What a week!

This week has been a long one! Christmas was good overall, but Trey has another ear infection. For those of you hearing of this for the first time, Trey is on ear infection #4 in 7 weeks. He just finished another round of antibiotics on Saturday and by Sunday, he had another infection. I took him to the doctor on Monday and he recieved a shot (rocifrin??) and then got a prescription for Augmentin to use on Christmas Day. We then took him back to the doctor on Wednesday and Thursday for shots of antibiotic. His ear was improving, but it took until today for him to begin to feel more like himself. He ran fevers everyday until today and has basically felt pretty puny. If he gets another ear infection in 4-6 weeks, we will be going to see the ENT for tubes. I think he needs them even though I hate the idea of him having surgery. However, I also hate the fact that he keeps having to have all these antibiotics. It has become so routine, he doesn't bat an eye at having me put the medicine spoon up to his mouth for another dose. We are to use Augmentin, starting today, until next Thursday. He will have been on antibiotics for 10 days, counting the three shots. What a week! I am just glad to be getting my little boy back. I have missed his smile...not to mention he has only wanted Mommy holding him....that has made it hard to get much of anything done!

Trey's Visit with Santa

Trey's daycare had a Santa party last week, complete with a visit from Santa himself. Trey was the only one in his class that did not cry AND sat on Santa's lap! Way to go, Big Boy! Nana was there to take pictures since Mommy and Daddy had to work. He also enjoyed a cute ice cream snowman snack with his friends. The teacher holding Trey in the picture is Ms. Colleen...she is his favorite!



Then on Friday, we surprised the kids with a carriage ride through downtown. We invited Andy and the boys to join us. It was very cold...32 degrees to be exact...but lots of fun! Our horse's name was Barren and he was a coal black color. Very handsome! We rode all around the park and saw the city's Christmas tree! I don't think we could have fit any more of us in the carriage...there were 8 of us in all.....but we fit!

The Christmas Variety Show

It has been such a busy week...sorry for the delay in getting these posted. We had our Christmas Variety Show at church this past Sunday. It was so much fun! We had so many funny acts and talented ones too! Meg was in 4 acts. The 4th and 5th graders did a skit at the very beginning about, what else, a variety show. Meg played Jingle Bells on her clarinet with some other friends. They did a great job. She was a "Sharpette" in another act and she sang a duet with her friend, Zane called "The Music in Me" from High School Musical 2. See above video clip for part of the performance. She sang so well! At the end of the show, everyone sang Christmas carols while the younger ones came out to act out the nativity. Trey was a sheep and had no hesitations about getting up on stage. Lily was an angel and danced down the aisles. Trey did stand by baby Jesus for a few seconds, then decided to go check out Mike playing the drums. He just hung out over there for a while, then made his way back to the main stage (fingers in his mouth all the while!!). Luke and Wilson were also in it (sheep and shepard, respectively). They were all so cute and did such a great job! Afterwards, we went downstairs to the youth's yummy coffee house. Great desserts....I had three!

More, More, More

Okay...I know that this may not mean much to most of you, but it is HUGE at this house! Trey learned to sign the word 'more' back when he was around 8 months old. He did it for about 2 weeks, then stopped. Just completely refused to do it. We tried all the time. We modeled it, the girls modeled, but to no avail. If Trey is anything, it is persistent...to what he wants. He would grunt or semi-scream for his more of whatever. Sometimes he would flap his arms up and down when you signed more. We just assumed that was going to be his sign for more. However, tonight Daniel made chili for supper. We also had peaches (weird combo, I know, but the kids didn't care). Trey decided he wanted more peaches. He turned in his highchair and started his "uh uh uh" and kind of reaching toward the counter where the peaches were. I got up and got the peaches and said "Trey do you want more?" He said "uh uh" and then signed 'more'!!!! I wasn't sure I really saw it. I asked Daniel "did you see that?"....so we asked Trey again after he had eaten those peaches....and he did it again! The girls cheered for him and he just beamed, he was so proud! Of course, so were we! Now that he has picked up that, I will move on to something else. I sign a lot for him (like horse, dog, all done, please, cookie, milk) so I am hoping he picks it up quickly. If I get the girls to do it whenever they say one of those words, then I know it won't be anytime til he has it down! Yea, Trey!

