Our Easter

Easter was so much fun this year. The kids were way excited about their baskets (no pictures- I was making breakfast) and the huge egg hunt after church. Since our church had no classes and service wasn't till 10:45 we hung out and played in the morning. Then after service it was off to dinner with Jason and Leah Tomlinson's family. It was so much fun, and I got to meet some new members of their family. We instantly felt at home (as always!). After lunch came the massive egg hunt. I call it massive because 1. there were TONS of eggs 2. we were running out of places to hide them, and 3. there were so many eggs that the kids were running around trying to figure out where to start. Caleb racked up the eggs. Once his basket got full he was finding them and tossing them at anyone hear by. Landon and Ian stuck close and got plenty added to their basket. Riley held her own, and once she figure out that you had to look for them she was off. Then we opened the eggs and sorted the candy. Now every (and I mean every) day I hear "can I have some candy?". Occasionally they get some, but Matt took all the chocolate to work and we sorted most of the hard stuff, so I think we are good! Here are some pictures of the festivities:

Don't know if you can see them but the many colored spots are eggs
Waiting for the signal to go (girls got a head start)
Searching like crazy (not that you had to look far)
The boys (Landon, Ian and Caleb)


No sooner than an egg was in her had her eyes were searching
Helping each other out- maybe I'll get 2 more years of this
The sorting- They were sneaking candy right and left- can't believe they didn't toss anything!
The goods
Heading home


The Easter Service was amazing. I was in awe of my Lord and Savior all over again. My spirit was renewed and I feel recharged for the fight. It was a wonderful day for celebrating our Lord and spending the day with friends

Clement-isms from the kids

* I need an iceberg (aka- I need an ice pack)

* The energy made my arms flop and poke my eyes- I can feel it tingling me (aka- I kept poking my eye and getting upset for no reason)

* You're the Bobafet (aka- You're awesome!)

*My head is so dizzy (aka- I'm about to hurl in the van)

* That is so wicked (aka- that is so wicked-duh)


These are just some of the things that have come out of my kids mouths in the last few days. They crack me up what they will say! I'll be posting some pictures soon!

Work in progress

UPDATE: OK so I got it to work. I think I went the really long way around, but I am not a computer genius by any means!! Let me know what you think!

I'm going to be changing some things up on our blog over the next week. I found a template that I really like, but I'm having trouble getting it to work (and being that I only know how to do certain things does not help!). So hopefully my amazing and wonderful programmer of a husband can do it for me when he gets home! maybe..... :)

Snow Day, Gaming and more fun!

Sorry for the lack of updates! We started our Spring Break this week, and I actually had to "work" Monday and Tuesday so I am just now getting around to getting the pictures posted. There is something in the Education field called "In-service", and in this county, if you do not get your required number of days (30) by April, you get your pay docked. Since I wasn't hired till late in the summer I have been scrambling to get all my hours in. Hopefully I will be able to get most of them done this summer for next year. That way I am not left trying to get them all in- gets a little stressful! My mother in law, Linda, came down for those days and helped us out. The kids enjoyed it and hopefully she did too! It was a little crazy I'm sure, but they had fun digging out some bushes in the front of our house (see we put her to work, not only watching the kids, but getting some landscaping done!) and playing in the amazing weather. We have continued having all the fun since. The weather has been great and we have played to our hearts content outside. Our driveway is an amazing mural of the kids creativity and the dirt in the front has never looked more lively! :) I thought I would post some pictures of recent activities and just fill everyone in. We will be doing some fun things this weekend and next week so I will post more later.

We had a few snow days this month and I never really got a lot of pictures. We had on on the day of Caleb's surgery, but I didn't get any pictures since we pretty much stayed inside because of Caleb. So we had another snow day and we went out early. The kids had fun just running in it. They didn't want to wear gloves, so their little hands got pretty cold. We attempted to make a snowman, but he got stomped on by all 3, so he was not much more than a pile of mush, when I got the camera! After the playing we came in and had pancakes and hot chocolate with marshmallows of course- is there any other way to warm up?







