Four Better Or Worse

First Firsts

2011-08-12T15:48:00.000-05:00

Did you miss me? I know it has been forever. I can not make any guarantees about how long I will be back or how often I will blog . . . but this week we had our first firsts. We had Dawson's First Day of 8th Grade . . .

Sophia's First Day of 2nd Grade

And Gracies First Day of Soccer

Next week we will have Gracie's first day of PreK and Brandon's return from his first summer camp job to prepare for his first day of his sophomore year in college! Time goes by so fast!

Ode to Betty Lou

2011-05-06T09:32:00.000-05:00

When I was younger, I used to write corny yet sincere emotion poetry. When my grandfather retired, I wrote a poem about how each day he would eat at the table, with his beautiful wife Mable. When dealing with my grandma's death, I wrote about her habit, of smoking like a carrot eating rabbit. I don't think in all those years I ever wrote a poem for my amazing mother! So for this Mother's Day, I am going to see if the old brain still has that corny creativity left.

I often wonder what the world would do,
Without my amazing mom, Betty Lou.
Where do I even start,
To describe such a kind and generous heart.

Birthdays and all holidays she does celebrate,
With 'prizes' that are always first rate.
She puts such thought and care,
In every gift, even Christmas underwear.

She is always there to lend a hand,
PTA, Girl Scouts, Clean City, and across the land.
She taught me about a servant heart,
And in your home is where you must start.

Growing up I wasn't an easy child,
Kind of crazy, maybe a little wild.
But her kindness and patience saw me through,
And showed me exactly what a MOM should do.

She loves us all through thick and thin,
Even when we were late and sneaking in.
She loved me when I put her to the test,
And proved once again as a MOM she is the best!

We miss her when we are apart,

But we see her face with each day start.
Because as I look into the mirror,
More and more each day her face seems to appear.

It really isn't so bad,
To look like the best MOM ever had!
And there is no one else on earth,
That I would want to have given me birth.

And though we tease and joke around,
I hope she knows she is the best to be found.
She has given love and so much more to all,
She deserves her own Hall of Fame wall.

And now as I am older I understand why,
That as she reads this she will cry.
I hope she knows I love her most,
And forever about her, I will boast.

Each day I hope and pray,
That as my children talk of me someday,
They love and respect me too,
As much as I do you, Betty Lou!!!

The Three S's of Sophia

2011-04-07T13:45:00.001-05:00

SOCCER

SOFTBALL

SWIMMING

Sophia is a girl who likes to keep busy. We are currently in softball and soccer. And when given the chance we love us some swimming.

My kids say the darndest things

2011-03-31T09:16:00.001-05:00

Jeff and I were laughing this morning at some of the things the girls have been saying which just crack us up. So I thought I would share. These are just in random order. Enjoy!

This morning I had a meeting while Sophia was still getting ready for school. She asked who the meeting was with. I said my coworkers in India. She said "so you are pretty much like Outsourced then?"

We have been watching American Idol this season. The kids have enjoyed watching it with us. Steven Tyler is a topic of conversation frequently. This is something you might hear in our house at the beginning of every episode:
Grace: Oh man, why is that one guy wearing a girl shirt again?
Sophia: Because he is Steven Tyler and he can!
(I said that once . . . once . . . Steven was wearing something crazy and I told Jeff I guess if you are Steven Tyler you can wear whatever you want. And ever since then Sophia says that to everything about Steven Tyler)

Last week during the results episode of AI, Hulk Hogan made an appearance. Gracie now believes that the 'strong man with the white hair and beard" should come out all the time and hit 'that mean guy' (who is Ryan). She thinks Ryan is mean because he 'tells people to get off the show'.

Gracie also is a Casey fan and was almost in tears last week when he got kicked off. And she thinks James is "a really really wierd crazy guy".

I had watched some of Grace's dress and my 'delicate' shirts together. They were laying out on the bed waiting to get hung up. Grace was showing Jeff some of her dresses and talking about how pretty they were. Anytime she picked up one of my shirts, she would look at it and say 'lame' and toss it off the bed. I guess my fashonista daughter does not agree with my clothing choices.

Last week as we were driving in the car our annoying door ajar light started beeping at us. Gracie said 'dang it all to heck'. I said 'Gracie Beth!' Sophia responded with "Mom, we only say what we hear!". I am not sure when we would have used that phrase but I could see at some point that I might have made that up. Such a memory.
There are more but that is all I can think of off the top for now.

Day 5 - The Zoo, The Rain, and The Cold

2011-03-29T11:19:00.006-05:00

Before Spring Break even started I had asked the kiddos what was one place they would for sure like to go over Spring Break. They all said the zoo because it had been so long since they had been and Brandon and Amanda got to go and it wasn't fair. :-)

I kept putting the zoo off during the week waiting for the temps to go back up and the rain and yuck to go away . . . but it was not to be. Friday ended up being the yuckiest day all week. But I had promised the zoo, and by golly the zoo we were going to do! So we bundled up, got us some ponchos, and visited the animals that were out and about on a cold and rainy day.

Gracie 'yuved' the zebras. They were her favorite. We watched them pick on the other antelope type animal in their habitat for quite some time. This is Dawson being . . . well Dawson. He is pointing to the baby tapir.

Isn't he a cutie??? Some lady was standing there talking to him/her the whole time. Calling it by a name and baby trying to get the tapir to come to her. It was cute.

The flamigos were very chatty and active while we were there. The girls were cracking up at them. This would be where Dawson got camera happy (similar to Brandon and his elephant stalking). Dawson took picture after picture of the flamingo.

This lovely goats name is Maddie. She was a hoot. She was really attracted to Sophia's bright yellow pancho and didn't care much for Gracie. She tried to actually head butt Gracie at one point and was put in goat time out by the zoo keeper. One of the goats did take a bite right out of Sophia's pancho.

Had to ride the merry go round.

Dawson and Sophia being ??? . . . well, really . . . just themselves!

And the final photo in the Jungle Gym playground area.

We did not get to see any monkeys or giraffes . . . but we did manage to still have a good time with those animals that were just as brave and crazy as we were to be out at the zoo on a cold rainy day.

He's a Big Boy Now!

2011-03-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

Okay so Dawson would probably kill me if he knew I was using that as a title to a blog about him . . . but oh well. Dawson recently finally got to upgrade his room from young boy to teen boy. His room was a pirate room due to his love of the Pirates of the Caribean movies. His wall had a really cool treasure map mural that one of our friends spent quite a few days working on. It was amazing. I hated to cover it up but little boys grow into big boys. Here is a picture of the mural: And here is the big boys room now . . .

On the unpictured wall is his shelves with his trophies and a poster that has a little boy picking his bootie and it says Picky Picky on it. Gracie laughs everytime she sees it.

Day 2,3,and 4 Spring Break 2011

2011-03-25T09:02:00.006-05:00

Day 2 of Spring Break was such a treat . . . NOT! That was visit the dentist day. Sophia used to throw a huge fit whenever she had to have dental work done. It was so bad she would have to go to the pediatric dentist each time to be knocked out. On this day however, she walked in and had her filling done with no problem. Not her little sister though. Gracie has now reached the freak out age. She had a filling done about 6 months ago and did awesome. Not on this day. After 30 minutes of begging, pleading, bribing, threatening . . . she would not do it. It is a small cavity and would have only taken just a bit to fix, but we will be visiting the pediatric dentist next week for Gracie. Oh joy! So because during the fits and tantrums I pretty much took everything away from Gracie. We spent the rest of SB Day 2 at home.

Day 3 we headed out after lunch to Gnomeo and Juliet at the theater. It was a cute movie, and we all enjoyed it. Then due to the torture of the dentist on Day 2, I figured I could endure the torture of Chuck E Cheese for my kiddos on Day 3.Day 4 found us having issues with the washing machine (grrr)but Super Papa to the rescue and it was fixed. After the washing machine was on its way again, we headed to the Fun and Party Zone for some jumping fun (and time to just slap wear yourself out!).

Dawson had soccer practice that evening so the girls and I wasted some time . . . shopping. I think I might have done an oops and found someplace where my anit-shopper LOVES to shop. We stopped at Justice because they had some nice one piece suits in the window. Sophia is very very very very picky about swimwear. She likes a one piece and she likes board shorts with it. She wore her last one until the bottom literally wore out. So we had to buy her one quickly. It is a really cute two piece tankini with shorts. However, it was not a suit she liked. SOOOOO, anyway, I stopped at Justice when we saw the suits in the window. Girlfriend found her a suit and shorts . . . as well as this cute outfit, and this nice outfit, and I like this and this Mom! Really?? Now the thing is when Sophia finds clothes she likes and they are 40% off, we buy them because it doesn't happen often. However my apprentice-princess-mini-me-shopaholic was not about to leave a store with cute clothes without something of her own. The store did not have her size but diva found her a 'sundress' (long tank shirt) that fits perfectly and is 'beautiful' too. Yes, Daddy better keep him a good job to keep us girls properly clothed. Day 5 of spring break involved temps in the 40's, rain, wind . . . oh, and the zoo! That's right we rolled into the zoo in the stinkin cold rainy weather. Stay tuned tomorrow for pics of that!

Brandon Sings!

2011-03-24T13:52:00.003-05:00

Here is a brief look at Brandon singing during our Collide Middle School service a few weeks ago. There is a lot of background noise but hopefully you can hear my amazing son!

King and Queen

2011-03-24T09:24:00.000-05:00

On Sundays, Dawson helps out in childrens church. He mostly does the technical side of things running sound, lights, and computer stuff. Sometimes he can get recruited to be a part of the action on the stage. This last week he got to play the part of the king. Isn't he a dashing king?But alas, the good king was overthrown by the sweet queen of the castle and lost his crown.

Gracie with a Camera

2011-03-23T19:59:00.000-05:00

This is what we get on the camera when Gracie gets a hold of it. A red camera shoot as she places her finger over the flash quite often.

Day 1 Spring Break Stay-cation

2011-03-22T09:10:00.002-05:00

Technically day 1 of spring break was Friday. However the most excitement the kiddos got that day was walking to our neighborhood park. :-) Woohoo I am sure is what they were thinking.
Monday, official day 1 of Spring Break, was spent in the Boro with Grandpa and Grandma Stahly, Jody, and Breanna. The kids went to the childrens museum and the indoor swimming pool. They all had a blast and fell asleep in the car on the way back home.
Day 2 of spring break holds the excitement of the dentist for both girls. We might get out and do something fun tonight. The rest of the week I have the afternoons off so we will be going out for afternoon adventures. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain so that sounds like a good day for the movies.

Happy Birthday video for Grandpa (one week late)

2011-03-21T20:26:00.000-05:00

Grandpa Hornsings birthday was March 14. The kiddos called and sang Happy Birthday to him - I video'd it. So for your amusement of my kids singing off tune . . . I mean beautifully . . .

Sophia's Spring Program

2011-03-20T19:34:00.001-05:00

Sophia's 1st grade class did a music program on songs about America. For weeks we heard the national anthem and other patriotic tunes. Here is Sophia in all her enthusiasm about singing in front of people. Enjoy!

Brandon and Amanda's Spring Break with MY camera

2011-03-19T16:41:00.002-05:00

While Brandon and Amanda were here on Spring Break, Brandon's camera broke. So my camera got to go with them wherever they went during their time here. So here is your look into Brandon and Amanda's Spring Break in the Nashville area. I know you are super excited. The pictures are backwards in order of occurance because blogger is not cooperating with me on re-arranging my pictures. Grrrr!
Brandon and Amanda took in the Preds and downtown Nashville.Soccer Saturday pictures . . . At Sophia's school program . . . Warming up for leading worship at Collide . . .The zoo . . . When they were leaving for the zoo, we had a conversation where I told them how wierd I thought it was when people took pictures of the animals at the zoo. I get the pictures with someone else in it to say "hey look at us we went to the zoo". But if I want to see a picture of an animal I can google it and see a picture of an animal. Guess what I have on my camera? Tons of pictures of animals. It appears that Brandon might be an elephant stalker as there were quite a few pics of the elephants.

Dear Aunt Joyce

2011-03-18T03:35:00.004-05:00

Dear Aunt Joyce,

I hear you have been checking here to find out what is going on in our crazy house. And I am very sorry that we have been gone so long. Like I said CRAZY house. Let me catch you (and any other folks out there) up on what has been going on in our home.

Brandon was home for Christmas (duh that is what the last post was about), and then he and Amanda were just home for their Spring Break. We had a great time together. While in college over the last several months, Brandon has found that he can sing and play guitar and is very good at it. He has been leading worship in several areas at college, and when he was home on break he actually led worship for our middle school kiddos at our church. WOW how he has grown and matured. We also found out that he will be working at a mission camp for the summer as a counselor and worship lead. We continue to be very proud of the young man he is turning into (even if we never ever get to see him).

Dawson is just starting back up in spring soccer. I am very excited for this as this will get him back out interacting with the real world again. For Christmas, he recieved a PS3, therefore his days are spent on the PS3. He is joined quite a bit by his dad who is also a 'gamer' and plays with his friends online. One day he and a friend were out running the hood and decided to each go home and play PS3 online together. UGH!

Sophia . . . ah Sophia. . . she is always cracking us up, and everyone around here. We are actually in process of trying to harness some of it however. She has decided to take the young boys mentality on of all jokes and comments having to do with our body functions are hilarious. When talking about talents the other night at church . . . she said hers was farting. While that is a funny response, we are the mean parents who are trying to train her in the art of appropriate-ness . . . and that just was not it. She got a reward at school today for her Math skills! That is pretty cool! She is also out there playing spring soccer, and is starting softball this year as well.

Gracie is still 3 going on 16 most of the time. She is becoming quite the smart child and can identify most of her letters and numbers, and seems to understand way more than we would like her to most of the time. She is still all about all things girlie, yet will enjoy the time in the dirt and mud right next to Sophia. They are becoming good sister friends these days.

Let's see what else . . . Dawson and I are planning a mission trip to Mazatlan this summer. You will be hearing more about that soon. We are very excited to get to be a part of a summer camp for kids who normally would not have that opportunity. Dawson will be part of the 'techie' team while we are there running lights, sound, and computer stuff. He is really becoming interested in all that.

Not too much else to tell. I will try to keep up better on the blogging. I hate to disappoint my aunt (and any other fans out there).

December Sightings

2010-12-22T13:02:00.006-06:00

This past weekend Brandon returned home from college. And he brought Amanda home to meet the family. We loved her! And for an only child she seemed to be okay with the chaos that is our home.

Here they are making cinnamon decorations . . .

The girls looking all cute and stuff. Rumor is that Amanda even got a braid in Sophia's hair.WrestleMania2010 broke out with dad and his younger kiddos . . . We braved it and went out for dinner one night . . . it went fairly well. Gracie wasn't quite feeling 100% but still was able to entertain with her olive hand trick . . .
And we constructed our 2010 Gingerbread Houses . . .
It has been a busy few days here. And there are more busy times ahead. Cookie baking and decorating. I need some Christmas fudge. Christmas cards have been sent. Wrapping presents. Shopping is finished. Opening presents with the Boro Stahly's. Packing clothes for trip to Nebraska to see Grandpa and Grandma Hornsing and Matt,Mary, Cole, and Reese!! Woo hoo! And through it all we must remember that the TRUE reason for this season is that Jesus was born!!!! All the gifts and gadgets can not compare with the greatest gift of all, Jesus! May your CHRISTMAS be blessed with joy, peace, hope, love, and friends and family!

