Christmas 2009

This Christmas was a lot of fun. Trey had his school party, which I was able to make it to, just in time! Luckily they hold it late in the day for us working parents, so I was able to leave school to see him and enjoy that time with him. Christmas Eve we went to church and then caroling at a nursing home our kids go to every month. It was fun, especially to see some of the residents joining us in singing. The kids were very excited to get home and prepare for Santa. Trey was especially into it! He was a little nervous about the thought of Santa coming into our house (just like Meghan was at age 4), but he couldn't wait to see what Santa would leave! The kids were up VERY early Christmas morning...I heard them at 4:30, but Daniel says it was earlier than that. They were checking out Santa's gifts, then I put in a movie just so I could get some sleep. After the movie, they couldn't stand it any longer and got us up. We had fun opening presents, with Nana there with us. After presents, naps were in order! We didn't want crankiness on Christmas Day! We had a relaxing evening with me making supper. Uncle Bill came over to eat with us too! The next evening, we headed over to Andy and Alyssa's house to eat and play games. I had made cupcakes (as is our tradition) for us to celebrate Jesus' birthday. The kids all got a candle to blow out after singing Happy Birthday! It was a fun night! I didn't take a ton of pictures on Christmas Day...it was too hard, but enjoy the ones I did manage to get!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What is heard.....

Trey: "Mommy, can I put on my snow soup and go outside?"


Lily: "Trey! Put that back on the tree!"
Trey: "No! I wanna see it!"
Lily: "Fine. I'm calling Santa!"
Trey: "NOO!"
Lily: "Then put it up!".....(Trey walks away with it in his hand)
"That's it! I'm calling Santa!"


Mommy: "Time for a nap, Trey."
Trey: "but it not time to sleep!"
Mommy: "Yes it is"
Trey: "Can I sleep like a solider?" (he means in his soldier outfit: camo pants and tank shirt)

Trey

Trey has grown up so much since his 3 year old birthday. He will be 3 1/2 years old at the end of January and he already knows all his letters and letter sounds, he knows his colors, shapes, and is very aware of what is going on around him. His newest phrase is "that would be perfect"....still not sure where he got that from, but he uses it appropriately. He is also big into red lights and green lights. He is still learning which one our car follows and points out the red lights and screams stop at the top of his lungs. Daddy and Trey play this game going to daycare every morning. His face is so expressive...he really cracks us up sometimes! He is such a little sponge and asks questions ALL the time...he wants to know EVERYTHING! This Christmas is so exciting for him. He is obsessed with baby Jesus and shepards and of course, loves to play Santa. He gets the girls to sit in his lap, while he has his Santa hat and Santa shirt (red sweater) on, and asks them what they want for Christmas. His main desire right now is a tape measure. I love 3 year old simplicity!

A Cookie Tradition Continues......

Our annual cookie making tradtion with Heather, Jimmy, and family. And Holly, too!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Sundays Events

This past Sunday, we had two big events to attend. Daniel had his military Christmas lunch so the kids got to see Santa and open presents, not to mention they catered from Cracker Barrel and it was yummy! Afterwards, we came home and rested, then headed to church for the annual variety show and Christmas play. Enjoy the photos...it was a very busy Sunday!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our Thanksgiving

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Halloween Slideshow....Finally!

Updates

This past week has been busy! Here are the latest updates:

*Meghan auditioned for and got a part in a local play. She started rehearsal last week and her first performance in on Dec. 11th. She also auditioned for an honor band encompassing three states and made it! She was so excited to get it! They go to a nearby university for the concert. During testing last year, Meghan also got Distinguished in reading and math (what they tested on in 6th grade).....so way to go Meg! She was picked to do the Duke TiP, so she will be taking the ACT in February.

*Lily has been working hard at school. She had a great report card and is advanced levels in 2nd grade. She will be starting the gifted program soon. Lily also still has a busy social life....always talking on the phone to friends and wanting to have someone over. Is this what I can expect all the time in a few years?

*Trey has finally figured out potty training! YEA! It only took us 4 months, but he seems to have it down...fingers crossed! He has grown so much this year....and is so smart. He does things that kids in my classes can't do. Amazing how his brain soaks it all up!