What a Yummy Day!

We had a very yummy day yesterday! Daniel had his unit's annual Christmas lunch. It was very nice with turkey, ham, and all the trimmings. I had a piece of the best butterscotch pie with yummy meringue. Santa showed up and the kids all got gifts. Trey was asleep when Santa came, but Lily was awake and actually sat on his lap (for the 1st time ever!!!). Meg had play practice, so she wasn't able to come.

After the luncheon, we went over to Heather and Jimmy's house for our annual Christmas cookie making session. It was lots of fun and the kids all had a blast! Meg was a big help with Kaia, who did great making cookies! Trey did great as well(although I think he ate more dough than he did cookies!). This was his first year helping make (and eat!) the cookies. We had tons of cookies to decorate and it was very hard not to lick the spoon while decorating them! We ate pizza after our cookies were done and then we all got to sample the wonderful masterpieces! We then opened presents, which was lots of fun as well! After playing for awhile, the kids all changed into PJs and we drove to a nearby church to see the Live Nativity. That has been one of our Christmas traditions ever since Meg was a baby. The kids really look forward to it and love to see all the real animals (yes...they do have real camels!!). It was a great evening spent with friends we love!

some of the finished products!

What Holiday Are You?

You Are Valentine's Day

You are a true romantic who places the ultimate importance on love. You are warm hearted, and you find it easy to care for people. Love is what drives you - and you have a love to give. You enjoy making someone's day. You're full of surprises. What makes you celebrate: Being with the person you love on a special day At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The sentimental one On a holiday, you're the one most likely to: See it as romantic and special

What Holiday Are You?

Christmas is here!

I begin by apologizing...I haven't posted in a while and all I can say is I was being lazy. We have had a lot going on this past week. The Christmas parade was downtown last Saturday and we had a great time! It was chilly, but not freezing cold, so everyone stayed pretty warm. The girls got lots of candy and saw some friends in the parade as well. Sunday night brought our church's Advent Party. We were able to make an Advent wreath, picture frame, and ornaments. The girls had a good time. Mommy and Daddy spent most of the time trading off who was going to chase Trey around. He would not stay still! He did enjoy the hot chocolate and cookies! On Tuesday, Trey's daycare held a Christmas program at a local church. It was so cute! Trey did a great job dancing to Alvin and the Chipmunks singing Jingle Bells. He stood with his fingers in his mouth the whole time, shaking his bells and then dancing. It was adorable! The entire program was very well done and of course, with kids, they do funny things!

Over the River and Through the Woods...

This Thanksgiving, we packed up the car and headed to West, By God, Virginia. We went to Nanny B.'s house in the mountains and had so much fun with Andy, Alyssa, the boys and Nanny! Dan and Carol were on a cruise with her sister and brother-in-law, Jamie and Erin were with her family, and Katie was with David and his family. We missed everyone, but it was nice having Thanksgiving back at Nanny's. I have missed having Thanksgiving there. We have outgrown her house (too many of us!!! and we are still growing....) and we have been going to a camp not too far from our house, but since last year's horrible Thanksgiving, we are hesitant to return. For the story on that click HERE. We had a great Thanksgiving morning watching the parade. One local band was in the parade! We then picked up our turkey from the grocery store (already cooked AND sliced!!!-Thanks Mimi!). That is the way to make turkey! Everything else was made by us, including homemade rolls! Yum! Everyone enjoyed supper! We had pumpkin pie for dessert, of course. On Friday, we woke up to a little dusting of snow, so the kids rushed to get dressed to play outside. We left Nanny to rest while we went to hike at a beautiful water fall. There was more snow up there and Wilson couldn't help but lick all the snow he could! He was licking it off of benches even! It was a nice hike and all the kiddos had fun! After returning and getting the littlest ones down for a nap, the girls all went "shopping" at Dollar General (the ONLY store in town). I got some Secret Santa gifts for school, so I considered the trip a success. After we returned, Daniel took Meg and Andy out to shoot his new gun. Meg said it was loud, but she actually pulled the trigger with help from her Uncle Roo. She did great. We all enjoyed a nice supper of pizza....we had already had enough turkey for the day. That evening, Meg, Lily, and Wilson performed for us. Meg sang some of her chorus songs, then Lily assisted (along with her baby, Turnip) in singing Turkey in the Straw. Then we did the Turkey Dance (which I did not photograph due to the fact that I was dancing with Wilson). It was lots of fun to watch. Andy was told by Uncle Bill to take pics, so I am sure I will have some more to post later when those are developed--taken the old fashioned way---35 mm. We headed home on Saturday morning, hoping to return home in time to watch the game. We made it back about half time, so Daniel did get to see some of it. We had a great trip and made some great memories!