Snow Day TN Style, and Famous Sayings from Sophia

2010-12-14T14:12:00.002-06:00

Sunday and Monday were snow days here in TN. Monday the kids had a blast out in the snow.

Famous Sayings from Sophia. . .

Saturday we were on our way to look at furniture. I was giving the good behavior speech "I want the very behavior you have!" I said. Sophia's response . . .

"I don't think I have one of those!"

From the mouth of the diva

2010-11-30T12:27:00.002-06:00

( insert photo of Grace with eye roll, hand on hip, and total whatever duh Mom expression on her face)

No, I did not forget to insert the picture . . . I am not allowed to take pictures of Grace. My three year old is a diva! I thought I wanted a girlie-girl, I really did. Now??? Not so sure I will survive. I think I have mentioned that Grace has two styles of dress : Pretty and Awesome. Pretty is tights,flats,skirt/dress, bows, sparkle, glitter, SHINE! Awesome is jeans and tennis shoes with accessories. Today she decided to be awesome.

It started with a Barbie sweatshirt where Barbie is a ballerina and her skirt is a bit of tulle. Then the jeans . . . she had to lay all her jeans out to pick just the right pair.

Then the socks (did I mention that she had a sock thing for about 6 months and would buy a pair of $1 socks every time we walked into Target, so we have ALOT of socks). The pink Sleeping Beauty ones won today.

Then on to the shoes. "No not pretty shoes Mom, awesome shoes!" (DUH!). That would be the Tinkerbell pink tennis shoes that light up.

Now for accessories. This is where I was getting exhausted and she was pulling out belts and hats. To which as she found the perfect ones, I heard "BAM!" I said "what was that about?" . . . "I am ready to get dressed now" . . . "Good about time" . . . and what response did I get . . . "Stop being so sassy at me Mom!".

So once we were properly assembled, I asked if I could take her awesome picture to show Daddy how pretty she looked . . . "Mom I am awesome today not pretty!" . . . but I want to take your picture . . . and you get the eye roll, hand on hip, DUH photo I described above that was never actually taken with a camera in this house.

I will survive . . . I will survive . . . I will survive . . . God blessed me with my girlie girl . . . now I need the . . . dare I say it . . . patience to endure!

I heart Traditions!

2010-11-29T14:25:00.006-06:00

I really do love traditions! I like having those familiar things each year that make the holidays so special! Thanksgiving comes with many standard traditions - turkey, big Thursday meal, Black Friday, etc. Thanksgiving in our house comes with a HUGE meal with family and friends. This year our good friend Mr Tim joined us from Florida. He used to live here and would join us for holidays, so it was great to have that tradition even with him living so far away now. After eating and scouring the ads for anything worth staying up all night for (which by the way this year I found nothing worth losing sleep over), we played cards and watched football.

Friday Brandon and I held on to our tradition of seeing the Harry Potter movies in the theatres. It was great to have him home for a few days and get to spend some time with ever changing and maturing oldest child. He is one awesome man! (I also heart him!)

Saturday the whole family hit the movie theatre for Tangled. Way cute! It was great to sit there with all my kids watching a movie and laughing together. I would definately recommend this movie. Gracie is in love with Rapunzel . . . now if only she would stop twirling her own hair into knots and pulling it out . . . she too could have long flowing blonde hair.

Saturday evening we did one of my favorite traditions of this long weekend. We opened our new ornaments from Grandpa and Grandma "Hornsing" and put all the decorations on the tree. The pics are from that time together. I love watching the kids put all their ornaments on the tree and talk about what each one means and when they got it. And then to actually see them all work together to spread the ornaments out so they are not a bunched up mess. Ah, does my heart good?

We completed the weekend with one more tradition . . . Griswalding up the outside of the house for Christmas. We actually are pretty low key this year but it still looks great. After spending four hours outside we decided that was long enough and it looked good so we were done. We however are missing some inflatables that died at the end of the season last year. So maybe just maybe I can convince Jeff that I can get just one new inflatable . . . or maybe a nativity scene?!?!

How was your weekend? Full of traditions and family and friends that you HEART I hope! I pray you really enjoy this Christmas season and slow down to remember that Jesus is the true reason for the season!

Play with your Veggies and Soccer Ball

2010-11-23T14:34:00.006-06:00

Last Thursday Grandma got us tickets to go see Veggie Tales Live! The girls, Grandma, and I went and had a great time! Here is our first glimpse of Bob, Larry, and Archibald (I think) with their friend Suzy. Suzy had on a sparkly fun jacket and was really happy and had lots of big blonde hair . . . Gracie loved her and she was Gracie's favorite Veggie character . . . even though she wasn't a veggie. Girls just wanna have fun . . . or was it gourds just wanna have fun? Oh where is my hairbrush? The classic!!! I remember singing this with Brandon when he was a wee lad watching Veggies on VHS. Thank you Grandma for taking us to Veggies!

After the show, Grandma had gotten us special tickets that allowed us to meet Bob and Larry. We had to wait a bit in line while Bob and Larry changed into their special costumes that had hands. It was way past our bedtime and we were getting crazy!And then the moment finally came where we got to tackle . . . should have been gently hug . . . Larry. Sophia went at the poor pickle (cucumber) full force and about knocked the guy over.And the final picture with Bob and Larry . . . and then a stop at Culvers for fries and cheese curds and home in bed by 10 or so.Friday was Dawson's final game as an HMS Hornet (for this season hopefully). And I remembered to take my camera . . . or maybe it just happened to still be in the truck from not unloading it the night before . . . but who is to say??? Look for #15 or the hair on the field and that is Dawson playing his favorite sport!Dawson came out of the game for a bit, and Grace thought she could just go sit with him. Because yes she is even princess of the soccer field, just try and tell her what to do.

If you remember from previous post, our local highschool was performing Beauty and the Beast. Grace, Sophia and I went to it on Sunday. It was AMAZING!!! Grace and her friend Mary Claire were in love with the Beast by the end! It was sweet. Here is a picture of Sophia, Grace, and Mary Claire. Grace dressed up as Little Mermaid , and Mary Claire was Belle. Sophia went as the best Sophia there is!

(this photo was taken by my Iphone . . . why is it blurry . . . last night on Hawaii FiveO . . . DanO took a picture with his and it was clear as can be . . . what up with that? They could even photo fingerprints and ID the bad guys.)

My Little Missionary

2010-11-16T10:28:00.002-06:00

Sophia is 6 years old and in the first grade at a public school. She is a very smart and inquisitive child. She loves Jesus with all her heart, and has a passion to help others. Each week they are given a writing prompt. The page above came to her with just the four leaf flower type shape. When I asked her what other kids did, she said most of them made into a flower. Sophia, she made it into the cross and put Jesus on it. Next to it she put an angel and a guard. And what did my sweet amazing 6 year old right about? Nothing less than the story of what Jesus has done for us . . . in case you can't see it . . .

When Jesus dide on the cros for our sens. It was ranig and God had a plan he let the bad gise tack him they put him on a cros then. On agole came to the bad gise they were scard of the agole. Then they put him in a thig for three days. And he rose up from the ded!

I think Sophia just found her first mission field in her first grade class. I am so proud of her for not even thinking twice about making the story of Jesus something she wanted to write about in class. For seeing something with four leafs and thinking of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. If only we as adults could see Jesus in everything, and proclaim Him without a second thought in our daily mission fields? I am so blessed to call Sophia my daughter!

Aren't They Cute???

2010-11-11T11:23:00.005-06:00

Gracie is number four . . . last child . . you know the one who doesn't get all the pretty photos taken because mom and dad are too busy running all the other kids around. Brandon and Dawson had pics taken every three months probably until they were two. When Sophia came home, we had photos done then and probably every 6 months for some time. Gracie . . . well we try to make sure we get her around her birthday . . . in May . . . well, these are her three year photos taken in October. Just a few months late. I decided we would do it big and get all four of them taken together. So we took off with my friend Sonya and she did a bang up drive with them. So enjoy them as we are . . .

Happy 15th Anniversary to me!

2010-11-10T14:34:00.004-06:00

November 4, 1995 in a small town in southeast Nebraska, Mr. Jeff actually said I Do when the pastor asked him if he wanted to be my husband. And here we are 15 years later, another state, four kids, different jobs, different bodies (hee hee) . . . and for some reason he still loves me and puts up with all of my craziness!
Here we are so many years ago . . .
We celebrated our anniversary at the Melting Pot. Here we are enjoying are first bites of the goodness.WWe didn't get a lovey dovey shot that evening. But here is proof that we did go out together. :-)

Princess Tea

2010-11-08T12:00:00.004-06:00

Our local high school is getting ready to do a performance of The Beauty and the Beast. As a fundraiser, they held a Princess Team on Saturday where young girls (and boys) could meet the characters of the play in full costume, have lunch, and see the Be Our Guest scene from the production. And considering that Gracie is currently all things princess, we made it a must do. We joined up with our friends Mary Claire and Ella and had a great time!

All three of the girls had a great time and were very excited to get to see the whole production . . . they just have to wait two weeks. :-)

Must Post Post after Holiday Involving Picture Taking

2010-11-01T12:41:00.004-05:00

This week has potential to see a lot of blogs finally change as us parents who have been running crazy from soccer to football to cheerleading to McDonalds and Sonic to band to here and there and everywhere . . . have pictures that we must post from last night Halloween cuteness! Whew! And then we will be off and running and probably not post again until we have our Christmas cards ready to post on our blog because we ran out of time to mail them. Although this year I have professional photos on my Christmas cards which cost me some real cash so I will for sure be sending them out . . .even if they are late and end up being Happy Valentines Day cards. Anywhoooo . . . on to the Halloween cuteness...
Our house produced Princess Tiana, Burger King, and Dr Sophia. What a trio! (Brandon said he dressed up as Hercules, the picture I saw was him in a white tshirt with a gold band around his neck . . . not really dressing up!) The Princess and the King had a fine time dancing the night away. Until the King fell ill and had to call in Dr Sophia. "Oh my," said sweet Princess Tiana. "Is he going to be alright?" And then just as fast as she could say it, she also fell ill. Could it be what her and the King had for dinner? Or could it simply be the fact that their Dr was just plain silly.

Oh October where have you gone???

2010-10-29T11:33:00.009-05:00

It has been a crazy October. We have been going, going, going, gone it seems all month. So here is our chaos in pictures . . .

Sophia participated in Spirit Days at school . . . this is Crazy Day!!

Dawson found a recipe for goo on the internet . . . and a YouTube video on everything cool you can do with it . . . so he made up a batch for he and his sisters to play with.Brandon is loving college life and really spreading his wings so to speak. He has on occasion been leading worship for small groups. His roomie (and Gracie's future husband she says) Keegan sent me this photo in a text one night . . . can I say I cried?So when he was home for Fall Break, he received his early Christmas present.And played it for us . . . and I cried again. To say I am proud of this young man would be an understatement. He is quite amazing and we are very blessed to call him our son.

Dawson made the middle school soccer team this year. This involves daily practice and 2-3 games per week. The girls and I are having a great time following the team around and catching their games. The games are in the afternoon so Jeff meets us as he can. Dawson plays his little heart out and is a good defensive player. We are proud of his attitude on the field, and off. Soccer is a pretty regular Saturday event around here in the fall and spring. Here is Sophia on and off the field.

I spent a weekend at 'camp' with a great group of high school girls. I really do enjoy working with the youth at our church. They are an amazing group of teens!
Brandon's fall break was at the same time as ours so we were able to spend some days together all of us hanging out. I had all four of the kids' pictures taken by my friend Sonya (and I will show those here soon). And for a reward, we went and played at the home of the mouse, no not Mickey, it was just Chuck E.Gracie continues to develop her own personality. She currently has two styles of dress: Awesome and Pretty. Most days she goes for pretty and it is dresses, ribbon, tights, shoes, and the works. She loves to 'discuss' (polite term for argue) with us about what she should wear. She even looked at Jeff the other day and said "Shh, Shh, Shh, I don't want to hear it." Unfortunately, he laughed. The phrase is now a permanent part of her sassy attitude. She has also decided that she does not like her picture taken even when she is pretty.Summer has stayed around quite a while here in TN. Fall has been very warm and dry. Until the other day when we had storms and the temps dropped. That was when the girls decided that they wanted to try out their new bubble sets from their friend Brittany.And with fall and October almost to an end, it is time to look forward . . . to Christmas. This means the Toys R Us Wish Book arriving and we all write our names next to what we want. Here is Sophia hard at work . . .

Whew, just relaying the last few weeks in pictures has exhausted me. We are in for a busy November also. Finish up rec soccer, and Sophia will start rec basketball. Dawson plays Middle School Soccer through November. Thanksgiving with family and friends. Whew, good thing I am young and all so that I can keep up with all of it. I am young, right? Right?

Ms Manners they are not . . .

2010-09-29T11:29:00.002-05:00

We try to raise our children in a healthy environment where manners are encouraged . . . however it seems we are not doing so well. Here is what is coming out of our younger two.While preparing supper, Jeff arrives home and gives Terri a sweet hello kiss. Dawson and Gracie both go 'ooooohhhh'. Sophia says "No, you guys need to kiss more, like longer, like get it on!". Really? This is what I have taught my 6 year old? Yikes!

Gracie sat Jeff and I down the other night to explain the rules to us. "You say Bless You when someone sneezes, you say Are you Okay when they cough. You say Excuse Me when you burp. And you say Good One when you toot!" She had me right up until Good One. Yikes again!

So I am just saying if manners is what you want for your kids, I would not be sending them over our way. We are not doing so hot in that department obviously!

The Girls

2010-09-28T09:01:00.002-05:00

Over the last few weeks, Gracie has really started showing more and more of her very own strong personality. One area that she is showing some new independence in is how she dresses. She loves to dress up . . . but in her very own way. The outfit shown above was found at Target and she fell in love with it. Another one of her new favorites is her Husker ballerina outfit (shown below with Daddy). She likes how the skirt twirls around. And she wanted to "be pretty in it not just awesome". This meant the hair had to be all curled up and pretty and we had to wear black shoes and not our tennis shoes. I always wanted me a girlie girl that was as excited about clothes and shoes as I . . . but now I realize that all of the money I previously had for my addiction will now have to be split.

And in Sophia news, she has decided to read through the Bible. She picked one up the other day, started at Genesis, and was reading and reading and reading. She was thinking it shouldn't take too long to read through the whole thing since there are only 66 books in it. :-) That's my girl! Determined and ready to go . . . this world isn't going to hold her back!

Discovery

2010-09-10T09:50:00.002-05:00

The last few days I have found myself for some reason really taking notice of things around me. I have been trying hard to make a real effort and slow down and notice the small things around me. I guess it might be part of getting older and seeing your children growing so quickly in front of you. Today I would like to share some recent discovery I have had . . .
I have discovered I really miss this boy! He was and is my baby. And I miss his smile around my house. I love to hear in texts and over the phone how great he is doing at college. And I discover that somehow I managed to raise a very smart and independent boy who loves Jesus with all his heart. I kept waiting for the shocking revelation to hit me that he was gone and have some major meltdown, but what I have found is there has been a miss in my day since we left him, and you know what that is okay. It is okay to miss him, and it is okay to shed some tears.

