OurPlace

The Precious Handful

2011-12-29T11:36:00.004-06:00

This past fall a close friend of Madison...and my dear friend's daughter, Kaitlyn...was involved in an accident that nearly took her life. The two months that have followed has drawn the four of us even closer than ever and made us look back and cherish the weekend that we spent at their camp in July. The four of us had always wanted to do a weekend trip of some sort but just never made it happen. Finally, we picked a date, put it on our calenders, and vowed to keep it. The trip was to their camp where we hung out, shopped, ate, swam, and just enjoyed being together with no other distractions. The accident in October confirmed to us that nothing is more important then making time to be with one another. This doesn't mean to accept every invitation from every friend or family member. There are those, however, in our lives who we know will always be there when we need them and who truly want the best for us. These are the friends or family members who are sincerely happy for us when something good happens and will be the first at our door when we need someone. They always look for the best in us and show only this to others, challenging those who come up against us. At the same time, they are the ones who will hold us accountable when that is what we need, yet will do it in such a way that we know it is done out of love and concern for us and not revenge or spite. The older I get, the more I realize that there are only a handful of people in our lives...in any of our lives....who fit this description. Oh, there may be plenty who claim to be or who we assume are included in this handful, and it breaks our hearts when we learn that they are not. It is a reality that sometimes stares us in the face for years, yet we are so consumed with our desire to hold them there that we cannot even see that they are already gone, or in some cases were never even there to begin with! Each time this happens, that handful of real friends becomes more and more precious.I thank God that He chose to give us more time with Kaitlyn because she and her mom are counted as some of our dearest friends.

Driver's Permit

2011-12-22T10:48:00.001-06:00

As I look back on this year, one thing that stands out is how much has happened with Madison. One of these significant occurrences is receiving her driver's permit!! I couldn't believe how much time and work had to go into getting that thing! When I had drivers ed, it consisted of a day or two of classes during our P.E. time in school. I remember learning to change a tire and driving on the levy...haha...seriously. Madison had to go through two weeks of classes followed by a few days of actual driving. Then, she had to take a computer test at the DMV. The day that we walked out of that office with that permit in her hand was amazing!! I don't think I was even that happy to receive my own license. I was and am so proud of her!!

Watson Family Reunion

2011-11-17T11:30:00.003-06:00

Our family has so many reunions that we could attend each summer, but the one that I probably enjoy the most is Jeff's mom's family reunion. I love to be with this family because everyone is so easy to be with and so much fun. I hate nothing more than to go to a reunion where everyone just sits around and talks. This is one reunion that, as the kids have gotten older, has gotten funner every year. Not only did we spend the weekend playing on the water but spent the evenings piled up in the lodge den playing games until late at night. It seems like, as the family grows, that I meet at least one new person each year that I just adore. I love watching my kids bond with their cousins and feel proud that they can be connected to something so much bigger than just our immediate family. My kids really are lucky to have so much family on both my side and Jeff's side of the family.

This year, I was a little nervous about the set up of our lodging. Most of the families stayed in the camp's central lodge. It consisted of a large living area, a kitchen, a shared bathroom with two shower stalls and bathroom stalls, and around 20 separate rooms that contained not much more than a small mirror and two sets of bunks. It turned out to be the most amazing set up that we have ever had for this reunion. Staying in the same area forced those who may not normally hang out in the evenings to do so. In other settings, family groups had a tendency to gravitate toward each other and do their own activities. Here, many of the family groups were together in this lodge, so my family came away from the reunion feeling like we got to know the others so much more. My kids loved the set up, especially Patrick.

On the way home, we spent some time in downtown Hot Springs. We have taken our kids to Hot Springs a few times, but we never get tired spending time walking downtown through the shops and old bathhouses. Madison's friend, Elyse, was with us and had never visited the bathhouses or seen the natural hot springs. It was fun showing them to her for the first time. It was a fun way to end a great weekend!

A Day On The Farm

2011-11-17T11:26:00.001-06:00

The kids and I went to spend the weekend with Vicki and to spend a day at my brother's house watching my dad and him bale hay. We have always said that we wanted to see it done, and my dad had recently bought a new hay baler. He let each of us ride in the cab with him and watch the process from there. Afterwards, my dad cut a watermelon for everyone, and we spent the rest of the time just visiting and hanging out.

Beach Trip with Family 2011

2011-11-10T09:21:00.003-06:00

We had an amazing week on the beach in Gulf Shores with Jeff's entire family! We rented a 5-bedroom house in a gated subdivision on Gulfshore Parkway. The place was perfect, with a pool and lots of room to ride bikes or just run and play. As for the house, each family had its own bedroom and bathroom with one bedroom left for the girls. The boys slept in the living room so they could play their systems on the big TV at night. The only thing that I would change next time is to have a room for them as well, so they could have their privacy as well as a place to sleep late if they choose. Other than that, the house was PERFECT!

With all of our children's ages being so spread apart, there weren't very many time when we were all on the beach at the same time. My inlaws would go down to the beach in the late mornings with Jeff's oldest brother and his family. Their kids were younger and didn't need the afternoon sun. The youngest had to get back for a nap around the time that the rest of us were going out. Our family would get onto the beach in the early afternoon, and each would walk back to the house when he was tired. Jeff and I, along with my sister-in-law, Danielle, would stay until it was time to start dinner. I just hated sitting in the house knowing that the beach was so close. Most of the time I would sit under my umbrella and just listen and watch.

Jeff bought Carter a Hydroslide before leaving for the beach. Carter was so excited to try it...it works like a surf board on the sand. He had to catch a wave going back out and jump on it. It took him a few times, but he finally got it. I had no doubt that he would figure it out!!

This is one of my favorite shots of the trip!!! Danielle did a great job at capturing the action right in the middle of the wave.

MiMi and PawPaw usually went out on the beach in the mornings with the younger kids, but we somehow ended up all on the beach together for a short time this afternoon. I wish all of us could have spent more time together out there.

Each night, a family took its turn cooking dinner, but on the third night we all went to eat at Lamberts...the roll throwing place. There was a little wait to get in, but it was so worth it! The food was great, and we all had a great time!!

Pictures on the beach....we weren't so happy about them. I know that it is one of the things that most people look forward to doing, but we just aren't the "get ready and pose for it" type of family when it comes to pictures. We did it for Jeff's parents because it meant a lot to them.

I loved walking out to the beach each day and seeing this. Because half of the family went out before we did, everything was already set up for us before we got there. Because we were not on a public beach or in a condo area, it was almost like having a private beach!

I loved that time of the day when dinner was done and the sun had gone down. We would all walk back down to the beach, ride our bikes, or swim in the pool. It always amazes me how different the beach looks and feels at night. I loved walking in the sand and feeling amazed that something so hot during the day could feel so wonderful at night. Because it was too dark to see, my ears became more aware of what was around, and the sound of the waves became more beautiful.

We made a couple of trips to do a little shopping.

One of my best times on this trip was an evening that ended somehow with just my sisters-in-law, our kids, and me on the beach together. We dug two deep holes, flew kites, and laughed more than I had the entire trip.

We finally made it to the Hideout on the last night. Even though it seems to be a place that everyone wants to go to when they are on a beach vacation, I wasn't very impressed with it. Maybe if I were on the beach there it would feel different, but as for dressing for dinner and going, I just didn't like it. But hey, at least we got the "chair" pics.

I am proud of our family for getting along so well in the same house for an entire week. I don't know if some families would be able to do that. Even though we see each other often, it's different when you are with each other every waking hour. I felt like I knew the family better afterwards and look forward to doing it again one day!!

A Weekend on the Boardwalk

2011-10-20T12:57:00.001-05:00

Jeff and I decided on a last minute whim to go away for the weekend with the kids. We went to my favorite "close to home but still away" place...the boardwalk in a nearby town, a couple of hours away.

This is what Jeff has to do while we have all the fun!!

Happy Birthday To Me!

2011-10-18T08:29:00.002-05:00

Jeff surprised me with an amazing gift for my birthday this year....an IPAD!!!!! I had been wanting one to use with school but didn't even expect to ask for it until the prices went down a bit. I was perfectly fine with getting an older model when the newer ones came out as long as I could get one. I never EVER expected Jeff to come home with one so soon!!! I was so shocked and excited. I have used it far more than I ever expected that I would and am already wondering how I ever did school without it!!! Jeff also come home with an icecream cake, and Madison decorated my chair for me before I got up that morning. I am a lucky woman....Jeff and the kids are so good to me!!

