Snickelfritz Lane

A Few Thoughts About Valentine's Day

2012-02-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

1. I'm glad my friend has a playroom with a chalkboard wall.

2. Yes, I got a rather strange look from the Home Depot guy when he asked, "What do you need the PVC pipe for?"

3. I am glad my boys are young enough to still put up with my crazy whims. I know they will see these one day and say, "Mom?! Seriously?! You made me give these to my class?!"

4. Sticker placement is not important to Luke.
5. Kevin helped me and the boys assemble these on Saturday. I know how he really feels about Valentines Day (he thinks it is a marketing ploy for Hallmark and flower growers to make more money). The fact that he helped tells me how much he loves me.

6. Without Valentines like these, I wouldn't get to have conversations like this:
(Before we assembled everything)
Luke: Mom, what are those?
Me: These are the Valentines for your class.
Luke: So I'm going to give those to all my pretty girls?

Groundhog Day

2012-02-06T06:00:00.003-05:00

A Boy and His Dog

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

When we did the photo shoot before Christmas, I brought Rocky along hidden in my bag. Ordinarily, Rocky is not allowed to leave the house unless we are going on vacation. Early on, we decided to make that a rule so that we wouldn't accidentally lose her (yes, Luke says Rocky is a girl) at school or at the grocery store or at church. We do have a duplicate Rocky that we rotate with the original Rocky (That's so the wear patterns are the same. Yes, it works. No, Luke still doesn't realize there are two identical Rockys. I highly recommend buying at least two if your child happens to gets attached to a particular lovey).

Back to the story.

Because Rocky is such a huge part of Luke's childhood, I wanted to make sure I had some pictures of them together so I could remember. I've seen Toy Story 1, 2, and 3. I know kids grow up and their loveys get shoved under a bed or in a closet (cue the soundtrack for "When She Loved Me").

These pictures are so very precious to me. In the one where his mouth is by her ear, I told him to tell Rocky what the photographer was doing. He was very seriously whispering to her. Not sure what he said, but Rocky looks a little nervous.

New Favorite

2012-01-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

Luke was sitting on the potty last night singing this song at the top of his lungs. The acoustics in the boys' bathroom are excellent. He couldn't remember all the words so he just kept singing "All I know is I'm not home yet. This is not where I belong" over and over again.

If you haven't heard this song yet, it is great. It has quickly become one of our new favorites. Every time it comes on the radio, Fletcher and Luke ask me to turn it up loud!

Carpe Kairos

2012-01-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

If you are a mom or married to a woman who is a mom or had a mom or know a mom or saw a mom in the grocery store, this blogpost is absolutely, positively worth the 5 minutes it will take to read this.

http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Happy Monday!

Cultural Enrichment

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Well, at least my children can say they've had a variety of cultural experiences.

Big Foot in action.

3 Million Legos

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

That's how many Legos are in this place. Thankfully, the rollercoasters and other rides are not made out of Legos. LegoLand is about 40 minutes outside of Orlando. It is where the old Cypress Gardens used to be. If you ever remember seeing pictures of the water skiers in pyramid formation from way back in the day, that was probably at Cypress Gardens. It was known for its water ski shows and beautiful gardens.

A very happy birthday boy.

Luke would not ride any of the rollercoasters.

He liked driving the boats and cars. Side note: see the tattoo on his arm? I picked up Disney tattoos from Walgreens before our trip thinking the boys would enjoy them. We all put one (or two) on our arms on the first day of our visit to the parks. These things lasted for WEEKS! Seriously, I think Luke still had his on New Year's Day.

The watch on Luke's arm doubled as his ID bracelet. I had written his name, our names and our cell phone numbers inside the watch band. He knew if he got lost he was to show it to a cast member with a nametag or a mommy with a stroller (because I know another mommy would help a lost child find his parents).

Take a good look at Kevin's face. These boats were on a course, but not on a track so you really could drive them anywhere and get them turned around in the wrong direction which Fletcher apparently did several or eight times before Kevin stepped in and got them back on course.

The jousting ride. Fletcher and Luke got off this one and were both disappointed because they "really didn't get to knock anyone off a horse." Boys....

Jungle safari cruise.

Lego character. He has a name, but I forgot what it is.

This was called MiniLand. Tons of well known landmarks had been recreated using Legos - famous hotels in Vegas, Florida landmarks like the Capital and the fort in St. Augustine, the White House, New York City, places in Hollywood and fantasy places too like pirate ships and islands. It was fun to walk through and find all the neat details.

This was part of the "gardens" part of the old Cypress Gardens. That is one seriously old (and HUGE) tree. Kevin and Fletcher missed this part because they were off riding rollercoasters.

Lego Christmas tree.

Darth Vader built out of Legos.

In keeping with the Cypress Garden tradition of a ski show, there's now a Lego Pirate ski show with "BrickBeard" and friends. I was thoroughly impressed with the guys in the Lego costumes like the one pictured here. It is hard enough to waterski in a swimsuit and these guys did it in these costumes. And some of them even did stunts!

I love to people watch and this ride was a great one to do that. There were single short poles with a red button on each pole lining the perimeter of this ride (outside of the water). If you pushed the red button, the water cannon would shoot water up in the air. If you pressed it at just the right time, you could get a friend or family member wet who was riding the ride. There were lots of field trip groups there the day we went. It was funny watching kids trying to get their teachers wet or wives trying to get their husbands wet (which of course I did not do). Here Kevin is trying to dodge the spray of water and keep Luke dry.

Waiting for the cool 3D show to start.

Fletcher on the water ride. I think he wanted to get wet.

Lego My (L)ego

2012-01-16T06:00:00.002-05:00

Fletcher on the morning of his 8th birthday with his (ridiculously overpriced souvenir) Captain Jack Sparrow pirate hat.

The plan was to surprise Fletcher on his birthday (while we were in Florida) with a trip to LegoLand. We hadn't mentioned anything about LegoLand in the original surprise. He kept asking what we were going to do on his birthday and all we would say was "we'll figure something out" or "maybe we will go underwear shopping."** After the miserable failure of the first Disney surprise, a very big part of me wanted to just wake up on that Friday and tell him what we were doing.

But I had already made his little birthday card so we gave it to him and had him read it. At this point, some might say I'm a glutton for punishment.

The title of his card said "DID YOU KNOW?"

Each of these lines was a different page of the card. I think when he got to the second to the last line (about there being a Legoland near Orlando) he figured it out and was very excited!

Did you know that a Danish carpenter named Ole Kirk Christiansen invented LEGOs?

Did you know that the word “LEGO” is from the Danish word “leg godt” which means “play well”?

Did you know that approximately 19 billion LEGO elements are produced each year?

Did you know Germany buys the most LEGO sets per person?

Did you know LEGO opened its first LEGO themed amusement park in 1968?

Did you know there is a Lego Land amusement park near Orlando?

Did you know we are going there today to celebrate your 8th birthday?

Happy Birthday, Fletcher!

We love you so much!

Mom, Dad & Luke

Pictures of our fun day will be posted tomorrow.

**I'm not sure how this started, but anytime we are going to do something fun but don't want to tell the boys what it is, we suggest that we go "underwear shopping". Both boys (and Kevin) really do not like to shop. I would say they hate to shop, but my mom said I wasn't supposed to say the word "hate". So the thought of shopping is awful to them. The thought of shopping for underwear(!!!!) is the ultimate worst, boring, waste of time in their world. I suppose if we set their expectations really low, then anything we do will be much more fun. Right?

Magic Kingdom (Take 2)

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Instead of going to Animal Kingdom, we decided to spend a second day at Magic Kingdom and let the boys go back and ride or do anything that they really liked the first day we went. Fletcher really loved riding Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad. Luke loved the cars, Winnie the Pooh ride, Dumbo, It's A Small World and that People Mover in Tomorrow Land that is the slowest most boring ride on the planet. But we rode it 3 or 4 times. Fletcher and Luke both wanted to go back to Tom Sawyer's Island. On the first day I thought we would skip it all together, but I remember reading that someone said it was a great place for kids to run around and blow off steam. Plus, it usually wasn't very crowded. So glad we did it. Lots of dirt paths in wooded forest type area. Cave with secret passageway. Fort with rifle hideouts and an escape hatch that took you to the other side of the island. Bouncy bridges and a small playset too. We had to bribe them with food to leave.

There was a parade in the middle of the day. Several characters were there that we hadn't seen. Unfortunately, we couldn't get their autographs because they were too busy dancing and performing, but it was fun to see them.

Mr. Incredible

Frozone (from The Incredibles)

Donald Duck getting his groove on.

Those guys in stilts were amazing!

Funny story. I was headed to get Fast Passes for a ride and I saw Peter Pan, but the boys weren't with me. I thought I would take his picture and show it to them later. I wasn't really paying attention to the guy and girl in the picture with Peter Pan.

When I was coming back from getting Fast Passes, I see a girl walk up to this really tall guy and ask if she can get her picture made with him. I thought I would discretely take a picture of him to see if Kevin knew who he was (he didn't). Obviously, he is someone famous or at least semi-famous enough for someone to recognize him at Disney. I thought about posting the pic on Facebook but then I thought that might be a little stalkerish. Little did I know that I had already taken a picture of him with Peter Pan. Great....I'm expecting a restraining order any day. So help me out. Do you know who he is? Athlete maybe? Rock star? I wish I knew.

Our plan was to stay at Magic Kingdom and watch the Electric Light Parade at 7 pm and then the Wishes fireworks at 8 pm.

That was the plan until both of the boys were crying at 5:30 pm.

Both of them.

At The Happiest Place On Earth.

*sigh*

We commited a parenting error. We told them they could pick out a souvenir now so we wouldn't be doing it with thousands of other people after the fireworks show. We knew this was our last Disney day. Luke picked out a GIANT pirate set that was going to be somewhat cumbersome to lug around for both the parade and the fireworks. Fletcher couldn't find anything he really liked after numerous suggestions from mom and dad. We told Luke the cashier would hold his set for him until after the shows. He wanted it NOW, thank you very much and burst into tears. Then Fletcher burst into tears because he was going to have to go home without a souvenir. He said what he really wanted was a Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean) hat that he had seen at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

All the way in the back of the park.

Completely opposite of where we were.

Of course that's where it would be.

At that point Kevin and I looked at each other and agreed there was no way we would survive a parade and fireworks with these two and their waterworks. So we schlepped off to ride the Pirates ride one more time and purchase a ridiculously overpriced Captn Jack hat for Fletcher and a pirate set for Luke. Sometimes you just have to change your plans and cut your losses. There will be other years for fireworks and parades.

Arrgh!

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Wednesday was our day to explore the hotel. We were staying at the Marriott Harbor Lakes. The entire resort has a pirate theme. Our condo overlooked the pirate splash pad and pool with a water slide. The other side of the resort had this cool pirate ship pool pictured below. The pool was heated so the kids got to swim in December. Even though it was heated, mom and dad thought it was still too cold to get in. Because we went in the off season, you can see that there were very few people there. If you are thinking about going to Disney, I would highly recommend going one of the first two weeks of December. The highs were in the mid 70s all week. Definitely shorts and tshirt weather.

I know some people go to Disney and go to a park every single day, but I knew that would wear us all out. I'm glad we built in a few rest/no park days in our schedule.

Magic Kingdom

2012-01-11T06:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Hollywood (Studios)

2012-01-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

On Sunday we took a break from the parks and went to Downtown Disney. I guess there were some pre-Christmas shows going on there because I have never seen Downtown Disney so crowded. We ate at Rainforest Cafe - not a good experience. Won't even go into it.

The kids had lots of fun at the Lego store. At this point, they didn't know that we would be going to Legoland later in the week.

Curse you Perry the Platypus! For those who don't know, Perry is the family pet / secret agent of Phineas and Ferb show on Disney. These hats were everywhere!

Monday we headed to Hollywood Studios, formerly known as MGM Studios. Lightning McQueen and Mater didn't do autographs. Bummer.

We did watch the Stunt show. It had plenty of fast cars, motorcycles, explosions, jet skis, fire and a special appearance by Lightning McQueen. The kids were fascinated. They showed all the "tricks" that they used to film certain stunts, but I'm not sure the boys fully understood it all.

I know I already posted a video of Jedi training, but here's a shot of the group in their robes and their Jedi Master handing out certificates.

I had always heard people talking about the Osborne Family Lights at Hollywood Studios. No, this is not the Ozzy Osborne family. As the story goes, a father in Arkansas wanted to grant his daughter's wish of having their entire house covered in lights for Christmas. So Dad started with about 1000 lights. The display grew and grew and grew until they had over a million lights and displays and people coming to see them from all over Arkansas. Neighbors asked them to stop. Legal stuff happened. They thought they were done until Mickey offered to let them display their lights at his place starting in 1995ish.

