inched my way up and didn't see any cars so I turned. After turning, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a small car coming at me really fast! I thought, "oh crap!" and began to speed up.

Well, this car pulls up next to me and the guy is literally shaking with rage, bobbing up and down, shaking his hands, yelling at me! Wow, hard to believe that someone could feel that much anger from being pulled in front of!

I don't understand it and why does it seem that things like this really anger guys so much more than girls? I almost wanted to laugh at him and say, "Really?"

Happy 9th Birthday Emily!!

Okay, so yesterday was Emily's 9th Birthday. She woke up to find "Happy Birthday" written on the bathroom mirror with red lipstick.:) I love for my kids to see something unusual first thing on their birthdays!

Emily had a busy day with school, then dance, and then we drove down to Flint to go to bd's Mongolian barbecue for dinner. I made "dirt" for Emily to take in for a snack at school and then we also took in cupcakes for dance class. Dance class got out just after 6:30 and I have to add that yesterday was one of the first times that Emily actually played games with her teammates between dances. For some odd reason, she is extremely shy around her dance team. One of the moms even commented to me that some of the girls said they actually got to hear Emily's voice for the first time! Weird, I know! Some days I wish she would be more like that at home.

After dance we boogied down to Flint to have dinner with Dennis, who was working in Detroit. We got there and got right in, as Dennis was waiting for us. We had a great meal and no sickness on the way home:) Thought about Mike though as we drove past his spot:) Emily was given a foil hat that was supposed to look like a cobra snake. She loved it and she also got a yummy desert for free. Another year, another birthday! Hard to believe that my baby is 9 years old already! Time sure does fly. Below are pictures from the dinner last night. Enjoy!

My Dancing Queen:)

Below I've posted a slide show of Emily's dance competition that was held at Walled Lake High School in Novi this past weekend. We drove down Saturday morning and arrived with plenty of time to get ready for the first dance. The teachers are VERY specific about how the girls dress, do their makeup, and fix their hair. So, needless to say, I was nervous, as I've never done this before. I didn't know if I could get her hair and makeup right! Talk about stress! After much help from all the moms, Emily was dressed and ready to go by 9am. Her first dance was at 11 am and then her second dance wasn't until 8:42 pm. Long time in between, but what could we do?

I have to add too, that Emily's Cruella dance won the following: 1st place, Gold medal, Best Costume, and Simply Irresistible! We couldn't have been more proud. She walked off the stage and met up with me. The first words out of her mouth were, "that was so much fun, Mom!" "We got the crowd going, too!" I could've cried because she was so happy about performing! I thought she would be nervous, but no, not Emily:)

Her next competition is May 15-17 in Detroit, so hopefully they do well there too!

Easter Vigil 2009

It's been a long time coming...but last night, Dennis, Lauren, and Emily all became a member of the Catholic faith. Dennis and I made the decision last summer to have the girls begin attending classes to learn more about Jesus and become Catholic. Dennis agreed to this as long as I didn't pressure him into becoming Catholic, as well. Although I never pressured him, I said many prayers every night. I wished for my family to be united in faith.

In September, the girls began classes with a wonderful teacher at St. Agnes church in Freeland. They set up the girl's classes different to work into our busy schedules, as I would also have to teach them from home to makeup for only attending classes every other week. The girls worked hard and really enjoyed learning more about the Catholic faith. They never once complained about any of the work, which makes me proud. Quite the opposite, they enjoyed this process and loved to talk about all they learned. After their last class, their teacher told me that she didn't think this was going to work in the beginning, but it worked really well and the girls did an amazing job!

Lastly, for Dennis' story: every November, Dennis goes hunting with my dad up north. This year our neighbor and friend, Mikel went up with Dennis. I've been told, repeatedly, that what happens at hunting camp, stays at hunting camp. I don't think I would ever want to know anyways:) Surprisingly, Dennis came home at the end of his week hunting to tell me that he too wanted to become Catholic! I was stunned! He had always been quite negative towards the Catholic religion, especially all the rituals. So, I don't know what my dad and Mikel said to him, but he felt it was important for our family to be united in faith,too. So, soon afterward he began taking classes every Sunday with three different teachers. He too, enjoyed learning all about the Catholic religion and was happy with his decision. For me, it was many prayers answered!

