A Day on the McDonald Farm

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

2010-06-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm a slacker and didn't get a card in the mail so I asked the kids what they wanted to say to you on Fathers' Day and this is what they said. Thanks for being a great Daddy and loving us so much. We miss you and can't wait for you to come home!

Daddy's Babies!!!

I love my Daddy because he takes us places, gives us stuff when he comes home, and keeps our country safe. Heath McDonald, age 8

I love you Bobby McDonald. I love him so much because he loves me. He is in my family.

Eli McDonald, age 6.

Daddy and boys trip to Atlanta to the Monster Truck Show!!

I love you. My Daddy takes pictures. He takes me to Disney World. Caroline McDonald, age 3.

One of the kids favorite activities to do with Daddy....wash cars!!!

I love Daddy. I play with Daddy. Daddy runs! Chloe McDonald, age 3.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Dance Recital 2010

2010-06-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

Backstage with their friend Brooklyn.

Chloe on stage.....she rub her eye so it looks like she has a black eye!

Caroline dancing!!!

Tap number......they caught fish at the end.

On stage with the whole studio for the finale.

The girls had their first dance recital! After many dance recitals in my lifetime it was weird to be on the other side of the process. I completely understand what my Mom meant when she said that she didn't really remember what the dance was like until she watched it at the actual recital even though she had sat through rehearsal because I was the same way. I was so concerned with getting pictures(which aren't great but I did get some) and trying to video that I didn't really even watch them at rehearsal. On the way home from rehearsal Chloe yelled from the backseat, "Mom, you listening? That was fun!!!" It was totally worth sitting in the studio every week trying to keep Heath and Eli occupied for an hour when I heard that come out of her mouth. The both danced and remembered most all of the movements......which is rare for children their age. They smiled and looked like they really enjoyed themselves. They have asked already when they get to dance and sing on the big stage again. I did learn a few lessons.....their hair does not curl well so next year they will get a bun, Chloe doesn't like mascara, and Caroline loves lipstick!!!

P.S. I worked for over an hour trying to get video to upload.....there was an error so I will try again when I have more time!

Happy Memorial Day

2010-06-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

The best picture I could get on Memorial Day Sunday......it took forever to get this one!!! Maybe one day they will take a good picture together.

Heath Finishes Primary School!

2010-06-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

Heath helped lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Getting his certificate from Mrs. Comeau.

Singing the dreaded song.....yes Mom cried the entire time!

Clap Out....getting a hug from Mrs. Shirey his favorite counselor!

Mrs. Comeau....the best 2nd grade teacher ever!!

He finished 2nd grade last week. He had the best teacher and she pushed him to learn new things and think for himself. He was challenged daily by the kids in his class as well as Mrs. Comeau. He will "graduate" to the Elementary school next year and so this was a bittersweet last day of school. He loved attending Lake Joy Primary and loved the teachers he had the privilege of seeing everyday. They had a very long awards assembly on the last day of school as well as what they called a "Clap Out." The Clap Out was where all the teachers and children in the school lined the halls and the 2nd graders walked the halls of the school getting cheers, claps, and high fives from the children and staff. Look at Lake Joy Elementary.....Heath is on his way!

Our Kindergarten Graduate!

2010-06-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Singing his song about Kindergarten.

Hugging Mrs. Kiefer when she gave him the Teddy Graham Award.

Eli with his Top Reader Medal.

Eli Loves Mrs. Kiefer and Mrs. Volkert!!!

Eli finished Kindergarten last week. He has grown up so much in the last year and I don't like it!! He is reading and writing up a storm and working really hard at adding and subtracting. He had such a great experience with Mrs. Kiefer and Mrs. Volkert this year. He will miss them very much and so will I. He won a medal for being the top boy reader in his class. He was also given the "Teddy Graham" award from his teachers for giving the best hugs in class!

Chloe and Caroline End of Year Party/Program

2010-06-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Ice Cream!!!

Last Dance of the Year!!

Singing their little hearts out!

The whole class!

We Love Miss Wren!!!!

Chloe and Caroline finished 3 year-old preschool! They had an ice cream party and a end-of-the-year program. The girls had so much fun in Miss Wren's class this year. They have grown so much and learned a lot along the way. They will miss all the fun activities that Miss Wren had planned each day of preschool. They will also miss those sweet boys and girls that they call friends!

May School Events #1

2010-05-17T08:09:00.001-07:00

May has been really busy and these are a few pics from the activities we have done so far. The girls had Muffins for Moms right before Mother's Day. They were so excited for Mommy to come and eat muffins with them. They also had a little gift for me which was a handprint mold! The boys participated in the Boosterthon Fun Run at their school. They both maxed their lap count at 35! They had a lot of fun but were very hot and tired when it was over. They also had Field Day at school. They both did the potato sack race, the crab walk, various class relays and competitions. They both loved getting their new shirts and spending time just playing at school!

RA Camporee

2010-04-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

Heath and Bobby went on a two-night camp out with the RA's to Camp Kaleo. They stayed in tents, sat by the campfires, ate smores, and did boy stuff. They had competitions in BB guns, canoes, fire-building, archery, and many other things. Heath had so much fun and they both came home tired and very dirty!!!

Soccer!!!

2010-04-28T11:04:00.001-07:00

Soccer is in full swing and the boys are having a ball!! Eli really understands this year and loves games....practice he is not to fond of but he loves a real game! I found out from the coaches wife that he was actually ranked the highest player on the team. (They do evaluations before the season to make sure the teams are as even as possible so that one team doesn't get all the good players.) I was shocked to find that out but was very proud of him at the same time. Heath is full force as always and his coach is trying to teach him to control himself so that he can control the ball. This will be a good lesson for him to learn because when they have the opening kick-off he goes as hard and fast as he can and sometimes misses good opportunities because he is trying so hard. So if it is Saturday morning or Monday evening you will find us at the soccer fields!!!

Random Pics from Easter and Early Spring

2010-04-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pics. The first two are Easter that I forgot to include in the Easter post and the others are just some pics from the Lane Packing playground.

Heath's Art

2010-04-14T18:14:00.001-07:00

Heath's Art Project was chosen to be displayed at the mall for Youth Arts Month. Heath seems to love everything about school but when you ask him what his favorite thing at school is 9 times out of 10 he tells you Art. I was so happy for him that his work was chosen. There are 600 students at his school and there were 30 children's pieces chosen to display so I was so proud of him!

Easter 2010

2010-04-12T10:05:00.001-07:00

Chloe and Caroline at their pre-school Easter Egg Hunt!

The girls had an Easter Egg Hunt at school. Thank heaven Daddy was able to take them because I had the flu. They had lots of fun and practiced hunting eggs for several days after that. We then had an Easter Egg Hunt at church on the Saturday before Easter. The kids love the hunt at church because their are so many eggs to pick from. Heath learned his lesson from last year and he looked for the carrots but picked up eggs along the way too. We made our "Jesus" biscuits before lunch and enjoyed a wonderful Easter weekend!

Eli Turns Six!

2010-04-12T09:51:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that my baby boy turned six! He is growing up so much and becoming such a big boy. He had his birthday during spring break so he got to celebrate at school the Friday before, then got to open some presents on his actual birthday, and then have cake and ice cream and open the rest on Saturday. He was so excited about his birthday and kept asking me, "Am I six yet?" When I put his to bed on the his birthday night he asked me, "if I go to sleep will I still be six tomorrow?" Happy Birthday Eli....we love you!!

