All I Want for Christmas...

is my 2 front teeth:-) Caleb lost BOTH of his front teeth yesterday--with a little bit of help from a basketball to the mouth at Upward on Tuesday:-) His teeth were loose, but after getting hit, they really were about ready to come out. Caleb was really bothered by them, so he kept messing with them and wiggling them back and forth--then he pulled the first one out and asked me to pull out the second:-) They bled a little bit, but now he is fine. I told him now he could sing the above song for Christmas, so he started in. He has a pretty cute lisp when he says he "s" sounds, and I have noticed him sticking his tongue in the spots where his teeth were. He already has 1 of the "big" teeth coming through--he is growing up so fast!

PS And yes, I'm keeping it real--that is my ironing board in the background, along with the box for my Christmas tree, which is up without lights or ornaments--how did I get this far behind?

Spoke (or wrote) too soon

Well, I mentioned in my last post that Emma has been sick twice in the last few weeks. Well, we can add 1 more time to that for her, and also 1 to Jake's tally. Both of them had incidents where they threw up out of nowhere a few times, and then were fine. Emma's was in the middle of the night around 2 am, and Jake's was in the afternoon, but it was just in time for us to miss our Kid's Day Out Christmas parties. Thankfully he gets to go tomorrow, but I missed out on seeing all my sweet kids on Monday. I did go up to school to deliver the birthday cake for Jesus that I had made for class. I also had a bunch of embroidery items to get delivered ( and get paid for:-).

Mom came down last week to help me transport kids everywhere. Caleb had Upward basketball practice Tuesday, and choir practice Wednesday and Thursday. I just didn't want the other 2 kids to have to sit around and wait for him to be done. So mom was wonderful to come and help. She stayed with the younger 2 Wed. night, and took Caleb Thursday so she could watch the dress rehearsal. The program was on Sunday, and it was so good! They had 3 different acts, and Caleb and all the other kids were in the 2nd act. It was really sweet:-)

This week I have a cold that is really wiping me out, on top of Jake deciding that he needs to get up every few hours at night--it is really exhausting! Not to mention trying to finish up shopping, embroidery, cleaning, cooking, etc., all while Shon is out of town. Plus it has just been really stinkin' cold this week!

I do love Christmas, and thought I would leave you guys with my favorite version of "O Holy Night"--I absolutely LOVE David Phelps:-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZFxG6-WSnI

Hopefully I will get to post again before Christmas, but if not, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas holiday!

Catching up (the story of my life)

I am so sorry that I haven't updated in forever--Shon has started traveling again every week, and it seems by the time I have the kids down and in bed, I can't form a coherent thought, much less blog about anything.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Shon's family--it was wonderful to finally meet my nephew. Jake was predictably jealous at first, but seemed to do better the longer we were there. He was very sweet to "baby pa-ton" (Clayton) and towards the end of the visit was wanting to help by handing Renessa his blanket and paci.

We have been busy with choir for Caleb and Emma, ballet for Emma, upward basketball for Caleb, and just the KDO work/school for Jake and I. I have also (thankfully) had several people wanting me to monogram Christmas gifts for them, so that has kept me extra busy.

Also, Emma has been sick twice this month--more that she was all last year. She woke up one Saturday afternoon with high fever, so I had the pleasant experience of sitting in a walk-in clinic on Sunday for about 3 hours waiting for her to be seen. She ended up having strep throat, so after a shot and some Motrin, she was good to go. Thankfully she doesn't seem to be bothered at all by high fevers--I remember having to take her to the ER on Christmas Eve when I was pregnant with Jake because she woke from her nap with 104.6. She was still talking up a storm and jumping around:-) Then today she stayed home with me because she had fever upon arriving home from school yesterday--none since, but the whole 24 hour rule with school applied. I admit, if the temp is right at 100, sometimes I do go ahead and send them, but only if it has been long enough for the medicine to wear off, they are having no more fever, and they are acting fine.