Blanket of Leaves

This time of year is so fun here. In W, they have two beautiful ginkgo trees that change such a pretty yellow late in the Fall season. Once they change, the leaves fall quickly and then the college's maintenance people come and vacuum them up, so your window of opportunity is small. I took Meg to a friend's house this weekend for a sleepover and saw that the leaves had changed and layed their golden blanket on the ground. If you have never seen it, it is so pretty. The leaves are very soft and the kids had a blast playing in them. We played for a while and then had to run and take something to Daddy at drill. We called up Aunt Alyssa and Uncle Roo to see if they wanted to bring to boys out to play in the leaves with us. We met up and they had so much fun! Luke was a little scared at first (I think there were too many people....very excited people, mind you), but he warmed up after a few minutes. The girls had a blast building a pile and jumping in. Two boys that we didn't know joined in, helping them build it up. The girls also really enjoyed throwing the leaves up in the air and letting them rain down on themselves and Trey. It was so much fun....a great tradition (we had fabulous pics from last year, too-see below)

Happy Birthday, Devildogs!

Happy 232nd Birthday to our Marines, Daniel (i.e. Daddy), Uncle Jimmy, Poppy, and Uncle Uncle Bill! Semper Fi and ooorah!

Today we went downtown to the Veteran's Day parade and had lots of fun! Trey slept thru the first part of the parade and then woke up in time to see the local mounted police. We were also entertained by some veterans on motorcycle....boy, were they loud! It turned out to be a great morning for the parade...not very cold, especially if you were in the sun. We froze last year, but it is definitely worth it to show all veterans our support! So this weekend, find a veteran to say thanks to for all they do to protect us and keep us free! Go ahead...give'em a hug!

Getting older...

Trey turned 15 months old on the 27th of October and went to the doctor last week for his checkup. He weighed in at 22 pounds 13 oz. and was 32 inches tall. He has finally passed up one of the girls when they were this age, but not by much. Meg is still the clear champion at 15 months old weighing 26 pounds, 14 oz. and 32 1/2 inches tall. Lily was 22 pounds, 2 oz. and 31 3/4 inches tall. I am assuming that the boys percentile rankings are a bit different from the girls b/c Trey is in the 23rd percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. I know my girls were never below 50th percentile for anything! It just means I have a tall and skinny boy.....just like his daddy! He had to get 4 shots (yuck!), including his flu shot, but he did great and only ran a low grade fever the next day. He eats like a horse sometimes, so I will be anxious to see what he is in January for his 18 month checkup. However, if you could see him at home, you would realize he pretty much burns up every calorie he takes in! And speaking of getting older......Last night we went over to Andy and Alyssa's house for dessert to help celebrate Andy's 29th birthday. While we were there, we were treated to a drum concert courtesy of Wilson and Lily. We had peanut butter pie that Alyssa made and cupcakes because Wilson didn't think pie was for birthdays. It was yummy! Happy birthday, Roo!

Busy Busy Week!

