The Thomas Family

Spring Track

2011-04-27T16:09:00.005-05:00

Ryan decided he wanted to do track this year. He's done, t-ball, soccer, basketball, and now track. I'm glad he has wanted to test out all the sports. But all along he has wanted to do karate so that might be next. Who knows.

We've had a great time in track! His first track meet was lots of fun. He got some 2nd places, and 4th, etc, but he was really disappointed because only 1st place got a medal. He wanted a medal so bad. It was cold and raining and on his last race
(200m) he was so determined. He was behind like about 15 feet from the other boys and he kicked it in the last stretch and literally on the finish line he won! So exciting! He WANTED that medal. So proud of him!

Airing my dirty laundry

2011-04-27T15:52:00.003-05:00

The trip home was LONG but the laundry day was longer! I did 9 loads of laundry. How does that happen? We were only gone for 6 days. But with towels and camping stuff ugghh! Glad to be home.

Spring Break -- Texas Camping

2011-04-22T16:35:00.002-05:00

Spring Break - Tuesday, March 15

2011-04-20T11:58:00.002-05:00

Day Trip in San Antonio

Spring Break--Trip to Texas

2011-04-20T10:32:00.001-05:00

Sunday-visit with family

pictures to come

Spring Break--Trip to Texas-

2011-04-20T10:27:00.004-05:00

Saturday, March 12 - Sunday, March 13

Ok I'm finally going to load some photos from our Spring Break Trip to Texas. I'm just gonna get the photos up and then comment later....maybe...I just need to catch up on the blog so here goes.

It happened so fast!

2011-02-28T12:58:00.004-06:00

I couldn't believe that this morning I put my baby on the bus! Many of his friends have been riding the bus all year but I just wasn't ready. I mean, he is only in kindergarten! What's the rush right? Well, he's been begging for a while to ride the bus, and we do know the bus driver so we bit the bullet and signed him up.

And yes, I was that crazy mom with a camera out there taking his picture as he got on. He was so excited that he got on so fast and didn't even look back! I couldn't even get his face in the picture. Before I knew it the bus was pulling away and I had tears streaming down my face! Our neighbor has a 4th grade girl that has been coming over to play with Ryan a lot. She said she would let Ryan sit with her. She was sitting out on her porch as I was coming in and she said she took pictures on her daughter's first day too!

It was also character dressup day today. Well, we had a tough time, because I ended up getting sick Friday night and all Saturday. Then Sunday we were working on our income tax return and it slipped our mind. Well, pretty much last minute Ryan said he wanted to be Jack from the Magic Tree House books. Thank goodness this was a pretty easy thing to do. Notice the cover of the book to compare his outfit. We rolled up the jeans, had the backpack, glasses and even a similar shirt. The character Jack always has a notebook that he is jotting down things in so that is what Ryan is holding.

He looked adorable, but since it was the first day riding the bus, we just let him take the glasses in his backpack and rolled down his pants. He said he would do that once he got into his class. Smart kid!

Trip to the Zoo

2011-02-28T12:50:00.002-06:00

We gave the boys a membership to the zoo for Valentine's Day and last weekend was beautiful weather so we packed up the backpack and headed out. When we got there it was crazy busy of course, and they told us we were going to have to start parking on the street. Scott just drove in to check for a parking place and we got right up front. yay! There were like 11 spots available...crazy attendants.

The main reason we got the membership is because we get so worn out trying to see everything in one day and this way we can see it in sections and go back from time to time. Plus prices are going up to $15 for adults and $9 for kids. Crazy! We got a membership to the National Zoo in D.C. for only $60 and it has reciprocal membership to zoos and aquariums across the United States. Yay again! So this year is going to be the year of the Zoo! Hey, I also will need something this summer to do with the boys! Did I mention the zoo has a playground and a water splash pad...oh, yeah we are set!

Just a few of Ryan's basketball pics

2011-02-28T12:24:00.003-06:00

Basketball season came and went so fast. Ryan had a good time. Not sure we will be getting any scholarships any time soon but he was so stinkin' cute out there. He even inspired little brother to get outside at home and play more too!

10 days later the bug strikes again!

2011-02-26T19:48:00.003-06:00

Well, it's my turn now. Last night I started feeling sick and then at 2:30am the bug hit. ugghhh!! Today has been the longest most uncomfortable day. On top of that, my in-laws were here so I was a terrible host, and it was Ryan's last basketball game and I missed it! Oh and it was such a beautiful day outside today! My body has been aching all day and my head is still splitting. Please let tomorrow be a better day!

2 days later

2011-02-16T16:14:00.003-06:00

Well, I just thought we had an easy go of it. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. We didn't have anything in the house for breakfast and I was hungry, so I got up to go to the store and stopped by McDonalds. Well, the egg McMuffin I got had a nearly raw egg on it. By this time Aiden was complaining that his tummy hurt. I decided to go on to Aldi to get a few things anyway. I got there about 8:40 and they didn't open until 9am...ugghh this day was really going down hill. At this point I didn't know the half of it though. I managed to get through Aldi with the basics. And Aiden says he needed to potty. I begged him to hold it until we could get home (and he did). We got home, I hauled the groceries upstairs and then 2 poops later he said his tummy hurt and he was hungry. It was close to 10:30 so I started making him a hot dog and he had some popcorn. So after about the 5th time he told me his tummy hurt he projectiled onto the living room carpet. Ok, the day is really heading south now! I managed to clean it up sort of. I see a shampoo in our near future. But he seemed fine. I then had to clean out our Little Bissell carpet cleaner because there were chunks in it. Yes, smelly wet chunks of hot dog and popcorn. At this point I was about to hurl myself. But, wait, it gets better. As I'm cleaning out the machine the vacuum hose fell down and ended up pouring all of the "junk" onto my shoe and floor rug. If teenage girls had just been present this morning I know this could have contributed to the birth control rate.

I proceeded to get Aiden down for a nap and thought hopefully we were done. I was seriously wanting a do over for this day. Well, it kept on coming. After about an hour nap, you guessed it, I hear coughing and hurling upstairs. I get up there and Aiden is at the top of the stairs covered in more glorious lunch leftovers. So, I start the cleaning ritual all over again. This time I had to take the sheets outside to shake out the chunks. Some outside rodent will have a nice surprise tonight for supper.

Ok, so by this point it is time to go pick up Ryan from school. I buckle up the little sick man and get on my way. We arrived about 15 minutes early and were waiting in carline. I was reading a book and it was a nice peaceful moment until I heard the dreaded words "Mommy my tummy hurts." This was followed by a cough, cough and a smell that would gag a maggot. Thank goodness I had a towel, wipes and anit-bacterial in the van. I was so totally grossed out though. I cleaned him up as best I could and just in time for the line to start moving. We made it to the other side of the school and here it came again. Ryan then says he thinks he's gonna be sick and pretends to start gagging. I told him that was so not funny! I seriously was about to hurl. I had the windows down and begging for fresh air as I rushed home.

So here I sit, after a bath for Aiden and more cleaning. Little man laid on my lap for about an hour and he's up playing now. He said he wanted a piece of bologna. I said absolutley NOT! Processed meats might not make it in my house for a while.

Ok, if you have any mercy in you, please join me in praying the stomach bug leaves our house. I'm the biggest baby there is when it comes to throwing up. I put my time in when I was pregnant....both times. I've had enough puking to last a while.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-16T16:07:00.002-06:00

Well, Monday I received the dreaded call from school saying Ryan was sick and that he threw up in class. I was so shocked because he seemed absolutely fine that morning. In fact, when I went to go pick him up he was absolutely fine. He enjoyed his class Valentine party---thank goodness. But I began to wonder if he was only sick from eating to much chocoalte. When he got home he played and then took a nap (highly unusual), so I figured he wasn't feeling well. But when he woke up he was fine and wanted Whataburger for supper. I didn't think that was the best choice but he really seemed fine...and he was...that was all of his sickness. Whew! That was an easy go of it.

We had celebrated V-day that morning by giving the boys a Membership to the Zoo. (something for us to do this summer especially!) But as far as Scott and me celebrating...well, isn't Whataburger just the most romantic thing a girl could ask for? oh well...maybe next year.

More Snow--about 2 inches this time

2011-02-10T09:12:00.007-06:00

Well, I think this winter thought it had something to prove, because we have gotten so much snow its not even funny. I mean come on, this is the South! To sum it up, it is far colder than I like, Ryan still had to go to school, it should be melting soon, and the best part - it is going to be in the mid 60s by the end of the week! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

Tooth #2 came out the very next night!

2011-02-10T09:08:00.001-06:00

Ryan's first tooth FINALLY came out!

2011-01-31T19:32:00.003-06:00

Ryan has wanted to loose his first tooth forever it seems! He just couldn't understand how all of his friends had been losing teeth and he hadn't. Well today at school he was wiggling it and he had to be excused to the bathroom and it finally came out. He said "It didn't even bleed! Well, I just spit it out." ugghh! The tooth right next to it is barely hanging on too. He already has two teeth coming in behind the baby teeth. So what is the going rate these days for the tooth fiary anyway?