Bible School

2011-10-18T08:20:00.001-05:00

I had mixed emotions about bible school this summer because it was the first year for all of my children to be in youth. I was always so excited about my kids getting to the age for bible school and have enjoyed having them there every summer so much. It felt so strange and a bit sad to have no children in bible school classes. Now that they are in youth, they will be helping the teachers in whatever classes need youth workers. Madison helped me this year with one of the kindergarten classes. My niece, Kinley, came to stay the week with us so she could help as well. As always, I enjoyed decorating and preparing for the class as much as I did teaching and helping in the class. The theme was New York and, while I didn't really look forward to this theme, we did pull together an amazing looking room! We had a nice sized class with some really sweet kids to teach. Madison and Kinley had a great time, even though we were all exhausted by the end of the week. It's always such a busy, time-consuming experience, but we always look back on it glad that we were a part of it all!

Art Exhibit 2011

2011-10-17T17:43:00.000-05:00

This year's art exhibit was even more exciting because we had Madison AND Carter displaying art. Madison and I went on Saturday to help set up for the exhibit. It is always fun seeing all of the different pieces in the show. We only see those who take art on the same day with Madison and Carter, so we get to meet new people during the exhibit. It amazes me to see how much talent comes out of Ms. Melanie's studio. She is really a talented, patient lady. I'm so glad that our children go to her.

Since Madison has been doing art longer, she had more to put in the show than Carter did. Also, from having done the show before, she knew all of the different categories to enter work into. We were so pleased last year when Madison got the one division ribbon...a second in painting....so we were blown away when she ended up with eight division ribbons this year!! She got first place ribbons in cartoon drawing, graphics, and sculpting!! The rest of her division ribbons were in the following: third place in graphics, second & third place in cartoons, and second and third places in sculpting.

Carter entered pieces in watercolor, graphics, acrylic, and pastels. His table awards were as follows: third on his watercolor sword, second on his shotgun pencil drawing, and first on his acrylic wolf. Even though he didn't have as much to enter and didn't get a division ribbon, it was a very fun experience for him. He enjoyed seeing his work on display!!

I can't imagine ending the year without participating in this art exhibit. I think it gives the kids a chance to step back and really appreciate all that they have done throughout the year. It is also such a good chance to share their work with others. I'm looking forward to seeing what my kids create in the coming year!

Camping With Friends

2011-07-07T07:12:00.025-05:00

In May, before the weather got too hot to allow it, we took our camper to one of our favorite camping spots. It felt good to be out in it again. This time, we let the boys take a friend, Connor. Since Connor feels like one of our own, it was easy to have him around. His mom and brother met up with us and spent the day and evening there. I love Connor's mom, Kim. She has become one of my best friends. She is so easy to be around and so much fun. She reminds me a lot of my sister, Lori. We introduced Kim, Connor, and Tyler to geocaching. They loved it!! The boys did a lot of fishing, especially Connor. I think he spend 75% of his time with a rod and reel in his hands. The weather was perfect for it...just a nice weekend! We ended the day with dinner by the campfire. Kim couldn't get an empty spot or a cabin, so she and Tyler left after we ate. I hated to see them go!

Baseball 2011

2011-07-06T11:44:00.039-05:00

Jeff coached Carter's ball team again this year. It makes me feel so good to have parents call here asking for Jeff to please work to get their sons in the draft. I am proud of Jeff and admire him for many things, and his coaching relationship with the boys on his teams is one of the main things. He is more concerned with teaching them how to be a team then he is with winning. They love him but also respect him. They know that he will be the first one to praise them when they do well, including encouraging one another, but will also be there to put them on the bench for showing a bad attitude. Our team did well and had a great time....almost as much fun as we did :)! I think I enjoyed the other mothers more this year than I ever have. We laughed and visited so much that we sometimes forgot that we were there to watch...even so, our boys knew that we were there for them!!! Our team won the opening day tournament!!! It was a great way to start the season!!!

We had their end-of-the-season party at a local pool.Thanks to Jeff, his assistant coaches, and all of the parents and boys for making it another great season!!!

Mardi Gras 2011

2011-07-06T09:35:00.023-05:00

Danielle and I took our kids to the Mardi Gras parade here in town together this year. We met my friend, Chelita, and her family there. We had SO much fun together. I was happy that Danielle and Chelita got to meet each other.We enjoyed little Noah so much!!!Afterwards, we met Chelita's family at McDonalds for a bite to eat!Noah's new trick!

Cruise 2011

2011-04-01T11:01:00.112-05:00

We sailed out of New Orleans again but on a different ship this time...the Triumph. The Triumph is a bigger ship than any other that we have been on in the past, but I still have a soft spot for the Fantasy. The Fantasy is much easier to get around on and has recently been remodeled, including the amazing Water Works park on the back of the ship. The Triumph was, however, an amazing ship....very beautiful. It's always so exciting to arrive in New Orleans....knowing that we are almost to the ship. I love that first glance of the funnel...the first sight of the ship that we get. Finally, we get that first view of the ship sitting outside the cruise terminal waiting for us to board! The lines were a little slow this time, but we were on the ship before 1:00...just in time for lunch on the Lido Deck. We spent the rest of the day hanging out on the Lido and exploring the ship. Sail away was a little late, but it didn't matter....we were already on the ship. That first day is as good as a day at sea for me, even though we are at the terminal for half of the time and still on the Mississippi when we go to bed at night. The greatest thing is waking up on the first morning and looking out to get our first glance of the open water. We spent our first day at sea doing what we love to do on sea days...eating, enjoying the sun, and relaxing. We started out with the big breakfast, complete with made-your-way omelets. Afterwards, we changed into our swimsuits and found a spot on the Lido to spend a few hours. I love just lying there watching people and enjoying the music. We ended up by a nice, fun couple, so that was fun. We had lunch on the Lido then headed to the room to rest before it was time to get ready for formal night. I love dressing up for dinner, especially on formal night. I love walking down the promenade with Jeff and choosing which backdrops to have our pictures made in front of. One thing that I always look forward to on formal night is the pumpkin soup. As always, it did not disappoint me. They only serve it on formal night, and it's something that I only eat when we cruise. I guess I could try to make it, but I don't think it would be the same. We didn't stay dressed up for long after we ate. We always like to get comfortable before we go to the shows and all of the night time activities. We arrived in Progresso on Monday, Valentine's Day. We were so excited to be back there. It isn't a big port like Cozumel, but we have always had so fun there. We had plans to visit some more Mayan ruins but changed our minds at the last minute. We decided that we just wanted to hang out and shop there all day. We just didn't want to be on anyone's time schedule. I am so glad that we made this decision because the city has grown so much since last time we were there. Before, they only had one little flea market area to shop and not much else there to do. Now, they have booths and activities all along the beach area. We had so much fun just hanging out there all day. Also, the shopping is better and less expensive than in Cozumel. We did most of our shopping in Progresso. This was our first Valentine's Day cruise. We don't usually do a lot on Valentine's Day, besides the usually little gifts or cards for each other and the kids. It was nice, however, to play into the whole thing this year...dressing up and going to dinner together. All of the ladies were given a red rose during dinner, and everyone was served a chocolate heart-shaped dessert. This is what was waiting in our room when we got back after our evening activities.We arrived in Cozumel the next day, Tuesday, and once again changed our plans at the last minute. As we were walking to catch our cab, we decided to go to a beach that we'd heard about during dinner instead of Paradise Beach. Since we had been to Paradise beach before, we wanted to try a different one. The beach, to me, wasn't as good as paradise beach, but they did offer something that we had never done before...parasailing! We originally told the lady no, but she continued to come back by us until we had talked ourselves into it. I'm so glad that we did!! It was so much fun and so beautiful up there!! I did get sick on the boat ride back to the beach but was just glad that it didn't happen before we went up. I would have hated for that to have ruined such an amazing experience. After we finished parasailing, we left the beach and headed to town. We had lunch at a small place outside of town then spent the rest of our time shopping and just hanging out. I was so sad to leave Cozumel. Jeff and I both think that we would love to fly to Cozumel and do an all inclusive there for a few days. There's just so much to do and see and not enough time to do it all in just one day. Waiting for us when we got back to the room :).We spent our last sea day much like the first one....lying out on the Lido deck and relaxing. We watched an ice carving demo while we were out there. The main show for the last night of the cruise was "The Big Easy". I had heard that it was really good and didn't want to miss it. It was a show that featured different things having to do with New Orleans. It was as good as I expected it to be. As always, our cruise was amazing from beginning to end. Each cruise I think that the next one could never be better....each time it is. I love doing things as a whole family so much, but this time with just Jeff is so great...so needed. Thank you, Jeff, for a wonderful time...again!