One thing that I am trying to be more consistent at is doing a family devotional in the evening before bed. We have a book that we are going through right now, and then will be doing a few activity books later on. The other evening we were reading our story and I always have them repeat the bible verse of the evening and they each take turns saying it. They are getting pretty good at remembering them. They really like the stories and enjoy asking and answering questions. We have always prayed together and with each kid, but I want to get better at doing these.



For Christmas Matt got his wish of a bigger TV. Luckily Tommy was here to help Matt pick it up and get it set up. But we also got a PS3 and the kids (I am including my husband here) are enjoying it. We downloaded some demos to try and see what we liked and the kids have 2 favorite games. They love the duck game and this little toy car game. I even love the games. I took some pictures of them playing. They are pretty good at them too. On the toy car game you have to turn the controller to direct where you are going. Riley actually did really well and had fun. They are so good at taking turns and making sure that everyone gets a chance to play. Right now the TV is on an end table since we can decide if we want to mount it or just get a stand, but it works perfectly!


Caleb has also taken an interest in playing the guitar. Matt has been playing songs that the kids can sing to and I think it sparked a flame in Caleb. He was trying to practice on Daddy's the other day and I snapped away. We are going to go get a smaller one this weekend so Matt and Caleb can practice together. He has been counting down the days since Sunday, just to get to Friday so we can go.


Next week we will be hitting the Zoo with the Tomlinson's and getting in lots of time outside. We spent about 3 hours in McDonald's yesterday. Yes, I did say 3 hours! Marcie and I worked on Prom songs while the kiddos played. It was actually a lot of fun and we got the much needed song list out of the way. Some of you don't know, but in addition to just plain going back to work this year, I was nominated for the Faculty Advisory Committee and I offered to help Marcie with the prom. So far it has been pretty fun and Marcie really handles all the transactions, but we are able to bounce ideas off of each other and it helps the decision making go smoother. Plus it gives Marcie and I opportunities to get to know one another better. She really is a wonderful friend and co-worker. So I will be posting again soon with some more fun pictures and our adventures over spring break!

A real update coming soon! :)

I will not count this little blurb as an update, just because it really has no meaning! :) This is the last week before Intercession and our Spring Break ( we are out for 2 weeks! I cannot wait!!!!). I have some pictures to get on here, so be looking for a REAL update by the weekend. Things have been busy, but we got our taxes done last night and now I just have to wade through the papers on my desk, then I will get to updating.

Surgery went well

Caleb's surgery went well. When I woke up this morning, all of middle Tn was covered in snow and ice. The schools were closed and there were several serious wrecks already at 4:30. I called in to make sure my Dr had not called in and canceled the surgery and Caleb and I headed in. Our amazing and loving God cleared the roadways for us. The highways were clear and even the back roads downtown were good, frosty but passable. Caleb's surgery got bumped 2 hours so we got to play and watch the snow. They had a TV and video game system, so Caleb was pretty entertained. He went back and when the Dr came to talk to me, I was told that his adenoids were the second largest he has ever seen. They had to do a lot of shaving and then cauterized them to minimize the bleeding. WE are all home now and the kids are down for the count. And to be honest- so is this mommy!

Surgery, snow and ice- OH MY!

Sorry for the lack of updates on here. Matt and I were kid-less for a week and I just didn't update. Well I thought about it, but I was going into work early and staying a little late to get caught up on everything and to get started on several IEP's that were coming up. I think I got a little too much sleep while they were gone though. I am back to normal now and feel much better. While the kids were gone we were able to get together with Mike and Ann Lewis. It was so much fun and we truly had an amazing time. We were out sooooo late, and I still managed to get up at 4:30. The kids had a great time at Lee and Linda's, but I think they are glad to be home. They were up there for a week, and an ice storm hit while they were there. I think they were pretty entertained even though they had to stay inside. We went up and got them Saturday at Matt's cousin's birthday party. I was so happy to see them. Matt and I truly enjoyed our time together, but there is nothing like having your kids arms around your neck squeezing so tight and telling you they love you and missed you so much!

They have done fairly well heading back to school. I don't think they gave Lucy a moments peace once they got back. They will be out the rest of the week, but will be ready to go next Monday.