It started snowing (Florida snow) while we were waiting for the lights to come on.

Still photos don't do them justice. They were so beautiful. We were standing with a crowd of other people when they turned them on. Everyone gasped! I think it was one of my favorite things on the trip since I love a good Christmas light display anyway. They are also set to music. To see them in action, check out this video (I didn't take this one). If you ever go to Disney during the holidays, this is a must see. I think they put them up in early November and they stay up through New Years.

Well, Hello There

2012-01-09T06:00:00.026-05:00

Well, 2012 has started with a bang. So much so that I am still trying to figure out a routine, get the kids back on a school schedule, get my house back in order, etc.

I figured I better post something or I might lose my readers - all two of them!

I still have some Disney pictures and videos to share. So I'll spend several days doing that.

Epcot was the first park we visited on our vacation. We had purchased a book with all the Disney characters in it for the boys to use as an autograph book. We hit the jackpot at Epcot because they have a character greeting area with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy that you can see and take pictures with one right after the other.

Once we saw all those characters, Luke was a professional expert! So when we went to the World Showcase, we noticed Snow White had just come out so the line was very short to see her. Luke and Fletcher have never seen or read about Snow White, but Luke really wanted to see her.

Oh my! It was the cutest thing. Now realize that Snow White usually doesn't get very many little boys in her line. All the little girls want to see her and all the other princesses. So getting to interact with a little boy is a rare treat. Getting to interact with a little boy as cute as Luke probably made her day. She really did look like Snow White! I wondered if people had always told her that.

He immediately started talking to her and had her wrapped around his little finger in minutes. She was talking to him and laughing and asking him questions. (You can see just how thrilled Fletcher was to be a part of this little interaction).

She bent down to talk to him more. He was loving every minute.

She leaned over and gave him a big kiss and he gave her the sweetest hug.

This kiss stayed on for about three days! He will tell you that he met the REAL Snow White and that all the others were characters in costumes. When he left, he yelled, "Bye, Snow White!" and she said, "Bye, Luke. Have a great day!" Three days later when we were at Magic Kingdom in front of the castle, all of the princesses were on stage doing a little show. Of course, there were 3000 or so other people watching the show too. Luke was sitting on Kevin's shoulders and saw Snow White. He started yelling and waving at her, "Hi Snow White! It's me, Luke!" With the crowd, there was no way she could hear him and I'm pretty sure it probably wasn't even the same one that he saw, but he really wanted her to know that he was out in the crowd. We did buy the Snow White Little Golden Book when we got back so they could read and know the story. I don't know if he will remember all of this when he gets older, but this momma sure will!

Me and the boys with the Epcot Ball in the background. Luke kept calling it the "giant golf ball".

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

I was so caught up in the excitement of Christmas morning, I only took a few pictures and videos.

One advantage of buying pjs a few sizes too big is that they get to wear them two Christmases in a row.

This was Fletcher's face after he realized the really big present was for him.

They sat still long enough for a quick picture, then it was off to play with new toys.

These videos capture the personalities of our children when they wake up. We later found out that Fletcher had been up since 4 am (but didn't come out of his room until 7). We had to wake Luke up a little after 7 for fear that his brother might burst with anticipation!

Luke

Fletcher

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

From all of us on Snickelfritz Lane!
Thanking God for family, friends and the best gift of all - Jesus!

The Christmas Story

2011-12-24T09:25:00.000-05:00

According to an 8 year old...

And according to a 3 year old...

We are happy to report that the angel has only a mild concussion and is recovering nicely.

Jedi Training

2011-12-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

Disney Hollywood Studios offers Jedi Training for kids who want to become Jedis. We thought it would be fun for Fletcher to do and Luke decided he wanted to do it too.

Luke was fine with the training part, but when the real Darth Vader came out he was terrified. He started crying and backing away. The helper was trying to get him by the hand to take him to Kevin but Luke thought she was trying to take him to fight Darth Vader and he started screaming and crying even more. Kevin and I felt terrible. He quickly recovered in the safety of Daddy's arms and enjoyed watching Fletcher take his turn battling the Dark Side.

Fletcher thought it was one of the coolest things we did at Disney (besides riding all the big rollercoasters).

Jedi Training

Practicing with Darth Vader

Epic Parenting Fail

2011-12-20T06:00:00.003-05:00

For those of you who were curious how the boys reacted to the Disney surprise, here is the video.

Let's just say I probably need to work on "reading comprehension" with Fletcher.

Not exactly the reaction I had envisioned in my head. I didn't expect much from Luke because he doesn't even know what Disney is.

I'll be posting some pictures and videos of our trip in the days ahead. We had a great time (in spite of the rough beginning).

Neat Idea

2011-12-19T06:00:00.007-05:00

Isn't this the neatest idea? I made one of these for one of our former college students who got married. Of course, I was so excited that it turned out so cute (since I have limited crafting abilities) that I mailed it to her and forgot to take a picture of it. The photo below was my inspiration. In case you can't tell, the strips of paper inside the glass ball are pieces of a wedding invitation. Isn't that cool for a first Christmas together? Makes me want to go find one of our old wedding invitations and make one for us too.

Are You All Ears?

2011-12-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

If all goes as planned...
Today the boys will wake up and eat breakfast.

Kevin will act like he is getting ready for a normal Friday workday.

Then we will get all serious and call a "family meeting".

Fletcher will read this poem*:

Then they will each open a package that has matching Mickey Mouse shirts and hats, a Mickey plush doll and the Mouse Ears hat we bought for Fletcher when we took him to Disney when he was 3 1/2.

We are going to try to discretely video tape Fletcher reading the poem so we can catch his reaction. Luke has never been to Disney World so he has no idea what awaits him. We've been working for months to plan this trip while keeping it a secret from the boys. They have absolutely no clue. We packed most of the car last night.

Not sure what posting will be like next week since I'm not sure of our internet access at our hotel.

Just know that we will be having so much fun in mid 70 degree sunny Florida.

Oh and that our house is guarded by a killer attack beagle and is surrounded by three former NY police officers.

*I must give credit where credit is due. I found this poem by a mom on the forums at intercot.com named "rjmdds". I modified it a bit to fit our trip.

More December Love

2011-12-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

I was part of our puppet team when I was in our youth group at church.

Puppets have come a long way since then.

December Love

2011-12-07T06:00:00.002-05:00

Thought I would post a few Christmas-y things on the blog over the next few days.

This song is wonderful and the video that goes along with it is really neat (the whole thing is done in sand).

Phases

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

We love our boys. We love being parents. We are not perfect. We don't know it all. We sometimes wish our kids came with "How To" manuals so we could figure them out. What we have realized is that kids go through phases. And just when you think that particular phase is going to do you in, they move on to another phase. Thank goodness!

Luke turned 4 in August. He is cute, loving and funny. He is also very opinionated about how his world should work. His way. Always. (I would use the term "strong willed" or "stubborn" but I want to avoid labeling my child). Lately, he latches on to something that he does or does not want and WILL NOT LET IT GO. Same question over and over. Not doing what we tell him to do no matter how many different ways we say it. We've tried redirecting, distracting, giving choices, time outs, other consequences, and even spankings. He still isn't getting the fact that he is not "the boss" (yes, he used these words with us -- "I'm the boss!"). It is sort of cute at 4, but it wont' be cute at 14 and it will definitely be problematic at 24 so we are trying to prayerful guide him. And it is wearing me out.

But I know this is just a phase. Just for posterity's sake, I am including this brief video as a reminder to me. We were coming home from the beach a few weeks ago. We have a DVD player in our van. Sometimes we let the kids choose the movies they watch. Other times I choose for them when they can't agree on something. I had chosen a movie (Veggie Tales Jonah which they had seen before and like very much). Luke decided my movie choice was unacceptable. For thirty minutes...30...half an hour...26 miles...this is what we heard over and over again. In case you can't understand it, he is saying "I want a different movie" over and over again.

He told me the next day, "Mommy, my throat hurts." Hmmmm...wonder why.
I'd like to say this was a one time occurrence, but yesterday after church, we went to lunch with some friends. Five of the seven of us were already seated eating our food when Luke decided he wanted to sit somewhere else in the restaurant. He proceeded to scream when we didn't move so Kevin took him out to the van and strapped him in his carseat (which he can't unbuckle). Kevin sat out there with him. We ate our lunch inside and came out about 30 minutes later and he was still screaming. Screamed and cried all the way home too. Part of me wants to just give in, but I know that giving in to his every ridiculous whim is not the best thing to do.
Like I said, I love being a mom. I am really hoping this phase passes very, very quickly. I heard someone say once that the Bible uses the phrase "and it came to pass" many times. That's because whatever trial or circumstance we are going through will pass eventually otherwise God would have used the phrase "and it came to stay".

sigh

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

I was out of the room for maybe 5 minutes.

(At the breakfast table)

Me: Luke, why is your hair wet?

Luke: It's milk.

Me: Milk? How did you get milk in your hair?

Luke: I stuck my head in my cereal bowl.

Someday I will miss this!(I kept repeating this to myself as I was washing the milk out of his hair at the sink.)

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

2011-11-29T06:00:00.002-05:00

Bob Dylan is getting old. I think we may have found a possible replacement.
Still makes a mama proud.

This guitar has served us well. Remember this? Fletcher was about the same age as Luke is now.

Let It Glow, Let It Glow, Let It Glow!

2011-11-28T06:00:00.009-05:00

Makes a mama proud!
Science Fair 2011. We have a video but you can't hear Fletcher on it. Too much other noise going on the room. Here are his note cards he used for his oral presentation. He learned lots of new things (and we did too).

Luke was listening attentively (at least for the first minute) to Fletcher's presentation.

Sesame Street Is Brought To You Today By The Number 10

2011-11-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

In the car driving home recently, Luke started counting. He likes numbers. He does great through about 29 then he starts saying random numbers in a very random order. Drives. Fletcher. Nuts.

Luke: (counting) 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 53, 65, 34,

Fletcher: Luke, why don't you count all the way to 100 by 10s.

Luke: 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10....I have to say a lot of dem because 100 is a long way away.

Fletcher: (exasperated) Luke! I mean why don't you try counting BY tens.

Luke: (I am not making this up) By 10, by 10, by 10, by 10, by 10, by 10

I had forgotten how very literal 4 year olds are. Fletcher tried to teach him how to do it, but it wasn't clicking yet. I kinda like Luke's way better anyway at this point.

What A Difference A Year Makes

2011-11-22T06:00:00.004-05:00

Remember this from last year?

Here are two clips from this year's performance. I was so happy and proud that I completely zoned out for about 15 seconds in the middle and then realized I didn't even have the camera on Luke.

Now That's A First

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Kevin and I have started teaching the college and young singles Sunday School class at our church. It is a very small group, but we are enjoying being around this age group again.

We invited them over to our house for lunch Sunday. Kevin made gumbo. Many of them had never had it before and didn't even know what it was. After we told them it didn't contain anything weird like alligator or opossum, they were all willing to try it.

One of the class members is from Nigeria. He hasn't been in the states very long. This was the first time he has been invited to an American's house for a "home cooked" meal. Later he told us that he wasn't sure if he would be able to eat American food. He thought it might make him vomit. I had to laugh because I always wonder this same thing when I am in another country eating their food. I never thought the reverse would be true.

Since I grew up in Louisiana, I've seen lots of ways people eat gumbo. Some people put their potato salad in the gumbo. Some throw in a few eggs and have hard boiled eggs with theirs. Others put in something called "file" which is dried sassafrass leaves. Some crumble up saltine crackers. Others throw on jalapeno peppers. None of that has ever surprised me.

Until yesterday.

I was doing some stuff in the kitchen and K asked if he could have a banana. I just figured he wanted some fruit to go along with his meal. I feed fruit to my kids all the time at almost every meal.

But I looked up and K had cut up the banana in slices and spread it on top of his gumbo much like one would cut up a banana and put on top of cereal. Then he ate the whole bowl and said it was absolutely delicious.

Hmmm. Sweet. Salty. I guess it could work. But I don't think I will be trying it any time soon.

Not Good

2011-11-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

I think Tank is going to need a good lawyer.

Fill 'Er Up

2011-11-02T06:00:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure how this whole thing started, but I love it.

Our bedtime routine with the boys is pretty standard: baths, teeth brushed, Bible time, prayers, tucking in bed, hugs and kisses, music on, and lights out.

When I lean down to hug and kiss Luke, he says, "Let me see your Love Tank."
I open my mouth for him to see (like I said, not sure where this game came from).
He says, "Nope, not filled up." Then he starts giving me numerous hugs and kisses to fill up my Love Tank.
He asks to see again and says, "Yep. All filled up now."
Then I say to him, "Let me see your Love Tank."
He opens his mouth as wide as he can and I say, "Nope. Not filled up. You need 7 more kisses and 4 more hugs." And he giggles as I count them out.
I look inside his Love Tank again and tell him, "One more big hug to fill it to the tippy tippy top."

