October 31, 2008 Happy Halloween!

I started out the day with a shift at the book fair at Caleb's preschool. Caleb and I left early for that and left Vic to get the other two kids out the door on his own. He did, but Carson forgot his backpack. So, Vic had to get it to him. That was difficult since he couldn't think of the name of Carson's teacher when he got to the front office, lol. "Don't you all have records of these things?" He asked. Turns out, they do have records. I know that because I filled them all out. Probably 20 pages worth, at least.

The book fair was interesting because it was set up just outside of the sanctuary and there was a funeral going on this morning. Nothing like, "So sorry for your loss. Hey! How about some books?" Okay, so I didn't actually say that(or anything at all) to the funeral attendees, but that's kind of what it seemed like. To make matters worse, one of the attendants from the funeral home fell while carrying in some flowers and they had to call an ambulance. So then we had a funeral, EMS and a book fair. Lovely.

Soon it was time for Caleb's Halloween parade. It was funny watching the two year olds meander around. They are really bad at walking in a line. A couple of them made a run for the playground. After the parade we came inside for a party. Caleb thoroughly enjoyed eating the icing off his cupcake and pretty much ignored the rest of the food on his plate. After the party I took Caleb to Grammy & Grampy's house so he could take a nap there and I could get ready for the next two parties.

I ended up mixing up the batter for the cookies last night and saving the baking for today. So, I went home and baked three dozen cookies. Thankfully, they came out great. Then I headed off for more party fun in Jamie's class and Carson's class.

After the parties we picked up Caleb and headed home. Aunt Linda stopped by with cute gift bags full of treats for the kids. They especially liked the pumpkin whistle straws. I have told them they can enjoy them all they want . . . outside. :) The kids were also thrilled to get a package from Nana and Poppa with some Halloween stickers and money. Carson got a package of Pokemon cards with his, since he had won a bet with Nana about the glow-in-the-dark status of one of our Halloween decorations last weekend. He got a card in the pack that he really wanted, so he was very, very excited.

I got them dressed for trick or treating, which was no easy feat considering how sugared up and hyper they were, then we took pictures and they headed off with Vic. You'll notice in the pictures that Jamie decided her shamrock antenna headband was the perfect accessory for her ballerina princes dress. They were only supposed to go to our street and one other, so that we could head out to the Trunk-or-Treat at Grammy & Grampy's house, but they got a little carried away and trick or treated for about 1.5 hours. So, we decided not to go to the Trunk or Treat this year. They were all exhausted, and they already had tons of candy. I think we have enough candy to last for a year!

It was a very fun day, but I don't remember when I've been this tired. I am off to get some rest now!

Pictures from tonight, the class parties and last night's pumpkin carving fun are in our web album. There are three separate Halloween albums in there.

October 30, 2008

This morning, I sent Jamie off to school, then took Caleb over for a fun morning at Grammy & Grampy's house while I headed to Target. I did some more Christmas shopping for the kids (almost done buying for them - yay!), and got a dress to wear to see Fast Money that was on clearance for $12.48 - yay again! So, that was fun. Then I got a large pumpkin spice latte and headed back to pick up Caleb. I am going to have to stop with the pumpkin spice lattes. Even the skinny version is 8 points - eek! Of course I guess I don't have to buy the 20 oz. one, but I kind of do have to because they are so doggone good.

Caleb came home and took a nap, and I did a little cleaning up around the house. We picked up Carson and Jamie and then played outside until dinner time.

After that, Vic came home and the kids had fun carving the pumpkin with him. He used a cute ghost pattern that we found online. I took some pictures, but I will have to wait until tomorrow to post them because right now I have to go clean up all the pumpkin carving mess and then bake a bunch of cookies for Carson's class party tomorrow. I am already tired thinking about tomorrow. I am working a session at Caleb's preschool book fair, followed by three Halloween parties, trick or treating, a visit to the trunk or treat at Grammy & Grampy's church and I'm going to try hard to fit voting in there somewhere!

October 29, 2008

Caleb and I had lots of fun at the pumpkin patch at the YMCA this morning. We went on a hay ride, ate a hot dog, watched a skit, Caleb picked out a pumpkin, and he got to play on the playground. He has a friend in his class named Landry, and he hung out with her all morning. He didn't even want to sit with me on the hay ride or at the skit. He sat with Landry, and I sat with Landry's grandmother nearby. It was pretty cute.

After that, we headed home. Caleb was very worn out from all the fun and took a nice long nap. I spent some time doing a little research online for our trip, looking into hotels and such. I also tried to download the pumpkin patch pictures from the camera to the computer and somehow crashed the computer doing it. Brent fixed it later but says we probably need to get a new hard drive. I am trying again to download the pictures now. Hope it goes better this time.

Grammy brought home Jamie and took Carson back to her house today. Caleb, Jamie and I played outside until dinner time. I made a spicy soup tonight. It seemed like a good day for it, since it has been so chilly outside.

Okay, the pictures downloaded and the computer is still working. Phew. The picture of Caleb in the kitchen is from Monday when he was eating his lunch with the light-up tweezers Nana and Poppa gave him. There are a few more pumpkin patch pictures in our web album.

