Books, Crayons, and Lightsabers

Family Fun - Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

Andy decided since we were all "dressed up" we should take pictures. Here are a few shots while he was setting up the camera. Oh, and yes, we homeschool... that is our time-line behind the bench on the green wall!

Ryan is in ridiculous phase - always the clown!

Turner CAN NOT wait when the timer goes off. He shakes all over waiting for the camera to take the picture!

Ryan took some pictures of us, but I kept yelling at the dog to quit standing up to the table. So, finally I just grabber her. Here's Wonder Puppy - she's 7 months old, now.

One very ticklish little girl!

Andy told Turner to look "smooth." This is what he got!

Ryan's got the smooth look down!

After what seemed like forever, Andy decided we just couldn't take "normal" pictures. Wicket came to give him kisses!

Advent Activity 23, Candle-lit dinner

2011-12-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

Last night, our Advent Activity was to have a candle-lit dinner. Starting about 3, the kids helped me clear off the table, put a table cloth on (that's a big deal!), find the cloth napkins, gather all the candle sticks and light the candles and then figure out what to cook for dinner. We had some ham I had bought to slice for sandwiches, so I threw that in the oven for a few hours on low to just warm up and make the house smell good. We cooked some sweet potatoes and opened a can of cranberry sauce. Hubby brought home some egg rolls from one of his co-workers, so we added those to the table. We also had some left-over creamy onion soup. After everyone was "dressed", we sat down for dinner. Allie and I wore sparkly evening gowns and the men all wore sweater vests with ties. The small men didn't match at all, and man, my dress was itchy, but we had a blast! After dinner we took some family pictures by the Christmas tree, but after looking through the pictures this morning, it seems the tree was cut out of most of the pictures. Oh, well! Here's a few snapshots of what was the first of hopefully many Advent dinner memories!

Ryan poured soy milk in the wine glasses for the kids.

Allison made the sweet potoates (mashed, from a box - we were low on groceries, oops!)

Turner set the table. He couldn't believe we were using the fine china, that's made in Japan - that boy cracks me up!

Advent Activity...Make Christmas trees

2011-12-12T14:41:00.001-08:00

Turner is already done, but here is Allison and Ryan making theirs.

Popcorn Garland

2011-12-09T08:18:00.001-08:00

Yesterday's Advent activity was to make popcorn garland. We decided to put the garland outside, for the birds. Wicket (wonder puppy) has enough temptations with the Christmas tree, without adding FOOD to it!

Homemade Marshmallows

2011-12-05T15:02:00.001-08:00

So, today, our Advent activity (more on that, later) was to make marshmallows. I was skeptical. But it worked! I'll post the recipe later, but here's a couple of pictures...

Here's where I found the recipe, thanks to another friend posting on my Facebook page...
http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/06/springy-fluffy-marshmallows/

Tonight we had hot cocoa while watching Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys. The marshmallows were perfect in the cocoa.

Thanksgiving...Take 1

2011-12-04T06:43:00.001-08:00

Here's the kid's table from Thanksgiving. There are lots more pictures, but I really haven't gone through them, yet. So, you just get this one... :) Enjoy!

Saturday night in Springfield

2011-12-03T18:33:00.001-08:00

Tonight we went to Springfield with Aunt Amanda and Uncle Gerald. We started at Bass Pro and then had dinner at Golden Corral. We wanted to see Santa but the line was very long. Maybe we'll head to Macy's this week.

2011-09-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

For snack on our first day, we were supposed to have a red, white and blue snack. I've never made a fruit flag cake, so this seemed like the perfect "excuse."

Ryan frosted the cake with white icing.

Allison did all the blueberry "stars." I don't think we had 50. We lost count.

Turner helped slice the strawberries and line them up as the red stripes.

It was SOOO Yummy!! We'll be doing this again. And it was so fun to all work together! By the way, the boys' cuuriculum is mostly American History, this year. Can you tell?

First day - Math

2011-09-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Both boys workin on their math work in the morning sunlight.

Turner, thinking hard!

Ryan, figuring out the right answer!

K-1st Grade

2011-09-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

Ryan started school on August 15th, too. According to the state law, he's old enough for Kindergarten this year. He did First grade work with Turner last year, with very little problems, so this year he's doing some Second grade work. He's not doing spelling, yet, and he doesn't do as much writing as Turner. He's doing great!