Okay...I have been a teeny neglectful in posting, but it has been a busy week! Our week started out with the harvest party at church last Sunday evening. It was loads of fun and perfect fall weather! Then of course, we had to carve our pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, so we did that on Monday night (Meg was honorary photographer for those pictures). Wednesday, of course, was trick or treating and we all had fun doing that! Lily was a kitty cat, Meg was Kirsten from American Girls and Trey was Blues Clues (or Blue dog as we called him). We could not have asked for better weather...not too hot and not too cold! Friday brought us Meg's first chorus festival held in the next county over and included about 5 other counties as well. There were two choral groups performing with about 200 in each group. Meg's group went first and sounded awesome! She was so excited (and a little nervous!). So needless to say, my slide show is a bit of a menagerie of photos from the course of the week. I hope you enjoy it and the clip of one of Meg's songs during the performance.

Fun on Fall Break!

Last weekend, we were in Gatlinburg for fall break! We had a blast with all the family! We stayed in a really nice cabin that sleeps 16...included a hot tub, 7 TVs, and tons of space for everyone...even napping little ones! Everyone had a great time. We carpooled down with Erin and the boys and Alyssa, Andy, and their boys. We stopped and shopped for a little while once we got there and then headed to the cabin for some chili and relaxing! On Friday, the kids all enjoyed hanging out with Mimi, Poppy, and Aunt Katie (who had arrived late Thursday night, after most everyone was asleep) and eating Uncle Roo's pancakes. We then packed up the cars and went into Pigeon Forge for supper and Go-Carts! It was lots of fun....even for the little ones! On Saturday, we woke up to chocolate chip muffins and blueberry muffins that I made and then headed out to the outlet malls with some of the kids, while the men took the others hiking! We stopped for pizza on the way home and then settled in for some football! It was a nice way to spend the evening. Erin and James left with the boys after the UK game b/c James had drill the next morning. On Sunday, we went to Flapjacks for a yummy breakfast and then said our goodbyes to Mimi, Poppy, and Aunt Katie who had a loooonnngg trip back to the Sunshine state. We then cleaned up the cabin and left to head home. It was a great trip and we had a blast! Oh, here is a pic that I forgot to add in the slide show....we took the round about way home and went thru a little town that had a perfect place to stop and check out the scenery!

Dancing With Joy

Don't you wish you could dance with such abandonment? Trey loves music and he just can't help but dance when he hears some....whether we are in the car, at home, church....you name it. I just love to watch him! I am sure God is smiling when he sees Trey dance!

A Little Ditty

This is a song that Meg has been practicing for a few weeks...she now has it memorized. Meg has been playing the clarinet for a little over a month. She has band twice a week at school and loves it! We have had no problems getting her to practice (other than it sometimes terrorizes the dog!). She has done great and we are very proud of her! Enjoy her mini concert!

My Toothless Wonder!

It is official....baby number 2 has lost her very first tooth! It has been very loose for a few days now, but it was still very attached until last night when she was wiggling it and it got stuck as she was trying to twist it. She got it fixed back to normal, but I was afraid if she lost it at school, she might not end up bringing it home and I couldn't let that happen to the FIRST ONE! So Mommy pulled it out last night with no tears from Lily...just a big smile! She woke up this morning to a very nice letter from the Tooth Fairy and 2 one dollar bills and a very shiney Sacagawea coin! This after the excitement we had with all the cousins at the Fire Prevention Parade downtown last night. It was an hour long parade (can you believe there were that many fire trucks/floats??), but we had fun just hanging out. We haven't seen Ethan and Finley since July! Of course, Ethan and Wilson just love fire trucks! We had lots of fun and plan on spending some more time just hanging out in the next couple of weeks while Ethan and Finley are here visiting. Some of the pictures did not turn out so well b/c my batteries were dying and the lighting was not great, so sorry about the quality. If Erin got some better pictures, I will replace mine with hers.

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Cousin Pumpkin Picking Time

Alyssa called and invited us to go to the pumpkin patch with them yesterday afternoon. It turned out to be quite a warm day, but it was lots of fun. We picked a big pumpkin (18.7 pounds) and the kids each got a little pumpkin of their own. We ate a yummy apple slushie and played in the big play area. Wilson and Luke spent a lot of time in the sand, while the girls played on the slides. Trey even went down the pipe slide by himself! Trey also enjoyed eating the straw! Luke and Trey also went on their very first train ride and saw some horses too! Everyone was worn out (and a bit dirty) by the end of our time there! This is my favorite time of year. It is so nice to be outside without being miserable, the air smells crisp, and it is a great time of change with all the colors of the leaves (although with the drought going on, I doubt we get much of a color bang this year). Thanks for inviting us to come along guys!

