What's Happening at the Nagel's House?

Nagel's Year in Review 2011

2011-12-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

Here is our annual year in review - our little way of sharing what we did this year and we hope you were able to be part of it in some way - even if you are far away and couldn't experience some of these moments with us...we always want to share them with you all!

Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday season - Merry Christmas - and have a wonderful new year in 2012!

Love,

The Nagel's

Tim, Angela, Clayton, and Briley

Digital Christmas Card 2011

Merry Christmas

2011-12-19T08:35:00.000-08:00

Both of the kids got personalized Santa Videos this year from the North Pole - they LOVED them!!

Clayton's Video from Santa

Briley's Video from Santa

Pumpkin Patch and Carving - 2011

2011-10-25T18:26:00.001-07:00

We spent some time last weekend at Honeysuckle Hill Farm in Coopertown - the best place for families to hang out in the fall! As you can tell by the pictures, all 3 of my kids (Tim included in there) had a blast - and Mom loved watching and taking these fun pictures!

Gatlinburg - Fall Break 2011

2011-10-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

Fall Break this year was spent in wonderful Gatlinburg TN with Clayton and Briley, my mom, sister, and niece Lilli. We had a great time - 3 kids to wrangle, but it was fun! I am sure we were all exhausted when we got back - I know I was! Great memories and great pictures - worth every missed moment of sleep!

Political Idiots

2011-07-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

How come if our 2 political parties can't get together and we do default on our debt in a couple of weeks - the experts say the hardest hit will be military salaries, unemployment insurance, Social Security checks for seniors, etc - how about taking away all the salaries of the elected officials in Washington, stopping all the non-medical research, and stop all the government funded war production companies for as long as needed and maybe that would keep them at the table talking!! Both sides are totally ridiculous right now - neither side will give in and they are acting like total 5 year olds - well if I don't get this, then you don't get this! Can't both sides see that we MUST have concessions on both sides to be able to make real changes in the economy - that means real spending cuts and yes, that means the super rich need to pay a little more. BOTH sides need to get their act together and won't get over their political agenda and posturing. They need to remember that no matter what they do - it is normal everyday people that will hurt from this - not their wallets, not their insurance, not their social security, but US. It amazes me that as a teacher I can get fired when my results on one test are not what they are expected to be, but I could go be an elected official and I would get a salary 5 times higher than what I have now, don't have to do anything but fit into my parties idealology, vote the way the others do, and I would get amazing insurance and not get fired!! Let's take away all their insurance and salaries until they get it together!!

Summer

2011-06-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

I just love summer - I love being able to do stuff around the house I never have time to during the school year. I love being able to go on vacation with my family. And I love being able to just do "nothing." That is right - I said it, nothing. I love being able to literally sit around all day (like today) and do pretty much nothing except for follow new people on Twitter, read blog posts on Google Reader, and play on my blog. And I am SO EXCITED I have been re-inspired to start blogging again thanks to a recent session I attended at our county wide tech conference. The session reminded me that blogging is my was to express my feelings, emotions, and viewpoints with everyone, and with no one. I get to express myself - and even if no one ever reads it - I know I got the chance to write (which has always been a passion for me). So, here i go again blogging - thanks to my recent inspiration - I am once again expressing myself. And just for today, doing nothing along with it.

How beautiful a normal, boring day can be....

2011-03-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

What a difference a year makes - this very normal and non-special Spring Break I have spent playing with my children, cleaning the house, and planning a short weekend trip with Tim and the kids to Chattanooga -----not too much excitement, not too much drama. Which is how I can characterize my life over the past several years of my marriage - drama. No, not drama from Tim and I specifically - but drama in the sense that I felt I was always waiting for something to happen. And when those days did come, that I always felt like I was being a burden or that people perceived me and my life as "dramatic." If you know me very well, and not many people do, you know that I am the last person that likes to be the center of any attention. So all those days that Tim had a seizure in the morning, during the day while I was at work and I had to either leave or miss school, I felt so strange that people "knew" what was going on in my private personal life. As I look back now, I think that is one of the reasons I have lost so many close personal friends over the past few years because my one way to keep from being the center of attention is to just remove myself completely - move away, don't answer the phone, stop attending church and events, etc. It has removed me from lots of great people over the last few years. And whether he knows it or not, Tim has done the same thing with his family and friends. It is one of the biggest mistakes I make in my life is pushing wonderful people away from me.

