BAH HUMBUG

Today after Madelyn and I got home from church we decorated the tree and house. I really wasn't in the mood to decorate, even with the Christmas music blaring. It just seems like so much work when it is going to have to be taken down in less than a month. I'm also a bit particular about where ornaments go on my tree and when Madelyn helps they all go in the same area and I end up moving them. Call me a scrooge, but I really would like to resort to a table top tree that doesn't need decorating. However, since I have a five year old in the house I will do my best to put on a happy face, sing a Christmas tune and decorate until Madelyn is old enough not to care. As we were decorating inside Ryan was putting the lights on the outside of our house. His grumpiness about putting on the lights makes me look like a Christmas Saint.



Jen and Garrett came down today to pick up Matt. They were lucky enough to get to witness my grumpiness. But, they did put me in a much better mood. Matt showed off his airsoft gun to Ryan and as I stepped outside to take a few pictures Ryan unloaded the gun on me. I have several welts on my back, neck and arms from that. Jen, Matt and Ryan couldn't stop laughing. I had a few choice words to say about that. Needless to say I will not be playing airsoft with them any time soon. OUCH!!



Garrett and Madelyn played outside and were pretending to be poor folks. Then they decided they were going to rake leaves and throw them in Madelyn's playhouse.

Thanksgiving(s) and Black Friday

We spent Thanksgiving day at my parents' house. Mom made a delicious meal, the fellows washed dishes and then we all sat around and told vulgar stories and did some indian leg wrestling. My sister whooped me the first time but I made sure that didn't happen twice. The lil girls also leg wrestled, but the men and my mom wouldn't participate.





Thanksgiving evening I picked up my friend Kris and then we headed to Kelli's house in Topeka for a slumber party. The fabulous four (Kris, Kelli, Robin and me) exchanged gifts, watched a movie and drank beer. I crashed before the rest of the crew because if I lack too much sleep I'm a complete grump and I knew getting up at 4:00am made for a short night. Kris, Robin, and I shared a queen sized bed. Between Robin's snoring and her bum rubbing against me I did manage to get some sleep. The four of us were up at 4:00am and at Wal-Mart by 5:00am, but that wasn't early enough to get the trampoline and digital frame that I wanted. It was pure madness at the stores and a complete blast. After going to numerous stores we stopped for lunch and Margaritas at On The Border. The shopping afterwards was quite amusing, to say the least. After taking Kris home I arrived back in CG around 5:00pm. Madelyn crashed at 7:00pm and I quickly followed shortly after 8:00pm.



Today Madelyn and I (Ryan had wrestling practice) headed to Manhattan to Aunt Bun Bun and Uncle Travis' (my SIL and BIL) house for Thanksgiving dinner with the Muhlig family and our dear friends Jim and Roberta. Jen made an awesome dinner and was quite the hostess. The adults enjoyed the time visiting while the kids played. Madelyn, Matt and I headed to Augusta shortly after 2:00pm.






Matt is now playing airsoft at a local establishment and Madelyn, Ryan and I are relaxing at home. We had a wonderful long weekend hanging out with family and friends.

Gymnastics

Madelyn has taken gymnastics off and on since she was a year and a half. She started again this month at the ElDorado YMCA. In years past she didn't really seem to enjoy it, but this time around she seems to, for the time being that is. It may be because she is getting better at some of the techniques. Usually, if she doesn't do well at something she automatically wants to quit. Well I hate to break the news to her but she has my lack of coordination and anything remotely athletic will probably not come easy for her.
Here are a few pics from practice tonight. Sorry about the reflection. I don't know how to get around that when taking pictures through a window.
She insists on wearing pants with her leotard. Not sure what that is all about. Surely a five year old is not self conscious about showing skin already.

So It Begins....

AHS wrestling season officially started Monday. Ryan got home shortly after 6:00pm, exhausted from the work out. They had a large turnout with 52 boys showing up the first day. That is a first ever in the eleven years Ryan has coached at AHS. Pretty sure the numbers are already down by today. It seems that some of the boys won't be able to hang with the tough work outs. Since there are only eleven slots in Varsity and eleven in Junior Varsity it would be a good thing if some of them drop out. Ryan said some kids will come up with mystery illnesses, start jobs, or have phantom injuries within a week.
It seems that wrestling is in full force at our house too. However, it is a year round season here. Madelyn and Ryan wrestle regularly and although they often times try to tempt me to join the fun I know better. I'm not tough and I usually find something better to do....like clean the toilet. Ryan and Madelyn can be quite vicious in their matches. It usually ends up with Madelyn in tears, but she gets right back up for more. Silly girl.



Since when is biting legal in wrestling?

Here come the tears

Can you tell how sorry Ryan feels for Madelyn in this pic?

Busy Buffer Week

This is how our not so relaxing buffer week has gone:

Sunday - Ryan and Madelyn rake leaves a majority of the day, while I clean house, nap and then run 7 miles. It is a hard life I lead.