Baking Together

2011-03-31T08:33:00.026-05:00

I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen with Madison helping her with her new cake decorating business. I make myself available to do whatever she needs help with. It isn't that she needs my help to do her cakes, but I just like being in there to watch her and to learn so that I can help her more. Recently, we decided to bake two little cakes and each decorate one...I wanted to learn to cover a cake with fondant. We had so much fun. It amazes me how much she has taught herself just from watching cake shows and finding things on the internet!

Our Cakes Madison's is brown and mine is green. We used her new Cricut to make the circles...I used the circles to make my flowers.

It was so much fun to do my own little cake instead of just helping Madison with hers. Cake decorating is nothing that I would ever choose to do for myself, but I enjoy it so much with Madison. I realize that it isn't about the cake decorating at all...it's all of those hours that we spend in the kitchen with our music on and just the two of us laughing and enjoying each other!! That's what it's about for me...all the rest of it is just icing on the cake :).

Regional Meal

2011-03-28T08:54:00.012-05:00

While studying the different regions of the United States, we decided to cook a regional meat. We chose Boston baked beans for the Northeast fried chicken for the South and corn on the cob for the Midwest. We all enjoyed the meal, but Jeff said that he prefers baked beans the way I usually make them. It was a good way to show the kids that not only do different regions have food that is specific to them, but they also have dishes that are the same but prepared differently.

Madison is 15!!

2011-03-12T08:29:00.030-06:00

Since Madison loves making cakes so much, she decided to make her own birthday cake. It was a small cake, but she had so much fun doing it. Madison wanted to go to the movies on her birthday. We did that then came home for me to make one of her favorite meals...meatroll. Jeff's mom and dad came down for her to open her gifts. Instead of a party, Madison decided that she wanted to go to the boardwalk at a nearby city to shop and spend the night with a few friends. My sister, Vicki, went with us as well as her daughter. Madison's friend, Kaitlyn, also went. We had so much fun shopping, eating, and hanging out on the boardwalk. We also went to a movie at the boardwalk theater that night. The hotel was right on the boardwalk...the same one that I stayed at with my sisters on our sister weekend. It was a really cold weekend, but the girls still managed some time in the hottub...good thing our room was just a quick run from the hot tub. We were lucky to get a courtyard room that opened up to the pool, hot tub, and firepit. It was perfect! Build a BearBass Pro ShopIn the hot tub one night..........and driving home in this the next morning!!!

New Year's Eve 2010

2011-03-12T07:44:00.023-06:00

We spent New Year's Eve with my family at Vicki's house. It was like a family reunion or Christmas Eve all over again, only with fireworks and lots of food!! Madison made a New Year's Eve cake with some of her new baking supplies that she got for Christmas. We all got to pass around one of our new babies, Emery. Kevin and Ashley weren't able to make it with Gus. It's amazing how a family can have so many babies and still feel like each one is the first. Emery is just such a sweet baby...so much fun!Most of the night we all just hung out playing games and visiting.

Everyone stayed to ring in the new year and pop fireworks. I don't think I have popped fireworks with my dad since I was a teenager, so that was fun. We all laughed so hard and had so much fun!

MadiCakes

2011-02-02T08:10:00.004-06:00

Madison has loved making and decorating cakes for a long time. A few years ago, we bought her a kit for making miniature fondant cakes. This Christmas, she got all of the stuff that she needed to make the bigger cakes, as well as the Cricut to cut shapes for the cakes. I am so proud of what she has taught herself just by researching and watching cake decorating shows. Last week, she got her first cake order and got a second one this week. Here is a link to her cake blog. She will be added photos as she gets new orders.
http://www.madicakesmadicakes.blogspot.com/

Perspective

2011-01-22T08:16:00.012-06:00

As I watch Madison grow up before my eyes, it is hard comprehend that she has reached this point in her life. My whole life and who I was in it changed so quickly at the age of 14 going into 15. As Madison turned 15, it hit me hard that I was motherless at that age. Even though she is independent in so many ways and helps me so much, I can not imagine her having to take on the burden of running the house. I know that she could do it, but I can't imagine her having to. At 15, I felt so grown. I didn't feel like a kid trying to do a woman's job. Maybe it was because I had Vicki there to help me....maybe it was because I just knew that it had to be done. At the time it seemed like a clean break from childhood into adulthood, but looking back now I know that I slid into the role with one arm reaching back to keep my hand on the child that I was, like a worried mother in a crowded street with her child. I now know that the child did indeed slip away with my mother, leaving only an empty shirt for me to cling to, tricking me with it's scent of childhood and my mother's perfume. I often wonder if I would be different had things not happened the way they did. I know that it made me independent but also needy...expecting too much of people, especially the ones that I love. It made me appreciate life and the gift of aging, while at the same time caused me to forever view life through the eyes of a child, searching for a way back to the body that it was snatched from. This is not a bad thing. I am serious about the family and home that God has given me to care for, but I don't forget to stop and play....to enjoy the day that God has chosen to give to me. I play with my children not only because I love to play with them, but also because I know that the children inside of them have already begun to become lost in the crowded street that is life. It is not for me to hang on to them, but it is my privilege to enjoy them as much as I can while they are here. I pray that they will be able to do this on their own time, without having to reach back, grasping for something that slipped away too soon. At the same time, I know from my experience that good will come from whatever path God chooses for them to take. God chose to snatch me from my childhood, but he also chose to let me be here to share in my children's. What a revelation it was to watch my daughter turn 15......even more so to be here to hold her hand through it.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-07T07:39:00.073-06:00

Christmas slipped upon us this year and was gone before I could even grasp that it was about to happen. I don't know if its because we didn't take quite as long off as we normally do from school or not. It was fun, but I just didn't feel like we fit everything in that I wanted to do this year.

Jeff and I did make it to our church Sunday school party. We are trying to do more with them. They are such a great group of friends, but we tend to get content with just being home. The party was very nice.On the Sunday before Christmas, we went to Jeff's parents' church to see their musical. This is something that I enjoy doing every year. My niece Kinley spent a few days with us this week, so she was able to go to the musical with us. Jeff's parents are still at the church that we attended for years with them. It's always nice to go back for a visit.

I bought two different ornaments to make, but we only got around to making one of them. We made them with the little beads that you shape then iron together. These were very fun ornaments to make and turned out so cute!! I even made a glow-in-the-dark one!We found a cute gingerbread tree to do instead of the regular gingerbread house. Of course, Madison LOVED decorating it. Carter helped her put it together and placed all of the beads. All I did was place the star on the top. As always, we spent Christmas Eve at Daddy's with my family. The kids opened their one gift before he left to go Daddy's. We were happy to have two more added to our growing number. Kevin's baby, Gus, was there as well as Jessica's new baby, Emery. It was great having babies around again.I loved watching my dad hand out the gifts. Daddy and Lynn with all of their grandchildren and one great grandchild!!

Christmas DayI love the way the living room looks after all of the gifts have been opened. I straighten it all up, but most of it stays in the living room until after New Year's, when we take the tree down.We had Christmas with Jeff's family on the day after Christmas.FireworksMimi and PawPaw with the grandchildrenChristmas 2010

2011-01-06T08:24:00.000-06:00

Augustus Ryder (Gus)

2011-01-05T10:17:00.005-06:00

My brother and his wife had their first child in August. Unfortunately, they were in Florida when he was born, so many of us were not able to be there for the event. Recently, they came home, and the kids and I were finally able to go see them. Little Gus is so precious and at a very fun age for my kids to enjoy. We got to see him, as well as my great niece, Emery, again on Christmas Eve and my parents' house. They were so cute together, and it was great to have little babies around again. I hope we are able to spend more time with them before they leave for their next pipelining job!!

Girls' Weekend

2011-01-05T09:52:00.012-06:00

My sister-in-law, Danielle, and I took our daughters to Nachitoches to see the Christmas lights and fireworks in December. Danielle took her daughter last year and asked if we wanted to go with them this year. It was so much fun, and the fireworks were amazing. We got there in time to see the parade then found a spot near the water to see the fireworks. It was very crowded, but we found a very nice spot to spread our blankets!

My BIL got us a great room in a new hotel. We enjoyed the firepit and nice sitting area after we got back from the fireworks! Thankyou, Danielle and Bailee, for inviting us to share in your fun weekend. Madison and I both had an amazing time!