October 28, 2008

Caleb and I hung out today while everyone else headed off to work and school. We did lots of laundry, but didn't put any away. I hate that part. So, now I have to do that tonight. We also played and he watched some Noggin TV. It was super windy and chilly today, so we didn't go out much. We did venture out to Publix, though, where I saved $50! :)

Vic and I are planning a last minute trip to VA/DC for next weekend, so I spent much of today thinking about that. We got tickets to see Vic's favorite show, Fast Money on CNBC, live in Washington, DC. So, I think we're going to go do that and hopefully get to see Ben & Katie too! I am so excited, and a little worried that I don't have warm enough clothes to go up there. I was freezing today and it was 59 outside.

Grammy picked up the kids from school and brought Carson home. It was Jamie's turn to spend the afternoon with Grammy today. She crying very dramatically when they dropped off Carson and saying that she wanted to play with her friend who lives down the street. She decided to go with Grammy, though, and eventually calmed down after several kisses and hugs goodbye and a phone call from Grammy & Grampy's house for another kiss. Gotta love four-year-old drama.

All the kids were hyped up tonight. I don't know if they are just excited about Halloween or if it was because I gave them a lollipop after dinner, but I thought they would never go to sleep. I was rocking with Caleb and I usually sing to him, but this was about our third rocking session of the night, so I was tired of singing and was just rocking. He said, "Mommy, turn on the music.". It took me a while to figure out that he wanted me to sing, lol.

Now I am going to go put away that laundry and try to get the house decent enough for the cleaning lady to come tomorrow. This will be no small task.

October 27, 2008

I got to join Jamie's class this morning on a field trip to the pumpkin patch at Caleb's preschool. It's always fun to walk anywhere with 40 four-year-olds. Then we arrived and let the 40 kids loose in the pumpkin patch. They were pretty excited but somehow managed to agree on a pumpkin for each class. Then somehow we managed to get out of there without busting any pumpkins and we made it back to the school with all 40 kids and two whole pumpkins.

After the pumpkin fun, I did some grocery shopping and then picked up Caleb. We went home and ate lunch and then he took a nap, albeit a little later than usual because lately he has been a bugger to get to sleep. I woke him up at parent pick up time, we picked up Carson and Jamie and then headed home to work on homework quickly before heading off to drop Carson off at gymnastics.

Caleb, Jamie and I played outside until Vic and Carson arrived home with the pizzas. I was glad when they got home because it was getting pretty chilly out there! Tomorrow is supposed to be cool and windy. I am so glad that the hot weather is over for a while. Now I am really in the mood for holiday shopping! :)

October 26, 2008

This morning we had more fun spending time with Nana and Poppa. Then we headed over to the Dawg House, a Georgia Bulldog-themed restaurant that just opened up nearby, for lunch. That was fun except that Caleb was very tired and therefore very restless. He wanted to everything but sit in his chair. After lunch, it was time for Poppa and Nana to head home. :( But first, we got some pictures of the kids sitting on the back of the giant bulldog statue out front and some pictures of Nana and Poppa standing with them. So, then we told Nana and Poppa goodbye, and Nana left the kids with a bag of mints(one of their favorite treats) and lots of other sugary snacks at home. So, they were very energetic today. :)

Caleb fell asleep in the car on the way home and then stayed asleep when I put him in his bed. Carson played outside, Jamie played Toontown and Vic and I were glad that they were all peaceful. Once Caleb woke up, we all went outside where there were kids running everywhere. Some of the boys were tossing a football around, and Caleb was right in the middle of them, having a blast.

Tonight at dinner, Jamie said, "It sure was fun when Nana and Poppa were here." Yep, it was! We can't wait to see them again at Thanksgiving!

October 25, 2008

We have had such a fun day with Nana & Poppa today! This morning the kids had fun hanging out at home and playing with Nana & Poppa. Carson rode his bike and showed Nana and Poppa some of his gymnastics skills on the monkey bars. Jamie spent time practicing writing her letters and numbers, one of her favorite things to do lately.

Later in the morning, Nana helped me get the kids dressed, ready and in one spot to try to get a Christmas card picture this morning. This was a huge feat! I am so happy to have it done and check it off the list! I took 55 pictures and got only a few usable ones. The one I picked had two out of three kids smiling and all of them looking in the same general direction. I'll take it! Woohoo!

After that we went to Walmart, where Nana bought the kids some treats. Caleb picked out a plastic pumpkin, some practice golf balls, a coloring book, and some mini M&Ms. Jamie chose a doll, a Dora coloring pad, and a plastic pumpkin. Carson got Pokemon cards, his latest obsession. They were all thrilled with their prizes. We headed to Sonic to pick up lunch and then home.

Caleb took a nap after we got home while the big kids played with Nana and Poppa. When he woke up, we headed to the pumpkin patch at Caleb's preschool for some more family fun. The kids all agreed on a pumpkin for the family, then Nana got them each a small pumpkin to take home. We left Poppa at home so he could enjoy the UGA game in peace.

We came home, and Vic grilled some yummy burgers. The people across the street had a haunted trail in their backyard tonight. It was supposed to be over at 9:00, but it looks like it is still going on now. Sounds like everyone is having a good time over there. Vic and Poppa were the only ones brave enough to go through it around here. They said it was fun. I'll take their word for it. :)

Off to visit with Nana and Poppa now that the kids are asleep!