Tomorrow Caleb has his surgery. It is supposed to start around 7:30. Hopefully it will all go well. I know the last time he was under anesthesia, he had a terrible time coming out of it. They just gave Riley a "sleepy drink" so I am hoping that will be done for him too. Then after Caleb gets discharged, it is over to the pediatrician's office for an ear check for Ian. He has woken up the last few nights upset that his ear was hurting. I'm thinking it might be an ear infection. Then it will be home for sleep and soft treat for my big boy. Matt will be staying with him Thursday and then my mom is staying with them on Friday. I know the kids will like that- getting to see both grandmas in one week!

I may not even have to take a sick day tomorrow. it is sleeting and snowing right now and if they call off school I get to keep my day. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE is praying for another snow day. I kind of want it to wait till April since we don't have any days off then. This cold weather is conducive for me to loose weight. I wiggle more to stay warm and i don't eat as much and I actually drink more liquids. So far I have dropped 12 lbs! I'm hoping that I didn't gain any back the week the kids were gone. I didn't work out but I still watched what I ate.

Well I have to finish dinner and watch for my loving hubby to come home! Have amazing day!

Snow Day - The Update

We had a blast out in the snow. We didn't stay out to long because the kids got cold pretty quick, but they had fun looking at it. The boys made snow angels and made mini snowballs. Riley was not really please with the whole thing. She slipped on the back porch area and that was the end of her fun. It was still snowing when we went out and the kids tried to catch snowflakes on their tongues, but they were not to successful. After our outside adventure, we drank some hot chocolate and snuggled to watch a movie. Naps were something that never actually happened, although there was a lot of pretend napping. Right now, the kids are pretending they are in Florida at the Alligator Farm. I think they are ready for warmer temps so they can play outside. We did make a Valentines cake and we will be making Daddy's favorite cookies here in a little bit. So far it has been a wonderful day. I have enjoyed feeling like a stay at home mom again (even if Riley did get up at 5:00 instead of letting Mommy sleep in!). Maybe it will freeze again tonight and we can do it all over again tomorrow! :)

Snow Day Pictures

The first glimpses of snow! :)

The boys would have run out right then.

Mini Snow Angel's (Ian)

Mini Snow Angel's (Caleb)

I could say that Riley was trying to make a snow
angel, but the reality is she fell and was in no way
happy that she was cold and wet!

FINALLY!!!

We finally got a "snow day" today. Every time the surrounding counties are shut down, we have been open. I have a feeling that the central office got an earful after the last day we were not closed because the back roads were really bad and several of the buses were late because the had to go really slow on the ice. Either way- I'm happy to be home with the kids today! I got up and did my morning routine and then turned on the TV just in case they decided not to give us one. I was pretty happy when I saw "Wilson County - Closed" scrolling across the screen. There was mainly ice on the roads (back roads) so I think that is the reason, but when I looked outside a few minutes ago, it was snowing! The kids are so excited. I think we will get dressed and go see if we can play in it for a few min. I have to be a little careful, because I think Riley is getting a cold, and Caleb really does not need to get one. I cannot give him any meds that contain aspirin because of his surgery in 2 weeks. So we may go for a little while and then come inside to warm up with some hot chocolate. At least this day will help me get caught up on Laundry and get my Lesson Plans in my book. They are starting the 3rd round observations, so I want to make sure I have everything ready. I'll post some pictures later tonight. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Pictures as promised :)

I really took the following 2 pictures because I wanted it documented that my kids actually loved to clean. When we get done from dinner, if they see me get the cloth to wipe the table down, I get eager requests to do it. On this day I got the entire table (underneath too) and all the chairs scrubbed clean!











Ian and Riley have to "hop" on the table to help






Caleb loves to practice his handwriting. He asks just about every day to practice and do "homework". I had to document this just to one day say- "see you use to beg to do this and would cry if we were not able to!"







Showing off the finished product. I have had to change my style or manuscript from Dnealian to Zanier. Not to bad, I just have to concentrate when I am making out the sheets. I wish they would all stick to the same style. Every school (elm) here uses a different style. Kind of irritating!




