It's Coming on Christmas.....

But we aren't cutting down trees. We went fake this year for a change from last year. We've been so behind....ok, I'VE been so behind since our Disney trip. If I ever say I'm going the week of Thanksgiving again - somebody drive over here and slap me.

Last week we had SNOW!!! I know, snow in Mississippi - unheard of! But we did and we enjoyed two days off from school! YEAH! It was so nice, so peaceful. Since Chris works within walking distance he went on to work :-( But the kids and I enjoyed making snow angles, snowmen and a small snowball fight.

We are busy getting ready to wrap up school for the year! I am desperately trying to get Christmas cards out and work on my health savings account before the year is up.

We made a heart breaking decision this weekend. Will go into more detail later. We are praying for God to send us in the right direction. I wonder what door will open up next?

And...We're back!

Wow, it has been a long time since my last post. We have been so busy!! We started a remodel project on the house around the end of October. What started out as a little work here and there turned into giving a "lift" to just about each room. We painted the master bedroom and bath, laundry room, hall way, hayden's room, hadley's room and the hall bath plus we pained the mantle, hutch and beams in the living room. Most importantly - we have new floors in the living room, foyer and master bedroom! It was a big job that lasted over 3 weeks. I'd like to say we are happy with the end results, but I still don't have everything put back together, so I haven't been able to enjoy it yet. But I'm sure I will!

Last Friday the 21st we left on our very first journey to Disney World! We like to spend our weekend is close quarters, like camping or simply hanging out at the house, so the LONG car ride and cramped up hotel rooms suited us just fine! We spent Friday night in a small town called Marriann (I think.) We crammed all three kids into a queen size bed! The next night we slept at Disney's Hilton, right across from Downtown Disney. It was nice and clean, but we had to cram all three kids into a full size bed! I'm sure you could guess that Hali wasn't too thrilled with that! Especially since Had doesn't like covers and likes to sleep sideways!!

Finally on Sunday we made it into the parks. It was magical, that's for sure. I'm not a cuddly sweet person, so I normally don't buy into the parades, characters, dress up and so on. I didn't think my kids would either. Boy, it doesn't take long at that place to fall for it hook line and sinker! We were all excited when we saw characters, loved the parades, and sought out fun things to wear, such as their mouse ears: Hali - Minne Mouse, Hayden: Pirates of the Caribbean Mouse, Had: Pink Mickey Mouse Club. Had was still wearing hers today.

Chris was relaxed and had a great time being our human purse. Every time we'd head to the parks he would wear some sort of pants/shorts with many pockets. I'm not sure why he packed those, but boy were they convenient!!

We learned lots of things from our trip. Many things that, no matter how many guide books you read or people you ask, you just don't learn until you see it for yourself. I am looking forward to going again next year, and taking our new found knowledge with us. Lots of things I wouldn't do, some things I wish we'd done, and some gray things in the middle.

Most importantly, I brought back with me the best gift of all. The joy of seeing my kids fall in love over and over again with the magic. The joy of seeing them take care of each other and get along so well. There is no better sound on earth and the sound of a giggle from your children. We are so blessed to have each other. I pray that they always stay close. I am so grateful to be able to see, in the here and now, what a blessing they are.

I also brought back a cold. This cold has kept me from getting the house back in order after the remodel. It has also stopped me from decorating for Christmas. So, that wasn't the best souvenir to bring back. But at least I didn't get sick until the LAST DAY of our 8 day vacation!!! Here are some pics!

The Last Splash.

Wow - this week has been SO busy. Next week doesn't look much better. But I had to take a moment to blog about the boy. This week was his school's swim meet. The team has practiced twice a week since the beginning of school. This meet was for the Mississippi Private School Association and 17 schools participated. Hayden's school ranked 7th! YEAH!!!!!

