SAUCER SCHNANIGANS

I know my regular readers are anxious to see pictures from Christmas so I have the majority of them up on picasa. You can click the NEW Saucer Family Website on the left of the blog to see them. The new album is Christmas 2007. We are headed to Alabama today for Joey's baptism tomorrow.

Hi, my name is Amy Saucer and I am a picture addict. There are a handful of people who enjoy giving me a hard time about my addiction. Ironically, they are the same people that benefit most from the pictures we have!! Daniel backed up the computer a while back and we finally have the numbers to prove my addiction. It took 25 hours to back it up (I started having computer time withdrawl 2 hrs into my day) There was 41 gig of pictures or 158, 719 files on our hard drive!!! We are currently discussing our options which include purchasing an additional hard drive, or using our tax refund toward parts for Daniel to build us a whole new computer (Daniel wants to hook this one up to the 65"TV for the boys to play games!!!) I just want a fast internet connection and for all my picture files to be SAFE!!!

It's 1:30am and been a very long day. Daniel's surgery was pushed back quite a bit today and we are just getting home from the hospital. The doctor gave us some neat pictures and I hope to get them along with all the details added to this post in the very near future. Thanks for all your prayers and please continue to pray for a speedy recovery. WARNING WARNING WARNING the following pictures are not for those of you with weak stomachs!!! Here is his Gall Bladder (everything here is normal) This next picture was explained with some big words. My teaching background kicked in so I rephrased what the doctor was telling me in words I could understand and he said I was understanding correctly. This is Daniel's colon an it should be able to move freely, but there is a spider web kind of forming around it trapping it. The doctor was able to cut it free. Here is Daniel's small intestine. It was getting caught up in the web as well, but the doctor was successful in freein...

Alan and Aidan had their first slumber party on Friday night. Aidan and Emily came over so Missy and Ketan could have a night out. Aidan slept over and we all had a blast. Here is a short video of Emily and Joey playing in the Jumperoo. You would never guess she is 5 months older!! Here is a picture of Emily and Alan playing when the kids first arrived. Here is a picture and video clip of the boys out in the hot tub. Eddie passed out early and you could still hear Alan and Aidan talking at 11:30pm. They slept in til 7:30am. Here is a fun picture while they were still in their pajamas. Here they are brushing their teeth. Here are a couple more shots of the slumber party. They will be having another one at Aidan's either Thurs. or Fri. night depending on Daniel's surgery schedule.

I received the email below and thought some of you might enjoy it. I can't figure out how to get it to type in red like the original. Dear Santa, I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years. Here are my Christmas wishes: I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the sev...

Here is a picture of the Christmas Calendar we made to countdown the days until Christmas. Each number is a little pary favor tin with 2 hersey kisses inside. Next year I'm sure there will have to be 3 kisses!! Here are the cute little "Snowman Soup" packets I made for each kid in Alan's class at school. Alan came home from school with red nose and antlers yesterday. We couldn't get him to perform at home, but here is what Eddie could get out of him.

There will be a Box Top drive contest in February to earn money for Alan's school. If you would be willing to save them and send them to us you can email me at saucersrus@yahoo.com to get the mailing address. There will be prizes for the class and the student that brings in the most. There is also a way to earn points for Alan's school every time you do a search on the internet. Here are the directions: 1. visit www.searchandgive.com 2. sign up for a Window Live ID and select Tommy Smith Elementary School on the My Charity Settings page (you type in Tommy Smith for the school and the zip code is 32404) 3. search the internet using www.searchandgive.com As soon as you start searching, you will earn tickets that can be converted into cash for Alan's school. There are lots of cool things the school will be able to get with this fundraiser and the kids don't have to go door to door selling crap! Let me know if you have any questions or problems. Thanks, Amy

We got Eddie's favorite baby toy, the Jumperoo, out for Joey. Looks like he's gonna have to fight for a turn. Here is a clip of Joey and Mommy playing when we got home from the parade.

We had Christmas Parade here on Saturday night. Alan and Eddie had a great time. Alan's favorite was chasing down the candy (at first he was really upset and crying when he wasn't able to get a piece). There were several older and bigger kids shoving and being kinda mean where we were standing. I just looked at their parents and it didn't take long for them to not only improve behavior, but share candy with Alan and Eddie. The music and marching bands were Eddie's favorite. Here is a short clip of them standing in the street.

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Here are a couple of video clip of Joey from this weekend. i also added 50+ pictures to the picasa page. Just click on the link to the left called the NEW Saucer Family Web Page and select November 2007.