The Greatest Show on Earth!!!

2011-01-31T16:19:00.005-06:00

This was our first time ever to go to a circus and it did not disappoint! The public library had a program for kids ages 2+ that if they read 4 books they would get a free ticket, so of course we jumped all over that. I also had a coupon for $6 off each of our tickets. Now that was awesome savings! We had a great time. The boys loved the cotton candy and popcorn of course. My favorite was the men in the hamster cage thingy....sorry no pictures...my batteries died! ugghh! It was a great night but it made for an early morning for Ryan's 8:30am basketball game the next day. Losing our savings at the snack stand.

Aiden was enthralled!

100th Day of School

2011-01-31T16:16:00.001-06:00

Ryan's class had to dress up like they were 100 years old. The picture doesn't do justice, but he was adorable!

NO MORE DIAPERS!

2011-01-31T10:27:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to throw in here that I thank God for small blessings (which are really huge in my world.) On January 18th I buckled down and set it aside as Potty training day for Aiden. He had shown some interest earlier but I wasn't ready. But I knew it was time, so I used the Potty training in a Day method and by golly it worked! We only had 3 accidents on day 2 and one accident the first time we went to church. But other than that he has gotten it right 100%. Whew! this was a small miracle in my book. I think the Lord knows what we can handle and He figured I needed a break on this one. This kid is giving me a run for my money but this was a relief!

Snow Days!

2011-01-25T20:03:00.003-06:00

We have had so much snow this winter, we started going a little stir crazy. Ryan's school had to cancel school 3 days which we will have to make up but Ryan loved getting to play in the snow. I'm not a winter fan...at all. I kind of like the first snow of the season as long as it lasts about a day. This lasted all week....felt like a month. To top it off it was covered in ice. Driving was impossible for me. The worst part was Scott had to go to work. The boys were so sad that Daddy couldn't play in it. I have the worst time walking on ice so I wasn't much fun for them. As soon as Daddy got home it was outside we went. We used laundry baskets and cardboard boxes for sleds and our back yard is a super slope so they caught air like it was the Olympics luge or something. Great fun makin' memories...but so glad they are just memories now!

2010 Visit from my brother and his family

2011-01-21T13:24:00.001-06:00

2010 Christmas fun

2011-01-21T13:08:00.001-06:00

Early Christmas with Grandaddy & Gigi

2011-01-21T12:26:00.000-06:00

Here are the last few days of Rocco-

2010-12-17T09:46:00.002-06:00

Ryan is really scared of the grinch so Rocco and his posse were wrapping Christmas presents and when the Grinch tried to steal Christmas they roped him in with tape.
Rocco made Christmas cookies.
Rocco built a winter wonderland with tp and even had a snow slide.
Ryan was amazed!

Pink milk?

2010-12-16T18:31:00.001-06:00

Ryan was such a stinker this morning. I was excited for him to see that Rocco turned the milk pink but when I asked him what he wanted for breakfast he said pop tarts! So I asked him to get the milk out of the fridge anyway and we could drink milk with b'fast. When he saw it he was floored. This was a fun one!

Kid's Choir Musical-Angels, Lambs, Ladybugs & Fireflies

2010-12-15T22:29:00.004-06:00

Well, we managed to attend every Sunday night in prepartion for the Christmas musical this semester at church. It was the story of all the creatures who attended the birth of Christ and told from their perspective. Ryan got to be a blue spider. The costume he loved, but sitting on a step the entire time was not his cup of tea. He is much to much of a performer to sit still the entire time. If some drama teacher could harness this in the future we might be seeing him on the big screen some day!

Elfcapades

2010-12-15T14:00:00.002-06:00

Rocco got into the laundry and slung it all over the house including the kid's tree leading up to the washing machine. There he left Ryan some new white t-shirts. Guess he couldn't find any in the laundry!

Light Lookin'

2010-12-15T09:25:00.002-06:00

One of our favorite traditions at Christmas time is to drive around town to look at the Christmas lights. I couldn't get great pics but here are some of our favorites.

Christmas parade fun!

2010-12-13T10:22:00.005-06:00

These are the fun benefits of living in a small town. This was an old time Mayberry like Christmas parade. Nothing flashy but fun with good friends!

We forgot about the elf magic but it still happened!

2010-12-13T09:50:00.004-06:00

Oh the shame......we did it....we forgot to do the elf thing after Ryan had laid out crackers, sprinkled him and everything. We had such a busy weekend with the Sunday School party over at our house and then teaching Sunday School, then the Kid's choir performance. On Saturday night we just plain forgot. So the funniest thing happened. Ryan woke us up and said "come look at what Rocco has done." Yes, my son pretended to be his own elf and did this mischief--how sad is this? He even broke up the crackers and turned the water mug over to make it look real. Oh dear...he is so smart. We asked him if Rocco really did this or did Rocco not do anything and he kept up the "lie." Should I laugh or be concerned? he, he...

Our elf had to fend for himself

2010-12-09T09:37:00.004-06:00

Last night we had our dress rehearsal for the church kid's choir performance that will be this Sunday. So when we got home we were rushing to get to bed and Ryan forgot to set out the crackers to feed Rocco. He got the water and sprinkled him, but forgot the crackers. I was so glad bc I saw this idea on elfcapades and thought it was cute. Ryan actually had brought his legos down and even said maybe Rocco would like to play with them. So Rocco built a ladder out of legos to get into the cabinet and get the crackers. All the cabinet doors were open in the kitchen like he was searching for them and legos were scattered all over. When Ryan got up and saw it he wouldn't let Scott in the kitchen. He said "Oh Dad, you don't want to see this mess!"

Rocco is still at it....

2010-12-07T23:32:00.002-06:00

Tuesday mornings are Scott's morning to go to Men's Bible study which means Ryan usually comes and wakes me up and we have breakfast together before school. Well last night for some reason I decided to set my alarm. I ended up hitting snooze a couple of times but finally got up about 7:20-well the problem is we are suppose to leave the house at 7:30 for school. I ran upstairs and scared Ryan as he was in the bathroom. I told him to hurry we had to get ready fast and dash out of the house. He did pretty good and he doesn't have a "hurry" bone in his body. On the way out though we had a good laugh as we saw Rocco flying in circles on the ceiling fan. Ryan said he probably wanted to get dizzy.

I'm posting for tomorrow too bc it's going to be a busy day and doubt I will get to blog. Rocco is swinging on the chandelier with a note from Santa saying he is checking his list and the boys better put on their thinking caps and listening ears. The hats are compliments of Santa.

More Rocco

2010-12-05T22:51:00.003-06:00

This one is for in the morning! Rocco got Ryan's night vision spy glasses and brought new nerf bullets! They are gonna be stuck all over the walls too!

Sunday morning--last night we brought Aiden's new big boy bed up from the basement and had it in the study temprarily and the boys loved jumping on it, so this night Rocco took all the couch cushions off and was jumping on them.

We went to see Santa on Saturday, 12/4

2010-12-05T22:46:00.003-06:00

Had the place to ourselves on Saturday morning! Couldn't believe it. I'll scan the professional pic in sometime later. It turned out cute! Didn't know if how Aiden would do, but he loved it. He just hugged on Santa and sat there forever! Ryan of course asked for something new that he has never asked for before!

Rocco messed up Ryan's room!

2010-12-05T22:40:00.001-06:00

Ryan got in trouble today and had to clean his room so Rocco took a lot of Ryan's shirts out of his closet and tossed them all over his room ---but he also brought him the new Christmas rocks shirt!

Rocco updates...

2010-12-05T22:27:00.005-06:00

The next morning we found Rocco in my van trying to get to the post office to send a letter to Santa to update them on Ryan and Aiden's behavior. (forgot to take a pic)

Magic Elf mischief day #2

2010-12-02T10:57:00.002-06:00

Rocco stacked some of our books in the shape of a Christmas tree....(sort of.)

Rocco has arrived!

2010-12-01T19:13:00.004-06:00

Well it's officially time for the world to join us in celebrating the most wonderful time of year. It is funny all of the traditions the world has to celebrate this time of year including the all famous Santa, Christmas trees, house lights, yard decorations, and yes the magic elves. At our house we choose to partake in all of the fun and jolly goodness, but one thing that we hope to communicate is that all of this pales in comparison to our One True reason for celebrating this time of year and that is the glorious birth of our Savior Jesus.

One of our family traditions is to have a family devotion at night on the special "Christmas cloth." When it's time for the devotionals, Ryan will grab the special Christmas cloth (aka an old tablecloth) and we all sit on the floor by the Christmas tree and have our family devotional which of course revolves around the story of the birth of Jesus. The boys love using the toy nativity to demonstrate the different aspects of the story. Aiden is well, learning his part in sitting and listening. I feel so blessed to be their mom. They know so much more than I ever was even exposed to at this age. Thank you God for this glorious season that we can celebrate your Son's birth!