So, it has been almost a year exactly since our trip to Minnesota. Last Spring Break to be exact. So, now my husband is healthy - and we are still learning how to repair the holes in our life with friends, family, hospital bills, spiritual issues, marriage issues, et. Our lives are back to normal - I no longer wonder every morning if he is going to have a seizure driving in to work and wreck. Tim drives the kids now in the morning hours whenever he needs to. I can rely on him to stay up late or get up early and help out for school when I need him to. I can rely on him to go to work every day and do a great job and continue to support our family financially. I can rely on him to do all the things that I know he wants to do as a wonderful husband and father. I can rely on him period. So why does it take so long to fix everything else? I guess I am waiting for that magical patch that will heal all the emotional scars, magically pay off all the old debts and new hospital bills, and fix all the broken relationships in our way. Magical patch - I am waiting.

So - my first and most important statement to myself every day is to remember where we were not so long ago - not to say that we won't be back there one day. Epilepsy is a disease that we will deal with the rest of our lives - Tim will either be on medication or maybe even one day have surgery. I am so thankful that is has been almost a full year on the new treatment plan and we have had no seizure activity. Should I call this time in my life "the calm" period? No, I am thinking I will call this time "the return to normal..."

Spring Break of 2010 I spent sitting in a hospital room at the Mayo Clinic with Tim in the seizure monitoring unit wondering if we would ever get to have a normal life back again - our lives have been immensely blessed these past 12 months and I forget to remember that some days....today is not that day --I love my husband and am so thankful for his health these days - I love our very normal, very boring, and usually non-spectacular daily life.......

How beautiful can a normal, boring day at home be? Consider where you came, and you will see the beauty. I remember every day where we have been, where we came from, and where we are now, and I LOVE the boring of it all....no drama is good drama.

Is that a song title??

2010 Holiday Card - Nagel Family

2010-12-20T10:46:00.001-08:00

2010 in Review

2010-12-15T13:01:00.000-08:00

Wow - it has been over a year since my last post - let me give you an update on 2010.....

Clayton

Clayton started the 3rd grade this year at Beech Elementary. He moved to "Little Beech" this year to be closer to my school, and it also works out great with grandma Dyer working next door at the high school. Clayton has done very well in school (as always) - he really loves reading adventure stories (for fun), Math, and Recess (in his own words). This year, Clayton has really found his true athletic talents - he is a defensive specialist in just about everything he plays. We already knew that in soccer he had a special talent for finding and taking away the ball from the opposing team. This spring in baseball, Clayton got the chance to play shortstop for his team all the time, and made a habit of stopping some really good hits from the other teams! He was known by the other coaches for stopping and knocking down lots of their line drives! Clayton also started playing football this fall - Tim and I were very nervous at first (OK -maybe just Mom) but Clayton proved to be much tougher than even we thought. We were not sure what his football talent would be - but soon found out that defense was again his specialty. Clayton played cornerback all season (occasionally on the line) - he made lots of other boys twice his size cry when he put them right on their backs! haha He even managed to pick off a few passes this season - so exciting! Football was something that he really loved playing - and we found out he had a great talent for it! I think he will probably be able to take that natural defensive talent (from Dad I am sure) and be able to play with lots of teams in the future!! Clayton continues to love to play video games (the Wii is his favorite), loves Star Wars shows and toys, and loves to play outside with his dogs. Clayton has a great sense of humor and is an all around well behaved and polite young man. We were thrilled for him when he got one of the "lead solos" in his school musical for Veterans Day - he did a great job, didn't seem nervous at all, and showed that true Nagel musical talent - again from Dad! We are so proud of him when his coaches come up to us at the end of a season and talk about what great sportsmanship and work ethic he has for them and that they would love to draft him on their teams in the future. That makes us very proud of him as a person/athlete/student/son!!