Our Last Year

2011-01-03T11:18:00.016-06:00

Awanas has been a part of my life since before I even had children. I remember signing up to serve as a listener with a group of girls in the church that Jeff and I attended before we had children. Even before I was a mother, I just felt a need to be with children. I wanted to be involved in the things that my children might some day be a part of. It was exciting when Madison finally reached the age to start Cubbies, the youngest group in the Awana club. She was so proud to get her blue vest, as were Patrick and Carter when they came along. Each time Madison moved up to the next vest or shirt, the boys would become excited about getting one of their own. When my children were all in blue and red, I remember thinking that the TNT children, dressed in green shirts, were so old compared to mine. Then, somehow I looked up to realize that Madison was in a green shirt.

Now, I have my youngest, Carter, in that TNT shirt for the last year before moving up to youth with Madison and Patrick.

I still can't believe that Madison and Patrick are in youth. Next year I will have three children in youth instead of three children in Awanas. I knew it was going to happen fast....I have been told that from the day that I started having kids. I know it from watching my sisters with their older children, but it still surprised me. I do look forward to becoming involved in youth with them. I want to enjoy every minute of it because I know that it too will come and go so quickly!!!

Traveling Vietnam War Memorial Wall

2010-12-30T09:45:00.008-06:00

I was so excited that this traveling wall came to our town! We stopped by it on our way from church and ended up getting quite a history lesson. In addition to the wall, we also visited the museum there. Even though we drive by the museum all the time, this is the first time that we visited it. Because we had been studying World War II, the kids were really interested in that section. It really brought the lesson to life for them!!

The Sun

2010-12-22T12:06:00.007-06:00

We tried to watch the lunar eclipse a couple of nights ago. Of all nights, it was so cloudy that we didn't have a clear view of the moon. We caught 3 glimpses of it when it was about 2/3 covered. We lay outside on blankets until 3:00 in the morning. We could see the orange tint in the sky but never got to see the moon covered completely. We tried :(

Speaking of eclipses, we are prepared for our next solar eclipse! While studying the sun, we made a device to help us see it without looking AT it.

We also used a jar of water to separate the light waves of the sun into a rainbow. This wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but we did manage to get a small rainbow.

Happy 12th Birthday Carter!!

2010-12-21T15:05:00.016-06:00

Carter chose to go bowling on his birthday this year. This isn't the first time he has chosen to bowl on his birthday. He even had one of his birthday parties at the bowling alley. Even though we don't do it a lot, he just loves it. I couldn't believe how good he had gotten. I don't know if he can beat Jeff yet, but he beat the rest of us. We all bowled and had a great time!He requested biscuits and gravy for his birthday dinner and peach cobbler in place of a birthday cake. For his party with friends, Carter wanted to go ice skating. He chose two friends to go with us, and we drove to Mississippi to the nearest ice skating rink. We got there and found out that the rink was closed! Carter was so disappointed but handled it well. We let the boys play laser tag then took them to see a movie. It was worth the drive for Carter just to get to play laser tag...he LOVED it.

Happy birthday Carter....we love you!!!

Happy 13th Patrick!

2010-12-17T08:59:00.024-06:00

We have another teenager! I always knew this day would come but secretly believed that it wouldn't. I somehow felt that, while everyone else's children turned into teenagers, that mine would stay kids forever...not so. The funny thing is that I'm okay with it, not because I want them to grow up and leave, but because I just love who they are becoming. They are less work with more fun at this age!Patrick decided that he didn't want to go anywhere on his actually birthday. He got a new video game and wanted to stay home to play it. He did, however, want to go to his favorite restaurant that night...Olive Garden. His cousin, Caiden went with us. As always, it was yummy!!! The Olive Garden happens to be my favorite place to go too!
Afterwards, we came back to the house for cake and more gifts. Patrick chose to have an icecream cake. We were all almost too full from eating out to even have the cake!Patrick didn't want a big party this year. He said that he just wanted to get together and hang out with friends. He suggested a movie, but there was nothing good on. Jeff, however, turned our living room into a theater with a projector that he borrowed from work. The kids watched a movie on the big screen then played their video games on it for the rest of the night. Patrick did let us make him a cool popcorn cake.

It was hard for me not to go all out for this party! I love to take a theme and run with it. I wanted movie posters and cool tableclothes. I wanted big movie candy boxes and cute movie tickets lying around. I did, however, restrain myself. The most I got to do was make the cake and buy big popcorn buckets from the video store. What I did find out was that a party can happen without all of the extra stuff! Most importantly, it happened exactly as Patrick wanted it.

Happy birthday Patrick!! We love you!!

I'm A Great Aunt!!!

2010-11-30T15:02:00.004-06:00

Welcome sweet baby Emery Ann!! I love you so much!

Twenty-three years ago, my oldest sister, Lori, made me an aunt for the first time when she gave birth to her daughter, Jessica. I had just graduated high school and was at Lori's house more than my own. When Jessica was born, I got the first little idea of what it would feel like to have my own baby. She was so precious to me...more than I ever thought a baby could be.
Our baby Jessica is now a mother....Emery's mother. My first niece made me a great aunt yesterday. Just as Jessica gave me a glimpse of what it would be like to be a mom, Emery has given me a glimpse of what it will feel like when my children start having babies of their own. I thank God for every year that he gives me to live and experience days like yesterday. These are the moments that we live for....that make life worth living.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-27T17:53:00.042-06:00

We had an amazing time with my friend, Chelita, and her family this Halloween. We started out with a little party for our kids at our house. We made little mummy cupcakes and Chelita brought a very cool pizza snake. It was so yummy and so cool! Eli made place mats for everyone! We had fun crafts to do that Jeff brought home for us one night. We saved them to do with Chelita's kids. First, they made Halloween characters with a clay kit. I was amazed with some of the stuff they came up with! Next, we made candy with a kit that included different colored chocolates and molds. I liked the suckers the best....especially the great skeleton hand that Madison made! Since Halloween fell on a Sunday, our town agreed to trick or treat on Saturday. We went tailgating that afternoon at our local college. Everyone had candy for trick or treating there...very fun. Afterwards, we came home and dressed to go trick or treating with Chelita and her family. We met at Jeff's brother's and took their kids with us. The neighborhood is great for trick or treating. Everyone decorates and sits outside with their candy. It was SO crowded but fun!

By the time Halloween actually got here, on Sunday, we were done with it :). The kids were going to carve the pumpkins but just didn't get around to it. The finally did them on Monday. They were happy that I just let them have their own pumpkins to do whatever they wanted with them.

Madison's Blog

2010-11-27T12:42:00.003-06:00

Madison started a blog a couple of years ago but has just now committed to keeping up with it. Here is her link.
http://www.myplacemyplace11.blogspot.com/

Madison

2010-11-22T11:25:00.006-06:00

A Visit With The Grandparents

2010-11-10T09:11:00.013-06:00

Although I go "home" a lot with my kids, we have not spent the night at my dad's for many years. I have a lot of family in the area since I grew up there, but we always stay with Vicki. This time, my dad asked us to stay with him! The kids were so excited. They were even more excited when Daddy told them that he was setting up his BIG tent...the one he uses in Colorado every year....for us all to sleep in. I just love him for wanting to do something fun with them like that! Even though the kids don't get to see him and my step mother as much as their other grandparents, they LOVE them and can't wait to go to their house...the house that I grew up in. When we got there, we went to see my dad's horses and cattle on some of his new property. The kids love seeing the cows and are especially excited when there have new calves. They keep waiting for the day when they will get to ride the horses. I have always told them of how we grew up riding horses....how at Madison's age we would go out there alone, saddle them up, and ride whenever we wanted. They think that I grew up in the coolest place ever :).An old house on Daddy's new property

October Camping Trip

2010-11-09T08:13:00.026-06:00

Because of the heat, we have not wanted to go camping since our Colorado trip, so when the weather turned cooler last month, we took advantage of it. We went to a state park that we have not camped at with our camper yet. We have stayed in the cabins, so we knew that we liked the park. We spent some time geocaching this time. All of the state parks have geocaching, but we have never done it while camping before. It was so much fun. I liked that it gave us a reason to be on the trails...a reason besides just hiking for the sake of hiking. We did so much hiking/geocaching that I was sore when we got home.

The greatest thing that we found were two geocoins. These are not meant to keep but to pass along. Once you get one, you register it online so that the placer knows where the coin has gone. Then, you place it somewhere else. We are still holding onto them until we can place them in another state.