We both go to sleep with a full tank! Of course, we have to do it again the next night because Love Tanks leak during the day!

So the next time someone around you is feeling grumpy, ask to see their Love Tank. They may just need a fill up from you!

Bonfire Party

2011-11-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

Pirates!

Leaf pile. (Luke said this was his favorite thing besides eating s'mores.)

Instead of bobbing for apples (way too cold and wet) we hung apples by their stems from a tree limb and tried to get the kids to bite into them without using their hands. It was much harder than it looked! The little ones just gave up and grabbed them with their hands. I think Luke had whacked himself in the eye right before I took this picture.

Tucker is making a valiant attempt - look at that tongue!

Fletcher was trying to get the entire thing into his mouth. That's what I love about 7 year olds. They live by the "Go big or go home" motto.

Finally, everyone decided they were hungry and used their hands. We did leave the apples hanging in the trees. We thought it would be really funny to put a night vision camera out there to see if any of the deer tried to play the game too.

Next up was a golf cart treasure hunt complete with a map (not drawn to scale which added to the adventure!). Of course the treasure was candy....lots and lots of candy.

We finished the night with pizza and s'mores and some great memories.

Down on the Farm

2011-10-31T06:00:00.002-04:00

Luke's preschool had a fall farm day instead of having any "Halloween" festivities. They got to go on a hayride, pick out a pumpkin and see some live animals.

I've never seen a cuter farmer!

We are going to a Not-A-Halloween party tonight. The kids will still wear costumes and we will eat pizza and have a bonfire. There were a few families who decided to get together instead of trick or treating this year. Some people around here go all out in trying to scare the little kids to death and we just didn't want to have to deal with that. Our friends live in one of those neighborhoods where the houses are acres apart so they never get trick or treaters out their way. The kids will have a blast. Pics soon!

The Big Reveal

2011-10-28T06:00:00.001-04:00

Family Room - Before

(Bought the chairs off of craigslist knowing that I was going to have them recovered. We've had that denim sofa for almost 12 years. I love the style and the height and the comfort of it, but the denim was looking very worn and faded.)

Another angle. The walls look green in this picture, but they are really just a beige color.

The beloved purple chair in the playroom. Made by Ethan Allen. Again, the perfect size and comfort level, but the embossed purple palm tree pattern didn't go with our playroom. The kids love that chair (I do too) so I knew we had to keep it.

Some friends of mine gave me the name and number of a guy who reupholsters furniture for a very reasonable price. I got in contact with him. He came and loaded up all of my furniture and the fabric I picked out. Then brought it all back four weeks later.

Drum roll please.....

Ta da!!! (I didn't get the job taking photos for House Beautiful or Southern Living. When you see the pictures, you'll know why.)

The furniture guy made the ottoman based on a picture I gave him. It is huge - 4' x 4' and covered in a chocolate brown faux leather. We love it! I found the sofa table against the window at a consignment store. My friend Teresa helped me find the accessories for it. I'm taking a risk putting breakable items on the sofa table. The book ends are wooden fleur de lis - a salute to my Louisiana heritage. The balls in the bowl each have a word and scripture verse on them - a reminder of our spiritual heritage. (Don't look too closely. I still haven't taken the price tags off of everything).

Since Kevin likes playing his electric guitar and leaving all the equipment out, I found the smaller chair by the fireplace to be a perfect accent. The fabric goes great with everything else.

I love all of it, but I think my favorite things are the chairs. The fabric is just so fun and funky and bold. We played around with the arrangement of the pieces which is why these chairs are in a different spot. Kevin was just thrilled when I asked him to move them back to their original position. (See Luke having his snack in the background and the bags for all the accessories on the kitchen snack bar.) My friend is painting the little accent table for me. It is a little too gray.

This is the playroom chair. It is now covered in denim which will work great in the playroom! I found the fun pillows at Pier 1. They remind me of giant hacky sacks. Can you tell Luke loves his new chair? Fletcher and Kevin decided that the chair would still be referred to as "the purple chair" even though it isn't purple anymore. The ottoman was taking up too much prime floor space in the playroom so we moved it to Fletcher's room. I think it does double duty as a boat, stage, Star Wars battle ship and kung fu platform.

Breathe On Me

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

I had a flashback in church on Sunday morning.

We sang the hymn "Breathe On Me" during the service. Fletcher was standing right next to me. I was wearing a knitted sweater. Suddenly, I felt some warmth near my side through my sweater. I looked down and Fletcher has his entire face in my side. I whispered as I pulled him away, "What are you doing?" He giggled and said, "Breathing on you."

I was immediately transported back to the church I grew up in. It was easy to get distracted in church any time my older brother David stood or sat next to me. When we would sing that same song (which seemed like every other week), he would blow on me. Drove me nuts. He tried to be very discrete when he did it so mom didn't see. But I could feel it (and smell it - it always smelled like wintergreen Life Savers because mom would give us those in church to keep us quiet). I would tell him to stop and he would keep doing it. Then I would get in trouble. It was a vicious cycle.

Luke doesn't come in "big church" with us yet. I'm sure Fletcher can hardly wait.

Growing Up

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

The firetruck and firemen came and visited Luke's preschool last week.

Luke: Mommy, guess what I want to be when I grow up?
Me: What do you want to be?
Luke: A fireman!
Me: Wow! That would be really cool.
Luke: Mommy?
Me: Yes, Luke?
Luke: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Let My People Go

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

Let me start by saying that I am truly blessed to be able to stay home with my children and not work outside the home. Kevin and I came to that decision early on in our marriage long before we had kids. When I did work when Fletcher was a baby, it was only part time and I did most of it from home so he was never in daycare

Kevin has always been very supportive of our decision. Although there are probably some days when he comes home and the house is a wreck, dinner is not on the table and I still haven't showered and he wonders just exactly what it is that I do all day.

Why is this important?

Well, we've been reading through the Bible during our Bible time at night. We started in Genesis and are going through the major stories (Creation, the fall, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, etc). We've been reading the story of Moses and the Israelites and the ten plagues. Last night we read about the plague of locusts and darkness. We try to ask Fletcher (and Luke when he is cooperating) questions about what we've read. Here was a snippet of last night's conversation.

Kevin: Why do you think Pharoah kept changing his mind and saying only the men could go but the women had to stay in Egypt. Or the livestock had to stay.

Fletcher: Ummm...

Kevin: What would have happened if all the men left to worship in the desert and the women and children stayed in Egypt?

(Kevin was trying to get him to see that Pharoah knew the men would return because their families were still there. If they all left, they would never return.)

Fletcher: (still not getting it)

Kevin: If the men left and the women stayed, what would happen?

Fletcher: The women would have to go to work???

Kevin and I exchanged a very brief glance in that moment and it was all I could do not to laugh.

Apparently, in Fletcher's mind the Israelite slave women didn't have to work either.

Prank Calls

2011-10-18T06:00:00.011-04:00

I've done my fair share of prank calls in my lifetime. Of course, most of that came to a screeching halt once Caller ID was invented. Caller ID takes the fun out of everything...sometimes.

Last Monday was Columbus Day and our area public schools had the day off. Fletcher was at school (since they don't have school on Fridays, they don't take all those Monday holidays). Luke and I were at home just hanging out doing our Monday stuff like laundry. Around noon my phone rang. I didn't recognize the name on Caller ID, but it was a person's name not a business or telemarketing name so I answered it. After I said "Hello", no one said anything. Our home phone number is unique in that the last four digits are all the same number (easy for our kids to remember). However, because those digits are all the same, we get wrong number calls all the time because people dial incorrectly. So I figured it was just a wrong number so I hung up.

Not even a minute later, the phone rang again. Same person. This time when I picked up and said "hello", I heard girls giggling on the other end. One of them said something like "your butt's on fire". (I checked, it wasn't.) It was then that I realized these girls were home from school and bored. Mom or Dad was probably either at the office or working upstairs not paying a bit of attention to what the kiddos were doing. My guess is that they were trying to call a friend/enemy of theirs.

Obviously, these girls knew how to dial a phone, but they didn't know about Caller ID.

They called one more time. More giggling. More silly talk that I couldn't understand. And they hung up.

I happened to be at my computer. I'm really not sure what came over me. If they don't know about Caller ID then they certainly don't know about reverse phone number look up on the computer. I looked up their number and found their address. They live in a neighborhood not too far from us.

They called again. This is the fourth call in less than 5 minutes. This time I answered and said in a freaky, menacing voice, "You live at 2204 Magnolia Drive* and I am COMING TO YOUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW! I am coming to 2204 Magnolia Drive NOW." I hear them stop giggling and suck all the oxygen out of the room they were in. Then they hung up.

I know. It was so wrong. I shouldn't have done it.

I hope they totally freaked out. I was imagining them cowering in their bedrooms terrified of every car that drove by. They really were in a bit of a dilemma. If they told their parents, they would have to admit that they were prank calling people. If they don't tell their parents, a deranged housewife might show up at their door any minute.

I think they must have told their parents. The next afternoon I got a message on my answering machine from a little girl. This time she was calling from Dad's cell phone. She said very nervously, "I'm sorry for that calling we did yesterday. Wrong number." She sounded a little tired, like maybe she didn't sleep much the night before.

Let that be a lesson to you, little girl. I know where you live!

*I changed the address to protect the innocent.

One Final Surprise

2011-10-17T06:00:00.017-04:00

Our last surprise for the weekend was a trip to the NC Zoo in Asheboro. We've never been to this zoo before and we had no idea how spread out it was. There are two sections: Africa and North America. We didn't get to the North America section. Of course, I forgot our stroller so Luke got a little tired of walking. He never rides in a stroller anymore, but this would have been a time where we could have used it. It was a gorgeous fall day. There were so many people there. It was hard to get up close to the fences and glass to see all of the animals.

Both boys wanted to wear their Lego nametags from the night before.

Poison frogs. I've never seen blue ones before.

All throughout the zoo there were these metal animal sculptures. Fletcher and Luke thought they needed to climb on every one. These are the elephants.

The rhino.

They called these the "swamp ghosts" - albino alligators.

Giant (man made) beehive.

Giant bee.

Giraffes - always one of my favorites.

We took this picture as we were leaving since we forgot to take a group photo when we got there. I think we all look a little worn out.

We really enjoyed the baboons. They were putting on a show. I think their mom got tired of all the antics. Notice what she does at the minute mark. Guess they won't be playing in that hole anymore.

More Surprises!

2011-10-11T06:00:00.002-04:00

When we knew we were going to be in the Raleigh area on Saturday, Kevin thought it might be fun to go to a work site and let Luke drive a real excavator. He is still fascinated with big machines. He loves playing with his dump trucks, bull dozers, skid steer loaders and tools. One of his favorite things to play is "worker" at the "working site." Kevin's friend knows how to operate the big machines so we met him there. His son got to go first and Luke was mesmerized watching this other little boy drive the track wheel excavator up the hill through the dirt and then dig a hole. Since it was somewhat loud, I wasn't sure if Luke would want a turn. But as soon as Kevin asked, Luke was ready to go. He loved it. I couldn't zoom close enough to see his expression on his face. Let's just say that he thought the Lego Fest was cool, but driving the excavator was way cooler in his book!

But we had one more surprise before we came home!

Surprises!

2011-10-10T06:00:00.009-04:00

I love a good surprise. Well, let me rephrase that. I love planning a good surprise for someone else. I think it is fun to see someone else's reaction when something happens that they are totally not expecting.

This past weekend was full of surprises. Kevin had to go to work in Chapel Hill on Wednesday and was going to be there through Friday. The boys know he has to be out of town periodically for his job, but they just don't like it when he's away. I asked Fletcher if he thought it would be fun to drive to Chapel Hill on Friday and surprise Daddy. Fletcher loved the idea. He said we could wait until 10 pm and sneak into his hotel and knock on the door and yell, "Surprise!" I tried to steer him in a bit of a different direction while trying to maintain his enthusiasm (I am sure the other hotel guests were glad we didn't go with his initial plan). We opted to surprise him at work.

Now in order to pull this off, I had to get Kevin involved. Otherwise, he would be driving home as we were driving to Chapel Hill. Fletcher didn't want to tell Luke because he was afraid Luke would spill the beans if we talked to Kevin on the phone. He finally told Luke and Luke thought it sounded really fun.

Kevin was in a meeting and played along perfectly when Luke yelled, "Surprise!" Fletcher was so excited and flustered that he couldn't do anything but giggle. We left work and headed to Kevin's hotel. I asked if Kevin knew how to get to the Raleigh Convention Center....for another surprise. I told the boys that there was a conference going on there. Fletcher wanted to know what a conference was. I told him about the math conferences I used to go to when I was a teacher. He was not impressed. And a little less than thrilled at the thought of going to a "boring conference."