Our KDO Christmas Party was yesterday, and it was so much fun. To my delight, I actually won a door prize:-) It is a really cute "bowling bag" style cosmetics case, and inside it had a manicure set and a set of yummy lotions from Bath and Body works.

I am trying to come up with some less expensive ideas for Christmas this year for family, so if anyone has any good ones, I would love to hear. I will email you mine, since I have some family that reads this and I don't yet want them to know what they are getting:-)

Since this is such a random post, I will go ahead and write down a few funnies from Jake today:

Jake(just out of the bath and in his room spinning around): I a princesh
Me: really? you are? what princess are you?
Jake: I wal mawt princesh
Me: ok, you're a wal-mart princess?
Jake: no I not princesh, I muh mayd.
Me: oh, now you're a mermaid. Have fun swimming!
Jake: ok-bye momma!

I really have no idea where that came from, but he really enjoys Wal-Mart- probably because he knows that is usually where we are going if I fix my hair and put on makeup. Hope everyone is gearing up for a wonderful Christmas--it is my absolute favorite time of the year, and I can't wait to decorate the tree this weekend.

Post-election musings

So the election is finally over--votes tallied, races won and lost, and history has occurred. Although the person I voted for did not come away the "winner", I truly believe that everything will be ok. God is in control--and He alone knows what will happen. I also know, thanks to a certain sweet lady from my meeting this morning, that we are called to pray for our leader, no matter who they are. So I need to search my own heart and admit that while I am not thrilled right now with the way the race turned out, it does not mean that I can turn my head or my heart away from our president-elect. He needs and deserves my prayers and support. So I guess this post is just to remind me I need to "put on my big girl panties" and be the adult and Christian God has called me to be--even if I don't feel like it.

I am gratified that we still have people in our country who believe in the sanctity of marriage and believe in what is best for the children of today. I praise God that in California marriage is now on their state constitution as being between one man and one woman only. I praise Him that in Arkansas you must be a non-cohabiting adult, either married or single, to foster and/or adopt a child. I know there were many opponents to both of these amendments who will say many things against those who voted their conscience, but God also knew the outcome to these votes, and for that I say amen!

Caleb's class had a mock election yesterday, as did Emma's. He voted for John McCain, and when I asked Emma who she voted for, she said, "Mark Obamba". I told her his correct name, and then asked why she chose him over McCain. She looked at me and said, "I can't read, so I just picked the wrong one." Thankfully they are still too young to really understand all that has been going on, but I will make a point today to talk to them about how significant this election really has been.

Sorry for the rambling--just wanted to get some of my thoughts out while I have a few minutes of quiet in the house.

Catching up

Well, once again I have fallen behind in blogging--it never fails. We have had a busy October--finishing soccer for Caleb, a trip to Silver Dollar City with mom, Razorback football with dad and of course Halloween. I will admit, usually I am much better about planning the kids costumes, but this year I decided that they could use what they already had. Emma received a Sleeping Beauty dress for her birthday this year, so she wore that--we already had the matching shoes, so I just bought her a new princess wand. Caleb wore the same costume he had last year ( I know, bad mom), but it fit him better this year. I bought him a new light saber. My sweet friend Jennifer loaned us 2 Toy Story costumes for Jake--he wore the Woody outfit on Monday to Kids Day Out, and Buzz for Thursday and Halloween. He looked really cute (they all did), and was thrilled to wear his favorite characters from one of his favorite movies.

The kids and I trekked to Branson with mom a few Saturdays ago--I don't think I have ever seen SDC that crowded--you could barely walk. The kids had a great time riding rides--Jake especially loved it--he laughed through most of the rides--that sweet little boy belly laugh:-) We ended the day by splitting a funnel cake--the perfect end to the day!

Caleb had his last soccer game yesterday--his team did great! They won 6 to 2. Caleb really hustled and had 2 assists--he was so proud. His team received their trophies, which Jake somehow has already manged to break:-( I am hopeful that we can glue it back together.