Briley

Briley started Kindergarten this year! She also started at "Little Beech" with Clayton - we think this has made the "new school" thing easier on everyone! Briley has done so well this year - her teachers constantly tell us what great progress she is doing with her reading, sight words, counting, etc. We are very proud of her and she absolutely LOVES school and her teachers! It has definitely been a year of "firsts" for her so far - first day of school, first field trip (to a local Pumpkin Patch), first time riding on a bus, first lost tooth, etc! She is really growing up fast and we get a little teary when we notice it! She also got her ears piereced (for her 5th birthday in April) and recently got all that beautiful blond hair CUT OFF right below her ears in a super cute bob that she has wanted forever! She is just hilarious - never stops talking at home, constantly needs attention from someone, and yet has the sweetest heart and is so loving towards everyone. She loves Barbies, iCarly, baby dolls, playing "school", doing crafty projects, and playing outside. We have promised her that she can start taking gymnastics classes in January and she is very excited about that!

Angela

Just a short update on Mom....

School - Still LOVE teaching technology at KDDC Middle School - I work with the greatest staff, have the best bosses, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to work there. Got to start a new Volleyball team there this year - LOVED being able to start coaching again. My co-coach and I worked so hard this fall and we can't wait to start again in the spring with our 2nd year team. I missed coaching so much - I am so happy for the chance to start that again now that my children are a little bit older! Still get to work with teachers in my school and around the county teaching them new tech skills and coaching them with using the new programs - my favorite part of my job! I have gotten to part of some great committees for this and hope to continue to build on this.

Fun Time - Still love going out with Tim for date nights - most nights we are home doing "TV date night" (is there such a thing) - we make a point to sit by each other and cuddle on the couch, chat between commercials or while making kids lunches and snacks, and catch up on our favorite DVR shows like Dexter, True Blood, Fringe, and our Thursday night comedy shows (you know all the ones we can't watch while the kids are around). I try to read more these days - I am dreaming of the day I can own my own Kindle and read all the time....:-)

Tim

Ok, here is big one - anything new with Tim this year? If you know us, have talked with me lately - then you know the answer to that one is a big YES.....

Just to recap from this time last year - Tim had been having problems since about February of 2009 with his epilepsy. The medications were not working, he was having breakthrough seizures, new symptoms from the medications they were adding to him, and new seizure symptoms. He had a constant battle each day just to get up and get to work from Feb. through October of last year. By November, he had to go on permanent medical leave from the bank b/c of his health. Needless to say, last year was a really dark, low point for our family. Tim was struggling with his health, and our family was struggling just to survive. It affected us at home and at work - it depleted us spiritually, financially, emotionally, and any other way you could imagine. I often think of that time now as being in the bottom of a well and seeing the light up above, yet knowing no way to get there.....

I can write all this now that we have come through the other side - if you asked me about how things were going at this time last year through about May of 2010 - I would have just broken down and cried - so I tried not to speak of anything to anyone and we basically just hid for about 6 months. Our family was trying to get out of the valley that we had been placed in for whatever reason.....we are still struggling spiritually to answer that question.

In February and April we traveled to Minnesota to visit the Mayo Clinic there. They have the #1 rated neurological surgeons and doctors in the country - we knew it would be out of insurance network, knew the costs involved in just getting there - but we went anyway. We were out of options at that point - the doctors here just kept medicating him to death and had no new ideas for us at all. So we went - LONG story short - after 2 weeks there, they determined that he had been treated incorrectly for about 7 years now and started him on an entirely new treatment plan. We were hopeful, skeptical, and grateful when we left.....

Now it is 8 months later - and I have my husband back! Tim is the man he once was - happy, healthy, 65 + pounds lighter, new job that he LOVES, and our family is back on track. He is once again the father, husband, and man that he was always trying to be even through the daily health battles. I am so happy and proud of him - he smiles so much more, is happy to do even the smallest things as a Dad and Husband, and can't wait to get up every morning and go to his new job as an Accounting Manager at a large local benefits adminstrative firm. I am so thankful that we made that leap of faith to travel all the way to Minnesota (by CAR both times and once with 2 kids in the car - not recommended by the way) to visit that hospital.