He saw the Lego logo when we drove up and his attitude changed. He had no idea what awaited him inside the Convention Center. Lego Kids Fest goes to five cities each year. There's so much to do and so much to see. We had a blast!

All of these structures were built out of legos. Notice Fletcher's Lego Star Wars shirt. I suggested he put that on in the morning because I knew what was coming later that night.

C3PO and R2D2

Captain Jack Sparrow

Lightning McQueen from Cars. It must have taken forever to build this one.

Darth Vader

Boba Fett (?)

Storm Trooper or Captain Rex or some other Star Wars character. You would think I would be better at naming these.

Droid? Clone fighter? Star Wars thingy.

Indiana Jones

Buzz and Woody (and proof that I was actually there with them since I am usually the one taking all the pictures)

Mystery Mural. Each person gets a small tile with colors on the front and a number on the back. Here in this picture they are making their tiles based on the colors they need.

Then they get to put it on the big mural wall according to its number. By the end of the weekend, the huge mural will be complete and we will get to go to a website and see what the surprise mural is. My guess is that it will be the city skyline of Raleigh.

Luke felt like such a big kid putting his into place.

Just a giant pile of legos to sit in, sift through, build, etc.

We buried Fletcher and Luke.

This was the Duplo area. Duplo blocks are the lego brick that are for smaller children.

They built a tower taller than Kevin. Kevin got reprimanded by the Lego Staff guy. He told him we had to take it down after our picture. Since this area is for smaller children, they didn't want anything to fall on them. We had to laugh because Kevin deals with building codes and Homeowners Associations all the time for work. Who knew Lego had a building committee.

This was an outline of the United States. Each person could build a scene with anything they wanted on it and then tell the worker what part of the country to put it in. We'll get to go to the www.legokidsfest.com website this week and see the completed US.

Here's what Fletcher built. He chose to put it by a tall tower near Georgia so we could (hopefully) find it in the completed picture online.

Build A Story. This might have been Fletcher's favorite area because he especially likes creating different characters. There was a little town built with football field, soccer field, movie theater, sidewalks, lighthouse, etc. Kids could come and make their own minifigures to be part of the story. There seemed to be lots of skeletons and zombies in this town.

Luke liked the lighthouse.

These were bins of heads and hats and accessories.

I took this video as we were leaving. Notice all the bins and crates and boxes behind the curtains. I can only imagine how many legos they have to bring to each city to pull off this event.

As we were leaving, Fletcher said, "This was so awesome!!! This was a great memory!!!"

But there were more surprises to come.....stay tuned for the next surprise (besides getting to sleep at Daddy's hotel which they also thought was very cool and fun).

Every 8 Weeks

2011-10-05T06:00:00.012-04:00

After several months (years?) of having blond highlights, I decided to go back to my natural color for several reasons. I thought I would like it, but it never really grew on me. It was either too blond, too orange, too red or too something. I started feeling like a calico cat. But the main reason is because if I keep spending this much money on hair maintenance every 8 to 10 weeks, Kevin will never be able to retire and our boys won't be able to go to college.

Luke didn't even notice a difference when I picked him up from preschool today. I asked if he liked my hair and all he said was, "Yes, it is brown."

Fletcher? Different story.

Fletcher: Mom? It looks like your hair is blown or something.
Me: Yes, I got my hair cut today.
Fletcher: It looks different.
Me: Do you like it?
Fletcher: Mmmmm. No, not really. It kinda looks like you've been through a fire. Like your hair is burnt. You know, like on the cartoons.
Me: Oh
Fletcher: Well, you know what I'm saying. I'm not trying to effind you (I think he meant "offend").

None taken. (My hairdresser has two boys the exact same age as mine. She warned me that they wouldn't like it). It is pretty dark and a pretty drastic change. I might get brave and post a picture soon.

Current votes:
Luke - yes
Fletcher - no
Kevin - yes
Sadie - I'm guessing yes since she didn't bark at me like I was a stranger when I came home.

Let Freedom Ring

2011-10-04T06:00:00.004-04:00

(This post has lots of pictures so you may want to give it a minute to load all the pictures before you start.)

We spent part of Fourth of July in the mountains and part of it at a lake. Before you start thinking that we've won the lottery or something because of all these fabulous, fun vacations, let me explain. We have friends from our single days in Houston who got married and moved to South Carolina. They've had a lake house in their family for years (over 50 to be exact) and the family gets together every year for a huge party on the 4th. Our friends also just built a cabin in the mountains and they wanted us and another family to give it a "test run". So we happily obliged.

Jones Gap State Park. The water was a little chilly. Fletcher got in, but Luke was happy to throw rocks in the water and watch them splash.

Yep! It was cold.

The Army Corp of Engineers would be proud. Kevin rearranged rocks all day so that this stagnant, murky water would become part of the flowing stream again. Have I mentioned that he has a hard time sitting still when we are on vacation?

Lake Jocassee. This is the same lake we went to last October. The kids had a blast on the pontoon boat.

Steven and Robyn (our hosts) and Jerusha.

Warren (Jerusha's husband) brought Kevin a fly fishing rod. He taught Kevin the basics. Kevin, Warren and Stephen were all in a men's small group Bible study back in our single days at Second Baptist in Houston.

Fletcher fished too. He is the only one who caught something.

Yes, that's Kevin at the top of those rocks. Yes, he jumped.

This is Stephen and Robyn's cabin in the moutain. It is very unique and the pictures just don't do it justice. The lower level (which you can't see in this pic) has a bedroom, small living area, full bath and kitchenette (microwave, small fridge, sink) with washer/dryer. It is airconditioned. The upstairs has four huge glass garage doors that open up to reveal screens. So it is like a giant screened in porch if the doors are up. The upstairs has a full kitchen, half bath, living area, woodburning stove, and deck. Steven wanted something very rustic, but they have two little girls (who will grow up to be teenaged girls) so Robyn said they needed the downstairs too so they wouldn't be "roughing it" too much.

Here the doors are up. The views were amazing! So amazing that I forgot to take pictures. This place is up on the side of a mountain overlooking a state park gorge area. I bet it is gorgeous in the fall when the leaves change.

The kitchen with the extra long table. We gave this kitchen a workout! Thirteen people for three days and almost every meal.

Another view of the living area and kitchen. They did such a great job with the finishes and the fixtures. See the rocking chairs near the back? I spent lots of time there just enjoying the view.

Warren has a little boy who is just a few months older than Luke. They played well together. Fletcher was surrounded by four (!) little girls ranging in age from 6 to 9. He wasn't too sure about being the only boy with all those girls. But he really had fun. I'm sure in about 10 years he won't mind that at all!

Buying the fireworks for the 4th.

Robyn and Steven's girls - Caroline and Ellie. Look at Fletcher's smile.

Lakehouse! Fletcher and the girls all went out on the big tube thingy on the ski boat. Luke had no desire to do that.

The whole crew (minus me). It is so fun to see Kevin, Warren and Stephen together again. I know these guys were critical in Kevin's spiritual growth when he was in Houston. I'm glad they have continued to keep in touch. Warren and Jerusha get the award! They drove all the way from Texas with three kids and a dog to come join us.

All the kiddos.

Litchfield 2011

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

It has been a wee bit chilly here (39 degrees Sunday morning with a high of 65). I've mentioned on here before that I am not a huge fan of cold weather (but I am very thankful that God gives us four seasons to enjoy). I feel like I need more time to get mentally prepared to go from a really hot summer to 39 degrees in October.

Anyway, enough about that. Thought I would post some pictures from our beach trip back in June with our friends. Kevin isn't in any of the pictures because he didn't get to go. As he puts it, "Someone around here has to work to keep you in the lifestyle to which you've grown accustomed."

And to that I say, "Who else is going to take these cutie patooties to the beach?"

Do not zoom in on the picture below because I'm pretty sure Fletcher needed a tissue and I did not have one in the beach bag.

The kids loved this place almost as much as the beach. It was a little seafood restaurant with a pirate ship play area outside.

And a shark. Love their facial expressions.

Luke didn't want to stop and take a picture with mom. Can you tell?

Buddies.

Prisoners?

They also received pirate hats from the owner. I have to say this is a cute bunch of pirates.

Our trip to Pawleys Island. We have a "Pawleys 2010" picture from last year. It would be fun to try to get one every year to see how they've grown.

The whole group (minus Kevin and Grant).

Bob the Builder

2011-09-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

Luke loves to play "worker". A few weeks ago when I was cleaning out closets, I found several of those caribiner hooks. He loves those things and uses them to attach various things to his belt loops. If he is wearing something that doesn't have belt loops, he just hooks them on his underwear instead. He throws around words like "working site" and "safety harness" like he is an old pro. Kevin found him a a real toolbelt ( a smaller one that I used on a mission trip). Saturday morning they had some work to do around the house so father and son strapped on the toolbelts and got to work.

His serious worker face.

His happy worker face.

Chicken Little

2011-09-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

We've been parents now for 7 1/2 years. So far we've done ok, but we've both made some parenting errors. You know, those times and situations when you look back and realize "I should have handled that differently."

Fletcher is studying the solar system in science this year. Last week he and Kevin were talking about his day and what he learned. Kevin (who wanted to make conversation and be sure that Fletcher was aware of current events) says something like, "Hey, did you know there's this satellite in space that's about to fall out of the sky on Friday?"

As I am standing there listening, I am thinking, "Telling him this is SUCH a bad idea," but I didn't say anything. They continue to talk about it and about "space junk".

Fletcher (my very own Chicken Little) immediately asks, "So I could get hit by space junk if I'm outside on Friday?"

Instead of saying "absolutely not", Kevin launches into this discussion about the 6 billion people who live on the earth and the mathematical probability of space junk hitting a person.

All Fletcher hears is "Blah, blah, blah...yes it is entirely possibly for you to get whacked in the head by something falling out of the sky on Friday... blah, blah, blah."

Of course, Fletcher has trouble sleeping that night. Can't imagine why.

Then the next day after school, I'm asking Fletcher how his day was, what he did, etc. He tells me that he told some of his classmates about the satellite that could hit them. Oh great. After probing for more details, he told me that he told them at lunch, not during class. I didn't check my email the rest of the day because I didn't want any emails from disgruntled 2nd grade parents wondering why we were causing such a stir all in the name of "current events".

Kevin came home later that same day. I said, "Fletcher, go ahead and tell Dad what you told your class today." Fletcher said, "I told them they might get hit by some space junk falling out of the sky."

It would have been funny only it wasn't.

Kevin then tries to revisit the whole probability thing as Fletcher's eyes glaze over. Kevin even pulled up an article about the satellite and suggested we send it in to school to clear up any confusion. I said, "No."

Well, to be honest, I may have said, "Have you lost your mind?!?! We are letting this thing die right here, right now. No more talk about the 6.5 ton satellite hurtling toward the earth on Friday. I don't want a phone call from his teacher saying that the entire 2nd grade won't go outside for recess because they are afraid."

You will be happy to note that the satellite did fall and no one was injured. They believe it fell somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. You will be interested to note that your probability of getting hit was 1 in 3200. That is kind of disturbing. A lady was hit in 1997 by space junk and lived to tell about it.

As a new parenting strategy, we will think through the long term implications and impact of sharing current events with our 7 year old.

Make A Face

2011-09-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

Arrgh!

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Luke has a very active imagination. Fletcher does too, but Luke's has really kicked in over the last few months. He really likes dressing up in all the various costumes we have. Over the years, I've picked up a few costumes on clearance after Halloween and at consignment sales so we have a fun box full of various costumes. These are our latest additons ($2 each at a consignment sale). Thankfully, there were two in just the right sizes for each of them. Of course, I couldn't get them to stand still and look at the camera or say "aargh" or smile or do anything other than wiggle and jump around. Story of my life. Oh well....

Sometimes We Wonder If He's Blonde

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

Recent conversations

Our local Christian radio station does something called the Family Name Game each week. They tell the special name in the morning, then if you have a child named that special name, you can call in at a certain time and tell about your child and win a prize. The names are usually pretty common like Matthew, Brooke, Noah, Sarah, etc.