Disney Cruise 2010

2010-03-08T06:09:00.000-08:00

We went on a Disney Cruise while the kids were out of school for Winter Break. We had a lot of fun but I am so glad that we only did a 3-day cruise because everyone was really tired and worn out from all of the fun and excitement by the end of it. The boys and Caroline really enjoyed the kids club......Chloe kept having them page us to come and get her. The minute we checked her out of the club though, she wanted to go right back. They have great children's programs and the boys enjoyed playing the video games and working on the computers. We spent the evening going to dinner and the shows. I have to say the shows were my favorite part of the cruise.....they were really good. The kids loved Mickey's pool. It was a pool just for kids with Mickey's ears being warmer water and it had a slide that Eli and Heath liked. We got off the boat in the Bahamas and just walked around the shopping areas and the straw market. It didn't take us long because the kids are not good shoppers!! We spent that afternoon swimming and exploring the ships activities. Castaway Cay was Disney's island and the girls and Heath loved the beach. Eli is enough like his Daddy that when it got crowded....he was ready to go. I didn't do a good job on sunscreen so everyone got some sun!! After lunch we went back to the ship and went swimming and to the movies!

Favorites from the kids: Heath-the pool and kids club

Eli- Toy Story the musical

Chloe - swimming pool

Caroline- swimming pool and beach

In the welcome center while we were registering.

Our Dinner Date without the children!

Every night we had a different towel animal!

Mickey

The Bahamas

Donald Duck

Cinderella

Princess and the Frog

Belle

Snow White

Heath

Eli

Chloe

Caroline

Castaway Cay with the Disney Wonder in the background.

Castaway Cay with the sun in their eyes.

Chip and Dale

We have so many more pictures but this is a little bit of the things that we saw and the things we enjoyed! I can't wait to go on another cruise.....but I am not so sure Bobby is ready for another!!

Random Pictures February 2010

2010-02-16T05:32:00.000-08:00

Heath out in the backyard!
Chloe and Caroline Valentine's Day!

Front of our house the day after the snow in GA.

Ashes in the snow. He hates rain but loved the snow!

Eli eating breakfast. Isn't he cute!!

Derby Car Race 2010

2010-02-16T05:16:00.000-08:00

All of the kids watching the races.
Heath watching his car race.

Heath's car is on the left.

Eli watching his race.

Eli getting his ribbon.

Heath's RA group had Derby Car races recently. They spent several weeks getting them built and painted and then they had the races. Heath was very disappointed because he didn't win. He had several races and won a few but didn't place. After his age group was over they said they were going to race the pre-k/kdg age group. This group is siblings of other RA boys but I didn't let Eli make his own car because I wanted this to be something special for Heath. While we were standing there watching the races Bobby asked Heath is Eli could use his car and race. Surprisingly, Heath said yes and off Eli went to race. He actually did really well and I think came in about 4th but they gave all the participants a ribbon just for participating. Heath was really cheering Eli on because he knew that if Eli did good it was because he was racing his car!!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T12:25:00.000-08:00

Feeding the Reindeer and lighting sparklers.

In front of the tree in our Christmas pajamas.

After Santa came!

What Santa left in the backyard.

Eli with his new Buzz Lightyear!

Heath and his Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 car.

Caroline with her dress-up clothes! Santa hit the jackpot with these!

Chloe with her doctor kit! They love to take blood pressures and give shots!

Christmas was exciting as usual. We went to church on Christmas Eve and then came home to feed the reindeer and get ready for Santa. While feeding the reindeer, Eli remembered that we lite sparklers last year and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and he demanded that we do it again. Luckily, I had a package left over and we got them and lit them. Heath woke up at 2 am on Christmas morning but I convinced him to go back to bed. He told us later that he had looked at every one's stuff but didn't mess with it. Eli was very excited to get the Buzz Lightyear he had been asking for and Chloe and Caroline got dress-up Princess clothes which were a big hit. Santa left a trampoline in the backyard but it has been pretty wet and very cold so we have not got to use it much but I know they will get good use of it once it warms up!

Christmas Parties

2010-01-01T08:02:00.001-08:00

Just some pics of the boys at their school Christmas parties. Eli had a ball making a Christmas tree from an ice cream cone (he ate icing by the spoon fulls!). Heath made a gingerbread house and did a great job! I forgot my camera at the girls. I am going to get some pics from their teacher and edit this post then!

C & C Christmas Dance Program

2010-01-01T07:59:00.001-08:00

Chloe and Caroline have been taking ballet and they had a program for Christmas. It was a chance for the children to show what they have been learning as well as get them used to being on stage. They both did very well. I have video but I have yet to figure out how to upload it. When I figure it out I will edit and include it!

2009-12-18T08:26:00.000-08:00

Chloe and Caroline had there first singing program this week. They did so well......no tears and stayed on the stage.....that is big for 3 year olds! They have been singing the songs around the house and practicing very hard. They were so cute!

Christmas Parade 2009

2009-12-18T08:19:00.001-08:00

Heath is in the front with the yellow shirt on!

Waving to Santa!

Daddy forgot his coat....thank heaven for thermal underwear!

Waiting on the parade to get to us.

The Christmas Parade was really cold! You can see by the pics we are all bundled up trying to keep warm. Heath had a much different perspective of the parade this year because he rode on the float with the RA's from church. He was so excited to get to ride in the parade...he didn't even care that is was freezing cold! It was sort of weird not having him there with us watching the parade.....I guess this will start to be the norm......one of the kids will be involved in something so that we can't always experience everything together.

New Animal on the Farm

2009-12-18T08:15:00.000-08:00

Meet Ashes McDonald. He joined our family right before thanksgiving. He is Weimeraner and is now 10 weeks old. He is growing really fast! Bobby thought the kids were old enough to have a pet so here he is!!

Vacation Fall 2009

2009-11-28T06:51:00.000-08:00

Scooby Doo and Shaggy

Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat

Pteterdon Flyers- fyi if you have little ones around 36"-37" inches. I would not recommend this ride. The girls rode it the first day and Bobby and I both thought that they were going to fall off the ride at anytime. We were nervous wrecks on the entire ride so we don't really know if it was fun or not but the boys liked it and rode it twice.

Diego and the kids!

The teacups at Disney Christmas Party

The girls and Minnie Mouse.

Chloe and the boys with Spiderman. Caroline would wave and talk to him but wouldn't go anywhere near him!

Chloe and Heath with The Cat in the Hat. Eli and Caroline didn't want to touch him!

The kids on the Dr. Seuss playground. They really enjoyed this interactive play area!

Pleasure Island all dressed up for Christmas!

We went to Orlando for a long weekend right before Thanksgiving. We decided to true Universal Studios this time and we had fun but, we have decided that Universal is a place for people with much older children. There were a few things that the kids really had a lot of fun on but more of the attractions are geared toward older kids and teenagers. We did go to Disney for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and boy did we have fun. They close the park at 7pm for those that haven't purchased Christmas party tickets and they have a big Christmas Party. There are rides of course but they also have characters dressed in their Christmas attire all over the park, dance parties at various spots, hot chocolate and cookies, and of course the Christmas Parade and Fireworks! We had spent the morning at Universal and then went to Disney around 5pm. (They let you in with your Christmas Party ticket starting around 4pm.) I figured we would be taking out children who were fast asleep (it lasts until 12pm) but instead we took out children who were crying because they didn't want to leave!