The more "magical" things of Christmas are fun too. Our Magic Elf named Rocco arrived this morning. For those of you who don't know, we have an elf that visits us from the North Pole each year around Christmas time. This is not an ordinary elf though. He looks just like a stuffed toy during the day, but at night if we sprinkle him with the magical snow flakes and set out crackers for him, he comes to life and does all sorts of mischief in our house. He has been great fun in the past. You can look back at posts from previous years and see some of the mischief he has gotten into. This year he was found in Ryan's stocking and he brought the movie "Elf" for us to watch and get into the seasonal fun. I'll try to keep up with some pictures of the fun he brings to our home. I can't imagine what he is going to do tonight!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T00:15:00.011-06:00

This was the first year that Scott was able to get off work for Thanksgiving on both on Wednesday and Friday. We had a great weekened! We drove over to Scott's family on Wednesday and the boys enjoyed playtime with his cousins. Then Thursday was the big turkey day. We celebrated lunch with about 30 or so family members on Scott's mom's side at his Granny Turner's house then supper was at Scott's parent's house for his Dad's side of the family. We were all turkied out by the end of that day.

We drove back home that evening so we could be home for Black Friday shopping. I know call me crazy but we sincerely needed the discounts this year. So on the drive home we decided to stop at Toys R' Us in Douglasville, GA which was opening at 10pm. Well that was laughable! The line just to get into the store was a mile long. Seriously...a mile long. It curved and curved around the parking lots of the grand shopping center. I thought I wanted to stand in line and just see what the store was going to be like, but after waiting about 30 minutes I decided it wasn't worth it. As we came on home I got another wild idea to stop at the Wal-mart in Leeds, Al for the midnight sale. I know, call me crazy again! And it was crazy. It was so crowded. If you've never experienced a Black Friday midnight sale at Wal-mart, well, let me just say there is a whole breed of humanity that you haven't seen. These people were serious! They were laying their bodies over pallets of merchandise to guard their spot in line until they unveiled things at 12:01. And when the clock struck, I began to fear for my life. The boxes began flying and I nearly got hit by a huge cardboard crate pallet sized lid. I had to jump back and I bumped into the person behind me. Then to top it off, the hot item that they were all shuffling for was not the latest greatest toy. NO, it was towels for $1.33 each. Now, I know that is a cheap price, but come on, we are talking Wal-mart quality here. The Sherriff's department was there but they wouldn't have been able to do anything if a serious riot had broken out. Well, it wasn't quite that bad but it was wild. Memories...for sure. When all was said and done I got some good bargains and finished my shopping for the boys at 1:30am as they slept in the van sound asleep. I've been asked if it was worth it and I have to say this year it was. I was able to save a ton and still provide for others for Christmas! We got home about 2am that morning and went straight to bed.

2010-11-23T09:50:00.001-06:00

Glitter Graphics

2010 Christmas card

2010-11-22T22:45:00.001-06:00

With Love Chartreuse Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Halloween Weekend

2010-11-09T13:50:00.010-06:00

Halloween is such a fun time for the boys. This year since Halloween was on Sunday we celebrated all weekend long. Saturday morning we went to a Grand Opening of an Outlet mall nearby and had fun with the cartoon characters. That night Ryan was my date to our Children's minister's wedding. Then the boys dressed up and went begging for candy. Ryan was Ironman and Aiden was a groom with a sign around his neck that read "Will you marry me?" Oh how the ladies loved him! We had great fun on Sunday as well at our church's Trunk-or-Treat. I got this crazy idea to make Ryan's costume this year. He was a mummy--and a darn good mummy. I've got the hot glue burns to remember it by too! But Aiden used Ryan's old pirate costume. They rocked the place, they were so adorable! After that we came back to our own neighborhood and finished off the block. Lot's of fun!

10/23-Hayride at the Akridge farm & Sleepover

2010-11-09T13:13:00.004-06:00

Every year our Sunday School has a hayride and bonfire. Well, this year it has been so dry that the bonfire was just a little cookout for smores. We had great fun even still. The neighbors had their horses out and the boys got to ride them. Wow! they loved it. Lots of fun was capped off by Ryan having his first sleepover as part of his b-day present. Those boys had fun all night long and were tired pups.

Good attendance and good Citizen award--10/22

2010-11-09T13:07:00.003-06:00

Ryan was so excited to get his perfect attendance ribbon I just had to take a photo of him. The next week he also got a Good Citizen ribbon. I'm still not exactly sure what this all entales but he explains it as an award that goes to the kid who has been the most helpful for the the week. I don't know how often they give these out but he was thrilled to boast his ribbon even afterschool!

Happy 6th Birthday Ryan! - 10/19

2010-11-09T13:00:00.003-06:00

because we have so many birthdays in October we celebrated last weekend we went out to Georgia with Scott's family. But for Ryan's official party we went to Lightning Strikes for some fun bowling. We decided to limit it to only 8 boys this year. It was the perfect number! The bowling alley gave him a shirt that they were allowed to color and have all the boys sign, all the popcorn and drinks you can imagine, and even provided quarters for the game room. The most improved bowler award would definitely have to go to his friend Charlie. He had never been before and by the time we were winding down he was getting strikes. We all had great fun!

North Carolina trip 10/9-10/10

2010-11-09T12:01:00.002-06:00

These are a bit out of order bc I have had so little time to update the blog. I'm getting there but still so much to catch up. This was the first overnight trip we have taken without the boys since Aiden was born. Man was it a welcomed getaway. We went to North Carolina and visited Hendersonville, Flat Rock, Chimney Rock, and Ashville. On the drive back to Georgia we took part of the Blue Ridge Parkway and it was absolutely stunning! The leaves were pretty much at their Fall peak and just gorgeous! Thank you Grandaddy & Gigi for allowing us to get away while the boys got spoiled by you!

Homecoming Parade-10/17/10

2010-11-01T13:57:00.005-05:00

One of the great things about living in Trussville is the small town America feel. Each year the school has a little homecoming parade. And let me stress the word little. But the fun is that the whole town comes out to support the school. It's fun bringing out your chairs and letting the young kids look up to the high school football team and dream of one day being there too! Ryan found one of his new friends in his class and just had to hang out with him. So we all waved at the band, firetrucks, homecoming court, cheerleaders, and of course the football team and enjoyed catching the candy that was thrown. Great times, great memories!

First Friday "Spirit" day

2010-11-01T13:52:00.002-05:00

Ryan and his 2nd grader "reading buddy"
Their buddies got to help them with an apple investigation.

Classroom shots

Transition to new school

2010-11-01T13:42:00.004-05:00

We were a bit concerned for Ryan changing schools so early in the school year but it was for nothing. The transition could not have been smoother. I took him on Tuesday, 9/21 to register him and they ended up letting him start school that day! It was such a surprise. I wasn't quite ready for it, but when we went to his classroom he knew about six kids already in there. It was great. On top of that, we got a great teacher that attends our church! Thank you God for working in all of this! Ryan was so excited and the kids in the class were too! I was so excited when a friend of mine was at the school this day and just happen to get all of these pics.

Love the wide-eyed look of wonder in his eyes! He is just taking it all in!

First day at lunch.
Hot dogs his first day!

Update from Sunday 9/19--Moving Day

2010-11-01T10:44:00.005-05:00

All along I had been saying I won't truly breath until we are in the house. Well, today was moving day. We were suppose to have possesion at 5pm and the sellers called and said they had issues and were afraid they couldn't be out in time. They said their movers basically extorted them and they had to rent a new truck and repack everything. They wanted to see if we could come help them move. uh....no that was a big no! So they asked if we could just wait until around 6pm which was fine by us. They ended up calling our agent back and forth and finally said they were going to have to leave some stuff for us. This was ok with us. We just wanted in the house. When we got there they had left some trash but it was no big deal, we could easily haul it away. But the amazing thing is what all they left. Here is a semi-comprehensive list.

couch

oversized chase chair

grill

bike

kitchenette table

amazing patio furniture, table 4 chair, 2 chase lounge chairs

Hoover vacuum cleaner

ottoman

stereo

art work

gum ball machine

desk chair pad

tons of stuff in the garage (Scott was happy)

a bottle of Champagne and a $20 bill to haul trash away.
We were really overwhelmed with their kindness. We would have hauled the trash away without any problems anyway. So we are now learning about how to post things on Craig's list. Hopefully we can earn a little money to pay for some of the updates in the house that we want to do.

Update from closing on 9/17

2010-11-01T10:38:00.003-05:00

Life was a whirlwind so these updates will be short. I hate that I haven't been better about updating it bc my memory won't last and sometime down the road I will wish I could remember the events. But for now this is the best I can do. Hopefully Scott will be my memory as usual! I started packing immediately and each day was lived by faith - praying and hoping all would go through. Once all offers were accepted and inspecitons passed, I was breathing a bit more but then an issue with our roof came up. The buyers wanted it repaired. Each day we had something going on, either roof repair, or electrical repairs. It was crazy down to the last minute. Then we finally made it to the closing table and the buyers for our house didn't have their money wired in time. Thankfully they went ahead with the closing and all was ok. But then when we went to close on our new house we had an issue with our new homeowner's insurance. They called and said they had quoted us the wrong price. Well, Scott was so upset but on the phone with them for a LONG time as we were signing stuff. I was just praying the whole time and lo and behold he got it for even LESS than what they quoted us! So that meant our mortgage payment would be even less.

