Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Random Happys


 Lee found this note in his desk from his 1st Grade Teacher, Mrs. Kelley. We both miss and love her so much!
 I let Wade do this apple completely alone at Story Hour. I was impressed!
 This is how I found Wade's "friends" after his nap. I asked if they were in time out, and he looked horrified and said no.
 
 The boys indulge me every Sunday for a couple pictures after church. Happiness!
Hayes killed his first deer this weekend on the juvenile hunt. He was thrilled!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Titans vs. Steelers

 Our first day of Fall Break took us to Nashville to Wade's first night Titans game, which was against the Steelers. We went to the hotel to change clothes, and these two piled up in the bed and cuddled.
 The boys got eye black as soon as we got there and thought they were the coolest kids ever.
 Notice all the winter gear my crew is wearing. The temps were in the low 60's, but for some reason, I thought that meant we might get a blizzard while there:-)
 It didn't take long for us to come out of our layers.The weather could not have been more perfect. Some friends from Obion County joined us, which made it even more fun.
 Lee's man, Bironas, scored the winning points with this field goal. We love trusty ol' Rob! Lee told me he wants a Bironas jersey for Christmas, but after checking prices, I hope he'll settle for his old "Finnegan" jersey for one more season:-)
  It didn't take long for these 2 to crash. It was after 11:30 when we got back to our room!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Fall Break Kickoff


 We kicked off Fall Break with Fall Party at school.
An intense game of Bingo took place. There are lots of little competitors in Lee's room. I'll just say that I'm glad we had extra prizes:-)
The kids decorated bags to use to Trick-or-Treat.
 They played "Skull in the Spoon," which was a racing game pitting the boys against the girls.
 The competitiveness returned with a vengeance!
 But when the girls were announced as winners, everyone cheered. Awesome group!
 Finally, the kids trick-or-treated their way into Fall Break. I love this picture of Mrs. Karen just being Mrs. Karen. Always loving, always encouraging,
 and always ready for F-U-N!
 After we picked up our Wade from Nam's, we went to pick out pumpkins for future jack 'o lanterns.
 Lee ended up choosing 3. He is so much like his Mama!
 I finally got a chance to snag a picture of Mrs. Karen's Prayer Board to share. Lee tells us about it, but to see it in person melted my heart. Each prayer request is written in sweet second grade writing. Mrs. Karen adds updates to the tops of existing prayer requests, so the kids can actually "see" how God is working. We are so incredibly blessed to have her lead Lee through Second Grade!
 
Fall Break...here we come!
 

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Story Hour


 
 Wade's favorite song at Story Hour is "Where is Scarecrow?" The kids hide their scarecrows behind their backs.
 And then they *pop* them out and sing "There he is!" He thinks it is loads of fun.
 Next was a nature hunt. Wade filled his bag with acorns and called it a day.
Picture pitstop and Story Hour is complete!

Turn that Frown Upside Down!

When I try to get a picture of Wade, I sing silly little songs to him to make him smile. One of his favorites is "Turn that Frown Upside Down. Smile! Smile!"
 
 After church today, I asked if I could take a picture of him in his new overalls. He said, "Yes, but I need my microphone." Of course he did.
 Then I started with the "Smile" song, which turned on his giggles.
 And mine...hence the wonky picture above!
He kept saying between clinched teeth, "Is dis a good smile?" This kid makes ME smile!
 
The minute I put the camera down, he said, "Now let's take dis off and put on my Titans uniform."
 
As soon as we got in the car after church, he asked where we were going. When I told him we were going home, he said, "NO FAIR!" Then he asked where Daddy and Lee were, and I said, "Still camping." He said, "NO FAIR!" After a series of questions and answers that all resulted in "NO FAIR!" I asked who he had heard say that. He didn't miss a beat and said, "Joshua." "Who is Joshua?" "You know. Dat man in da Bible...Joshua." I didn't know Joshua exclaimed, "NO FAIR!" throughout the Bible, but if Wade said it, it must be true. 

Friday, October 5, 2012

5 on Friday

I love when my friend, Jennifer, does a "5 on Friday" post about her family, so I'm going to attempt it, too.
 
 
1. Matt never wants things for himself. Honestly, he struggles with making wish lists for his birthday or Christmas, because he just doesn't splurge on himself very often. So, when he mentioned wanting/needing a storage case for his camping gear, I knew I had to get it. He balked when I suggested that we go get it together, because he thought it was too pricey. Privately, I weighed the pros and cons, and knowing it would last for years and years, I decided to get it for him as a surprise before his and Lee's latest camping trip. I waited until I picked Lee up from school, knowing he would love to be in on the surprise. We brought it home and put a sign and huge bow on it and left it in the living room. Lee couldn't stand it, and within an hour, he had it packed with all their camping gear. I was so excited too. FINALLY when Matt got home from work, the boys, with their giddy giggles, dragged him to the prize. Matt looked at me and grinned, and then he said, "Oh, I see you found the surprise I hid for Lee." WHAT????? Yes, he had gone and bought the exact.same.thing. and was going to surprise Lee with it for their camping trip. Lee and Wade handled it well and actually thought it was a hoot that we bought the same thing. So, we were off to Lowe's to return our purchase from 3 hours before.
 
2. So I'm back to blogging. I've been writing some things along the way and not publishing them. I foolishly let a couple people steal my joy of blogging. It took one of my dearest and oldest friends, Michele, to point that out to me and help me get my mojo back. I will say this and be done with it. If reading other people's private blogs makes you upset or feel bad, please do yourself a favor, and read something that works for you and makes you feel better. There are millions out there that will make you happy. I know I have read blogs from Moms who are super crafty, make all their kids' clothes, and are overly organized, and they made me feel like I wasn't a good Mom. No thank you. I can feel bad enough about myself on my own without intentionally punishing myself by reading that. So I quit reading them. This is intended as a resource for me to share with people who love my family and me the things that are happening with us. That's it.
 
3. Lee is a big reader. He always has been drawn to a book. Last week, at our school's book fair, he selected a few new books, and we have hardly seen him since then. He got one in particular that we have had to force him to put away long enough to do normal things like eat and bathe..ha! When I was cleaning up in his room, I stopped and giggled at his bedside table. He is honestly reading some of all of those books right now. I guess it depends on his mood which one he reads at a certain time.

4. Wade has been fighting a cold this week and has not been feeling his best. I've indulged him with snacks and movies most mornings. One morning when I asked him what his heart desired, he requested to "be a burrito and watch da Wizard dub AHHHz." So that's what he got.

5. I guess number 5 should be about our furry babies. They have been huge piles of laziness this week with the cooler weather. I've actually stopped a couple of times to make sure they're breathing when they're napping out in the sun.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Monday Funday

 Wade wasn't feeling his best, but when I asked if he wanted to go to Story Hour, he was emphatic that he wanted to go. It was coming a monsoon, so Wade wore his raincoat and rain boots. He loved them so much that he wore them the entire time we were there. I giggled when I looked at him, because he was dressed head to toe (including Elmo Fireman undies) in hand-me-downs from Lee.
 Wade got to bring home an apple for himself and for Lee. He asked to hold them on the way home, which of course was fine by me. This is what actually made it home.
Today was Lee's first day at his new pottery class. It is a 6 week class with his former pottery teacher/neighbor, Mrs. Janice. He was super excited to get started and wanted to keep his creations today a secret. Since this class is more advanced than his last, I can't wait to see what he creates.