Emma is continuing with ballet--she lost 1 of her shoes a few weeks ago, so last week I broke down and asked for another pair. Of course, we found her other shoe right after her class--it never fails!

Jake is doing really well with potty training (hope I am not jinxing it). He has not had an accident in a couple of weeks (as far as #1 goes). He enjoys wearing big boy underwear, for the most part.

We are gearing up to start Upward Basketball with Caleb in a few weeks. I am hoping he will do well in it and enjoy learning to play.

Hope everyone is doing well, and I will try to do better with updating! I am just proud of myself for understanding how to change my background without help from Shon!

A few funnies to remember

So I wanted to write down a few funnies from my kids before they leave my brain forever:-) Last night we were sitting down to a later than normal supper (breakfast for supper--yummy!), and I said the quick and easy, "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food, Amen". Emma turns to me and I hear her say, "How do we know that God is great?" Thinking this is a great time for a "Bible lesson" I tell her that it says in the Bible that God is great and that we can look it up after supper. Then she asks me, " How do we know He isn't peach?" I sat for a few minutes and then had to leave the table so she wouldn't see me laughing. I figured out she had asked me how we know that God is GREY, not great. After recovering, I went in and told her the correct prayer. It's pretty sad that she has been saying it for years at church and Kids Day Out and never knowing what she truly was saying:-) This also occurred with her saying the Pledge of Allegiance. It is the United Stakes of America, and one nation, under God, invisible, with liberty and justice for all:-)

Jake has his own unique way of pronouncing words that is really cute. Some of my favorites are as follows:

His supper prayer: Deah Goh, Deah Goh, Ame ( no "n" on the amen)
His sister Emma: Gray ( he calls her Grace instead of Emma--her middle name is Grace)
Talking on the phone: Hewo dere
Needing something to drink: My dink peese
Wanting to be tickled: kickle me
Pick me up: Pick up me
His brother Caleb: bubba
My sister Christy and her husband Josh: Crick kee and Jwah
Calling my dad a goober (thanks for that word, dad:-): Papa, you a googer!
Needing a band aid: Need a dan dane
Saying yes ma'am: bed pan

I'm sure I will think of more, but I wanted to get them down while a could. We are busy into the swing of school and work and everything that goes along with it. I joined the choir a few weeks ago and Emma and Caleb are both in the kids choir. Caleb is almost finished with soccer, but Upward Basketball will start in November. Emma is in ballet 1 day a week, which is more than enough:-) Jake just comes along for the ride, but is really enjoying his Kids Day Out class. I am enjoying my class, although it has taken some getting used to, going from 4 1/2 year olds to 2's turning 3. Thankfully I only work 1 day, and get a day with no kids on Thursdays:-) Hope everyone is well, and I will write again soon!

Remembering

I wasn't sure if I wanted to post today, but feel I should write down my memories of 9/11 so that I will have them. I remember it being a normal work day for me--Caleb was only 4 months old, so I had not been back to work very long. Dr. Whitaker had his office tv on, and was watching it while waiting for patients to be checked in. I wasn't usually over at that part of the clinic, but I don't remember Casey (Dr. Stewart) working that day, so that's probably why I was over there. As soon as the news came on and we saw what had happened, I remember thinking how awful it was that the airplane had crashed into the tower--still thinking it is an accident and that something bad had possibly happened to the pilot. When the second plane hit, I knew then that it was no accident. My first thought was to get to Caleb. I remember it so clearly in my mind. I just wanted to hold my baby and make sure he was fine, although I knew he was. We kept the tv on the rest of the work day, and I remember leaving at lunch and going over to Caleb's daycare ( it was on-site) and just holding him close.