Sorry that this one is sideways. This was our Tornado shelter. We had the kids sleeping in the closet under the stairs in the laundry room when the wind was crazy and we were not sure where the tornado was exactly. Ian and Riley were fussing over each other getting in the others space, but one they fell back asleep we were all good. They were snuggling then! Poor Caleb had the feet end of Ian and Riley's deal. Once they fell asleep he was able to get comfortable and drift off. At first when we brought them down, Caleb was upset because he thought he was in trouble and that is why we were making him sleep in the closet! We explained that he was not in trouble, but that the weather was really bad and we wanted to be safe and have them down here already, just in case. Matt and I snickered a little after that because it reminded us of Harry Potter. :) After about and hour and a half we moved the kids back upstairs and then I headed to bed since I had to work and give a state wide test in the morning. Matt stayed up till the storms were further to the east and then crashed. Needless to say we were all extremely tired the next day and evening.

Been a little too long

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been extremely busy this week. I had in-service hours to get in on Monday, Tuesday we had some really bad storms come through (more later), Wednesday I had to administer my first Gateway exam to our CDC students, and then Thursday we had Parent/Teacher conferences. So here I sit at the computer in a slightly dazed state, but loving listening to my kiddos playing upstairs.

I have some pictures of our "severe thunderstorm / tornado" hiding spot, but I have to upload them from my camera. We got pretty lucky that we only had severe winds and some bad rain. My cousin, Jessica, who attends Union University in Jackson TN was not so lucky. Her dorm is basically gone. We were all pretty worried and we relieved to hear that she was alive and not trapped along with some fellow students from her dorm. She was sore, but was only treated for minor scrapes, abrasions and such. Wednesday, her fiancee Tim, my Aunt Candy and Uncle Gerry made it into Jackson to see her and were able to take her home. So far she was only able to retrieve her wallet, laptop, bridesmaids dress she needs for a wedding she is in, and a blanket her mom made for her. All of her clothing is trapped under a leaning wall and they are not sure that she will be able to get to those or any of her other belongings. We are so thankful that she is OK and was not seriously hurt. What a way to end your senior year! There were several places all around us that were hit with tornadoes and I have several co-workers that were hit as well.

The kids will be hitting the birthday party circuit this week. We have one on Sunday and then more on through the weekend. Matt and I are looking forward to a break while Lee and Linda take the kids to IN for a week (in 2 weeks). I think we are gong to hit a nice restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. I'll update more tomorrow with pictures! Have a blessed evening with your families!

7 years ...

On this day seven years ago I married my best friend, the love of my life, the man I knew would be the awesome Father that he has become and my perfect gift from God! Here we are today with 3 kids, and a few more gray hairs, but the love is still there and has grown more than ever. Matt- I love you and I am so blessed to have you as my life long companion. Thanks for helping me grow and for loving me through my faults and oddities. I love you with all my heart! Happy Anniversary!

Just wanted to do a little post on my kids. I got one of those compliments that you love to hear as a mom. We had stopped in to a teacher store here in Mt. Juliet and the lady who owns it knows us real well. I was looking around and the kids headed to the "play spot". She and I talked for little bit and she headed back up front. I wandered through the store and made my way upfront only to find her contently watching my kids with this little smile on her face. She couldn't get over the fact of not only how well they played together but how much older they acted. I was also amazed seeing as how we have been exceedingly hyper since the weather has been much too cold to venture outside for long to burn the excess energy off. There were little kitchen sets with tables that they played house with and then they were mail carriers with the letter boxes, next came the hot dog cook off on the grill and so on. It was so wonderful to watch my kids playing and having a wonderful time together. Any way we chatted as the kids played and laughed at the stories she recounted of kids playing gone bad in her store. Can I just say I was so glad they didn't tear anything to shreds!

The boys get along amazingly well about 90% of the time. The other 10% is them nagging each other and annoying the tar out of Riley. But they do have a protective streak in them when it comes to her. At times if only one is picking on her the other will come to her rescue and defend her (usually solely with Jedi skills). And she in turn will come to their aid if needed. Only she does a TON of screaming!! But I love that they love each other. I can only imagine how it will be as they grow older. I am sure that there will be many more fights and slamming doors, but hopefully there will be a ton of laughter and connecting moments between them.