School started Aug 15

2011-09-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

Turner's first day of Second Grade was August 15th.. Wow... that means this is our third year to homeschool, already. Where has the time gone? And no, I don't have it figured out, yet!!

2011-09-12T08:06:00.001-07:00

Sat down this morning to do some Bible study, and when I found the page I also found a Lego light saber! May God's force be with me today!

Books I've been reading

2011-04-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

Hi... remember me?

This is just a note to share the books I've been reading, lately. A couple of years ago, I read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.I loved the book, and at the time found some more books by her at a yard sale. Those books have been sitting on my shelf until right after Christmas. I finally picked up the first one, and I couldn't put it back down! The books are a series, called Mark of the Lion. The first book is A Voice in the Wind.It was a little hard for me to get into the book. There is a lot (LOT) of character development in the beginning, and there are a lot of characters. But once I was into it, I really couldn't put it down. I jumped right into the second book, An Echo in the Darkness, the same night I finished the first.I cried my eyes out during the second book. It was so uplifting, spiritually and emotionally! The second book was SO SO good, that I waited almost a month to read the third book, As Sure As the Dawn. It was also very good, but the second book is, by far, my favorite!

A couple of weeks ago, at the Library, I found another series by Francine Rivers, The Sons of Encouragement, and I picked up one of the novellas. The Priest.

I am in the middle of this book, right now. And it's all I want to do. I'm also doing a Bible study, loosely based on the Moses leading his people through the wilderness, so I'm really loving that it all ties in together! I told Andy, I've never been so excited to read an Old Testament story!!

Works for me, Wednesday (on a Thursday)

2011-01-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

I love reading other blogs with the heading "Works for Me Wednesday". They are usually full of creative ideas for all sorts of things. So, today I'm doing one - on a Thursday!

We struggle with too many cups for the dishwasher at the end of the day. It seems my kids have to get a new cup for every drink. The table is always full of cups. Plus, for the most part, they eat dry cereal in cups for breakfast (I have no idea why). So, I've instituted a new one-cup (for drinks)-a-day policy. I took some rubber bands and put their initials on them. Well, the rubber bands were all beige. And the initials were very small. So, yesterday I rethought the idea. I figured I needed to go to an office supply store anyway, so I'd pick up some colored rubber bands, and they would each pick a color. Then it hit me. We have colored rubber bands ALL OVER our house. They're called Silly Bandz!!! (or the generic equivalent) So, now, they place their favorite silly band on their cup in the morning, and hopefully by dinner, they're using the same cup. I'm not expecting miracles, but I've already noticed a lot less cups in the sink!!

Uncle Simon and Aunt Joy visit!

2010-11-15T16:17:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Simon and Joy paid us a visit. It was just a quick over-night stay, but we had a great time, and the kids really enjoyed receiving presents! Here's a few pictures of the kids.

Thrift Store Find

2010-11-15T16:11:00.000-08:00

Went to a new (for me) thrift store this weekend. Found this message board for $2.98. My office is yellow, and this board is blue, green, and yellow. It matches perfectly! LOVE IT!!

The 30-day Giving Challenge

2010-11-08T18:06:00.001-08:00

Yes, I'm doing this again this year. But I'm not stressing about it. I feel good. I've unloaded 4 or 5 boxes to the local thrift store. I've passed on baby items, books, and clothes. I've done special things for my husband. I've given up half a day to see some of my favorite teenagers. And I've been blessed. My neighbor is fantastic. She's as sweet as can be, and willing to be there for us. We've lived here 6 weeks. She watched my kids for the aforementioned half a day. With only two days notice. We've been welcomed with open arms into our new church. The other homeschooling moms I've met are all willing to answer my questions (and I have a lot) about places to go locally (Drs, car places, shopping, etc). I have little people that love to hug me. I have little eyes that smile at my silliness. Yes, I'm am blessed. And I'm enjoying sharing my blessings this month. Are you giving?

Allison's fit

2010-11-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

Allison is really good at throwing fits. Here's a series of shot from our photo shoot with Robert and Candy. The blonde is our great-niece, Abi. Watch Ryan and Abi as Allison screams. Cracks me up every time I look at these!

