High school

I was tagged, so here goes...

1. Who was your best friend? Carrie, Christy and Gennifer.
2. Did you play any sports? Nope
3. What kind of car did you drive? I didn't have one until my senior year, but it was 1984 Honda Accord.
4. It's Friday night, where were you? At the football game, and then out with friends or boyfriend.
5. Were you a party animal? No
6. Were you considered a flirt? That depends on who you ask, but probably.
7. Were you in band, orchestra or choir? I was in band and show choir.
8. Were you a nerd? Yes and no.
9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? No way.
10. Can you sing the fight song? No.
11. Who was your favorite teacher? Mr. Isbell (band and show choir)
12. What was your school mascot? Rebel
13. Did you go to the prom? No. (It wasn't because I didn't have a date. I wasn't allowed. Just want to make sure everyone knows that.)
14. If you could go back, would you? No. It was fun, but too much drama.
    
15. What do you remember most about graduation? Christy, Gennifer and I tied fishing line to our caps so we could throw them and still make sure we got them back.
    
16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? I don't remember, but I know I skipped.
    
17. Did you have a job your senior year? I worked at Wal-Mart. It was the only place to go in town, so you always saw everyone there.
18. Where did you go most often for lunch? We couldn't leave, so it was the good ol' cafateria. I ate french fries (with tons of salt) and sweet tea every day.
19. Have you gained weight since then? Seriously? What kind of question is that? A guy came up with that one. And yes. There.
20. What did you do after graduation? I went to college and found Keith.
21. What year did you graduate? 1994
22. Who was your Senior Prom date? refer to question #13
23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion? Yes. It was fun to see most people, but most of the snobby ones were still snobby.

Smooshed fruit

I found these at Kroger one day, and decided to give them a try. You've probably all heard of them before, but I don't get out much, so I'm just now trying them out. I'm not a health nut or really big on organic food, but I wanted to give these a try. The boys love them. I was really excited that they gave it a chance. It really is nothing but fruit. There's nothing added at all. It's a great thing for school lunches, and I even send them in place of a dessert or fruit roll-ups. I'm always looking for new ideas for lunches, so I thought I would share my latest find.

She's a big girl!!

Last night Chloe slept in her toddler bed for the first time. We've had it since we moved in, but we waited a little bit before we put it up. She has been sleeping in her portacrib all summer and was very attached to it. The only problem with it is that she's too big for it now. Her head and her feet both touch the ends of the crib! So, last night we decided it was time for the big girl bed. We've talked about it quite a bit to her, so she knew it was coming. She was very excited about it, but she also knew that it meant no more 'pappy', (pacifier). We thought we could just do it all at once, instead of changing beds and then getting rid of the pappy. I would normally have stopped the pappy when she turned two, but with us moving twice during the summer, we decided to let her keep it a little longer. She's only had it in her bed for more than a year, but I really think I was just as attached as she was!! So, she went to bed great last night. She never even mentioned the pappy. I think she knew that she wasn't supposed to have it. It went pretty well, and she slept through the night fine. I was worried that she would wake up in the middle of the night wanting her pappy, but so far so good. I know that we'll have a few nights where she doesn't go to sleep as well as usual, but it looks promising. She's down for her nap now, but I know she's not asleep yet. Hopefully it will go smoothly, and she'll actually nap. We both need for her to nap!

Days like these...

So, I knew there would be days like these. Days when the boys struggled with moving and leaving their friends. I just don't think I was ready for it today. I've been struggling quite a bit myself, so when Avery had a meltdown today, it was harder then I expected. He had a orthodontist appt. this morning, so he had to go to school late, which he really doesn't like, (not just a little late, but 2 1/2 hours late). Because of the appt., he had more homework than usual. He had to make up what he missed in the morning. I think he was already tired, and he had trouble focusing this afternoon. It just made his work drag on and on until finally...he lost it. I felt so bad for him because I truly know how he feels. He misses his friends, his school, his teachers, basically everything. He doesn't feel like he fits in at school, and he doesn't have his church friends to rely on. I asked him if he regretted moving, and he said yes. Just tear my heart out why don't you?! He's so much like me, poor kid. He cried on the plane as we were leaving Alaska to move back here. He was only three years old, but he was crying because he missed his friends. He still talks about his best friend from kindergarten, Robert, who moved to Chicago in first grade. I know in another month or so we'll all feel more settled, but I still feel bad for him. I think it will help a lot when we stop going to a different church every week, and when it's not so stinking hot outside. The kids have been really awesome about the move. Now we just have to prove that this was the best thing for our family.

Fun weekend

Here are pictures from the weekend. We had such a great time with Chris, Mindy and Hannah. The girls seemed happy to see each other again. We all got so used to seeing each other every day, that it's been a bit of an adjustment. We got a picture of all four kids, but of course we couldn't get one where they're all looking in the same direction. The last picture is of the boys watching football. It's somewhat posed, but it's cute still. I have some really cute pictures of Hannah in Chloe's UT rocking chair. (Notice that they are not included today, but I reserve the right to use them in the future!) I think you owe me for not putting them on here!! :)

Random pictures

This is Chloe talking on the phone. She usually calls the boys during the day while they're at school. She really misses them being home.


Avery sharing his water with Chloe. She took it over and would hardly share it with him!