It is hard to believe that just last year Hayden couldn't swim. When he joined our neighborhood swim team last summer he couldn't swim the length of the pool. He would swim a little, grab the rope, rest, swim a little more and repeat the process. Funny how fast things change. Coach Matthew, pictured here with Hayden (photo 1,) gave Hayden his very first swim lesson when he was four. Matthew is also the man who taught Hali how to swim. His sister Lacey gave Hayden lessons at age five and encouraged us to join the swim team. He has loved swimming ever since!

I'm always amazed when I see Matthew interact with the children. He has such a kindness about him. He ALWAYS takes the time to acknowledge the kids. It may be as small as a "hey buddy" or a high five - or even a rub on the top of the head, but it makes the kids feel so important. It just amazes me that a young man, who doesn't have children of his own, would take the time. It means a lot to the kids. It means a lot to the moms.

There was a LOT of waiting around at the swim meet. We arrived at 10:45. We waited until 1:00 to warm up and then it was around 3:00 when he was able to start swimming in events. While we waited, he got all of his homework done (photo 2.) I told him that his teacher LOVES it when he colors neatly. I think this page he colored while waiting to swim was his neatest yet! When we got home we had a message from Hayden's teacher, just calling to see how the meet went. I played the message for Hayden and his face lit up like a Christmas tree! Hayden's teacher is a true blessing. He really loves her. If all of the teachers at his school are like this teacher - we will never want for more.

Last night was the banquet. Hayden is SO excited about his medal. He has lots of ribbons and trophies, but this is his first medal. He slept with it under his pillow last night. He wanted to wear it to school today, but I talked him out of it.

The banquet was at River Hills Country Club. It is a very NICE place with a beautiful entrance. While we were walking in, Had asked "Is this where you and Da got married?" ha! The food was yummy and the kids behaved, so it was an enjoyable night. Had did her best to stay awake......but didn't quite make it!

Next I will blog about the fair. We had a GREAT time!

Our Story

This past weekend, while in West Monroe celebrating my sister's birthday, Chris and I enjoyed a stroll down memory lane. We rode by the college where we met in December 1993 (1st photo.) At the time, this was Northeast Louisiana University. They have since changed the name to University of Louisiana at Monroe.

We met in Hanna Hall at a 8:00 Geology class. Hanna Hall.....why didn't we name one of our H's Hanna? We were going to name Hadley Hannah, but that changed when I had my appendix out during her 4th month in the womb. That's another story... Anyway, We met at Hanna Hall (photo 2) He made an A, I made a D. I was young and couldn't get there at 8. I would get there around 8:20. It was a HUGE class. Chris sat in the front, I sat in the back. I would sneak in late, crawl on the floor so the professor wouldn't see me. The guy that sat next to me would hold the role until I got there. Oh, those were the days....

Our first date was at Ernesto's restaurant. (photo 3)A little old house, or shack, in the Garden District of Monroe. I had chicken tacos. Chris had....ok, I forgot. Chris wore a purple long sleeve button down shirt. His jeans were dark and he wore boots. That's right folks, boots. His hair was BLOND, bright blond, from being outside. His hair use to turn blond every summer. I had on the "elf outfit" as he use to call it. Purple sleeveless long jacket and black tights. He picked me up at my parent's house for lunch. He was leaving the next day for his Marine duty. It was LOVE at first sight.

I still remember getting his first call. I was standing in my parent's bedroom. I had skipped school that day. He called from the campus, where he worked, to explain that he was Chris, he was in my Geology class and lived next door to my friend Allison, and wanted to know why I wasn't in class. I was caught off guard..and thrilled!

I grew up on Pine Grove Circle. (Photo 4) It was a nice little house full of wonderful memories. I remember my Dad enclosing the garage and making a game room. I remember the coke machine located right inside the door - ready to offer an ice cold drink when I got off the bus. There was a pool table in the room as well. And the carpet had squares...that I use to count...when I was bored! My sister and I shared a room. I remember sitting up late at night talking about the Dukes of Hazard. Because she was the BIG sister, she got to have Bo for a boyfriend...I was stuck with Luke.

