Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Yep, She's Mine

I woke up this morning sick. Very sick. Suffice to say, I spent the whole morning in bed. Caitlin was a great help. She kept the boys quiet, got breakfast for everybody and kept checking on me to make sure I was okay and didn't need anything. She even put some clothes in dryer for me so they wouldn't go bad sitting in the washing machine.

I got up just a little bit ago to try and find something light to eat, in hopes that the virus I have has finally run it's course. As I opened the door, Caitlin is sitting at the kitchen table with floss, scissors, and tape trying to learn how to make friendship bracelets. The t.v. was on, but it was on a music channel playing Christmas music.

Ahhh. Now anyone who knows me, knows that I love to craft and as soon as Christmas music is being played, I have it going all the time. So I guess there is no denying that she's mine!

Spooktacular

I took the kids to the Jacksonville Zoo's Spooktacular tonight. They had a good time. We got to walk along the path and trick or treat at different stations set up. They had music playing and dance floors set up at different places so the kids could dance. We got to see a few animals, too. If we are here next year, I think we'll do this again.

Picture taking area as we went into the zoo.

A close up of my crew.

One of the "animals" wondering along the paths.

A scarecrow to point us in the right direction.

The jaguar getting his treat for the night.

Who's afraid of ghosts?

I liked the Pirate's Cove the best I think.

Don't count on him to get you where you're supposed to go.

Say What?

We had flag football games today. (Yes, I will eventually post pictures, I promise.) Anyway, Ostin got anxious and asked me to go ahead and put his flags on before the practice started. I must not have been putting them on fast enough for him, because he looked at me and said, "Hurry up woman." Yeah. Chad and I are going to have a talk when he gets home.

Safety Seats

I got this link from a friend's blog. The article talks about the importance of using the correct safety seats for children and also has a link to guidelines for different stages. It was a good read, and I now have some answers for my kids on the whole "Do I still have sit in a booster seat" question. My kids are usually good at buckling up, but they don't always like to use the booster seats. I, however, want them to be as safe as possible. Here is the article: Mom, why do I still have to sit in this “baby” car seat?

And the moral is.......

You know what they say about Karma. Yesterday, the kids were playing with their Nerf guns. Ostin decided that he would trip Caitlin when she went to walk by him. Well, the gun she was holding in her hands went flying and hit him in the face. There was a lot of blood as there is with any head wound, but we decided that he probably needed to see a doctor. So off to the emergency room we went. About three hours later we walked out with 5 stitches. I keep asking him if he learned his lesson and he tells me yes, but I'm willing to bet that he will forget all about it in a week or two.
We go to see his doctor tomorrow for a follow up exam and the stitches should come out in about a week.

****Warning : There are pictures of the stitches below. View at your own discretion. *****

Flag Football

The boys had their first football game yesterday. They had so much fun! They were learning the rules of the game and the different positions. They don't really keep score which is nice. There is still celebrating when you make a good play but it's not to the exclusion of the other team. It's really nice for the boys since this is their first year and they can learn and play without feeling bad about making mistakes. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Sorry

To my children:

I'm sorry I am in such a bad mood this morning. I'm not used to being up half the night anymore. No sleep not only makes you moody, but mommy too.

• I'm sorry for upsetting you by throwing away your toy this morning. Please remember that if mommy has told you that your toy is annoying her, you need to stop playing with it at the breakfast table.
• I'm sorry for making you get your own breakfast this morning.
  
• I'm sorry for not playing with you, but sitting on the couch staring into space for a good 3 minutes.
• I'm sorry for not laughing at your funny sayings this morning.
• I'm sorry for the frown I wore all morning.

I promise to try and get some rest while you are at school today. Please be patient with me, I'm only human and at times I don't like myself either.
And Caleb: I hope you don't have any nightmares tonight, I don't like to see you upset about things that I really can't do anything about. I am glad that you seem to be just fine this morning. I must have helped you a little bit anyway and that does make me feel better.

Labor Day Cookout

Our friends Steve and Sarah had a cookout at their house yesterday. We had a good time swimming, hanging out, and eating. It was just too bad Daddy couldn't be there with us. But here are some pictures for everyone to see.