GOD was ALL over this! I truly believe it! We have been blessed & provided for in so many ways. Even down to the moving van. We had a garage sale last weekend to get rid of some stuff but also to help pay for some movers. Since we don't have any family in the area we didn't want to exhaust our friends like crazy. We did have a few friends that came and helped load and unload some things! Huge thank yous go out to Brian Sewell, Keith Finnegan, and Daniel Bates. Even friends like Katie Bates were amazing in helping keep the kids so we could get work done. We also were so blessed by Scott's boss. He let us use the work truck to move our stuff. So when Monday comes we will only have to use the 2 Men and a Truck for the heaviest and largest things we couldn't get. Amazing!

Update from Friday 9/3

2010-11-01T10:31:00.003-05:00

Out of the blue on Wednesday August 18th we had someone come and look at our house. We really had almost given up hope now that Ryan had started school. Thursday, 8/19 we got a call from our agent saying the couple was interested in giving an offer and we received the offer on Saturday,8/28-my birthday! We were going out to eat for my b-day still not knowing if we were going to get the offer and then Lee (our agent) called and sang happy b-day to me! I knew immediately we got the offer! It was lower than we wanted so we countered. But at least the wheels were in motion. We went to look at some houses on Saturday and Sunday, and did some verbal negotiations. But it wasn’t until Monday that we actually had the offer in our hands. We found a house that would be just amazing for us. The yard is crazy sloped though, but we really have our hearts set on the house. Monday, 8/30 night we met with our mortgage broker and got pretty good news. Tuesday, 8/31 we made the offer on the house. Wednesday, 9/1 we had the inspection on our house and Thursday, 9/2 we received a counter back from the offer we made. It was much higher than we had hoped. So all last night and today (Friday-9/3) we have been sweating it because we don’t even know if the couple trying to buy our house will accept the inspection or not. And on top of that we don’t know if the couple we made an offer on will accept our counter. We are set to close on September 17th if all goes through. That means 3 weeks from today. We are dying here. I’m sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear from the inspection results. Oh man…this process has been so stressful. It seems so quick and concise just reading over it, but I have basically pulled my hair out, and my stomach is in knots. If we can finally come to an agreement, I won’t want to move for a long time!

Lord, this is your opportunity to show up. Please hear the prayers of your children and meet our needs here. We are asking for you to provide and to show us your power. Oh God you know our hearts, please provide.

I will slowly be updating the blog....

2010-10-23T22:34:00.003-05:00

August 20th-Aiden's 2nd birthday!

We decided for his second party we would just have some friends over to the house and have a slip n' slide party in the backyard. It was hot but we had a great time!

First Week of School Completed!

2010-08-15T20:53:00.006-05:00

Celebrated the first week with friends at Cold Stone

Well, the first week of school was a success so we celebrated with our friends at Cold Stone with some ice cream. They all enjoyed dancing on the floor. A little more information leaked out of Ryan as the weekend went on. It's like he was trying to remember a dream. The backwards shirt mystery was solved. He was telling me that he got a little cold during rest time and then he says "hey, that's how my shirt ...got twisted...I pulled my arms through to stay warm and...well, I guess it got twisted." like it just popped into his head that very moment. So funny. He also said a little boy put glue in his ear and had to go to the nurse. I'm just glad it wasn't him. He did say the boy came back and was alright. He was cracking me up. On Friday more drama continued when he said a little boy was banging his head during rest time and caused his nose to bleed. And someone else used Ryan's nap mat. I don't know the full story but he said he got to sleep on the magic carpet. He was happy and didn't seem to care that someone else got his nap mat. (I'm just not sure I like someone else using his nap mat!) Anyhow.....week one is complete. Come on week two!

First Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-11T18:47:00.003-05:00

Okay, so the day has finally come. I really thought I would be okay, but I must say it kind of took me by surprise. We started the day with homemade pancakes made by Daddy. Well, no, let me back up. We started the day when Ryan came into our room before 6am. He said that he was too excited to go to school. After a very restless night, that was very-very early. So now, back to the pancakes...they were extra good. Ryan said that he helped Daddy make them and he put the "love" in them. So we got us all ready and got to the school pretty early. In fact, we had to drop him off in the early arrival room. If you get there after 7:45 you can go straight to the classroom. We checked him into the early room, got some photos, and said our goodbyes. I was fine until I had to turn and walk away. That's when the tears took over my body. I was crying so much I couldn't even see the steps on the way out. Thank goodness for sunglasses. We had to walk a long way because we had to park on the street due to the parking lot being full. But all in all, I did it.

Throughout the day, I would just think I was fine and then Aiden kept looking and asking for Bubba? Bubba? Even when I got home from dropping him off, I was excited to watch some grown up TV instead of Ryan's cartoons, but on the news was a story of a 7 yr old boy that had gone missing. --That was all she wrote and I was crying again. Sigh...I packed up Aiden and we went to Walmart. It was perfect, because we ran into our best buds who's boy had also started kindergarten today. We shared sob stories and laughed at ourselves. After Walmart, Aiden and I had lunch and then it was his naptime. He went down at noon and oh boy was the house quiet! That's when I knew I was going to like this school thing. ha, ha. But around 2pm I was counting down the minutes until 3 o'clock when I needed to pick him up. I couldn't wait so I left early. Well, traffic was already backed up and I got there 10 til 3! I had to wait 50 minutes in car line and it was 100 degrees, with a baby that I had to wake up from a nap. Surprisingly, Aiden was fine. He entertained himself with his goldfish. :) Now after waiting 8 hours to hear about Ryan's day when I picked him up, he gave me nothing. I mean no details. I couldn't believe it. I thought he would be talking my ears off. Nope. I asked question after question and he just said he couldn't remember. I was shocked. Then to top it off his shirt was on backwards. I asked him how that happened and again, he said he didn't remember. I guess instead of saying the pledge of allegiance now they have the kids take a vow of silence. I asked him if he had a good day and he said "oh yes." But still no details. Once we were home Aiden gave Ryan a huge hug, and then they stripped down their clothes and wanted to watch TV. That's it. Nothing more. I cooked supper and now that we are done, I'm only hoping to pull some more info out of him. The kicker is that he didn't even have any info in his backpack. Just a note on the agenda saying "Great first day!" Oh, now I'm sitting here on the couch and Ryan just said to Scott "hey Daddy, pretty soon you are gonna have grandkids!" I wanted details but not this! I can't wait to hear what tomorrow brings.

Conversation with Ryan the night before his first day of kindergarten

2010-08-10T20:34:00.000-05:00

Are you excited about your first day of school?
Oooh yes! And he fell to the floor and spun around

What are you most looking forward to?
Those tapes you can listen to, and the library.

What did you think of your teacher Mrs. Hanner?
Oh she’s gonna be nice. I don’t think, I know it.

What did you think she looked like?
She was pretty, and a little tall.

What do you think P.E. will be like?
I don’t know.

Are you scared of anything?
Well, if there was a lion living there and it got out, yeah, I’d be scared.

Are you looking forward to recess?
I’m not really into recess, I’m into P.E.

What do you think they will serve for lunch?
A taco and some fries. I don’t know…I’ll ask.

Do you think you will miss me?
No because you are in my heart. I will miss Aiden, and Daddy a lot, and I will start to miss you.

Last words….
It’s gonna be fun. That’s all.

Meet the Teacher

2010-08-09T22:59:00.005-05:00

Oh how we love Mrs. Hanner already. It was great for Ryan to see his new classroom and meet his new Kindergarten teacher. He's been looking forward to it for some time. He kept saying he thought he would know someone in his class and I kept preparing him that no he would not. There was only one little boy that we knew going to his same school and I didn't think the chances were that good but lo and behold he is in Ryan's class. Ryan said, "see I told you so." Even with the sass, I was glad that he would know one person. He walked right in his class....a little nervous acting and the teacher thought he was gonna be shy. Oh what an awakening she is in for! He quickly opened up and met a new friend named Aidan. So when Ryan told him his brother's name was Aiden, he thought that was cool. His teacher was impressed that he had already learned to tie his shoes and asked him if he would help her teach the rest of the class. His head puffed up and he said "sure." She really doesn't know what she is in for! I also showed Ryan where he would have P.E. and where the library is. He thought it was SO cool that they had Magic Tree House books but was a little bummed that they don't check out books to Kindergarten students. He knows we can still go to the public library, so it doesn't look like I will be getting out of reading the stories about Jack and Annie anytime soon. There are like 40 something in the series. All in all it was a great day getting to see how my first baby is going to be spending his days. Ryan said, "just think Mama, You only have me one more day at home." Can he rubbed the salt in my wound any deeper? ugghh...I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast! We are looking forward to a great year.

August 7- Our friend Kaitlyn's 2 yr party

2010-08-09T22:56:00.002-05:00

This was the best little party for a 2 yr old. It's a new indoor play area simply called "A Play Place."