This is the latest in our house. Will try to post pics from Halloween this weekend when I can sit and load a slideshow!

Trophy Time!

Today was Trey's last day of soccer for the season. It ended on a rainy and chilly note, but he didn't care...he played in the misty rain anyway! He got a cool trophy and is super excited to do it again! He is definitely an athlete!

Look At Her Now!

When getting older, comes THAT rite of passage. Yep, braces. Meghan got braces on Friday and has done really well with them. She has been a little sore, but not bad. Part of that, I believe, is the orthodontist telling us not to baby her with soft foods. She would have less discomfort if she tried to eat as normal as possible. She said she even feels better today than yesterday! Her biggest concern in getting them was what color to get on the bands. She went for orange since Halloween is right around the corner (hard to see in the picture). I am guessing she will pick something festive for Christmas!

12 Year Old Picture

I just love this picture. Hard to believe my baby is growing up....*sigh*

Meghan's 12 yr old Checkup

Today I took Meghan in for her 12 year checkup...she is doing great! She grew three and a half inches since last October! I can't believe my baby is almost 5'5"....she only lacks 1/4" of hitting it! She weighed in at 104 and had great BMI...and according to Dr. H...basically she is tall and skinny. She had asked Meg if her knees were hurting...lol....due to all her growing over this past year. I knew she had gotten taller, but I just didn't realize she grew that much! She got her flu mist and also got her first dose of the Gardasil vaccine. She gets dose #2 in two months and then #3 four months after that. She was not excited, but the anxiety of waiting was worse than the actual shot! So she is good for another year....and hopefully that will be the next time they see her!

A Proud Wife

I just have to say I am so proud of my husband. He can be so quiet and goes above and beyond what is expected of him. At his last drill he was named the Company NCO....which is a big honor. He then had to interview against 2 others from other Companies for Battalion NCO. He got that, too! Now he is up for Brigade NCO. All I can say is....way to go, Baby!

The Dreaded H1N1

So with all this talk of H1N1, it really didn't register with me that I, too, could be affected. Meghan came home from a sleepover last Saturday saying she just didn't feel good. I attributed that to not enough sleep (she was up lllaaattttee!). She even went to a friend's house for a couple of hours to hang out. She woke up Sunday feeling the same way, except said her throat hurt. I assumed it was just sinus drainage and she took some Ibuprofen and then a little while later, felt better and wanted to go to church. This is where I should have said no, but didn't. It was her day to work with the 2's and 3's class. This is where I look back and say that it was not my finest parenting moment. I had my doubts, but let her desire override them. I mean, come on....who would have thought? By Sunday afternoon after she had slept most of the day away, she woke up with a 103 temp. Then I knew we were talking something....just praying it wasn't THAT. She had a nasty cough to go with it. I already told her she wasn't going to school on Monday and Daniel said he would stay home with her and we would alternate from there. He took her to the doctor and sure enough, Meghan is very contagious with H1N1. We quarantined her to her room and I kept going behind her cleaning like a woman possessed. I am always like this when one of them is sick....just a little OCD, that's all. Her fever was finally gone by late Tuesday, so she was better, but still very tired. I made her stay home thru today (she is definitely more like herself today....even argued with her brother and sister). I think she will go to school Friday, b/c the doctor said she could go back when she was fever free for 24 hours and I hate for her to keep missing. At least she can get all her assignments that I haven't already collected for her and get caught up by Monday. Now the prayers are that NO ONE ELSE GETS IT!!!!! We are definitely getting the vaccine whenever it shows up....I want to be first in line. This stuff is nasty, especially with two having an underlying condition (asthma). Her school seems to be the culprit, as a large number of students and teachers have been absent this week.....so remember to wash your hands....a lot!!!

Trey's First Day of Soccer

Here is my big boy at his first soccer practice. He was sooo excited about it that he wore his shin guards all last night. He had a hard time not using his hands, but at this age what else do you expect?...lol. He has soccer every Saturday morning and he can't wait until he plays again!

Meghan turns 12!