Forgot to mention..

At the end of this month Caleb will be getting his second round of tubes in his ears and is adenoids taken out. We started noticing that he was asking for things to be repeated or he just wouldn't hear us, so a hearing test was set up. Basically they found out that there was unequal pressure on the inside of the ear so we need to get it balanced. Hopefully the removal of the adenoids will help as well. So please keep him in your prayers- that nothing happens before the surgery to hinder his hearing any more than it is now.

A lot to blog about (aka- long post ahead)

Just a warning- there are many pictures that follow. They are all in an odd order- not sure how that happened, so you will have to bear with me. I will try to put what is going on under each picture since they are not grouped well. I couldn't find the cable to my camera, but luckily the PS3 my husband got after Christmas came with a mini USB so I was able to use that to get all the pictures downloaded.

I'll start with Caleb's 5th Birthday. We had a great time with our neighbors and family. Caleb got some pretty cool stuff and he had a great time. I cannot believe that he is 5. Time really goes by when you are having fun. Could be that o the next few updates shouldn't be as long, but will keep everyone informed on the going on's of the kiddos. I have 3 too! :) After Caleb's birthday came Christmas. We spent the first part of our break with The Clement side. We had a great time and enjoyed getting to see everyone. We opened up our presents the day we left to come home. The kids had fun and loved their time up in Indiana. We spent Christmas at home this year. It was our first in a while. I think we will be doing more of that. The kids are getting more to that age that we really want to start our traditions. They don't mind traveling, but I know they like being home. After our time at home, we went to my parents. Matt hunted and the kids and I just hung out. I don't have many pictures from Mom and Dad's, just cause I forgot to take them! :) The kids stayed with my parents while Matt and I headed back to work. I had in-service days and it helped not having to pay the daily rate for the preschool. We have somewhat gotten Riley's room done. I am still deciding what color to paint the walls, but she is LOVING her big girl bed. Next step that I tackle with her will be potty training. She refused to go over Christmas, but has begun asking to go again. I'll let you check out the pictures and will update on the kids and a few more things after you get what you all are waiting for!



There were none of them all smiling!
Riley experimenting with my makeup!
Pajama day at preschool
Caleb got money for his birthday and he got Riley this doll set- Riley had a blast with her daddy playing with it! Way to go daddy!
Some of Caleb's friends at his 5th birthday
The one gift he REALLY wanted for Christmas- a tool bench
Ian's one gift her really wanted: A really big gun (technically a star wars gun!)
A cradle for all of her babies
Opening presents with the family at Grandma and Pawpaw's house
All the cousins (minus the one in Heather's tummy) on Matt's side
Riley's new big girl bed
Playing Cootie
Yes- shooting the monsters with bananas
Playing Candy land



The kids are growing like weeds! I cannot believe that Ian will be 4 soon. It is crazy how fast time is flying by. We have been trying to play more games with the kids on the weekends and evenings. They are getting the concepts of loosing and such. We had a few melt downs when certain people didn't win, but one day we will get there. Today we took the kids to see "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" and they really enjoyed it.

In an effort to update more, I am mainly going to keep this blog about the kids. Here lately I have posted some of my thoughts, but I have begun to realize that most people check this blog for updates on the kids and not Matt and I. I am contemplating starting another blog that I can just have about things with work or my thoughts, but I haven't decided. My goal is to update 2 times a week. That way people won't think we all got swiped of the face of this beautiful earth, and no one said anything.

Biggest Looser

Sorry I haven't gotten the pictures up yet. Look for them this weekend. I have been crazy busy with the first week back. I have a 3 hour IEP (Individualized Education Plan - used for each student I have) meeting for twin girls from Moldova that I got on Monday. Then I have had more meetings all this week and have 3 tomorrow. SO I have been bogged down with paperwork and trying to get my student used to being back in the classroom. I went to the doctor today and was surprised that my blood pressure was normal. I thought it would be a little higher. I have also been really (I mean really) sore. I started my work out program last night and I was good till about 11 am today. Then my body started aching. But I pushed through and even added the cardio 2 work out tonight. I'm pretty sure I will hurt again. But if I can get my self in a routine I will start feeling better in the long run. I sure have been sleeping better. I have started the Biggest Looser Cardio Max DVD. It is really good and keeps you moving. After I get this one down I will switch it up to see if I can "maximize my results". I have to admit that I am pretty proud of my self for really kicking this one in high gear. I have always struggled with this goal and hopefully I can beat it this time. How are your goals coming along?