July 28th--Church Night at the Birmingham Barons

2010-08-09T22:38:00.002-05:00

Well we don't really watch baseball and we never watch the Barons, but it was still fun to go out on a Wednesday night for church night. Our friends the Bates met us there and the kids had a ton of fun. Ryan said he got spoiled that night because he had pizza, hot dogs, Hershey bar, and ice cream. And there wasn't even a belly ache to mention. Aiden loved the M&Ms but lets just say they DO MELT IN YOUR HANDS!

July 25th--Operation Go with our Church

2010-08-09T22:21:00.003-05:00

Operation Go was a service project our church did to serve our own community in addition to our mission service away from home. Our small group at church is made up of a lot of preschool parents and it is kind of hard to do mission projects without finding a baby sitter. So we decided to Feed our Hungry Heroes. We took goodies and snacks to Firestation #1 in Trussville. The kids had such a great time climbing all over the trucks and seeing the firemen. One thing I did not get a photo of that I wished I had was the inside of their department. The first thing you see is a TV room with 7 large recliners, and 3 large refrigerators--such a man cave. The kids also made thank you cards for the firemen.

July 22-Registered Ryan for Kindergarten

2010-08-09T22:10:00.003-05:00

Well this was the day we have been anticipating...the day we registered Ryan for Kindergarten. Scott was able to come join us and I'm so glad because I had to fill out a ton of paperwork while he stood in line to hold our place. It wasn't horrible but it would have been nice to have the paperwork in advance. Keeping an almost 2 year old to stand still is next to impossible in such a place. Entering the building was a bit intimidating. We had to find our way in an unfamiliar place. But some things were like flashbacks. Scott laughed as he saw the tiny potties in the bathroom and how small the table and chairs were in the lunch room. For me it was the floor to ceiling tile hallways that reminded me of yesteryear. It's funny how much change the decades have brought, but the rooms brought back a flood of memories and somethings remain unchanged. Ryan was so excited and he seemed to make friends as we waited.

What a whirlwind!

2010-08-09T21:32:00.005-05:00

This last month has flown by. We've been so busy getting ready for school to start and wrapping up the summer. We've been getting in last minute play dates, birthday parties, and school registration and meet the teacher. It's been a whirlwind! Haven't had much time for blogging, but here are a few photos that captured our fun.

Splish Splash playdate back on July 15th

Spaghetti Night fun on July 15th

But a vapor....

2010-07-15T21:00:00.004-05:00

Ok, this week we had another setback-our fridge went out. Just when I thought one more thing couldn't go wrong it does. I'm sorry to be such a downer but this is getting almost comical...almost. I guess I have to laugh so I won't cry. If there is some rich relative out there that would like to send me some money, I'm open to handouts! If only. I hate having to spend money on things I wasn't planning on. I mean we are trying to move and in just the last few months we have had to pay hundreds of dollars to remove a tree that snapped, a thousand dollars on a new shower that leaked, had to replace all four tires on my van, get a new battery for the van, my tooth chipped (and we have no dental insurance,) I've had to go to the doc for plantar fasciitis and get two injections, and now the fridge. I'm sure I am leaving something out too. I mean our house won't sell and we can barely afford a down payment on a new one anyway and all this comes up. I just don't know if it will be possible.

I just had to get that out there. It's almost more than I can take. But all this to say--it isn't more than we can take! Our God is the God of the impossible! And I'm so grateful that I even have a house, a van, teeth, heels to walk on, and yes I am grateful for the fridge that we've had the last 8 years. I know we have far more than so many in the world and I'm amazed that God allows us to live in America where things are so plentiful. It's so easy to feel sorry for oneself when things are rough, but when things are going well are we really grateful? I guess a not so small lesson God is wanting me to learn is to be grateful in the rough and the smooth times. No matter how bad it may seem, it could be far-far worse. I hope we don't have to experience the far worse -I like the smooth times much more. But in the bad, I will choose to remember that this life is only temporary. We are but a vapor...passing through...and on the other side I know my Father is preparing for me a mansion. And in that mansion, I will have a french door, freezer on the bottom, ice/water in the door, stainless fridge. Oh wait, just kidding, that is what I wish I had in this life. In the next I will be all consumed with the God that is the Provider of all things good and all things that last. Thank you my everlasting Father for your unfailing love that surpasses any pleasure in this life! Please consume me!

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-04T23:20:00.010-05:00

Had a great time at the Trussville Freedom Celebration that our church puts on for the community. Tons of inflatables, climbing walls, food vendors, live music, fantastic fireworks, and friends all equals a great time! Silly eyes
Couldn't get a great photo of the fireworks. I couldn't even see my camera, but you get the idea. Catherine gave Ryan a few fireworks of her own. Smooch!
Best Karate moves! Sweet Catherine! Holding hands on the walk back to the car.

Botanical Gardens--June 29

2010-07-04T23:02:00.007-05:00

As I've probably said before the first words out of Ryan's mouth are usually..."Mama, what are we going to do for fun today?" So today was the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. We had a great time. Weather was not too hot and both boys loved walking around the grounds. Of course their favorite is always the Japanese Gardens where they can see the giant gold fish.(koi) Well, all was going well but I ended up getting stung by a bee at the Japanese Tea house. I stomped that little guy though. Sorry all you activists....it was sweet vengence!
Bye, bye Bee!

Father's Day!

2010-06-21T11:54:00.007-05:00

/It was funny reading facebook on Father's day because everyone posted how their dad/hubby was the best Father, but the funny thing is my kids really do have the best Father! It was kind of a bummer of a day because Scott had work on the shower all day. He is so great though because he didn't even complain he worked as hard and long as he could. We're getting closer and closer but it just seems complications keep arising. Oh how glad we will be when this project is done. We managed to take a couple of breaks and enjoy a cake that Ryan and I baked for him. And of course Ryan enjoyed playing in the slip n' slide while Daddy worked in the bathroom. Next weekend we plan taking off and going to Georgia so Scott will finally have some downtime!

Finally cutting tile for the bathroom.

Happy Father's day cake!

A Day in the Life...

2010-06-17T15:54:00.006-05:00

"What are we gonna do for fun today, Mama?" were the first words I heard this morning from Ryan. Each day he wakes up ready to go somewhere fun. Its cute but also exhausting because I am so not a morning person. Anyway, I struggled trying to come up with something because I knew it would be so hot. I mean what is a gal to do with 2 boys, with no money, and not be outside? Well here is what we came up with: We made our way to the Library first for some face painting and story time. After that he asked, "so what else are we going to do?" I'm feeling a lesson in being satisfied with what you get is in the near future. But I pulled another surprise out of my bag of tricks and decided to take him to the pet store. We don't have pets and never need to go there so it was like a mini-zoo trip for us. Even Aiden got into seeing the dogs get shaved. After lunch Aiden went down for a nap, but Ryan, the non-stop entertainment starved child, wanted something else, so we went outside and played in the slip n' slide. Now that we are sun-crisps, but all cleaned up we are having story time. Only after we read some books he decides he wants to tell the story. He likes to do this ALL the time and I try to record a few for years to come. Here is one of his latest. I left all verb tenses and phrases as he told it.

The Cowboys that Ride on the Desert -by Ryan Thomas

Once upon a time there was cowboys riding their cowboy horses. There names were Golden Star, and Fire Flame. They road along the desert until the horse fell into some cactus and the cowboy got off the horse and pulled the needles off. They found a little cabin but when they got up closer it wasn’t really a cabin. It was a mirage (you know mom....those sunwaves.) They went “uhh what just happened? Did that cabin disappear?” They said “come on ride ‘em cowboy, ride ‘em cowboy.” Get on your horse let’s finish this race, cause those slowpokes are not gonna win. We’re gonna win! ...The End

And that is a five year old boy's train of thought! I love him so!

Irondale Cafe

2010-06-16T20:40:00.004-05:00

The last couple of days have been frustrating for poor Ryan. Our playdates have gotten canceled two days in a row because our friends have been sick. Two different friends and now today heard that a third one is sick. While I'm glad my kids are healthy we are sad that our friends are dropping like flies. We are trying to keep entertained though. Yesterday we went to the free Summer movie at our local theatre. We saw Muppets From Space. Ryan had a great time. Aiden not so much. And Mama was counting down the seconds until the movie was over. Let's just say Aiden cannot sit still or be quiet for that long yet. Still, it was fun to get out of the house. Today we went to have lunch with Daddy at the Irondale Cafe (made famous with the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.) Delicious lunch but pricey. The fun part was watching the boys play at the train station across the street. Boys will be boys!

Summer Is Here!

2010-06-14T14:45:00.007-05:00

Summer is in full swing even if the calendar doesn't truly reflect it. When the heat index is over 100, it is summer in my book. This morning we went to see the Dairy Cow at the library. It was the same one that we saw last year (for the Library reading prgram) but Ryan didn't really remember it and Aiden certainly didn't. But I remembered that it was so hot last year so I decided to be about 30 minutes late. That way we missed the boring beginning and they boys still got to see the cow being milked and get the cookies and milk snack. It was easy fun and got the boys tired out so we came home for lunch and then Aiden's nap.