Ostin and Caleb

Caleb

Caitlin

Ostin floating and taking it easy.

Cailtin laughing.

Now, that's a bug!

First thing you need to know, I don't like bugs. At all. Second, I've heard cicadas (I mean you hear them all the time at night in the summertime). But, I've never recalled actually seeing one and someone saying, " Now that is a cicada." So when I saw this bug on my neighbor's driveway this morning, I had no idea what it was. The only thing I knew was that it was huge! The body itself is almost 2 inches long. Add in the wings and you've got one big bug.
Sarah (my neighbor) tells her daughter to move it so she won't run over it. Well, being 10, Courtney just kicks it over to the side. That's when we heard the sound. I'm not used to hearing that loud of a noise come out of one bug. No wonder the cicada sounds are so loud! There probably aren't even that many making that noise at once.
If you were watching us, you got a big laugh. I'm not sure who jumped away the farthest. So of course, I had to go get my camera, take a picture, and then get online to find out exactly what it was. So yes, it was a cicada.

You really can't tell, but this thing is huge.

The funny thing is that after looking at all of the different images online, I remember picking the shells off of the trees back in Georgia when I was younger. (I was much more of a tomboy back then.) I mean, did you know they molt? And when they do, the shell stays stuck to the side of the tree. Now, I can only think - gross!

Made It

Well, we made it through our first week of school. We had hard times going to sleep and getting up, boredom at school, wasp stings, and getting back into doing homework. I think we have a schedule pretty much worked out. Caitlin has to be at school early because she is a safety patrol, so she gets a ride in with her best friend. We have guitar, piano and dance on Tuesdays. We also have dance on Thursdays and Fridays. Flag football will be starting soon on Saturdays and we have dance performances thrown in there every so often. I like that the homework looks like it's going to be pretty standard every week so we know what to expect.
To think, I used to think those mothers were crazy when they would tell me that I would be busier as my kids got older.

Socks and Birthday Wishes

This Friday morning has seemed more like a Monday morning. The kids had trouble just getting up and going this morning. As the rush is going on to get everything ready to go, Ostin realizes that he doesn't have any socks in his drawer. I told him that there were some socks in the dryer. Later he comes up and asks me to tie his shoes. I looked down and saw that he had on two different socks. I told him and he says, " That's okay." Then I tell him that one of the socks is Caitlin's and it's on inside out. He says " I don't care." So Ostin went to school with two different socks on, one inside out and not even his. It just wasn't worth the whining this morning.

On a different and happy note; Happy Birthday to my sister!!!!! We love you Tanya and hope you have a great day. Tell the girls to give you kisses from all of us.

Lunch Monster

School started this week and the kids have all been taking their lunch. Caleb has been asking for more and more in his lunch. I thought I'd show what their lunches consisted of this morning. Now, Caitlin and Caleb both have a morning snack time that is included with the lunches, but I can say, without a doubt, that Caleb is a growing boy!

This is Caitlin's and Ositn's lunch.

And this is Caleb's lunch. Yes, that is two sandwiches
and two packs of goldfish along with a huge bag of chips!

April's Baby Shower

A few weeks ago, I traveled up to Georgia to co-host a baby shower for my sister-in-law. (Yes, I'm just now blogging about it.) I have never participated in the planning of any type of shower so I was a little nervous. I had such a good time doing all the crafting involved though. We had great time and got to see a lot of people. I will apologize now, I didn't get a picture of April. Well, I did get a couple of general people pictures that she was in, does that count? I didn't think so. April, I'm sorry. I would offer up an excuse, but really I don't have one besides just not thinking about it at the time. Enjoy a few of the pictures anyway.

The food table.

The "flowers" I made for April out of baby socks.
I love this idea and just kind of went all out.
Thanks to my mother-in law, Dana, for helping me
put it all together.

The presents.

One of the pictures with April in it.