Our back yard was big. At least to my small eyes it was big. We had LOTS of cats. I loved those cats and I spent many hours playing with them. There were lots of kids in the neighborhood. Once the kids next door had a bunch of kids over and for some reason or another my sister and I weren't invited... we decided to treat them to some yummy chocolate marsh mellows.. we took mini marsh mellows and rolled them in the dirt. Once they were nice and brown, we took them to the fence and served them to the kids! They ate them. Wow...those were the days.

Chris and I plan to go back and take pictures of everywhere we've lived. If we can remember them all! 15 years is a long time. I think we've moved 9 times since we got married. I think.....not sure.

Good times.

All In the Family!

After a morning full of soccer, we piled up in the truck and rode to West Monroe to celebrate my sister's 40th birthday! We met up with my family at my all time favorite pizza joint, Johnny's Pizza! If you haven't tried it, you should!

It was wonderful getting together with everyone. There are eight grandkids.....that's more kids than were in Hayden's class last year! The kids were wild and loud, but that added to the fun.

Chris & I stayed at a hotel with out the kids that night. It was very nice to sleep in with out being woken up by monkeys.

On Sunday we gathered up all the cousins for a family photo. It is VERY stressful getting my 3 kids to cooperate for a photo....so I was dreading dealing with 8. But - surprisingly, it went very well! The kids were in good moods, which helped a lot. My sister's father-in-law was our photographer, and I have a feeling he got some great shots!

Looking forward to the State Fair!!!!!!!!

No picture, or Chris will kill me!

I wanted to take a picture of Chris to post with this entry! He would have rung my neck though. He came home for lunch early. I knew something was up when he came home an hour early. He said very little, just slid into bed..... next to Had, who is home b/c she still isn't feeling good. "You need a doctor?" Had asked. "Yes" daddy replied. Chris is sick, fever and all...... The picture opp? Well..He is wrapped up to his ears under the covers, one big fluffy cat tucked in next to him, two stuffed dogs near his side. All complements of "the doctor." While I took his temp, and took note that I was taking it with a Sponge Bob thermometer that plays the theme song when it is done, I thought "this would be a cute picture!!!" I'm sure he is not in the mood for a flash bulb, so I'll resist.

We have HAD it with this bug that is going around Brandon. Hadley brought it home from school Thursday. It hit me Friday night and DID ME IN all day Sunday. I spent Monday taking it easy, homeschooling Hali took all the strength I had, but I felt like I was over the battle. Today I left the house to run some errands - and it hit me just how worn out I was. It really took a toll.

Hayden has really had a tough time with nose bleeds lately. That occupied a lot of the day yesterday.

Hali is the ONLY one of us who is healthy at the moment.

You know, it really got me thinking today...just how blessed I am. God has really blessed us with healthy happy days. Healthy happy kids. A healthy happy marriage. Do I thank him enough for the "little things?" Being healthy isn't something little to a family who deals w/a toddler with cancer....or a mother, or father..... Do I take this for granted? What else do I just take for granted and "forget" to be thankful for? Am I teaching my children to take these things for granted?

Today, while homeschooling Hali in Science, we discussed things in the Old Testament that were predicted and proven true later, in the future. I love this Christian based curriculum that we are using for General Science. Last year I was thankful for the times during the day that all the kids were in school and I had some time to myself. Today, I'm thankful for having this special time with Hali. Funny how things change...

Super Had's 1st Week of K-4!

Hadley had a GREAT first week of school! She only goes three days, so her school week has ended already. She has got to be my most well adjusted kid. She doesn't even miss a beat. She just goes with the flow. She loves her teacher and really enjoys all of the "hard work" that she has to do every day. On her first day, she was telling us all about a bus that she colored, which, by the way, is very hard work. The bus had a stop sign on it, and "guess what Ma, I can spell 'stop'." Ok Had, spell it..... "H - E - B" Ma replies "Very close, Had....very close."
Wednesday on the way to school I heard her making clicking sounds in the back seat. I looked in the rear view mirror to see that she was 'tending' to check thinks off of her list, which is actually her hand held out flat. I said "what are you doing Had?" She replied "checking off my list." I said "don't forget to put milk on that list. We are out." To which she replied "Ma, I not making a food list. I making my things to do list. This one says 'go to school' and I checking it off cause we going to school now!" I'm glad she is so organized!!!
Today on the way to school she was telling me about a day that "Da" forgot to turn off the sound machine during the day and it made her think it was still night night time. She said 'That da sure is a bad man!' LOL! I called Chris right away to confront him on this! How dare he not turn off the sound machine! Neither one of use knew what she was talking about.....
I'll close for now. This has been a long week. Enjoy these pictures of Had, having a great week at school and soccer!