The pictures are foggy because my camera was in the cold van and then the heat and humididty messed up the lense.--told you it was hot! Just as the kids were lining up to pet the cow, she freaked out and slipped in the trailer. She ended up cutting her leg and getting all worked up. So the last picture shows how they had to cool her down with a water hose.

Vacation Bible School

2010-06-14T14:13:00.006-05:00

Last week was Vacation Bible School for Ryan. It was the first year he was able to go and I wasn't working. He felt so grown up! It was a cowboy theme...Saddle Ridge Ranch. The church brought in Team Impact to help out through the week and Thursday night was parent's night. The boys loved it! All is his friends were in his class too so he had the time of his life.

The Pursuit continues....

2010-06-11T23:47:00.008-05:00

Scott has been working on the shower A LOT lately. I'm so impressed that he has been doing this himself with the help of some friends. He has really taken it on and is getting it done and let me just say it is a chore! I haven't really lifted a finger since the demo. My job has been to keep the boys wrangled and out of Daddy's way. Even still Scott is good about letting the boys feel like they are helping. I'll admit, I'm a little more task oriented and just want to get the job done. But he is so patient he will let Ryan get in there with his protective gear and feel like he is really a part of it.

While he has been working on the shower so much, I have been reading. It's been really nice after the boys are in bed and Scott is working away, I have had some silence (minus a few hammering thuds.) I love to read, but I go in spurts where I read a whole lot and then take a break and then read a whole lot and the cycle repeats. Right now, I'm participating in the church Summer reading program so it's been great timing. I just finished Crazy Love by Francis Chan tonight and was so stunned. I feel like the author was in my brain. Don't you just love books like that? I mean I have made some of the exact statements recently to Scott and I didn't even know what this book was about when I first heard of it. Anyway, I want to finish my post with a prayer from page 99 that I believe is a quote from The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer.

Oh God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away."
Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long."

If any of you read the book...let me know what you think of it! It was very challenging.

Memorial day---the Red Light was on!

2010-06-01T12:19:00.004-05:00

It was too rainy and soggy to do much outside so what a better way to celebrate?!

Ryan's Preschool Graduation

2010-06-01T11:42:00.004-05:00

In the middle of Memorial day weekend posts I remembered that I hadn't posted pics of Ryan's preschool graduation. I posted some on facebook but not on here. So for all you non-facebook fans here you go....you get even more pics. We called it Ryan's special day. After I picked him up from school we went and got a snow cone. The program was at 6:30 so Scott met us there at 6. During the program he was in full performance mode. He loved being on stage that is for sure. But he kind of beats to his own drum. He knows the songs and motions. He just wants to do them in his time. He started getting restless toward the end and goofing around a little, but we were so thankful we didn't have any "episodes." Those of you with dramatic children know what I mean. We didn't know the entire time it was storming outside. That made for an interesting departure for the crowd of families. After the program he got to pick what he wanted for dinner...he chose Whataburger. So we ran through the rain and sat in our special booth at Whataburger (yes we have a special booth at WB) and celebrated our little boy becoming a man - as he says. We also spoiled him with a couple of presents-a slip n' slide and a new bike. (Well the new bike is still yet to come because we thought we were getting a hand-me-down from some friends but it turns out that bike was a pink barbie bike. So we still need to go pick out a bike for him.)

2010-05-30T20:53:00.006-05:00

What's this you ask? Well, it was a rainy Memorial day weekend in the 'Ham so we decided to drive over to Gadsden and go to Noccalula Falls Park. We had great fun riding the train around the park seeing the Pioneer village, the petting zoo, and of course the waterfalls. The falls were rushing over the rocks because of all the rain lately. We got to see most things but it did start raining on us toward the end and we had to make a run for it. The whole time Ryan kept asking "can we spend the night and come back tomorrow?" He wanted to go climbing on the rocks and crawl through "Fat man's squeeze." Around the animal habitat there were chickens and roosters roaming around and the boys liked chasing them. There were also some kind of ring tailed lemur/raccoon looking animals that we couldn't figure out what they were because the sign had been taken down. It's been bugging us all day. We also went to eat lunch at Top of the River. It's suppose to be a great local restaurant on the river. We did get a great seat on the river but ugghh....the restaurant and food were not so great. Just don't know what all the hype is. This is actually our third time there and this was the worst. The building had to have had water damage or something because it stunk to high heaven. Anyway, we enjoyed feeding the fish and ducks off the pier. Ryan actually loved the place, minus the smell. So the day was a great day of family time and makin memories! So wish these days could last longer! Now boys are in bed and snoring. They played hard. Loved it!

Demolition...

2010-05-30T20:03:00.006-05:00

So, you know we have our house up for sale right? Well, a few days ago Ryan discovered a leak. He actually yelled "hey what's the waterfall?" So of course, panic strikes. It wasn't quite a waterfall but it was quite wet. In fact the entire sub-floor of the shower was soaked. Our house is under a complimentary home warranty because its on the market, so we hoped we might just get lucky. Well, of course after a $60 service call later we found out we were not lucky. It was a leaky shower pan. The plumber said it must have been leaking for years and was probably deteriorated because years ago the contractors didn't use a shower liner.

So the demolition begins. We found it in gross condition! Yes it was mush but not only that...we had active termites feasting away. It just keeps getting better and better! We have a termite bond and they had treated our house a year ago...well, guess who had to come back?! We also found a little surprise still in our walls left from the contstruction crew. It was a bottle of Schlitz. Yes, only the finest for our house! Maybe since that is what the workers were drinking that is why our shower leaked... Anyway, we have some dear friends who are gonna help out in replacing the entire shower. This is SO not a project we had planned on doing before selling the house. Our neighbor who is a plumber estimated it would cost $4000 to replace. So those dear friends who will help us do it ourselves just became worth a whole lot more to us! Maybe it will just help the house sell better. Here are a few gross pictures! Glad it is out of the house now!
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These are the "friendly" termites.

Soccer season comes to an end

2010-05-15T21:22:00.001-05:00

Some of these photos in the slideshow are repeats, but I wanted to share with other friends too. I've got to find a slideshow that holds more than 30 photos and allows music without a charge. I'm so cheap. Anyway we had a fabulous time in soccer this season and a wonderful team party today at Coach Keith's house. Thanks everyone for a great year!

Customize a picture slideshow

God is our Provider!

2010-05-12T17:09:00.003-05:00

Well, its been a couple of weeks since the storms came through and snapped our tree in our backyard. We were stunned because we so don't have the money right now to pay for a tree to be removed from a place we are trying to sell. The first quotes were $650, $500 and then finally we had an offer of $450. So we prayed that God would provide and He did! I had miscalculated the checkbook and found $125 to our favor. (gotta love it) Then the very next week Scott got an extra $200 on his paycheck, and a dear friend had sent me a $25 check a few weeks ago as a late baby present (or as she put it just extra money for us to put on the electric bill or however we need it most.) Well we put all these things together and believed it was the way God was helping us pay for the tree. Scott scheduled the appointment and when he asked if the guy would just cut it down and cut it up for us and let us haul it away the guy said sure that he would do it for $350....well, go back and total those amounts....$350! God is our Provider and he rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Thank you God! And the tree comes down.... They brought in a bobcat to help tie off the tree and pull it down. It was great when it came to moving the big logs too. The boys loved every minute. We popped popcorn and it was better than watching a movie. This stump was cut in half and the rest of the tree was chopped up for firewood. So glad all that is over!

Soccer Season

2010-05-12T16:55:00.006-05:00

We've had a great first year of soccer. It has actually kept his attention. And that is no small task. We've also had a great coach! He is so patient with the kids and is so encouraging. He's just what we needed and Ryan has shown such improvement over the season. In the beginning, he just ran after following the group, but now he is really getting the hang of it and starting to get competitive. He scored his first goal last Friday and a total of 2 that game. The next morning he scored 2 more. Then the following Tuesday night there were only 3 players that showed up for our team, so he got to play the entire game. He scored another goal and I was so proud of the way he hussled. He really has improved on the way he gets in there and runs after it! Our final tournament and awards ceremony is coming up on Saturday so stay tuned for more pictures!

Just a random day at the park

2010-05-10T12:39:00.000-05:00

Trying to sell our house is a lot of work!

2010-04-30T10:02:00.003-05:00

We've had our house on the market for 3 months now and we are starting to get frustrated. We want it to sell like yesterday! I'm really just getting tired of having to keep it clean with two small boys constantly coming behind me and messing it up again. Over the weekend there were some pretty bad storms that came through and wrecked havoc on our yard so Sunday we knew we would have to get out and clean it up. Well, Sunday morning when we got up we saw that one of our huge hickory trees had snapped and fallen onto two other trees. If those trees wouldn't have been there it would have hit the house for sure. At first we were thankful but now that we found out the insurance company won't cover it unless it had hit the house we are a bit disappointed. We really don't have $500 to remove the tree right now. So we are waiting to see how God will provide for us! He is our provider afterall.
Now the bright side of all this cleaning and yardwork: great photo opportunities! Enjoy!