If I can say one thing about 2010 - it has been our family's re-birth literally. From 2009 to the end of 2010 - we were on an emotioal roller coaster. Now, as we wrap up 2010, I feel as though the roller coaster has stopped, is parked, and we are all getting off together to go to the next fun event in our lives as a family. Thank you for any prayers, thoughts, comments, etc that you offered to us in this last year - I know they were heard and I know they contributed to those doctors in MN that helped save our family and my husband.

We absolutely can't wait for 2011!!

You never know

2009-08-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

You never know what you will wake up in the morning and find out. I have experienced this first hand several times over the last week in particular. If you know our family, then you know that Tim deals with his epilepsy daily, and most days the medicine cooperates, and some days it doesn't. There is no pattern, and we NEVER know when he will wake up and feel like something is going to happen with his seizures. This week, being back to school week for Mommy, was of course the perfect timing for this to happen. Of course I know my husband has no control over this, it just makes it a little harder to deal with during school times. School was tough at the beginning of the week, with me staring down 80 boxes of computers and monitors to be unboxed at some point during the week. Had to miss Open House due to Tim's health - so already I am feeling like a loser with my new staff. But then Friday came, and our staff development days had gone so well, and Tim went back to work feeling much better with an increase in his medicine levels, and I am thinking - WOW.....everything is looking up for the weekend!

And then I wake up Saturday morning at 8:00 am to my mother calling me to tell me that my dad's mom, our Nanny as we called her, had died in her sleep this morning at her nursing home. We had just moved her there after almost 2 years of trying to care for her at home with advanced Alzheimers. My parents debated for months, and put off moving her earlier in the spring when my Mom's mother fell ill and died in early February. They had just moved Nanny to her new room this week, and we had put in a TV and a corkboard full of pictures of the grandkids for her to look at between visits. And now she is gone, and I have no more living grandparents. A blessing for her - she is no longer suffering, confused, and is with my Papa again - she has missed him for 30 years. For us that are left, we are confused, suffering, and missing her now. It is so hard to think that we won't see her again, or tell her that we love her again in person. My children just lost one great-grandmother, and now they are losing their last one. They still cry for Grandmother, now I have to tell them about Nanny?

Sometimes we don't understand - so for right now, I have to make it through tomorrow of telling my children what has happened, make it throught the first 3 hours of registration day at school, then make it through my Nanny's funeral that afternoon without breaking down in front of anyone in the entire process. It is tough putting a face on for the world.

I will make it - because I am a mom and I have to.

Best Vacation Ever

2009-06-08T07:40:00.001-07:00

We just returned from our first family trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. We had an amazing time - we went from 7am most days to 10pm at night on almost every day! We had a few afternoons of short rain showers, but other than that the weather was hot and Florida like! We managed to hit EVERY ride in all 4 parks, one water park, the hotel pools, etc all in 8 days. We had lots of great restaurants that we dined in (we love the Disney Dining plan!) and even ordered pizza in our room one night that it rained us out of the parks early. The kids were happy and running around the whole time! This caused lots of stress on Mom and Dad as we were constantly monitoring them and making sure they were with us, etc - but we both made it. Tim and I are exhausted, we have a mountain of dirty laundry, but I would not trade it for anything. This was one of those vacations I hope they will remember as they get older. More specific posts on stories that happened throughout the week are coming soon.
Now on to the laundry......

2009-01-28T10:25:00.000-08:00

Our newest family Member, Ginger, in her first trip out in the snow! If you haven't heard about Ginger, she is the Husky/Heeler Mix puppy we got for free on the Sunday after Christmas. We were driving home after a long, hard day out and saw a family with "Free Puppies" on their sign. After stopping to look, we fell in love. There were 13 puppies in the litter, and Tim helped pick out one of the smallest, prettiest pups. She was one of only 2 or 3 girls. She has been a great additon to the family. She is very calm and just loves to play with the kids and chase them around! She and Bo have even managed to become good friends and play a lot together.