Fletcher: They never say my name on the Family Name Game.
Mom: Well, that's because your name is not as common as some of these other names.
Dad: When you were born, we decided to pick a name that was really cool and unique and that not very many kids had.
Luke: (with great excitement) So what did you pick?
Mom: Um, "Fletcher"
Dad: Good thing you're cute, Luke.
----------------------------------------------
Before Bed
Dad: Luke, Daddy is leaving tomorrow morning for a work trip for a few days. So I want you to work really hard to listen and obey Mommy, ok?
Luke: Ok. Will you bring us a mint?
Dad: Well, I won't be here for a few days because I'm leaving in the morning before you get up. But maybe I'll bring a mint when I get back.
Luke: When we wake up in the morning, can you make pancakes?
Dad: *sigh*
----------------------------------------------
Mom, getting out of shower with towel wrapped around me.
Luke walking in, realizing I had just gotten out of the shower: Can I smell your pits?*

*This is where silly things we do come back to bite us. Ever since the boys were little, I've told them if they didn't want to take a bath that they had to because they had "stinky pits" (armpits). Then after their baths, they would tell me their pits were clean and I would tickle them under their clean armpits. Just for the record, I told him "No. Run along now and go play."

Ouch!

2011-09-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here's what our worship would sound like if we sang what we are really thinking sometimes on Sunday mornings. Ouch! Good job FBC Orlando.

Preschool

2011-09-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Luke's first day of preschool was yesterday. He is in the 4 year old class three days a week. I was so proud of him! He walked right in, put his backpack on his hook, put his lunch in his cubby, found his nametag and hugged us goodbye. Ok, I can't lie. I was actually a little sad - but in a good way. I know that makes perfect sense, right? For the last two years of preschool, it has taken him a few weeks to adjust. I would feel awful driving away knowing that he was crying in his room. Of course, the teachers assured me that he always stopped after about 1 minute, but the mommy guilt was still there. Today I was teary because I was happy he was just fine. So many people told me that his "separation anxiety" phase would pass. I thought that day would never come. Who knows what the rest of the week will look like, but he had a GREAT first day!

Dad came for the big day.

His buddy Blake is in his class this year for the first time. We've been on several beach vacations with Blake and his family.

His "smile" cracks me up. His teacher Ms. Denise is in the background.

Roomies!

2011-09-06T06:00:00.006-04:00

While I was in Louisiana, I was able to go see my college roommate. I realized while I was at her house visiting with her that 25 years ago (almost to the day I saw her) we were moving into our dorm room at Cottingham Hall at Louisiana College. Hard to believe it has been that long ago. Also hard to believe how much stuff we tried to cram into that teeny tiny dorm room. We have so many great memories of college - everything from late night study sessions to mission trips to boyfriend woes. There's something to be said for someone who knows you well - your family, your quirks, your moods - and puts up with you anyway! It has been about 10 years since we've seen each other. The last time was right after Sept 11 at a college reunion. I can remember staying up late talking about how we would still be friends when we were "old" and married with kids. We still keep in touch via email because she refuses to do Facebook. :) She was (and still is) such a blessing to me in my college years. She is a preacher's kid and can play the piano and sing beautifully. I miss hearing her sing, but I know she sings a good bit at her church in Louisiana.

I'll say this again like I said on Facebook when I posted these pictures, in our defense we were at a Baptist college. And the higher the hair, the closer to God... Now I know what happened to the ozone layer.

Don't Be A Stick In The Mud

2011-09-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

It was hot, hot, hot in Louisiana. The kids could go out around 7 am and 7 pm. Any other time I think they might have had a heat stroke (or I would have had one sitting outside watching them).
So one day Uncle D decided to turn on the sprinklers to let them play.

Seemed like a good way to cool off until my texture boy (Luke) discovered that the sprinklers were making mud in addition to spraying water.

Their cousin Bear wasn't too sure what to think. Is this ok? Am I going to get in trouble?

They did this the last evening we were there. Both boys said it was their favorite thing they did on the trip. That and the coffee milk Aunt Dee made them in the mornings. My mawmaw used to give me coffee milk too (mostly milk, a little sugar and a shot of coffee).

This is sweet baby Alice. Remember she was born the last time we visited Louisiana in December.

And this cutie patootie is Evie (Bear's little sister). We had lots of fun painting our toenails and trying on my jewelry. I could just eat her up! She was a trooper keeping up with all the boys!

Fletcher and Luke with MawMaw and PawPaw. Luke's "smile" just kills me.

Cousins...actually second cousins. Bear and Evie are my sister's grandkids. I'd draw a family tree, but I'm too tired.

We stayed with Uncle D and Aunt Dee (and their whiney dog Tucker). So much fun! We hope to get back soon.

Four!

2011-09-01T06:00:00.003-04:00

Luke's birthday was a little unusual this year. We took a trip to Louisiana to visit my family and we were flying back on his actual birthday (August 20). So we ended up celebrating several times -- with various cakes. A few times in Louisiana, with Dad when we returned from Louisiana and with friends this past weekend. I can't imagine why he keeps asking me if today is his birthday again. :)

Just to do something fun and different at his little party, I borrowed a Tonka dump truck from a friend and we had "dirt cake" with gummy worms. My friend Linda made it (her husband is in the Marines but he was deployed to Afghanistan since February. She lives in Jacksonville, NC but he wanted her to evacuate because of Hurricane Irene so she came here and spent a long weekend with us until the storm passed. Thankfully, she had minimal damage AND her husband came home Monday.)

The kids thought it was so gross/cool to eat dirt that was actually very tasty!

Now that he is four, he is breaking the thumb sucking habit. He has done really well with it. Somehow we've convinced him that four year olds just don't do that because they are too busy doing other cool stuff that four year olds get to do. He wears gloves on his hands at night just so he doesn't subconsciously slip back into the habit. We are so proud of him.

He goes to meet his new teachers today at his preschool. I'll be interested to see how that goes. This summer we drove past his school and I said, "Look, Luke, there's your school." He promptly replied, "No, I already did that." Preschool. Check. Now moving on to bigger and better things.

Second Grade 2011-2012

2011-08-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

He had a great first day. I think Luke really missed him (mom did too).
Their class has a pet lizard named Paco or Pogo or something like that.

Fletcher: Mom, remember last year when we had jobs in the class?
Mom: Yes, I remember.
Fletcher: I hope one of the jobs isn't cleaning out the lizard cage. That would be kinda gross.

July 17, 2011

2011-07-18T06:00:00.001-04:00

Sunday morning Fletcher went forward during the invitation to let everyone know he had asked Jesus into his heart and wanted to be baptized. He was so excited about his decision and so are we. He was baptized last night along with 5 other children close to his same age. Grandma and Papa Charlie came to see this very important event.
He accepted Christ a few years ago, but we really didn't push the baptism thing because we wanted to be sure he understood what it meant to be baptized (an outward symbol of an inward commitment) and what it meant to make a public profession of his faith. After lots of conversations and a conversation between Fletcher and our pastor, we really felt he was ready (and was doing this because he wanted to, not because we made him or because some of his friends were doing it too).

We reminded him that this is something he will remember forever. It is so neat to see how God has been working in his life and how He has used so many people (our pastor, Sunday School teachers, RA leaders, school teachers, VBS leaders, friends, family, coaches, etc) to teach Fletcher spiritual truth. What a blessing as parents to see our child come to Christ and grow in Him.

On a funny note: Our church doesn't have its own baptistry so when we do baptisms, another Baptist church in the area lets us use theirs. However, someone from their church forgot to turn the heater on in the baptismal pool so the water was freezing! One of the kids asked if they could do baptisms in the hot tub next time. Ha!

Brrr!

2011-07-15T06:00:00.007-04:00

(I'm determined to catch up even if it takes me all summer.)

When we built this house, Kevin convinced me that we needed to put in a well for irrigating the grass and the landscaping. While I thought spending money on a well wasn't much fun, it has proven to be very worthwhile since we can water our grass without having to pay an outrageous water bill.

When the kids wanted to play on the new slip and slide (thanks, Grandma and Papa Charlie), Kevin hooked it up to the well water. It was freezing, but the boys didn't care. They played in it all afternoon. Their lips were blue when they finally came back inside. Oh the joys of summer!

Yu,Yu, Yu, Yu Yes to Vu, Vu, Vu VBS!

2011-06-27T06:00:00.001-04:00

Here are a few more pictures from our week at VBS. I took the taxi pics on my cell phone so they are kinda blurry.

Fletcher's friends Tucker and Noah came with us every night. They had such a great time.

The boys really loved the music. I downloaded the songs from iTunes and made a CD for us to listen to. I'll have to see if I can get them to sing a few and put them on video.

Of course, they loved the food too. Our church does it a little differently in that they do VBS at night and everyone gets snacks at the end as opposed to getting snacks during class. But Luke's class gets a snack IN class and afterwards too. AND they got a piece of candy if they said their verse for each night. Luke was loving life especially since Kevin would go get him and let him go through the line and pick out what he wanted to eat before I got down there. Two cookies? Sure. Brownie too? No problem. Oh look, there's a sprinkle cookie. Yum. Needless to say, they were on a sugar high all week. I hope they remember the spiritual truths they learned this week. I'm sure they will remember that they got to eat whatever they wanted for 5 nights in a row.

Yesterday after regular Sunday School and church, Luke wanted to go in the "big room" (Fellowship Hall) for more desserts. He didn't quite understand that this free-for-all dessert thing only happens once a year.

A Fish Is Born

2011-06-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

I realize this video is long, but I decided to put it on here anyway. Luke has done so well with his swim lessons the past two weeks. He really clicked with "Mr. Matt" and was pretty cooperative. (What a difference a year makes. Last year he would not cooperate at all). Of course, he was a little bossy here and there. You can see in the video where he is pointing and telling Mr. Matt exactly where to stand in the pool so Luke can jump to him. It also cracks me up when Mr. Matt says "Face in" and Luke just about gives himself whiplash putting his face in the water. Now he just needs to practice this summer and he'll keep getting more comfortable in the water.

Oh Where Oh Where Has My Snickelfritz Gone...

2011-06-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

I'm still here.
There's been end of school stuff, a beach trip, swim lessons, RA Recognition, decorating for VBS, Father's Day, starting VBS, dentist appointments, and just life in general these past few weeks. I usually write my blog posts in the evenings after the boys go to bed and before I go to bed. But lately, I've been so tired that I've just wanted to read a book or zone out on the couch or go to bed instead of blog.

I'm not sure what the summer will look like on the blog. I do have some fun pictures to put up from the last few weeks of our various activities.

This week is our Vacation Bible School. It is a New York City theme which kinda cracks me up since I'm pretty sure most of these kids don't know a whole lot about The Big Apple. My friend Teresa, Kevin and I made this yellow taxi cab as a decoration. Our VBS is at night so I'm not sure how much blogging will get done this week either. We shall see.

Looney Tunes

2011-05-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

What a busy few weeks! Blogging falls to the bottom of the "To Do" list when there's so many other things going on.

Last week, I took Fletcher on a "date night" along with Mrs. Teresa and Tucker to see Bugs Bunny at the Symphony. The live orchestra played the scores for several of the old Looney Tunes cartoons (and even threw in Scooby Doo and Flintstones cartoons too). It was fun seeing all of those old 7 minute cartoons on the big screen as the orchestra played. I'm not sure Fletcher completely understood the significance of the live orchestra. But he has seen Looney Tunes cartoons before so he thought it was neat.

The conductor has been doing this "Bugs Bunny On Broadway" with different orchestras all over the world. He goes to a new city, the orchestra learns the music and then they perform it and he moves on to the next place. In between cartoons, the conductor did a great job of explaining a little of the history behind the Warner Brothers studio orchestra. Back in the day, each studio had its own orchestra that played all the scores for all the shows including cartoons and other TV shows. So there were some very talented musicians in Hollywood. One of the instruments (can't remember the name) in the orchestra the night we went was one of the actual instruments used in the 1940s orchestra.

I don't know if Fletcher will grow up and enjoy going to the symphony. But this was a fun way to introduce the concept to him.

Here's a small clip similar to what we saw.

George Thorogood

2011-05-23T06:00:00.004-04:00

Just to clarify...he insists on going to the bathroom all by himself these days with no help whatsoever from mom or dad. So sometimes things get a little twisted when he comes out. I think he was trying to adjust his underwear at the beginning. I don't think he was grabbing his crotch like Michael Jackson.

Betcha Can't Watch Just Once

2011-05-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you've ever had a pet and "talked" for your pet, you will love this video. We make Sadie "talk" all the time. We just aren't clever enough to put it on youtube.

Seriously, I bet you watch more than once. The kids love this one. Took them awhile to realize the dog really wasn't talking. This guy has talking cat videos too. I'm not a cat lover so they aren't quite as funny to me, but you may enjoy them.

Damages

2011-05-16T06:00:00.011-04:00

Sidenote: Blogger (the platform I use to write this blog) has been having some technical issues the last few days. That's why the post below kept disappearing and reappearing. I think it is fixed now.

First things first: Happy 13th Anniversary to my awesome husband. I love you so much and every single day I'm so glad you picked me.