October 24, 2008

This morning was dark and rainy. It would have been a perfect day for sleeping in. But, I drug myself up, got the kids ready and sent them off with Vic. I worked on laundry, drank too much coffee, and enjoyed the quiet morning.

I picked up Caleb and we headed home for our usual lunch and nap routine. While he slept, I cleaned up the house. I love quiet, rainy days. I felt bad for Nana and Poppa, though, who were heading our way today and driving in lots and lots of rain.

Parent pickup took forever this afternoon, as it always does on rainy days. We all headed home for a snack and waited for Nana and Poppa's much anticipated arrival. We have been counting down the days, and the kids were so excited.

Nana and Poppa arrived and the kids were thrilled. They bounced off the walls all night with excitement. I thought we would never get them to sleep tonight!

I think they are finally all asleep now and looking forward to a fun day tomorrow. I am going to go spend some time with Nana and Poppa now while it is quiet. :)

October 23, 2008

I sent Jamie off to school with the neighbor this morning and then dropped Caleb off at Grammy & Grampy's house. I took off for a fun morning at Target. It was a good trip, too. I found the Halloween costume Carson wanted, and it was the last one left in his size. Then, I got two Christmas gifts for Carson and a small one for Jamie. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have the giant spiders. I guess they sold out. But, overall it was a successful shopping trip. I also got a few other things that I had been looking for. I topped off the morning with a large pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. I am so hooked on these things.

I picked up Caleb, who had also had a very fun morning, and took him home for lunch and nap. Then I spent a while cleaning up around the house. I woke him up to go pick up Carson and Jamie. When we got home, it was very cloudy and windy. We still played outside all afternoon, though. The number of kids running around outside is getting crazy. Today, there were at least 20. They were showing up from other streets. I guess our cul de sac is getting a reputation.

Vic got home and I took off for WW. I hadn't been in over a month since it was hard to get there with Jamie in gymnastics on Thursday nights. Now that's she's moved to Saturdays, I'm getting back on the wagon. I was up 1.2 pounds tonight, which really stinks, but I just need to start counting my points carefully again and I'll be back on track.

October 22, 2008

This morning was kind of like a Monday morning that landed on a Wednesday. Everyone was dragging and I pretty much had to push them all out the door to get them to school on time. By then it was 8:50 and I had to be at MOPs by 9:30. Oh, and I hadn't showered yet. Then I realized Caleb had headed off to school without his jacket. So, I managed to shower, get dressed, put on makeup, drop off Caleb's jacket at his preschool and get to MOPs only 8 minutes late.

I had a very nice morning at MOPS and then had about 15 spare minutes before I needed to be in Caleb's carpool line, so I went into Kroger to pick up a few sale items. Then I picked up Caleb and we headed home for lunch and nap.

Grammy brought home Jamie and took Carson to her house to spend the night. We spent some time playing outside after that. Jamie had made some chalk in her Science class, so she used it to decorate our patio out back. We didn't stay out too long because it was getting windy and cooler. The kids came in and colored until Vic came home with our spaghetti dinners from the Cub Scout fundraiser. The kids were excited because he also brought home cupcakes. Caleb was pretty mad that he couldn't have dessert first. I don't blame him; those cupcakes looked yummy.

These pictures are of Jamie coloring with her chalk this afternoon and Caleb hanging out with her.

October 21, 2008

Caleb and I had a very quiet day today. We did laundry, cleaned up, played outside, played with cars and the Little People Farm. He took a nap and I didn't have to wake him up for parent pickup because Grammy picked up the big kids today and brought Carson home. Jamie went to spend the afternoon with Grammy & Grampy. When Grammy left, Caleb waved to her and said, "Thanks for my brother!"

We played outside for a little while and then Carson worked on his homework. He had a lot of homework tonight because he has a project due Thursday and he left his homework folder at school yesterday, so he had to work on the project and do tonight's homework and last night's homework. So, that wasn't fun.

We met Grammy, Grampy, Jamie, Christy & Patrick for dinner at Beef O'Brady's. We just found out they have free kids meals on Tuesdays, so we may have to do this more often. Carson struck it rich on cheap stuffed animals from the claw game in the arcade. I have always told him what a waste of money those are and how it's extremely hard to win, he'd be better off to save his money, etc. I have told him that over and over and over again. So, you can imagine the look of pride on his face when he showed me the stuffed animal he won from the claw game at the arcade in Beef O'brady's. He went on to win four others and was just beaming. I think he is going to be reminding me of this for the rest of my life, lol.

We came home, I got the little ones in bed while Vic and Carson did some more work on Carson's fire safety project for school. Then, Caleb hopped out of bed and ran downstairs when he heard Vic and Carson run outside for a fire drill and to practice the stop, drop and roll technique(required for the project). He didn't want to be left out. I finally got him settled back down at 10:00, and that's about what time Carson went to bed, too. So, not the smoothest night. I hope they aren't too grumpy in the morning. I am so glad everyone is finally asleep!

October 20, 2008

I dropped all the kids off at their schools this morning and then, realizing I hadn't eaten breakfast, I went through McDonald's drive thru. I was relatively good and got a fruit and yogurt parfait and a coffee. Then I rushed home to get my camera and went back to Caleb's preschool for firefighter day.