Grinch ICE

2008-12-12T13:47:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had a great time visiting the Grinch ICE! Exhibit for its' last year at Opryland Resort. We all got these big blue coats to keep us warm because it was SO COLD inside! (hence the name "ICE!") Briley and Clayton loved seeing all of the Grinch characters on display - but let's face it, they were really there for the ice slides! Briley went about 3 miles per hour on her first time down (people we even giving us dirty looks like "can't you make your 3 year old go faster down the ice slide?" - but Clayon had no problem. As anyone who has ever had a kamikaze 6 year old knows - ice slides are a dream come true. We didn't even really have to keep up with what slide Clayton was going on - we just stood at the bottom and watched where the other parents were pointing and laughing as they noticed the boy with glasses who was going down headfirst and approximately 100 miles per hour! A fun day with memories made for all!

Halloween 2008

2008-12-12T12:59:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Pumpkin Patch 2008

2008-12-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Briley singing in the pool

2008-09-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

Briley is going to be famous one day - just be ready

Are those not the cutest things ever?

Clayton Blake Nagel

2008-05-06T05:48:00.001-07:00

My son is awesome! Clayton just turned six years old in March - and he is growing up so fast before our eyes. He says some of the most grown up things sometimes Tim and I usually just laugh - but not at the new "sayings" he has picked up from some of his less mannerly friends at school. (If you have a child in kindergarten - you understand what they bring home!)

He is reading at the top of his class according to his teacher- we are so proud of him and the year he has had! Of course, he has "pulled some sticks" this year - he has a tendency to be a little bit hyper at times - especially in the free times. He likes structure, and likes things to be on schedule. He has had an awesome teacher this year and it is evident in the changes it has made in him. He reads and sounds out most words in his books now - it is amazing to Tim and I sometimes what he can sound out!

After a rough 2nd soccer season with a non-caring coach, and a really hard basketball season in which only the "good" players got to shoot the ball - we were really worried when he wanted to try baseball next. Being around sports all our lives, TIm and I could just see the 9:00 pm practices and games and having to deal with overzealous coaches who put too much pressure on the kids at this age. We were both prepared to be difficult if we had too - but much to our surprise - he landed on a team of kids (most of whom had never played before) with some coaches who realize the kids are 5 and want them to have fun while they learn. He has had a great season, loves playing - and YES - he has a lot of talent for baseball!

He is funny, smart, sensitive, grumpy in the morning (like his mom), has his father's long eyelashes, is well-behaved (compared to most) and is just the best. Of course, he has his moments just like we all do - but we love him and think we are so lucky.

Check out Clayton's Student of the Month picture on our school website
(enclosure link)

My kids are great - and so are yours

2008-05-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

I have been faithfully watching the show "Jon and Kate Plus 8" since it came on - for those of you with less than 8 children, it is an inspiration to see how just 2 parents can get all those things done in one day with 8 kids. I only have one 3-year old and she is such a handful sometimes. They do something really neat with their kids that I would like to start for our family. They have one day (each month, etc) that they spend just with that kid - the child gets to pick the place, what they do, eat, etc - it is all about them! Tim and I are going to start that this summer with our 2 little ones - we want to take time out of our lives and make sure they know we love them (even though we tell them often every day) and make sure they get a chance to to tell us what is going on in their lives. As you full-time working moms and dads out there know, you don't always get a chance to just sit down and talk to them with the TV, brother or sister interrupting, ovens going off, etc. SO - my next couple of posts are going to be dedicated to each of my children to show off how wonderful they are.

March Snow!!

2008-03-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

February News and Updates

2008-02-26T15:01:00.000-08:00

Well, we have been very busy around the Nagel house lately. To update everyone, here is life in a nutshell.....Go, Go, GO!!! Clayton has been busy reading and doing his "homework" in kindergarten, along with basketball practice and games. He is starting baseball for the first time in a few weeks! We are all excited as he will be playing in the same league as cousin Andrew!

Briley is always busy of course - she has been working hard at school, is doing great with her potty, and loves to play with Mommy and Daddy on the weekends. She loves going to big brother's games on Saturday. Briley is really into reading her books at night now!