I think the traditional anniversary gift for year 13 is supposed to be lace. But for us, it is going to be wood, shingles, and maybe patio furniture.

Took out part of the gutters and some shingles and roof decking, but didn't get the trusses.

Deck railing is messed up, but the floor of the deck is fine.

No brick damage. No broken windows. No interior damage.

Broke several of the patio chairs. Didn't break the tempered glass patio table (or so we thought). When Kevin and his buddy picked it up to move it, the legs collapsed. So good-bye patio table too.

We forgot to take a picture of the tree lying in the yard. In the above picture, our master bedroom is the window in the far back top part of the picture. Completely opposite of where the deck is. Also where Luke was sleeping since the noise of the storm had scared him and he came and got in bed with us. The tree fell at almost an exact 45 degree angle across our backyard.

This is looking directly out of our master bedroom window. The tree that fell is straight out of this window. In the photo, it is behind the smaller tree near the rock well. Had the wind been blowing in a different direction, the tree would have fallen directly into our master bedroom. I am so thankful that "even the wind and the waves obey Him" (Mark 4:41). The tree was a pine tree about 2 feet in diameter.

Firewood anyone?

FEMA tarp covering the corner of the roof.

I'm still not 100% sure what happened. We think the tree was hit by lightning, but there are no burn marks on the tree like we've seen on other trees that have been hit. Could have been the strong wind and the tree was just weak at that point. Whatever it was, I am thankful God protected us from something that could have been much worse. I'm thankful we have insurance. I'm thankful we have money to pay our deductible. I'm thankful we have good recommendations on reputable contractors who can fix everything that is broken. I'm so thankful none of us were hurt.

Tree!

2011-05-11T19:52:00.000-04:00

We are absolutely fine.

However, Tuesday night a big storm came through our area. Lightning hit a tree in our backyard. The tree fell and took out the railing of our back deck and the outside corner of our house and some of our patio furniture. It knocked off the gutter, a few shingles, and some of the roof decking. It did not mess up any of the interior of the house or any of the trusses.

Kevin and his friend from work got the chainsaws out and cut up most of the tree.

Our internet and house phone are also out until later this week.

I'll post pictures later this week. I am just so thankful it fell the way it did. At a slightly different angle it would have fallen into the house or into our master bedroom.
I am just so thankful we are all ok. Everything else is replaceable.

An Interview

2011-05-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

With Luke, age 3 1/2 regarding his favorite stuffed dog Rocky.

What is Rocky's whole name?
Rocky Ternal

How old is Rocky?
3

Is Rocky a boy or a girl?
Girl

What kind of dog is Rocky?
Beagle

What is Rocky's favorite thing to do?
I don't know

Where is Rocky's favorite place to sleep?
My bed

Why do you love Rocky?
Because I do

What does Rocky smell like?
Umm......Rocky

What does Rocky do while you are at school?
Sleep

Does Rocky do any funny things?
Tells jokes

Where does Rocky like to go on vacation?
To Grandma's house

Who are Rocky's friends?
Buddy Bear, Fancy (a stuffed goat), Tigger, and Elmo

What do you like most about Rocky?
His eyes

What does Rocky think of Sadie?
They both want to eat bones

What do you say to Rocky?
I want to watch TV

What is Rocky's favorite song?
Good morning

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-09T06:00:00.002-04:00

Kevin's parents came up to visit and see Moriah's baby dedication. I need to tell Moriah's story soon.

On Saturday, Kevin took the boys to a perfume store to pick out a gift. I had given Kevin a list of 4 possible fragrances and he let them sniff each one and decide. (They chose Dolce & Gabbana "The One").

Well, I put some on before we left for church and when I got in the van Luke said with a sour face, "What is that SMELL???"

Then at the restaurant for lunch I asked Fletcher if he could still smell my perfume. He sniffed my arm and said, "It smells a little off."

Well alrighty then. So if you happen to get close to me and wonder.....just know I am wearing my Mother's Day present from my wonderful little boys!!!

But Wait....There's More

2011-05-05T06:00:00.004-04:00

The song is "Count On Me" by Bruno Mars. During one of Tucker's hospital stays, I texted Teresa and told her when all this was over and Tucker was completely healed that we would slather SPF 100 sunscreen on him and go somewhere and dig our toes in the sand and celebrate how God had healed him. This trip did just that.

Explore!

2011-05-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

Crabbing with chicken necks.

They didn't catch anything. I'm kinda glad since we found out after the fact that apparently one is supposed to have a SC fishing license to go crabbing.

Lighthouse at Hunting Island.

That's Grant and Kevin at the top. My camera has a pretty good zoom.

Time for a bike ride. I scored the bike trailer at a consignment shop here in town for $60! They sell for around $200. This one looked brand new and worked perfectly. Luke even took a few naps in it on our afternoon rides. Must be nice!

Live sea urchin.

Starfish

More bike trails. Lots of marshland too.

Baby alligator.

We (I) didn't want to get too close since I am sure Mama alligator was close by.

Collecting shells and sharks' teeth.

Not a real alligator.

Alligator wrestling.

Play!

2011-05-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Told you this whole picture thing was going to take me awhile.

We went to Fripp Island, SC for our Spring Break trip. The island is only about 5 miles long and 3 miles wide. Much less commercial than some of the other beaches we've been to. Deer roam freely on the island and will eat right out of your hand. Most people use bikes and golf carts to get around the island. Our rental house had two golf carts and several beach cruiser bikes. (We had also bought our own).

There were several playgrounds on the island that the kids loved.

Shot Through The Heart

2011-05-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

We had to give Luke about a 10 foot radius all around him so he didn't hit anyone with his shovel or the sand he was flinging everywhere. That child loves to dig in the sand. Did it from the time we got to the beach until the time we left.

Just in case you can't hear the dialog....
Kevin: Hey, Luke. Whatcha doing?
Luke: Digging
Kevin: Digging? What are you digging for?
Luke: (mumbling)
Kevin: You're digging for what?
Luke: For treasure.
Kevin: For treasure?
Kevin: What kind of treasure?
Luke: Beautiful treasure
Kevin: Beautiful treasure?
Luke: For mommy
Me: Awwwwwww. Thank you!
Luke: For Tucker's mommy
Me: Oooooohhhhh
Teresa (Tucker's mommy): Yeah!

Luke loves him some Mrs. Teresa!

In.App.Ro.Pri.Ate

2011-04-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

I really hesitated to share this post. It is a bit irreverant. But if this blog is a record of my children and their childhood memories through my eyes, then this story needs to be included.

I've talked about our daily evening Bible time in other blog posts. I've also talked about how I wonder whether Luke "gets it." After all, he is only three years old. We still keep plugging along with the hope and prayer that they are hiding God's word deep in their hearts. Some evenings seem relatively successful. Some? Not so much.

While we were gone on vacation in preparation for Easter, I brought along something called Resurrection Eggs for us to do during Bible time each night.

This is what they look like. Twelve eggs and a small devotional booklet. Each egg contains a small reminder of the Easter story - a donkey, a cup, praying hands, silver coins, a crown of thorns, etc. It really helps kids learn the true meaning of Easter. The 12th egg is empty to represent the empty tomb.

Everything was going so well. Each night Kevin would read the verses, the kids (Fletcher, Luke and Tucker) would take turns opening the egg and then they would take turns looking at what was inside the egg. Then they would answer questions about the object and what it represented.

Then we came to egg # 10. This egg contained a small white cloth to represent the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in when Joseph of Arimethea buried him. (A "shroud" for all you Bible scholars.)

Fletcher looked at the cloth then passed it to Tucker. Tucker looked at the cloth then passed it to Luke.

Luke looked at the cloth.

Luke looked at Kevin.

Luke looked at Mrs. Teresa. (Mr. Grant had already gone back home to work.)

Luke looked at me.

Then Luke looked at the cloth again. Picked it up. Then reached around and pretended to wipe his bottom with it.

Let that sink in for a minute.

The burial cloth of Jesus as a piece of toilet paper.

The adults tried hard not to laugh. Really hard. But we just couldn't help it.

Thankfully, the two other boys didn't see it; otherwise, we might have never recovered.

I won't mention names, but I'm thinking someone may not have been listening completely during Bible time.

We'll keep trying.

Working Backwards

2011-04-27T06:00:00.006-04:00

So many pictures that I'm having trouble deciding where to start. So I'll start at the end then work my way to the beginning. Or something like that.

Grandma and Papa Charlie with the grandkids.

The whole crew. We were even 30 minutes early to church. Go ahead, be impressed. That's hard to do in my little family of 4. Imagine how hard it was in a house full of 10. (Their church meets in a high school in case you were wondering about the background. This high school had much better landscaping than my alma mater.) By the way, in other random news, this is the first time in about three years that I've bought a new dress. I happened to catch the new shipment at Marshalls and ended up buying three dresses. A good dress, like a good man, is hard to find these days. That's why you snatch them up when given an opportunity. "Them" being dresses, not men because that would be weird.

Aunt Stacie (Kevin's sister), Uncle Gavin, Graham (13) and Anna (11). After 12 years of complaining, Graham has finally realized that picture-taking goes much faster if he just smiles and says nothing.

This was the Saturday before Easter at Grandma and Papa Charlie's neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. Snowcones. Fletcher loved them. Luke? Not so much. He thought the ice was too cold. He did like the syrup.

Brothers. (I originally typed "bothers" and while they do bother each other sometimes, this was a rare moment in which they were showing some brotherly love.)

Pony rides. At this point Fletcher and Anna went off to play so I don't have any more pictures of them.

Luke said the ride was "weally bumpy."

I thought he might be freaked out by the Easter Bunny, but he ran right up and gave him a hug and waited to take his picture with him.

Getting a "tiggy back ride."

Ready for the egg hunt.

He did great. Got lots of eggs. I would post the video but there was this overly excited high pitched nasally sounding mother's voice drowning out all other audio. I hate it when that happens. She needs to learn to video in silence.

Whirlwind

2011-04-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

We just got back late Sunday night from a whirlwind beach trip and a quick trip down to St. Augustine for Easter with Kevin's side of the family. I took lots of pictures and videos so hopefully I'll get those uploaded this week and do a little bit better job of blogging.

Happy Easter!

There's a great song called "In Christ Alone". These verses are what Easter is all about.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

Classic

2011-04-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

Luke loves watching this video. He calls it "The Pretty Song". We're not sure why. He has a little airplane with a man that my sister gave him for Christmas that he flies all over the house pretending to act out the video. He even makes the man walk to his plane just like the video does. I would love to take him to see the Blue Angels. Of course, when we lived in Florida they were only about 3 hours away. But now that we are in the Carolinas, the closest they will be to us is Beaufort at the end of this month. Maybe 2012.

Yet Another Reason

2011-04-13T06:00:00.003-04:00

This is yet another reason why I love my husband.

Our front landscape beds needed new mulch. This was to be the Saturday morning project. After a hearty breakfast at McDonalds, they went to the mulch place and got a truckload of mulch.

Kevin could have gotten it all spread out in an hour or less. But because he is such a good dad and because he is so patient, he let the boys "help". I think most of their mulch ended up in the grass. They were absolutely filthy. But they were very proud that they helped Dad with such a difficult task.

On a related note, doesn't our front yard look so nice and green. Kevin does it all. Impressive, yes?

I Don't Even Know How to Title This

2011-04-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

This was my facebook status and the comments that followed on Sunday morning.

Rachel ______ G_______
My three year old (in the bathroom): The Poop Family lives in a poop house in my bottom.
Glad he doesn't have much of an imagination.

Yesterday at 8:22am · · Like · Lindy Rowe and Caroline Parker like this..

Karen Self Beakley My 3 year old grandson said as he flushed the toiilet "He's going to go look for his mommy now" Yes, they do have vivid imaginations!
Yesterday at 8:29am · Like.

Alan Pruitt Rachel my 4 year old said she was feeding the pooh pooh fairy... Lol
Yesterday at 8:46am · Like.

JoAnn Shearer hahahahaha!!!
Yesterday at 8:51am · Like.

Susan Jackson Kelly HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Yesterday at 8:54am · Like.

Savannah Sams My 2 year old daughter said, "That was a big one... I love my poop! Do you love my poop??" I started laughing because I couldn't believe she said it! I think they are so funny at this age :)
Yesterday at 8:56am · Like.

Shelly Williams Foster Oh my do I miss this age!!!
Yesterday at 9:35am · Like.

Susan Jackson Kelly He and Nathan should get together...
Yesterday at 1:04pm · Like.

Stacy Soehlman Mason L.O.L.
Yesterday at 1:47pm · Like.

Jimmy Clyde i'm not sure if we ever want to let him and Lucas Jackson Clyde have play time together. Luke works poop into pretty much any conversation.
Yesterday at 2:10pm · Like.