Turkey Day School Parties

2009-11-28T06:41:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving brought about two different feasts to attend. The girls had a feast at preschool. They had make Indian costumes and headbands and sang a few songs before they sat down to eat. You can see a video of them singing below. Eli's class had a Thankful Thinking Feast. They had to make a list of everything they were thankful for and then they got to sample a few foods traditional to Thanksgiving. He also was chosen to be an Indian and had made his costume, necklace, and headband.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T11:32:00.001-08:00

The pics are a little out of order for the events of the day but you will get the idea that we had a very busy Halloween Day. The kids started off the day by carving the pumpkin with their Daddy. He did most/all the work but they were very happy with the results. Eli stayed very close the entire time and was very interested in what his Daddy was doing. Then we took a short nap and went the church's Harvest Festival. I didn't realize until I downloaded all the pics of the day onto the computer that I didn't get any pictures of the kids at the festival. They played lots of games and got lots of candy. Just as we were getting ready to get on the hayride it started raining(it had rained earlier but we were inside the tent) so we decided to head to the car for home. There was only 30 minutes left of festival time so we figured by the time it cleared off
(if it cleared off) it would be time for it to be over anyway. We came home and got our costumes on and went to Publix. The kids love to go to Publix on Halloween and play the games and win the prizes. Then we grabbed some dinner and went out to trick-or-treat. I made the girls change from the princess dresses because they drug the ground and it was wet. I wanted them to be able to play in the dresses again and I knew if they wore them the would get ruined. They put on their Georgia cheerleader outfits but they told everyone they were in Boomer Sooner clothes so I guess they are little confused about which team is which! Everyone was really tired after the days festivities and slept really good that night!!

Eli's Big Week!!!

2009-11-02T07:33:00.001-08:00

Eli has had one exciting week! First he sang in "Big Church" on Sunday evening with his choir group. The video is below. Then on Tuesday he came home with Star Student stuff. He told me he got it in PE so I emailed his teacher and asked if he was supposed to have the stuff. She said that he indeed was the Star Student and that the pass out their rewards in PE so she never knows when they will find out so that is why she hadn't let me know yet. We are so proud of him for being such a good boy at school! On Thursday evening while I was working on homework with him while his sisters where at ballet, I saw his tooth looked funny. I told him to open his mouth and let me look at it and when he did I could tell it was loose. We wiggled it a lot and tried to get it out on Thursday evening because his "Big Boy" tooth had already popped through behind it and it wouldn't come out. But on Friday, I was looking at it and pulled it forward and when I pushed it back it popped right out! He got a silver dollar from the tooth fairy and he is so excited to have lost a tooth! Eli is growing up too fast!!!

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-10-24T11:58:00.001-07:00

We made our yearly trek to the pumpkin patch. Bobby took lots of pics. You can see that Eli was determined to be a clown! After looking at the pumpkins they had for sale and the few they had in the patch, we decided to get in the car and head to Publix. They had a lot bigger pumpkins that were a lot cheaper! The kids still had fun looking at everything and playing on the playground.

Eli's Community Helper Day

2009-10-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

Eli has been studying community helpers at school and on Thursday got to dress-up as his favorite community helper. I went threw out a list of all the helpers I could think of and he decided on being a "Cooker Man." He loves to help me with a recipe in the kitchen so he already had his own special spatula. We borrowed an apron from Grandpa and I found a hat at Michael's. He was so excited to get to wear all of his stuff to school. He asked every morning for a week if it was Community Helper day yet.

50's Day/Football Day

2009-10-24T11:37:00.001-07:00

The kids both had special dress up days on the same day. First the boys had 50's day to celebrate the 50th day of school. The dressed in their best 50's attire and learned a little of what it was like in the 50's. They listened to 50's music, ate french fries, had coke floats, had a visit from Zero the Hero, and hula-hooped. They really had a good time and looked cute too! The girls were having Football Day at school. They had been studying the letter Ff and so they all had to dress up in their favorite football team. It was very hard for me to let both of the girls go in Georgia Bulldog attire but it was late notice and too hard to get something OU for them. They know Boomer Sooner when they hear it and even tell people we know that are Sooner fans, "Boomer" on a regular basis.

Daddy Comes Home #2

2009-10-24T11:26:00.001-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I updated the blog but it has been really busy around here this month. To start the month, Daddy came home again! The kids were so excited to go and pick him up. He had a surprise for them! He brought home real lobsters from Maine where they fly into and process back into the states! The kids thought they were really cool when they were alive but didn't so much like the taste of them!

Georgia National Fair 2009

2009-10-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

We visited the Georgia National Fair while the kids were out of school for Fall Break. They had so much fun looking at all the animals and seeing all the sights. They could not wait for the Circus but about 15 minutes into the circus the girls fell asleep! We saw and touched lots of animals. Caroline really wanted to see the pigs but unfortunately they were not there the week we went. The girls have been asking to go back to the fair ever since. I can't wait until next year. I am going to get that apple dumpling that I have been wishing I had gotten ever since we left!

Rocket Launch 2009

2009-09-21T10:20:00.001-07:00

The RA's at church have been working on building rockets the past couple of weeks. Heath has been so excited to finally get to launch them. We had a picnic after church on Sunday and then they were off to launch rockets. They launched 63 rockets! Each child had the chance to launch theirs twice if they wanted. At first Heath didn't want to because he didn't want his rocket to blow up where Bobby couldn't see it but after watching others do it twice he changed his mind. He put his rocket up on the launch pad for the second time and then yelled, "Eli come here. I'm going to let you launch it." I was completely amazed at the fact that he was letting Eli launch it after he was so worried about it getting messed up. I was also very proud of him for letting his brother have some fun. Eli was enjoying watching but he was really wanting to get out there and do it himself. I don't have any pics of Eli because he launched it so fast when he got up there that I missed it. On the video of Heath's launch you can here Eli say, "Blast-off!"

Big Boy Weekend

2009-09-21T10:11:00.001-07:00

I had a weekend planned just for the boys but the weather didn't cooperate. I think they had fun anyways. On Saturday, after Heath's football game, we went to Atlanta with the intentions of going to Six Flags. They were having Air Force Day and I thought the boys would like to go and ride some of the rides. We left home and the weather was great but the closer we got to Atlanta the darker it got and when we got on the outskirts of Atlanta it started raining. I had anticipated the rain and had a "plan b" in my back pocket just in case. I explained to the boys that with the weather the way it was we wouldn't have any fun at Six Flags and would be soaking wet so we were going to go the Children's Museum. At first they weren't thrilled but when we got inside they loved every minute of it. On the Museum website it says most people stay around 2 hours well, we were there 3 and they would have stayed longer if it wasn't closing! On the way home, after sitting in classic Atlanta traffic for 2 hours, Heath said, "Thanks Mom for plan b, it was fun!"

First Haircuts

2009-09-16T10:31:00.001-07:00

The girls got their first haircuts this week. Technically they are not the first haircuts because I have trimmed their bangs when they were a lot smaller but this was the first time they had been to have an official haircut at a salon. Chloe was very eager to get up in the chair and get a trim but Caroline was more reserved. Once Caroline figured out that it was not going to hurt she was all smiles. They were very excited when the finished and they got a lollipop!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Chloe and Caroline!!!

2009-08-30T17:51:00.001-07:00

The girls turned three last Friday. They had 3 days of birthday festivities! On Thursday, they had their birthday snack at preschool. On Friday, they had their 3 year well-check and opened presents from Paw-Paw and Maw-Maw. On Saturday, they had a little birthday party with Granny and Grandpa and Aunt Lawanna. They had so much fun are so excited to be 3!!! Here are the pics from our festivities and no Daddy these aren't all but you can see the rest when you get home!

The morning of their birthday.....aren't they cute!

Chloe at preschool.....she licked the plate when she finished her cupcake!

Caroline at preschool.....she was wearing most of it on her face!

Presents from Paw-Paw and Maw-Maw.

Wow! $3!!!

Their Dora and Diego cake.

Singing and blowing out candles.

Opening presents!!!

Preschool Here We Come!!