The Move

2010-11-03T06:32:00.001-07:00

So, to back up a little bit (about a month), we've moved to Missouri. Not very far into Missouri. We're only an hour from the Arkansas line. Andy got a job up here last March (well, he started on the 31st), and was making the hour and a half drive every day. We finally decided it was time to leave home. We looked at a couple of houses, and finally found the one we're in.

We're out with the cows. And mice. We have a few neighbors, and by few, I mean 5 or 6 within half a mile. Only one of the neighbors is under the age of 50 (I think she's in her

early 20s), so I'm praying we become friends. She has a little guy who's almost one. A little younger than my kids, but Allison is in love with him.

We've been to the new church once. We went early for Sunday school, and Turner volunteered to be Joseph in the Christmas show. And he's our shy one!! We've met with Charlene a couple of times (she's the associate pastor), and she helped us find a Sunday School class that I think will

be what we need right now. She also gave me some phone numbers for babysitters.

We've joined the Y. They offer homeschool PE once a week, and the boys seem to really like that. Turner is signing up for basketball and can't stop talking about it. They also have Family Fun Nights on Fridays, and other art classes throughout the year. I think our Y membership is going to provide a lot of fun. Besides, the whole exercise thing...

Our shopping options here are Wal-Mart, Lowes, Dollar General, a couple of smaller grocery stores, and a few cute down-town-type shops. There's one store, Modern Variety, that reminds me of General Dollar back home. You never know what you'll find and it's so much fun to go in there.

As a thrift-queen, I'm sad to say there's only one thrift store here, and I wasn't very impressed. However, Springfield is only 50 minutes away and they have over 15, according to Magicyellow.com. Joplin is 30-45 minutes away and they have about the same.

A few pictures...

2010-11-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

We took some family pictures a couple of weeks ago with our sister-in-law, Candy. Here's a sample... Turner is 6, Ryan is 5 and Allison is 3.

What to say?? 30DayGive 2010

2010-11-02T19:30:00.001-07:00

Well, hello Blog. How are you? Life's been a little crazy lately. Have you noticed? Has anyone? Let's see. We now live in a different state. That's exciting. We're adjusting. We're trying to get the house put together. We're hosting Thanksgiving in 4 weeks. YIKES!!

The real reason I'm pulling this up, is that I'm doing the 30Day Giving Challenge again this year. I'm pretty excited. I love to keep track of the blessings I receive as I bless others. So, I'm hoping this will motivate me to keep up with you, my blog, as I keep track of my giving for the month of November.

Yesterday was the 1st. And actually, I hadn't even really thought about it, but I offered up some workbooks that I didn't need for the kids. Today, as I was arranging a meeting for the mom to get them, I realized that was what I gave yesterday. Today, I dropped off our old vacuum and a box of miscellaneous stuff at the thrift store. So, 2 down, 28 to go. I feel good.

More about the move later... (yeah, right!)

Turner's singing debut

2010-02-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

Turner sang at church this morning. Here's their song. "Do Unto Others - The Golden Rule". Hope this works. I've never uploaded a video before!

Happy New Year

2010-01-07T20:48:00.001-08:00

I keep telling myself I'm going to be better about blogging, and then FLOP, there I go again, doing nothing! :)

The local public schools were supposed to start back this past Monday. We received a snow storm Sunday morning, dumping 4 inches on the area. Schools were closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Then Wednesday night, an inch of ice was poured out. So no school today, and they've already closed it for tomorrow. Rogers and Bentonville received an extra week of Christmas vacation - but they do

have to make it up in June. What a crazy week this has been. Today's hight was 11 degrees - early this morning, and it dropped down to 8 this afternoon! It's currently 7 degrees, with windchills below 0. Yes, I live in the Sou

th!! Here's a picture my dad took on his way

to work this morning. That's all ICE on the road!

30-Day Giving Challenge Update

2009-11-08T18:04:00.001-08:00

Friday was a bit rough for giving. We put our beloved family dog down. Andy came home early Friday which helped me a lot. He also picked up Pebbles from the vet for me, as I could not handle staying with her. Ryan and Andy dug the hole together for some good bonding time. I received quite a bit from my wonderful husband on Friday. Man, he's a great guy! Saturday, I didn't do much giving either. Man - slacking off a little bit! I did send some texts to some great people who appeared on my heart. I sent them words of encouragement - we can all use some encouraging every now and again. I received a glorious day in God's country with beautiful weather and amazingly well-behaved children. Thank You, God!