Kara G. Marino Should I say this?.....so I guess when he has to go, he literally IS dropping the kids off at the pool. :0
22 hours ago · Like.

Rachel ______ G_____ Oh yeah. Someone told me that I could write a book on potty training called "The Poop Family Goes Swimming"
19 hours ago · Like.

Heather Logemann MacKrell Hilarious!

Top Chef

2011-04-07T06:00:00.013-04:00

Sometimes it's the everyday stuff I don't want to forget. Making pancakes with Dad is one of Luke's favorite things to do. (Yes, I realize that is an enormous bag of chocolate chips. But we like chocolate chips in our pancakes and they are much less expensive when I buy them in bulk at Sams. That bag will probably last us through elementary school).

Sunny Days

2011-04-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

Of course, it wasn't until after I uploaded the pictures that I realized Luke had a giant booger in his nose.

Who Knew?

2011-03-30T06:00:00.003-04:00

When soon-to-be parents announce that they are having a boy, I usually tell them they should enroll in a Sheetrock Repair class at their local Home Depot or Lowe's.

I had no idea little boys could be so rough on a house. Our house is three and a half years old and the walls look like they are at least 10 years old. Holes, nicks, dings, scratches, entire corner chunks missing. They run into the walls with their cars, their toys, their balls and sometimes even themselves. (We have a dent in the wall that mysteriously is the exact same size, shape and height of Luke's forehead). Since this weekend was a cold, wet, rainy weekend, Kevin got the spackle and started making repairs. Let's just say it took him the better part of Saturday to get it done. Now he has to sand it down and then do some touch up painting. Thankfully, we have lots of leftover paint from the first time we painted. Because we are definitely going to need it.

Here is one of Kevin's helpers:

I love how he is taking these big giant steps because in his little 3 1/2 year old mind, that's how Daddy walks.

Midnight Ride

2011-03-29T06:00:00.002-04:00

His whole class learned this poem while they were studying the American Revolution.

Rocky's Last Name

2011-03-28T06:00:00.011-04:00

Luke's stuffed dog is named Rocky.

He is named after a real dog that I had growing up (named Rocky). I bought my Rocky at my neighbor's garage sale for 50 cents at the end of the day half price clearance sale. Best purchase ever!

Well, Grandma bought Rocky for Luke. And Luke loves him some Rocky. Sleeps with him every night. Drags him around the house. Talks to him. Sings with him. Sniffs his tail while he sucks his thumb. Rocky's tail, Luke's thumb. Just in case you were confused.

Stay with me now because things are going to get a little complicated. Enter the Seeds Family Worship CDs. I've probably mentioned them on this blog several or eight times. We love listening to them in the car. They are upbeat and fun and help my kids (and mom and dad) learn scripture.

One of the songs is based on Isaiah 26:3-4 which says

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. "

The song repeats "Rock Eternal, Rock Eternal, Rock Eternal" several times throughout the song. We've listened to this song several times recently. They especially like this particular cd.

Now fast forward to the other day after breakfast...

Luke: Mom, do you know Rocky has a last name?

Mom: (I have no idea where he comes up with this stuff. My best guess is that he is going to say our last name) Really? Rocky has a last name? What is it?

Luke: Ternal. His name is Rocky Ternal.

Go ahead. Say it outloud several times and go back and look at the verse. I'll wait for you. Of course Rocky's last name is Ternal. What else could it possibly be in the mind of this very literal three year old?!

I love that boy!

To get the full effect, go to this link: http://www.seedsfamilyworship.net/listen-online/
Choose "Seeds of Praise (Vol. 3)" from the drop down arrow.
Play Track 5 "The Rock Eternal"

What's Good For The Goose

2011-03-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

Many of you know that I love a great deal. I read a few mommy blogs that highlight great deals they've heard about online or in stores. About February of last year, I heard of a new company called Franklin Goose. They presented themselves as a small internet company who was into natural and organic baby products (cloth diapers, organic clothing, BPA free bottles,etc). They purchase many of their items from environmentally conscious work-at-home-moms. They were offering $ 5 store credit for every review you wrote about any of their products you've tried (you didnt' have to purchase the product from them). Sounds crazy, right? Many people asked on their Facebook page if this was a legit deal. Absolutely. There were no specifications as to how many reviews each person could write or how long they had to be. They set a deadline of when all the reviews had to be completed. They also said that instead of using their advertising budget on a "typical advertising campaign", they were doing this instead because they wanted to hear from real moms and dads. Well, people started submitting reviews and getting store credit.

Then the deal went viral. Thousands of people were submitting reviews. Some were completely bogus like "Hey, I'd like to try one of those." But others were well written, truly helpful reviews. I looked at their products and realized we had 13 of them (mostly books and some of their plates, spoons, cups, baby carrier, potty chairs, and I can't remember what else). So I received my $65 credit. I only told one other friend about it because I still wasn't sure it was legit. Other people had hundreds of dollars in store credit.

I didn't use my credit immediately since I wasn't sure what I wanted to buy. I thought I would wait until closer to Christmas or the kids' birthdays. Then we got an email from the company saying that they were overwhelmed with orders so if we would "bank" our store credit for 6 months, then we could use it plus an additional 20% in interest. Many people, including me, did this thinking that we were helping out a small company. They had guaranteed that the credits would be good for up to two years.

Right before Christmas they froze everyone's credits so no one could use them at Christmas. Still promising to allow the credits plus 20% after they "caught up" with all their orders. Well, last week everyone received this email:

To all of our loyal customers,

We are writing to update you on the status of the promotion. As you may know, we were overwhelmed by an enormous number of reviews submitted in connection with the promotion, and we thank all of you who followed the rules and wrote honest, heartfelt reviews.

Unfortunately, many of those who submitted reviews merely sought the promotion’s benefits without providing a commensurate genuine, honest review. While we initially filled a large amount of orders, we simply do not have the resources to continue vetting the reviews to distinguish those that followed the rules from those that did not.

In order to continue as a business, we must amend the promotion. This is not a step we take lightly, but one which is necessary for the health of our business. Accordingly, we have decided to take down and remove from the site all reviews which were written as part of the promotion. All open orders using store credit and partial store credit will be cancelled, as well as all remaining store credit. In their place, we are providing a one-time use coupon for 40% off of any purchase.

Whoa! A single use 40% off coupon is not exactly the same as $ 65 of merchandise.

Now I know some will say, "Rachel, don't be greedy. It was free. The stuff wasn't yours to begin with."

Initially, I agreed. I thought, "Oh well....nothing lost, nothing gained." I was frustrated that they cancelled credits when so many people tried to help them out. I blamed it on the fact that maybe this little company didn't understand the power of mommy blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media. That they didn't realize something like this would go viral. If they knew they were in over their heads, why not cancel the promo immediately when the reviews started pouring in? If they knew they couldn't make good, why string everyone along for a whole year and then offer a measly coupon?

But then I started doing some research. And now I'm ticked. First, this isn't a little mom and pop company that didn't know their little ad campaign would go viral. They are owned by a much larger company called JSA Technologies. Franklin Goose sent out requests offering a $25000 prize for someone who could come up with a marketing campaign that would "go viral" in order to drive traffic to their new website. Obviously, this was the winning campaign (although now I am starting to wonder if the winner ever got his/her prize money from them).

(Stay with me) Have you ever wondered when you type search terms into Google why certain websites are listed first in the search results and others are listed on maybe page 2 or 3 or 200 of the search results? There's something called SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Google doesn't like to kiss and tell how it works, but there are certain factors that influence who gets to be first on the list (JCPenney recently got in trouble for doing some things to get on the top of the list that they weren't supposed to do).

Some of the factors include:

Frequency of website updates and content change (thousands of reviews being submitted every second made it look like their website and content was constantly updating and changing)
The length of time a user spends on the site (many people spent hours on the site writing reviews, then going back to the site to check their accounts)
Incoming links (bloggers, Facebook, Twitter all posted links to FG's site announcing the deal)
There's also something called "social proof" that's not related to Google, but relevant to this. Products with lots of reviews (think amazon reviews) make other people feel safe buying the product. (FG's lesser known products had lots of reviews now driving up sales.)

Magically, Franklin Goose rose to the top of Google's search lists. That's exactly what the company wanted and needed for a year to drive people to their site. Once that goal was realized, the credits magically went away. They also removed all the reviews so no one can prove what they wrote.

Now Franklin Goose is saying that its loyal customers and those who wrote real reviews are "greedy scammers". I don't think Franklin Goose realizes the power of mommy bloggers. These moms are calling the Better Business Bureau, contacting the Virginia Attorney General's office, boycotting the site, contacting vendors to let them know about FG's shoddy business practices and looking into a class action lawsuit. Yikes!

Live and Learn. As someone once said, "There's no such thing as a free lunch" or in this case, free natural and organic baby products either.

Too Cute!

2011-03-23T06:00:00.001-04:00

I miss this age. Can't believe it all goes by so quickly. (What a great name, too!)

I Spy With My Little Eye

2011-03-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

Fletcher's school had a History Fair this year. They alternate between History and Science Fairs for the 1st through 8th graders. This was our first year to participate. The first graders are studying the American Revolution so each child chose a person from the Revolution and found out facts about him or her and made a visual (with parental help). Since there could be no duplicates, we decided to do one of the lesser know people. Benjamin Tallmadge was George Washington's first central intelligence officer. He organized a spy ring that ultimately helped win the war. The techniques he used were fascinating - ciphers, code books, invisible ink, and dead drops. He even had one female member of the spy ring use her clothesline! She would hang her black petticoat on the line if one of the spies had docked in the bay, then she would use white handkerchiefs to indicate which of the bays he was in (1 hanky for the first bay, 2 hankies for the second, and so on). The other spy would know to go to that exact location to pass on important information. We had fun learning about Benjamin Tallmadge. Fletcher especially enjoyed his code book and trying to decode some of the messages hidden in one of the books we checked out at the library.

Here he is in front of his display (at the beginning of the fair).

This was about 10 minutes later when he realized there would be lots of standing around and waiting for someone to stop by.

Here he is explaning to one of the moms and a classmate about the code book and the map.

All of the students did a great job. I had fun learning more about Betsy Ross, John Adams, Sybil Ludington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others.

Identity Theft

2011-03-16T06:00:00.001-04:00

It really is amazing what criminals will do to commit crimes. If they would just take all of that effort and creativity and put it into something worthwhile and legal, then they might not go to prison. But for some I suppose, it is an adrenaline rush of sorts to do wrong and not get caught.

I ran across this Q & A interview of a former identity thief. He got caught and as a part of his sentence (instead of going to prison), he has to educate the public on how to avoid identity theft. It was fascinating and educational. Here is the entire article: Secrets of a Former Credit Card Thief

Definitely worth the read.

A New Meaning To "Die Hard"

2011-03-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Fletcher's school sent 56 kids and 4 teachers home yesterday with lice. There are only about 135 kids in the whole school. Thankfully, Fletcher did not have it. But his teacher did. They have been dealing with this lice issue since before Christmas. The lice that have invaded this area are resistant to the prescription treatments that doctors can give and other remedies like nit shampoo. That's just a little scary. People are having to resort to the old fashioned treatments like Listerine, mayonnaise, and Cetaphil. Many of the little girls in our school have long hair. I feel for those moms who have to comb through all of that hair to treat them. They aren't deadly but they sure are stressful. One mom said she spent over $400 in dry cleaning because she had to launder all of their bedding some of which could not be washed in the washing machine. I'm pretty sure homeowner's insurance doesn't cover that nor does medical insurance.

Dream On Indeed

2011-03-11T06:00:00.005-05:00

Note: They had their shirts off because they were upstairs checking out our new treadmill. Apparently, they feel the need to be shirtless when they are doing exercise related things with Dad. Oh, and Rocky also likes the high part.

Yes, I am aware that someday both of them will be utterly mortified that I not only have video footage of them doing this, but that I also shared it with everyone.

Adventures in Odyssey

2011-03-09T06:00:00.003-05:00

I couldn't make this stuff up even if I tried.

Talking about Jesus with little ones can get tricky. They can't see Jesus or God. And concepts like sin and salvation are probably over their heads. (I know there are some very young children who seem to grasp these concepts, but most don't).

On Monday Luke and I were running errands in the van (I am very thankful for my Honda Odyssey and the conversations held there otherwise I might not have anything to write about on this blog). A song came on from one of our Seeds Family Worship CDs. It was the one about John 3:16. We've recently memorized and talked about this verse with the boys in Bible time. So Luke was excited when he heard it because he remembered the verse.