I remember how Peter Jennings became teary while reporting on the towers collapsing. I remember how he told every viewer to hug their children and family members. I remember Mayor Rudy Guiliani, and how in control he seemed. I remember being so thankful that President Bush had won the election. I also remember wondering where God was in the midst of the horrible act. Then the stories started to come out--stories of courage and honor. I can remember the woman whose husband died on Flight 93-I can still see her pregnant form standing up in her black dress at one of the many special reports that were still on days and weeks later. I remember being so proud to be an American and so unified with the rest of the country. I can remember reading about all the different stories in People and Newsweek. I saved the magazines and newspapers in the days after the attacks.

And now it is seven years later. My baby is in 2nd grade, and the country is no longer united. I think about the different people whose lives were irrevocably changed by 9/11--those who lost loved ones, and my heart still goes out to them. Today was a normal day for our family--school, work, laundry, etc, but I wanted to remember and reflect on the significance of today while it was on my mind.

Survivor--Mommy Edition

Well, we survived the first week of school! Emma had a pretty good week--her teacher gives the kids a play dollar for everday that they don't get in trouble. At the end of the week, if they have at least 5, they can get something out of the treasure box. If they want to save their "money", they can get a better prize. Emma of course spent hers as soon as she earned them--no saving up for something better:-) She picked out a penguin (looked like a McDonald's toy), and she also was able to take home the Play Do she has been using all week. Caleb had a good week as well--he made a 100 on his spelling test, and he was able to pick something out of the treasure box on the first day. He did have to miss 5 minutes of recess a few times this week--one was for tooting in class ( he will kill me for that later in life). He told me he just couldn't hold it in:-) I bought each of the kids a toy to celebrate surviving the first week--Caleb received 2 small ($4) Lego sets, Emma received an small Ariel doll with outfits and small shoes and such, and Jake got 2 new "Cars" cars. They were so excited and appreciated--I was told over and over that I am the best mom ever:-)

Jake did well without Emma here--he has asked everyday where she is, and once I answer that she is at school, he is fine. He has become very sufficient at playing by himself, which suprised me--he has been watching the movie "Cars", and has been playing that a lot.

Caleb had soccer practice Thursday night, and they received their uniforms--I hate to say it, but they really aren't that cute. They are black, grey, and white. I guess I don't like them because there is no color--last years had red, white and blue. His first game is tomorrow, and it is in the middle of naptime, so Shon will unfortunately have to take him alone--I know Jake will sleep, and I am betting Emma will be exhausted as well. Emma starts ballet Monday, and hopefully her things will be in, as her outfit from last year is not fitting to well--she has grown taller. (For those that don't know, our church has a dance program called Circle of Praise--the girls dance to praise music and the instructors teach that dance is a way of praising God). She is really not that excited, because after watching the Olympics she has decided she would rather take gymnatics. I told her since we had already paid for dance we would do that this year, but maybe she could take gymnastics in the summer.

I am going to try to finish up all of my outstanding embroidery projects this weekend so that I can use some of the new fabric I bought to attempt to make Emma some new dresses. I bought a few new patterns at www.youcanmakethis.com, and am anxious to try them.

We missed promotion Sunday last weekend, so the kids will all go to new Sunday School classes this weekend. I am praying that Jake will react well--he is at a really difficult stage right now with going into new situations. At my Kids Day Out meeting last week, he sat by the door and cried for the first 45 minutes, and then he fell asleep by the door. He got better as the week went on, but I felt so bad, both for him and for his teachers. I do know, though, as mom says, this too shall pass.

Well, gotta get to bed--I am sure my kids will be up early tomorrow even thought it is Saturday!

First Day of School!