I have discovered that my sweet second son has more strength than I thought. This is his first year in youth group in our church, and he is leading people to pray and worship. And when no one else is worshiping, he is. He invites kids to church. He really really currently wants to go on a mission trip. He wants to tell others about Jesus. He also dealt with another change in soccer and was placed on a team of boys 1-2 years older than him. He is still confident about his skills and goes out there without fear.

This sweet amazing girl is a discovery daily. Her mind is always going and working. She amazed me last night as we discovered how good her reading is getting. She read Are You My Mother? to us without help. The other day she told my mom that she was going to grow up and be a missionary. She has been walking around our house finding those toothbrushes and toothpaste we get from the dentist and collecting them so she can take them to Pastor Reagan to take to East Asia because "they get very excited about having toothbrushes there".
And last night her big heart asked if there wasn't a way we could bring all the kids from Africa here. "We could feed them at church every day and have them stay in a hotel or our house or something." Wouldn't that be great? Someday she will be part of the solution I just know it!

This little one showed Daddy and I up last night as she was able to identify her numbers from 1-8. When we kept quizzing her, she looked at us like we were crazy and this was the easiest thing on the planet. This morning she was speaking to me in Spanish (thank you Dora) and was very frustrated that I didn't get it. I am sure she was speaking perfect Spanish, I just don't. She just loves life and loves to dance and sing. And just watching her grow is such a joy!

Okay, so a bit reflective today, kind of a bit for a Friday. :-) I would encourage you to slow down and discover what is going on around you! I am so blessed with my husband and my kids and I know I don't tell them near enough!

First Day of School . . . College . . . for our First Born

2010-08-30T12:41:00.003-05:00

Today is THE day! Brandon started classes at East Tennessee State University today! And so far he has attended them too! :-)

Jeff and I along with the other local families moved our kiddos up there last Wednesday and Thursday. They participated in "Preview" Fri-Sun to give them the feel of the college. Sounds like they had a good time.

The popular question to ask of course is . . . did I cry? Actually, no. I had moments before we moved him where I would get a little teary. But on Thursday when we left ETSU campus and he stayed, I really just felt at peace. I know he is protected by a God who loves him. And I know he is a smart kid who has for years made smart decisions, and therefore I know he is going to do great things at college. Will I miss him? Oh yes I will. But how can I not be excited for all that God has in store for him? I am sure there will be times now and then where a few tears might fall as I think of how things are now forever different for my family, but I pray that I hold on to the peace and joy that I have for him right now.

It was kind of cute the other day Sophia who just started first grade said . . . "so I will be in fifth grade before I see Brandon again?" We had told the other kids that Brandon was going to college and it took four years. So when we said that Brandon was at college now, Sophia just assumed she would not see him for four years.

Here are some moments we captured on camera over the days . . .

Gracie and "her" Keegan

She believes they are getting married one day!

Brandon and his sibs before he left Wednesday.

Brandon and Keegan in THEIR new dorm room!

Really, GOOD BYE PARENTS . . . this was followed by the shutting of the door
and loud whoops from the boys as we left!

ETSU Sibs

Baby's First Day of Preschool

2010-08-16T15:29:00.001-05:00

Gracie started full time preschool today! She waited until we got to school to have her first day picture taken. Then she carefully picked this blue chair for her photo. She is funny like that! Let the learning and fun begin!

First Day of School . . . for two anyway

2010-08-12T09:35:00.002-05:00

Today Dawson starts 7th grade and Sophia starts 1st grade. Brandon will leave for college on Aug 25. Gracie will start full time preschool on Monday. It is fall, and it is time for routine again! Woo hoo! I know there are many who are sad today as their babies are going back to school. And I do get that, and understand it. But I am one of those mommies that likes their peaceful days and the schedule that comes along with school. I work from home and am to keep 'business hours and environment'. Very hard to do with four kids around with no real schedule. My sweet friend Pookie helped me out this summer and took our kiddos out and about a few times each week. So at least their summer was not spent inside or just outside of our house. They got to go swimming, bowling, movie watching, bouncing, and such! I think they had a pretty good summer over all!

Just to note in case you see me after the 25th, I imagine I will shed a few tears over my big boy moving 4-5 hours away from me. And making that big huge step into adult hood as he goes to college. But he has been nice enough to break me in over the summer by NEVER BEING HOME anyway. So the only thing I can really miss is his big shoes laying around, his dirty laundry, his dirty dishes, and his dirty bathroom. :-)

And here they are . . . the official first day of school photos for the two middle kiddos . . .

China Friends 2010

2010-08-02T10:11:00.002-05:00

Every 2 years we get together with our China Friends family! These are the folks that we traveled to China with back in 2005 to bring our girls home forever. This year we met up with four other families in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. We came from TN, NC, OK, and IN to spend three days together. It is such a God thing how we are all bonded. Even after being apart for two years - the girls just click together, the sibling brothers just have a blast, and as adults we are able to share together and pray for one another like dear friends do. These families are such a blessing to us!
During our trip we went to downtown Gatlinburg and the WonderWorks museum. We swam and ate and laughed. The girls made 'haunted houses' for each of us. And the boys made haunted houses for the girls. Gracie fell in love twice over the weekend - she is so boy crazy sometimes.

On our way out of town, we hit Nascar Speedway to get our go cart fix in.And I can just never really get enough of pics of these two loving on each other as sisters should!

Dawson Turns 12!!!

2010-07-29T17:18:00.002-05:00

Dawson turned 12 on July 16! We pretty much celebrated all weekend. Friday was spent at the water park with his sisters and his best friend. Saturday was fishing at the trout farm - where he got to see the fish cleaned, see a fish heart beat outside the body (how cool is that!?!?!?), and watch a dog eat the whole skeletal system including the head of the dead fish (again how cool is that?!?!?). Sunday was his every year choice for birthday meal . . . Asuka. Never fails for many years now this child will chose a mongolian grill experience for his birthday meal! However, this year we could have left all of the rest out of the weekend because we got him his dream gift . . . finally . . . after years of begging . . . he got his own cell phone! And I think he was excited, what do you think?

4th of July Stay-cation!

2010-07-08T11:14:00.004-05:00

July 4th weekend was spent on our stay-cation. You know where you stay at home and do lots of stuff just like you are on vacation. Our weekend consisted of a new swimming hole, Grandpa and Grandma's for swimming and fireworks, and fishing!

Sophia had the biggest catch of the day on Fishing Day! She reeled it in all on her own! A 16 inch catfish!!!

Summer Pool Fun

2010-07-08T10:54:00.002-05:00

Gracie telling the other kids how things should be . . . Dawson taking the leap in . . .

Awww . . . I got you now brother . . .

Sophia showing her mad jump in skills . . .

Gracie Turns 3!!!

2010-07-08T10:48:00.003-05:00

On May 30th, Grace Elizabeth turned 3 years old! We celebrated the weekend before when Grandpa and Grandma 'Horn-sing' were in town for graduation. Grandma made a Barbie cake for Gracie! We opened presents and had a Barbie pinata!
Grace has blessed our lives in so many ways! We can't imagine life without this unexpected blessing! She is our princess and Barbie, yet loves the dirt and bugs. She can keep up with her brothers and sister in the 'nasty' department, but loves to hug, kiss, and cuddle. She is definately one unique little package of giggles that we could not live without!

A 3 year old princess needs her wheels!

A three old gets to stand on the bar in Logans and have everyone tell her Happy Birthday!

Graduation

2010-07-08T09:59:00.005-05:00

Brandon graduated from IHS on May 22nd! It was a bittersweet weekend filled with many memories! We are all very proud of the young man Brandon has become!

WOO HOO!!! I DID IT!!!

The Grad and the Fam
What a Handsome Grad!

The Grad and Dad!

The Grad and Two of His Mentors

(?!?!?!?! Really these guys are his mentors?!?!?!)

Me and My Grad!

The Grad and Friends!

The Grad and PT!

The Grad,Keegan, and Benny!

Congrats Brandon!!!!

TWO WEEKS

2010-05-07T09:26:00.003-05:00

In two weeks, this handsome boy . . . er . . . man will be graduating from high school! We couldn't be more proud and happy, scared and sad, excited and ready, hesitant and stalled! He is one AMAZING boy though and we know he will go far in life! We are blessed to have spent the last 18 years with him!

What is the deal?

2010-04-19T13:04:00.002-05:00

What is the deal with my lack of blogging??? Why haven't I blogged in such a long time??? What could possibly be going on here that I can't type up a blog??? Well, let me give you a run down.

1) The kids were on a week long spring break. Brandon went to AZ on a mission trip, and the other three ran around the house crazy. We did get them two day trips in for break. Wednesday the five of us went to Rock City and Ruby Falls and had an amazing day. And Friday Jeff took them to the Boro to go swimming in the indoor pool at their rec center.

2) Jeff is still searching for the perfect job. God has given us a real peace about the situation and we know He will provide all our needs during this time.

3) The countdown to Brandon graduating continues to tick. May 22nd is the big day, with other activities starting the Sunday before. I guess we need to send out those invites here pretty soon. Huh? Brandon registered for classes at ETSU this last weekend. He and Jeff made the trip. Brandon is very excited at this point to get going, yet I think there is a bit of him that realizes this is a BIG deal he is about to embark on and is being very sweet at home. I love that boy and am so very proud of him.

4) I am being the admin for our youth for Beach Week. I am trying to organize 240 teens and adults into rooming assignments that they will love and enjoy for the entire week. We have been blessed because we prayed for 200 kids and we have hit that mark (and now are just below it). But we never thought we would take that many kids so we are becoming creative in the rooming situation.

5) Jeff and I will be going to Talladega this Sunday to take in our Spring Race. Last year, Kasey wrecked 6 laps into the race. He will NOT be doing that this year.

6) Soccer season is in full swing. Our Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays are occupied with all things soccer. Dawson and Sophia are both doing AWESOME of course! :-)

7) Old mama decided to give softball another swing this year. You can catch me playing on Thursday nights. This year is reminding me how I reject my body all year long and don't have it do anything - and then all the sudden I expect it to run, and squat, and throw. Hmmm, I wonder why I was so sore after the first week when we played a double header!?!?!

8) Easter has also happened since my last blog. The kids did the traditional Easter egg dying and Brandon created our family in eggs. It was very cute. We spend the day with friends and family and had an egg hunt and played games. The picture at the top is the best photo I could get of the day. Brandon had already left to get Easter donuts for everyone so it was just the younger three and they were just not into it this year.

9) Gracie has been staying home during the day with Jeff and I. She is now pretty well 99.9% potty trained. We still do a diaper at night so that is our next task. But it is very rare for her to have an accident.

10) Doesn't every rambling list have to go to 10 and have 10 things listed out? Can a list really stop at 9 and be correct? So what should I put in my number 10?? Ahhh . . . check out some of my new links on the side. One that I have added is for Korah. Our church has sent mission trips to this village and now many of our leaders are helping to start a sponsorship program. Our family will be sending a young boy to boarding school in the fall where he will have a room, clean clothes, and meals after having grown up in the dumps at Korah. Check out their link and pray about how you can help the children of Korah!

Okay, a good top 10 list of things is complete. I will try very hard to not make it so long until I post again. Hopefully soon I will have news of a job for Jeff, a picture of a sweet boy in Korah, and a excited graduate in his cap and gown!

Faith, Hope, and Believing

2010-03-30T11:00:00.004-05:00

In February, Jeff found out he was no longer going to have a job at the end of the month. Wow! "IT" was striking our family now. We had been watching and praying and reaching out to our friends and family that have lost jobs, but now it was going to be our turn. How would we handle it? Would we handle it with the hope, faith, joy, and peace that we have seen so many of our friends handle it with? We are sure trying! March has brought applications, phone conversations, and interviews but not the job God has in store for Jeff. Yet God continues to provide!

The biggest irony in this is that I still have my job. Why is that irony you might ask? For the last two years, my job has been on the verge of being eliminated due to one thing or another. The summer of 2008 I spent training my replacements and was told I would be done that September. I was ready to go, ready to move on . . . yet God had other plans. In 2009, it was said that by year end all remotes would be gone. I kept getting dates of my departure off and on. But December 31,2009 came and God had other plans. I still remain as a remote employee for my company that I have been at since 1999. I believe God has protected my job for such a time as this. For two years, I joked about when I would get fired, and what I was going to do, and now here I am thanking God that I have a job that will provide for us during this time.

So as we continue to have faith, hope and believe in what God is doing with our family - it is still nice to have visual reminders from Him. Reminding us who He is!

Last Thursday as we had a night off due to the rain - we sat at our kitchen table eating dinner and was able to catch this full double rainbow right in our backyard. Yep, God we get it! You are still here . . . before the storm, in the storm, and after the storm!

And if a beautiful double rainbow isn't enough to remind us . . . I can be certain that I am a princess of the King and I have the attitude to go with it!

Sophia-ism

2010-03-25T15:43:00.001-05:00

Here is a good logical comment from Sophia the other night:

I bet Australia is such a big place so they could fit that whole name on it!

Too Gone for Too Long

2010-03-19T02:23:00.005-05:00

WoW! It has been almost a month since I last blogged. I am sure the two of you missed me! Sorry about that. I have been running crazy with this family of mine and all their activities and mine. I hardly have any new pictures to share. Last Saturday, soccer games were cancelled due to the large amount of rain we had been receiving and the girls were putting together puzzles and insisted I take their picture with Dora. . . so ta da here they are . . .

It seems our next few months will be marked with saying good byes to good friends. First was Mr Tim. He is off to a new adventure living in Florida and doing his ministry from there. We will miss his amazing voice, crazy stories, and infectious laugh. Most of all, Sophia will miss the naps she would take with him on lazy Sunday afternoons. She believes that someday she is going to marry Mr Tim despite the age gap.

And soon we will be saying goodbye to the founder of the SustaHood and her family as they head off south to Chattanooga for a new job and a new adventure. Then sometime this summer our Racing BFF's are moving a few hours to the west also for a new job! The perk of having friends in other close cities is it gives you a reason for a quick weekend getaway and also a party with everyone when they visit 'home' again.
Our home is also in a state of transition as Jeff is currently not working and is looking around for his next career adventure. Keep him in your prayers. I know many have been in this same situation, and we have seen God provide and know that He will do the same for us. We know there is another great amazing job out there for Jeff.
Let's see what sort of trivial information might I share with you . . . Brandon is just two months away from graduation. The invites are sitting here by the desk ready to fill out and mail. The cap and gown came home the other day. So I guess this is really happening. My baby is growing up and graduating. On a good note, some friends of his have decided to also attend ETSU in the fall so he won't be alone. Although that might mean he won't be coming home as often either.
Gracie is in potty training mode. She has been very successful at the task. Next will be mastering overnight. Yikes!
Sophia is growing like a weed! She seems to be taller and taller everyday. Unfortunately she seems to be having growing pains also. We started her on some children vitamins and mentioned they would give her some extra punch and help her not to hurt so much - she ate one and said "I don't feel any different". :-)
Dawson is getting his grips still on middle school. He would prefer to spend his time on his IPod looking at silly YouTube videos and cackling like a crazy child. But occasionally we ask him to join the real world and talk to us.
Alright . . . enough rambling . . . that is the blog update . . . hopefully I will find more time to blog and more to blog about. Until then . . . Keep Smiling, it makes people wonder what you are up to!