Tailgating 2010

2010-11-08T15:58:00.011-06:00

Celebrating Tanner's first birthday Halloween

A Fun and Educational Weekend

2010-11-08T07:08:00.029-06:00

We spent the weekend with Vicki for her daughter's birthday party. We took the girls around town on a scavenger hunt then made a bonfire for them. Since Madison and Kinley are around each other so much, Madison knows and enjoys Kinley's friends. On Saturday, Vicki's husband invited the boys to ride along on the module truck that he was driving. Carter was so excited to not only get to ride in the big truck, but also to watch it pick up the cotton modules. We had been studying cotton as a crop and all about the invention of the cotton gin. It was like a little field trip for him.
The next day, I took Vicki and her two youngest kids geocaching for the first time. Our first stop was at a cotton museum there in her town. I love how many of the caches are placed in places that can be educational. Once we found the cache in the old outhouse, we spent some time touring the grounds of the cotton museum. We couldn't go into any of the buildings, but we could see into the windows. There were old slaves quarters and town buildings that had been moved from other places. We saw an old cotton gin as they were in the beginning. Once again, this fell right into what we had been learning about in school. In one area, we found all sorts of old tools and farming equipment. All of the equipment was equipped to be pulled behind horses. Carter was amazed by an old push mower. We were so glad that we did this geocache. We had to drive to a nearby town for our next cache. In this town, there is an old depot that has been converted to a Johnny's Pizza. An old train car sits beside it and is part of the seating area. I love reading about this old depot. When my grandmother was alive, she wrote a poem about it that ended up on all of the place mats at the restaurant. The cache was supposed to be located under the old train car near the steps. Unfortunately, it wasn't there. We think that someone took it. These are always disappointments, but once again, it was fun teaching them about the location. The last cache that we found was at the movie theater. This theater was first opened in 1928! It was rebuilt in the 1950's and operated continuously until 1987. I remember going to this theater many times as a kid and a teenager. It has recently been reopened. It is so great for the people in this town and surrounding areas to once again have a nearby movie theater.

We found the cache easily and was then invited inside by the manager of the theater. I was so excited for the opportunity to show my kids this theater that is so much a part of my childhood. The manager showed us the main seating area first. The kids were amazed with how big the screen was. Next, we went upstairs to the balcony seating. I had recently taught them about segregation and how the African-Americans were made to sit in the balcony at the movie theaters. The manager also showed us the back door they had to use to enter the theater. He told us that if they wanted something from the concession stand that they had to stand at the stairs and wait for someone to bring it to them. It was very interesting.

Next, we were shown the projection room. We learned how the films are shipped to them on separate reels and then taped together on a platter. They then have to be separated again to be shipped back. I was amazed at how big the reels were and how much work they had to do to handle them. We were told that right now only the 3-D movies are digital. After touring the room, the manager gave each of us a preview reel to take home!

Finally, he gave us free popcorn and drinks. I love it when every day life turns into a learning experience. Everything that we got to do during this weekend went back to something that we were currently studying in school. Vicki loved the geocaching and is ready to do it again!

Geocaching

2010-11-03T08:07:00.010-05:00

Our family has discovered a new activity that we all love...geocaching!! We have known about it for years but had never tried it until now. Jeff found an app for our phones that makes it so easy. The first hunt that we did was here in town. I was hooked after the first find!! Since then, we have done it two more times, once with my sister and once while camping. Since all of the Louisiana state parks have geocaching programs, we look forward to enjoying many more days of it during our camping trips!!

First Week of School....Year 6

2010-09-26T15:55:00.022-05:00

We have completed week one of our 6th year of homeschooling! I now have one in jr. high and one in high school! My initial goal was to hopefully keep them out of the school system through jr. high. I've always given them the choice but have hoped that they would choose on their own to at least make it to high school. Now, here is Madison in high school and still choosing to home school. It makes me happy that the choice is hers.

I always love planning and organizing things for school to start. Although the kids continue to help me around the house to some extent during the summer, I look forward to getting back on a schedule with official chores and activities. Free, unscheduled time is good, but like with any good thing, too much of it gets old.

Jeff surprised us again with a goodie basket on our first day.

We started our study of Earth and Space Science with an explanation of the scientific method. First, we did an experiment to determine if an energy drink contains more carbonation than regular sodas. Patrick and Carter both believed that it did, but our experiment proved otherwise. Next, we did an experiment to prove that a cold soda was more carbonated than a warm one. The kids all believed that it was because a cold soda burns more when going down. According to our method of testing, this hypothesis was true!

While discussing supply and demand during our study of the depression, we did a blind taste test to determine which soda the kids preferred and if it was the one that they thought it would be. Madison chose the one that she thought....Dr. Pepper, but the boys both chose Pepsi. They were surprised to learn that it tasted sweeter than Dr. Pepper!

In history, we learned how political cartoons influence people's votes during Presidential elections. The kids came up with their own political cartoons based on things happening in our world today.

Colorado Trip 2010...Days 5 & 6

2010-08-27T12:55:00.051-05:00

We spent our last day at the zoo and at a great indoor rock climbing place. I'd read a lot of good stuff about the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, so I was very excited to see it. It turned out to be just as good as we expected, and the weather was beautiful. It did rain and storm, but it didn't happen until we were getting ready to leave. We spent about 3 hours there.

Feeding he giraffes Carter answered one of the trainer's questions right, so he got to toss the monkey some food.We got to see some of the animals up very close during a show with some of the trainers.We had so much fun watching all of the chipmunks around Colorado. They have chipmunks running around there like we have squirrels here. The chipmunks were so much bigger than our Alvin. He looked so tiny to us when we got back home to him.Baby kangarooCarter got excited when he spotted this bee pollinating a flower.

The rock climbing place was SO AMAZING! Carter thought he had walked into heaven!

Madison, Patrick, Carter, and Jeff had to go through some training beforehand to learn to belay. It was scary for me at first to think of them having to depend on each other to climb so high. They learned well and were all able to both climb and belay.

We ended up spending four hours rock climbing!! Patrick hurt his foot jumping off of one of the high climbing surfaces, but at least he was able to do some rock climbing before he got hurt!JeffMadisonCarterCarter BelayingMadison Belaying

We got up early the next morning and headed home. It was so hard for me to leave that park.

We had traveled through Oklahoma and Kansas on the way to Colorado so that we could stop and see my dad, stepmom, and nephew on a pipelining job. We decided to travel through New Mexico and Texas on the way home. I was glad we did because there are some beautiful things to see south of Colorado City and into New Mexico. It's always hard for me to watch the last mountain disappear in the distance from my rear view mirror. I only hope that it doesn't take us five years to go back this time!

Colorado Trip 2010...Days 3 & 4

2010-08-27T09:00:00.044-05:00

We spent our second full day in Colorado white water rafting. We did this with the kids when we were in Colorado five years ago, but we chose a longer, more difficult trip this time since the kids were older. Last time our guide did all of the work while we went along for the ride. This time, our guide sat in the back and directed us while we all did the work. It was harder but much funner than last time. After a while, the guide let the kids take turns sitting in the front for the best "splash position". Half-way through the trip, all of the rafts stopped to let the kids, or anyone who wanted to, swim. It was a bit cold for us, but Patrick, Jeff, and Carter still got in. We were all tired after rafting, so we went back to the camp for the evening. The weather was so beautiful, and the kids had lots of room to ride their stuff and just explore.The next day we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park. This was the part of the trip that I was the most excited about. It did not disappoint!! Even though our view from the scenic drive we took was 2,000 feet lower than Pikes Peak, it was more breathtaking because of the clearer weather. There was a moment when I climbed upon a rock to sit and look out over the tops of all of the mountains below that I felt as if I was the only person in the world. It was the moment that the entire trip had led up to for me. Yes, it was hard to breath up there and my nose was bleeding from the altitude, but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that moment. It was fun watching my kids climb the rocks and ooohh and aahhh over the amazing view as well.

Pikes Peak as we were leaving Colorado Springs for Rocky Mountain National ParkDenverOn the alpine tundraJeff and Carter climbing upMade it!!!Patrick on top of the rock that he climbedMadison and me We were all excited to finally make it to the snow!! It was so hard for me to try to imagine what it would look like up there in a few more months. The kids also got to see and walk on more of the tundra there. I told them that the little bit of green that we were seeing hadn't had a chance to be there for very long and would soon be covered with snow.

It was an amazing day....for me, the best of the trip!!!

Colorado Trip 2010...Days 1 & 2

2010-08-23T11:20:00.045-05:00

Since discovering the wonderful world of camping, we have enjoyed many of the local state parks as well as a couple in neighboring states. We decided a year ago that we wanted to go back to Colorado for our summer vacation. After a recent camping trip that was fun but very hot, we decided that it would be nice to take our camping to some place cooler. It was then that we decided to make our summer vacation a camping trip as well. I love the doors that our camper has opened for us as far as places to go. We booked a campsite on Cheyenne Mountain...a new state park. The campsite was very nice with an AMAZING view of Colorado City. I was in awe when we pulled up to our site. I just couldn't believe that we were going to get to stay there for five nights. I don't know what was more beautiful....the clear view of the city in the daylight or all of the magical twinkling lights at night. It would have been easy to have stayed right there at the park the entire time if there weren't SO many fun things to do in Colorado. It was hard to choose what we would spend our time there doing. I think we were all pleased with our choices in the end!!