I got the following poem on email and thought you all might enjoy it. Have a great Thanksgiving!!! Happy Thanksgiving T'was the night of Thanksgiving, But I just couldn't sleep. I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep. The leftovers beckoned - The dark meat and white, But I fought the temptation With all of my might. Tossing and turning With anticipation, The thought of a snack Became infatuation. So, I raced to the kitchen, Flung open the door And gazed at the fridge, Full of goodies galore. I gobbled up turkey And buttered potatoes, Pickles and carrots, Beans and tomatoes. I felt myself swelling So plump and so round, 'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground. I crashed through the ceiling, Floating into the sky With a mouthful of pudding And a handful of pie. But I managed to yell As I soared past the trees... Happy eating to all - Pass the cranberries, please. May your stuffing be tasty, May your turkey be plump, May your potatoes 'n ...

Check out the news story on the web address below. I know the people that live in the 3rd house (the one the car landed on the roof of ending the high speed chase) You will have to copy and paste the address to get the news story as I can't seem to make it work as a link. If you go to the video clip available the man they interview is my friend's husband and I'm not sure, but I think the gal is her daughter in law. They live next door to each other and about 10-15 miles from our house. http://www.wmbb.com/gulfcoastwest/mbb/news.apx.-content-articles-MBB-2007-11-16-0001.html CEDAR GROVE, Fla. -- One man is dead after losing control of his car and crashing it into three houses. Officials with the Panama City Police Department say it happened just after midnight Friday morning. A Cedar Grove police officer spotted a speeding Chevy Trailblazer at 15th Street and East Avenue. The officer estimated the SUV was going over 100 mph and radioed that he was turning around to follo...

They served Thanksgiving Dinner at Alan's school on Friday. There are 900+ kids from PreK-5th grade AND their parents. It even tasted good!! I think they had lots of volunteers from the church that uses the Meritt Brown Middle School building next door to meet on Sundays. Here is a video clip of his class practicing their Indian song before we ate.

The boys and I made another trip to Fed Ex to send a cooler of milk off to the Milk Bank in Raliegh, NC. Here is a picture of how we get everyone safely inside. Please note Joey's seat is usually hooked on my arm and not riding on the wagon. We had 595 ounces this time!! Here are a couple extra shots of Joey from this week.

Here is my current favorite picture of Joey. I took it 2 days ago while running errands. He LOVES this soft giraffee blanket from Great Aunt Kathy.

Here are some pictures from our Saturday. We started with getting the 3 biggest boys (Daniel, Alan and Eddie) hair cut. Here is a picture of Alan and Eddie getting them done at the same time. Another pic of Alan getting buzzed. Since the Barber shop is in the same location as the Commissary we decided to takle a grocery run too.

The Packers won today 34-0 against the Minnesota Vikings. Go Pack!!!! Maybe wearing our Packer gear today helped, maybe not. At any rate we got some cute pictures of the boys.

This is a short video clip of the boys after receiving some great horse costumes from Grandma. She got them on sale after Halloween. The boys really LOVE to dress up!!

Here is Joey's 3 month watch me grow picture. He weighed 15lbs with clothes 2 days ago. Joey is ALL Smiles these days All those smiles can really tucker a person out!! Eddie lookin' cool in his rugby shirt that Grandma brought from Ireland.

It never fails that something exciting HAS to happen while Daniel is out of town. I awoke this morning to the screaming alarm of our smoke dector and actually smelled smoke. I don't think I've ever sprung from bed so fast. I started yelling for Alan and Eddie to wake up as I burst into their room to grab them from bed. I put them on their feet and ran for Joey with them by my side. Then I stopped and realized we didn't see any fire. With Joey in my arms and the boys clung to my side we went through the house room by room and closet by closet. We found nothing, but I could still smell this faint burning smell. I called Daniel's cell, no answer. Called his work cell, no answer. My cell rings and I can't get to it in time. Call him again, no answer. He finally gets ahold of us and I explain the situation. Check the computer to see if it's an electrical fire he says. I already checked all the rooms and stuff, but who knows. Then I realize yesterday wa...

Alan and Eddie are still totally CRAZY about Joey!! Here is a video clip from this evening. Eddie took all his clothes off and was throwing a fit next to Joey on the floor. I picked Joey up and started to feed him. This made Eddie go nuts and scream louded. "I feed Joey" he exclaimed and kept grabbing at his nipple. It was extremely hard not to laugh. I did manage to grab the camera and get a short video clip for you. The drama continued. . .