Five Years of Fun, Mayhem, and most of all LOVE

2010-02-23T12:43:00.007-06:00

Five years ago, Jeff, Brandon, Dawson, and I were in China. Five years ago, a precious scared little 13 month old girl was placed in my arms . . . FOREVER! I can NOT imagine my life without Sophia Faith! She was definately planned for our family! Thank you God for guiding us and directing us on that amazing journey to a wonderful girl who blesses us each and every day!

Another post about Brandon . . . could it be?

2010-01-27T09:34:00.003-06:00

Welcome to yet another post about my super cool rad 18 year old . . . Brandon! This picture here above is a very proud moment . . . our college acceptance letter! Brandon will be graduating in May, and heading to East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN in the fall. Brandon discovered ETSU this summer on our vacation. We visited in November, and he was ready to go. Brandon plans to go into Criminal Justice and this school has a great program for that. And the campus is really nice, and so is the city. Originally we were also excited because we had some friends of ours that just moved there - but turns out they are now moving back here before Brandon gets to ETSU. Currently, it seems a few of his friends are also heading that way so he won't be alone five hours away from his momma! That is probably scarier for his momma then it is for him. CONGRATS BRANDON! WE ARE SO VERY PROUD OF YOU!!!

Boys Turns 18, Mom has mid-life crisis???

2010-01-25T14:05:00.008-06:00

As you know, Brandon turned 18 a little over a week ago. Probably since his 16th birthday, he has talked about a tattoo. He would draw tattoos and talk about when he would get his tattoo. We all thought it was a phase and he would forget about it. But he didn't. Instead as the 18th birthday grew closer, he was more sure about his decision to get a tattoo. Brandon is a very mature teenager. He has a good head on his shoulder and thinks things through. We have been blessed abundantly by our first child and teenager. We can only pray we do as well with the other three and we don't somehow completely mess them up. :-)
Anyway . . . so Brandon did the research as to where he could have the tattoo placed since he plans to go into Criminal Justice and might someday want to work under cover. Although his mother would just prefer he stay in the nice safe lab and look at blood and fingernail clippings for evidence.
And again . . . anyway . . . so being that Brandon is who he is . . . we decided it would be fine for him to get a tattoo following his 18th birthday. The idea of my oldest son getting a tattoo got me to thinking about how since I was about 21 I have wanted one. And how each time I had thought I would do it, I didn't for whatever reason. I remember my first idea was Mickey Mouse on my hip area. Had I done that when I was 21 . . . YIKES . . .who knows what sad shape Mickey would be in now. That would be one distorted looking mouse.
Anyway . . . so with Brandon going to get his tattoo, I thought what greater bonding time for a mother and son then for them to get tat's together. So Saturday off we went . . . my level headed 18 year old son and his crazy middle aged mom . . . to get our tattoos.
Brandon had originally designed his tattoo, and then found one online that was very similar and went with that one. I knew I wanted something that would represent my four children. I had tossed around getting a four leaf clover, but then online I found the cutest one with ladybugs, and decided on that one.
The experience overall was very positive. Did it hurt? Oh yes, it hurt! The main thing you have to remember to do is breathe . . . which I tended to forget and ended up with a KILLER headache afterwards. Right now, it just kind of feels like a really bad sunburn. Which for Brandon and I with our very fair skin we are totally used to that pain so it really isn't much to bear.
Enjoy the pics . . . and beware because who knows what sort of nonsense this mom will pull when her baby graduates in May, then leaves for college in August. Never can tell what might happen!

Brandon ready to go . . . My chubby little leg being worked on . . .

Brandon getting worked on . . .

Brad and Tai looking at Brandon's master piece. . .

Brandon's final product. . .

Mama's final product . . .

Sophia and the Big Top Cupcake

2010-01-22T10:05:00.007-06:00

Sophia turned six on Tuesday! What did the child want to do for her big day . . . she wanted to go to Taco Bell and have a Big Top Cupcake. Oh yes, the 18 year old chose Logans Steakhouse and ordered him a $20plus steak . . . the 6 year old . . . she just wants her some Taco Bell. We almost fed the whole family for what Brandon's steak meal cost. :-) And then we have Big Top Cupcake. Yes this is the product of the As Seen On TV Big Top Cupcake baking kit. You know have a cupcake 24 times the size of a regular cupcake. Amaze your party guests with the size of this cupcake. Overall to me it just looked like a two layer cake . . . but to my sweet six year old it was the coolest cake thus far! Score for momma! We are having her big friend party this year in about a week as the jump place here in town. She is very excited! But look at the loot a cute girl can score . . .And then for Grandma Hornsing here she is in the outfit that I wasn't sure about . . . that Sophia LOVES!

Brandon Is 18

2010-01-19T16:16:00.003-06:00

Last Thursday Jan 14 at about 2am in the morning, my first born turned 18! Yikes! Am I really that old? Is he really that old? We celebrated pretty low key with dinner and cake with the family! The big 18 year old event is yet to come as he gets his first (and only) tattoo! He has designed it and been thinking about this for over a year. We have discussed and discussed this. And I think he is ready. I think I am ready. I have wanted one off and on for years. I know there are many discussions and arguments that can be said with tattoo's but in the end . . . does it really matter? :-) There are bigger fish to fry in this world. There are bigger debates to be had. Pictures and a blog of the event will occur. It should be this Saturday!

Christmas Photo Recap

2010-01-04T12:17:00.014-06:00

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas and our enjoying this New Year! We just returned from our annual journey to the great state of Nebraska for our WHITE Christmas. And boy was it white!!!
Here we are though before our trip decorating sugar cookies. We made them one day (the kids lost interest about half way through) and decorated them the next day (the kids lost interest after about 4-5 cookies each). Ah traditions. Sophia did stand strong with Jeff and I until the end decorating the cookies. I did realize a truth - When my grandmother made sugar cookies, there were always quite a few with just random sprinkles on them. I now know why . . . those are the cookies that she had to do after we all lost interest. The kids did make some very cute ones before giving up though. We have our kids exchange gifts with each other and those are the ones they open on Christmas Eve. Then very early on Dec 26 we loaded up and headed northwest to Nebraska. This is about a 12-14 hour journey depending on the stops we make and the road conditions. This time is was over 14 hours as we dealt with crazy road conditions the further we traveled.

In the end, we prevailed and enjoyed Christmas time with Grandma and Grandpa "Hornsing".Sophia loves her some Grandpa "Hornsing".This picture of my oldest and youngest was just too cute not to be put on the blog. I mean really look at the look that sweet girl is giving her amazing oldest brother. I know he will protect her for many years to come even as he goes off to college and becomes an adult.And then of course we MUST talk about the SNOW! And was there some SNOW to be played in! Oh yes! I made the trip to Walmart to be sure the kids were geared up right since it was cold also. They played almost every day of the week we were there. They could not wait to get out there. Grace would do about 10 minutes and be done as she prefered not to wear gloves to allow her access to her trusty friend, Thumb! Dawson and Sophia spent their time building two forts (with the help of Daddy and Grandpa). By the end of the week ,the forts were big enough to sit up in and had back and front doors.Gracie is standing next to Dawson's back door to his fort, and Sophia's front door is across the driveway. The kids also spent some time painting with Grandpa and Grandma (with close supervision).And finally on Saturday after a yummy lunch in Seneca with family, we headed home and this is what we left . . . That's right . . . NEGATIVE TWO actual temp! Of course, our return to TN only gave us temps in the 20's and possibility of snow for the week. But I think we are ready!

HAPPY 2010!

Merry Christmas Letter

2009-12-24T20:05:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas 2009 Family and Friends! Let us begin with the Christmas letter break down of all the good and bad about my lovely kiddos ... ready ... GO!

Brandon . . . He is 17 now! Wow . . . not as WOW as to the fact that January 14th he will turn 18 and on May 22 will graduate from high school! Crazy how time can fly by! He is still an excellent student, and is looking at going to East Tennessee State University in the fall of 2010. The college is located in Johnson City, TN in the eastern part of the state, about 5 hours away from his mama. He is going to be studying Criminal Justice and is looking at becoming a field investigator someday. Too many episodes of CSI in his head, but he knows the reality of it that crimes are not solved that quickly. We are very excited and nervous for all that he will be experiencing in the next year. Please pray for him as he graduates and heads out into the big world!

Dawson . . . our eleven year old ball of all boy mischief. Dawson is in 6th grade and started middle school this year. This means a whole new level of responsibility that we are still adapting to. Dawson gets good grades, but does need the occasional reminder from his mother to bring his homework home, clean up his locker, stay organized . . . you get the idea . . . Mom is kind of crazy. Dawson has focused on soccer as his primary sport. He did try out for the MS team but did not make it. He had a great attitude about it and plans to try out again in Fall2010. He did play rec again this year and his team went undefeated for the season and tourney and were the true champions of their league. Dawson still enjoys building with Legos and Knex as well as wrestling with his sisters and climbing the walls (literally).

Sophia . . . our very smart inquisitive five year old ‘tomboy. Sophia joined the ranks of the big kids this year as she climbs on the school bus each morning to go to Kindergarten at real school. She loves school and is enjoying learning. She loves to read and do math. Sophia played soccer in the spring and fall and had a great time (even though the girls on her team named their team the Princess Ponies – ugh and eye roll from her on that one). She is trying out basketball this year also. So far she hasn’t quite got the hang of it but we are just two games in. Five year old girls are a riot to watch on the basketball court though.

Grace . . . our little mommy and sweet princess is two years old now. Grace is definitely all girl. She loves to play with her babies. You will normally find her with a baby on her hip and a purse on her shoulder talking on a cell phone. She likes to put her babies to bed, and recently she has started potty training her babies (she is still working herself on this skill). She loves to dress up and have bows in her hair; however, with her lack of hair yet this really is just a little ponytail on top of her head. Her latest gained skill is operating Daddy’s I Phone. She has some of her own applications on there that she can find, open, and play without anyones help. She has also accidentally figured out how to delete apps off Daddy’s I Phone – Oops!

Daddy started a new job early this year and is a Program Director for EMids. He gets to travel quite a bit, and even went to India for a few weeks in August. He brought us all back very cool gifts and had a great time seeing the sights of India with his co-workers who live there. Mommy is still working for First Data from home. She is teaching an 8th grade girls Sunday School class, and works with the youth in the church on Wednesday and Sunday nights. We recently figured out we will have at least one child in the youth group for the next 16 years, and once Brandon starts college we will be paying for college for the next 20 years at least. WOW!

We pray that each of you has a very Merry Christmas and a blessed 2010!

Love – Jeff, Terri, Brandon, Dawson, Sophia, and Grace

Pre-Christmas in Photos

2009-12-18T11:52:00.009-06:00

So it has been quite a while since I checked in. It is the season of oh-my-am-I-really-that-busy, but I do so enjoy it!

We found out that our house in all of its Griswold glory tied for 1st place as Best Decorated for the Christmas Season in our neighborhood. Scored us a Lowe's card for the prize! Pretty cool!

We attended our Connect Group Christmas party and had a great time with new and old friends. Played a great game of Dirty Santa that included a pair of elf looking boxers. We came home with a new game, Last Word, and a Christmas picture frame.

The shopping is almost done. We are celebrating "Mexican Christmas" with our friends tonight, and celebrating with Jeff's side of the family tomorrow.

Next week will be a LONG week as all the kids will be home WAITING and WAITING for Friday to arrive when the big jolly guy will come (whom Sophia now suddenly believes in!).

Then off to Nebraska we will go to see my side of the family and SNOW!!!

Anywhooo . . . here are some photos of what we have been up to . . .

Making Monkey Bread to take to school for the last day

Sophia's class Christmas party . . .

where the Grinch showed up . . .
Jeff and I attending his Foo-Foo work party . . . the picture really doesn't do us justice on how good we looked! Remember the camera adds like 50 pounds!

See it is just wierd . . .

2009-12-09T11:17:00.004-06:00

Our TN Griswold house . . .

A friend of mines house in NE . . .

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

2009-12-08T11:49:00.004-06:00

We have lived in TN since Oct 2001. That makes this my ninth Christmas season in the south. Now I feel I have adapted quite well to the south. I know how to use y'all correctly. I know how long fixin' to really is. Half of my children speak with a strong southern accent. My cooking style has changed and I LOVE cooking with real butter. My mama (southern for my mom) even says that when I am around my TN friends I have an accent. So all in all I think I have adapted well to being in the south. However, I still have a small issue . . . Christmas time!

Growing up with white Decembers, that is what I associate with Christmas time. Seeing the lights of the houses glisten off the fresh snow. Gloves, hats, and winter jackets zipped up tight to keep you warm. The crunch of the snow under your big fuzzy warm boots as you shop from store to store. Sledding down the big hills for days without the snow melting. Being able to see your breath each time you are outside. A reason for hot chocolate and a roaring fire. These are just a few of the things that put me right into the Christmas spirit. I find it hard for me to think about Christmas when it is 45-50 degrees out and either sunny or raining. When my kids can be outside without jackets on, it is wierd to be decorating for Jesus' birthday inside. It is strange to me to see Christmas lights in front of houses along with green grass and flowers blooming.

Now don't get me wrong, I love me some TN. I just miss my white Christmas! So let us all join together and pray for some pretty white stuff to fall on Christmas Day . . . just enough . . . with temps just in the low 30's to make it stay for the day . . . will you folks from the south agree with me for just that day??? Thanks, appreciate it!

(PS Not so sure I would be excited about white Christmas if I was living in NE tomorrow - 30 degree winds with 8-12 inches of snow . . . that is some snot-freezing, face-hurting kind of weather! That I don't miss. But be safe my NE family and friends!)

Tis The Season

2009-12-04T20:25:00.005-06:00

Ah traditions . . . a Thanksgiving/Christmas tradition that my mom has established is gifting us a new ornament each year. Each of the kids has a set of ornaments from their first five Christmas' and them some other sets or special ornaments that tell who they are that year. Our ornaments came by mail the other day. Brandon got him a very nice silver Corvette. Dawson received two bears fishing - as that is what him and Grandpa did while he was home this summer. Sophia's is a school bus as this is her first year in school and riding the bus. Gracie received the '3' in her series of bears and cookies for her first five. Jeff got a cup of coffee to go, and I have an adorable teddy bear family. I love traditions! Here are the kiddos hanging their ornaments on our tree . . . and Brandon and Grace at the end because 'someone' refused to have his picture taken putting an ornament on the tree.