Our last trip to Colorado was five years ago.

Since the kids were so young on their first trip to Colorado, in many ways, this was like their first time there. Like always when I go to Colorado, I so anticipated the first sight of mountains in the distant. I loved watching the kids get excited as the mountain, and soon mountains, got closer and closer. Even though we were only a few states from our home, it felt like we had entered an entirely different world. It always amazes me to watch the land change from the flat, wood-filled land of home to the flat lands of Texas or Kansas, depending on which way we are traveling, where it seems that you can see for miles and miles with no trees in site. Then, out of nowhere it seems, the mountains appear. They are so big that they seemed to just suck us in. Gone was the humidity that we had been plagued with all summer at home. The air felt lighter and cooler...I felt lighter as well.

We took a train up Pikes Peak on the first full day in Colorado. The ride up was interesting with all of the history and narrations of the landmarks. Sadly, it was a very cloudy day, so we didn't get the full view we had hoped for when we got to the top. There were, however, enough breaks in the clouds to see some of it. What we saw was amazing. It was very cold up there...41 with a wind chill of 38 degrees. This is a bristlecone pine...one of the oldest living things on earth!Alpine tundra...it was so amazing to be able to show the kids some of the things that we have studied in school. It's one thing showing them pictures from books...another thing altogether to take them to it!

Before heading back to our camp, we drove through Garden of the Gods. Of course, the boys loved climbing on the rocks there. It was a beautiful place.

Golf

2010-08-23T09:26:00.012-05:00

Carter has been interested in golf for a long time but has never really done more than hit balls around the yard. This summer, Jeff bought him a set of golf clubs and got serious about teaching him the game. Even when the weather got too hot for most of us to stand being out in it, Carter would spend hours hitting golf balls around the yard. After hitting in the yard with Carter a few times, Jeff decided to take him to a course for a real game. Carter loved it so much that Jeff enrolled him in a 3 day camp with a private instructor. It was SO hot out there, but Carter had so much fun and learned so much.

I love watching Carter learn new sports. He loves to be active and is so willing to learn. I would love to see all of my children interested in sports but will never force them to do so. Madison will start back with her art in September, and Patrick is looking forward to more guitar lessons. Jeff and I decided years ago that we will let the kids decide what extra activities they want to do. It has been interesting to see how different they are from each other.

Father's Day Weekend

2010-08-22T14:05:00.021-05:00

On Father's Day weekend, we did something we had never done before....we took a guest camping with us. Kinley, my sister's daughter, went with us. We lucked out and got a campsite right on the water, which was good with the 100+ weather we were having...not to mention the humidity. We took our boat so we could do some knee boarding and tubing. We also rented kayaks to keep for the day and use when we wanted to. We loved this particular park and especially loved the amazing spot!! I look forward to going back again...when it cools off a bit. Even with an air conditioner in the camper, it has gotten too hot to camp around here!!

This Old House

2010-08-02T07:52:00.021-05:00

Madison joined my sisters and I yesterday on a trip back to our mom's home town for a family reunion. Having lost our mother when she was 36, it was a special treat to spend the day surrounded by that part of our past. Every time someone walked up and proclaimed that I look like my mother or have her mannerisms, it brought her to life and made her more real to me. When someone introduced us a Marcia's girls, a chill of pleasure ran over me like no material thing that I own or wish to own could mimic. We do belong to her....still. Not only do we belong to her but to all that came before her. We are so much more than just our immediate families or even the generation or two that precede us. The deeper that we dug through the piles of history and old photos at that reunion, the bigger that my world and who I am became.

After the reunion, we visited my grandparents' graves then headed to their home....the home that my mother grew up in as well as her father for part of his childhood. It was also the place that, as kids, my sisters and I spent many precious days of our childhood. I can remember feeling confused when I would hear my mother tell my dad that she wanted to go "home" for a visit. We were already home...why was she referring to our grandparents' home as her own. Until the day she died, she never stopped calling it home. As we walked through the front door of this home yesterday, the past came down upon my shoulders and sat more heavily than the humidity and heat that hugged our bodies and threatened to suffocate us, even as we struggled to breath in even one tiny scent of what the place once was. It was in shambles, with things left lying around as if the last person to live there had simple stepped out for a moment and lost track of time. Like a terminally ill person with too much to lose to simple give in to a disease, the house was hanging on to the memories, unwilling to fall down around them. The memories were there....they were more real then anything else, wrapping themselves around every material thing and filling every drawer and closet. Every room that I walked into held memories waiting to grab me, to cling onto someone who could bring them back to life...to remember them....to witness that they are real and still exist. As they touched me, I closed my eyes and allowed them to take me back. I smelled turkey cooking on Thanksgiving Day and saw my grandmother laughing in the kitchen with my mother and aunts. I smelled Paw Paw's Prince Albert tobacco and saw the coffee steaming from the saucer where he poured it to cool before sipping it. There was sweet, innocent laughter from three little girls who thought that there was no place on earth more special to visit or further from home than where they were. There was the sound of my uncle's guitar through his little amp as he sang "Puff the Magic Dragon" to us. I felt mama's warm hands on my skin as she mothered me and the softness of the blankets that warmed me as Lori, Vicki, and I slept on the living room floor, with the soft German sound of our Paw-Paw's voice in the kitchen spilling forth one story after another. There were the memories of Christmas trees and birthday cakes, stray cats and dirty bare feet, but most of all, the security of knowing that it would all still be there when we got up from our little pallet the next morning. We couldn't know that every time we carried memories home from there that we also left an exact copy behind...a copy that would be protected and cherished within the walls of our grandparents' home...our mother's "home". We were too young to understand that the home was already crowded with bits and pieces of my mother's life, as well as those before her. Nor could we understand that only through those that came before us did we even come to exist. As I walked out of that front door, maybe for the last time ever, I felt a force pulling me back. It was as if I had stepped back into my 10 year old body when I entered the house, and now it was fighting to keep me there as I attempted to re-enter the body that once again made me wife and mother. As we drove away, I realized that the memories that I'd left within the walls of that house and the perimeters of that place were the originals. I've carried copies of them with me all these years, yellowed and aged by time and life. It is only when I revisit them there that I can see them clearly, as they were when they were created. Inside me, the memories are hidden by who I have become...what others are able to see. There, they are exposed, reassuring me that the person that only I can still feel deep inside myself really did exist...and more importantly, still does.

Madison's 1st Art Exhibition

2010-07-27T10:49:00.025-05:00

Madison recently participated in her first art exhibition. She put 17 of her pieces in the show and was grouped with the 13-16 year olds. First, the judge placed individual ribbons on each table. Then, she judged all of the artists' paintings in each age category. One of Madison's paintings won 3rd place overall!! We spent Saturday helping with the set up process. Madison's art instructor assigned Madison and her friend, Emily, with registering all of the artists' paintings as they came in. They also helped with the handling of the paintings during the judging process with the younger artists.

It was very exciting to show up at the exhibition on Sunday to see all of Madison's paintings displayed.

Madison and her Mimi

Madison and her art teacher

Baseball 2010

2010-07-23T18:04:00.040-05:00

We had a great time in baseball this year. Jeff hadn't planned on coaching this year but was more than happy to when they asked him to do it. As always, I was so proud of the job he did with the boys and the team. He took a team that did not win any games the year before and had an amazing season...holding 1st place in our league for most of the games. He was so patient with the boys and so good at combining discipline with encouragement. He, as well as the other coaches, focused so much on attitude, even when it meant sitting the boys out to teach them consequences of bad behaviors during the game. I was so proud of how well our team did but even more proud of how they learned to play together and encourage one another. This was one of the best seasons that we have ever had! I hope that Jeff will be coaching this team again next year.One of the coaches is missing in this photo. Coach Toby was in a terrible accident shortly after the season started, causing him to miss part of the season and spend the other part coaching from the sidelines in a wheelchair. We are all just so thankful that he was okay and able to be there at all. The players and coaches are all wearing green ribbons in the photo in honor of Toby.
I loved listening to Jeff's talks with the team before and after the games. He always had encouraging words for them, even when they lost. He gave them stickers to put on their helmets for different things, like good attitude, hitting, great plays, etc. At the end of the season, he gave a $50 gift card to the player with the most stickers. I think this is so much funner for the boys than handing out game balls every game. Carter hit very well this year. He has always had his moments of hitting in past years, but he really seemed to get it this year. He hit more and hit harder than ever before. So much of it came from Jeff's willingness to spend the time working with and encouraging him...building confidence. Carter is so lucky to have a dad who will do that!

