Tinkerbell

These are the Tinkerbell pictures I talked about a couple of weeks ago. They are some of my favorite pictures from our trip. Look at Chloe's face in the first one. Precious!
If you click on the pictures, they are clear. I'm not sure why they look grainy on here.

Avery and Chloe

I'm still trying to get all my favorite Disney pictures on here. I'm not sure I'll ever finish, but here are a few more at least. These pictures aren't the best, but I wanted to show how much Avery and Chloe were together on the rides. Also, in many of them, he's watching her enjoy it. Avery has always been good with Chloe, but because he's seven years older, they don't play together that often. It was so much fun to watch them together. Avery's definitely still young enough to enjoy Disney World, and he did, but he's also old enough to see how it's special to Chloe in a completely different way. From the beginning, he wanted to ride just about everything with her. He loved watching her take it all in, and I think he made it even more special for her because he was so excited. He's such a good big brother, (so is Brady!), but he surprised me on this trip. I've noticed a change in him lately, in a good way. He's becoming more responsible, and caring. I think he's starting to notice more around him. We are rapidly approaching the teenage years, but for right now, I'm going live in the moment, and enjoy this!

My sweet girl...

...believes that I really have eyes in the back of my head. She questioned me about it one day, after I caught her doing something. I had jokingly told her that I had eyes in the back of my head. After testing me by hiding behind me and seeing if I knew where she was, she was amazed. (Not only could I hear where she was, but I was standing in front of a mirror!) I couldn't help but crack up at her! She just couldn't believe it. She said, "No fair!" What a funny little girl!!

Chloe's dream

This morning Chloe told me that she had a good dream last night. She told me that she got to wear big puffy dresses(makes me think of Anne of Green Gables!). She said that Katie and Owen got married, (friends from preschool) and she and Reed got married. She said, "I love Reed!" I think Keith's blood pressure might have gone up when he heard that! It was funny/weird to hear her say that. She's always had a great imagination, but she doesn't usually pretend to get married. Scary! :)

Sea World

I'm determined to get our fall break pictures on here, even if it takes me a month or two. We went to SW mostly for me, but we all had a great time. I tried to narrow it down, but this is the best I could do! And that was only one day! the boys petting a stingray


waiting on one of the shows. it was SO hot!



seeing the Clydesdales is always a highlight for me

this picture is on here to prove that Chloe was excited about this ride initially...
(also, please notice how she's holding on to both of the boys.)


but she quickly lost her excitment, and this is how she looked at the end.


the boys and i paid to feed the dolphins, and Keith and Chloe found a great spot to watch. they got to touch one, and it even splashed Chloe.






We had a wonderful time at SW! The boys loved the big roller coasters and feeding the dolphins. That was definitely the highlight for me! I loved experiencing that with Avery and Brady.
Chloe had a great time as well, but we made a bit of a mistake with her. We all rode Journey to Atlantis, a ride similar to Splash Mountain. We didn't talk to her about it too much, because we didn't want to scare her. Well, she hated the big drop. I'm not sure if it was just too much, or the fact that she was so close to the lap bar that she got a bloody nose when we got to the bottom. We had to let her warm up after that, and every ride she would ask if it went down a big hill, and did it go really fast. Lesson learned!

Chloe story

I am planning on getting a few more Disney pictures on here one day, but I really want to share this story.

Chloe and I were eating lunch, and she was talking about what she's going to be for Halloween. I've been telling her that she should be Little Red Riding Hood, but she really doesn't like that idea. Today she said she wants to be Dora, but not only that, she wants the whole family to dress up as Dora characters. She wants me to be her mom, Keith to be Swiper, Brady will be Boots, and Avery will be the Troll under the bridge. I guess Avery is on her bad side today!! After this she started listing all the possibilities for halloween. Here are the things she wants to choose from: a grape, strawberry, flower, butterfly, rainbow and my personal favorite, a piece of grass. She's such a nut!

Fall Break

We recently went to Disney World (and Sea World) on fall break. We had a wonderful time! It was a much needed break from the normal routine. I already miss being there! The kids were really wonderful, and even though it wasn't relaxing, it was a blast.
I have a ton of pictures that I want to share, but I'm going to try and narrow it down. We'll see...



We left at 4:30 am to get down there in time to go buy our tickets. We loved getting there so early, and not having to try to get everyone in bed right away. This was our first picture, and Chloe decided it should be a goofy one.