2010 Easter Fun!

2010-04-29T15:46:00.003-05:00

Easter is such a fun holiday. Ryan is starting to remember past holidays much more vividly. He knows that I've been reusing his Easter basket each year so I had to say the Easter bunny fills his basket when he gets to our house. Oh, the deception. Why do we do this to our kids?

We also had an Easter party at our Sunday School teacher's house and it was such a great time. They live a little out of town on a gorgeous property next to a field with cows. Aiden particularly loved the cows. As we were sitting having a picnic Scott and I were just commenting on how gorgeous everything was. Since we've been trying to sell our house Ryan has overheard us talking a lot about different properties we might buy, so I think he thought that's what were doing here, because the next thing he said was "this is a great place. It has a big play set and we could put our pool right there in the middle..." He pointed to the front lawn and I think he was ready to move right in! Scott and I laughed and just agreed that it would be a great place to live but we were just visiting.

Coloring Easter Eggs with friends

2010-04-29T15:15:00.003-05:00

Coloring and hiding eggs is so much more fun with friends. It's a bit hard sometimes to pack everything up to go to a park especially when you are trying to fit in nap times and friend's nap times so we just invited our friends to our house and had a picnic in the back yard after coloring eggs. We finished the day off with an egg hunt. Lots of fun!

Ryan's prayer time

2010-04-08T20:55:00.002-05:00

Ryan's prayers always bless my heart. I know God smiles. Tonight he prayed the following:
"Lord, we love all the people in the world, especially those who don't know God and the Bible. And God, when I grow up I might become a missionary. Amen." So I told him that was a wonderful thing to pray and I asked him if he knew what a missionary is. He said, "it's someone who tells people about God and that he loves them." I said "That's right, and that would be a wonderful thing to be when you grow up." He said, yeah, or I could be a Karate Ninja!

I did all I could to not laugh. I just kissed him and said "I love you and good night."

Daddy's 38th birthday on April 1---and that's no joke!

2010-04-08T14:57:00.004-05:00

Everyone likes licking the beaters and bowl!

We made cupcakes this year so we would only have to use one candle. 38 candles might have been reason to call the fire department!

I didn't have my camera with me for this one, but you will thank me later...

2010-03-31T15:05:00.003-05:00

First you need to look at the pictures in my last post. Do you have that image in your head really clear? Ok, then go on with me for a day in the life with 2 boys. When I picked up Ryan from school today the weather was gorgeous. We couldn't go home on a day like this, so I took him and Aiden to the park. It's actually called the Mall for you locals. It's a nice big open field to run around and let the boys burn off some energy. There is a little old playground there along with some sand boxes that both boys love. We took Ryan's soccer ball and kicked it around and then I just let the boys run free. They were in heaven. Kind of like letting dogs out of a small fenced back yard.....

Speaking of dogs....if you have a dog and take it for a walk in the parks this post is for you! For the love of all that is pure and good, please, please, please pick up your poop! Ok, do you still have the image of the chocolate kiss in Aiden's hand from my last post? Well, it happened again today, but it wasn't a chocolate kiss! That's right, he grabbed the dog poop and had it all smeared on his hands. Ok, I know you are gagging. I almost threw up too. But I'm the one who had to grab him and carry him all the way back down to the van and clean him up with wipes and water from a 1/3 full water bottle. It was not a pretty or nice smelling afternoon. I managed to get all of us in the van with only a little watered down dog poop smell lingering along with us. We drove straight home and like dogs hanging out the window for fresh air we survived.

A few hours later, we are home, showered and overcoming the mild trauma. Aiden is down for a nap and, oh by the way, I know you are wondering....no, he did not get any in his mouth! Thank you God for small blessings!

This is what happens if you give a Hershey Kiss to a 19 month old in the van! Don't do it--even if he was screaming for it.

2010-03-28T09:57:00.001-05:00

Busy week, fun girl time, blown budget!

2010-03-26T02:22:00.002-05:00

This was a busy week. It seems every day something out of the ordinary was going on. I started a new ladies Bible study on Tuesday, had soccer practice later that night, had a Real Estate Agent's luncheon on Wednesday at our house (which meant cleaning the day before,) and tonight I got to go to Kidsmarket-a huge consignment sale which was a ton of fun. And by the way tomorrow is Parent's Night Out at the Church (woo hoo!)

After dropping off the boys tonight at Scott's office I drove through a terrible thunderstorm and later to find out which was a tornado watch. I was praying nearly the entire way and just as I made one of the last turns to get to the consignment sale, the rain slowed down and I saw a beautiful rainbow. Thank you God for your beautiful promises.

The sale is a little overwhelming. I should have loaded up on caffeine beforehand. There is so much to look through and choose from, I decided to take it in shifts. I actually just took a break so I could have dinner with my friend Katie. I think this might easily become a tradition for us. This is my second year to consign along with Katie. We had gone to consign our things a couple of weeks back at 3:45am --yes that is in the wee hours of the morning. The earlier you get there the better shopping time you get. And lo and behold we got in the first shopping group-which means better picks of the discounts. The trouble was I didn't have a baby sitter today so I actually had to go 2 hours later than I was assigned. Tragedy I know, but Katie was faitfhul and made it there early. She was also kind to wait for me and stay for dinner at O'Charley's. After we had a great meal and great girl time I headed back to the sale. And I'm so glad I did. This time loaded up on soup and salad, I actually found more great things becuase some things had been put back on the shelf that weren't there the first go around. It made me want to go back even again tomorrow to see what else will have been reshelved (but that's not happening.) Budget is blown! I just hope what I earn from my sales will cover what I spent. Fun memories!

I really need to keep a camera with me at all times! I wish I had a picture of the night.

6 Flags Over Trussville-Spring Break

2010-03-21T20:47:00.006-05:00

This Spring Break was pretty puny in the weather department so we didn't have a whole lot planned. We did hear that the carnival was coming to town so I definitely put that on the list of things to do. Last year we had seen the rides going up and planned on going but somehow missed it, and when we saw them taking down the rides Ryan had a fit. He was so sad and talked about it for about a month after. He just couldn't understand why we didn't go. SO this year there was no way I was going to miss it..or so I thought. We had planned on going at 1pm but there was a sign saying it wasn't open. I couldn't believe that I had to tell Ryan we couldn't go. I said "I have some bad news," and he started to cry that silent cry that about ripped my heart out. But we went ahead and made some plans to meet a couple of his friends at Burger King to play on the playground and have a milkshake. While we were there we heard the carnival would be opening at 4pm so I told Ryan I had a surprise for him. When I told him we were going to the carnival afterall you would have thought I told him we were going to Disney. The bad thing was I didn't bring my camera because I thought we weren't going. The good thing was my friend Katie had hers and took these pictures for us.The official name of this ride was the Sizzler but for some reason Ryan called it the Thunderbird....not sure why. Maybe it was the way the seats looked like they had wings...whatever the reason, it was fast! They started out in the seats on opposite sides but the force of the ride made them slide across and squish the inside person. It was hilarious! I must admit it scared me a bit though.

The Sizzler...or the Thunderbird was by far his favorite ride. He also liked the bumper cars but we didn't get a picture of those.
This was a mini-roller coaster and you would have thought he was in heaven. At first when Aiden saw him he cried, but after about 3 times he saw Ryan waas having fun and he cheered him on.

This was a runner up for his favorite ride. The top of the stairs was about 40 feet in the air and they slid down on the little blankets. He probably climbed to the top 10 times and road this again and again throughout the afternoon.

This was the only ride that could fit all his friends at the same time. The little girl next to Ryan is the same age as Aiden, but no way would Aiden sit still in the ride. I could just see Aiden trying to climb out, so he just sat in his stroller and watched from the side.

The motorcycles were pretty cool but according to Ryan they didn't go fast enough! He even stood up at one point to do tricks so the carnival guy had to stop the ride to make him sit down. oops! All in all it was a great time! By the way...notice we were sporting our green for St. Patrick's day!

Soccer has begun!

2010-03-21T20:37:00.004-05:00

Soccer practice began on March 8th...and Ryan is loving it. We only have practice once a week and then a game once a week. This is a much better schedule than t-ball. Ryan just got tired of going so much to T-ball practice and then Saturday games too. Now he asks everyday if we have soccer practice. We shall see how long tha lasts. I hope he continues to enjoy it. The hardest part is Aiden wants to play too. I'm truly considering getting one of those monkey harness leash things. I said I would never be one of those moms...but lo and behold I'm considering it! I am thankful that Scott is not coaching this year because I need all the help I can get!

A new road

2010-03-19T01:21:00.006-05:00

I've been thinking about starting a new blog to record the things that travel through the road map of my mind. Sometimes my musings seem a bit inappropriate for posting here. I mean aren't family blogs merely for the purpose of posting pictures of your adorable children? Well, I might be crazy but I have so many thoughts on stuff! Instead of adding a new blog, I'm going to just simplify and add those thoughts or memories to my current blog. Go figure....Be forewarned though....they may or may not make sense, and you may or may not agree. I would love to hear from you nonetheless.

As I type, I'm laying in bed at 1am. My carpal tunnel and my tenditnitis are killing me especially in the slumped position I'm laying in next to my hubby...who by the way is snoring away. I wish I could sleep like that.