Weaponcraft Assistant Instructor

Fancy title, huh? That is Daniel's official title now that he has completed the ten day course at a regional training center for the National Guard. He left the day Lily woke up sick....so now you know why I had such a horrible week! Luckily Meg and I made it thru healthy. Daniel is now certified to help units that are mobilizing to go to Iraq/Afghanistan to brush up on their combat arms skills. I am just glad to have him home! However, I did have some friends help take good care of us while he was gone. We ate supper at Alyssa and Andy's one night and were supposed to eat at Heather's another night, but with all the sickness going on at our house at the time, I had forgotten (sorry again, Heather!) and one of my coworkers (Heather) came over to hang out and eat with us. So all in all, the kids and I survived and Daniel enjoyed his course (minus all the weapons needing to be cleaned). I am very proud of my soldier!

Way Up High In An Apple Tree.....

Lily's class went to the Orchard today to pick apples! It was lots of fun and we got to eat yummy apple doughnuts and apple cider. However, it was like a heat record today (as it has been for the past two days) here, so the heat was on! We all needed a bath tonight! Oh, and I added the pic of Trey just for his daddy!

FINALLY!!

I have 5 words for you: THANK. GOD. IT'S. THE. WEEKEND! This has been the most exhausting week I have had in a long time. I had to take Trey to the doctor on Thursday b/c he had still been running a fever as of Wednesday evening, but it downgraded to 99 degrees on Thursday, but I didn't want to take the chance I was missing an ear infection or something like that. Dr. S listened to him for quite some time with the stethoscope and asked if he had had a breathing treatment before and I said no, but his sisters had asthma. He wanted a blood count done to rule out who knows what (he likes to throw out a lot of "what ifs" to me and I find it overwhelming). I don't usually see this dr, but when you make a sick visit, I take who I can get. Anyway, he said if the white blood cell count was low, then he would do a chest xray. That was not the case, so it was determined that Trey had a lot of gunk in his left lung (infection!!) and needs albuterol treatments twice a day for a few days and then I percuss his back to loosen up all the yucky stuff so he coughs it up. He is also on Zithromax. His appetite is not back to norm yet either. He ate two oyster crackers for supper tonight. Very filling. He went to bed at 6:15 too. I am pretty sure Meg is in the clear, b/c she has had no symptoms and I assume she would have had them by now. As long as I stay healthy, I will be a happy camper. That and get a few more hours of sleep!

*Happy to see Katie has a blog now!!!! Welcome to the blogging world, Katie!

What a Kick Off.....

Okay, I was a bit premature....the weather has now resurfaced to a lovely (but warm) upper 80's for the week. A little warm by the afternoon, but at least we are not talking about the 100's anymore. I was hoping our fall like weather would stick around. Oh well...it will happen soon enough. The start of this week has kicked off with a bang. Lily woke up late Sunday with a fever of 101. I gave her Motrin and then she slept until 5am. She got up to throw up and still had a temp of 100. So naturally, she had to miss school (which by the way, she threw a fit over...I am so glad she loves school so much). I stayed home with her and took her to the doctor...no strep and no pneumonia or bronchitis, just a virus. I really like those kind of illnesses that require meds...just b/c you know after one dose, they are not contagious...virus' are harder to tell. The doctor gave her a chest x-ray when the strep test came back negative, just b/c she had been coughing for a couple of weeks and with her asthma, she wanted to check to make sure the lungs were clear. Lily was a trooper and got a Lil' Webkinz (don't know what they are? Check here. They are all the rage with Meg and Lily). She was very upset when she found out she had to go to the doctor...so a reward was necessary, plus it was a nice pick-me-up for feeling so miserable. She felt great today, but school policy is to wait a full 24 hours before returning to school and she went to bed with a low fever, so no school today either. She is so excited to go back tomorrow, not to mention it is picture day and Nana got them both some new outfits, so look out for some pretty pictures coming soon! The worst thing was Trey had to leave daycare today b/c he developed a fever of a 101. Poor little guy. My mom picked him up for me and I came home 1/2 a day. He went to bed fever-free, so we will see how he is tomorrow. He will stay home with Nana. Keep your fingers crossed that Meg stays healthy....so far, so good.