Bright and early on our first day, we had breakfast at Chef Mickeys. We wanted to do something Disney since our first day was at Sea World.


We all enjoyed seeing the characters, especially Chloe.


If you click on these last two pictures, you can see us on Manta, at SW. It was our first ride of the trip, and it was a wild one. Any ride that they have restraints for your feet is going to be crazy! I was terrified, but thankfully I loved it! The boys had no fear, even though they had never really been on a ride this big.

Chloe stories

Last night we went out to eat to celebrate the boys' wonderful report cards. On the way, Keith asked Chloe why we were going out to eat, and she said, "because Mommy doesn't want to cook." She didn't say it to be funny, but Keith and I nearly lost it. She's such a stinker! And apparently, she listens when she wants to!!

Another funny story: We had some pictures taken at Disney World by some of their photographers. One of them had Chloe put her hands together, and look at her hands like something was there. The lady told her that in the picture, something would be in her hands. I showed her the picture yesterday, and Tinkerbell is in her hands. It's the cutest picture, because she really looks like she's looking at Tink. When I showed her, she said, "I didn't even see her there!" So cute! I love her imagination and belief. DW really is a magical place!!

Flooding

We've only lived here a couple of years, but we've never seen this much water. Apparently even people who have lived here 20 years haven't either. When I got home yesterday afternoon, I was not expecting this much water. By the evening, you could only get to our house from one road, unless you drove across the water.
The first picture is from spring 2008. We thought that was a lot of water. The second picture is from yesterday. The tree line way ahead of where I'm standing is where the creek is supposed to be. Those two pictures are of the same creek. This is also where I saw emergency vehicles helping someone who apparently drove into the water.
The last picture is a little creek in our neighborhood. It's not on our street, but it's one street over. It hasn't had anything in it most of the summer. It was getting pretty close to some of the houses yesterday.
Also, one of the subdivisions we looked in a couple of years ago, was one of the worst hit. Yikes.

Hmmm...

I was cleaning the bathrooms yesterday, trying to get rid of any lingering germs, when one of the boys asked, "Is someone coming over tonight?" I don't think I like what that says about me. My kids think I only clean when someone is coming over. Now, usually I clean while they're at school, but still. Guess I need to step it up a little!

So much for a long weekend

We were really looking forward to having a long weekend, but it didn't work out. The kids were supposed to go to my sister's for a couple of days. Keith and I were supposed to get to go out for our 14th anniversary. We were supposed to hang out with my family on Sunday afternoon. Today we were supposed to get to visit with some friends that we haven't seen in a while. None of that happened because Keith got the flu. Then Avery got sick, and then Chloe. We spent a small fortune on tamiflu. From Wed. through Sun. we only got out of the house to go either to the doctor or to kroger. I'm pretty sure Keith has never been stuck in the house for that long. It's a record he wasn't excited about setting. I think they're all on the mend now. We got out of the house long enough today to get free Chik-Fil-A sandwiches. So that was our big outing for the weekend. It was just enough to wear Keith out, and he came home and took a three hour nap!

The past couple of weeks haven't been the best, so I'm hoping that things settle down a little now.

I need to ax you a question.

We've been trying to get Chloe to say 'ask' instead of 'ax' for a while now. She can say ask, but then if you ask her to put it in an sentence, she can't do it. She getting kind of tired of the whole thing as you can see. I've never been one to rush my kids to say things correctly, but this one is different. It's still funny, especially when she combines it with the word 'for'. Or in Chloe speak it's 'fer'.
ex. Can you ask for a cookie for me?
Chloe speak is "can you ax fer a cookie fer me?"
It can be quite humorous. I also think it might be rubbing off on Brady, because I caught him saying 'ax' the other day!
Now, there is one word that she just corrected herself, and I'm really sad about it. She used to call an umbrella 'ellabrella'. I really think we should change the name. Ellabrella is so much more fun to say.

Granddaddy

Last week Keith's granddaddy was rushed to the hospital, and was in serious condition. He had surgery to remove a blood clot on his brain stem. He's doing much better now. They removed the breathing tube a couple of days ago, and one of the first things he said was, "Let's get this show on the road!" He cracks me up!! Even though he's retired, he still gets more done in a day then I'll ever get done! I'm so thankful that he's doing well, and hopefully he'll have a smooth recovery.
We've been thinking a lot about Granny and Granddaddy both, so I thought I would put a few pictures on here. These are just a few pictures of the kids with Keith's granddaddy. I have tons more that go back to when they were tiny. He's always loved on and played with them. All three kids love going to Granny and Granddaddy's house. They would live there if we let them! I can't really even say how incredibly special they are to us! I feel like I've know them much longer than 15 years, and I quickly claimed them as my own. We are so blessed!!