2009-08-26T10:24:00.001-07:00

The girls started Preschool today. They go Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9am-12pm. They have been talking about school since last year when we would take Eli and pick him up and finally today they got to go to school! They were so excited to get to have a backpack and get their pictures taken (you can't tell by the pictures because they wouldn't cooperate once I got the camera). Mrs. Wren is their teacher and they are very excited about having friends! I spent the 3 hours while they were at school at Heath and Eli's school cutting out things and making stuff for the teachers! More to come tomorrow when they take cupcakes to school for their birthday!

Dora Live!

2009-08-24T09:15:00.001-07:00

We traveled to Atlanta this weekend to see Dora the Explorer Live! The girls have been so excited about going to see Dora and I think they boys were just as excited but wouldn't admit it. We had good seats and the kids were very well behaved. The fox Theater in Atlanta is beautiful. Dora puts on a really good interactive show so the kids get involved and get to wave their stars, sing, dance, and help Dora find her lost teddy bear. Thanks Daddy for buying us the tickets we had a really good time!

Football 2009

2009-08-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

Football started this weekend! Heath was very excited and couldn't wait to get there! He had several long runs and played very well. He got a grey star for best offense.

Ballet!!!!

2009-08-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

My Mom would be so proud. My babies started Ballet today. They have been talking about ballet and wanting to go to ballet so bad and today they finally go to go! They looked so little and tiny in their ballet leotards. The school they attend has parents to wait outside so I have no idea what they did once the door closed but it was supposed to be 30 minutes of ballet and 30 minutes of gymnastics. When I asked them what they did Chloe said, "I did a flip!" Caroline just said, "I go back next time." Chloe came out crying and the teacher said she was upset because she didn't get to pick which sticker she got (the rule is you take what you get!). I told that teacher that she was fine and she just needs to learn the rules and play by them! Here are the pics....

Royal Ambassador

2009-08-14T19:41:00.001-07:00

Heath is so excited to be apart of RA's at our church. He went for the first time two weeks ago and was told to memorize the pledge so that he could receive his vest and RA patch. Of course, in typical Heath fashion he was determined to do it by the next Wednesday night. We set out learning on stanza per day until he had it all memorized. God was helping Heath out without Heath even realizing it because the day he was to say the pledge at church a new boy enrolled in his class at school. When I picked Heath up I told him we needed to practice his pledge before church and he said," Don't worry Mom I have been practicing it all day. The new boy in our class had on his RA t-shirt and I have been reading it off his back all day!" So I had him recite it and sure enough he had it totally memorized! He was so excited when he came down to my classroom to go home because not only did he get his vest but they also gave him a RA backpack to bring his stuff to church in.

First Day of School 2009

2009-08-04T05:58:00.000-07:00

The first day of school has arrived! In a way I was glad because we get back on a more predictable schedule but in another way I was sad. I have enjoyed spending more time with the boys this summer and I have loved them sleeping later in the morning! But with all of that said the first day of school has arrived!

The first day of school!

Mrs. Comeau Heath's 2nd Grade Teacher

Mrs. Kiefer Eli's Kindergarten Teacher

I can't believe that Heath is old enough to be in 2nd Grade. It was so great to see him happy to see his teachers from last year. This is the first time he is going back to a school that he has attended before. He didn't seem nervous at all and he even told me "Mom I know where everything is at this year!". Even though I can't believe Heath is old enough to be in the second grade it blows me away that Eli is starting Kindergarten. I was the crying mom this morning because I know that this is going to be a huge adjustment for him. He is not used to going to school all day and I am not used to him being gone all day. He will do great and I know they both are going to have a great day!

Random Summer Pics!

2009-07-16T10:37:00.001-07:00

Swim Lessons 2009

2009-07-16T10:21:00.001-07:00

We just finished swim lessons with the swim team. The boys really enjoyed lessons and they really learned a lot this year. We were very impressed with the amount of actual swimming instruction that the boys received. Heath can swim the freestyle and backstroke(with a little assistance). He is diving off the starting block and can swim about 10-15ft. unassisted! Eli is much more confident in the water and is not scared of going under or getting his face wet. He is really good at kicking! He forgets to kick when he puts his face in.....it is hard to coordinate all of that but he is getting there. They are already wanting to go back and the swim team does swim lessons year round here(the put a bubble up over the pool so they can swim year round). So we may try to slip some lessons in sometime during the school year to keep their skills up!

Heath off the starting block.

Eli swimming.

He is proud of himself!

Heath swimming freestyle back to the wall.

Getting that all important certificate and lollipop on the last day!

Vacation Bible School 2009

2009-07-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

Chloe being a joey!

Riding the Boomerang Express in the foyer.

One of Heath's craft projects!

We have a fun week at Vacation Bible School. I have finally caught back up on all the laundry I missed....still trying to get caught up on all the housework! Everyone really enjoyed hopping on board the Boomerang Express this year. Our church had a train engine built in the foyer as well as in the worship center so Eli and the girls were very excited. They still love trains! Heath got to attend music camp where they perform the music for the bible school theme. I didn't get any good pics of him singing.....again the lighting in the church does not do well for pictures. I didn't get to video because Bobby was TDY and I had the girls and Eli in the audience with me! But as much fun as bible school is I was glad to be able to relax and not get up and out of the house so early this week! But I am already looking forward to next years bible school where we get to put on our boots and Saddle Up!

Splash Island Fun

2009-06-16T08:28:00.001-07:00

We have visited the Splash Island water park inside Wild Adventures twice so far this summer. The kids have had a blast playing in the water and sliding on the slides. It is a nice size water park for younger kids. Heath wouldn't stand still long enough for his Dad to take a picture so we don't have any of him.....maybe next time!

Chloe playing in the water fountain in the kiddie area.

Eli and Caroline walking in the water fountains in the kiddie area.

Heath's Birthday Celebration

2009-06-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

We had a birthday celebration for Heath after his Daddy came home. He was so excited to finally get all of his birthday gifts and have a cake that he picked out. Here are some pics of the celebration.

Heath opening one of his many Lego gifts!

Heath's Batman cake

Chloe and Caroline enjoying cake......they don't have shirts on because the cake stained and we didn't want it all over their clothes.

Eli loves cake....can't you tell?

Daddy Came Home!!!!

2009-06-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

Daddy came home on Thursday night. This is the first of many deployments for us but we are glad to have him home for a little while anyway! I made a video of the kids running to greet him. I didn't do such a good job because I forgot to stop taping when he came to hug me so forgive my lack of technical skills!

First Week of Summer Break!

2009-06-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

Well summer is in full swing at our house. As you can see we have kept busy this week.......

Chloe came down with "polka dots" (Stickers she loves to place all over her face and then laugh that she has the polka dots)

We went to see Elmo Live......This is Eli at the show. He didn't want to go and then when we got there would not take his eyes off the show to take a picture.....this is the best I could get.

Heath and Caroline enjoying Elmo Live.

The girls favorites....Elmo and Abby Cadabby.

Hanging out on our porch pool. They have had a ball dumping water on each other and all over everything else too.

Movin' On Up!!

2009-06-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Heath finished first grade with a bang! He got E's and S's in everything, was recognized by his peers as the best reader, and only missed one question on the whole CRCT test!!! For their end of the year program/party, they performed a reader's theater, read their autobiographies, recognized their peers for their accomplishments, and had a pizza party. Ms. Dunn has been a great teacher for Heath. She was firm and consistent with him and challenged him to be a better reader. He tested out of first grade reading on fifth grade level. We couldn't be more proud! Here is a video clip of him reading his autobiography.

Heath is 7!!!!!

2009-05-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

May 21, 2009......7 Years Old!!

Eating his favorite pizza.....Mellow Mushroom!

$7......one for every year....from PawPaw and MawMaw.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake for dessert.

Lego Racers.....I was so excited to get them!