Fall is here!

Fall in Kentucky seems to officially be here....I love FALL! We have had beautiful weather the past few days. It has been so nice to get outside and not sweat when you take a walk or have you wishing to be back in the AC again. Today I think our high is 71 degrees....and sunny! I love the smell of the air this time of year, too. My favorite time of year. Happy birthday shouts to Heather and Erin!!! Alyssa and I had a "mom-free" evening last night hanging out at Starbucks (which was practically deserted due to the big game). It was nice to just hang out and talk about whatever we wanted without having to keep one eye on a child. (I had a great time, Alyssa! Let's do it again soon!) We both discovered we never go out with our husbands on dates (Dates?? What are dates??) due to the fact that by the time you pay a babysitter, there is nothing left to eat on. So we are going to babysit for each other once a month so that we can get some spouse time in with no kids.....plus the cousins love to play together, so I think they will be game for it as well! I also miss just being with friends. My days consist of working and taking care of the kids (with some sleep sprinkled in there somewhere). I miss having girl talk/time. Any suggestions, ladies??? In the next two weeks, we will be busy (ones that I am NOT looking forward to)...so keep us in your prayers (most of you know what I am talking about, but I can't say here: TMI). I will post later...we have a church picnic tonight, so hopefully I can get some cute photos to post!

My Hero.....

On a day such as this, I am sure we are all remembering where we were when "IT" happened. I remember feeling terrified, staring in disbelief at the TV thinking how could something so catastrophic happen here. I can remember thinking that I just wanted to grab Meg, who had just turned 4 years old a few days before and never let her go. September 11, 2001 changed a lot of lives...including those not connected to anyone who died on that terrible day. My life changed, just in the fact that my husband had to leave our lives for 13 long months to stand up for our country. For that reason, he is my hero. I don't know that I could have sacrificed so much to do something for the greater good. His unselfishness is something to be honored and celebrated. I believe that what we are doing overseas is for the greater good and all those men and women who are fighting for our CONTINUED freedoms deserve a chance to complete the job they started. Okay...I am off my soapbox....now I have to brag a bit about my wonderful husband (hey..it is a wife's prerogative!). This past summer, he joined the National Guard rifle team and competed in his first state competition.....where he finished in FIRST PLACE in the pistol division!!!! Way to go, baby!!! He also received Soldier of the Month with his unit for the month of May! I am so proud of him and I know he has enjoyed this aspect of the National Guard. He will compete again this fall at another competition and I really wish we could go watch him....but school **sigh** calls for both the girls and me. Maybe I can get someone to take pics for me. This picture is of Daniel's trophy he got (can you believe he got a trophy!!). We did not include the bottom of the trophy (too much info for cyber readers). It says in a nutshell...first place...pistol division...so on and so on. Daniel says he thinks it will come in handy as future boy deterrent for when Meg starts dating....ha ha ha!

Mommy's Little Helper

Trey loves our new kitchen. Helping Mommy get the pots and pans out is his new favorite game. He loves to get out all the pots and bang the lids on them. He has now gotten a little more brazen and is trying to carry them out of the kitchen and into the living room. I have tried to block the cabinet door, but he moves the stool out of his way (he is very persistent) and gets that door open!

Too Cute!