This last one really cracks me up. I think Chloe was taking the picture which might explain his expression!!

motley crew

A few weeks ago we had my sister's kids over for a few days. They all got along really well, and stayed so occupied that I rarely felt like there were six kids in the house. I put all three pictures on here because the first two were attempts at straight faces. You can tell not everyone was able to stop smiling! We had a great time, and can't wait to get them together again.
Please ignore my garage. It was just a few days before our garage sale, so it looked worse than normal.

Here you go Dad.

We had a fun weekend with nowhere to go. We almost didn't know what to do with ourselves, but we figured it out. Chloe and I made kool-aid popsicles on Friday, so they were ready to enjoy the next day. I found the popsicle stuff while cleaning out for our garage sale recently. I'm glad I kept them, because we all enjoyed them. I can't remember the last time I had kool-aid, but it was just as yummy as I remembered!
Chloe also helped Keith wash the van. She loves helping him, and she actually cleaned it. She even helped clean the wheels, and had the dirt in her fingernails to prove it.

Long trip home

We went to Florida last week, and of course, I didn't take any pictures. So, instead, you get to hear about our trip home. We left Sunday morning in hopes of making it home for church. (There are two reasons I think Sun. should not be a travel day: we have to miss church and Chik-fil-a is closed.) Anyway, we got the van loaded and were all ready to go, but the battery was dead. So Keith jumped it and got it going. Around Birmingham we stopped for lunch. Normally we just grab some fast food, but we were trying to think of something a little healthier, so we stopped at Wal-Mart. I know that sounds strange, but Chloe doesn't eat anything other than chicken and fries(at a resturant), so we thought she might have more options there. She chose a lunchable (questionable, but at least not fried), and the boys and I were contemplating Subway. We decided against it, and were planning on leaving until the van wouldn't start...again. So, the kids and I ate in Subway, while Keith bought another battery and changed it out. I'm telling you all of this because I don't believe in coincidences. We never stop at Wal-Mart on a trip. We don't even really like going to Wal-Mart ever, but just this once we stop there. And what do you know...we stop somewhere that sells batteries. That didn't happen by chance. It also didn't happen by chance that this all happened on the way home, instead of the way down there. I drove down by myself because Keith left a couple of days earlier(with guard). So, even though it wasn't the trip home we were expecting, it could have been so much worse.
Also, since we were already going to be too late to go to church, we stopped by my parents' house. My dad had called while we were eating at Subway to tell us that my mom had been to the ER the night before. She received over 30 stitches in her leg. She was leading a colt when it got spooked and rared up. Then it accidentally came down on her leg. It was nice to get to check on her, and visit for a little bit.

Guess she was really hungry!

I think Chloe is going through a growth spurt lately. She actually took a nap a couple of days, which she hasn't done since she was two. Also, since she's been home from Florida, she's hungry ever couple of hours. If I think any of the kids, not just Chloe, have had enough to eat, then I offer only healthy snacks, like fruit or yogurt. I figure if they're hungry, they'll eat. If not, then they were probably just bored. Anyway, last week we had vbs, and we ate at church before, so by the time we got home, she was hungry. We let her have a little something each night, and I think she just got used to it. The next night, after vbs, she wanted something at bedtime again. The only problem was that she didn't eat very well at supper. So, I offered her carrots and broccoli, since that's what she didn't eat. She wasn't very happy with that, but after a few minutes, she called and asked for some carrots. I just had to get a picture of her eating carrots in bed. Guess she was really hungry! I'm so glad that I gave her a healthy option instead of just telling her to go to sleep.

I'm really on top of things lately

Or not. Whatever. Today we headed out to pick up Keith, so we could drive to Nashville and get his iPhone. The excuse to go was that I needed a new ID card, but the phone was the real reason. Forget that we could have picked it up on Sat! Anyway, as I was leaving the house, I backed out of the garage with the back of the van open. I don't recommend doing that. It tore a small piece off the back, where it covers the handle to open it. It looks lovely now. Really classy. Thankfully the drive to and from Nashville was uneventful, but upon returning home, I found our front door open. It wasn't just unlocked, but actually open. My first reaction was to panic (and overreact) but then I figured it out. Right before leaving the house, I gave each boy a job. One went out the garage, but the other went out the front door. I went on out through the garage, so I didn't notice that the door was open. Then that boy, came into the garage, and didn't think about the front door ever again. I felt better knowing that we left it open (ok, I also felt worse/stupid), but I still wondered if anyone had been in here. I haven't found anyone yet, so I guess we're good. I hope my brain returns to me soon, before we need a new van!!