That line always makes me think of "Finding Nemo". You can definately tell I have children in the house! Today was Emma's first day of kindergarten--I can't believe my baby girl is in school! I did great getting her there and into her classroom--and that is when my eyes started to tear up. I tried really hard not to let her see me, though. I had dropped Caleb off in his second grade hallway (apparently it is "not cool" to give your mom a hug when you are in second grade), and Jake and I took Emma in. She found her desk right away and hung her backpack on the back of her chair, put her napmat in her cubby, and was ready to go. Jake went over and hugged and kissed her, which started me going teary, and then I had to hug her and leave her there--she looked so little to me at that moment! Her teacher, Mrs.Petrie, was wonderful and gave me an encouraging pat on the back, and out the door we went. Once in the parking lot we made our way to the van and as Jake was getting into his car seat, he said," Where's Gray?" (for some reason he calls Emma by her middle name, Grace). I said she is at school. I immediately tried to call mom once I was on the road in the car, but she didn't answer. I called Shon and started truly crying, and I could tell he was uncomfortable on the phone as he asked if I had talked to mom yet:-) I did eventually make it home and talked with mom. Thankfully I had a Kids Day Out workday today, so my mind was elsewhere most of the day.

At pickup time, Emma was all smiles about her day, as was Caleb. However, by the time we had snacks and were relaxing a little bit on the couch, she began to tell me she didn't want to go back and she wanted to stay home with me. When I told her it was the law that she had to go to school, she told me to change the law:-) She cried a few tears, and then went upstairs to play. At supper she told me she had a good day, she was just upset earlier because she couldn't be a but rider.

Caleb won the distinction of being the first patient for the school nurse for the year 2008-2009! All of this over a bloody nose. Ms. Tracy is so sweet to him, though--not that he is in her office a lot, but on the last day of school I had to pick him up early for--a bloody nose! Nice that we are bookending the years like this. He enjoyed his day and his teacher, Mrs. Davis.

Jake was a little lost at home without Emma, but we quickly left to go up to church and work. We didn't leave there until 2, and then it was on to pick up the older kids.

Tonight at bedtime Emma was telling me the story of Sleeping Beauty--in her version Aurora "picked" her hand on a "steering wheel" and was friends with the "tooth fairies". Life is never dull with her!

Before I forget, Jake learned a new word tonight (thanks Papa!): googer, which means goober:-) He also learn b-ikle --bicycle, and ikle--motorcycle.

PS I was going to post of BTS pics with this, but I can't find the cable to plug into the computer and camera--so I will post them when I find it:-)

Bits and Pieces

So we have been trying to get ready for school, and 1 of the things we had to do was take Emma to her Kindergarten testing. So we went to the school and she went right in and one of the teachers took her back. When she was done, the teacher came out and said that she was very smart. I asked if she talked a lot, and the teacher (who was also named Emma) said, oh yes:-) Hopefully we won't have a problem when school starts. After we did testing, we went to Wal Mart so Caleb could pick up his school supplies. Emma did not need any, as we pay for all of the at her school. The kids had a good time looking at everything, but the Wal Mart I went to did not have a very big section. So on Friday I had to go back. Thankfully Shon was home and I was able to go to Wal Mart, Sam's and the mall sans kids. However, that meant I had to go in the heat of the day, where it was almost too hot to breathe:-)

Saturday mom and dad came here so they would be here for Caleb's baptism. They arrived around 12:30, and we just bummed around the house. I tried a new chicken recipe which thankfully tasted really good. (I am always nervous about trying new recipes, especially when it is not just Shon and the kids, but it turned out great). We also had squash casserole and salad, and pound cake with strawberries and fresh whipped cream. It was nice to cook for my parents, since I don't really have a chance to do that very often.

Today was Caleb's baptism. We had to be at the church at 8:30, which meant leaving the house at 8:15 at the latest. Thankfully we made it there with time to spare. Shon took Caleb to get changed, and I took Emma and Jake to their classes. Caleb did great! He was nervous, but Mr. Greg (kid's pastor) was really good with him. It was over by 9:10, and we enjoyed the rest of the service and sunday school. Then we went to eat at Las Palmas (yummy) and came home to pack up Emma and Caleb. Jake seemed disappointed that he couldn't go, but he has had a good time playing with daddy and getting into brother and sister's rooms:-) He brought something of Emma's downstairs, and I took it away from him. He forgot about it for a little while, and then tried to get it again. I told him no, and he crossed his arms and said, "oh man!" Thank you, Dora! Well, tomorrow is the dentist for Jake (Caleb and Emma had their appts. last week, and did great). I have a feeling that tomorrow will not be as smooth. That is the only thing we have to do before the older 2 come home, so I am looking forward to trying to get some embroidery and sewing done.