Resolutions

As most people do, I decided to make a few "New Year's Resolutions". While at work today I tried to decide what to choose. I am notorious for choosing my items and then never getting the time to follow through or I get bogged down at the "bigness" of them. So I took it easy and simple this year.

* I plan to read more. Not just fiction, classics or work related things, but I plan to read through the Bible and read more to my kids. I usually start reading through the Bible and get bogged down in the "____ beget____" parts. I have a small yet simple plan to keep me going. I read to my kids everyday, but I want to do more. I want to install the love of reading to them, make it fun and interesting.
* I truly plan to loose the weight that I have yet to loose each year! (Gulp- yes I put that in writing!!)
At work they have started the Biggest Looser contest and I joined in. I want it more for a lifestyle change. I eat healthy, yet sometime still take to large of a portion. I just want to be healthy no matter what weight that is at.
*I plan to pray more and spend more time in constant communication with God. I have actually gotten better with this one over the years (Thanks to Laura!)
* I plan to keep in touch with friends more. I let myself get bogged down in the everyday things and I let time slip away. Since we have moved, I have thrown myself into my family and work, leaving almost no time to tend to my friendships that I so dearly cherish. I will do better in making the time for each and everyone of you.



This last year was a turning point for me. We have now been living in TN for a year and a half. We are still struggling with finding a church home, but I have a peace that the end will soon come. Matt and I have both made friends at work and are working on growing those relationships. I have grown spiritually and God continues to teach me amazing things through my struggles since moving here. Tennessee now feels like home. I know my way around, and can usually give directions to a stranger and feel confidant. I know a lot of the back roads to get places. You know you are settled when you know 3 different ways to get to one place. :) The transition back to work actually went better than I thought and I truly enjoy working. Yes, there are days I miss staying at home with my children. But them seeing them having so much fun with their friends at school, and hearing 10 times EVERY night "are we going to school tomorrow- (yes you are now lay down and go to sleep)- YEA!! SCHOOL!!" gives me a sense of contentment. The students I work with are hard, yet I feel so at home there and have gotten back into the teacher mode, that every day no matter how bad it gets, is a wonderful day. Eating Lunch with my co-workers today just helped remind me how truly blessed I am. I have an amazing Husband who lovingly guides and encourages me to be a better woman, daughter of God, wife and mother. I have 3 amazing kids who keep me on my toes, put huge smiles on my face (some grimaces too) and remind me just how much I love them. I have wonderful friends (near and far) who can brighten my day with a smile or email (even if all it says is Hi). No matter the surprises that come this way in 2008, I can tell it will be a good year. The Lord has given me a place of contentment and even if he nudges me out, He will be guiding my every step.

Coming Soon

I will be updating and adding pictures this weekend. I hopefully will get started on re-arranging our blog and giving it a fresh look. I started back to work and had high hopes of getting some of it done while at school. Alas, the school system pretty much has everything I need to get on blocked. So I will try to get it done by Sunday.

We had a really good time with all of our families over Christmas. The kids had a blast and Matt and I enjoyed the time with our parents. We had a really good Christmas present that appeared at our door step last night. The Noels stopped by on their way home and spent the night. Our kids were still at my parents so the kids didn't get to see each other, but Claire is happy that we will be back in AR for Spring Sing. I was so happy to see these close friends of ours. It was a little touch of home. We miss them so much and it was so wonderful to catch up and just sit and enjoy each others company. Noel family- thanks for making my week! You all are so very special to us and I am so glad that we can still keep up with each other across the miles and that we are able to see each other every now and then.

IT"S A BOY!!!!!