Okay...this occurred a couple of weeks ago, but it made me feel so good, that I just had to post about it. It was a typical Wednesday evening...we were at church....well everyone, but Meg. She was at Annie practice and I had to go pick her up at 7:45pm. I left Lily at church and went to the studio to get Meg. Trey fell asleep on the way back, so I had Meg run in to get Lily. Well, as it happened, Trey woke up and he was mad! I had Meg run back in to see if Daniel was done with his small group so that we could get home and get our kiddos into bed. Daniel came out and we left. After we get home, I got this phone call. This sweet, tiny little (very upset, mind you) voice came over the line saying, "I didn't get to see your face!!" It was my nephew, Wilson!! (I am so glad that he can't read this, I know he would be embarrassed!). If it weren't for the fact that I had to get the girls to bed, I would have gone over to his house right then to see him! He was very upset about not seeing us (and not having a nap added to his dismay). He was so sweet! I promised him that I would come see him after supper the next day. He was excited to see us that next day and told me all about everything in his room....and how he could climb the tree in his front yard! All I can say is....Aunt Stephie loves you, Wilson!!!!

My Baby is 10!

Yep....you heard right. Meg is 10! Hard. to. believe. I do not feel old enough to have a ten year old. Aren't I still 25????? Her birthday was this past weekend and she wanted to have a few friends over to our house (what was I thinking...half unpacked!!). She called it "Meg's 10th Birthday Talent Show". Each guest was asked to come with any talent they wanted to perform for the others. Four of her friends could not make it, but the ones that did had a great time! They "practiced" their talents in front of each other and then performed them for Daniel, Alyssa, Andy, the boys, and me. It was funny.....and, no, they weren't shy a bit! Meg is glad to be in the double digits and a "tween". I am still coping with the fact that she is almost in middle school and youth group!!! YIKES!!! Look out Uncle Roo....I hope you know what you are in for! LOL! Here are a few pics of the festivities........
Meg wanted everyone to decorate their own cupcakes....boy can they use lots of sprinkles!!
Meg needed two cupcakes for all her candles!
Meg's nickname...."drama queen"!

Happy birthday, Meg!!

The joys of childhood....

Trey is adjusting to being in daycare. He really seems to be attached to one of the workers, unfortunately for me, she is not there when I drop him off. He understands me when I say "Mommy has to go"...then he clings to my arm and starts to cry. Everyday I have to force myself to smile and say "Mommy will be back soon" and walk away. I HATE DOING THAT! I feel like such a mean mommy. I start questioning my life...if I am doing what God wants...etc. Then to make matters worse, there is a little boy in his class the likes to bite. Yep, you heard me and guess who got bit during his second week at daycare??? It was not a bad bite, but a bite none the less. It was a good thing Daniel picked him up that day.....I would have said something. It turns out that Trey was not the worst one bitten by this little boy and I have been told he is out of the center due to the biting. So that incident did nothing to alleviate my guilt at putting my child in daycare. I calculated how many hours a day I am away from my kids and at times it adds up to almost 10 hours (for the girls) and 8 1/2 for Trey. Then when we get home it only leaves me a couple of hours with Trey b/c he goes to bed so early and one more hour longer with the girls, but that includes making supper and doing homework. Okay....I am done having my pity party. I just didn't expect it to be so hard this year since last year was good. Part to blame are my hours at work. They start later and end later, therefore I don't get to see the girls as long. I go into work later in the AM, so Trey and I hang out, but the girls get on the bus an hour before Trey and I even leave for daycare. Things hopefully will change next year......now to just make it thru this one...............

WE'RE BAAACK!

Did you miss us??? Things have been so chaotic, I don't even know where to begin. We just got a landline and internet service late this past week and haven't had to time to set up the actual internet service until today. That is the reason for the loooonnnngggg delay in posts. So to begin....First off, the girls are adjusting to a new school. They have each made friends and are seeming to enjoy another school year. Lily does take issue that she goes all day now. She is the one that says she misses her other school, but I know that is just b/c she isn't going half a day anymore. The kids in my class just started this week, but I have been busy doing home visits and trainings, not to mention, setting my room up. I am glad the first week is over, especially b/c I had one of the worst days on Wednesday. It is only my assistant and myself in the afternoon and we took my class outside for awhile. It was really hot that day, so we took them into the gym for the last 10 minutes of recess to cool off and still have some play time. Two of my students ran into each other and one started to cry. She came over to me and I gave her a hug. She lifted her head and blood was gushing from her nose. I don't mean dripping....GUSHING. I yelled for my assistant and we tilted her head back. Of course she is fighting this b/c her mouth/throat is filled with blood as well. So she keeps wiping her nose with her arm....I am trying to keep blood off of her, the other students, and myself, b/c naturally, there are no gloves in the gym. My assistant goes to get help, leaving me with the class (we had no choice), but no one heard the buzzer to let her in and I didn't think to give her my key (last thing on my mind). So it was chaos trying to keep everyone from coming in contact with blood. We somehow managed to get everyone back into the classroom w/o anymore incidents. By the time the day was over, I was ready for the weekend that minute! I have never felt so helpless or overwhelmed with my students before. I did point out to my principal what had happened and that I hoped something could be done to prevent it from happening again. We shall see.......I have many more posts to come as I have a lot to catch everyone up on. Be back later :)