Thanksgiving Past and Present

2009-12-01T12:34:00.002-06:00

As I cooked my turkey last week and the smell filled my house, I was reminded of past Thanksgivings. The first memory the smell of cooking turkey brought back was that of my Aunt Joyce's house. When I was younger we would go to her and Uncle Ken's house for Thanksgiving each year. I could close my eyes and picture their house that sat on the highway. I could see the playroom that my cousins and I would spend hours playing in. I remembered all the great food we ate and the love our family shared in that house.
Our Thanksgiving this year was somewhat smaller than it had been in the past. Usually my parents are able to make it to TN, but my mom had to work so they stayed home. Most of our TN friends were out of town or having family at their house. We had a nice cozy Thanksgiving dinner with our six, and Jeff's mom and dad, and sister and daughter. We had TONS of food and enjoyed a day of eating, playing cards, and napping.
And what would Thanksgiving weekend be without a little Friday shopping? As I started planning my post- Thanksgiving shopping, I was once again taken back to my childhood. I remember going shopping with my parents and my aunts and uncles during Thanksgiving weekend. I don't think they called it Black Friday back then. Stores might have opened early but back then early was 8am because we didn't have stores with such long hours or 24 hour stores. We used to spend all day going from store to store. My favorite spot was the Richman Gordman. They had this really cool play place in the back. It was made out of huge animals that you could play on and in. There was this elephant that you slid down its trunk. And as I think about it, I think you climbed stairs up his backside. That makes me giggle now, but back then I probably didn't even notice. My cousins and brother and I would play back there for hours while our dads "watched" us and our mothers shopped their hearts out. If we were good, we would get slushies from KMart later in the day. Those were great weekends spent with family. I am so glad to have those happy memories.
This years Friday shopping started when I decided to be insane and go to Toys R Us for their midnight sale. I asked Brandon to go with me for support and company and he agreed. We arrived at the store at 11:10 and got in line . . . outside . . . about four store fronts down from the Toys R Us entrance. Crazy! By midnight, the line had wrapped around the strip mall, it was proabably about 2 city blocks long. Brandon and I though were able to sweep in, get out goods, and get out within about 30 minutes saving me about $200 on some big Christmas items. We stopped at Walmart then to go to the bathroom and roamed around for a bit. There were already folks in line at 1am for sales that did not start until 5am. That is some dedication. We decided we were more in love with sleeping and we went home. I did hit the local Target and Kohls on Friday before the door busters ended but the crowds were thinned by then so all was good.
Our Thanksgiving weekend was completed with a day of bowling on Saturday, and some Christmas decorating on Sunday. It was a great time and I hope that my children are able to remember their Thanksgiving past with a smile as I do.

Soccer Champ

2009-11-18T13:40:00.006-06:00

If you have been around me for some time, you have discovered that I am somewhat anti-participation-championship trophy. However, when your 11 year old sons team has an undefeated season and wins the tournament undefeated . . . by golly, they sure are Champions and deserve to get a trophy that tells them so. This was Dawson's first season on Coach Bill's team and he loved it and learned so much. He has really grown as a strong defensive back and had a great season. He did miss the last two games due to his knee injury. He really wanted to play last night during the championship game, but couldn't quite finish the warm up lap so knew it was best he sit it out. Here he is with his trophy, and the other pics are of the last game he played where he showed his great defensive skills! We are so proud of him and his team!

Faith Like Sophia

2009-11-13T10:22:00.002-06:00

Dawson took a fall Wednesday night and boogered up his knee. Luckily, nothing is broken or dislocated. It just looks like someone shoved a grapefruit under his skin. He is hobbling around here as the doctor said he thought Dawson might do more damage with crutches so just have him stay off of it until Monday. He has a bit of pain and quite a bit of discomfort.
Last night as we were getting ready say our bedtime prayers, we discussed all the regulars - thankful for the good day together, pray for no bad dreams, etc. Then Sophia said we need to pray that God heals Dawson's knee. I said that is right we do. She said because you know it only takes a small touch from God to heal you. I asked her what she meant. She said well you know that one lady only had to touch his robe to be healed and that other guy didn't even touch Jesus he was just told to get up and go. You are right sister, God can heal like that.
Sometimes it takes our children to remind us to have that faith and that the amazing power of God is available to each of us every day. I am blessed to have children that have that faith. I am blessed to have a church with volunteers that teach the truth of the Bible to my children. I am blessed to have family and friends that demonstrate Christ's love to my children that they know without a doubt He is real in their lives!

Another vote lost . . .

2009-11-10T10:09:00.002-06:00

Well I just lost another vote in my bid for Mother of the Year. Gracie is home sick today. She has been running a bit of a high fever, but as long as she is Motrin'd up, she is her normal fun crazy 2 year old self. I was trying to work while she was watching a movie in the office. She said she wanted to go potty. So she proceeded to strip down and go into the bathroom to sit on the training potty. I thought, "cool, maybe we are getting closer to knocking this out!". She said she wanted me to leave her alone so I went back to the office. In just a few minutes she came out and told me "I take bath now!". I told her just a second and I would put her in. And she kept persisting "Bath now mama!". She finally got so upset with me she came over to my desk, and said "Bath now mama I poopy!". AHHHHH . . . yes, she had gotten off the training potty at some point and crawled into the empty bathtub and went poopy. She then crawled out with said substance on her legs and hands. Nice new look for the bathroom I suppose! After some clean ups and "I sorry", "I didn't mean to" conversation, Gracie is now swimming in the CLEAN bathtub and singing away! Good times . . .but no Mom of the Year award here!

Happy 14th Anniversary!

2009-11-04T10:10:00.002-06:00

Today Jeff and I celebrate 14 years of marraige! Woo hoo! I have heard he is a saint and will have many jewels in his crown for putting up with me and all my quirks this long! Probably true! Here we are on our honeymoon many moons ago . . .

Tink's Adventure

2009-11-03T11:56:00.013-06:00

Hi! I am Tink! I'd like to tell you the story that unfolded at my house this last Saturday. By the way aren't I just adorable peeking around the corner at you??? The tale begins early in the day as I was taking care of my younger fairies. The young babies had to be put down for the night before I could put on my proper costume and take to the skies.

There was much sugar that had to be consumed before my sweet police officer sister would be ready to protect me as we went about our business of collecting the delectable goods from house to house.

Once I adorned myself in my Tink costume I was ready to take flight to capture all the sugary goodness that I could.

The police officer was by my side ready to protect me from any craziness that might occur while we were out and about for the evening.

What??? Who would this be? But the evil scary Pumpkin Head brother who refuses to look at all normal or cute on these holiday adventures. He frightens me.Oh help us . . .he is attacking the police officer. Whatever will we do? HA HA . . . scary brother it appears that in the end crime surely does not pay and the police will take you away!After wisking the evil pumpkin head brother off to his quarters, sister and I were able to gather more amazing delicious treats to share with my young fairy babies. I do love me some babies. Like this young pirate lad, he is MY baby. I have claimed him. I am hoping to reform him with my gentle kiss.I must fly away now off to other adventures. Up, up, and away . . . oh hold on that is Superman , . . with just a little bit of pixie dust . . .

And where might you ask was Super Pizza Boy?!?!?! He had been drugged by the not-so-evil-actually-very-nice Dr Oral Surgeon during the removal of his super wisdom teeth and the amazing jaw bone growing plate. The drugs had left young Super Pizza Boy unable to participate in anything more than laying on the couch and watching old episodes of CSI while his dear Tink had to fight for herself. Since then, the drugs have worn off and SPB is on his way to a full recovery.

Oops . . . I need to get you caught up

2009-10-28T14:48:00.015-05:00

Aw poo . . . I did it again! I feel behind in my blogging activities . . . I haven't even stalked in sometime. Between work, home, family, and church, I think I might have passed myself leaving as I was coming home on certain occasions. It has been INSANE! Somehow I did manage to capture some photos, so today will be a photo recap of sorts.

Here are the sisters in their Big Sister/Little Sister shirts showing each other the love:The kids were on Fall Break Oct 19/20 - I took them to Chattanooga on Tuesday to the aquarium and the discovery museum. Even big boy Brandon went with us and I think he had a good time. Here is Gracie checking out the stingray petting tank. Oh yes, I still want me a stingray. They are so cool!

Sophia and Dawson and some big turtle shell. Gracie liked seeing the animals - did not like the dark halls we had to walk through.

This is Brandon giving me the Loser L from a distance as I sneak a picture of him "playing" with his brother. Like I said I think he had a good time.

Reptile Ruckus is the school wide fall festival event at Sophia's school. Grace met the firedog there. He was operated by a guy sitting off a ways that could hear what the kids were saying and see them. The "dog" kept talking to Grace and Sophia and they loved it!

I finally remembered to take the camera to a soccer game. Of course with the wet fall we have been having here Dawson's field was unplayable so I just captured Sophia this day. Sophia's team calls themselves the PrincessPony Hot Shots. As we know, Sophia is not about to be a princess of any sort. And she has a 'sister' in her tomboy battle, Ms Jenna. These two were cut from the same mold and are a hoot to watch and listen to. They are going to play basketball together now this winter too.

This is the princess basking in the sun at Sophia's soccer game. Even with a dirty face isn't she adorable?

Jeff's birthday was last Thursday, Oct 22. We took him to Red Lobster and he got himself a fancy schmany watch that should be able to talk to him and tie his shoes. :-) We also celebrated on Saturday with his family and his mom got him the cake. Wasn't he a cutie when he was younger?

We have our Halloween costumes ready to strike this weekend. We will be going out as Tinkerbell, a Policeman, and some random pumpkin head guy with a cape. I am sure you can figure out who will be who. Brandon will be going as a teenager recovering from oral surgery as he will have the plate removed from his jaw on Friday and his wisdom teeth removed. Woohoo fun! I think I will go as the mom of four this year. :-)

C - U - T - I - E

2009-10-16T21:57:00.004-05:00

While she might not like the word . . . and prefer to be cool . . . or handsome . . . here she is just nothing but C U T E as a scarecrow for school!

Fresh paint reward

2009-10-15T10:50:00.006-05:00

The reward to our house for Sophia entering Kindergarten in August and us not having to pay that amount to day care each month was that the house got some fresh bright fun paint. There is just something about new paint and the smell of it that I love! My problem is that once I have the painting bug I can't seem to kick it and want to paint everything in sight. My office, bedroom, and bathrooms are on the list of places that I still want to paint. Although my front porch really NEEDS it. But how boring is that?!?!? Anyway enjoy some shots of our new look.

Where oh where has my baby gone?

2009-10-12T22:16:00.002-05:00

It has been said many times that our babies grow up way too fast. And as I watch my sweet two year old little Gracie transform before my eyes I can't agree more. She has the typical "I do it" that comes with a growing baby. But she has now changed from "I'm the baby." to "I'm a big girl.". She can count to 8 already, and loves to tell people that she is two. She loves to pick out her own clothes, and usually does really well at matching (this is a skill her older brothers are still working on). Gracie knows her schedule, and will tell you when things are not quite right. She knows that when she goes to church, she goes to class to play and eat snack - Cherios and Goldfish. Tonight though, she has managed to show me twice that she really is growing up.
I hosted the girls tonight for our monthly Bunco. Gracie hung out with Daddy at his friends. Daddy found some toddler apps for his IPhone for her. She came home to show me how she can find the apps on Daddy's phone and then do games where she identifies shapes, spells words, and make animal sounds. All the while she is operating the IPhone completly alone. She knows how to touch it, she knows how to slide the screens . . . it was downright scary to sit there and watch as my sweet baby had the IPhone mastered.
And then . . . you all might recall that her nightly routine consists of cuddling up with momma after everyone else is in bed. She falls asleep in my arms . . . has for over 2 years now. Tonight, she made a bed for her and her baby and said she needed to sleep with her baby and proceeded to crawl up on the couch and fall asleep without her momma. And Momma sat across the room and cried a little as her baby grew up a little more today.
Hug your babies tight tonight and treasure each moment you have with them. My biggest baby just came home and I remember how I only have a little while with him before he goes off to college. He also was a baby that loved to be rocked and held to go to sleep. And I don't recall appreciating that time together with him as much as I should have. I probably found it to be bothersome to have to sit and rock him every night. And now . . .well, now I wish I could pick him up and hold him tight. Cherish your babies!

Meet Owen

2009-10-07T11:36:00.003-05:00

Last week I was led to Operation Giggle's website during my daily blog stalking. Our Sophia is from China and this blog is about sending Christmas gifts to children in a foster home in China. I felt called to respond and 'adopt' another child for Christmas this year. I sent an e:mail asking the organizer to select a child for us as I had looked at photos of many of the kids and just didn't know which one to choose. Today, Sherri sent me info that we would be buying presents for little Owen. Little Owen is a fighter who has literally come back from the dead. And our connection to Owen . . . he is exactly 10 years younger than Dawson. We will be working as a family to make little Owen's Christmas just a little brighter with our love and the love of Jesus Christ!

sometimes we lose, but its all good here

2009-10-06T12:29:00.002-05:00

My sweet eleven year old son, Dawson, tried out for the middle school soccer team yesterday. And he didn't make it. But you know what, he took it amazing. He accepted that he didn't make the cut this year, that he could try next year, and that he was still a great child with many skills. Not to toot my own horn as his mom, but I think this great attitude comes from a few things that we do here in our home.
One is we have never gone along with the whole 'no loser' in any sort of game. There are winners and losers in every game that we play. I don't know why or when we decided to start hiding that fact from our children. I grew up in a win/lose environment as a child. We kept score, the folks that had Champion on their trophies were the true champs. I want my child to know who he/she is without having to 'win' at everything. We can lift our children up by simply pointing out the great things they did during the game. There can be victory in losing if you did better than you did last time or if you displayed a trait that is admirable.
Another word we use in our house is No. Just because someone else has something or does something doesn't mean we do it. It isn't always money based either. There are things that I could afford to give my children when they ask, but there are times when they just don't need what they are asking for . . . or gasp . . . they just don't deserve to have it at the time.
Now before you go and tell me what a bad parent I am for telling my kids they lose and they can't have things . . . let me tell you where they do know that they are always a winner and they can have everything . . . they have that confidence of being a winner because they know who they are in Jesus. They know their parents love them unconditionally and want what is best for them. And they know their ultimate prize is heaven.
So when I get up on the proverbial soapbox about losing a game or telling my kids no . . . know that at the same time I am reinforcing in them that God loves them and they are winners in his book.
As I looked at Dawson last night as he dealt with being sad about not making the cut, I was heartbroken for him. Then he warmed my heart with his positive attitude about it all. I am a blessed mom of four amazing kids.

Ring Farm Family Fun

2009-10-05T12:31:00.010-05:00

This weekend we visited a local farm that does it up for Fall. Back in Nebraska, we had this mega pumpkin patch that went all out and did it up huge for fall. We haven't found anything like that here, but there are a couple farms that do some fun stuff for the kids. This place had a corn and cotton maze, a hayride, a play area, and a forty foot tube slide that was the highlight of the day where we spent an hour watching the kids go again and again and again . . .

It must be a requirement to have one of these measuring things at the farm . . . Gracie is telling us that No she is not three (feet tall) but two (years old).We did the corn maze and cotton maze . . . and got a handsome photo of Dawson . . . And caught Gracie doing what she does most . . . thumb sucking and hair twirling.And then the slide . . . It was a fun filled fall day with family!

Other Blogs and Me

2009-10-03T22:27:00.000-05:00

I am a blog stalker mostly. I am not big on leaving comments on others blogs, but I do enjoy reading blogs. I have found some really great blogs that really inspire me. Blogs where the honesty of their story can make you cry. Folks that tell the truth like that talk about how it is therapy for them. I know journaling and such have gotten me through some crazy times when I just needed to get it out. But I am thankful for those that have the courage to put their honest stories out there, and in turn motivate others to do great things. There are stories that make me realize that I do have a pretty comfortable life and can and should do more to help those in need. There are stories that remind me of how precious my children and husband are as I read about a mother losing her child, or a wife losing her husband too soon. There are stories that remind me of the amazing journey of adoption we took with Sophia, and that I need to tell my story and encourage others to care for the orphans. There are those blogs that just make me laugh until my sides split as I realize that many are on the same crazy journey I am raising my kids. It is fun to read a blog to catch up with a distant friend or even a friend I don't get to see often enough. It is like having coffee (or a Pepsi in my case) with them and catching up as I hear about their kids, their ups and downs, their house changes, and all of their everyday life. If you are looking for some new blogs to stalk, check out my sidebar. Big Nanny is getting ready to go to Africa to help Katie who is already there. Sherri at Operation Giggle is organizing a great thing for Chirstmas for the New Day Foster Home in China. Go ahead be a stalker and be inspired by every day people just like us.
After yesterdays crazy blog, I decided that is what I want to start doing with my blog. I started this blog as a great way for my family to keep up with my growing crew. I still want to keep everyone up to date on the chaos that is my life, but every once in awhile I want to be honest. I want to tell you the story of bringing home Sophia so that you might be inspired to look into adoption. Do I expect to become some famous blogger? No, but if there is someone besides my family and close friends reading this - I want to see if I can make even a little difference in someones life.
Have a great day, and keep stalking me! :-)

The Post with No Title . . .