The firetrucks were arriving as I was walking to the building. I was met at the door by all the kids walking out. They looked more confused about why there were two firetrucks outside than excited. Then I got to help herd Caleb's class toward the firetrucks. It is amusing to try and get 13 two year olds to go in the same direction. Caleb seemed to enjoy the firefighters, and he loved checking out the fire trucks. You'll see in the pictures that he was up front as much as possible. I have a lot of pics of the back of his head because he was way more interested in the fire trucks than he was in having his picture made. This was my 7th time to see the firefighters do their presentation, but it was fun because it was my first time to see it with Caleb. The pictures are in our web album.

After I left the preschool, I went home for my grocery list and coupons and then headed over to Publix for some quick shopping. Then I picked up Caleb and we headed home for lunch. After lunch, we picked up Christy and took her over to her physical therapy appointment. Caleb fell asleep in the car and then went back to sleep when we got home. I had to wake him up to go to parent pickup.

We picked up Carson and Jamie, came home, got Carson ready for gymnastics, then headed out for gymnastics. Jamie stayed with the neighbor again, and Caleb and I hung out over there after we got home from dropping off Carson.

Vic and Carson brought home pizza for dinner and we headed home. Now I am so ready to get all the kids in the bed. This has been a long day!

October 19, 2008

We managed to make it to church on time this morning, and we made it through nursery duty this morning without incident. After the first hour, there were only two left who weren't old enough for Sunday School, so that was pretty easy.

After church we stopped by Subway for lunch and then headed home to eat. The kids spent a long time playing outside after that.

Later, we had planned on taking the kids to pick out a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch at Caleb's preschool, but we got sidetracked when we realized that our neighborhood was having their annual Fall Festival today. The grandmother of the girl across the street had offered to take Jamie up to the park with them. Having forgotten about the Fall Festival, I told her we were about to go to the pumpkin patch but that Jamie could go and we would pick her up on our way out of the neighborhood. We arrived to pick up Jamie and discovered the fall festival going on and Jamie sitting in the back of a pick up ready for a hay ride, lol. So, we figured, Woohoo! Dinner! And we skipped the pumpkin patch in favor of free food and fun. They had hot dogs, hamburgers, low country boil, and every side dish and dessert imaginable. They even had free beer and wine. I don't know how I forgot about this, but we won't forget next year!

After the Fall Festival, we stopped by to see Christy and Patrick and were happy to see that Christy was doing very well and up and about after her knee surgery. We got the kids out of there without them destroying anything and headed home for bath. Carson is very excited right now because Vic just microwaved him a hot dog(he wouldn't eat the ones at the fall fest because they had grill marks on them), and the hot dog blew up in the microwave. Wonderful.

The pictures are from the fall festival this afternoon.

Off to get these wild ones in the bed now so I can clip coupons and make my grocery lists.

October 18, 2008

This morning was another rainy Saturday morning and a little chilly, too. Jamie and I headed off for gymnastics. I dropped her off at her class and then went and walked on the treadmill until time to pick her up. This time I went into the "fresh start" room, which is basically a small room with workout equipment for people who are really out of shape. I like it because it's quiet and you can actually hear the TV in there. Too bad there was absolutely nothing on and I ended up watching political news on Fox & Friends. There may have been something on, but I was trying to change the channels on the very-high-up-in-the-air TV with an actual 10-foot pole, and we all know that I don't have the nickname "sledge" for nothing. That thing was wobbling every time I tapped the channel button with the 10-foot pole, so I decided not to taunt it too much. I flipped a few channels and decided I could live with political news.

I picked Jamie up from class, then we headed home so I could get Carson, Caleb and Vic out the door for a birthday party. The boys had fun at the party, and lucky for the parents of the b-day boy, the rain stopped so the kids could play outside in the moon bounce.

Jamie and I baked cupcakes while they were gone for the preschool cookout. I now remember why I usually buy these things. Chocolate icing + a four year old who loves to help = huge mess. It was fun, though.

Once I managed to wipe all the chocolate off of Jamie, she began the tedious process of choosing a princess dress to wear to her friend Anna's birthday party. She finally settled on the butterfly princess dress that she wore for Halloween last year (see pic at top of blog). The guys got home from their party just as Jamie and I left for hers.

The party I took Jamie to had a princess-castle-themed moonbounce that the kids had lots of fun on. The only trouble was that the day got progressively cooler and breezier, so the princesses and their moms were a little chilly. Jamie had fun anyway, and she was thrilled that she got to take home a crown-shaped cookie with pink frosting and sprinkle "jewels".

We went home, quickly changed Jamie into something warmer and then we all headed to Caleb's preschool cookout. That was moved indoors, thank goodness. We all ate hot dogs and they had some indoor play equipment out for the kids. They all had a good time.

By the time we got home, we were all worn out from a very long day. Now I need to go rest up because we have nursery duty in the morning.

October 17, 2008

I had another quiet morning here with all the kids at school. I worked on laundry a little and facebook a lot. I picked up Caleb and got frustrated because the carpool line was wonky today and it took a long time to get Caleb in the van. Then I realized that carpool is basically my biggest source of stress, which means my life must be pretty darn easy right now. Then I felt better. We headed home for lunch and a nap.

The highlight of our day was that MawMaw stopped by to visit after the kids came home from school. She is staying at the beach this weekend with her sister, her sister's daughters and one of their daughters. So, they stopped by on their way in town to eat dinner. We were so excited to see them! They didn't get to stay long, so I didn't have time for pictures or anything, but I enjoyed seeing Maw Maw and the kids did too. She gave them each some money before she left, and they are all excited to go shopping this weekend. :) Hope to see her again soon!