Dennis and the girls spent many hours preparing for this day, and they were so excited to have it finally here. It was a long service, but well worth it. They were baptised, confirmed, and then received the Body and Blood of Christ, of which I was able to give to them for the first time out of the chalice. I'll end this post with Emily's words on the way home from church at 12:30 a.m. On the drive home we were talking about the night, laughing and such and then Emily says, "That was fun, I want to do that all over again!" Stay tuned for a slide show with more pictures...

It's a Girl!

Contratulations to Dawn, Joe and the boys on the arrival of a healthy baby girl, Ashley Marie! We have all been anxiously waiting the arrival of the newest Papesh and are thrilled she is here:) We can't wait to be a part of her life and watch her grow! Best Wishes and much love!

Sleep and Read...

This is for those who don't have Facebook. I'm beginning to love Facebook and all the fun catching up with old friends and family members. Anyways, my cousin posted some questions yesterday, on Facebook, that you could ask your children to answer about their "moms." The answers her kids gave were hilarious and made my day, so I decided to ask my girls the same questions to see what they were say. I didn't think their answers would be as funny as my cousin's kids who are younger, but it was worth a shot. Below are the questions with Lauren and Emily's answers:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
L- You're grounded :)
E- Clean up your room

2. What makes mom happy?
L- When I do well in school
E- My smile and hugs

3. What makes mom sad?
L- When I lie to you
E - Us not doing what we're supposed to do


4. How does your mom make you laugh?
L-When you do something funny
E -by dancing


5. What was your mommy like as a child?
L-a trouble maker:)
E - popular

6. How old is your mom?
L-37
E-37


7. How tall is your mom?
L-5 feet
E-5'1"


8. What is her favorite thing to do?
L-read and sleep
E-play volleyball and spend time with family

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
L- sleep or read
E - read


10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
L- reading
E -singing


11. What is your mom really good at?
L- sleeping and going to school
E- bowling on the Wii


12. What is your mom not very good at?
L- exercising
E- dancing

13. What does your mom do for a job?
L- teacher
E- teach


14.What is your mom's favorite food?
L- Spaghetti
E- corn


15.What makes you proud of your mom?
L- that she is hardworking and deals with us
E- when she takes care of Lauren and me


16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
L- SpongeBob
E- Tweedy

17. What do you and your mom do together?
L- we talk and go shopping
E- we play the Wii and go outside


18. How are you and your mom the same?
L-we both get into trouble
E- we both like corn


19. How are you and your mom different?
L-I lie/you don’t
E- You’re older than me


20. How do you know your mom loves you?
L- you tell me all the time
E- you give me hugs and you’re nice to me


21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
L-that he is becoming Catholic
E- his big belly

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
L- church
E- Genji's

So, as you can see, according to Lauren all I do is sleep and read:) I was afraid she was going to throw me harder under the bus, but she wasn't too negative towards me. Being the main parent and disciplinarian, she and I tend to butt head very often. Anyways, I hope you enjoy a few laughs, at my expense:)

Rite of Election

Dennis, Lauren, and Emily have been attending classes this past year to become Catholic. They have had to attend classes every Sunday and on special days. Last Sunday was the Rite of Election which was held at St. Mary's Cathedral in Saginaw. It was a special ceremony in which Bishop Carlson presided and they (Dennis, Lauren, and Emily) wrote their names in the book of enrollment for the Easter Vigil Rite. During the Easter Vigil Rite, Dennis and the girls will receive the sacraments of Baptism and First Eucharist. They are all very excited and have enjoyed learning more about the Catholic faith and God, so please add them to your prayers as they enter this new phase in their lives.

Below is a picture of Bishop Carlson with Dennis, Lauren, and Emily.

Jump

We spent this past weekend in Dearborn to attend a dance convention with Emily and her teammates from the Extreme Dance Arts center. The dance convention is hosted by the company "Jump - The Alternative Convention". We had a long but fun filled weekend, which almost wasn't!

On Friday, Emily didn't have school so she went to work with me. Right before we left the house she said her stomach was upset, but that was it. I checked her forehead, but it wasn't warm at all. During the morning, she sat at the computer all droopy eyed. Then, around lunch time, she started to get sick and began throwing up in the bathroom! After she was done, she went back to my classroom and laid down on a mat to rest while my students were eating lunch. She laid there for most of the day and periodically continued to get sick! My students were so awesome, as I was having a difficult time with the smell! We all know how I am about smells:) One of them even told me, "Mrs. Bojo you can walk away, I'll take care of Emily." And a different one took care of getting rid of the trash bags filled with unpleasantness, as well! They were so sweet!