2009-10-02T11:49:00.006-05:00

It is so strange to me how I have this busy, crazy life of mine but when I go to think about what to blog about I blank out completely. Our life is filled with fun and laughter, and its share of tears and drama. So it just seems strange to me that I can't think of a good story to tell you each day or at least every other day. We do seem to have those un-bloggable moments where I wouldn't dare share them for fear of my children being totally embarrassed and dis-owning me completely.
I did play around a bit today with my blog and change up some stuff. I am no pro on this so my header is a little weak and will by no means win an award for greatness, but it is a bit different and fun.
I found out today that my friend, Billy Reasons, is filming his first music video this weekend for his song Crank the Hank. Billy is going to be the famous person in my life that I can say . . . I knew Billy before he was the Billy. We are praying for great things to happen with his music for him and his family. He is amazing talented and a great friend! He has already taken his fame and used it to help others. He is involved with My Huggy which sends bears to soilders stationed in the Middle East, allows them to record up to 20 minutes on the bear, and then send it to their child. This allows parents over seas to pray with their children, and sing to their children, and be heard by their babies. It is really cool. So, anyway, if you listen to country radio be listening for Crank the Hank by Billy Reasons. And then remember through only a few degrees of seperation you too are linked to a famous person.
Which reminds me of how I am linked to Meg Ryan . . . which links me to Tom Cruise . . . which links me to Kevin Bacon . . . in the Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon. So if you know me . . . you too can be linked to Kevin Bacon in less than seven degrees. See . . . it goes like this . . . a family we were friends with in Nebraska, the husband went to school with Meg Ryan back when she was known as Peggy. Meg Ryan was in Top Gun with Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon. And there I go . . . three people is all that seperates me from Kevin Bacon.
So now I see how having nothing to say can result in me going off rambling. Oh well, if you are still reading, you must be enjoying the crazy rants of a middle TN mama.
Funny Gracie story from yesterday . . . as her babysitter was trying to clean out her nose, Grace was throwing a huge fit. She was asking Ms Lisa to not take her boogies away. Ms Lisa asked Grace, why, who needs your boogies? Gracie's reply . . . MY NOSE DOES!

Tomorrow is another day of soccer in our family so I will have some action shots for you on Monday. I will try to find those fun filled bloggable stories that my children will let me write about also.

Quick Catch Up!

2009-09-21T11:15:00.002-05:00

I know it has been too long since I have blogged. We have been busy with this and that. Nothing too major exciting going down here at our house. Sophia is still keeping us busy with her random questions and sayings. She is loving school. Gracie is growing everyday, and is a sponge for knowledge. Dawson is making middle school work for him. He has gotten a Facebook and spends his time now on Farmville harvesting and milking his cows. Brandon is enjoying his senior year and working quite a bit as the infamous Pizza Boy. We are planning our first college visit for during fall break. Yikes! Jeff is a traveling machine - India, Colorado, next stop California! And me, I just hang out here trying to catch up with everyone else! Hee hee!

The Four R's

2009-09-10T09:58:00.016-05:00

Our weekend to Atlanta Motor Speedway consistently involved the Four R's. This isn't your normal 3 R's plus one - - - Reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic - - - this is the Four R's of Atlanta - - - Redneck RV Racing and Romance (and you could throw a fifth R in there for Relaxation if you'd like). For weeks, my Facebook status foretold of the excitement in store of the Quad R weekend coming for me in Atlanta.
For the last couple years, each October Jeff and I join our crazed racing friends (Ryan and Melissa) for the Atlanta race. This year as you might recall we added a trip to Talladega and a truck race in Nashville. The Atlanta race switched up this year and moved to Labor Day weekend and to a night race on Sunday! We added in another crazed couple for their first Nascar race experience. And this gave us the perfect combo to make a full weekend for our Redneck RV Racing and Romance.

Redneck . . . these guys are our friends from Row 51. They love NASCAR. They are super great guys and are a blast to watch the race with. We did get to experience some true redneck's with the folks in the RV's around us as they seemed to not own shirts and a can was constantly attached to one hand. We also enjoyed the folks around us at the race that had trouble hiding their 'class' as we like to call it. Last year, we had our Tony Stewart fan in the pits with her complete orange outfit. This year, we had our very own Tony Stewart fan right in front of us. She was oozing with Redneck class with words and sign language some of us hadn't seen before. RV . . . We rented us a 7 sleeper RV for 6 adults. Yes, that kind of goes against a romantic weekend but we will address the romance later. We tried to name the RV. We thought of Quad R or R to the Fourth . . . but you know once you have seen the movie RV nothing ever fits a rented RV like Rolling Turd. Our RV was actually pretty nice and cozy. It was nice to have the air during the hot days, and still be able to hang outside and watch the locals. :-) Jeff and I took the bed above the cab. It actually ended up being the coolest place as the air conditioner blew right in it. Now not to give you the wrong impression, I must tell you we did rough it at night with no air. But man did that RV help us to produce some killer meals! If I could think of a good R word to go with food, I would definatly be using it. Here we are post Quad R weekend . . . Racing . . . we watched us 800 miles of racing over the weekend. That is 3200 left turns! And Kasey Kahne was in all 800 of those miles. Here we are Saturday enjoying the Sprint qualifiying and then the Nationwide race.

After the Nationwide race, the Speedway played the Alabama game on the big screens just for Ashley (and a few of her closest friends). Sunday, after a big breakfast and a relaxing afternoon at the RV, we enjoyed us some night racing in Atlanta. Here each of our drivers were in the Top 10 coming out of turn three on a caution.
And here is what I got to see for the first time in person . . . Kasey Kahne winning the race! Woo hoo! Yes, my screaming and carrying on probably annoyed those around me but hey . . . our driver won the race . . . I believe I am allowed. And then Kasey even thanked me after the race. Okay, so as my amazing oldest son pointed out later, he actually thanked all his fans. But I know he meant me. I know he could hear each scream and cheer I gave him from the stand all weekend. Ask the others in the stands . . . they believe it also. They also tend to believe that you can push your racer along with the slide of your hand from the stands. They also think that their boos and finger gestures are also seen by drivers going 200mph in front of them. It is a hoot!Romance . . . who says a weekend away at the races in an RV with 2 other couples can be romantic? Those of us that left our sweet children behind with older siblings and grandparents, and left our stress-filled jobs behind for three days to enjoy each other . . . that's who! Romance can be found in even the oddest places. Look at these faces . . . I see romance . . .

So there you have it . . . the Four R's in our weekend vacation at Atlanta Motor Speedway! Good times . . . great friends . . . just six normal folks just a tick above cool enjoying a race!

PS Watch out Las Vegas . . . we are thinking of taking a trip to you in Feb. Probably have to leave the RV behind and take us an airplane though. :-)

(to read Mel's version of our trip . . . click here!)

Not what you are expecting . . .

2009-09-08T11:20:00.003-05:00

Okay . . . most of you might be expecting my run down of the RV Redneck Racing Romance Relaxation weekend in Atlanta . . . never fear . . . that will come . . . but for now I leave you with . . .

Sophia and her future husband who thinks she will move to California and watch him race motorcycles.

And my very own mini Taylor Swift. She's got the amazing style and the moves!

PS Kasey won this weekend and thanked me after the race!

Sophia's First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-24T09:41:00.006-05:00

This morning Sophia began her elementary school journey!!! They start kindergarten off slow for them with two 'staggered' days - which means she goes with half her class from 8:30 to 1:00 today and Wednesday and then starts full days on Thursday. For Sophia though, this was it! This was the first day . . . the day she had been waiting for since graduating preschool last May . . . the day she asked every day during the summer for . . . it was her first day of school! I drove her there (she wanted to ride the bus) and she was smiling when I left her! This is our neighbor friend - she is not in Sophia's class but she does have two friends in her class with her.This is the sweet teacher that is blessed with Sophia for the next nine months! And here she is when I left her . . . smiling and playing with her Play Doh!

First Day of School and ByeBye Daddy!

2009-08-17T10:46:00.004-05:00

Last Thursday was the boys' first day of school. We now officially have a SENIOR in high school and a sixth grader in middle school. Yikes! Sophia went for Kindergarten assesment on Thursday and will begin school full time in two weeks. She is very excited to get going! So once we are in full swing we will have a child in every school this year! On Thursday, we also put Daddy on a plane to go to India for work for a little over two weeks. While Sophia might be looking sad and pitiful in this picture, it is not because she was that sad over Daddy leaving . . . she had fallen asleep in the car on the way to the airport and would have preferred I left her that way instead of having to take a picture. We have been able to talk to Daddy every day via Skype. We talk to him before we go to bed and as he is getting up since he is 10 and a half hours ahead of us.

Before and After and the Last Summer Night

2009-08-12T16:22:00.013-05:00

Yesterday was the BIG day . . . haircut day! Originally, it was just going to be big for Dawson, but right before we left Sophia decided she needed to make a drastic change for her first year of school. Gracie had a bit of a trim to just to make it a little even. She still can't say she has a hair style but we are working on it.

BEFORE

AFTERBEFOREAFTERBEFORE (YIKES)AFTER (YAY!)

And to complete the day and celebrate our Last Summer Night (of 2009), we hit the county fair. It was one of the nights where you paid for a stamp for unlimited rides. And unlimited Dawson and Gracie did! It had rained a bit before we got there so I think that kept a lot of folks from coming out so they had their choice of ride with no wait. Dawson ran from one "high thrill" ride to the next hardly stopping in between. Some rides he would get on and would ride two or three times before getting off. Grace did the same thing with anything she could get on. She sat on the carousel for 4 times at one point. She loves her some horsies! Sophia had a rough night of it at first. She loves her some rides and was excited to get going. She jumped on the first ride that her brother would go on with her and that was exciting looking . . . the Pirate Ship. It is one of those back and forth swinging ships that leaves your stomach in your throat at the top. Not a good first choice for Sophia. I went on with her and she spent the whole ride buried in my shirt crying. It took almost the whole night to convince her to just get on the carousel. Then she would ride a few kiddie rides with Gracie, but nothing else. In the end, we all had great fun. And ended the night with our favorite treats . . . funnel cake and turkey legs! At 11:00pm! Woo hoo!

Jon and Emily

2009-08-10T10:54:00.002-05:00

Saturday we attended the wedding of Jon and Emily! To say it was beautiful is really an understatement. The ceremony took place at a lovely little place north of Nashville. The ceremony was outdoors with a reception after inside. We had a great time with great friends as we watched this sweet amazing young couple exchange their personal vows, cut their cake, and dance their first dance.

We have known Jon since he was in high school. He would lead worship in our home during youth gatherings on Sunday nights. I went on a mission trip with a "boy" Jon and watched him turn into the man of God he is today! I have seen Jon turn around and pour into other youth in our church, including my son. I met Emily about a year ago, she has such a sweet sweet spirit about her that just draws you in! They are wonderful together.

And while I watched Jon exchange vows with Emily, I felt a little old yet it reminded me why I serve in youth. My desire is not only to see each of my four children have the very special God given love that Jon and Emily share, but also to see the youth in my community save themselves for that one special person that God has already chosen for them. The look in Jon and Emily's eyes and the love in their voices seems to be so rare anymore. Their love is a true genuine God given deep into your soul kind of love. I want that "Jon and Emily Love" for everyone - call me mushy - call me sappy - but that is what my prayer is for each young person I come into contact with - that they might know God so that they would follow him and wait for that special person He already has chosen for them.
Many blessings to you Jon and Emily! We love you both dearly!

All About Me Week

2009-08-07T10:36:00.013-05:00

Wednesday I celebrated an anniversary of my 29th birthday. However, since occasionally I like to make things all about me, I decided that the last week has basically been my birthday celebration. And as I look back, man, do I know how to celebrate my anniversary!
Last Thursday, the hubby and I joined up with some of our 'rowdy friends' to listen to Billy Reasons and check out some NASCAR haulers at the Wildhorse in downtown Nashville.(see Mel's Karaoke Confessions for full pics and details). We had a great time of acting like crazed fans of both Billy and Nascar. The night ended with the six of us having full pit and garage passes to the Truck Race on Saturday.

Saturday was a day of fun at the race track. Yes, I am a crazed redneck NASCAR lovin' girl! The six of us spent the day walking around the pits and the garages of the track. In my mind, my pass said "Do whatever you want!". We had great fun hanging out with Stacy Compton, Tom Buzze, and the entire #60 truck crew. They were a blast! The highlight of my day came when the rear tire changer put "the gun" in my hands right before the race and let me make THE NOISE. My favorite Nascar noise is the sound of the guns when the tire changers are warming them up right before pit stops. I am told I do a pretty good impression of the noise. I was kind of weary on asking if I could touch "the gun". The tire changer was really taking care of it - cleaning it up and getting it all prepped for the race. My friend Bob went and asked him if I could hold the gun, and he said YES! So here I am holding the gun . . . after the picture was taken I was able to pull the trigger and OH MY did that thing have some power. I'm just saying! (no comments on how strange I am to be so excited about the gun . .. really I already know it is strange but it is SO COOL). Jeff and I in front of Stacy Compton's truck before the race. Red Leader and Team Black with Billy (and the Billy sticker) . . . this is our famous person picture of the day . . . start requesting Crank the Hank by Billy Reasons on your fav country radio station soon! A fun picture of Billy (and the Billy sticker) . . .

Let's see, so then Sunday, we had a class picnic with our Connect Group at church. It really was about spending some time with some friends . . . but I can pretend it was all about me. Here is my girls enjoying their time at my . . . er . . . I mean the class picnic.

Monday and Tuesday were just the same ole same ole pretty much. Work and hanging out with the hubby and kids. My sweet friend Lynn had surgery on Tuesday and it was successful! A big Praise God there as she is home resting and relaxing from that now!

Wednesday was the ACTUAL anniversary day! I went through my normal daily routine pretty much. I went and visited Lynn in the hospital at lunch. I went to WNL at church with MY youth that night. And a few of my sweet girls surprised me with flowers, balloons, and a big poster. And then a loud Happy Birthday song to me from the whole gang. Who says teenagers aren't the best? I love me some teenagers! This is Bekah (and the back of Peyton's head) . . . she was one of the angels! And this is me and Britney (or Mitney as Gracie calls her). They are some of the most amazing and loving girls ever. Actually I am pretty well surrounded by great teens every WNL. Don't underestimate the power of todays youth! They are awesome!

After WNL, Jeff and the girls surprised me with a mint chocolate pie and some gifts. The girls got me a really cute card that Sophia filled in with why I was so great, and Jeff got me a beautiful necklace! I am a blessed woman! (side note: the boys are in NE with grandparents so they are not being rude - they just haven't been around for two weeks! But they come back tonight!!! YAY!)