Meghan's had her 12th birthday party on Friday night. She asked for gifts of non-perishable food items for our church's outreach program. I thought that was nice. She did a spa party and of course, wanted to make cake pops. They had a great time and Mom and Dad survived! She is growing up so much! Hard to believe next year we will officially have a **gulp** teenager in our house! YIKES!

End of Summer Days

This was our church's 2nd annual event where we had inflatables, food, carnival games, a concert put on by our praise band, and a drive-in movie after dark. Trey was on the inflatables for at least 2 hours! He couldn't get enough!

Veteran's Center Picnic

We went to our local veteran's center last Saturday to hang out with Poppy and have some fun. It was a great day....and they had lots of fun stuff for kids and big kids alike. Daniel liked looking at all the cars (they had a car show) and the kids enjoyed the inflatables and making stuff in the Home Depot tent.

Trey's 3YO Checkup

This week I took Trey to the dr for his 3 year old checkup. He did great....NO SHOTS! He did get the flu mist, so he wasn't too excited about that! He weighed in at 34.4 pounds and 39 1/2 inches tall! Those were in the 73rd %tile and 86th %tile, respectively. He grew three and a half inches this year! My boy is growing like a weed....I think he may skip wearing his 3T pants....so far the ones I have tried on are too small in length. He only wore them for about 4 months....lol....last spring. Oh well. I have to go shopping now.

Thank You for the Music........

The girls and I went to see an ABBA cover band...which was fabulous! We had the best time with friends....I think we all sang the loudest!

Trey's 3 Yr Old Pictures

Doesn't he look handsome! He sure has grown!

First Day of School!

The first day of school was a complete success for everyone! I didn't have to tell anyone but Trey it was time to get up....must have been the excitement and nerves waking everyone up! Lily loves her 2nd grade teacher, who happens to be the wife of Meghan's former 6th grade SS teacher. Meghan is loving 7th grade and her team....she seems to have some really nice teachers (according to her) and I can't wait to meet them at open house. Trey did great on his first day back at daycare. He didn't cry, even though he told me he "18 more minutes, Mommy"....I am assuming he was telling me he wasn't quite ready...although not sure where he came up with 18 minutes. His teachers were there to help him feel welcome once again (we had already been on a visit last week) and he gave me a kiss with no tears....from him or me! Overall a great start to the school year.....now lets see how well we all get up tomorrow!

13 Years Ago Today......

Happy 13th Anniversary, baby! I love you! xoxo (*amazing how young we looked)

Trey-isms

While in WV, he saw a mirror and peeked at himself:

Trey: "There's Trey's head!"....pauses a moment to think...."Let's keep it on!"


Last night, while we were watching the ballet in the park, Trey made this comment.....

Trey: "Mommy, everyone needs to be quiet...Trey is trying to sleep!"


Trey is big into speaking about himself in the 3rd person....he can be so funny!

Green Day aka Birthday Party

We had Trey's birthday party a little early b/c we were leaving for our camping trip and wouldn't be back until right before his actual birthday. He decided he wanted a green party (his favorite color). That was pretty easy for me, so we asked that everyone wear green and I had found a picture online on how to do his cake. I wanted something easy to serve, so decided on cupcakes, but needed a "theme" for the cake. Googled alligator and found the cutest picture. I couldn't find any instructions, just a picture, but I am pretty excited about how well his crocodile cake came out. He was so excited since he is slightly obsessed with crocodiles! Definitely my best cake to date! Enjoy the pics!

Back Online!

We are finally back online! Our computer basically died about two weeks ago and then we went camping, so I had to wait until this week to figure things out. I had a PC repair guy come and look at the computer....basically he said the motherboard was dead. Well that was not welcome news. We had to go buy another one. I cannot live without my computer....I use it to communicate, write lesson plans, and just like to have all that knowledge out there at my fingertips! We got a Dell and I got it put together yesterday, so we are back. I will hopefully post about our camping trip tonight....after Meghan's ballet performance in the park. If you are in town, come check it out! They are doing Aladdin this year! Only two more nights.....starts at 8pm. :)

Happy 4th of July!

Meghan just got home from camp today....I will post some of her pictures later this week!