Shout outs...

First and foremost, before I post anything else....I have two shout outs to give....one to my sister...Brittany....mainly because she asked me to...LOL....and secondly because I love her and thought it would be funny to do for her.  I know it won't embarrass her. 

 She is a ham and probably is loving the attention. 

 So here you go Britt!  Enjoy!

 

 

Second shout out goes to my little man!  Yes, I realize he can't read this.  However, today is celebrating a milestone!  Today he is 1/2 a year old....yes, you read that correctly....six months old already and I can't believe it!  It really doesn't seem like it has been that long since he was born, but I guess like in the last post....the days do just fly by.  It won't be long now til he is crawling and talking and walking.  I tried to feed him some sweet potatoes tonight with a spoon and it was sooooo funny!  I had forgotten how much babies like to spit food back at you!  Needless to say we need some practice in that area.  So we will keep working on it in the days to come! 

As per usual during this time of year....the days are shorter and it seems like I have more and more to do....I have many things that I am trying to catch up on and this website is one of the things I need to work on.  Don't give up on me if it seems like I am not around much in the next few days....I just have been busy taking care of sick kids and with school projects and things like that....but I will be back full force soon.

Have a good evening!

Days fly by....

I think that is a title of a song I have heard on the radio before....but in any case....that is the title of this entry and the title of my life over the last little while.  Whew!  I can't believe that it is taking me so long to get back in the groove of things and that I have neglected posting for so long.  I know I have been busy...but I guess I just didn't realize how busy life has gotten.  Of course, and I know that you Mama's understand this, when you are a mama of three little ones, and your kids have the crud, and it is the week of a major holiday....you might just feel like you are hanging on by a thread!!! 

Well, I don't know about anyone else...but we celebrated Halloween in more ways than one!  Mallory and Kennedy had a blast and I think will be talking about it for a long time!  They are amazed at how full their treat bags were when we got home from Trick-Or-Treating.  Of course Parker was oblivious to anything going on....he just basically rode around in his carseat and enjoyed the ride. 

We started celebrating Halloween on Saturday evening by attending a great party at the home of some of our friends.  Thank you Kraig and Rita for inviting us and opening your home to everyone!  We all had a great time!  You put a lot of work into that party and it really paid off!  The kids all looked so incredibly cute and for the adults that dressed up....great job!!!!  Here are a few pictures from the festivities that night.  Kraig and Rita had pumpkin painting, storytelling, hayrides, a bonfire and roasted marshmallows (which by the way my girls absolutely loved and are still talking about),  and lots of great food!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The top picture is of my three little characters before we got ready to leave for the party.  Mallory dressed up as a tiger, Parker was a dragon, and Kennedy was a monarch butterfly.  Look at little Minnie Mouse!   Isn't she a total doll???

 

Dorothy, where is your little dog Toto??

Below:  I just love those sparkles on the sunglasses!  What a cute outfit?  And can you believe her daddy did her make-up for her costume?  Great job Dad!

 

 

 

And here is the whole crew...or at least the majority of it!

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, I went to help out for a little while with Mallory's Halloween activities at school.  That was a lot of fun too!  Her teacher does an absolutely amazing job with the activities she plans for those kids!  They worked in stations and made different projects and read different books at each station.  They did really well with their projects and with recalling each story.   The teacher had stations for them to make owls, (Annie and Nile did an excellent job on their owls!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to make a special snack mix...(which you can read about on Heather's recipe page), to make pumpkin collages, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and to make 3 dimensional pumpkins out of construction paper...each activity with a coordinating storybook!

One of the groups worked with Mrs. Rikki to make their special Halloween Treat Mix or owl eyes, chicken toenails, colored flies, ants, earthworms, witches fingers, snake eyes, and bat bones...yum yum(...you can find the real recipe for this under the recipe section of the webpage).  Mallory thought it was so cool and talked about all the gross things that were in the mix!!!  Of course, that afternoon they had a special snack of lots of good, sugary, Halloween treats before they came home!  What a fun day!!!

Now, couldn't tell about all our Halloween festivities without mentioning my little Kennedy.  She had dance class this week and got to wear her costume to dance.  However, her wings were getting in her way, so she opted to take them off during class.  All of the little girls looked so cute!!!  Here is a picture of the whole class dressed up in their costumes.  Don't they just look adorable???  

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I think this about sums up all of our Halloween activities....I feel now like I have caught up a little bit from being gone so many days.  Since my little man has been sick and things have been so busy around here...he didn't get into the Trick-0r-Treating much....so let me leave you with a few more pictures including him and then of course a new topic and more later on...Have a great day!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

I hope everyone is safe and has lots of fun out trick-or-treating tonight with your kiddos...or in whatever your plans are....it is going to be fun!!!  I have lots of things to catch you all up on and some new pictures to post....hopefully tonight after the kids are asleep, I will get some time to work online and catch up!  My household has been extremely busy these last few days and I sure have had to let some things go to the side....I have added a few new links to the webpage and am still working on tweaking a few little things each day....so I haven't abandoned it or anything.  Life with three kiddos just keeps me hopping!!!  Have a great Halloween night!!!!  And don't eat TOO MUCH candy!!!

The Husband Store...

