How many more days left in summer vacation?

Every so often during the day, I can hear the theme song for Phineas and Ferb telling me "there are 104 days of summer vacation . . . ". And I wonder, what are my kids to do with it? We've had our camps and VBS is over. Our Florida vacation is in three weeks. So what are they to do?

This week Dawson has decided to blow things up. He goes around the house trying to find stuff that will be really cool to watch blow up. He has also taken to climbing the walls . . . literally climbing the walls.

Sophia is just lost on the days she is not at day care. She roams about looking for structure. She likes to have a plan - she likes to know what is ahead. I think she might have picked that one up from me.

Brandon returns to us this week on Wednesday. With him, come Grandpa and Grandma "Hornsing" ,as Sophia has named them. They will stay with us through the weekend and spoil us all rotten. Yeah for us all!

So back to what to do with my kids for the rest of the summer . . . any ideas out there? It seems like they are always looking for something more fun and exciting then the last thing they did. How do we keep up with that? I am also a bit constrained because I am working full time from home, the kids really have to stay around here. If you actually are out there and reading my blogs, and have any suggestions for fun stuff my kids can do around the house (without too much damage), please leave me a comment. My kids and I would really appreciate it.

A few more fun photos from VBS to share along with Gracie dressing herself up.

Until another day,

Terri

What I Have Learned at VBS this week . . .

On Outrigger Island, we have lots of fun. This is how each of our evenings started - with crazy fun dancing and singing to Jesus. We then went to story , craft, games, and snack and then back for some more crazy fun dancing and singing with BB. And through my travels with a very cute pack of 4 year olds - I learned some incredible things :

Like there are many sneaky places a cute little boy can hide in our church . . . and think he is hilarious as Ms Terri looks for him . . . screaming his name in panic . . . imagining his mom telling me that I can't even be a crew leader at VBS . . . as he giggles and peeks out at me. And then as he appears telling us all that "I was only looking for a way out of here." Way cute that little man is!

That even though Molly might sing like Hannah Montana . . . she isn't the real Hannah Montana. Not the one that "my mommy saw at Target". (I really did have my very own Miley sighting at our SuperTarget a few weeks ago.)

In fact, none of those characters on that stage up there are real. That is really Ms Melissa up there playing a pirate, and that boy isn't a real Jack Sparrow. It is all just pretend.

That Mr Kyle sure is funny. Actually I knew this before but for a 4 year old to make the observation, I thought it made it all the more sure.

That scraping black paint off a fish shape can be the greatest fun of all. I am guessing it has something to do with either making a mess with permission or defamation of property with permission. Not sure which.

Saying Wiki-Wiki alot makes you seem rather off. Wiki-Wiki mean quickly quickly in Hawaii. However, when you are in TN in public saying Wiki Wiki or singing to your self A-Wiki Wiki, B Wiki Wiki, C Wiki Wiki . . . people look at you like you have gone mad.


That Crazy Day can be for big people too. However, even your 9 year old son doesn't want you to go into Kroger with mismatched clothes and shoes, and volunteers for the first time ever to go in alone and get the gallon of milk you need. (only his shoes don't match at this point but he deals with than better than his mom going into Kroger all crazy)

And I learned that you can have lots of fun with a group of 4 year olds, and that it is okay to not be in charge of something other than ensuring that those 4 year olds have a great time for 5 days straight and they see Jesus' love in you. God had told me where to serve this year, and I listened, really listened, and it was hard to step away, but I did it. And He rewarded me with a great week and once again, I know that He is in charge and certainly knows what is best for me. And that is what I really learned (again) at VBS.

Until another day,

Terri

Random Ramblings on Monday

One of my favorite shows to watch is Jon and Kate Plus 8. They crack me up and let me know that Jeff and I aren't the only ones with those "fun" conversations about who should be doing what and when. My favorite saying of Kate's is . . . I could very well lose my mind today. Somedays that is my slogan. We decided to keep Sophia home from day care part time this summer to save some cash. Dawson is home because he is much too old to attend a day care and camp got boring to him. Grace still goes to her Ms Lisa everyday. I work full time from home and am to keep a "work environment" from 8-5 each day. You can imagine the challenges that ocucr when your 4 and 9 year old are home with you. I can be on the phone with someone from work and get to share such things with them like . . . "Mom, I told you a bi-zillion times that I wanted kool aid" . . . "Mom, the dog wants out again" (this one is of course as my sweet 9 year old is sitting about 10 feet from the door) . . . and one of my favs . . . "Mom, I am ready for you to wipe my bootie" AHHHH . . . at those moments . . . I could very well lose my mind.