I'm trying!

I'm really trying to get back into posting regularly. This week has been busy, but fun. Last night was our final night of VBS. Keith and I both had fun helping out, but I'm looking forward to doing nothing tonight. The kids had a great time. Two of Brady's friends went with us most of the week, and last night one of Avery's friends joined us as well. The boys really enjoyed that. It was a loud ride home each night though!
We've had some storms come through this week, with lots of lightning. We had quite a show on the way home Monday. I really don't remember seeing that much lightning before. Chloe kept saying that it looked like day time! Last night's storms took down a pretty big branch in the back yard, but more importantly, it brought with it cooler temps. My walk this morning was much cooler than yesterday. I'm excited about the weekend being cooler too.
I feel like school is just around the corner. I've already bought some school supplies, but I'm really not ready for it to start yet. As the kids get older, I'm trying to enjoy the summers more. I know each one puts them closer and closer to...well, I don't really want to talk about that right now! :) I'll just focus on the here and now...a time that they still rely on me for everything. So, we're going to try to make the most of the last few weeks of summer. We're headed back to Florida next week. We're looking forward to hanging out with family, going to the beach (something we don't get around to very often) and playing with some puppies(but not getting attached)! Hope you're all having a great summer!

Back from vacation...kind of

We haven't really been on vacation for the past month. I just took an unplanned vacation from blogging. I've missed it, and thought several times about blogging, but it just didn't happen. Things have been pretty busy around here. We enjoyed a couple of weeks just hanging out after school ended, and then it got crazy. Keith and I have both traveled some, me just to Chicago, and Keith to Dallas for a week. It was a guard trip, plus he's had a few extra guard days locally. The week after his Dallas trip all of us except for Chloe went to church camp. I could have taken her, but I don't think I would have been much help, plus she would have been worn out. She went to Granny and Pops' for the week, and I'm sure she enjoyed being there without the boys. The rest of us had a great week at camp. The weather was perfect, and being with the kids was great. I didn't get to see the boys very much, but I liked being there with them. The Friday that camp ended, we headed down to Dothan for the 4th. (I came home Thursday night to wash clothes, or this wouldn't have been possible!) Keith's aunt and uncle live there, and they had a big reunion/party. We had a fun weekend, and then all three kids headed back to Florida with Keith's parents. It was funny just seeing Chloe for the weekend. I wondered if she would be ready to go home with us, but she didn't even hesitate. She was quite clingy all weekend, but I guess she got her fill! Keith and I had a nice week just the two of us. He wasn't able to take off from work because he was out for two weeks, but that's ok because I enjoyed some time to myself during the day. :) We went out on several dates, and got quite a bit of cleaning done around the house. I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but it really feels good to get rid of stuff. We're planning on having a yard sale soon, so I'm hoping to clean the house out. I'm so tired of having so much stuff that we can't even enjoy any of it. I'm ready to have less, and enjoy it. So, that's the past month around here. Keith is on his way back right know with the kids. Fortunately the rain we really need is finally here, but unfortunately he's driving in it. There are storms popping up everywhere, and it's making his drive slow and frustrating. Hopefully they'll be home soon, and we'll all head to VBS.

I don't have many pictures to share, but I just have to share this of our garden. We don't have much, but what we have is doing well. The kids got some seeds from my mom recently, and we started them inside. That's pretty much the whole reason for the garden, but we're hooked now, so next year it will be much bigger! We have pumkins, watermelons and sunflowers. They're all getting huge. The pumpkin and watermelon plants are growing out of the garden! And last night when we were watering, Keith discovered that we actually have a watermelon!! We were so excited! We actually have several, but only one that's recognizable. So, here's our watermelon. I know it looks like we really need to weed, but it's actually where the plant is growing into our yard.