I can't believe he is seven. I told him the story about the night he was born and it seems just like yesterday that all of those things happened. I decided not to have a big birthday party this year since Daddy is gone and he wanted us to wait until he got back to do anything so we just had pizza and cake and opened presents from PawPaw and MawMaw and one gift from Mommy and Daddy. He took Donuts and juice to share with his class and was very excited about that! When Daddy gets home we are going to go to Johnny G's (an indoor play place and game room) and have cake and ice cream and open all of the rest of his gifts. So really he is making out big this year by having multiple times when we celebrate his big day! Happy Birthday Heath!!

Eli Pre-K End of Year Pics

2009-05-21T10:32:00.001-07:00

Eli has successfully completed Pre-K! In one way I am so happy.....but in another way I am very sad. He truly was blessed this year with a teacher that is truly an angel here on earth. Mrs. Lora has worked wonders in Eli and he has blossomed under her guidance. The end of year festivities began with what was to have been a water day.....but the weather played a damper in that in it turned into a bubble/fun day. The kids had a ball playing with bubbles, Frisbees, mini jumpy houses, and baseball. Eli loves to run and play and this was right up his alley! Then on Wednesday the children and parents presented his teacher with a gift for all her hard work and dedication. We gave her a gift card bouquet that she can use on things like gas, groceries, pampering, dinners out, etc. Then on Thursday they had their program and graduation. My videos from the digital camera aren't that good but I was trying to hold a video camera and digital camera and operate both at the same time. He sang his little heart out and I think he may be a star someday because he seems to like being on stage! Eli is off to a new adventure! Lake Joy primary here he comes......I hope they are ready!!

Thank you Mrs. Lora....we truly love you and will miss you!!!

Field Day 2009

2009-05-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

Heath and Catherine pulling Cole on a sheet.

The jump rope relay.

Heath doing the crab walk relay. Look at Ms. Dunn's face....she is competitive!

Field Day at Heath's school was last week. It lasted from 9-2. We dropped Eli off at school at 9:00 and the girls and I headed to Heath's school. We got there just after they had started. They had 4 different stations set up around the field for each grade level to have an area to be. One area was a bunch of free play activities that they children could do with little to no supervision but the other four areas were relay type activities. Some of the relays the entire class competed and some of the relays they had chosen students to compete based on their abilities. Ms. Dunn, Heath's teacher, was very competitive and kept reminding her class that they were not there just to play the games that they were there to win! That was good for Heath's personality because he always wants to be the best so that just fired him up. You will see by the pics that they seemed to have a really good time. He was very tired when he got home and slept very well that night! The girls even seemed to have a good time. The spent the morning playing in the hula hoops and picking "flowers".

Chloe and Caroline playing with the hula hoops.

Caroline picking "flowers"......I call them weeds!

Thank You USO

2009-05-08T14:05:00.001-07:00

The boys watching Daddy read.

Pic of our TV screen with Daddy reading Green Eggs and Ham.

The girls watching him read.

The USO sponsors this reading program for military families to keep in touch while their parents are on deployment. We got our first books today and it was really neat to see Daddy reading to us! Bobby records himself reading books to the children and then the USO sends both the book and the dvd to the children. The kids were so excited to see their Daddy on the screen! For those of you who know Bobby well know that he doesn't enjoy reading......especially children's books so I am so happy that he is doing this program. I think he is missing the kids as much as the kids are missing him!

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

2009-05-08T13:52:00.001-07:00

I saw this on my friend Jennifer's blog and I thought I would steal it! I hope you don't mind Jennifer.

What Is A Military Wife?

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique
But this they have in common:
lots of moving---
moving
moving
moving far from home
moving two cars, three kids and one dog----all riding with HER of course
moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house
moving curtains that won't fit
moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours
moving away from friends moving toward new friends
moving her most important luggage; her trunk full of memories

often waiting-
waiting, waiting, waiting for housing; waiting for orders; waiting
for deployment; waiting for reunion; waiting for phones calls;
waiting for the new curtains to arrive; waiting for him to come
home for dinner.

They call her 'military dependent', but she knows better
she can balance a checkbook
handle the yard work
fix a noisy toilet.

She is intimately familiar with drywall, anchors, and toggle bolts.

She can file the taxes, sell a house, buy a car, or set up a move, --
--all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.

Reinvents her career with every PCS; locates a house in the desert,
the arctic, or the deep south and learns to call them all 'home'.

She MAKES them all home.

She is fiercely IN-dependent
Military Wives are somewhat hasty
They leap into decorating, leadership, volunteering, career
alternatives, churches and friendships.

They don't have 15 years to get to know people.

Their roots are short but flexible.

They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other.

They connect over coffee, rely on the spouse-network and accept offers of
friendship and favors and record addresses in pencil.

Military Wives have a common bond.

The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands.

His commitment is unique. He doesn't have a job, he has a 'mission' he can't just decide to quit.

He's on-call for his country 24/7 but for you, he's the most...
Unreliable guy in town...
His language is foreign: TDY, PCS, OPR, ACC, BDU
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long-distance link to keep them informed; the glue that
holds them together.

Military Wife has her moments--
She wants to wring his neck, dye his uniform pink, and refuse to move to Siberia .

But she pulls herself together.

Give her a few days, a travel brochure, a long hot bath, a pledge to the flag, and a wedding picture.

And she goes.

She packs.

She moves.

She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.

But actually it is because she has lost her heart.

It was stolen from her by a man
who puts duty first
who salutes the flag
and whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military husband,
She will remain his Military wife.

~Anonymous

Livin' Inside Out Choir Performance 2009

2009-05-04T11:10:00.001-07:00

Heath and Eli both performed Friday night at our church's Kidsong Dinner Theater. Both had been practicing for a couple of months to prepare. Heath had a little acting part where he acted like he was one of the three blind guys. Eli got to stay on the stage for the entire performance. They first thought the preschoolers would just sing a song or to and then go down and watch from the audience but the did so well they let them stay the entire time. Heath did really well on his part. We were blown away with how well Eli did. He stood up there and sang his little heart out. His director said he was her best one with knowing the words to the songs. It was a wonderful evening....the kids had a blast and we enjoyed watching them!

Booster Thon Fun Run

2009-05-04T11:05:00.001-07:00

Heath's school had a Fun Run to raise money for the school. It was a neat program that they kids got to be involved in. They not only raised money for their school but they learned character traits to help them make good choices and got to develop their fitness level all at the same time. Each child was given a t-shirt that had a track on the back number 1-35. As they ran each lap(approx. 1/16th of a mile) the teachers crossed off the laps on their shirts. The cap was 35 laps and Heath had finished that many a good 5 minutes before they called time. Does that surprise anyone?

Weekend Fun!

2009-04-27T11:23:00.001-07:00

We tried to have some fun this weekend.....even though it was in the 90's. On Friday evening we went to Burger King and ate and played on the playground and then came home to ride bikes on the driveway. That was fun until the mosquitoes got so bad we had to go inside. On Saturday we hit the soccer fields. Eli had a game at 10 and Heath at 12 and we found some shade in between games to rest and cool off. On Saturday evening we played in the sprinkler.....it was really cold at first but we warmed up to it and had fun. On Sunday we went to church and then the boys had dress rehearsal for their musical on Friday night. Look for pics from that sometime next week. Hope everyone else had fun.....the kids did!

Eli riding his bike on the driveway!

Caroline trying to ride the scooter......she had me pull her all over the driveway.

Heath rides his bike and scooter in the rode. He is really good about watching out for cars.

Chloe riding the tricycle.

Eli kicking a corner kick.

Heath right in the middle of it all!

Chloe and Caroline drinking water....it was really hot!