Luke: What is "eternal life"? (he actually said "eternal wife"....so much I could say)
Me: (again, not prepared for a theological discussion on the way to Home Depot) Well, for everyone who has Jesus in their hearts, we get to live with Him forever in heaven when our life on earth is over.
Luke: In our heart?
Me: (trying to be careful not to use "churchy" words that don't make sense) Well, it's saying that you believe Jesus died on the cross for all the bad things we do. Remember the cross? And then three days later Jesus rose again. We ask him to forgive us and be our best friend.
Luke: I want Jesus in my heart.
Me: Well, you have to pray and ask Him.
Luke: (calling out) Jesus?
Me: (starting to interrupt) um..
Luke: Shhhh. I'm talking to Jesus.
Me: Oh.
Luke: He's not answering. Maybe I should call him on my phone.

And I am not kidding when I say the child stuck out his thumb and pinky finger and held it up to his ear like a telephone and said, "Jesus, get into my heart!"

Me: (trying not to laugh) Well, what did He say?

(Dramatic pause)

Luke: He said, 'No.'

At that point I decided our theology discussion for the day was over. These boys are going to keep me on my toes and my knees!

70 X 7 ?

2011-03-08T06:00:00.005-05:00

My recent Facebook status said this:

"I know in the Bible Jesus said we were supposed to forgive 70 X 7,

but I kinda wished he would have specificed how many times

we have to answer the same question over and over again from a certain three year old. "

I'm not even sure how to describe Luke's fixation but I will give you not one but two sample conversations we've had recently. I realize these aren't exactly questions. Oh and by the way, if you are thinking I should just ignore him and not respond at all....I've tried that...he just continues to ask/speak/talk but much louder. Usually we are in the car so I can't walk away either.

When our friend Tucker was in the hospital, I took the boys to go see him. One time we went on a Friday afternoon. In the children's wing, they do something called "Sundaes on Fridays" where the patients and any visitors get to choose ice cream and toppings. Mr. Grant (Tucker's dad) took the boys while Teresa and I talked. Mr. Grant let Luke pick whatever he wanted. So he picked several or eight toppings. And Luke thought it was a glorious day.

On another visit to the hospital, this was our conversation in the van:
Me: We are going to go see Tucker
Luke: And eat ice cream! Yummy!
Me: No. There won't be any ice cream today.
Luke: Yes, we will get ice cream in that little room
Me: No. Ice cream is on Fridays and today is only Wednesday.
Luke: NO! Today is Friday and we are eating ice cream.
Me: Sorry, buddy. I know ice cream is a fun treat, but they won't have it there today.
Luke: I want ice cream!
Me: I know. But not today. (Attempting a distraction) Let's look for big machines on the way to the hospital.
Luke: To get our ice cream.

And another one in the car on the way to get Fletcher in carpool line:
Luke: I want to watch Wild Kratts** when we get home
Me: We watched Wild Kratts earlier today. We are going to play outside when we get home.
Luke: (whining) But I want to watch Wild Kratts.
Me: (trying to remain calm) I know. It is a fun show. But Mommy said no. So you need to quit asking, okay. Maybe we will watch it tomorrow.
Luke: I want to watch Wild Kratts right now.
Me: (trying the distraction thing again) Let's look for Fletcher.
(Fletcher gets in the van.)
Me: How was your day?
Fletcher: Good. I didn't have to stand.
Luke: (with excitement) We get to watch Wild Kratts when we get home!
Me: (banging head against steering wheel)

**Wild Kratts is a new show on PBS. Two brothers turn into cartoon characters and learn about all kinds of animals. Both of the boys love this show.

Chapter 7

2011-03-07T06:00:00.011-05:00

Sidenotes: Our church gives all first graders an NIV Bible. Fletcher is learning to read.

We are in the kitchen. Kevin had just gotten home from work. I'm finishing up dinner so we can eat (spaghetti, if you are wondering).

Fletcher: I've been reading my Bible.

Kevin: That's great buddy! That's a great thing to do.

Fletcher: I was reading Song of Solomon

Me: (My eyes bulge out of my head and I almost drop the pot of boiling spaghetti that I was about to drain. I am completely speechless. Just in case you might not know, Song of Solomon is....well... it can get very "poetic" about things like body parts.)

Fletcher: I was reading chapter 7. (As he is talking, he opens his Bible to chapter 7)

Kevin: (remaining much calmer than me) Oh really?

Fletcher: (reading) "How beautiful are your.." What's this word?

Me: I have to go to the bathroom. (Sorry to leave you alone with him, babe. But I am just not prepared for this. I walk into our bedroom. At this point I am perspiring profusely.)

Kevin: (reading) "sandaled feet"

Me: (sucking all the oxygen out of the bedroom as I breathe a huge sigh of relief)

Kevin: (I didn't catch all of it, but I think he told Fletcher that Song of Solomon was actually like a love letter)

Fletcher: I was also reading in Luke.

Me: (from the bedroom screaming in my head "Luke! Yes! Yes! Reading from Luke is great! Luke is safe! Read Luke!)

And that was the end. This was definitely one of those times I was glad he had the attention span of a gnat.

Go read Song of Solomon chapter 7 and you'll be glad too. Is there a PG version of the Bible?

Answered Prayers

2011-03-03T07:05:00.000-05:00

Tucker came home yesterday from the hospital. Praise God! He seems to be feeling well. Teresa said she feels a combination of being run over by a truck and serious jet lag. Sleeping on a hospital "cot" for over a week will do that to you, I'm sure.

Tucker still has a PICC line in his arm and will receive antibiotics several times a day through that to continue to treat the pneumonia. Teresa will give those and she's a little nervous about that. But we have several nurse friends who can encourage her that she is doing it all correctly (plus a home health nurse who will be checking in periodically).
Thank you again for praying for them (and for faithfully reading all these updates so you could pray specifically). My prayer is that this is the end of a long not-so-fun chapter of Tucker's life and that he can just get back to being a 6 1/2 year old little boy!

I hope to get back to regular blog postings too. Thanks for hanging in there!

More on Tucker

2011-02-28T06:00:00.002-05:00

Tucker ended up not having surgery on Wednesday. His parents told the surgeon they wanted to wait and see if the antibiotics would work before they subjected him to more surgery and recovery and possible complications. The surgeon wasn't thrilled, but I am proud of his parents for standing their ground.

Tucker continues to improve. His color looks good and he has no fever and is eating. It has been a quiet, restful weekend for them.

Monday morning (today) they will do an ultrasound on his abdomen to check the abscess. If it looks good, the tubes will come out. Tucker is very anxious about these tubes coming out. He is afraid it will hurt. He will be sedated when/if they do it so just pray for a sense of peace and calm for him.

They will also do an ultrasound on his lungs to check the fluid. Pray that the fluid has thinned out and is breaking up so no chest tube will be needed to drain the fluid. He would most likely be on IV antibiotics through his PICC line at home for several weeks to treat the remaining pneumonia. Some people have asked why this pneumonia seems so different. This is considered the "bad bacterial pneumonia" that older people usually get after a surgery or long hospital stay. This isn't the kind that kids normally get.

Ultrasounds are scheduled for 9 am and 9:30 am Monday morning. The doc will see the results and decide how to proceed. Everyone is hoping he gets to come home soon.

On an unrelated and lighter note:
Yesterday Kevin took Fletcher and Luke with him to Lowe's to buy some fertilizer. They like to "surf" the radio stations and listen to various music. The song "Dream On" by Aerosmith came on. They turned it up, rolled the windows down and sang as loud as they could. Kevin sang the "Sing with me, sing for the year, sing for the laugh, sing for the tear." Luke chimed in with "Dream owl, dream owl, dream owl, dream owl...."
Despite Fletcher's correction, he continued to sing "Dream owl, dream owl..." Steven Tyler would be so proud.

Teresa and Grant and Tucker are so very thankful for your prayers.

More Surgery

2011-02-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Tucker is having surgery this morning between 11 am and 12 noon to drain the fluid in his right lung from the pneumonia. The docs were hoping that the strong antibiotics would take care of the fluid without surgery, but that didn't happen. It is so very hard watching our friends go through this. I know they know God is in control and He is faithful and good. But watching your only child suffer so much is so hard for them.

Teresa and I were talking yesterday about the fact that every single time a parent approaches Jesus with a sick or dying (or in the case of Jarius' daughter - already dead) child, Jesus never turned a parent away. He always listened. I know God can heal Tucker completely. I know hundreds of people are praying for him. Needless to say, this is weighing very heavy on my heart which is why I haven't felt like blogging much recently. Selfishly I want God to remove this situation because it is hard to watch our dear friends hurting. But God keeps reminding me that instead of praying for Him to remove it, I should be praying for God to carry them through it and use the situation to draw them closer to Him.

Tucker

2011-02-21T06:59:00.000-05:00

Our sweet friend Tucker is back in the hospital again. This is the third time in three months. He has pneumonia in his right lung and an abscess in his abdomen from the surgery a few weeks ago. He is running a high fever and is in so much pain. The docs will be going in this morning to drain the abscess and probably drain his lung as well. Please pray for complete healing for Tucker and pray for strength and peace for his parents Grant and Teresa.

So Many Questions

2011-02-18T06:00:00.003-05:00

So I have more than a few questions:
Do you think he gave himself that nickname?
Do you think he still lives at home with his parents?
When did he decide to pursue this career? Perhaps during the Presidential Fitness Challenge in elementary school. "I can't do a chin up, but I can clap my hands faster than my entire third grade class."
How many hours a day must one practice to get this good?
Is there a Professional Hand Clapping circuit similar to the PGA TOUR?
Who counts number of claps per second?
Do they have to have a slow motion camera for instant replays?
Who is his arch nemesis?

His facial expressions are priceless.

Follow your dreams "Toast".

If Dogs Could Talk...

2011-02-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sadie would owe money to the Cuss Jar.

You can tell by the look on her face she was not having a good time.

"Dad, please take this thing off of me."

V Day 2011

2011-02-14T06:00:00.008-05:00

I don't know what got into me. It would have been easy to just go purchase two boxes of Valentines for the boys to give to their classmates. However, I saw this cute idea on a craft blog and thought they might have fun making these for their friends. We actually made it a family project and we all had fun with it.

Melted Heart Crayons for Valentine's Day

What you will need:

Lots of old crayons* (Crayola brand works best, other brands are too waxy)

Box cutter

Metal or silicone muffin pan (Mine was heart shaped; be sure it can go in the oven otherwise it will melt)

Pam spray (if using metal pan)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Peel paper off of crayons (We used a box cutter to score each crayon down the side which made it much easier to peel. Obviously, an adult needs to do this part)

Break crayons into small pieces**

Lightly spray muffin tin with Pam (do this for each batch)

Fill muffin tin with various broken pieces (avoid using too many dark colors)

Put in oven for 10 minutes

Put in freezer for 5-10 minutes until you see crayons pull away from the sides of pan

Pop out

Give away

*Depending on how many you are making, this project takes LOTS of crayons especially if you take out most of the darker colors. I wanted to use our old ones, but I ended up having to go buy another big box to make enough for both classes.

**Breaking the crayons was Luke's favorite part. We had to remind him that this was a special project and we shouldn't break crayons at preschool or at church. We'll see if he remembers.

I bought 3" X 4" treat bags at Michaels to put the hearts in. I printed the poem on cardstock and attached it to scrapbook paper. Then I stapled the paper to the bag.

Try not to move the pan too much when you pull it out of the oven or the colors will run together.

I had read about making camouflage ones using browns, blacks, dark greens, and tans. We tried it, but they didn't turn out at all. They just looked like dark blobs. That's what the circles are. Fletcher thought they were cool, but we decided not to give them away.

Finished product.

It isn't Valentines without a corny poem, right? I hope the kids like them. And as an added bonus, they're not candy so maybe the parents will like them too!

Happy Valentine's Day 2011!

Good news: Tucker got to go home from the hospital yesterday! Praise the Lord!

Ugh!

2011-02-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

4 am

Kevin is out of town.

Luke is crying.

I go in his room and he says, "Mommy, my room is moving."

Uh-oh.

He's burning up.

102.6

He says, "My froat hurts too."

He smells weird. (My kids get this weird smell when they get sick. It's kinda hard to explain.)

Off to the doctor this morning.

It's strep.

I had it last week so I probably gave it to him.

Mommy guilt.

All things considered, I'm actually thankful. So much is going around right now - the flu, a nasty stomach virus, some other "mystery" viruses with no explanations and no meds that help.
At least with strep we know what it is and we now have antibiotics to treat it.

He was so pitiful today. I hate seeing my kids sick.

He hasn't been napping lately and today he actually asked to go lay down and then slept for almost 4 hours.

Woke up with more fever.

Kevin saved the day with more Motrin and Tylenol.

I hope with his medicine and lots of rest he will be all better for his Valentine's party next week at school.

Just In Case

2011-02-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

Just in case you missed it, this was probably my favorite Super Bowl commercial.