Welcome baby Clayton!

Well, I am offically an aunt! Clayton was born today at 12:24pm, weighing in an 4 lbs 15 oz. He is 19 in long, and has black curly hair:-) He is about 5 weeks early, so for right now he is in the nursery as he is having a little difficulty breathing.

The kids were very excited--Caleb and Emma were singing "we have a cousin" over and over loudly. Jake was just being loud because they were, so you can imagine the fun.

Dale and Marie left this am to head to Baton Rouge, and are hopefully arriving soon. Marie kept me up to date and called as soon as he was born to let me know the details. I really wish we could be there, but it would be complete chaos with the 3 kids.

It is special today not only because of Clayton, but also because it is Shon's birthday. He is 38 years old today! What a wonderful birthday present to have his first nephew born on his birthday!

I don't have much more to report--Shon and Caleb were gone all weekend, and we hung around the house and went to Sam's and Wal Mart. Hope everyone is well!

Adabacadoes, Cannibals, and more

So it has been quite a long week. Not for any reason in particular, just the busyness of having all 3 kids here and "bored". I heard that phrase a lot, especially from my oldest. Nothing was fun, he had no toys to play with, and he was bored. It's really funny to me that his room is full, he has access to tv, games, dvds, etc, but still can't find anything to do. Not to mention the backyard with the swing set. I guess he was used to going and doing with MeMe and Papa, and our slower pace here was "boring".

I am not to feel the need to entertain my kids. I know there are some people out there who feel differently, but my kids need to learn to entertain themselves and use their imaginations. He was put out a few times, but managed to find legos to build or drawings to complete to keep himself busy.

I have also been noticing how his appetite has been increasing--I really think he about to hit a major growth spurt--he ate 4 biscuits, eggs and bacon for breakfast this am alone:-) Then he wanted 2 turkey sandwiches at lunch, along with carrots w/ranch, strawberries, and grapes.

Mom said she was talking to Caleb today and he asked is she would bring Emma some legos when she comes to see them next week. We both thought it was really sweet. He really does seem to have a heart for trying to make everyone feel better. He is very sweet with Jake (most of the time) and always tries to help me with getting things for him.

So for the post's title, Emma has just been so funny to listen to lately. Last night we had quesadillas, and I made Rotel and guacamole. Emma wanted to help, so she got up on a stool and watched. She asked what I was making, and I told her guacamole to go along with our supper. She said, " Oh yeah! I love adabacadoes!". You just have to laugh! Then today she and Shon and Caleb were wrestling and playing around, and she stands up and yells, "Cannibal!" and jumps on Shon. I am sure she was trying to say cannonball, and it came out totally wrong. I really do think she has some roots blond somewhere in there.

Jake is still pitching fits--I am getting more used to them, which is probably a bad thing, but he has taken to also hitting you and thinking it is funny, so we are definitely going to have to stop that behavior. He is truly more strong willed than what I expected him to be, but he is definitely a mommas' boy--Shon and Caleb left this evening to head back to Lepanto, and Shon asked if Jake wanted to go, and he clung to me even tighter. It's really sweet, but sometimes it would be nice if he let daddy do more.

Well, this post is all over the place, but these are the thoughts in my head. Hope everyone is going to enjoy a great weekend!

The kids are back:-)

Well, it was fun while it lasted, but I now have all 3 kids and my husband back under one roof:-) The older 2 have been gone for a week visiting MeMe and Papa, and Shon went to Lepanto on Friday to work more on the screened in back porch he is building for them. They were going to come home yesterday, but Shon was still working at 5pm, and it ended up being too late to drive back (5plus hours).