Ok ladies...a friend of mine emailed me this and I just had to share.  You may have read it before...I never had and I just about fell out of my chair laughing!  Enjoy!

 

The Husband Store
A store that sells husbands has just opened in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband.   Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates.
"You may visit the store ONLY ONCE!
You may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up a floor,
But you cannot go back down except to exit the Building!"
So, a woman goes to The Husband Store to find a husband .
On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men have jobs and love the Lord.
The second floor sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, and love kids.
The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, and are extremely good looking.
"Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.
She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads:

Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop- dead good looking and help with the housework.
"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!"  
Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:

Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are drop- dead gorgeous, help with the  housework, and have a strong romantic streak.
She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 4,363,012 to this floor.  
There are no men on this floor.
This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.

Thank you for shopping at The Husband Store.

Watch your step as you exit the building, and have a nice day!

Please send this to all men for a good laugh and to all the women who can handle the truth!

Happy Birthday Sis!!!!

Ok...I know you have been checking to see if I was going to forget in my old age and not wish you a happy birthday....HA!  I didn't forget....just wanted to make you wait and wonder! 

 

 I can't believe that I am wishing my baby sister a Happy 19th Birthday Brittany!  WOW!  Does that really make me feel old!!!  And it really doesn't seem possible.....it really does seem like only recently when I first met you....and yes I do remember the first day you came home from the hospital....since I was the ripe old age of 12!  You have grown into a gorgeous young woman!   Even though we don't live close and don't see each other much....just want you to know that Shane and I keep up with you and your accomplishments and that we are proud of you and what you have become!  Keep up all the hard work!  Good luck in your classes at the University of Houston this fall and in all you do in life!  Love you Britt!!!

There's more than corn in Indiana...

I think about this song everytime that I drive to my hometown and everytime I drive back towards Alabama.  It was a cute little tune to a commercial that I used to hear all the time growing up....advertising an amusement park in the northern part of the state....Indiana Beach...and to my amazement it is still around.  Granted, I am sure it has changed since the last time I visited it ???? years ago.  I don't even remember the last time that I was there....but I can still see that  big ole' crow and that commercial on the TV screen and hear the song in my head....There's more than corn in Indiana...at the super sensational, exciting vacational, Indiana Beach!  Now, I could hum you the tune....but it is just something that you would have to hear for yourself!  :) 

And yes, there is much more than corn in Indiana for me!  There is family, love, warmth, home, and memories....lots and lots of memories!  I was born in Bloomington and grew up right there too.  A majority of my family still lives there and I try my best to get up there as often as I possibly can to visit.  Over the last few years, Shane and I don't go as much as we should....or even as much as when we first got married.  I guess I make too many excuses...but it is more difficult with children...especially three of them!  Although, they absolutely love to go up there....especially when they get to see snow! 

As we were driving back yesterday I kept thinking about what I could write about and how I would tell about our trip.  Well, let me tell you that we had a great time!  It was great to see our family and spend quality time with them!  We remembered funny moments from the past and made memories that will be in our hearts forever!  I took lots of pictures...too many to post here....however, just let me give you some of the highlights and summarize our trip.

• Parker got to meet his Grandpa Dan and Grandma Patty for the first time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Mallory got to help Pappaw dig sweet potatoes in the garden...she could not wait to get out there and get dirty! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• We celebrated all the September and October birthdays in our family....Happy Birthday to Patty, Adrienne, Tim, Brittany, and Chad!  It was a blast and the cake was yummy!

 

 

 

 

• Grandpa Dan introduced us to some new computer stuff and we were hooked.  He taught Mallory how to use the new game...Zuma....and he showed me about a new messaging service called Trillian.  Both of them are awesome and I am loving using both of them....but be careful...if you decide to download Zuma...it is addicting! Once I started playing the game it was hard to stop....it is like the energizer bunny...you just keep going and going!

 

 

• We had great food, fun times, lots to do, many good memories, and a very hectic household.  I think there were sixteen there for supper on Monday night.  We had a good home cooked meal of fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, homemade yeast rolls, yummy sweet potatoes, homemade slaw, and I can't even remember what else...but it was so good and I enjoyed it so much!  BTW, I have a couple of new recipes that I got from my Gram that I am gonna post to the recipe page also.  One is for homemade apple butter and it is out of this world!  My Gram made some and we had it on our biscuits one morning....so I brought the recipe home and  I am gonna attempt to make some of it!  Can't wait!  Yummmy!!!!!

There are so many things that I could go on about, but I know this post is already long and I think you get the idea....WE ABSOLUTELY HAD A GREAT TIME!  We loved the visit and the fun we had....lots of memories for my girls and for us....and that is what it is all about!  FAMILY MEMORIES!!!

A little piece of advice....Take advantage of every minute that you are blessed with....you just don't know how many minutes or how much time you will have here on this earth with your family.  Tell them that you love them and make lots of great memories to have as you grow old!

Have a great night and day tomorrow!  Take care!

We finally made it back!

We made it back last night and got the kids tucked in and started unpacking!  Whew!  Glad to be home....but hated to leave!  We had a great time with family and a the time on the road wasn't too bad either.  I have lots to catch up on....emails, unpacking, laundry, etc.  I will update later with pictures and funny stories!  Have a great day!