Our weekend was pretty busy, yet somewhat uneventful. The kids went to the park and the pool with daddy while I cleaned the house and Gracie napped. Then we went to Kung Fu Panda while Gracie spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa. Excellent movie by the way! We all laughed and laughed! Jack Black can be so funny! Sometimes when he would speak I would have the unfortunate issue of seeing images of Nacho Libre. I like him much better as a big chubby panda than a fat wanna be wrestler monk. Sunday was church, meetings, and playing outside. Grace at 1 seems to think she is able to just go where ever she wishes. She is very hard to keep track of outside, and will tell you how it is going to be when you try to reign her in. While she is my sweetie most of the time, I am starting to see the strong willed side of her that is in my other 3 children also. Momma also said she hoped that I would have a child just like me . . . what sweet revenge for her that it appears I will have four children just like me.

Last night as I was snuggling up with the girls before bedtime, Grace was showing me some of her ornery. She was laying on my left side and Sophia was kind of laying all over me. (Cuddling time isn't always pretty.) Gracie is a thumb sucker - only the left thumb though. So with her right hand she likes to play with my hair, my face, anything. Last night she was playing with Sophia's hair. And just as Sophia was about asleep, Grace grabbed a big ole handful and pulled. Sophia flew up, crying, and saying "I was almost asleep". Grace very clearly lets out this evil little 'meant-to-do-that' kind of laugh. I am definately in for many more I could lose my mind today moments with these guys. But as the song (by Trace Adkins , thx mom) says . . . you're going to miss this. And I am sure 15 or so years from now, I will miss their sweetness and unconditional love and being surrounded by their laughter, and crying, and playing, and fighting. But today, I might very well lose my mind. So, if you see me aimlessly roaming around town, remind me who I am, where I live, and point me in the right direction. Thanks!

Tonight we begin VBS at our church! This year is the first year where I haven't been a director of some sorts. This year I am going to be leading a crew of 3-5 4 year olds from one activity to another. I am pretty excited about getting to spend some fun time with Sophia and watching her do crafts, play games, and sing. I will have to let you know as the week progresses though if being a crew leader ends up being more work than being a director. The preschool kids are doing a theme of Outrigger Island, while the older kids are doing Star Wars Underwater. Dawson is very excited about VBS because his favorite band, Della Rosa, is playing each night. And of course, he is still all about the pirates and Capt. Jack Sparrow, TSC style, will be there. Our church does VBS up big and it is a lot of fun (and work). Stay tuned for funny stories of my adventures with my crew on Outrigger Island.

Until another day,
Terri

What's Wonderful Wednesday

In reading other blogs and such, I always found it clever to have a theme day. It gives the readers something to come back for. Or at least you hope it makes them want to come back. Since Wednesday is that inevitable hump day of the week, I thought it would be great to focus on things that are wonderful on Wednesdays. This will be more for me than any reader probably as I do need reminders as the week wears on as to all that is wonderful in my life. Being the anal retentive soul I am, I have been trying to decide the perfect format for this. Should I do a Top Ten kind of thing each week? What happens on the weeks that I just can't think of ten things? Should I focus on one thing each week? What about those Wednesdays when I am feeling abundantly blessed? What about choosing different areas in my life and always finding something wonderful in that area? What if I fail to have something wonderful to share some week? Okay, I am sure you have gotten way more insight into my over active brain than you needed. So instead of trying to organize my What's Wonderful Wednesday, I have decided to free form it. Which is kind of a hard thing for someone who likes organization and expectations to do. Hopefully we will all survive, I am fairly certain we will.

On to today's WHAT'S WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY . . .

Turns out that today is a day that I search for what is wonderful. As my kids run amuck screaming, I spill a full glass of milk, and my job is crazy, what is wonderful this Wednesday? Sometimes it works to look for the good in the bad. My kids are healthy and able to run around screaming. My kids are great kids (on a fairly normal basis). I know that seems like a cop out to use a generic wonderful thing but sometimes that is what we need. Sometimes we do need to just focus on the basic wonderful blessings God provides us each day. Such things as the milk I spilled or the job that annoys me, these are blessings that God has given me. I need to be thankful for them and find the wonder in the fact that God cares about me so much that He provides these things for me daily.

Until another day,
Terri

Isn't she soooo cute?

Okay, this blog thing isn't so easy when your life is everyday. I know as the days go by and time progresses, I will find those Blog-able moments of life and won't be able to wait to sit down and tell my wide audience of 10 readers all about them. However, yesterday didn't present itself with nice blog-able moments. Now, I did get to take my two middle children to the dentist. And I did get to watch my dear Sophia have a complete and total meltdown that resulted in a bit of time spent in her room when we returned home. But you probably have your own "dear" children moments. I also got to cuddle up with my kids and watch National Treasure 2 last night - good flick by the way. So instead of boring you with the mundane of my yesterday, I thought I would give you a peak into my sweet baby Grace. Grace was our unexpected blessing. But God sure knew what he was doing placing her in our lives. She has such a sweet spirit about her that she just has this calming effect on all of us. Even in the craziest of moments, I can hold her close and feel peace. She is also a complete cut up who loves to make goofy faces for the camera. Here is just a glimpse of her . . .