Cooling off in the sprinkler in the backyard.

It was cold at first but it was fun!

Our First Nightgown!

2009-04-27T11:17:00.001-07:00

We got a nightgown! The girls had never slept in a nightgown before.....I am always worried about them getting cold so I had never bought them one......but Granny bought us one and we love it! Caroline thinks it is her outfit for ballet and Chloe just enjoys playing princess. Don't we look adorable all ready for bed!

Easter Weekend 2009

2009-04-13T11:23:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter Weekend. I don't have the pics in sequential order but I will tell you that on Saturday we went to church in the morning to hunt eggs, came home and did our Resurrection activities, and then had the Easter Bunny and church pics on Sunday. I wanted the kids to understand that Easter is not all about hunting eggs and easter bunnies so I read the a book about the real meaning of Easter (kids version). We then went out and hunted eggs that had objects in them that went with the real meaning of Easter and explains to them in kid terms what each of the objects mean and how it relates to the Easter story (Resurrection eggs from the Christian Book store). We then made Resurrection rolls (thanks Emily for the recipe) for dessert at dinner. Here are the pics.

Reading: The Meaning of Easter board book

Hunting for the Resurrection eggs.

Still hunting there were 12 of them to find.

Still looking!

Opening each egg to find out what was inside.

Caroline opening the crescent rolls.

Chloe putting Jesus (marshmallow) in the oils(butter) and spices (cinn/sugar).

Heath and Eli putting the rolls into the "tomb". We waited 3(10-12 min) days to see what would happen.

After the hunt at church....look at our baskets they wouldn't hold anymore!

Seeing what we got......we love candy!

Only pic I have of Heath at the hunt....he wanted to find the carrots so he could get a special surprise so he was off doing his own thing while Eli and the girls stuck close together looking for eggs!

Heath with his Easter bunny loot. He had already gone through it all when I came in the kitchen after my bath so I don't have any idea what his reaction was when he came down the stairs.

Thank you Easter bunny I have been wanting pink glasses!

I love yellow and it is a Lightning McQueen car on top of that!!!

I can't wait until mommy gets the tags off I want to wear them now....upside down even!

Don't we look nice?

This is the kids favorite....they wanted me to take a pic of them making funny faces!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! We missed you Daddy!

Deal Seeking Toddlers!

2009-04-07T10:54:00.001-07:00

I think I might be creating "little deal seekers". I have been clipping coupons and shopping all the CVS and Walgreens specials to see if I can save us some money on groceries. The girls got the paper last week after I was done with it and spent some time looking for deals of their own! Maybe they will be experts at spotting all the good deals by the time they are moms.

Eli and his "hissies"!

2009-04-07T10:51:00.001-07:00

Eli loves his "hissies". I got this picture before church a week ago and I thought it was so cute! I think they love him too!

Eli's School Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-07T10:44:00.001-07:00

Eli's Pre-k class plus a few siblings.

Eli and Chloe hunting eggs.

Eli and Christian waiting to hunt.

Chloe and Caroline found eggs in the chairs.

Eli finding eggs in his cubby.

Eli's school has a big Easter egg hunt every year. This year it was raining (which it seems to be doing a lot) and so they had to hunt for eggs in their classrooms. The children seemed to have a good time anyway. I was very appreciative of the fact that they let siblings hunt eggs too. Chloe and Caroline had a good time and loved being included. You can see by the class picture that everyone seemed to have fun!

Outside Play

2009-04-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

Heath doing what he does best......monkey around!

Caroline loves to spin around on the tire swing!

Heath and Chloe were playing catch!

Chloe playing "soccer ball"!

Eli loves to play with cars in the dirt!

Watch out women drivers!

We haven't been playing outside much lately because all it seems to want to do around here is rain! I got these shots on the one good day we had last week. The kids really enjoyed being outside and I hope that the weather starts cooperating so they can go out!

Happy 5th Birthday Eli!!

2009-03-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Eli's birthday a little early this year so that his Daddy could be there. We invited all his friends from his Pre-K class at school to Burger King to celebrate. He wanted a Monster Truck birthday so I found some stuff to fit the theme. He also wanted a cake with a monster truck on it. I figured that I wouldn't be able to find on but our local Publix had this cake and he loved it! We got kid's meals for all the kids and they played on the indoor playground. After they ran around for awhile we had cake and Eli opened his presents. His friends were very kind and generous and he had a wonderful time playing with all of them.

First Soccer Game 2009

2009-03-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

Heath running out during player announcements.

Eli running out during player announcements.

Soccer has begun in full swing at our house. The boys were both so excited to start the soccer season this past Saturday. This is Heath's third season to play and Eli's first. Heath knew exactly what to expect and of course thought he should pick-up right where he left off last time he played soccer. He was very frustrated that he didn't score a goal and we tried to explain to him that as long as he does his best and gives a full effort that is all that is expected of him. Eli didn't really have a clue as to what to expect but he did really well. He even took the ball on a long drive down the field only to barely miss the goal. Here are a few more pics......I will try to add more as the season progresses.

Wild Adventures Trip

2009-03-18T11:26:00.001-07:00

We went to Wild Adventures on the opening day 2009. We have season passes so we are getting our monies worth. The kids had a really good time and it was not crowded so we didn't have to wait very long which is always a plus! Here are some pics of the day.

Heath Sings!

2009-03-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at putting a video in so I hope that I did it correctly. This is Heath singing in Church this past Sunday. He has only been in this choir since January but he really loves it and has a part in the spring musical in May. I hope you enjoy!

Happy 40th Daddy!!!

2009-03-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

This is only a week late in posting.....but Happy 40th Birthday Daddy! Bobby turned 40 this year! I can't believe I am married to such an old man! His birthday fell on a Thursday so we didn't really get to do anything special for him. He had his normal work day followed by soccer practice. After practice, we came home and ate dinner. I did surprise him with a strawberry cheesecake! He shared with everyone which made the kids really happy. Then he opened his present which made the kids even happier.....a Wii. We have had a lot of fun since playing the Wii. It has even been a good motivation tool for Heath to behave a school. If he misbehaves at school he doesn't get to play the Wii that evening. So happy birthday honey.....even if you are 40!

Monster Truck Show

2009-03-09T07:36:00.001-07:00

The boys have always loved Monster Trucks. It all started when Heath was two! We have always had monster truck toys and videos since then. Heath went through a time when he didn't like them but Eli has always loved them. There was a show in Macon and Bobby got tickets for him and the boys. They all had a good time and Eli has done nothing but watch monster truck videos on the computer, play monster truck games, and build monster truck tracks since. I guess our obsession with Monster trucks will continue because Chloe and Caroline found out that their were "girl" monster trucks and so now they like them too!

Disneyworld 2009

2009-02-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

We just got home from Disney 2009! We had a lot of fun but Bobby and I are in need of another vacation. It is a lot of work to take 4 children under 6 to Disneyworld a week! Hope you enjoy the pics.

Heath got called up at Storytime with Belle to be Papa in the story. He was so excited! He had this smug smile because he also lost a front tooth while we were gone so he is snaggle-toothed big time!

Chloe and Caroline dancing at the Street Party at Magic Kingdom. Baloo the Bear stopped to tell them Hello!

The kids in front of the tree of life at Animal Kingdom!

The kids with Leo and Annie from the Little Einsteins. The girls were thrilled to see them!

Dancing at the Block Party at Hollywood Studios. They had a blast trying to mimic all the dance moves!

Fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. We watched from the backside this night and the front side on our last night. It was neat to see both perspectives.....but it was much more dramatic from the front!

Chloe and Caroline checking out Minnie Mouse's house. They loved every minute of it!

Caroline and her daddy on what she called "Space Mountain". It was really that little train thing that went through Tomorrowland but she thought it was the real thing!