I'm not sure why I feel I have the need to record my thoughts. I'm not even sure who would read them. Perhaps it is just another way of passing the time while I can't sleep. Perhaps I think someone will read these words and relate and be a bit encouraged on their own journey. Part of me is a bit scared I will type something that someone might misinterprate and be lead astray. But in actuality I think I'm typing these words simply so I won't forget the moment in time. I have a terrible memory. It has pretty much always been that way. I think my mom was that way.

Anyway, I feel like I'm on a new road. A road that can really be traveled by whosoever choses. Some days the forecast may be stormy, some days it may be cold or even bonechilling. But hopefully somedays will be nice, calm sun-shining kind of days. I hope you join in and have fun on the ride while I am simply making memories.

Stop Spinal Muscular Atrophy!!!

2010-03-11T09:39:00.006-06:00

All you have to do is provide your email, name, and b-date the first time but they will not spam your inbox. AND THEN VOTE EVERY DAY unitl March 31. They are currently in 4th place and need to get to 2nd place to win the grant of 250K!

Here's the story:
Yesterday I went to a breakfast with a group of ladies and met a very interesting mom who has a very important message! Her niece has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. You are probably asking what is that? I hadn't heard of it either. The face you see on the widget and Pepsi website is my friend's niece.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy is the number one genetic killer of children under two years old. Symptoms include severe weakness in the entire body. Babies are too weak to roll over, sit up, crawl. Children are too weak to stand or walk. Victims of SMA can lose head control, ability to swallow, ability to make facial expressions. Babies, kids and adults with Spinal Muscular Atrophy have weak lung capacity and which is often the cause of death. A common cold can lead to hospital stays and can cause a child to lose strength they never get back. But to top it all off their brains are fully aware and functioning.

The good news is that research is very promising. Researchers know the gene that causes SMA and the defective gene has a rare "back up" gene, that can be a source of therapy. These two facts makes SMA the neuromuscular disorder closest to a cure according to the National Institute of Health. So let's push SMA research over the finish line.

Please do not ignore this. It is so easy to just vote each day. And you could help change America!

Spaghetti night

2010-03-10T19:20:00.002-06:00

All three of my boys love spaghetti...but I think Aiden likes to wear it almost as much as he does eating it!

Notice his foot propped up on the table.....let's just all get comfy while we eat!

SNOW AGAIN!!!

2010-03-02T09:38:00.004-06:00

Yes it is March 2, and it is snowing AGAIN! This has been the craziest winter. I still don't understand all the hype about global warming. I was wondering if Ryan's preschool was going to be open this morning, so I called my friend Katie and she didn't seem to see why they would close the school. She said it was mostly just rain. She probably thought I was crazy, so I decided to go ahead and take Ryan because it was going to be picture day. Well, when I crossed the Interstate there was absolutely no snow in Trussville. I couldn't believe it was that different, so I'm posting a picture of my front yard just to show the difference in 2 miles. I'm beginning to think mother nature just has it out for me! And yes by the way that is a for sale sign in the front yard....if you know of anyone looking, please let me know!

This was just a random picture of the boys watching TV. I'm still scared of the day that the sibling rivalry starts, but for now I'm enjoying that they get along. I just loved the way Aiden was leaning up agains big brother. This is my little climber. He is going to be the death of me! He climbs up everything...the stairs, the couch, the table! I've even caught him on the back porch steps at night when we had just the screen door open. In this picture he is actually going down backwards. All we have to do is say "come on Aiden let's go get in the van" and he turns around and sits down and starts sliding down the steps backwards.

I'm so ready for Spring so we can get outside and play more without having to bundle up in layers and gloves. ughh! Come on Spring....

Mardi Gras at Orange Beach

2010-02-15T10:11:00.007-06:00

Just got back from a fun trip to Orange Beach with my friend Katie and her kids. We left Thursday right after the boys got out of school and can you believe they were predicting snow? We thought nah! there won't be a problem. Well, we got down to the condo at about 6pm and our husbands were suppose to come the following night after work. Well, plans had to change. Friday brought a snow storm that covered the state of Alabama and the guys couldn't travel down. We had the news playing all day just hoping the weatherman would say something different, but as time went on the forecast just got worse. It was so ironic that all the facebook comments were so excited about the snow, but there we sat at the beach dreaming of sunshine. But unfortunately the snow wasn't even the worst of it. Hudson, Ryan's friend, got the stomach bug. So the boys didn't get to play much at first. It was a long day for them, but hey...I rather be at the beach in the cold than stuck at home.

Saturday was like the seasons changed! The sunshine came out and it was absolutely gorgeous! Hudson still wasn't 100% but the kids played with a thousand toys at the condo and we managed to have a great time. The guys decided to come on down and got there around 3pm. That evening there was a Mardi Gras parade and it was wonderful. Very family friendly. The kids had a blast catching all the beads and toys and stuffed animals that the paraders would throw from the floats. We told Ryan he could be as loud as he wanted and he was! He screamed and whistled and waved at the floats and they threw a ton of stuff! Even Aiden was having a good time. I hate that I didn't get better pictures. We all got caught up in the fun of it. Afterwards the boys had so much bling they didn't know what to do with it all!

Sunday was time to come home and it was another gorgeous day. We made a stop at the Shark Store so the kids could get a Valentine souvenir. Ryan is obsessed with Sharks so he got a hammerhead puppet shark and a big one that he calls Jaws. We ate lunch at Lamberts-Home of the Throwed Rolls, and the kids had a blast. I guess I should say we all are kids, bc we all enjoyed ourselves. It was time to head back to the 'ham but we lingered by shopping at the Outlets and then of course any trip wouldn't be complete without a trip to Walmart half way back. I had to buy a new blow dryer to have at home bc mine exploded the second day of the trip. Ryan of course had to make a detour through the toy section since it was Valentine's Day. Scott and I had promised each other to not spend anything on V-day this year bc we are trying to pinch and save to buy a new house. I mean I made him promise! Well, when we got home he had roses waiting for me! I of course melted, but scolded "You promised!" He said he saw them in the store and was talking to an older man saying that we promised not to get each other anything. Well, the old man said "Its a trap son, they always want something!" So Scott got them for me! I laughed so hard, I couldn't be upset! They are quite beautiful! I love my men! Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's day too!

2010-02-05T11:15:00.002-06:00

The year has been a bit depressing because we've had such cold weather. I gave Scott a new grill for Christmas but he hadn't even had a chance to put it together (at the time of these pictures in January). We decided to cook some corn on the cob...just because we are longing for a summer cookout. It was Aiden's first time to have corn on the cob. We at first would cut if off but he kept fussing because he wanted to hold it like we were. Well, you can tell from the pictures that he loved it! After all of that he needed a good bath. Ryan loves playing in the tub with his brother. The latest craze is to play rock star. Below is the famous pose.

2010-02-05T11:05:00.005-06:00

We had a great time ringing in the new year with Scott's family down at Destin, Fl. Instead of doing Christmas we spent the week at a condo his parents rented. It was a bit cool, but the kids had a great time! Our condo was located right on the beach across from the Outlet malls. Can you believe I only bought one shirt for Ryan? I know..... Still we had lots of fun. I think next year we should take a cruise! I'm liking this new vacation tradition for Christmas.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-29T15:38:00.006-06:00

It is our tradition to always open up one gift on Christmas Eve. So before going to church for the Christmas Eve candlelight service we all had fun tearing into the paper except Scott because I surprised him with a new grill. I had to buy it on Christmas Eve so he wouldn't know and I had to keep it in the van until the last minute...it was way too heavy for me to get out by myself.

I loved the calendar the boys gave me. I can display a photo on each month's page.

Aiden loved his push popper. I have a feeling this is going to be the cause of some headaches, but lots of fun!

Yes, boxing gloves. He LOVES them! I'm hoping he can burn off some of the boy energy!

Trying to get that great Christmas card picture...uggh!

2009-12-29T15:23:00.003-06:00

Trying to get that perfect Christmas card picture is always such a chore. I almost didn't send out cards because I could never get a picture without one of them with their eyes closed, or looking away, or jumping off a rock, etc. But I finally got lucky with this black and white. The others are some of the not so poised ones.

Ryan's Christmas program at the WEE center.

2009-12-18T13:43:00.004-06:00

I was running a little late (as usual now that I have Aiden to get ready) so I had to sit in the back. As the kids all entered in, Ryan didn't see me. He began to pout and I could read his lips on my zoomed camera. He said "my mama didn't come." :( That broke my heart and I stood up and started waving and it got his attention and the biggest smile popped on his face and he made the I love you sign with his hands. And I got a picture of it - priceless!

If you look closely to his right hand you can see the I love you sign.

Gingerbread party and Letter requesting Rocco the magic elf to spend the Christmas season with us.

2009-12-10T15:42:00.002-06:00

Ryan enjoys making Gingerbread houses each year at the Wee center, but this year I think he almost ate more candy than he decorated with.

Make a Smilebox greeting

2009 Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T11:15:00.002-06:00