Angela and Tim are of course very busy with work and school. Tim is doing great at Regions - earning his first insurance commissions with his new license recently. He is enjoying learning skills with his position, and soon hopes to be the manager! He is enjoying relaxing with Angela at night after 8:00 when the kids go to bed. We are both happy b/c someo of our favorite guilty pleasures are on lately! Angela has been swamped at school running the school website, working on committees, planning for achievement testing, and still running the daily classroom! SHe is enjoying having her show LOST back on the air! Angela and Tim recently got to go on a well earned parents night out (thanks to the local daycare) and spent a romantic evening shopping for furniture and buying baseball gloves and cleats.

Oh, how life has changed from our wilder younger days......haha

Nagel - Family Christmas 2007

2008-02-02T19:23:00.001-08:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Christmas 2007

2008-01-03T06:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2007 - more to come....

Broken Finger

2007-12-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally have our first broken bone in the Nagel house - Clayton and the basketball had an interaction at practice last week - and the ball won! His pinky finger has a tiny break in it, but it is on the growth plate of his finger according to the doctor. He has a cool splint, and has to wear his arm in a sling most of the day to keep it up and so it can heal better. He thinks the splint is OK, but HATES the sling. Briley likes to borrow it though! So, he is out of practice for a few weeks - and Mom and Dad are trying to think of ways to keep him busy since he can't get too rambunctious while it heal! Any ideas???

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2007-11-24T19:48:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Weekend 2007

It took me a few days to come down from the whole Thanksgiving thing this year for me to write about how our holiday went. I am not sure if it was all the starch I ate over that day (which was a lot), or if I just needed to sort out all of my thoughts in my head. I have been bombarded over the last few days of so many different feelings and thoughts. Catching up with cousins, sisters, brothers, aunts, and uncles - I am overwhelmed at the things my family is dealing with. Health issues, divorce issues, child issues......I have been thinking about these for the last 2 days and trying to remember why I have been stressed out about anything lately.

First, how thankful I am for my family. Any person my age with kids, a mortgage, car payments, cell phones, groceries, school fees, and bills knows what I am talking about. Tim and I stress each month over new things that have come up in the budget. We both work hard to give our children a good life with a nice home, cars that run every morning, and toys to play with at home. Yet, it strikes me that they are the happiest when we are cleaning out the garage and playing with the old mattresses that we are getting rid of and the empty cardboard boxes. They could care less if they need new shoes, or if the cable bill is getting too high and needs to be paid on time. They don't have to worry whose house they are staying at this weekend - moms' or dads'. Tim and I both could have ended up with the wrong partner in life to tackle these daily chores............Tim and I are so lucky to have our life with each other - there were some years that we were apart, and I really didn't think I would ever talk to him again. Then, by some stroke of luck, or whatever you would like to call divine intervention, he found my old cell phone number on a piece of paper from an old Sunday school class. The rest is history - we found each other again, and he has given me a beautiful family and a beautiful life. I need to remind him of that more often.

Being a grown-up is hard. Life deals out things to people who don't deserve them - Yet I know some remarkable people who handle the toughest things with the most grace. I just found out Tuesday before I left school of a former teacher at my school who had died that morning of cancer that he had just been diagnosed with a month earlier. He had a wife and 2 young girls. Things in my own life that stress me and make me yell at my husband all come into perspective when you hear a story that comes so close to your own life. Bills get paid late sometimes, the laundry isn't folded and put neatly away every weekend, the kitchen floor needs mopping, and the kids are yelling at each other again. Being a grown-up is hard.

But I am so thankful for my life and for the life that is to come with my family, extended family, and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving

So what has Briley learned lately?

2007-11-15T07:51:00.001-08:00

Briley's latest - She is learning and saying so many funny words and phrases. Briley has become our little "parrot" in the house - she copies everything we say and do, especially Clayton. That drives him crazy - we just tell him he has to get used to it - she is going to bug you for the next 18 years! Her latest words are "poopoo-head" (learned from a little friend at school) and "wrap it up" (obviously what her teacher says to them at school). She keeps us on our toes at all times - she comes up with things to get into that Clayton never even thought of! She is SO CLOSE to being completely potty-trained - she is working so hard at wearing her "big girl panties." She is growing up so fast - she is not our little baby anymore.

Now how long do you think it will take me to convince Tim that we are ready to have our 3rd one now?