To Infinity and Beyond! The girls were as excited as the boys to say hello to Buzz.

We always say as we leave Disneyworld that it will be awhile before we go back....but I think we have the Disney bug so we will probably forget how tired we are and go back sooner than we think!

McDonald Family Reunion

2009-02-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

Chloe going down the slide.

Heath going down on his belly.

Eli going down on his belly.

Laughing at the bottom!

Caroline safe on the swings!

A couple of weeks ago we went to the McDonald Family Reunion. The kids had a great time playing on the old playground equipment the church had out in the yard. Here are some pictures we got of them. The boys had a ball going down the slide head first on their stomachs. Caroline loved the swing but never made it all the way to the top of the slide. Chloe loved the slide!

You Never Know!

2009-01-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

Chloe and Heath dressed as Darth Vader

Chloe with a cross between Buzz Lightyear and Bible Man

Caroline as Captain Feathersword and her Diego laptop

The kids the night of the Dora the Explorer episode about kings

Life is never dull around here! There is always someone dressed-up and ready to play! Don't be surprised if you come to visit and find our kids disguised as someone else!

Back to Blogging!

2008-12-30T05:13:00.000-08:00

We got it all fixed and I am back to blogging. Be sure and scroll down because I have posted many things the past two days! Happy New Year!

First NFL Football Game

2008-12-30T05:07:00.000-08:00

Heath and Eli experienced their first NFL football game this weekend. We took them to Atlanta to see the Falcons play the St. Louis Rams. We have season tickets to the game but have not taken them until this game. Heath had a difficult time sitting still. Eli did a really good job! Eli didn't much like the loud fireworks and music they played at the beginning of the game and when the Falcons scored but he was a really good boy! They had a BMX show at half time and the boys really liked that! When we were leaving Eli said, "I weally wove the Falcons!"

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T04:50:00.001-08:00

We started our Christmas Eve festivities by going to the Candlelight Service at church. After it was over we came home and got ready for Santa. Eli and Heath fed the reindeer with reindeer food they had made at Heath's school Christmas party.

The boys then shot off a Roman Candle and watched it go off in the sky. That was the first time they had ever done that and they thought it was "Tool" (Eli speak for cool). The girls were scared and watched from the porch!

They then lit some sparklers. The kids thought that was pretty neat also. Heath even thought that when his Daddy put them in the ground that they looked like birthday candles. We said that we were celebrating a birthday....Jesus'.

This is what the tree looked like after Santa had come to visit!

Chloe and Caroline

Chloe and Caroline again.....I could not get a picture of them looking at the camera.

Eli as a Storm Trooper.....our boys are really into Star Wars right now.

Heath with his Star Wars underwear......they were thrilled with these!

Well, you can see we had a fun and exciting Christmas. Hope everyone else did too!

Eli's Christmas Program

2008-12-29T05:08:00.001-08:00

This isn't the greatest picture but the lighting in the church makes it hard to take a good picture. We do have video though. Eli had his Christmas program at school and he did a really good job. They sang several songs and his favorite was Jingle Bells. He did a really good job and you can see by the smile that he had a wonderful time!

Big Girls Beds

2008-12-29T05:01:00.001-08:00

We have official Big Girls! We found these really beautiful beds for the girls on Craigslist from a very rich lady in Atlanta. We couldn't pass these up so the girls got new beds! They are doing pretty good sleeping in the beds but it is an adjustment for Mommy that they can both get out of their beds! They also don't like to go to sleep at night so we spend 20-30 minutes standing guard at the door to put them back every time they get out. Chloe had figured out that if she gets up in the middle of the night....don't come to Mommy's side of the bed because she takes her back to her own bed. She comes to Daddy's side of the bed and crawls in and sleeps next to him. He doesn't even realize she is there!

Sorry for the lack of Blogging!

2008-12-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

Our computer crashed a couple of weeks ago and we have not had the time to get the camera software on the new computer. Until it is loaded I can't post any new pics.....but I promise I will catch up as soon as it is done. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas At Wild Adventures

2008-12-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

We went down to Wild Adventures this weekend to see the festival of lights. We were pretty disappointed in the actual festival of lights but the kids had fun riding the rides that were open and watching the shows. The first pictures are of the Christmas show that we saw. The boys got to go up on stage to dance with Rudolph and Frosty. They were so excited. The rest of the pics are of a few of the rides that we rode. Chloe didn't much care for the tiger ride. Surprisingly she seemed pretty scared on most of the rides. She is normally such a dare-devil that it was shocking. Caroline was very excited to be on a pink horse! She loves anything pink. Heath and Eli's favorite ride was a kid-sized roller coaster. I think my boys are going to love roller coaster's as much as I do!

Get Ready to Wiggle!

2008-11-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

On Sunday evening we went to Atlanta to see the Wiggles. This was the second time the boys had seen them but the first for the girls. All of our kids like the Wiggles so this was a great time for all of them. Heath and Eli knew what to expect but the girls had no idea. Both of them were so excited when that Big Red Car came out. They all danced and had a great time.

Mother/Son Hoe-Down

2008-11-17T10:27:00.000-08:00

Heath and I were invited to his school's Mother/Son Hoe-Down. The PTO was sponsoring this evening for mothers and sons to spend some time together doing something fun. The PTO was very prepared for the fact that the boys wouldn't want to dance much. One of the other mothers commented that she didn't realize that the boys would already be in the mind-set of not wanting to dance at such a young age. The had stick-horse races, Pin the boot on the cowboy, Panning for Gold, Hula-Hooping, and Roasting marshmallows set up all around the gym. We had a great dinner of hotdogs and baked beans and then we watched the dance team do the Boot-scootin' Boogie. After all of that the boys did do a few line dances. Heath seemed to have really good time and it was fun to spend time with him.

Chloe

2008-11-04T10:43:00.001-08:00

This is my Chloe! I wanted a girl so bad that I could dress up and wear hair bows and she would rather be a boy! She is as brave as they come and she will climb anywhere her brothers climb. The only thing she hasn't done is climb out of her bed (thank heaven). She loves to wear her brothers hats, capes, and even shoes. She loves backpacks and is always trying to put one of their backpacks on. She is definitely a tom-boy. Maybe she will grow out of it! If not, Caroline likes being "girlie".

Halloween 2008

2008-11-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

We had a very fun Halloween. Heath has been begging for the past couple of years to go trick-or-treating. We usually go to a fall festival at church and so therefore we don't go trick-or-treating. Our new church had a festival but it was the weekend before so we had the chance to go trick-or-treating this year. We first went to our local Publix grocery store. They had Halloween activities for the children. We first got to have our pic made with the clown in the hay/pumpkin display. They each got a coloring book and crayons. In the bakery they had a large ghost with his mouth open that the children got to throw donut holes into. In the produce department they had a tic-tac-toe game. In the dairy section they had a fishing game. The kids really enjoyed it and even the girls got to play the games! We then went home to eat dinner and then trick-or-treat. We only did our street and two more cul-de-sacs because we had enough candy and Eli and the girls were beginning to poop out from all that walking. Heath could have walked the entire neighborhood! We had fun and you can see we had two very brave "Bible Men" and two cute Minnie Mouses!

Jack O'lantern

2008-10-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, Bobby claims he has never carved a pumpkin but he said he would do try anything that would make the kids happy. The boys have been begging us to carve a face on their pumpkin. We found a book with some templates in it to make the carving a little easier and Bobby said he would give it a shot. We started out on Sunday evening a little before bedtime. You will notice that the kids change from play clothes into their pajamas before this is all over with. Our kids are not really good about sitting still and not touching things so I thought it would be best if we watched the carving process with little breaks. So we start off on the porch and Bobby cuts the top off and opens the inside. He had the kids smell it and he thought Eli was going to throw-up all over him! After he cleaned out the inside.....we all went in to take baths. Bobby worked at carving until we had a really cute little pumpkin face. You did good Daddy! The kids were so excited!