Our Dream House

Being in the Real Estate business, I see a lot of houses. Some houses make me very grateful for the one I have. Some houses make me long for something new. I think it is a feeling that comes w/the job. We knew moving into the house that is was a stepping stone for us. Honestly, we've lived here longer than I thought we would. The plan: to either move in to an existing home newer than the one we occupy today by the summer, or build.

The kids love my job. They LOVE to look at houses. The smaller two love to stand in all of the closets of houses. So, me being the fair "Ma" that I am, I ask "If you could have anything you wanted in a new house, what would it be?" Responses to follow:

Hali: "I'd like a walk in closet bigger than the one I have now. I'd like to push a button and have the clothes rotate around. I'd like my own private bathroom with a separate shower and tub. The tub should have jets and the shower should have a water fall for a shower head."

Hayden: "I'd like stairs. My room should be upstairs, and Ma and I would share a room. We'd have the biggest room in the house. Da could have a room to himself."

Hadley" "We need stairs and a big room so me and Ma can share it. Da sleeps by himself. I need a window."

So, two out of three think they should share the master bedroom w/me. Poor Chris, he can share the dog house w/Moe.

Winding down summer....

You can tell summer is coming to an end when soccer starts up, nights are filled w/homework and prime time tv gets good again! After two weeks of school and TWO separate illnesses, Hayden is in the groove and loving school. Had's school has been postponed another week due to the hurricane (flashback to Katrina when Hayden's school was also postponed, and Hali is in the full swing of homeschooling! The transition to homeschooling wasn't nearly as difficult as we thought it would be. Hali is a much stronger math student than I realized! Life is good! God is good!

Here are some pictures of Had's soccer practice. Also, today Chris and Hayden finished their fish puzzle that they have been working on since May!!! A perfect way to wind up summer! They've been sneaking out to the hot tub room here and there working on it. Hayden was so happy to have finished. Now I guess I will be going puzzle shopping for a fall puzzle to work. Hayden is in to country flags right now, as a result of the Olympics and his enrichment class at school. So I'm sure I will be looking for a flag puzzle. Chris & Hayden, my two peas in a pod!

Hayden's 1st Day of School!

Today is Hayden's 1st day of school. I think Chris & I were more nervous than he was!!! He slept great, woke up happy & couldn't wait to put on his school uniform! He took his new Star Wars Clone Wars backpack which he calls "the coolest backpack I've ever seen."
I am very blessed to have one of my favorite people on earth teaching at the school! She has been there to answer all of my questions and she was there on car duty when I dropped him off this morning! Hayden's teacher has already e-mailed the parents today to let us know that they are doing good! Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to do something this morning besides bite my fingernails and watch the clock! ha!
Check him out in his handsome uniform! The uniforms he has been wanting to sleep in because he likes them so much!

UPDATE: Hayden is back from school. Before I could even ask, he hopped in the car and said "I LOVED IT!" The loves his teacher, made a new friend named Matthew and listened to stories. He is UPSET that tomorrow is another 1/2 day, because he is ready to go all day!! How would have thought? Friday at his school is school t-shirt & jean short day - but he wants to wear his uniform again! He is so proud of it!!!

His teacher is an absoulte doll! She came to the car and let me know that he didn't good. Between her being so great and my sweet friend working at the school, I think I'll sleep good tonight.