Nope- not us! You might recall that I leaked the news that my SIL, Heather was due in April. Well they found out earlier this week that is will be a boy! They are really excited and so am I. They have a name in mind, but Scott's brother and his wife are expecting and might use the name that Heather and Scott were thinking of, so they are in name limbo till after Feb. They are looking at all the "manly" boy things and trying to decide what to go with. As always keep Heather and "the boy" in your prayers.

5 NEW POSTS!!

keep reading down- I made a few posts today! There will be a few more tomorrow and then hopefully I will do better about keeping up on updating. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving '07

We spent Thanksgiving at my Parent's this year. It was relaxing and fun. Matt hunted quite a bit and got a spike on Friday. He saw a few more but decided that he would wait till next time to bag a few more. The day before Thanksgiving, Papa and the boys peeled and sliced the apples for my grandmas famous Apple Squares. The boys had a blast turning the peeler/slicer. They each got to do 6 apples. Then they helped separate the apples into a bowl and coat them with sugar and spices. I think they ate more apples than they actually got in the bowl, but I'll let dad be the judge of that. While the boys helped Papa, Riley was having some playtime of her own. Mom had brought a cradle and highchair from the preschool for her to play with. She had a ton of food that she got and Riley had so much fun! We could barely get her away from those toys!






This isn't a great picture of Caleb, but we had fun putting a Haunted House together. My Aunt Judy in FL had sent the kit to mom, but this was the first we had been there since Halloween. The kids had fun helping me get the icing everywhere and then putting the candies on it. I saw one the other day for Christmas, so I think I may get one of those for us to do together. Then we ate the house with ice cream for desert one day after dinner.

It's the first time my youngest has turned 2

Can you believe it? Crazy, I know! But it is true. I have always had another baby by the time my boys turned 2. I was a little sad- no more babies, but with Heather having one in April, I will get my fill. We had a really good party for her. Several of Matt's co- workers came by and my good friend Marcie and her husband (Matt) and daughter (Halen) were there along with our families.We even had our neighbor, Anniston, over for cake and ice cream. Matt and I got her some shirts and a little kitchen set. The grandparents covered the pots and pans and food. She also got a baby stroller and grocery cart. She had a blast with her friends.

Just a few things about Riley. There are times I think she is all boy instead of girl. But then she will love to play in dresses or snuggle and I just smile at her feminine side. She is beautiful. She really is. Her hair is so long and she has the prettiest eyes. I love it when she gets serious- she places her hands on your cheeks and looks into your eyes and talks oh so very slowly. She loves to help me cook, clean or anything that I am doing. She loves school and is never ready when I come get them all. She is full of surprises- you never know what will happen with her!

The day after these party pictures, she got tubes in her ears. She did amazingly well. We went to Vandy's Children's Hospital. It was quite entertaining when they gave her the meds to make her calm before they fully sedated her. She would just laugh at anything and nothing. When I came back to the recovery room, she snuggled up against me and drank like a gallon of juice. The nurses thought she was so funny. I kind of expected her to sleep most of the day, but yet again I was surprised. She only napped her normal time and never acted like she had surgery at all.

Lot's to blog about and such little time....

Here is is December 1st. I think I am officially the last person to post a picture from Halloween. The kids had a blast this year. It ended up being a tad cooler than I thought it would be so we had to modify the kids costumes a little. Caleb was Batman, Ian was Bobafett, and Riley was a witch. We walked all over our neighborhood and there were some really decorated houses. Everyone was so nice though. There were 2 areas that the kids got a little spooked. One house had this huge fake snake (Marti would have had a heart attack!) by the candy and Riley was a little freaked by it, plus they had spooky music playing and that got all the kids. Then there was a culdisac that was blocked off and they had all these areas of torture, but when they saw we had little ones, the teens left their areas and just hung out so the kids would freak. They boys were looking at the costumes and looking a little leery, so the teens either took their masks off so the boys could see them or they pretended to be scared of "Batman" or "Bobafett". The boys thought it was so funny to see the big kids running from them. We ended up dipping into the kids candy since we are a drop off neighborhood so we ran out fast!