Chloe flying with Keith. Look at that crazy hair!


Chloe and Brady wrestling and being goofy.



Chloe being silly, as usual.



Another picture of how the boys dressed Chloe up.


Chloe posing in her "room."


Brady and Chloe watering, and trying to keep our newly planted shrubs from dying.


I just felt the need to get some pictures on here. I know they all have Chloe, but she's just so goofy most of the time, that she makes funny pictures.

Chloe playing dress-up

This is a video of the boys dressing Chloe up. It's kind of big, so I hope you're able to see it. (Sorry Renee and Mom) It really cracked me up. I didn't expect the boys to dress her up, but they all had so much fun! I have some pictures of this too, so I'll put those on later in case you can't see the video.

Random thoughts...

So, it's been a week since I last posted. After a day or two of not posting, I begin to get overwhelmed because I keep thinking of things to post about and it all starts adding up in my head. I actually have a post written about looking for a new congregation, but it feels more like a journal entry. I'm not sure it would be interesting to anyone but me, so for now I'll just keep it to myself. I will eventually get some pictures of the house on here, but I don't want to put any messy pictures on here. (All I can think of is Kelli's house and her pictures on her house blog!) So, I guess I'll just update everyone on what's going on around here.

The boys went back to school yesterday. They were really nervous, but they came home and said they had a great day. Of course they already have friends, and I know they'll get used to things soon. The school is definitely different from last year. I knew it would be hard for me to get used to things too, but I think I'm having a harder time than the boys. The school seems nice enough and their teachers are friendly, but it's just different. We wanted to be out in the country a little more than we were, and we definitely got our wish. I just keep telling myself that different isn't bad, and I truly believe that...but it doesn't make it easy. One thing I found interesting is that they still use "corporal punishment." I had to sign saying that they could or could not be paddled. (Keith and I said no. Hopefully it will never be an issue for us.) I didn't know that anyone still used a paddle. One funny thing...Avery's teacher's name is Mrs. Fox. It's funny because he had a Mrs. Fox for kindergarten and first grade. Brady had a Miss Fox for kindergarten also. As soon as I saw that they had a teacher with the last name Fox, I just assumed that's who he would have.
Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll get some pictures of the kids on here. I'm tired of looking at my blog without any pictures.

Finding a doctor...

I know I'm supposed to be getting pictures on here, but I just haven't taken many yet. I'll get to it soon, but right now I have a question. How did everyone find their pediatrician? I can't stand having to start over and find new doctors. When Keith was in the military, we didn't have a choice, so it didn't matter. It's taken me awhile to adjust to making the decision ourselves. I love the kids' doctor they have, but it's just too far to go every time they're sick, so I've started looking around here. I'm trying not to procrastinate like I always do, because I know that I'll regret it when they get sick and I don't know where to take them. I'm curious what all of you did when you picked a dr. for your kids, or even yourselves. I've never met with the dr. and "interviewed" them. I feel like I should, but I really don't want to. So, those of you that did interview doctors, what kind of questions did you ask? I've found a couple of practices, and there is one that I'll at least try. It has several doctors in the practice, but not too many. I'm used to almost always seeing our dr., (there were only two, so unless our dr. was out, we always saw him). Any advice would be appreciated. You might think of something that might not occur to me.

We've already found an orthodontist. I just went with the recommendation from our previous dentist because Avery is past due for some work. I figure if I get there and don't like the feel of it, we can always leave. I just don't want to be responsible for ruining his teeth!!

Out of storage, into the garage

All of our stuff is out of storage, but it's still mostly in the garage. We are slowly bringing everything in and putting it in it's proper place. The house looks so nice and big that I can't stand to just bring it all in and fill it up already. I know that will happen soon enough. I still don't know where everything is, but I'm kind of used to that by now. I have enough kitchen stuff unpacked to cook supper which is really nice. I'm not a big decorator, so that is always slow going for me, but I do have curtains for the sliding glass door. I was so excited to get those up and see how they looked, but when Keith got done hanging them, you could tell something was wrong. I bought two of the exact same size curtains, but one was about three inches shorter than the other one! (no, the curtain rod wasn't crooked, the curtains are actually different lengths) Oh well, it's easy to return one. At least I really like how they look. The kids are all enjoying having their own rooms. I wasn't sure if the boys would like being in separate rooms after sharing for so long, but so far they love it. Chloe loves her room, but can't always remember where it is!! We all still get a little turned around upstairs. I'm loving having the laundry room upstairs. I think it might be my favorite room!! (That's a bonus because it makes me want to do laundry.)

We registered the boys for school today. They aren't really looking forward to school because they don't know anyone there, but I know they'll make friends quickly. I'm not sure if I can get used to the time difference though. They start school at 7:50!! I know it will make the afternoons nice, but still...7:50. One nice thing is that Keith can take the kids to school in the mornings. I don't think it will be an every day thing, but I'm so excited to have that as an option. Maybe Chloe and I can sleep in occasionally!! Keith is definitely enjoying the much shorter drive to and from work. We all are actually! I still forget that it isn't going to take him almost an hour to get home.

We love the house, and don't have much to complain about, except for one thing...FLYS!! I hate flys. They're driving me crazy. They are becoming quite brave, and actually attack me while I'm cooking or washing dishes. I will win this battle though. I'm not going to let them get to me!!