After Maw Maw's visit, we all went outside to play with the other kids until dinner time. We grilled steaks for dinner and had a nice, quiet evening. We let the kids stay up a little later tonight. Maybe they'll sleep in a little in the morning. Not too late, though, because Jamie has gymnastics at 9:00. We also have two birthday parties and a preschool cookout tomorrow, so it will be a full day! I had better get some rest!

October 16, 2008

This morning we finished up our Stepping Up bible study. It has been a really good one. Next week we are starting The Way of the Psalms by Kathleen Nielson. I have heard her studies are really good, too. The book is awfully thin for twelve weeks worth of studies. Looks like we will have far less "homework" than with the Beth Moore study.

After bible study, I ran a couple of errands and then came home and baked some brownies for a friend who had knee surgery yesterday. I managed to get out the door without eating any of them. I scraped the mixing bowl clean, though. :) I stopped by and visited with my friend for a while and then headed over to pick up Carson and Jamie.

After parent pick up, we went over to Grammy & Grampy's house to get Caleb, who was worn out and napping in Grammy's lap on the porch after a very fun day. We headed back to our house for a quick snack and then we all went outside to play. In addition to all the kids who live on our street, two other girls came over. They are in the class across the hall from Jamie's class and one of them was in Jamie's class last year. So, they're good buddies. They ran around and had a good time playing, and there was surprisingly little four-year-old girl drama. I had a good time chatting with the other moms.

The kids are finally asleep now, except for Jamie who is awake and says her eye feels funny. I think she has a tiny eyelash poking her eye in the corner, so I'm going to go try and work on that so I can sit down and watch the Office in peace!

October 15, 2008

This morning was a mad dash trying to get the house ready for the cleaning lady and get the kids out the door for school. After the daddy bus headed off and the maid arrived, I took off to walk the walking trail at the Y and then went by Walmart and did a little Christmas shopping for the kids. I can't believe it's only two months and ten days until Christmas!

The Christmas shopping was sort of a sidebar to the main reason for the Walmart trip. I was really there to see if I could get one of those giant spider Halloween decorations I have seen all over the neighborhood. They didn't have any. I'll have to try Target. Carson thinks the fake spider web I got isn't scary enough. I figured a giant spider might add some spook to it.

After that I picked up Caleb. His teacher said they finger painted today but that Caleb definitely prefers painting with a brush. I'm not surprised. He's the only one of our kids who likes to be neat, clean and orderly. We went home for our usual lunch and nap routine.

Grammy brought home Jamie today and took Carson back to her house to spend the night. Caleb, Jamie and I played outside for a while, but there were no other kids out and the bugs were biting, so we came back in a little early and I turned on Max and Ruby for them so I could make dinner in peace.

Tonight I did a little more Christmas shopping online. I want to have it all done before the tree goes up!

October 14, 2008

Caleb and I got to spend the morning hanging out together after everyone else headed off to work or school. We hung around the house for a while and then took a trip to Publix. He's a fun grocery shopping buddy. He likes to be helpful and toss things into the basket for me. Sometimes he's a little too helpful and tosses random items that we don't need into the basket. He also likes to say hi to all the other kids in the store. He calls them his friends. He had fun on our outing and got a cookie and a balloon. Unfortunately, the balloon didn't last too long since it got snagged on a tree on the way inside. He didn't seem to care too much. He was much more interested in getting the string off of his wrist.

After lunch he took an even longer nap than usual since Grammy picked up Carson and Jamie today. She dropped off Carson and took Jamie home to play at her house for a while. Carson did his homework and then we all went outside. Caleb rode his golf cart and Carson ran around with his friend who had just returned from Disney World. He also helped some of the other kids build a dirt castle. We stayed out until Jamie got home. By then the gnats were getting bad. Too bad they like the cooler weather, too. We went inside for a quick dinner, bath and bedtime. Now I'm going to go fold some clothes and enjoy the peace!

Sorry I've been slack on the pictures. I'll try to get some posted soon. I took a few of Caleb today, but our printer is somehow not connected to the PC at the moment, and that's where the camera card goes. So, hopefully we'll get that fixed soon.

October 13, 2008

We had a much less eventful Monday morning this week, thankfully. The kids across the street didn't need a ride to school today, so it was just our three. After they headed off on the daddy bus, I spent a quiet morning working on laundry and making grocery lists.

I picked up Caleb and we made a quick stop by Kroger before heading home for lunch and a nice long nap for Caleb. After we picked up Carson and Jamie, Carson did some homework quickly and then got ready for gymnastics so fast that he actually had a few minutes to play outside before we left. One of the neighbors was out with her kids and she offered to watch Jamie while I took Carson to gymnastics. That was great, since it is so much easier to do anything with two kids instead of three!

On the way to the Y, I asked Carson what he wants for Christmas. It turns out he wants a piranha. How nice. We decided that a piranha would probably eat his frogs, plus I'm pretty sure it's illegal to own one as a pet in Georgia. So, we decided maybe some other, more friendly fish would be better. He also said he wants every type of Nerf dart gun there is and lots of extra ammo. So, I will be adding a giant bottle of Excedrin to my Christmas list and maybe some nerve pills.