This was the first year that Carter and his cousin, Caiden, have been in the same age and league, yet on different teams. It was a new, and bit difficult for Carter, experience for them. Since Carter has spent so many years catching, Jeff wanting to give him a chance to play some positions in the field. He took to it very well and loved it. It was great to see him gaining confidence out there. It was hard for him to give up catching, but he was so glad that he tried the new positions. It's good for him to know that he can play in different areas when he needs to.
We had the end of the season party at a local medieval activity center. It was so much fun for everyone. Since we didn't give game balls during the season, we presented them with balls on their trophies. We took markers and had all of the players sign each other's balls. They loved that, and it will be a more personal reminder of the season than just another trophy! We presented the three coaches plaques and the player with the most stickers his gift card.

I can't believe that another season has come and gone. So much work goes into it, especially when Jeff is coaching and I am responsible for the duties that go along with being the coach's wife, but it is all so worth it in the end!

Buffalo River

2010-05-21T22:18:00.026-05:00

We finally got to take our kids to Buffalo River for canoeing and camping. We didn't realize how beautiful it was going to be there! Our camping spot was near a sandbar where the kids could swim and play. Our canoe trip was 9 miles.....it took us about 5 hours. It rained for a short time, so we chose that time to find a covered spot to picnic. Our last day there was beautiful. We took a short hike before packing up to leave. I would love to be able to go back and spend at least a week....it was so hard to leave!!!

Air Show

2010-05-19T20:22:00.027-05:00

We took the kids to a nearby air force base for their annual air show. It was so much more amazing than I thought it would be. They had so many different planes on display that we could see and go into. We were at the show all day and got very sunburned, but it was so worth it!!

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T10:36:00.033-05:00

We spent Friday night with Vicki and her family and dyed eggs together on Saturday. We had so much fun and decided that we should dye eggs together every year!We came home Saturday night then went back to Vicki's on Sunday to spend Easter with my family. I love how my family is getting so big. My brother and his wife are expecting their first baby in September, and we found out on Easter that my niece is pregnant with her first. They are expecting theirs in December. We had such a great day and one of the best Easter weekends we have ever had.

2010-04-06T10:27:00.003-05:00

Camping

2010-03-29T08:21:00.015-05:00

We took our camper to the lake last weekend. We also took our boat to do some fishing this time. The weather was so perfect on Saturday. It was so great to be outside with the kids running around playing. I love this new park. It was full of families with so many kids for our kids to meet and play with. We didn't catch a lot of fish but had so much fun just fishing again.The most amazing thing about the weekend was waking up to snow on Sunday morning!! It was so strange to enjoy beautiful weather on Saturday then wake up with it snowing the next day.

I'm so ready to take our camper somewhere for more than two nights. Hopefully we will this summer!!

Giving it to God

2010-03-29T08:04:00.005-05:00

We did a fun activity in Awanas last night. Everyone picked a sin that he really wants to stop but hasn't been able to and wrote it on a helium balloon. Then, we went outside and let all the balloons go at the same time....gave the sins to God. I don't know how many of the kids really got it and how many just liked playing with the balloons, but I think either way they will remember the concept one day.

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-19T10:43:00.006-05:00

The kids enjoyed our green eggs last year on St. Patrick's Day so much that we decided to do it again this year. Patrick is the only one who didn't want to eat them, which I understood since he was fighting an upset stomach anyway!Madison found a cute craft online and printed it out to do with Carter and his friend. They enjoyed doing them, and I thought they turned out really cute :).

Recipes From Around The World

2010-03-19T09:36:00.010-05:00

During the kids' projects on researching a particular country, they cooked meals that would be found from each country. Patrick loves cooking soup, so we found an Italian potato soup. It wasn't the best soup we have ever had, but it was good. Madison researched Brazil and found a fun fried banana recipe. I have to say that it was not for me!! I don't think any of us enjoyed this one very much. I really thought it was going to be good, but I just couldn't get past the texture of it!!

Carter loves China, so it was easy for him to decide which country he would research. He wanted me to make some "sticky" rice for him to eat with his chopsticks. He tries to eat everything with them anyway, but since I usually use Minute Rice, it's hard for him to use chopsticks with it. He wanted me to use real rice so it would be sticky.

The only thing they have left to do in the study are their oral reports. This has been a fun study for all of us. I think we will do another one before the school year is over...probably some next year as well!

Art Supplies!!!

2010-03-19T09:27:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago Madison and I met a lady who wanted to get rid of a load of art stuff from her art store that had shut down. When Madison got her birthday money, she decided that she wanted to us it on that. We went a couple of weekends ago and could not believe how much stuff Madison got. This lady just told us to back our car up, and she loaded it down. There are 43 canvases along with paint and all sorts of other things. Madison has had so much fun with this stuff..what a great find!!!

WWII Vintage Airplanes

2010-03-06T15:47:00.022-06:00

We went on a fieldtrip Friday to our local airport to see some vintage WWII planes. Not only was it amazing just to see them, but we also got to go inside of them!! They had a B17 and a B24. They also had a few fighter planes, including a B57 Mustang. We stayed there for four hours....Madison was so excited about watching them fly off. It was worth staying for! We had such an amazing time. We are about to start studying World War II, so the timing was perfect!

Museum of Natural History

2010-03-03T09:43:00.010-06:00

Yesterday we joined some other homeschool families at our local college for a tour of their natural history museum. I didn't even know that our college had a Museum of Natural History. I was very impressed with it as well as the two hour presentation that they did for our children. They were divided into three groups and spent time at three different stations. The first one discussed plants, plant parts, and pollination. The second station showed slides and samples of life cycles and metamorphosis. The last station was a tour of the entire museum. We found out that we can go back at any time as long as we call ahead of time. It's so great knowing that we have such a great place to go for hands on learning. I'm excited to go back and spend more time as we continue to study the subject matter that is available there. We are looking forward to another field trip on Friday....a tour of WWII planes at our local airport! Since Jeff loves WWII history, he is going to join us at that one!!

Madison's 14th Birthday

2010-02-22T10:25:00.037-06:00

Madison has been very patient in waiting for her birthday party this year! Because her birthday is so close to Christmas, we sometimes wait a few weeks to celebrate it with her friends. We let her choose what she wanted to do on her actual birthday and had cake and gifts with family but waited for her big party.Madison picked a friend to go with us to a local shop to paint. They painted their projects then left them there to be fired. Afterwards, we had pizza and cupcakes at home with Madison's friend and Jeff's parents.Madison loves the Ultimate Cakeoff show and wanted to do something like that for her birthday. I decided to do a scavenger hunt at the mall first. The loser of that had to sit out the first 10 minutes of decorating the cakes. No one had ever done a mall scavenger hunt, so it was a new experience for everyone. I was amazed with how many people we saw doing the same thing, especially considering the fact that the stores were trying to prevent any picture taking...which is how we documented doing/finding the things on the list. We thought sneaking pictures only added to the fun. After the hunt, we had icecream before heading home for supper....homemade hot tamales and burritos that my sister's mother-in-law made.The winning cakeGinger dressed up for the party

The "birthday season" is over for another year. It's always such a busy time with lots of planning, but I enjoy it. I will give birthday parties for as long as my kids will let me!!!

Valentine's Day 2010

2010-02-18T00:44:00.021-06:00

Valentine's Day felt very different this year since it fell on a Sunday. We usually take the day off from school and spend it baking treats and doing crafty things. This year, we got the kids up early enough to get their treats and bake cinnamon rolls with red icing. I wasn't feeling well, so Jeff took the kids to church then brought lunch home. We spent the afternoon making Valentine cookies and some homemade Valentine cards for a party we were going to the next day. We went back to church that night then got McDonalds for supper. Jeff said he didn't want me to have to cook on Valentine's Day :). My friend, Chelita, invited us to a Valentine's party at her house on Monday. It was so good to get together with friends to exchange Valentines and eat LOTS of yummy food. All of the kids got along so well, and the adults enjoyed the visit so much. Thankyou, Chelita, for a wonderful day!

Snow 2010

2010-02-15T20:59:00.021-06:00

It's a joke that when it snows in the South that everything shuts down. It's true but not for reasons that some might assume. It isn't because we can't drive in it, though in my case that's probably true, but because it is such a rare thing for us to enjoy that we take the time to, well, enjoy it! It isn't that it never snows here....just that it doesn't stick. The last time we had snow to stick was New Year's Eve 2000. Madison remembers only a little of it...the boys none, so this snowfall was like a new experience for them. We went to bed on Thursday night with it snowing and woke up Friday morning with the snow still coming down. It was amazing...magical!