Oh - and I kept feeling like I forgot something but couldn't remember what....well... I neglected to tell him his carpool number!!! I kept talking about his classroom number - never thought about carpool. They called his number out...he didn't know what to listen for. oops!

More Had Birthday Pics!

Happy Birthday to Had!!!

Today we had Had's 4th birthday party. If was lots of fun! Special thanks to Beth for taking these photos! Had enjoyed seeing her friends and she got LOTS of great presents! Had says "are you SO SO happy that I'm turning four?" Truth is......no. The time flies was too fast. She is a doll at this age!!!
Tomorrow is her real birthday. We will make a cake and celebrate, just the 5 of us. Back in May Ms. Penny, Had's teacher, celebrated all of the summer birthdays. So Had got to wear the "birthday girl" sticker and have all the perks that go along w/being the birthday girl. She was so excited! Later that night, when it was bed time and we were tucking them all in..she said to me "Ma, why you not celebrate my birthday?" She was just pitiful looking!! She thought her birthday had come and gone and we had just ignored it. I'm sure she was waiting all day for the big "surprise" that never came! I was SO excited that she used the word "celebrate" that I had to laugh! It became an ongoing joke in the house over the summer. And now, it comes to an end. Look Had, we celebrated your birthday!!!!

Funny Had!

Here are some pictures of Had being crazy. She dresses oddly every day and plays "cooker."

Hali comes home tomorrow! YEAH!!!!!!! I can't wait. Mama bird needs all the baby birds to be in the nest. Looking forward to sleeping good Saturday night!

A sad day.....Goodbye Estelle Getty

Hali is gone to camp. Haven't heard a word. Missing her like CRAZY!!!!

I was so sad to hear that Estelle Getty passed away today. The Golden Girls is my ALL TIME favorite show! I know just about every episode, word for word. I even purchased a list (years ago) of every episode - just to be SURE that I hadn't missed any. I know - strange.....

I can remember being Hali's age, I would climb up into my parents bed every Saturday night to watch the new episodes. As I watch them now, as a grown up, I realize that most of the humor was over my head - but I related to the cool old lady, Sophia. She had the best one line zingers of anyone on tv. I continue to watch to this day. Chris has made fun of me for it for years. "Yes dear, I'm aware I've seen them each 100 times." The kids will see it come on tv and say "Ma, the Girls are on." They know me too well...

I still laugh, even though there are no surprises. Favorite episode: the one where the girls crash a class reunion. I laugh until tears poor - every time.

Funny how I could watch that as a child - w/all of the adult humor. I would never let Hali watch it. But the difference I think is it really was above my head. I didn't know what the adult humor meant, and I didn't care to know. But kids today know. They know way more than we did. They grow up so much faster than we did. I hate that. You can try to shelter them, but one way or the other, they are exposed to these things at an early age.

A secret that not too many know..... I love Young and the Restless. LOVE it. Have watched since I was 8. I know, soaps have a bad wrap and not too many folks I know watch them. But it is one of those things I've always done. I, to this day, I tivo them and watch, never missing an episode. Yes, it is trash. But it is a story line I've followed for so many years, it will take a lot to disgust me enough to give it up. Not that I agree w/the story lines. It is just entertainment. Mind candy. I remember going to my grandmothers, drinking coffee and watching the soaps! Something fun to have in common. Chris' grandmother also watched them, and it was a topic that fueled many of our conversations. It was a bonding factor for us. She'd get so fired up sometimes about certain characters!! Fun times.

Again, something I could watch as a child, but now would I let Hali sit down to watch one? No way!!!! They weren't nearly as trashy when I was a child. I'm sure they must have had some adult content, but I didn't notice. Hali will sometimes come in the room to watch while I'm watching a show - but mostly I'll fast forward b/c the content isn't something I want to share w/her. Boy, the times have changed.

Well, I'm off to bed to sulk about not hearing from Hali today! I'm sure she can't get a signal on her phone, but each time my house phone rings, I jump!

I'll sign off w/what Estelle signed on all of her autographs: Love & Laughter!