Chicago

I went to Chicago this past weekend with Renee. She had a conference to go to, and I just tagged along. I went out one day on my own while she was in class, but our last day we explored together. It was so much fun!! We definitely have to do stuff like that more often!! One thing I wanted to do was try some deep dish pizza. It was SO good! I don't think I can eat regular pizza again!! Thanks Renee for inviting me! I say we start planning our next trip now!!

The randomness of a four year old

This is the cake Chloe wanted for her birthday recently. I was asking her what she wanted, and I was looking for picture on this website. She told me she wanted a strawberry cake, not strawberry flavored, but a strawberry. I don't know why she chose a strawberry. Originally, I thought I was just going to do a plain strawberry, but then we came across this cake, and that's what she wanted. On the website it was Strawberry Shortcake, but she wanted it without that. I figured I would give it a shot, and I think it turned out pretty good. To add to the randomness, she picked out My Little Pony plates and napkins! It was her birthday, so that's what she got!!

I feel old.

Yesterday I had to go to the grocery store, with all three kids, on senior citizen day. I'm pretty sure that deserves a medal, but that's not the point. We walked into Kroger, and we were getting some produce, when Avery spotted a table by the door that had free coffee. He pointed it out to me to see if I wanted any, and I told him that it was only for senior citizens. He asked me how old you had to be, and I told him. He said, "Well, you're not too far from that." Or something like that. Basically he told me I was a junior senior citizen. As soon as he saw my face, he started trying to make it sound better. It really didn't matter what he said from that point. There wasn't any way to make it better. He should have just shut his mouth, but if you know Avery, then you know he doesn't know how to shut his mouth! I'm going to remember that and aggravate him every chance I get.... at least until my memory goes!!

Happy Birthday Chloe!

Today is Chloe's fourth birthday. She's getting so big so fast! She is pretty much our entertainment around here. She's loud, cute, persistent, gets her feelings hurt easily, empathic, thinks even the tiniest scratches need bandaids, loving, sassy, and she really hates bugs. She's a princess, or at least she thinks so! She loves her brothers, and can't wait to have them home this summer. Chloe is such a blessing, and completes our family perfectly! She's growing and learning every day it seems. Of course, being the third child, she's anxious to catch up to everyone else. She can't wait until she's in kindergarten, and gets to do all the things the boys get to do. Keith and I don't feel the same though. I think we could stand for this last year before elementary school to go by a little slower, but we all know that won't happen! Happy Birthday baby girl! We love you, and we're so proud of you!!

She must be growing!

I just had to take a picture of Chloe asleep in her bed this week. She takes a rest everyday, but never falls asleep...until this week. My kids have never been nappers, unfortunately. Chloe stopped taking naps when she turned two, so I was very surprised to find her asleep. I was actually going in to tell her that she could get up. I'm glad I went in quietly! She must be growing because she has fallen asleep in the van twice in the past week. She doesn't usually do that either, even on eight hour trips to Florida!

5th grade awards

Last night we went to Avery's academic awards program. They also sang and square danced, and had an art show. We got some video of Avery during the singing part that's pretty funny. Not AFV funny, but funny to Keith and I. He was so bored. He was yawning, and looking around the whole time. He was totally not into it. Singing just isn't his thing. (he says he was looking for his friend that didn't show up, but we think he was looking at someone else!!) He was a little more into the square dancing, which is odd because earlier he told us he didn't want to go because of the dancing. I think they all just got into it and had fun. (there might be another reason, but he won't admit it!) Anyway, we enjoyed looking at his art, and his (first place) science project. The highlight of the evening was the academic awards. Avery didn't know what he was getting, and we didn't either, but he was really hoping for the Art Award. They give out two for the whole fifth grade. He did receive the Art Award, along with one for Academic Excellence (honor roll for the whole year). He also had the highest average of any boy in the fifth grade in both science and social studies. He said he was a little embarassed by it all, but you could tell he enjoyed it. We had a great evening, and ended it with a little reward from Sonic. We're so proud of Avery and all his accomplishments! I can't believe that he's going to be in middle school next year! Thankfully, Avery's very excited about it, which makes me more excited as well.

What's more fun than playing in water?!

Renee and the girls came over recently, and were able to spend the night, and hang out most of the next day. We all had a great time. Renee and I are determined to get together more often, not only for the kids, but for us too! I was worried that the weather would be too wet and nasty for them to play outside, but thankfully there was a break in the rain. The kids all had a blast playing in the ditch next to our house. They used mud and rocks to create a dam. They were all quite dirty, but they had fun, and that's really all that mattered!