Thursday night (because what is a party week without after parties) . . . my in-laws came over for dinner and cake. They brought me my first ever cake with my picture on it. Of course Sophia wants desperately to eat my face. Hmmm . . . not sure about that.

I also scored me my favorite strawberry cake from Becky. YUMMO! So now my house is full of sweet eats! Nothing like celebrating my birthday anniversary by gaining some pounds with my year! Hee hee!
And now I am off to enjoy a lunch with the sustahood (minus Lynn who is still in recovery at home)! We will be dining on some Olive Garden breadsticks, soup and salad . . . but mostly bread!
And then tonight my final present to end my week of celebration will be seeing my sweet boys get off that plane! Woo hoo! I will have my family back! (and don't tell Dawson but his homecoming celebration includes a homecoming haircut!)

Dawson Turned 11 and Grace needs to go

2009-07-28T16:30:00.004-05:00

In my previous post, I missed mentioning that on July 16 Dawson turned 11. We did various things for his birthday. We ate out (alot). We went shopping for Legos and KNex. We had a friend sleep over. We had family over for cake. The celebrating basically started on Thursday and ended on Sunday. Here is a picture of Hairboy . . . er Dawson with his cake and one of his gifts . . .

And then for the Grace news . . . Friday night, Jeff, Grace, and I made a visit to the ER at Vanderbilt. Grace had taken a fall on Wednesday, and started talking about belly pain on Friday. She was screaming like a crazed person. We took her to the urgent care here in town. Due to the possibility that the fall could have injured her organs, they suggested we take her to the ER to be looked at. After a little (interpret how you like . . . we were in an ER) wait, we got to go back to our hallway bed to be observed by Dr Doogie Howser of Vandy. The Boy Wonder did some blood work, and read the results to say that Grace was having an issue with her pancreas. At about midnight, Grace had a CT scan and an xray to see what was going on. The results came back and they could see nothing wrong with any of her organs so they kept us overnight IN THE E.R. for observation. The three of us had a lovely time sleeping in a cozy E.R. room . . . oh let's be real no one gets sleep in the hospital. We slept off and on when they weren't taking vitals, or resetting her IV, or taking blood, or playing really loud music . . . oh sigh! The next morning the Dr (a professor with the university) and one of the med students came to talk to us about Grace. It appears that Dr Doogie had read Gracie's results from the computer . . . . the computer had flagged Grace's levels when comparing them to an ADULT . . . when looked at against a standard 2 year old Grace was good. Looking back at the CT scan - they found that Grace was . . . are you ready for this . . . just full of poop! Oh yes, we slept in the ER for constipation. So now we have to monitor Grace's BM patterns and be sure she goes every day. Doesn't that sound like fun? But I suppose this is worth it . . .

Glimpses of our life

2009-07-23T10:17:00.010-05:00

Yes it has been FOREVER since I have blogged. Much has been going on since I last wrote.
We went on vacation to North Carolina/Tennessee. We spent a few days at a family reunion, we stayed in a cabin, we went fishing, we went to Dollywood, and we saw the Witt's in Johnson City. We had a blast.
Brandon had surgery upon our return. When he was five he had a cyst in his jaw that required the removal of some permanent teeth as well as took half of his jawbone. Now that he is all grown up - it is time to look at implants back there. Before we can do implants, we have to grow some jawbone. Surgery one involved putting in a device that over about 10 days we will grow 1 cm of jawbone. He will have another surgery to remove the device. And then a final one to do the implants. Craziness! But once everything is said and done - he will have a perfect set of teeth in his mouth with no braces!
Sophia had a tooth pulled (again)! That is always a good time!
Gracie is starting to enjoy sitting on the big girl pottie! We only get results about 1 every 10 times but this morning was one of those times! YAY!
Dawson attended Hornets Camp to learn all about middle school. Yikes - this year I will have a senior in high school, a 6th grader in middle school, and a kindergartner in elementary. Crazy!
Enjoy some photos of vacation . . .

She did it!

2009-06-26T21:18:00.005-05:00

Gracie did awesome and took beautiful photos today! We did have some thumb sucking/ hair twirling moments but they were so cute! Thank you PortraiT Inn0vations for capturing my daughter today!

Thumb sucking and hair twirling

2009-06-26T04:00:00.012-05:00

In early 2007 we found out we were having a baby girl! In our ultra sound pictures we received that day we could see her feet and her hands . . . and we could see her cute little face . . . and we could see her thumb in her mouth. We thought how cute is that! Within hours after coming into this world, our sweet Gracie Beth began the art of thumb sucking. Once again how cute . . .

No matter where she is, that thumb is in her mouth. No matter how dirty or nasty, it is there. Then came the hair twirling. The thumb sucking is ALWAYS done on the left hand thumb. The right thumb never works. So the right hand was lonely and once there was a tossle of hair on that cute little head, the hair twirling began.

However, unlike thumb sucking which can only be done in her mouth with her thumb, hair twirling can be done on other peoples hair. Dawson and Sophia with their long mops are prime canidates. Sweet Sophia shares a bed with Gracie and often gets her hair twirled while she is sleeping. Brandon still has some long hair on top and will be told to 'hat off' so Gracie can twirl his hair. After baths, the hands have to be free as quick as possible so the hair can be twirled and the thumb can be sucked. She will even attempt to twirl Mommy and Daddy's short hair dos. It is a hoot. She is one determined little girl when it comes to twirling her some hair.

I tell you all this to tell you that Friday at 4pm I am going to attempt to get Gracie's two year pictures taken. Last time we did this and attempted to get a non-thumb sucking or hair twirling photo we got one mad girl. We ended up with some cute thumb sucking photos but not a happy girl! So tomorrow I am hoping I can catch my sweet two year old in a mood to give me a big huge smile with no thumb sucking or hair twirling involved. Hopefully, I can re-route her determination to suck her thumb and twirl some hair into giving her mama an amazing photo to hang on her wall!

Slip And Slide???

2009-06-25T12:05:00.005-05:00

For a few weeks now, the kido's have been asking for a Slip and Slide. I honestly just kept forgetting to look at them when we were at the stores. Last night, we visited my second home (Kohls) to complete our vacation wardrobes. While there, Sophia (of course) had to visit the bathroom. To her it is a must to go to the bathroom in every store or eating establishment that we visit. She had just gone in Target minutes before, yet had to go AGAIN when we went into Kohls. I digress. . . so as we were leaving the bathroom area, I saw that Kohls had a selection of backyard water adventure type toys. They were made by what I feel is a good maker of water toys. This was the box that screamed hours of fun in the water and sun while mama works inside . . .

Look at it closely . .. see that kid who appears to be at least 9-10 years old. See how he is flying down the slide into a pool at least the size of him. Free body board! 18 feet long! Look at that face of joy on the child watching him or the inset picture of the boy riding the slide. Sophia could not wait to set this up and take a ride on it this morning. The begging started right at 8am. So by 9am I was out setting up the ultimate adventure for Sophia and her friend, Trevor.

And here is the final product . . . Okay . . not quite the picture on the box. It is about 18 feet long. However it is only about two and a half feet wide. (the back of the box did give the dimensions in the small print - I just didn't bother to look in my excitement). After placing the Slip and Slide, I was to plug the hose into the end to allow the water sprinkler to cover the slide. I hooked it up - turned on the water - and heard a loud POP as the plastic busted open. Which now makes our small slide a redneck version as the home sprinkler is what keeps the slide wet. The pool at the bottom . . hardly big enough for Sophia to sit in. Too say we were disappointed is the understatement. Luckily, it was on sale and I had a 15% off for my visit so the whole thing was less than $5.
Sophia and Trevor did give it a run for about 30 minutes. I don't think either of them ever made it all the way into the gigantic pool at the bottom. And I don't think the 'super tough ultra slick body board' made any difference to their adventure. Dawson's comment . . . "we should have just used a tarp like I said". (sigh) Of course Dawson did go down our 200 foot slip and slide adventure last week with the youth. That slip and slide had us holding to to a ski rope while being pulled by a four wheeler at about 30mph down the slide. It was awesome! So I suppose an 18foot long self slider wouldn't count for much. Here is hoping that your summer adventures are MUCH BIGGER and GREATER than our slip and slide!

Fav Foto Friday

2009-06-19T11:39:00.002-05:00

And here you have the princess ready for a day at the mall . . . yikes!

Brandon's Home and Sophia Conversations - PG Rating

2009-06-16T23:53:00.004-05:00

*** First off . . . be warned as we progress through this post it might not be appropriate for younger folks. There might be life spoilers contained below or even a bad word. You have been warned. ***

Brandon made it home to us on Monday after a brief delay in the TX airport after customs taking a bit longer than expected. He had an amazing, awesome, great, wow trip. He has actually talked quite a bit about it, and has even talked about a possible return in October but for sure wants to go back next summer. He says he really feels his heart is there to serve the people of Mexico. Wow! Not sure that is what I would have said the summer before my senior year. This is a picture of his art work on a basketball court in a village - he painted John 3:16 in Spanish.

Now . . . for some Sophia conversation bits . . . remember you were warned . . . if you have been a reader for any amount of time you recall that our sweet 5 year old daughter Sophia is a very deep thinker. She knows stuff, and wants to always know more. So here you go . . .

Riding in car with Dawson, Grace, and I . . . "I would really like to die." (say what?) "I want to know what it is like to die. I could die, go see Jesus, and then come back." (okay?!?!) " I also wonder if you die with your eyes open, can I see everybody that is around me?"

Conversation about hell . . . "Hell is a bad word. But it is not a bad word if you are talking about the actual place Hell. Like if you say the devil lives in Hell it is okay to say hell, because he really does live there. But if you just say hell to say it, then it is bad." (I told you bad language!)

During a conversation with her friend today they started talking about elves. I was working in the other room and couldn't really hear until Sophia shouted, "Mom, are elves real?", Me "what Sophia? No elves are not real." Sophia to friend (who is only 6) "See I told you elves are not real, they can't be real because Santa isn't real." Me "Sophia Faith get in here right now!" . . . "Yes, Mom?" "Sophia how many times have we told you NOT to tell your friends that Santa is not real?" "Well, he isn't." "I know sister but we have asked you not to tell your friends that." "But mom he isn't real." "Yes, dear, I know this but don't tell your friends." "Mom, I am just saying he isn't real because he isn't." "Sophia, I agree with you but we are not to discuss it with our friends, OK? Got it?" "Yes, Mom. I won't tell my friends . . . but Mom, he isn't real."

And there you go, no need to any longer wonder why I must color my hair.

Be Praying for my Missionary

2009-06-04T11:09:00.003-05:00

This morning at 5am we said good bye to this young man as he went off on his first mission trip. He and a team of 15 youth and 4 adults will be doing light construction work, street VBS, and just telling others about Jesus. He is such an amazing young man already, and is very anxious for what this trip holds. We are excited for what he is about to experience. Yet, we are nervous as he enters a somewhat unsafe area. We know God will protect him as he goes about God's business in this country. Please pray for our man as he enters the mission field today for the next 12 days!

My Unplugged Week

2009-06-02T15:29:00.009-05:00

Last week I went to youth camp with about 100 plus teens from our church. I did not do the camp thing as a child or teen, so I kind of live out that now with these youth. We went to the middle of nowhere Kentucky to Camp Cedarmore. We had a great time! Not only was it a fun camp, but it was a camp where we all grew spiritually. My prayer is that those mountain top highs that we experience during camps or revivals don't fade for these kids . . . or me either.

These are my roomies for the week. Sweet sweet to be senior girls!We played alot. There was a climbing wall where Kyle defeated his fear of heights and even sang The Circle of Life to us. There was football, kickball, wiffleball, basketball, volleyball and six square. And then there was the lake with the BLOB and the Zipline. My BLOB experience involved me unintentionally doing a one and a half back flip with a stellar landing right on my face. My Zipline experience was short. About 5 feet off the dock, my sweet Dana lost her grip and pulled both of us down off the zipline for a 15 foot drop into the lake. This is Brandon and Keegan showing how the zipline should really be done.Another fun thing was the mud pit!!! I did not at all mean to get as muddy as I did, but when you are so "loved" by the youth of our church, they want to show you with mud in your ears, eyes, face, hair, etc. The best part about the mud pit was when Mike handed the fire hose over to me and I got to shoot . . . er rinse the kids off as they came out of the mud pit.

Senior Girls Post Pit Picture

Me Post Pit Picture

Brandon and Friends Post Pit

And while I missed my hubby and younger children so much - it was nice to be unplugged in the sticks of Kentucky with Jesus and the youth.

(this photo is being placed here with the full intent of letting all that know the real Bobby Billy a chance to see him in his acting glory)

Gracie Turns Two!!!

2009-05-31T20:36:00.003-05:00

Gracie turned two on Saturday! I can hardly believe my little princess is already TWO! Yikes! She is such an amazing blessing to our family and really just completes the picture! She loves playing babies and dress up. She loves to change clothes . . . over and over and over. She has a very sweet loving spirit. When she sees a real baby she always wants to hug or kiss it. We had a small party for her and she LOVED her cake. She proceeded to taste test each and every rose bud on the cake. It was so cute!

Unplugged

2009-05-24T21:00:00.005-05:00

Monday morning bright and early I leave for summer camp. Yes, old mama me is off to summer camp with the youth of TSC. I can't wait. Last year we did the Beach Week thing in Florida. This year we are heading to an actual camp on a lake in Kentucky. There is no cell service . . . no internet service . . . we will be completely unplugged. I fear that some of these young teens will be going through with drawl on Tuesday. I expect to see some air-texting because their fingers are so used to texting non-stop. My 8th grade girls today even said that texting doesn't fit into any real category - recreation, eating, family time, church time, work, etc - because you can text 24/7 - some even wake up in the night if they hear the vibrations of their phone. For some this could be the first time in a long time that they go without texting, Facebook, etc. I am sure that we will all survive and have a great time! So off I go on an unplugged adventure with some super kids!
Here is what I will be missing while I am away . . . aren't they precious? Brandon will be at camp with me - mostly avoiding me due to me embarrassing him.

I ain't gonna lie . . .

2009-05-21T15:26:00.002-05:00

I am one of "those" parents . . . I am one of those parents that thinks the first day of school is GREAT! I love my kids, but working full time does not allow me to be a very good entertainer in the summer. My kids will be the ones bored this summer . . . wondering what to do . . being forced to go outside and play instead of sitting on the computer or watching TV all day. I will have to become super creative with ways to entertain within hearing distance of me while I work. It can pose quite a challenge. There will be camps and there will be vacation. But in the middle of those times, I will hear "I'm bored". Today, day one of summer, has been okay. Brandon is off making a video for our youth camp next week. Dawson has some friends over. Sophia and Grace are hanging at day care. So I have taken care of Day 1 . . . now what about the rest of the summer days?!?!?!?

Soccer Is Over , Another Graduation, Etc.

2009-05-19T22:29:00.009-05:00

Last week we played our final four games for spring soccer season. We have had some busy Tuesday, Friday, and Saturdays with soccer. The summer break is welcome before we get back into it with fall soccer. Sophia and Dawson both did awesome this season. Sophia continues to prove she loves to run and is a tough cookie out there on the field. Dawson has improved greatly as a defender for his team and is looking towards possibly giving soccer a try in middle school. This is our little beach bum whose latest trick is clothes changing. She will disappear and come back in a completely different outfit. This was Sophia's outfit from daycare that day, Gracie found it and put it all on by herself. I thought this was a cute picture of Jeff and Sophia. It has been a while since you have heard a good Sophia quote, so here you go. Saturday we were outside and this lady and her son came up to hand us a flyer. Their cat was missing and they wanted to see if we had seen her. We chatted a bit about our sewer cat collection that is in our hood, and they walked away. As they were walking off, Sophia looks at us and says, "that lady doesn't make much sense." We were like what? "She is out looking for her CAT while walking her DOG, why would the cat come?" Good point sister!