Caleb and I dropped off Carson, Caleb talked me into a gumball from the machine at the Y, and then we headed home to play outside some more. The kids found a frog and that caused huge excitement. He was a pretty friendly frog and hopped right out of his hole to say hello. He quickly hopped away to a hiding spot in the flowers by the mailbox when we tried to pick him up, though. Vic and Carson got home with the pizza right then, and everyone went in for dinner. I'm sure the frog was happy.

October 12, 2008

This morning was one of those mornings where you wish you could sleep and sleep and sleep. It was very rainy and dark. I had to get up, though, because we had church and because I had remembered last night that we were having a pot luck after church and I had nothing to take. It was written on my calendar, but it still managed to sneak up on me. Anyway, I got dressed and ready and headed out to Publix for a few things. I was surprised how crowded the store was on an early, rainy Sunday morning.

Last night, I was asked to fill in for one of Carson's Sunday School teachers. One of his teachers is sick, and the other one is out of town. So, I agreed. I had no materials, and, as it turned out, no helper, so I just had to wing it. I recruited Vic to come help, and we went over their bible verse and then worked on cards for pastor appreciation day(the reason for our pot luck lunch). There were only 5 kids, so that went pretty well.

We stayed for the Pastor Appreciation lunch but ended up leaving before it was over. They had a few speakers, so it lasted a while and Caleb was getting very tired, so we slipped out early. We came home and enjoyed a very quiet, rainy afternoon. Vic and Caleb went out to run a few errands and a little girl from across the street came over to play with Jamie. They had fun playing princesses and dressing up until they got into an argument because they both wanted to be sleeping beauty and neither one wanted to be the prince. So, there was almost a four-year-old princess meltdown. Luckily it was resolved fairly quickly when they switched to playing princess hide and seek.

It is still raining and I can't wait to go to sleep. I love these nice, cool rainy days!

October 11, 2008

Jamie and I headed off to her gymnastics class this morning. I dropped her off in the gymnastics room and then headed to the workout room. I walked on the treadmill for about 25 minutes and then went back to pick her up. I learned that the people in there working out on Saturday morning are all very serious about their fitness. I was the only one walking on the treadmill. Everyone else was running. I was just glad to remain upright on the treadmill for 25 minutes.

We stopped by Walmart after we left the Y and picked up some pretty purple mums for the front steps for only $5 each. Jamie also picked out a little ballerina dress she wants to wear for Halloween. So, I bought her that and matching slippers and a tiara. Here's hoping she doesn't change her mind in the next 20 days. Carson says he wants to be a stormtrooper. I think I'll have to get that one online. Caleb is going to be a spider because I already have that costume from when Carson was about his age.

After we got home, Grammy picked up all three kids and took them to the Flying Frogs! Woohoo! They were very excited. They had a great time there and were very tired when they got home.

We spent all afternoon playing outside. It was cloudy and rained a little here and there, but the temperature was in the low 70s! It was very nice. They were all ready for bed tonight!

October 10, 2008

This morning all the kids had picture day at their schools. That meant that Carson and Jamie didn't have to wear a uniform. So, Jamie was happy about that. It didn't make much difference for Carson, since they were still required to "dress up" with tucked shirts and belts. I sent them all off on the daddy bus and spent a quiet morning doing laundry, laundry and more laundry while watching the stock market take yet another beating. You know it's bad when CNBC is the most interesting thing on TV.

Caleb saw McDonald's on the way home from preschool and asked me to stop. He's just so darn cute that I decided to stop and pick up nuggets and fries for him. After he ate, he slept all afternoon as usual. So, I did more laundry. I still have more to do, too. It is my arch enemy.

We picked up the big kids and then came home and played outside until dinner time. I am going to go try to get them all in the bed now and then put away all the laundry I washed and folded today, which is my least favorite part. If I ever build my dream home, I want some sort of conveyor belt system that delivers folded clothes to their spot. That would be cool. Probably unattractive, but very cool.

October 9, 2008

This morning Carson and Jamie rode to school with a neighbor and Vic dropped Caleb off at Grammy & Grampy's house. I headed over to Publix, keeping a watchful eye out for Palin-hater lady, and picked up some snacks for bible study before heading to the church. It was nice to be back at bible study after missing two weeks.

I picked up Caleb after that, and we headed back to the house. He was ready for a nap as soon as we got home and slept all afternoon. I got all the floors cleaned downstairs while he slept. Carson had Grandparents Day in his classroom today, so Grammy & Grampy attended that and then brought home the kids from school. It rained some again this afternoon but stopped in time for the kids to get some outside play time today, thankfully.

There is a nice steady rain outside again now. Great for sleeping! :)

October 8, 2008

This morning I got to walk to the firehouse with Jamie's class. So, we arrive at the firehouse with 40 pre-k kids (2 classes), and the firefighters are nowhere to be found. After a couple of cell phone calls to the school, the teachers discovered that the firefighters had gone to the school to see us. So, we got to hang out and wait with the 40 four year olds until they returned. Luckily, the firehouse is only one building down from the school. We heard the firefighters presentation, which wasn't much fun for me because I've heard this at least 6 times before as all the kids' classes do this every year, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. Plus, they looked super cute in their little Dalmatian hats that they had made. Too bad I forgot my camera. We went back to the school and I stayed for lunch with Jamie.