Thursday Night

Friday

Art

2010-02-11T23:55:00.012-06:00

We've set up a space in Madison's room for her to work on her art. We also bought her a lot of new supplies for Christmas, so she is now always working on a new project. She also has something going in her art class at all times.

Acrylics on CanvasAcrylic on Canvas

She painted two more identical to this one to give away...one to our neighbor and one to my sisterFirst PastelPastel

Social Studies Projects

2010-02-11T22:54:00.014-06:00

We have been studying histories of the world and world geography in Social Studies. We talked about artifacts and their role in studying past cultures. We learned the difference between relief maps and physical maps. We made artifacts and relief maps out of clay, then drew physical maps of our relief maps. The kids have each chosen a country to study and do research on. They are also drawing maps of their country, cooking a dish from their country, and doing an oral report for the family. I was really surprised with how excited they all are to do this project. In addition to everything else, Madison is also doing a canvas painting of her country, Brazil. I can't wait to see their finished projects, especially the food :).

January Camping Trip

2010-02-11T22:16:00.012-06:00

When we had a couple of weeks of spring-like weather a few weeks ago, we decided to make a last minute camping trip back to the same park we went to on our last camping trip. The weather was amazing the entire weekend, and we got to try out some of our new camping gadgets we got for Christmas. I took my bike this time and enjoyed it so much. Of course, Carter took his new unicycle, and Madison had her ripstick. I am so excited for spring and longer trips to Ark. and other places!!

Sculpting

2010-02-11T21:42:00.011-06:00

Madison has discovered something new that she enjoys doing...sculpting. She started out using clay to sculpt miniature cakes. Later, she started making real miniature cakes.Two real cakes

She also has a pottery wheel that she makes little vases with. That is NOT as easy as it looks...and very messy!! It is fun though :).

Superbowl 2010

2010-02-08T00:28:00.010-06:00

We gathered this weekend at my sister's house to watch the superbowl and celebrate my nephew's 7th birthday. We had nearly 20 people there and more food than we could have ever eaten. Landon had a great birthday, and we enjoyed cheering our team to victory!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T19:30:00.059-06:00

Here some of the treats that we made during the Christmas holiday this year. We made our own gingerbread for the first time, but it was so hard to work with...so sticky! Then, we bought a kit with the gingerbread men already made. We had so much fun decorating them!!

I made some spice tea and put some in little jars for Jeff to take to work as gifts. Madison made the white pretzels, and the other snacks were for our Frostie night.

Jeff's dad introduced us to a new snack....one that turned out much better than I expected...deep fried Twinkies!! They tasted like jacked up funnel cakes :)! They were so good, and all of them got eaten.

Christmas cookies....we put some of these out for Santa!!!
We also had Jeff's birthday and our anniversary (17 years) during the holidays. Last year we bought Jeff a cookie cake...this year we decided to make one ourselves. I think it turned out good...and very big!!!

We made two sets of ornaments this year. We had Christmas with Jeff's family at our house this year.

We spent Christmas Eve at my Dad's with the family.

Like always, we spent Christmas Day at home.

Happy 11th Birthday Carter!

2009-12-07T14:13:00.044-06:00

We took off of school on Carter's birthday and went to play putt putt golf. It was way too cold to be out there, but we still had fun. Carter got the Wii Mario Cart for his birthday, so he had fun playing that all morning. My friend, Chelita, and her boys went with us to play golf. We had cake and pizza when we got home. It was a fun day. I started getting reading for Carter's birthday party on Friday...the day before his party. I got a late start making the cake and setting everything up because we had a rare event....snow in December. It didn't stick, but the kids so enjoyed playing in it while it lasted! Afterwards, Madison and I got as much ready for the party as we could. The party was on Saturday....a medieval theme. It was a fun party to do. I was sick all weekend, so I really had to dig deep to do this party, as well as decorating for Christmas on Sunday. Somehow, I was able to do it all and was very happy to finally make it to the dr. on Monday morning. I don't regret any of it...just wish that I could have felt better. It did all turn out great...even though!!!

Thanksgiving 2009 and Hot Springs, Ark. Trip

2009-12-02T00:27:00.044-06:00

It isn't very often that my dad is home for Thanksgiving, so it was a blessing to be able to celebrate this year with my entire family. Everyone but Vicki's husband, Jose', was able to be there. I can't believe how big our family is getting and how big all of our children have gotten.

When we left my dad's, we headed straight to Hot Springs, Ark. for the weekend. Jeff's parents have a condo that they invited us to use. We took the kids to the Science museum and spent time just touring Hot Springs. The kids, especially Patrick, were excited to see the natural hot springs in the town. They were surprised by how hot the water was. We toured an old bathhouse and visited a wax museum. We also took the kids up the observation tower to get a beautiful view of Hot Springs. It was great to get away...thanks to Jeff's parents for letting us use their condo!!

"12"

2009-12-01T20:13:00.023-06:00

It's that time of the year. No, I'm not talking about Christmas....not yet. First, we have birthdays and birthday parties. Patrick turned 12 two weeks ago. He got a new PS3 game that morning, so he wanted to stay home during the day to play that. We all went to the movies together after Jeff got home from work. We had his birthday party with friends the following weekend. We invited three of Patrick's friends to go with us to Chuck E Cheese. We took our "singing bus" so the kids could watch movies and play games on the trip there and back. Before our trip back home, Patrick opened his gifts and we had cake on the bus. I think the boys enjoyed the bus as much as they did Chuck E Cheese.

It felt so strange to me to do Patrick's birthday party without Carter. Other than Carter's first birthday party, this is the first one that was not celebrated together since Carter was born. I have always done them together since they are so close in age and their birthdays are only 2 weeks apart, but I have always said that as soon as one of them wanted them separate that I would do it This year, Carter asked for his own party. It surprised me how upset Patrick was about it....he is still hoping that Carter will decide to do them together again after this year. We'll see!

Happy 12th birthday Patrick. We love you!!

Tailgating...Military Day

2009-11-17T11:30:00.018-06:00

My kids love tailgating with Jeff's parents and the rest of the family. They especially love it when there's something special going on, like military day. They got to climb on all of the military vehicles and see the inside of them.

Carter was the only one who wanted to do the rock climbing wall. He isn't going to turn down a chance to do rock climbing!Of course, the boys' favorite part of tailgating is eating the yummy chicken-on-a-stick that Jeff's dad makes for them! Patrick's friend, Tristin, enjoyed them as well. Madison's friend, Kaitlyn, also went with us.This was our last tailgating for the year. We have one more home game, but we will be out of town and won't be able to go to it. Thanks Mimi and PawPaw for a fun day.

School Stuff

2009-11-12T15:21:00.031-06:00

Yes, we are still doing school :)!! I realized as I was posting yesterday that I haven't posted an update on any of our schooling since we started our school year. We started back about 2 weeks before going to Disney. It was hard to concentrate on school while planning our trip, but I knew that we had to. The kids are now in 5th, 6th, and 8th grades. Wow, that's so hard to believe.

Jeff was so sweet and had a basket full of goodies sent to us on our first day back to school.

We are continuing with Life Science this year. We have studied ecosystems, food chains, and pollution. Now, we have started studying the human body.

We tested rain water to see if it was acidic. I was surprised at how clean it was.

Then, we tested our tap water and found it high in chlorine but not overly acidic. Here is the comparison of the two of them together.

To demonstrate the food chain, we cut into an owl pellet and found bones and fur from the animals that it had eaten before it died. This was a gross, but fun activity. We are sure we found remains from two different animals...a shrew and a bird.
During our study of skin, we made a kit to take our fingerprints. It was interesting to see the different patterns on each of our prints. While studying transportation and assembly lines in Social Studies, we made an assembly line to build cars out of candy pieces. The kids learned how much faster it was to learn just one specific task to do over and over instead of making an entire car each time. The kids are all doing well with their book work. They are becoming more and more independent with their learning. I find that they retain things longer if they attempt to understand it by themselves first. I've been working towards this since I started homeschooling but have really seen it kick in this year for them all.

Art Lessons

2009-11-12T00:59:00.010-06:00

Madison enjoyed her summer art lessons so much that we put her in a weekly class this school year. She is taking it with her friend, Emily. The great thing is that as she learns, she is teaching Carter. He loves his art lessons too :). Madison is excited about the possibility of putting her work in a gallery at some point through her art studio. Madison's workCarter's work