Aren't I a funny little thing?


















Yes, I am a sweet thumb sucker!














I am waaayyyy cheezy!












SOOOOO adorable . . . and I know it!







So, now you have an insight to my amazing little peace blessing, Grace.

Okay - as I was waiting for the blogger to upload my pics . . . I thought of a cute thing to share . . . this morning Sophia, Dawson and I took Grace to Ms. Lisa's house (that would be her sitter). Sophia and Dawson are terrible about fighting. Horrible. Dawson torments, Sophia screams and hits, and then it is a race to tattle on the other. UGH! This morning they were their normal sibling selfs . . . as I got into the truck, they started tattling on one another. I took a deep breath and tried the soft spoken explanation of how we are to love one another, and be nice to one another, and being mean and hitting is just not right. Sophia replies with . . . " So, do you think that is how Jesus really wants us to act?" It came out so sweetly and genuine. I said "yes, that would be right." Her reply, "well okay then. Dawson I am sorry I screamed at you." If she doesn't want to love her brother for me, at least she wants to please Jesus. What more could I ask for?

Until another day,
Terri

Am I toooo old?

As I continue to progress in years, I still find myself wanting to do the fun, daring things of my youth. Probably one of the reasons why I so enjoy hanging out with the youth at our church. This last Wednesday night after our service, we had the WORLDS LONGEST SLIP AND SLIDE. Now this isn't your normal run, flop on your belly, and slide down 25 feet of plastic. This was sit down on a 100 foot piece of plastic, grab hold of a ski rope, and be pulled by a four wheeler going about 30MPH down the slide. WOW . . . FUN! And what was I told? "Aren't you too old?" "You really are kind of old for this." "Big T, really?" . . . That sounded like a dare to me . . . TOO OLD? . . .. HA HA . . I say. So, I grabbed my friend, Mel, and off we went. And it was a blast! And we made You Tube doing it . . . (Thank You Big Nanny for being such the smart Blog Queen and helping me put this here!)



Now, Mel will claim that she has bruises possibly shaped like my shin on her bootie. However, I survived completely in tact and upright and walking on Thursday. Old, they say? HA, I laugh at the idea of age holding me back. I am definately of my dad's philosphy that he has lived by . . . Age is a matter of mind, if you don't mind it doesn't matter. OR I act as old as I feel. So if I want to wallow in the celebration of multiple anniversaries of my 29th birthday, I am going to feel old and will act in an old manner. But if I embrace my youth and live each day out as young as I feel, well then I have a lot more slip and slides and bungee jumping and sky diving and parasailing kind of adventures ahead of me.



Until another day,

Terri

Here we are . . .

Welcome! I decided it was time that I take the jump into the Blog world. I have a Facebook. And I have heard that "blogging is for old people" . . . but all the same . . . I think I am going to try it out. As I was building this, I realized that as I added some of my favorite blogs to my page, I would also be admitting I have been a blog stalker for a while. I have always loved to read, so quick blog entries can be entertaining for me. Keeps me from reading all the other trash out here on the web.

Not sure of all the blog rules at this time. I have seen folks use real names, and blog names. Not sure which way to go. I have issues calling my kids the right names normally, so I can't imagine me keeping them straight if I gave them blog names. So then I would be confused, my small reading audience would be confused . . . and I might somehow one day tell you how my 16 year old son is finally potty trained when trying to refer to my now 1 year old daughter. With that said, I think it would be best for me to just stick with their names. I tried to put a picture of then over in the sidebar, but couldn't figure it out. Might be because it is 3:30am, or it might be lack of knowledge. Probably both. But I will figure it out eventually.

Here is the picture of my four blessings:

There they are . . . aren't they great? Brandon is the handsome 16 year old. Dawson is my cute 10 year old. Sophia prefers to be known as my cool 4 year old (you will understand as stories unfold). And that sweet little thing is our Grace. They keep us smiling and laughing, screaming and yelling, busy and happy . . . you get the idea . . . I wouldn't trade them for the world. God has truly blessed me with my children. So many blessings that I so do not deserve. Isn't he amazing like that?

As I close out this first blog entry, I must put in the exciting news that I received today . . . we have PIT PASSES for the October race in Atlanta. Now to some, this is not exciting . . . not even news . . . but to me . . . this is way cool . . . like rubbing elbows with celebrities cool. This will be my chance to get up close to my driver, Kasey Kahne. Yes, I do like Nascar. It is something that my husband and I have found that we enjoy together. It is 'our thing'. We both are Kasey fans - so it is not just a because he is cute kind of thing. It is because he is a good driver . . . and he is cute. So anyhoo, I will get to be in the pits at Atlanta in October. And I suppose that just might make you think I am a little bit redneck.

So, until another day . . .

Terri