After that, I had exactly 20 minutes before I had to be in parent pick up line at Caleb's preschool. Perfect. Just enough time to stop in Publix for a few things. So, I'm in the Publix produce department grabbing a bag of pre-sliced apples (yes, I'm that lazy), and a Publix employee who is stocking the apple slices mumbles something to me about how women shouldn't be running the country. Okay, crazy lady, whatever. But then she starts ranting to me about the whole women-have-no-business-in-government thing, and about how McCain is too old to be president and when he dies Palin is going to bring her daughter's "bastard" child into the white house. So, then it became clear that this lady really is crazy. Great. So I'm inching away as she tells me that one of her sons is a pro football player and that she has tons of money. Oh, and by the way, she became pregnant with that son on her prom night after drinking too much alcohol. Don't worry, though, she doesn't drink anymore, and she's not voting for Obama because he's black. She just hates Palin. Okay, so you have to kind of giggle. I managed to get away from her with a "okay, then. Have a nice day!". So then I had to go find a manager to tell him about his nutty ranting employee cornering people in produce. Crazy lady and all, I still finished all my shopping in time to get to Caleb's school. I hope they get rid of her, though. I want to by my pre-sliced apples in peace.

Caleb and I came home, ate lunch, and then he took a nap as usual. We picked up the big kids just as the rain began to fall again today. It rained all afternoon and is still raining. It's a nice steady rain. The rest of the day was uneventful. We had meatloaf for dinner, got the kids in bed, and now I am looking forward to going to bed and listening to the rain. Right after I finish the dishes, the laundry and my bible study.

October 7, 2008

Jamie headed off to school this morning with Vic and Caleb and Carson hopped in the van with me and we took Carson to the doctor for his 7 year old check up(only about 7 months late). He was very brave and got a good report. He had to have his finger pricked and had to get one shot. I then got the flu mist vaccine for both boys. I have never given them flu vaccines before because of mercury in the shots. There is no mercury in the flu mist, but it is a live vaccine. So, here's hoping they don't get sick.

I took the boys by McDonald's for a hash brown and chocolate milk since Carson was so brave at the doctor's office. Then, I went by his school to check him in. His class was with their Spanish teacher when we arrived. I had a conference scheduled with his teacher for this afternoon, but when she saw me she asked if I 'd like to meet right then so I wouldn't have to come back. So, I agreed. Caleb played with some blocks very quietly while we talked. It made me a little nervous that he was so quiet. I kept looking over and expecting to see him quietly destroying something. But, he was very good. Carson's teacher said he is doing great. We just need to keep working on his spelling and handwriting. She also said she is recommending him for a speech evaluation because he pronounces the 'th' sound as an 'f' sound. He speaks very clearly other than that. So hopefully the speech therapist can correct it easily if he is accepted into the program.

Caleb and I went home for lunch after that and then Caleb took a nap. I had to wake him up to pick up Carson and Jamie yet again. We arrived back at home from parent pick up just as the rain began to fall, and it rained all evening. The kids were all pretty grouchy tonight. Maybe because they were stuck inside all afternoon. Vic had a meeting tonight and didn't get home until late. So, it was just me and the kids here tonight, and I was very, very happy when bedtime arrived! I think everyone, including me, needs some rest!

October 6, 2008

It was back to reality this morning for me, and what a Monday morning it was! The two girls who ride to school with us on Mondays got into a squabble over a seat in the van and one of them got punched in the nose. Then the puncher refused to budge from staring down her sister. Vic had to pick her up and buckle her into her seat. I dropped the three uninjured kids off at parent drop off and took the hurt one in to the school nurse. I had to sneak past the office because I didn't have my license and it is required to sign in, so it was a covert operation getting to the nurse. And, of course, I couldn't get her mom on the phone. So, after she calmed down and the nurse determined she would be fine, I took Caleb to his school and then stopped by the mom's office to tell her what had happened. Phew,what a way to start the day!

After that I went by Kroger for a few necessities and a venti pumpkin spice latte and then headed to the Y, where I managed to make it a whole 20 minutes on the elliptical machine. Then I headed over to pick up Caleb.

Caleb took a nap after lunch, and the quiet was very nice. I woke him up and we headed out to pick up Carson and Jamie, went home briefly for some homework and then headed back out to take Carson to gymnastics.

Vic brought home Carson and some pizza, so everyone was happy. Now they are all recharging for tomorrow. I hope the morning goes a little more smoothly!

October 3 -5, 2008

We're home! What a fun weekend!

Friday we went to the outlet mall and found some great deals at the Bass outlet. We both got a couple of pairs of shoes and some clothes. I also found a few things for Jamie in the Gymboree outlet. After that we relaxed by the pool at the hotel for a while. We didn't get in because the water was way too cold. Plus, the weather was very pleasant with a nice breeze, which made it a perfect afternoon for sitting beside the pool.

Later we headed off to Universal City Walk to see Joel McHale at the Hard Rock Live. We stopped at Margaritaville for dinner before heading off to the HRL. That is a pretty cool place, but my mango margarita was surprisingly mediocre. Joel McHale was great! He is even funnier in person than he is on TV. He was on stage over an hour, too. It was so worth the money to see him!