Anyways, after work, Dennis and I decided to head down to Dearborn anyways, praying it was only a 24 hour bug. She continued to get sick in the car on the way down, as well! We got down there around 7pm and headed out to dinner at Red Robin. During dinner, Emily finally started to perk up, as she began to get mad that she hadn't eaten all day. She finally ate some carrots and Gatorade, so I knew she was starting to feel good.

After dinner, we headed back to our hotel, scouted out where Emily would need to be the next morning, and then headed to bed, as we had to be at the welcome meeting at 7:45a.m.

The welcome meeting went great, as they introduced the dance teachers for the weekend. The teachers that Emily would be working with were: Mandy Moore, who choreographs for American Idol and has been on the Drew Carey show, Misha Gabriel who has danced and choreographed for Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, Mike Minery who produced the off Broadway show "Slide", Kim McSwain who has worked with Britnay Spears and NSync, Doug Caldwell who has worked in the movies: Mr. and Mrs. Smith, 13 going on 30, and The Sweetest Thing, and Katy Spreadbury who has worked with Ben Vereen and Karen Ziemba. Needless to say, these teachers were excellent and Emily was excited to be working with such great teachers.

The convention consisted of dance classes with these instructors from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, with an hour off for lunch. It was a long day for them, but I will say that I was extremely proud of Emily. She enjoyed each class and instructor, didn't complain about the work, and gave her all for the entire time. There were several other student that I saw crying and complaining, but Emily didn't, which made me proud.

For some reason, so many younger people, these days, feel that school, dance, whatever should be easy! I get so frustrated when my students or daughters have that attitude! So, it was nice to see her work hard and stay positive throughout the weekend! Dennis and I were just glad she wasn't sick and could participate.

On a side note, Saturday after Emily's last class, I talked Dennis into taking us to the Somerset Mall. We love this mall and love to shop there, as they have so many different stores. Anyways, I had promised the girls that we could eat at PF Chang's for dinner. This is a restaurant that I have wanted to eat at for a long time and just never have, so we got a take out menu Saturday before hand and all selected our entrees. When we arrived at the restaurant I asked if we could make a reservation or be put on the waiting list. The girl replied, "sure, our first opening is at 11:30." I said, "p.m." to which she replied, "Yeah!" The current time was 6 p.m. so there was no way in the world we would last until almost midnight, nor would we want to eat that late. So, we still haven't eaten at PF Chang's, but I promised the girls that we would go this summer and eat there. Hopefully I can talked my two Somerset buddies into going with me:)

Happy early Anniversary to us!

Dennis and I will celebrate 16 years of marriage in 27 days, which I consider an amazing feat, considering how difficult marriage can be! I look forward to many more years together.

Anyways, we, or more correctly I, decided that for our anniversary we would do something together as a family. So, I bought tickets for all of us to see the Harlem Globetrotters:) I remember as a kid going and I loved it! So, I bought tickets that were right down on the floor so we would have great seats!

This past Thursday, we went out to eat at Applebees and then headed to the show. We got there alittle early, as Dennis wouldn't have it any other way:) Before the game started we ran into one of the teachers that I work with and her son, as well as several of my students! We even sat 4 seat down from one of my 5th graders! His grandpa asked if he could get an A for being there:) I said sure, if he writes a paper about teamwork and basketball. That didn't fly with my student. Most kids now-a-days detest writing!

All I can say is that everyone needs to see them at least once in their life! It is such a great family show and fun time! We didn't stop laughing all night. They are just so comical with the basketball and each other! I loved it and the girls had a blast, even though neither of them much care for basketball!

At one point, the coach from the Washington Generals, the team the Globetrotters play, started messing with Lauren calling her the "Princess of Booing"! We were booing for the Generals, as they were cheating to try to win the game. The show lasted about 2 hours and then they had an autograph session afterwards. We bought the girls a program, basketball, and lanyard, so they had all the players autograph there things. I was able to get some pictures as well!

Christmas 2008