This was the view from our front yard on Halloween morning. We headed out bright and early to attend the Halloween party at Alan's school. The kids, including Eddie, got into their costumes and we paraded around from classroom to classroom and office to office trick or treating. Eddie could hardly stand on his own two feet by the time we were done. Here is a picture of Ms. Young helping him down the stairs. Joey got tuckered out as well. He is wearing a little pumpkin sleeper that Aunt Kathy gave me while I was in Greenbay. Her daughters, Laura and Sara wore it over 20 year ago!!! Here are the 3 Saucer boys with Alan's teachers, Ms. Young and Ms. Powell. Here is a picture of the whole class. I took the boys trick or treating by myself (Daniel was TDY) and we got way too much candy. I think Mommy will have to help them eat it all!! They had a blast and slept like rocks :P

We kept with our family tradition of going to the Pumpkin Patch in Clanton, AL with the Tucker family. I LOVE this tradition and hope to continue it for as long as possible. We met up with Chalane and her crew around 10am at the Grand 'Ole Pumpkin Patch and took some great family photos. Then we headed off to the pony rides and petting zoo. They also have an amazing sunflower field and real TeePee set up to play in. The kids had a great time running from TeePee to TeePee and playing. Then we had lunch and relaxed for a bit before the big event. We boarded the hay wagon and had a great ride to the actual Pumpkin Patch where they also have a HUGE pile of hay to jump and play in. The hay was so much fun we actually had to talk the kids into going out to find a pumpkin. The weather this year was BEAUTIFUL. It started out a bit chilly which really made it feel like fall, but by the time we were heading home is was "Sunny and 80" Here are a couple pictures from this y...

On Thursday, Oct. 25th Eddie, Joey and I got up at 1:30am to begin our travels home. We had just over an hours drive to the airport and had to check in at 3:30am for the 5am flight. Again we made it to our first stop and made the connection no problems. When the plan was getting ready to leave Minneapolis we had to sit at the gate to burn fuel as the plane was too heavy!! This delay was going to make for a very tight connection in Memphis. I was prepared. I called the 800 number to get the gate number loaded the boys and all our gear into the baby limo and we RAN (I mean I really RAN) through the airport. The plane was still there, but they had closed the doors 2 min ago and they wouldn't let us get on. The man (single and probably age 25 with NO kids) got a direct flight to Panama City. Cool this should be no problem. I get to the counter with 2 screaming kids and they want to re-route me through Atlanta!?! I looked at the lady and very calmly said there was no way I wa...

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Well I guess I need to get you all caught up on my recent travels. On Thursday, Oct. 18th I got up at 3am to be ready in time for a 6am flight from home with Eddie (2.5yrs) and Joey 2.5 months) by myself. We were to have to connecting flights on our journey for the day. We made it to Memphis and got to the gate with double stroller, 2 carseats, diaper bag, back pack and both kids!! The flight was delayed 30 min, no problem. We get on the plane and it's hotter than hades!!! They apologize and get ready for our flight. We end up sitting at the gate for a full 2 hrs while they fix the air conditioning. I might need to remind you northerners that it's 85+ degrees outside in Memphis on this October morning. Well your connection in Minneapolis is NOT going to happen so what can you do. I get off the plane and go to the counter to see what adventure is ahead. Well they ended up canceling my flight completely so we missed NOTHING. They put us on a much later flight that wou...

Yesterday was a big day for Alan and Eddie. I must admit I was very nervous about taking them to the dentist for the first time all by myself. I got them excited on the way there and the hygenist was AWESOME!! She had Alan go first and explained to Eddie that he needed to watch so he would know what to do when it was his turn. She showed Alan each tool and how it worked then let him give it a try before she got started. She had him wearing the bib AND his own set of rubber gloves along with some fun sunglasses and he got to run the vaccuum (suction) tool himself. Eddie could hardly contain his excitement at the thought of vaccuuming his own mouth. He squirrmed in his chair waiting more patiently than any 2 yr old possibly could for his turn to wear the green sunglasses, rubber gloves, bib and most of all to run the vaccuum. He climbed into the chair and immediatley grabbed the tools the hygenist had shown Alan. He ended up shooting water across the room and Laura was so amused ...

Yesterday was quite an emotional day for me. I packed and shipped my first cooler of breast milk to the Milk Bank in Raliegh, NC. They FedEx a regular Rubbermaidor Igloo cooler to our house with a pre-paid shipping bill. I fill the cooler with all the frozen milk and drive it to FedEx as late in the day as possible. It then gets shipped Priority Overnight. Getting the cooler in the FedEx building was quite a challenge as I had all 3 boys. I put the Radio Flyer wagon in the van then put the cooler in the wagon and buckled up the troops. When we got there I took the cooler out then the wagon. Then I put the cooler in the wagon with the paperwork and unbuckled everyone. Alan and Eddie were getting ready to pull the wagon and the lady was running to help me before I got Joey unbuckled. The cooler weighed 59lbs! She asked me the value of what it contained and I said, "I don't know. About a million dollars. How do you put a price on 700 ounces of breast milk??" Her...

We were so excited to find out Madison was spending the weekend in town with her Nana!!! Nana brought Madison and Alex over to our house to play and have dinner last night. Here is a picture of the group.

My friend, Brandy Carlson, hosted a great Family Fun Night potluck out on her family's farm. It's right in the middle of the city and you would NEVER know it as you feel like you are out camping in the woods. Here are some pictures.

Here is Joey's 2 month "Watch Me Grow" picture. He weighed 13lbs 6oz and was 23.75 inches long at his check up!!