Today, my husband didn't have to play during service, so I can say I enjoyed being with him during service. We spent the day with family, giving and receiving each other, at my grandparents' home. Then, back to the church for a couple of hours with our amazing teenagers. Tonight was one of the best discussions we've had, and I really felt moved after the lesson. Man, they are a great group of kids!!

Pebbles

2009-11-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

We put my baby down on Friday. My yellow lab was almost 14, and suffered from either a tumor or twisted gut, so it was time to make the terrible decision. Man, it was rough. She was also the first pet loss we've suffered with the kids. They were pretty good, but I can tell they are sad. I've cried a bunch, and will hold dear the thousands of memories I have with her. Man's Best Friend!

The 30-Day Giving Challenge Update

2009-11-05T17:44:00.001-08:00

So, today is day 5 of the 30-Day Giving Challenge. I haven't blogged much about it so far because we drove down to Nashville to visit our new nephew. So here's a quick re-cap:

Day 1: 2 hours with the youth group Sun evening, a bag of baby shoes to an acquaintance.

Day 2: Took a 27" TV that we no longer need to my mother-in-law. Gave my sister-in-law a bag of baby bibs.

Day 3: Went to my sister-in-law's house and set up her changing table for her. DH set up her crib. I helped her put the bedding in the crib. They just finished painting the room last week, because she thought she still had a couple of weeks. :)

Day 4: "Received" a call from a great friend to bring me some life encouragement. Meant the world to hear her voice.

Day 5: Took 4 mini-loaves of bread I baked to the Church and put in the Congregational Care Freezer. I also took a software program that I can't use to Homeschool Co-Op and set it on the "FREE" table for someone else to use. Went to Deal$ to purchase toys/gifts for the Operation Christmas Child shoe box to take to Church on Sunday. Received another call from a great friend today - just to check on me. I'm truly blessed by my friends.

A note about the Youth Group. Our great youth director talked to the kids about giving and receiving and how great it feels to give. He offered the teens notebooks to take with them. If they would accept the challenge to try and give for 30 days they could take a notebook and keep track of how "much" they give and receive. Quite a few seemed pretty excited about the prospect. I believe this is going to be a great month!! :)

The 30-day Giving Challenge

2009-11-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

So, today is November 1st. I was reading some stuff on the Blogosphere a couple of weeks ago, and came upon this post. The idea of recording 30 days of giving and receiving intrigued me. God provides so much, but how often do we sit down and take notice of it? So, for the month of November, I'm going to try my best to take notice! November has 30 days, thus the 30-Day Giving Challenge. I'm hoping our youth group is going to do this, too. I think it would be good for us, as a group, to really see how much we can give.

So, for Day 1: How perfect that our church called us to turn in our Every Member In Ministry commitment cards today. I checked off a couple of different opportunities to serve in each "commitment level". Of course most of my serving at the church involves the Youth, and that's where I'm staying (until they ask me to leave)! Speaking of the youth group, I will be "giving" 90 minutes to them tonight. I'm also taking some baby clothes to one of the women who helps in the Nursery, watching our kiddos. Can't wait for tomorrow!

2009-10-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

Did a little re-arranging this morning. Everyone seems to like the new layout. Turner is working on some History (we're learning about the first Thanksgiving), and Ryan and Allison are coloring. Happy Monday.

Red Dye #40

2009-09-21T15:45:00.001-07:00

Check out this article. This is similar to what we experience with Turner (and sometimes Ryan). I actually just found out that even chocolate poptarts have red#40.

http://teachers.net/gazette/APR03/bruno.html

Soccer Camp

2009-07-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

Soccer Camp 2009. Here are some pictures of the boys taken by the wonderful lady in charge!! Ryan is only 3 1/2, but is playing with the 4yos because he wanted to go so badly. Next year he'll be with the 4s again, and hopefully he'll fit in better size-wise!

2009-04-17T19:45:00.001-07:00

Testing mobile blogging for future reference.

Turner's New Bookshelf

2009-04-16T12:20:00.001-07:00

From Grandpa and Grandma. We just finished filling it.

Turner's Birthday

2009-04-16T12:19:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of T-Bird opening and enjoying his new present. Happy 5th Birthday, big boy!!