After we left the HRL, we decided to hang out in City Walk for a while, since we had to pay $12 to park there before dinner we figured we should take advantage. Halloween Horror Nights was going on at Universal, so there was lots of scary stuff around, and I mean very scary. Universal does not mess around with special effects. There were also lots of partying people. We didn't go into the Halloween Horror Nights because I enjoy sleeping at night and because it would have cost another $120. So, we decided on a tamer end to the evening and stopped by TCBY. I got a waffle cone with rainbow sprinkles and chocolate on it. It was so yummy for about 1 minute before I tried to trade it to my other hand because we were about to get on an escalator. When I made the trade it came flying out of the paper wrapper it was in, flew past Vic and crashed on the pavement. I was bummed. Vic asked if I wanted another one, and I said no. But I really did, so after we left he ended up driving all over the place to find a McDonald's that was open so I could get a Sundae there. That was quite an adventure because one thing we learned about Orlando is that it freaks out the GPS for some reason. The GPS lady kept taking us in circles and all over creation. She even directed us into the back of some theme park that was closed. We had to get directions from a guard to get out of there. How embarrassing. I lost a little faith in GPS lady this weekend, but I still love her. We should really give her a name.

Saturday we headed off to Epcot. What a cool place! That was a fun day. The crowds were fairly light at the beginning of the day, so we were able to ride Crash Test and Mission:Space with very little wait. Crash test was so much fun! We got a fast pass and rode it again later.

Mission Space was quite an experience. When we reached the queue area, a lady asked us if we wanted the more intense or less intense experience. So, of course we said, "what?" She replied, "spinning or no spinning?" To which we both replied, "We want to spin!". Yeah, we were picturing some sort of glorified tilt a whirl. So, she handed us orange cards and directed us to the orange team queue. While in the line, we were warned repeatedly that anyone with heart conditions, fears of small dark spaces, or anyone prone to motion sickness should not get on the ride. I've never been on a ride with so many repeated warnings. By the time we loaded into our capsule, I was pretty nervous. I noticed that there were barf bags in front of each seat and became even more nervous since we had just had lunch. Soon, our shuttle was taking off. Holy freaking cow. That was intense. The g-force was amazing and a little scary. We were warned before hand to focus on the screen and not close our eyes or look away, so I did that and I actually did enjoy the ride for the most part. Not sure I would do it again, though. It was crazy.

We rode Soarin later in the afternoon, and that was very cool. It simulates a flying experience, kind of like you're in a hang glider, but you're sitting up. It was a lot of fun. They even have a breeze blowing on you and change the scent in the room according to the landscape you are flying over.

We rode every ride in the whole park and we must have walked 10 miles. We were there from 10AM until 9:45 PM. We stayed to see the fireworks and laser light show over the World Showcase pavilion. It was awesome.

This morning we headed out about 11AM and got home close to 5:00. We picked up the kids, who also had a very fun weekend with Grammy and Grampy, and headed home.

They are all sleeping now and I have lots of unpacking to do. It's good to be home, and although I was beginning to get used to being on the 21st floor, I will be glad to be sleeping on just the 2nd floor tonight!

We only took a few pictures, but I will try to get them posted tomorrow. :)

October 2, 2008

Turns out we do have free internet here and I have a few minutes while Vic watches the debate. :)

My hair turned out nice this morning. It is darker, but I like it darker in the fall. The lady was a little unusual. At one point she made a comment about needing a third hand to get the foils in my hair. I thought she was joking, but a couple of minutes later she put me to work handing her foils and holding a comb against my head while she applied the color to my hair. So as I said, it was unusual, but at least my hair turned out okay.

We arrived at our hotel around 8:30 and discovered that we are on the top floor of the hotel (21). So the view is pretty cool but it's not good for my fear of heights! We ate at the hotel restaurant for dinner, and I had a yummy salad with mandarin oranges, mango, strawberries and candied pecans on it. The hotel has a hollywood theme, and the restaurant was showing I Love Lucy on a big screen, so that was some fun dinner entertainment.

Tomorrow we are planning on going to the outlet malls(Vic can't wait!), enjoy the pool for a while, and then head to Margaritaville for dinner before going to see Joel McHale. I am so excited! Saturday I think we are going to head to Epcot for the day. Yay!

October 1, 2008

This morning I sent all three kids off to school and then I headed out to do childcare for a MOPS leadership meeting. That was super easy because we had only 3 kids there and there was another lady in there with me. I made quick stops at Walmart and then Kroger after that before heading over to pick up Caleb. When we arrived at home, the cleaning lady was still hard at work mopping the kitchen, so we played outside for a while to stay out of the way. One of our neighbors was also out, so I got to chat with her a while.

Once we got inside, Caleb ate lunch and took a long nap. I had to wake him up to go to parent pick up again.

Jamie's had a friend come over this afternoon to play for about an hour. A lot of the other kids on the street were out, too, including a girl in Jamie's friend's class, so they all had fun. They decorated the driveway with chalk and played in the back yard. Caleb rode his golf cart and Carson rode his bike, and they had lots of fun too.

I am so excited about our trip to Orlando this weekend! I still have to pack, and I'm getting my hair done tomorrow morning with a new person yet again. The other lady quit, apparently due to an illness in the family. This lady sounded nice on the phone. I hope it goes well!

I probably won't get to write while we're in Orlando, so have a great weekend everyone!