At the beginning of November, Matt broke his finger playing flag football. We iced it through the evening, hoping the swelling would go down. Somewhere around 3 am, I heard Matt downstairs and went to see what was going on. His finger had swollen so bad that his wedding ring was cutting the circulation off, so out came the dremmel tool and off came the ring. It took a good amount of time to saw it off since it got hot real fast. Now, his finger has healed mostly. There is still an issue with his knuckle, but hopefully that will end soon. Here is the "end" of our early morning adventure.

No More Passy's

It is official! We no longer have passy's in the house!!!! Such a big accomplishment. I don't think we have been passy free in 4 1/2 years. Riley is still adjusting, of course. She still asks for it occasionally, but we are done. Hopefully the nights will get a little easier.

There will be a bunch of posting over the next 2 days, as I am WAY behind. I still have to post Halloween pictures! ACK- how bad am I? But at this moment, you will have to wait. I am enjoying some serious play time with 2 of my favorite boys, and that just can't wait!!! Check back soon!

Thought and Rambles

Tonight as I was typing up an IEP (yes, I brought work home with me- but I did it after the kiddos were in bed and Matt was watching the Dallas/Eagles game- no one got jipped!) I started thinking that I hadn't blogged in a while, so here I go. (by the way- I don't recommend thinking about blogging while you are working on a document that is evaluated by the state. It took me a lot longer to finish since I had to re-check things to make sure I had them right and didn't type about blog thoughts!!)

It as been a busy week for me. I had several "explosions" in my room at the enc of the previous week that carried over into this week which made for a few Advil days. We also had Halloween this week- which as you know we didn't get anything done that day or the next due to the sugar rush and upset tummies- and we had a field trip on Friday. We took our students to the Zoo and I think it went real well. I paired up my students with my EL's (exceptional learners- seniors that take a course in my class to help with peer tutoring, and learning how to work with students that have disabilities) and they really liked that because: a) they weren't with a teacher all day and b) they blended in with the "crowd". Then at the pep rally that afternoon, I along with 19 other teachers did a faculty pep squad routine. It was BLAST!!! I really hope to post it on here soon. Several people recorded it, so maybe I can get a copy. The students went crazy. Coming from a school that didn't have sports I have really had fun at the pep rally's! Matt laughs at me, but I really enjoy them and get into the whole clapping and cheering thing! :)

On other news we have been visiting a new church. It is a small community church that is meeting in the school that our kids go to. We really like the preachers messages, but are not sure that we will continue to go there. They are about a year old and seem to still be struggling a little. We visited a nearby church of Christ and enjoyed it. They are in a transition time (looking for a new preacher and working on heading in a new direction) but the people were all friendly. I guess we are still struggling with the whole "do we go with a more conservative church where we know we will have the "fellowship" that we crave or do we try to step out a little and just try and make it." I struggle with it daily. It is an inner battle that I cannot seem to shake. We will visit a place for a while and enjoy the worship and messages but never feel "at home". I loved Levy's way of bringing people in and making them feel welcome. I really miss that, the potlucks, the closeness. We haven't seen that here- well coming from the visitors side. I'm sure if we could just crack into a "clique" we would find that, but there in lies the issue- Breaking through.
Perseverance- I keep telling myself that God will lead us to the place he wants us to be, but I am beginning to waver in that stance. It has been a year since we have moved into our home, and we are still church "homeless". It is just hard not to have people over on a regular basis who have a love for Christ. I mean Matt and I both work with people that we get along with and have become friends with. I have several at my work that are Christians, but due to distance, don't hang out with them as much as I would like. We would really like to stay close to our community, so we can work in our community, but it seems that we may have to go outside our area. Please continue to keep us (me) in your prayers in this area. I never realized how big of a struggle this would be. I know that there is a Master plan at work, but I am struggling to hang in there are have the faith that moves mountains. I am sure there is a lesson that I am supposed to learn, and I really hope I do and that I learn it well. Thanks for letting me rant to you all reading. I figured it was typing or crying my eyes out! :) Typing is more therapeutic!

I am going to get the kids pictures posted in their Halloween costumes up soon. We had a blast, and the kids really enjoyed it. I'll blog about that later.