Here's his scooter he asked for. He received this from Mommy and Daddy.

Turner's Birthday

2009-04-16T12:16:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of T-Bird opening and enjoying his new present. Happy 5th Birthday, big boy!!

These are from Uncle Simon. I had to re-size the pictures and try again.

Cheech

2009-01-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here this morning, moving slow. I'm drinking my coffee and checking email while Allie sits with me eating her breakfast. She keeps pointing to my coffee and I swear she's saying 'juice.' But when I say, "coffee" she's not happy with me. As if I don't understand her, or something! Anyway, I JUST figured out that I'm drinking out a coffee mug from our church. She has been pointing to my mug and telling me she sees our church, or "cheech." Smart little girl!!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2009-01-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

Here a couple of Turner singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Tiny Tots Nativity Play

2009-01-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Turner's Nativity play at preschool. He was a shephard, and they had to look for the star.

It's Advent

2008-12-02T07:56:00.001-08:00

2008-11-25T07:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning, we had Turner's first-ever parent/teacher conference. I can't believe they do it for preschool, but it was nice to hear how he's doing, especially since he didn't do preschool last year.

Ms. Tina said he's doing great. He was the first in his class to count to 100 with no help. He knows all of his colors and all of his shapes. (Octagon wasn't on the list, and he knows that, too. Thanks to Uncle Mike!!) He didn't know the days of the week in September, but now he knows all of them. He knows all the sounds of the letters, and is working on writing lower-case. He can write all his letters in uppercase. The only problems Ms. Tina has with him is the occasional authority conflict (we could have told her that!). He also plays rough and tumble with the other boys in the class, but she said they all do it, so no ONE is to blame, there.

We are so proud of our big boy. He'll join the reading group starting in January. Ms. Tina knows he already knows how to read, but this will encourage him even more!!

We also received some pocket charts with flashcards to make words. Turner loves to play with these. What a nerd!! But, boy are we proud of him - did I mention that already???

100 Days to Christmas

2008-11-21T07:22:00.001-08:00

I've been following a fun blog this month. I wanted to share it with you... have fun reading the challenges!! Just click on the picture to take you to the site.

Visitor's Day

2008-11-20T14:15:00.000-08:00

Turner had Visitor's Day at school, yesterday. They were each given two invitations for grandparents (or older neighbors). Turner invited Grandpa and GGpa (Great-Grandpa!). Here are some of the pictures Grandpa took of Turner singing his Thanksgiving songs and beating his drum!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2008-11-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

FOR TODAY (Monday, November 17)...

Outside my window...I see leaves all over the ground. The only green is the pine needles in the trees in the field across the lane.

I am thinking...I had such a great time in Branson with my girlfriends this weekend. How blessed am I to have such wonderful friends.

I am thankful for...my amazing husband. Keeping all three kids (even the nursing girl) for the weekend, so I could get away for a little break.

From the kitchen...just came a heaping plate of pancakes (which aren't so heaping now).

I am wearing...some cozy pajama pants and a teeshirt.

I am creating...a new blog routine. We'll see how it works out!

I am going...to take Turner to preschool today. And then pick up some stuff for Andy's birthday dinner.

I am reading...The Shack, and Captivating. I've been working on Captivating for awhile now. I know, I know!

I am hoping...I can figure out what I'm supposed to do next - homeschool or volunteer more at church? Why is it so hard to just sit aside and listen to God's plan for me?

I am hearing...the sounds of OLD superman cartoons from the TV. My boys are in love with the classic cartoons. Casper is also a favorite.

Around the house...is looking good. My husband also cleaned while I was gone. There a some piles to pick up, but he did a great job!!

One of my favorite things...is that my 1yo already asks to color. She just loves to scribble on paper!!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Tiny Tots, MWF. Andy's birthday on Tuesday - he has band practice, and I have a meeting I'd like to go to. Wed night we have coffee house at Youth - Open Mic for crazy teens!! Looking forward to Saturday (Angel Food, 4yo birthday party, Lights of the Ozarks).

Here is picture thought I am sharing...Andy and Allison at Easter this last year. I love this picture!