So, for the short time that they have been back, I have already broken up 2 arguments, threatened to remove all the toys from both of their rooms, and grounded 1 from the play station. Keep in mind they have only been home for 4 hours:-)

I have missed them this weekend, but it was nice only having to make meals for 1 child and bathe 1 child. Mom was here last week, and we spent 4 days cleaning out and organizing my home. I can't believe the difference. I am kind of at a loss now for what to do:-) Actually, I have plenty--I still need to clean out the craft/computer/guest/kids tv room. I also need to strip Emma's dresser and re-paint it.

Tomorrow we have hair cuts (me, Jake and Emma), and it really is coming at a good time. Today we were in Harps (me and Jake), and a stocker asked how "the ladies" were doing:-) He is wearing blue today, but I think the man only saw the back of his head. At least that is what I am telling myself:-)

Not much else going on. The older 2 kids have dentist appointments next week, Emma has kindergarten testing on the 31st, Caleb is getting baptized August 3rd, and then mom and dad are going to take him and Emma back to Mtn. Home for a few days. Then there are Kid's Day Out meetings and work days, Jake has a dentist appointment, and we have to get all the supplies for school.

Hope everyone is having a great Monday, and we will catch up soon!

Summertime Slump

So, once again, months have passed since posting. Where does the time go? Hopefully I can be a little bit more diligent with posting, since I really want to be able to look back on this and see where we were and where we are now.

Summer has, so far, been quite LONG:-) I didn't realize how it would be with everyone home, but at times I am ready to pull my hair out. We started off the summer with VBS the week after Caleb was done with school--quite early this year. We actually had our work week first, and then VBS, but all that means is we have to be at church for 2 weeks straight. Megan and I had 3 year olds, and we only ended up with 4, but that was alright. They were sweet (most of the time). Caleb really enjoyed his time, and he told me that on Monday he asked Jesus into his heart. I asked him several questions, and that Friday he prayed on the couch with me. We are very excited for him, and very blessed that he sees his need for Christ. So far, I am not really seeing many changes in his attitude, but I know that will come with time ( I still need to make changes in my attitude at times, so I don't expect him to be "perfect").

After VBS, the next week we went to Branson to stay with mom and dad ( Shon had to go to Kansas City). We had a great time. The kids loved the pool there--it is really neat. It only has about 1 foot of water, so Jake had a blast. He was a little timid at first, but once he went in and went down the slide once, he was hooked--and very fearless! That worries me a little for next year, but we will just have to watch him closely. The older 2 did great- they really enjoyed playing there as well. We also went to Silver Dollar City. I felt bad for Jake, as they didn't have anything he could ride other than the train, but he really did great. We saw the Veggie Tales show, at lunch there, ate funnel cake ( which he couldn't get enough of), and went on several rides. Emma definately does not like roller coasters:-) She was pressed up agains me as tight as could be. The only rides she enjoyed were the "dumbo" ride and the rapids ride (Jake and I sat that one out), and the train. Caleb, mom , Emma and I went on Fire in the Hole. She and I enjoyed it--the kids HATED it:-) Hopefully next year at Walt Disney World, they will do better.


Emma and Caleb had swimming lessons the last 2 weeks--they were in the same class and really enjoyed it. Emma refused to put her whole head under water until the last day, but I was really proud of her when she did it, and she also jumped off the diving board! Caleb did really well--he enjoyed the water a lot. I am hoping to get to take them swimming there soon--it will definately have to be with more than just me, though. Jake was a little hard to deal with during lessons--he really wanted to be in the water after our Branson trip. I finally figured out that if I brought food, he was happy to not be in the pool.

We had a pretty low key 4th. We had planned to go to Lepanto, but Renessa (Shon's sister) ended up with bleeding and contractions and was in the hospital all week, so his parents went to Louisiana.