This is Belle and Chance's lame effort to help with raking leaves.


Monday - Madelyn had gymnastics at the Y in ElDorado
Tuesday - Family pics at Portrait Innovations, first ever for the Muhlig trio. Ryan and I haven't had "formal" pictures since our wedding. You'll have to wait until closer to Christmas to see them.
Wednesday - Ryan just left for deer hunting and I will be taking Madelyn to Awana and then going out for a few beers with friends. I love my Wednesday night Church at a sport's bar. LOL Madelyn lost her 2nd bottom tooth today. Mrs. Olson pulled this one out too. Thank goodness because the permanent tooth is already coming in behind it.
Thursday - I have boot camp
Friday- maybe no plans
Saturday - Ryan deer hunting.


I think I'm ready for wrestling to start up so we can rest.

Buffer Week

Next week is buffer week at AHS. Which happens to be the break between fall and winter sports where no practice is to be held. This week is kind of like the calm before the storm in our house.
I am very blessed to have a husband that does more than his fair share around our house and is also a hands on dad. He is the one that gets Madelyn up and around every morning and takes her to school and the one that bring her home after school. He stays home with Madelyn during the summers and all other school breaks. The two of them have such a special bond because of all the time he spends with her. Unfortunately come wrestling season the entire schedule changes and we don't get to see a whole lot of Ryan. He usually will get home after 6:30pm every evening during the week, has wrestling duals every Thursday and when January hits he is gone all day every Saturday at a tournament and on Sundays he usually does a little bird hunting. For those that know me know that it is a huge adjustment for me when Ryan is gone a lot. I am a bit high maintenance when it comes to attention. I also have become quite spoiled by having such a great husband and get kind of cranky when he isn't around to help out as much as he usually does. By the end of wrestling season, which is the last weekend in February, we are all ready for it to be over. But there is also an adjustment period for all of us when Ryan is home more. Madelyn and I get pretty used to doing our own thing during wrestling season and when it is over we have to adjust our schedule to include Ryan.
Although there are adjustments at the beginning and end of wrestling season I wouldn't trade my life or my husband for anything. He is an amazing husband and father.

Leaving it up to a Higher Power

I have been pro Obama since he announced he was running for president. I saw him in person as he gave a great speech in Eldorado. I even caucused for him at one point. I was so sure I was going to vote for Obama. However, several weeks ago I had this nagging feeling that voting for Obama was not what I was supposed to do. I have spent plenty of time educating myself about Obama and McCain the last several months. Unfortunatley it is sometimes hard to determine what is fact and what is fiction. I weeded out what I could of all the political mess. I definitlely lean more towards a liberal than a conservative. But recently I have felt that God was telling me it is time to stand up for Christians and do my part and vote for someone that I know for sure believes in God. At 6:10am this morning I marched into the voting polls and voted for McCain/Palin. I felt such peace about it and know that God had a hand in my decision. I will also say though that the majority of my ballot I voted for Democrats so don't get any crazy ideas.
I will continue to pray for this election and pray that whomever becomes our next president will be a follower of Christ.

Tanganyika Wildlife Park

Since Saturday was such a beautiful day I decided to take Madelyn to the Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, Ks. It has been around for many years but only recently became open to the public. It serves as a home for some exotic and endangered animals. It is a rather small park but also less traveled which beat out the busy Sedgwick County zoo any day. It also is more hands on and we had the opportunity to feed some of the animals.

Here are just a few of the animals that live at the park:


Oscar, was a very friendly and curious Lemur who ate cranberries right out of our hands.




These pretty birds are Lories and they would drink right out of the cup and then try to steal it.



This is Vickie, a red kangaroo, she loved the attention from anyone that passed by. However, Madelyn wasn't interested in petting Vickie.


A family of giraffes also reside at Tnaganyika. One of them came up and took a branch out of Madelyn's hand




The Colobus monkeys, aka skunk monkeys, were pretty entertaining to watch.


We had a great time at the wildlife park and hope to go back again in the spring.

A "Super" Halloween

I took the day off yesterday to help out with the Halloween party in Madelyn's classroom. They started the school day with a parade around the block. Then we headed to the classroom for snacks, pumpkin painting and a story. They finished off the morning by getting a large bag full of goodies and changing out of their costumes so they could have a somewhat productive day at the Fall fest.





After school, Madelyn and Ryan carved pumpkins (better late than never). Madelyn loved cleaning out the pumpkins and had pumpkin guts from head to toe.







Around 6:00pm we headed to Towanda so Madelyn could trick-or-treat at the apartment complex Ryan used to manage. We got back into Augusta after 7:00pm then drove to friends' houses and the fire station for more trick or treating. We finished trick or treating by walking up and down our street. Madelyn had enough of going to door to door by 8:00pm and she wanted to go home and hand out candy. We only had a few trick or treaters and called it a night at 9:30pm.



The sugar buzz wore off pretty quickly.