Kindergarten - November

2007-11-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

Clayton is doing great in his kindergarten class! I was lucky enough to be able to pick his teacher (one of the few perks of being a teacher in his school) - and I knew this teacher from when I had her step-son in my class a few years ago. Their personalities match very well, and she is very patient with him. With the 2nd report card that just came out, he is reading way above grade level, and is writing very well. We are so thrilled when he brings home his weekly readers and can read all the words to us with no help! He is doing great - and Mom and Dad are very proud!

The Joys of Parenthood #1

2007-11-13T12:36:00.001-08:00

Tim and I had one of our "parent moments" this weekend - one of those moments where your kid does something SO BAD, that it becomes funny. Clayton and Briley were outside - we thought playing nicely on the swingset and in the sandbox. It was a nice, breezy day - cool enough for the kids to have jackets on in the middle of the day. I had been outside to check on them about 5 minutes earlier and had decided to go back and take a shower (we had been cleaning out our garage all morning). Later, as I got out of the shower, I heard Tim's voice LOUDLY telling Clayton to get in his room. Now, if you know Tim, then you know his voice is not very loud, and it takes a LOT to get his voice loud. So, I knew it was something major. CLayton had gotten a whim and decided that teh sandbox needed some water in it so they could build better sandcastles. Well, his version is that "Briley told him too" - so of course he listened to her when she told him to spray HER with the hose. He had turned on the hose, and when Tim heard Briley crying loudly in the backyard, he found Clayton standing over her DOUSING HER with the hose on full blast of cold water. Needless to day, shoes were ruined, the sand box was overflowing with water, the 2-year old was cold and wet, and the DAD had his first encounter with high blood pressure. (something Mom feels DAILY)

Later that night, when the punishments were over, and the sand was out of everyone's hair - Tim and I figured that ....

After all the stuff she does to him, Briley probably deserved it
AND
It was a pretty funny sight to see

Now - have I told you about the time that Briley covered the walls of her bathroom with baby powder??????

Halloween Night 2007

2007-10-30T13:14:00.001-07:00

Such a fun night! Again this year, our neighborhood was SO PACKED with people from White House, Portland, and other surrounding areas! It makes Tim and I feel good to live in such a family friendly neighborhood - but it sure takes a lot of candy to get ready for everyone! We had our house decorated up so cute - and of course the kids were the main attraction! Clayton kept his superhero theme going with the original "Wolverine" from X-Men fame. His muscles costume, mask, and "claws" were a big hit (especially with the dads). Briley got into the superhero theme too this year, choosing her "Supergirl" costume - complete with gold belt, and metallic boots! This year, we also got to visit with Aunt Jennifer's new baby, Lilly. She was so cute in her pumpkin outfit! Mom stayed at the house with Lilly and Jennifer and helped pass out candy to the others - and we headed out in both directions as soon as it got dark! Several houses had smoke machines, haunted houses (in their garages), and fun props in their yards. Clayton loved it all - but Briley still needed some prodding to go up to some houses! We had a fun night - we did have to cut out our lights and pretend we were not home around 7:30 though because we ran out of candy! OK - so next year I will buy even more!

Check out more pictures of the night in our Family Photos album link at the bottom!

Pumpkin Patch 2007

2007-10-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

What a fun day! We have started some new Nagel family traditions, and I hope this is one that we can continue to keep every year.....going to the Pumpkin Patch each fall!!

Halloween Party 2007

2007-10-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

We went to our 2nd annual Small Wonders Daycare Halloween party on Saturday - what fun! Clayton and Briley were tired after a long day of soccer games and dinner out with the Bennetts, Vogels, and Grandma and Grandpa Martin, but they both got pumped back up when they saw their costumes! Briley is Supergirl, and Clayton is the Wolverine from the X-Men comics. At the party, they got to see their teachers and friends, roast hot dogs and marshmallows, and play some games. The highlight of the night was the LONG hayride back in the fields of White house - we had some "ghouls" set up along the way to scare us! Mommy was the most scared of falling off the back of the trailer (OK, and Michael Myers was scary too). We had a great time and everyone went to bed exhausted that night! BUT we got lots of candy to start off our Halloween week!