And here our final picture of this post is of our elementary school graduate. They were required to dress up for the occasion. Dawson kept declaring he was in his monkey suit and how terrible it was. He did not have to wear a tie, he did however have dress pants, a real belt, and dress shoes on. Here you see the best picture I was able to capture. We are very proud of him as he did receive the President's Award for his accomplishments in 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade.

The Art of Dentistry Strikes Again!

2009-05-13T09:07:00.003-05:00

As some may recall, I started off 2009 at the dentist. I have always said that I hated the dentist. Yesterday, I decided that wasn't really a fair thing to say. Because my primary dentist is really a hoot, and I do like her. However, I have decided it is the "art of dentistry" that I have a very very strong dislike for. Yesterday I went for one of two appointments to replace my bridge work in the back of my mouth. For a normal mouthed person this does not sound like a lot of fun. But for someone like me who the out of ordinary always seems to take place in relation to my mouth (yes, both in my teeth and quite often the words that I say). Anywhoooo . . . I was weary that this would be an easy two appointment procedure. And boy, was I right? After sawing off the old bridgework . . . yes I said SAWING . . . no amount of music out of the i-pod could keep that sound from bouncing around in my head and making the hair on my arms stand up and my toes curl. It was HORRIBLE! Once the old bridge came out in multiple pieces, it was (of course) discovered that the back tooth . . . the one I had the lovely root canal procedure on at the la-te-da dentist back in January . .. that ole back tooth was pretty well done. After digging . . . and digging . . . and digging . . . on it, Ms Dentist said that there was nothing left of the tooth to make bridge work out of again. So . . . guess what? NOW . . . my two appt procedure became . . . an appointment with an oral surgeon to have said nasty back tooth pulled and consult on if I need an implant back in there. Oh and I probably won't be able to just have an implant because my sinus wall is so close to where the tooth would need to be I will probably need a bone graft to lift my sinus wall before an implant can be placed in. Ms Dentist has had this done . . . her words "No fun!". ERRRRR! And besides my visit to the oral surgeon, I do still get my second visit with Ms Dentist because I have to have the front tooth crowned because it has been living under that bridge work for sometime. So you see, the art of dentistry has bit me in the britches once again. I am thinking of going for the pure redneck look and just having them all pulled and gum my food.

Animal Sounds

2009-05-11T11:59:00.001-05:00

Pre-K Graduation and Mother's Day

2009-05-11T11:36:00.009-05:00

Okay, so it is not a very clever title . . . but it is what it is. This weekend was spent celebrating Sophia's exit from Pre-K, and celebrating Mom's Day.

Sophia's graduation celebration had a program during it where they represented each of the countries represented by the kids. Sophia agreed to wear her China dress for Ms Beerman (there are shorts under it) which meant Gracie had to wear one too. Aren't they cute?This was Sophia's excited face during the whole ceremony. She looked like she was having the worst time ever the whole time. Afterwards I asked her what was the matter . . . she said "I am just shy."This is Sophia and her "boyfriend" Steven. Steven will stop attending day care in two weeks. He will be attending another elementary school in the fall. This might be the end of our first love!
For Mother's Day, I got a new camera. It has the feature to take multiple shots over and over again while staying in focus. Gracie was blowing bubbles with Grandma on Saturday in the Boro, and I just kept taking photos. This one was one of my favs.Two of Gracie's favorite things are thumb sucking and hair twirling. While in the car on Saturday, she fell asleep while twirling her brothers long locks. CUTENESS!

On Friday, Brandon gave us all good news that he scored a 26 on his ACT's. In our state, this gives him access to the Hope Scholarship next year. We are very proud of him.

And here is a RARE photo of me with all four of my kids! They are a great crew and I am a very blessed mother! I received many homemade cards, breakfast with Dawson, gifts from Brandon, cuddles and loves from the girls, and a great Sunday afternoon nap!

The Sonic Car Hop Says . . .

2009-05-06T12:12:00.003-05:00

so my brave SIL, JoJo, went to her local Sonic last night in the Boro. She asked the car hop what she made. She said . . . car hops make $3 an hour because they have tip potential but those that work inside make minimum wage. So, if said car hop is truthful, we should probably start tipping our Sonic car hops. :-)

Another Episode of Random Ramblings

2009-05-05T10:20:00.003-05:00

Okay, so it has been a week since I last posted. I wanted to be sure you all got the low down skinny on our trip to Talladega. We are now in process of making plans for our Atlanta Race come Labor Day weekend. We are going to rent an RV and do the weekend up right with the rednecks.
I have no photos to share of the last week as my camera busted while we were at Talladega and I have yet to purchase a new one. So I have missed a week of funny moments. Such as last night when Gracie had three tee-tiny little pony tails in and looked as though she belonged to the Who family. Maybe as Gracie Lou Who?!?!? Or when Sophia was oh so sweetly reading books to Grace? Or how long Dawson's hair is getting? Or Brandon has he was around a bit last week and would wrestle around with his sisters, or how he has convinced Sophia to walk on his back every night? Yes, all pictures I will have to recapture once I purchase a new camera.
I have started a debate of sorts on my Facebook page with my latest status. What is the standard tip rate for a Sonic worker? I googled this and there appears to be much confusion on the issue and more than just I that wonder this. The question of many is if the Sonic wait staff makes minimum wage or not? If they make min wage, then the extra change or $1 or 2 seems appropriate for their troubles of bringing you their food. I mean they do brave the elements and all to bring us the delicous goodness that is Sonic. And if you do stay there and chose to destroy your car, they will ask you if you are okay, if you need ketchup or salt, and if you need refills. I can definately see giving them a bit extra. But consider if each car gave them $1 and they delivered to 25 cars in an hour . . . they are making over $30 an hour now at Sonic. However, if they are not making min wage and depend on our tips . . . then we should probably go with the percent type standard. But what is that percentage when you are not seated at a table and they are not taking your order , getting it right, and bringing you your food? We are up to 18-20% in sit down resteraunts as a standard I believe. So does that now make Sonic a 15% tip? Ah, the things I can consume my brain time with. I am sure there are much more important things to debate . . . but none as fun as the Sonic Tip Debate 09.
Sophia has been up to her usual thinking habits lately. Her latest favorite subjects are God and if he is magic and Wedding Proposals. Her and Dawson talked Jeff into circles last week with saying God was magic to do all that he does. And while magic isn't exactly the word we would want to use . . . I suppose from their perspective it is all pretty magical how God can do all that He has and continues to do. Sophia is also wondering at what age you can ask someone to marry you, why the boy has to ask, why I said yes when Daddy proposed, etc. To the last question, I said, "because I loved him." Her response . . . "hmm, well, why didn't you just say Nah I will wait for someone else to ask me?" Oh the poor blessed man that snags her heart is in for a ride.
We are gearing up for the end of school so we have a busy month ahead. Sophia will graduate from Pre-K. Dawson will graduate from 5th grade. I am all for celebrations and such - but I also tend to lean towards the celebrating smaller milestones make the large ones seem less significant. I am also of the belief that if it is a game you are playing, you should be keeping score and there is always a winner and a loser. Ah, another debate I am sure. Anywhoooo . . . so we will be attending some grad ceremonies in the next few weeks. We will attend grad parties for those seniors that we love. We have two weeks of soccer left. We have field day at Dawson's school. Dawson has two field trips. Brandon will be having finals. Right after school gets out, Brandon and I will head to youth camp, and then after that Dawson will head to Cross Camp and Brandon will be off to Mazatlan for a mission trip. (breathe) Somewhere in there Jeff might be going to India for a week or two with work, but will be installing his huge project at the end of May. Oh, and Grace, well as always poor thing gets to be along for the ride looking just as cute and adorable (and ornery) as ever.
And there you have it . . . another fine blog of random ramblings with a couple debates included.

We experienced it!

2009-04-27T12:31:00.009-05:00

We experienced Talladega on Sunday. Now some might think experienced is a big word to use. So you went to a Nascar Race in Talladega, Alabama. So should not you say . . . we went to Talladega on Sunday. Or we went to a race on Sunday. No, going to the race just doesn't serve it justice. We experienced Talladega.

We experienced poor spelling from fans when they write ON their vehicles. Yes, on their vehicles. Because even though it says window paint . . . they thought it made sense to go all over their truck. And the "I am going to dog this driver on my vehicle, but jokes on me because I can't even spell his name right." fans.

We experienced good food. Of course, this was food made by Melissa and I. We don't tailgate in a normal fashion. No we take race chicken, potato salad, baked beans, and corn muffins before the race. Oh and Sundrop Cake . . . must have Sundrop Cake.

We experienced a new idea of What Not To Wear. We had been told that the tanks we were going to sport that day (in which we were very cute in by the way) would be more than some would have on their entire body. And yes, it was true. Bikini tops on girls that definitely can wear them, and on those that definitely should not. Topless MEN everywhere . . . again those that should and those that should not. Sunburned topless man who went to the effort of applying sun screen to his back only in the way to get a number 24 to appear later in the day. Oh yes, we saw it! We saw a man in full body paint for the Hendrick boys. More than happy to pose (see pic below). We saw girls with cut open shirts, short short cut offs, and dirty cowboy boots. We saw boys with cut open shirts, short short cut offs and dirty cowboy boots. Oh yes, we did!

We experienced hearing the engines roar as they flew by us. We experienced our drivers moving up the field . . . for the first 6 LAPS!!! Then we experienced our drivers being involved in the first BIG ONE of the day at Talladega, and realized we just paid a whole lot of money to watch our drivers wreck!

We experienced first hand why we will not be taking our kids to a Nextel Cup race anytime soon. As the poor young boy in front of us struggled with boredom all day. He was hot, he was tired, he was hungry, he was yelled at, he was spitting water on folks below us, he was . . .a good reason why my kids won't be going until their old enough to want to really go!

We experienced our drivers returning 50 some laps down with cars held together with duct tape and new parts from the garage. We did get to hear the funny side of Kasey as he was bored driving around the track. Comments we heard:

"How much longer do I have to do this?"

"Next pit stop can I get a Bud and a pizza?"
Kasey had to stay out on the track as long as 24 and 29 did. So when 29 came down pit lane "Please go behind the wall, please go behind the wall, ..." was Kasey's plea.

When trying to get drafting with his team mate that was also many laps down, and he couldn't catch up, a conversation went on for awhile about how he could catch up to him, finally Kasey said "tell him to slow down, you know the brake pedal . . . duh?".

Yes, we experienced the BIG BIG ONE when Carl went flying into the fence just about 10 sections from us. We stood on our feet will thousands of others screaming for Carl to get out of the car. We cheered as Carl got out of the car finally. And we laughed as Carl ran to the finish line in Ricky Bobby form.

We experienced post-race DUH-ness as fans couldn't find their cars, were too "out of it" to walk, and oh the bucket brigade - A group of men and their sons with buckets on their heads and a bucket as a drum marching around. We sat and watched as folks drove all over a field trying to find the fastest way out only to sit in another long line.

And after we loaded up our race gear and headed out of Talladega, we sat on I20. And there we experienced birth! As we were sitting there an ambulance came flying by us on the right shoulder. We saw the ambulance parked a bit later, and noticed a car parked in front of it. And just as we pulled up next to it, we saw the paramedic bring the baby up so the mama laid out in the back seat (not facing the interstate thankfully) could see her baby! Oh yes, we saw a baby being born on the side of the road!

So, there you have it, our Talladega experience. We will become crazed race fans again Labor Day weekend as we travel to Atlanta. We are contemplating getting an RV for the weekend and having the full NASCAR weekend.

(My camera broke while at the race . . . so I only have a few photos to share with you. Mel over at Karaoke Confessions should be posting some more photos eventually.)

What Not To Wear

Redneck Hot Tub

Fav Foto Friday

2009-04-24T09:37:00.001-05:00

Pitiful Blogger

2009-04-20T10:28:00.004-05:00

It appears I have become a once a week blogger. Yikes! As much as I love to talk and love to write, who would have thought I would have stayed away so long? Actually, Jeff and I figured out that we had sick kids or Spring Break kids home with me for three weeks straight until Thursday. All four kids have now successfully completed their allowed once a year sickness. (like that will happen) Everyone appears to be 100% now . . .okay maybe not . . . Gracie is having some allergy issues due to wanting to live outside even when all the mowers in the neighborhood are going. But a little Benadryl and the firecracker is back in action.

Let me see . .. what are the highlights of the last week . . . ah, Monday, I entered Throwdown territory and made this . . .

The picture probably doesn't do it any justice . . . but what you see here are Shrimp and Grits. Oh yes, I have become southern. :-) We had seen this on Bobby Flay a couple times and Jeff and I both wanted to give it a try. So we used a combo of Bobby Flay's recipe and the challengers recipe and made a YUMMY creation. The grits had cheese and whipping cream. The shrimp . . . oh yes, it was cooked in bacon fat. And that 'gravy' substance you see around the edge of the bowl . . . bacon drippings. But when you put a bite into your mouth and you don't want to swallow for fear of losing the taste in your mouth . . .you know you have made you some GOOOOOOD food. I don't often think I am a good cook . . . but that night . . . I was puffed up proud of my dinner!!

After starting the week off with such flair, the rest was pretty typical. Soccer practice and soccer games. Hanging with the youth at WNL. Softball season has kicked off and my team won on Thursday night. I am playing this year with a group of gals from about 5 different churches. We are a fun group and I love playing with them.

This week is pretty busy. Tonight I get to join my gals for some BUNCO and food! MMMMM! Then we got soccer, WNL, softball, and more soccer. But this Sunday, Jeff and I will be journeying with our NASCAR buddies to Talladega for the race. We decided that Atlanta is our fall race, but we needed to add a spring race . . . so watch out Jeff and Kasey . . . Mel and I will be there this Sunday. And we are going to be sporting some new tanks . . . with no be-dazzling . .. yet . . . maybe . .. we will see how redneck we want to be!

On a serious note, through a series of blog surfing, I came across the story of Stellan. This little baby boy will be undergoing heart surgery tomorrow. You can visit his mom's blog at My Charming Kids to see his story. But please be lifting Stellan and his family up in your prayers.

Easter Weekend Recap

2009-04-13T12:56:00.015-05:00

What did we do for Spring Break and Easter weekend you ask . . . Or maybe you didn't ask . . .but I am going to tell you anyway . . .

WE BUILT A SWING SET WITH HELP FROM GRANDPA'S

WE DYED EGGS . . . WITH GREAT SKILL AND CONCENTRATION

WE GOT ALL DRESSED UP AND WENT TO CHURCH

AND WE HUNTED FOR EGGS!

We hope you all had a great weekend too! We loved getting to spend time with our family!

Proud Mama

2009-04-03T10:06:00.003-05:00

This week at our Wednesday night youth service Brandon painted a canvas during both services. He has an amazing talent! He has always loved to draw and it was great to see him painting for Jesus on Wednesday. It is amazing to me to see what an awesome man he has become, he is going to make someone a great husband someday!
So here he is painting his canvas, and with the final result.