The Pilgrims and the Indians

2008-11-05T19:32:00.000-08:00

On our way home from church tonight, I asked Turner what he learned in preschool today. He said they listened to a story about the Pilgrims and the Indians. The pilgrims "set sailed in a cauliflower ship." They came to a new land, where the Indians live. The Indian boys have pony tails. Turner wanted to verify that they were, in fact, boys, even with ponytails. Thought I'd share this quick note before I forgot about the cauliflower ship.

Boys will be boys...

2008-11-04T06:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the boys playing outside at Nanny and Jonjon's. The big door is the well house. As you can see, boys will use anything as a weapon. Even old pipes or other hardware items that are on the ground. Enjoy the pics.

Election Day

2008-11-04T05:24:00.000-08:00

I'm not one to talk about politics, but I'm hoping everyone who reads this has either voted or is heading to the polls. I actually voted on Saturday (without the kids). It is our right and our responsibility as Americans. I know the lines are long this year - but that's a good sign. That should give you more incentive to do it... everyone else is! Sometimes peer pressure is a good thing!

Anyway - go vote!!!

Francesca Battistelli - VOTE next Tuesday!

2008-10-27T15:41:00.001-07:00

I love Aldi's!

2008-10-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

I love to shop at Aldi's. And, not just because they have the double-child harness! That is a bonus! The food is great quality, there are fewer distractions with impulse buys, and I save money. I had never really done a good job of comparing prices, but today read this article at Rocks In My Dryer. Check it out, if you shop Aldi's! And they also have a recipe website with a menu builder. Check it out at aldimeals.com

Homemade laundry soap.

2008-10-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

I am totally hooked on blogs about frugality. In other words, I'm learning how to be cheap - or even cheaper!! This weekend, I made my own laundry soap. Yes, I pulled out the food processor, and ground up some cleaning stuff, and then washed some laundry. Of course, my first load was towels - but you can't really 'see' the dirt on them, so it was hard to tell if they were clean. But, they sure smelled good!! I moved onto a light-colored load. They came out pretty good. I'm not the best about pre-treating, so I'll have to work on that. I'm going to make more today - I made a small batch to learn. I'm really excited about this!! If you want some info on how to do this, this is what I read to start with: Homemade Laundry Detergent.

I used Zote soap, Borax and Oxiclean. Actually that's a lie. I had the Zote and Oxiclean, but didn't have any Borax. So my first few loads were without Borax - so my so-called stains might be weaker against the full-strength formula I will mix up today. I bought Borax on Saturday, and last night, mixed it with some of the detergent I had left over. Again, I just have to say how good it smells. I might just leave shavings of Zote lying around the house...

2008-10-24T06:40:00.000-07:00

While we were in Nashville last weekend, Andy's friend from childhood came over with his wife and little girl. We usually try to see them when we are down there, and before Mat was married he used to come see us for his vacations. Here are some fun pictures of the 'reunion.'

Mat relaxing on the couch.

Hannah just HAD to sit in Allison's booster chair. She also wanted the table attached. She thought it was so fun to just sit in there and read books.

Alisha is pregnant with their second. I can't believe I forgot this already, but I think she's due around Thanksgiving. I'm sorry!! I'm so forgetful. They are having another girl!

Here's the three munchkins. They went across the hall and watched a movie together. They were so cute all sitting in the recliner. Ryan and Hannah REALLY hit it off this year. I can't wait to see them again at Christmas!

Allison is getting around - and up!

2008-10-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Allison is finally getting around - no thanks to physical therapy. They approved her for 45 minutes twice a month. We are STILL waiting for the call from the therapist to say when that will start. She'll be past the milestones by the time they call us, at this rate!!
This was her favorite game at Nanny's house this weekend. She could not stay out of her booster chair. She would climb up in it and turn around to slide out - like a miniature slide. I couldn't believe she pulled herself all the way up!!

Visit to Nanny's.

2008-10-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update about our weekend. We left for Nashville, AR on Wednesday after Turner's ENT appointment. It was a follow-up from his tonsillectomy and tubes - everything is fine. We arrived late and the kids went straight to bed. On Friday, the kids and I loaded up to go to the park to see JonJon while he was working. We had a lot of fun swinging and sliding. Allison has just figured out how much fun slides are - and she's breaking my back in the process. I'm not as agile as I used to be. UGH!

JonJon took some cute pictures - on his camera, so I don't have any. Then we went to lunch at the Trail's End (Andy's brother's restaurant) with JonJon. We met up with Andy there, after he'd had some meetings. The boys love to eat there because Unlce RaRa has the HUGEST cheeseburgers! And, Aunt Candy gave them ice cream with Halloween sprinkles.