The First Day

Here are the girls on their very first day of school! They had a great day (better than Mommy!). I did fine dropping the girls off...but I started to feel it when I said goodbye to Lily in her classroom. It is very hard to leave the girls when I don't know a single person at that school. It was so much easier at their old schools where I knew everyone and pretty much everyone knew them. I really lost it when I dropped Trey off. He wanted down to play immediately. I said goodbye to him and left with Daniel. Daniel had the day off, so he went to get a coffee and then came back to check on him. I, on the other hand, got to cry all the way to school. I was feeling the same with him as I felt with the girls. Here I was...leaving my babies to strangers all day. How could a mom not feel guilty??? Trey did okay....he had a lot of crying spells and did not.....that's right, I said DID NOT....take a nap!!! He did not fall asleep on the way home either. I think he was overtired. He was clingy a lot and did not want me to be out of his sight. I hope he is better tomorrow. I know he will get better each day, it is just so hard to leave him when I know it will be hard on him. Why is being a mother so hard sometimes...*sigh*?????
Trey on his first day!

11 Years and Counting....

Today is our wedding anniversary!! Eleven years....(and three kids later) and counting! We actually met on campus and started dating almost 13 years ago. I don't remember much of life before Daniel and I met...and I love it that way. Our anniversary gift to each other is our new house and we look forward to moving in. Daniel came to school today with Trey and brought me flowers and took me to lunch (the girls were on an aquarium trip with our church). It was a very nice day even though we couldn't be together all day. I didn't have a recent pic of just me and Daniel, so I posted one of my favs. It was taken the day he returned home after being gone for 13 months (you can imagine why it is one of my favorites!!!).

New Beginnings

This evening was open house at the girls' new school. They were excited to go, but very nervous (as was I....and it wasn't even the first day!). We got to meet their teachers and see their classrooms.....and fill out paperwork....and take home more paperwork. That is the worst thing about starting school......all the paperwork. As a teacher, I hate it too! As we were saying family prayers this evening, both girls prayed for their schools and their teachers.....and the friends yet to come. I, too, am praying that they overcome their fear of going to a brand new school and come out the first day with at least one new friend. Please be praying for them on Monday the 13th as they start school....and pray for me too not to cry as I drop them off!!!!! :)

And So It Begins.....

Today was my second day back to school. We were not allowed in our building until Monday, so I have been a little overwhelmed getting my room together. I did not go in on Tuesday b/c I didn't have to and I wanted one last day with the kids, plus I needed to pack some things. I have trainings everyday until Monday and then I have open house next Thursday. I had planned to take two emergency days next week to close on our house and move some things, but now I am not so sure I will be ready at school to be able to do two days off. AARRGGHH! I am a little stressed out trying to unpack my room and pack my house. The worst thing is even after coming home, you would think I would have nights to work on packing the house, but no....the girls still have things to do such as open house....church....dance. Life still goes on and I feel like things just aren't getting done. I know it is my feeling overwhelmed, but it seems that way nonetheless. I will be so glad to have the move over with. Unpacking is so much better than packing. We are also planning a yard sale this Saturday to get rid of LOTS of stuff (mainly kids things)...so that is one more thing I need to prepare for. I need to clone myself about three times......

Smart 5th Grader

Meg and I went to see Mrs. D and got Meg's new school 'do last night. She wanted it shorter and I think she looks very "grown up" How did we get so blessed with two beautiful girls???