Kennedy Space Center

Last weekend while Chad was home we went down to the Kennedy Space Center. We had a good time and it was a nice day(wind blew the entire time). We went on the bus tour and before the tour they take your picture in front of a background. After you get back from the tour they are waiting with the picture to sell to you. We decided to buy it since it came with a CD and was a pretty good picture of all of us. I just got the CD out today and put it in the computer. I was surprised and pleased to find more pictures on there. These are just a couple of the pictures that were on the CD.

The space shuttle lifting off.

The space shuttle landing.

The family picture.

It was a nice day outing for us. It took us about 3 hours to get there, so the drive wasn't bad. There is quite a bit to do. There is only one ride but a couple of tours and I-max movies. There are lots of things to see and the kids didn't get too bored with anything. The admission includes a free admission into the astronaut hall of fame which is just down the road. You can also pay a little extra and have lunch with a real astronaut. I think this is something that we would do again in a few years when the kids get older too.

Happy Birthday Caitlin!!!!!!!

Okay, these pictures posted in the wrong order as you can see. And I can't get the text to go in at the top of this picture. So until I have time to work on it, this is what you get.
Today was Caitlin's 10th birthday! Oh my, double digits. We had cake and ice cream and then headed off to Toys R Us to spend birthday money. They gave her a balloon and announced her birthday over the speakers.

Her Tinkerbell cake.

I think she had a good birthday even if we didn't have a party. She had her best friend, Courtney over and the other little girl next door, Cirin.

Update

Okay, so it's been a while. I could give you all kinds of excuses but really, I was just lazy. We had Caitlin's recital which we didn't get to attend. Caitlin ended up getting sick the morning of her recital. We tried to make it, even going so far as going to the rehearsal that morning. After one song she decided she just couldn't do it. So we went home to try and rest enough to make it back that night. It did not happen. Her fever came back and she had not been able to eat anything besides one cracker all day. She was disappointed, but it was for the best for her to stay home. She didn't get better until the next afternoon. (She puts full blame on Ostin, because he had been sick the day before.)

After the recital that didn't happen, the kids went back with Nana to Georgia. This was to give Mommy a nice little break. And it was nice. The house was quiet, I could sleep without having to check on kids, and I could read! Ahhhh!!!! Thank you to my family for putting my kids up and ferrying them around while they were in Georgia.

My nieces' birthday was also thrown in there. We went to their house for the party and had a great time. They are 4 now and will be starting preschool in the fall. And I have to say that the baby doll we gave them was a huge hit!

The kids are back home with me and complaining about being bored, of course. Looks like I need to plan some more trips to the beach and maybe a couple of movie days.

Let's Party

The day before school let out every class had an end of year party. I was at the school all day bouncing between parties. Here are some pictures.

Ostin reading his story that he wrote. He wrote it, typed it, did editing and published it with pictures he drew.

Ostin and Zachary - best buddies.

Caleb acting silly.

Caleb acting silly take 2.

Caitlin winning the limbo contest.

Caitlin

Caitlin Swimming

Caitlin just learned how to swim last weekend. Here is a little video showing her swimming under water.

Friends

We were at dance last night and the boys were playing their games. A little boy came and sat down beside Ostin to watch him play. They talked for a little bit about the game and how to play it and about some other games too. Then Ostin looked at the little boy and said,"Do you want to be friends?" I thought that was sweet and smiled a little. When the little boy said yes, Ostin stuck out his hand for the other little boy to shake! This whole interaction was just priceless. I believe I almost laughed out loud from watching them shake hands so seriously.

Mean Mom

So, Caitlin was reading Charlotte's Web tonight. She's been reading on it for a day or so. Sitting at the bar, she says, "Mom, Fern's mom is even meaner than you."
Now, I wasn't really sure how to take this. I paused in cutting up the blondies I had made and asked her what she meant. She said that Fern's mom had sent Avery to bed without any supper.
Sigh. Now I'm wondering, how mean am I?

Tonight's Sky

This is what the sky looked like tonight. I was getting ready to put the kids to bed and looked out the window. It looked like orange/yellow light shining down from the side. I had to go out and look. Over the back of the house it was still pretty sunny but to the left in front of the house it was a very dark blue. I haven't seen a sky that blue in a while. It was very pretty, but had the hint of a storm waiting to happen.