Mossy Creek Barnyard Festival

2008-10-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

The past weekend we went to the Mossy Creek Barnyard Festival. It is a festival held twice each year that is mostly an arts and crafts/music festival. The kids enjoyed the petting zoo area as you an see from the pictures.

Pumpkin Pickin'

2008-10-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

We went to a farm about 30 minutes away last night because on the website it said you could pick-your-own pumpkin. Well........they had a patch and a few pumpkins thrown out in the field but we were pretty disappointed in our experience. The "farmers" had closed down the store early that day because it had been slow (school was out,etc.) and were working on their mounds for the strawberry patch that they have in the spring. They were using stuff that was not good for kids to be around so they had closed up shop. She let us go out in the "patch" and get a pumpkin since we had traveled a ways. The boys wanted to take the first one they saw but Bobby walked around and showed them a few more before they picked. We thought about getting another one but when we went to pay for that one we were glad we had only chosen one. It cost $9 for a pumpkin that we could have gotten at Wal-mart or the commissary for $4. We probably won't go back for that experience again....but like Bobby said we would have never know if we hadn't tried it!

Georgia National Fair

2008-10-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

We went to the Georgia National Fair in Perry, GA this weekend. The first thing we did when we got there was eat! Then we went to the circus. Heath loved the acrobat lady who did all kinds of flips and stuff on a bar. He has been trying to learn her moves on our trapeze bar in the backyard. Eli liked the motorcycle riders that rode in the steel ball. He said it was really "tool." The girls seemed to like anything that had music. After the circus we walked around and saw all the stuff. We went to a petting zoo and saw all kinds of animals up close. We visited the horse and cow barns. I think the highlight for the boys was the chickens. They have a little display showing how a chicken farm works and they got to see chickens in all stages of development. They even got to hold a chicken that had just hatched that day. I think the kids really enjoyed the fair and we did too!

Kittens

2008-10-04T12:44:00.001-07:00

Our neighbors cat had kittens and they are now old enough to be out and running about. We had already been spending time with the momma cat (we call her Penny) because she would often come into the backyard and visit. Now we are spending time with her sweet little kittens. Of course the kids would love for us to take one into the house and make it ours.....and our neighbors would like that too....but I just don't want to take on anymore responsibility! So we will just love on them whenever they decide to come into the fence. Heath spends a lot of time climbing the fence and sitting and watching them play on the other side begging me to let him go and get one to play with. They surprising find their way into the backyard on their own and seem to like being carried around by four little people. The girls yell "kitties" whenever they see them and Eli has gotten a lot better at being gentle. He had to have some lessons in that because everything Eli does is wide-open and often is not gentle! So you may see pics of the kittens from time to time....but we are not going to have a cat of our very own!

Lane Packing Company

2008-09-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

We went out to Lane Packing Company (the Peach Place) the other evening to take some pictures in the wild flower patch that they had growing there. We discovered when we arrived that the wild flowers had been mowed down so the kids enjoyed the playground. We had a really good time until Eli needed to go the bathroom. The packing company was closed so we loaded up and headed home. At least we got some pics of the kids having a good time.

Splish Splash Mommy's Van Gets A Bath

2008-09-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I will never have to worry about my children not having any job skills. Their Daddy decided to wash my van and when the boys found out they went rushing to help. Of course the boys could not be outdone......the girls jumped right in and helped. The had a blast getting wet and splashing bubbles in each others faces. Bobby said they wasted more soap on the ground than they used on the van.....but not the less my van was clean. If their future aspirations don't work out I can always bring out this picture and remind them they can always work at The Car Wash!

Caroline: The Next American Idol

2008-09-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

This is Caroline's new past time while playing in the back yard! She uses the water hose attachment to sing her best renditions of Jesus Loves Me, ABC's, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She is very proud of her accomplishments and always says, "Look Mommy, I sing." Maybe American Idol will be in her future! Hopefully Simon won't say anything about that hair and the fact that she sings without any pants on!

Is Anybody Out There!

2008-09-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

I am very new to this blog thing but want to know if anybody is even following! At the bottom of each post is a comment link. All you have to do is click on it and make a comment. I will look forward to hearing what you have to say. Also if you know of anyone who you think would like to follow the blog...you can pass the link on to them!

Eli Writes His Name

2008-09-22T07:51:00.001-07:00

Since starting Pre-K Eli has become very interested in writing and drawing! Thank goodness because he has shown absolutely no interest up until now. He was drawing intently on the magna-doodle on Thursday afternoon. He spent a better part of thirty minutes drawing each member of the family and showing it to me and his siblings. He then called me in the living room and said look Mommy I can make E's. I said yes I am very proud of you did you learn that at school. He said yes and proceed to make E's both big and little. He was using the vocabulary that his teacher used to teach them how to make the letter. Then after doing that for a few minutes look what he did. Granted the letters are not in the right order.....but we at least can do all the letters in our name! Good job Eli!

Chloe and Caroline

2008-09-22T07:45:00.001-07:00

The girls are definitely growing up! We started official potty-training last week. Boy did Mom have fun! I set the timer and when it goes off we all go the potty. I realized on Thursday that I was training Pavlov's dog because when the bell went off to go potty Chloe yelled, "Time potty" and then proceeded to potty all over the living room floor. I guess she gets the concept but forgot there is a place we go to go potty. They love looking at books and I thought this was a good pic of them reading in their playroom. Caroline is on the left and Chloe on the right. You can see slightly in the pic that they are in their big girl panties!

What a Star!

2008-09-18T14:04:00.001-07:00

We are so proud of Heath! He was chosen the Star Student of his 1st grade class last week. He came home with this backpack and yard sign. We were very proud to display this sign in our yard. Many of you know the troubles he had in kindergarten and this was a wonderful surprise! He really loves his teacher and school! Yeah Heath, you're a Star!

Heath Plays Football

2008-09-17T06:56:00.001-07:00

Heath started Upward Flag Football also. He loves running through the little tunnel before each game. He is the smallest on his team but he is not intimidated at all. He coach calls him "crazy on defense." He lead his team down the field completing two passes and handing off a couple of times to score a touchdown also. He seems to do well at whatever he does!

Eli Plays Football

2008-09-17T06:46:00.001-07:00

Eli started playing Upward Flag Football this month. He doesn't really get the concept.....or so I thought. I was asking him what defense does and he told me "grab the flags." When I asked him what the offense does he said, "run to the flag...kind of same Mommy but different colors." His coach has resorted to putting a bicycle flag in the end zone for the kids to know which direction to run. Whatever works! He told me his favorite part of football is snack so that is why I included that pic of him eating snack!

Chloe and Caroline Turn 2!

2008-09-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that the girls are 2! They love Elmo and Abby Caddabby from Sesame Street so we got them an Elmo/Abby cake. We got them a play kitchen and they are sure good at banging pots and pans! Granny got them Elmo pocketbooks and their favorite present was a big pink soccer ball!

First Blog

2008-09-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

I really wish that I had found out about blogging over 6 years ago so that I could have blogged my kids happenings (I'm not the best scrapbooker so this would have helped them remember what has gone on in their lives) but I didn't so I will just start where we are right now. Heath started first grade this year, Eli is in Pre-K, and the girls are at home with me! Bobby works very hard to make sure we have everything we need and even some stuff we just want! We recently moved back to Warner Robins and are loving our new house and living so close to Granny! I will post more as I get the hang of all this!