This week is our first week of having nothing to do, which is good. Mom is coming next week to help Shon and I " get organized " (good luck witht that:-), and the older 2 are staying with Dale and Marie. As bad as it probably sounds, I am really ready for a break from them:-) We will probably all go to Lepanto this weekend and then just leave them there.

Well, hopefully I will stay caught up better in the future. I would love to start posting pictures of my latest creations--I have really been inspired by some of the beautiful fabric I have been seeing online. Talk to you soon!

So I just checked and it has been too long between blogs--so sorry. Lots has been going on--today Caleb lost his first tooth. It has been bothering him for a few days as it continued to get looser (thanks to some help), and tonight he ate supper, and then ate an apple and asked me if it was ready to come out. I got some gauze, pulled and out it came. A minimal amount of "blooduh" too ( if you don't get the reference, look up blood and not funny on youtube--you should find it pretty easily). Emma received her birthday present from my parents, and mom had told me to go ahead and let her open it, so she did and was thrilled to receive a new Disney purse, sparkly flip flops, and a princess t-shirt. When we opened up the purse, she also found a dollar--she was so excited that she began kissing it:-) Jake has been busy talking up a storm--we have been working on our manners with our please and thank you, and today he asked for the phone, and I told him no, and he said "peese?" so of course then I had to let him talk. Thankfully it was mom on the line and not someone I couldn't let him talk to:-)

A few weeks ago after picking Caleb up from school he was telling me about learning about the ocean, and how there are all kinds of ships at the bottom--pirate ships, and even the Titanic. Then he told me that the Titanic sank because it was hit by an ice cube--I tried to keep a straight face and said, " you mean an iceberg", and he said, " yeah, I can never remember what those are called."

We are in for a busy month. Caleb has started soccer for the spring, and t-ball. Emma has a ballet concert at the end of the month, and Jake is just right there in the mix. Not to mention everything with KDO and trying to finish up different embroidery orders. I don't know where the time goes! I am also trying to get the house ready for Emma's birthday party. Pray that I will not procrastinate too much and it will be ready for all her little princess friends. She wants a princess party, and when I asked her who she wants to invite, she started rattling off all these different boys names. I said," they can't dress as princesses", and she said, "mother, they will be knights." in a tone of voice that let me know what she thought of me:-)

That's about all I can think of right now, but hopefully I will have a chance to post more often.

Dental Fun!

Well, today it was Emma and Jake's turn to go to the dentist. Caleb went yesterday and was very excited to learn he had 1 loose tooth. Emma was quite nervous about going, and kept making sure I would be back there with her. I let Caleb go get his teeth cleaned by himself, and he did great, but Emma wasn't ready for that. So we got back pretty quickly, and there were 2 girls--1 to clean Emma's teeth, and 1 to clean Jake's. So I was back there with both of them, but wasn't able to be right near Emma--but she did great! I was so proud of her. I didn't hear any fussing. Jake was a different story. I had to hold him down while trying to keep his hands and everything else still. He definately hated going! Thankfully he still doesn't have that many teeth:-) So after everything was over ( no cavities for anyone) the kids were give a token and picked something out of the turnstile. Emma got a sticky eyeball, and Jake got a bouncy ball, which he promptly lost. So the hygenist took pity on him and gave him another token for another ball. Then it was off to Walmart and then home. I put Jake down for a nap, and then took the next 30 minutes to corral Emma to get her in bed. Jake usually goes to sleep without any problem, but he was still playing, so I went in to check and make sure he hasn't left a present in his diaper. When I went in, he was completely naked! I don't know how he managed to get everything off, but it was all on the floor, and he was jumping around in his bed. Thankfully he hadn't peed or pooped on anything, so I got him out of his bed and redressed him, this time with a onesie on underneath his clothes. He fell asleep quickly after that. I told dad later on that he just wanted to have his own "naked room". Thankfully both kids took a nap, so I was able to get some laundry done. The rest of the day was thankfully uneventful.