Now, here's the best part of the day... Andy and I took the kids to the high school and dropped the boys off with Nanny. She didn't have any kids in her room, and it was almost time for the pep rally. The boys went to the pep rally with Nanny and then rode the school bus home. They love Nanny's school bus and always get excited when it's in the yard. I think the school bus ride was the high point of the weekend for them.

Andy and I went to Wal-Mart with only Allison... that was weird. And, now it's Wednesday and I still don't think we are fully recovered. What a crazy trip. Hope your weekend was great!

The Edge of Recall

2008-10-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

TITLE: The Edge of Recall

AUTHOR: Kristen Heitzmann

ABOUT THE BOOK: She locked up the vision like a monster in her mind's maze, but it lurked there, on The Edge of Recall.

Tessa Young is a landscape architect who specializes in the design and creation of labyrinths. For years she has immersed herself in the healing aspects of these elaborate structures, searching for God and hoping to make sense of the nightmares that have plagued her since childhood.

When Smith Chandler, a colleague who once betrayed her, offers an opportunity to reconstruct a remarkable Colonial-era labyrinth, she can't resist this project of a lifetime. But one evening, as dusk falls, an assailant ambushes Tessa and Smith and the real nightmare begins.

MY REVIEW: This is a great book. I've never read a book from Heitzmann before, and I'm now on the hunt for some more of her books. This book kept me up late at night - although I would NOT recommend reading this when you are home alone! I was really brought into the story with all of the different personalities and interactions. I totally blamed the wrong person for most of the book!

The Rescue

2008-10-21T11:39:00.001-07:00

TITLE: The Rescue

AUTHOR: Nicholas Sparks

ABOUT THE BOOK: When confronted by raging fires or deadly accidents, volunteer fireman Taylor McAden feels compelled to take terrifying risks -- risks no one else in the department would ever take -- to save lives. But there is one leap of faith Taylor can't bring himself to make: He can't fall in love. For all his adult years, Taylor has sought out women who need to be rescued, women he leaves as soon as their crisis is over, as soon as the relationship starts to become truly intimate.

Then, one day, a raging, record-breaking storm hits his small Southern town. Denise Holton, a young single mother, is driving through it when her car skids off the road. With her is her four-year old son, Kyle, a boy with severe learning disabilities and for whom she has sacrificed everything. Unconscious and bleeding, she -- but not Kyle -- will be found by Taylor McAden. And when she wakes, the chilling truth becomes clear to both of them: Kyle is gone.

During the search for Kyle, the connection, the lifeline, between Taylor and Denise takes root. Taylor doesn't know that this rescue will be different from all the others, demanding far more than raw physical courage. That it will lead him to the possibility of his own rescue from a life lived without love. That it will require him to open doors to his past that were slammed shut by pain. That it will dare him to live life to the fullest by daring to love.

MY REVIEW: I wasn't sure how this book would turn out. The hero drove me a little crazy with his pulling away and acting like it was nothing - what a typical guy! With my educational background, I was really fascinated with the heroine and her struggles. Would recommend this book, as with all of Sparks' books!

New Blog Site

2008-10-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

AAAHHH!!! What a pain this has been. I recently joined the Google World! I started my old blog before doing all this. You can't change the email address that's associated with your Blogger site, and now it's just been a big mess. I have to log out of things and back into other sites. I just want it all to work together... PLEASE?? So, I've decided to make a new blog. I'm also going to combine my other two blogs into this new one. I will update about the family, post pictures, and also review books on here. It's too stressful for me to think about updating two blogs, so maybe one will be easier for me. Anyway, my old sites will be up for awhile - I don't know if anyone actually reads them, but I hate to leave you hanging! So, here's to the change. I hope it goes smoothly!

About the Books, Crayons, and Lightsabers... These are the elements that make our house run smoothly. If I don't have books to read after the kids are in bed, I feel lost. If we all don't have crayons for emergency stress-relief, I mean coloring, we are all lost. And if the boys don't have their precious light sabers, or items they can use as light sabers or swords or guns, they are lost. Andy has his music, but he also reads, colors and sword-fights with the boys. Sorry, Andy, I lumped you in with everyone else!