Monday, January 31, 2011

Mismatched PJs and 100th Post

Can you believe this is my 100th post?  Most people make a big deal of this and have give-aways.  Sorry, I'm just not creative enough.  So...HAPPY 100TH POST!!

So, Thursday night Aaron was in charge of bath time.  He sent Connor to get his own PJs and Aaron picked out Blake's PJs.  No one paid any attention to the pajamas until both kids were dressed.  I couldn't believe it.  Take a look...

Look closely.  The tops have a gingerbread man on them and the bottoms have snowmen.  I got so ticked.  We couldn't have planned that in a million years.  I'm kind of funny like this...I like my boys' PJs to match.  I know they are just going to go to bed and nobody ever sees it but Aaron and myself.  But, that is just the way I am.  I like the tops and bottoms to match.  But, this night it just didn't happen, yet they matched each other!  Too cute.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Valentine's Cards

When I picked Connor up from school on Tuesday we headed over to Wal-Mart to let him pick out his Valentine's cards for his class before we went to pick-up Blake.  Connor carefully looked at every kind of Valentine card pack and finally came to the conclusion that he really needed to buy a girl pack and a boy pack.  The reason he thought he needed to buy both was because he was sure that the girls would not like the Iron Man cards he was going to get for the boys.  Isn't that the sweetest and most considerate? 

So, Connor spent Tuesday afternoon working on the boy cards and then Wednesday afternoon working on the girl cards.  The girl cards also came with a very large princess poster that he thinks he is going to give his teacher because if he decided to give it to one of the girls in his class they would all just fight over it.  :) 

Here is Connor hard at work on the cards. 

His teacher sent a list with all of the names of the kids in his class, so he was able write everyone's name on each card.  

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Stories

Not much has been going on around here so I thought I'd share a couple of stories.

A few days ago I was hanging out in Connor's room while he made his bed.  Then we started having a conversation that went something like this...

Con:  How old are you suppose to be to get married?
Me:  Well, that just depends.
Con:  In college?
Me:  Well, maybe.  Or maybe you should wait until after you graduate from college like Daddy and I did.
Con:  How do you know what day to get married?
Me:  Well, first you need to talk to God and make sure you are suppose to marry this girl.  Then, when you know she is the right one it just depends on whether you want a warm Spring or Summer day, cool pretty fall day or a decorated Christmas wedding.
Con:  Oh, okay.

Don't know what brought that on, but I just got so tickled that he'd even think to ask such questions.

Now for a Blake story...

He is just HILARIOUS!  You never know what he is going to say.  He's learned the word "boogie" (not sure from where) so anytime he has nose issues he runs to me pointing to his nose saying "BOOGIE, BOOGIE!!!"

This morning he walked into the room where I was, patted me on the leg and said "Simon sayaasss (says) touch your hair.  Simon sayaaass touch your nose."  So, I guess he's been playing Simon Says somewhere.

Last night I told Connor he would be going to school 2 hours late.  Blake then says "Blakey go school 'morrow too!"  When I told him he wasn't going tomorrow he just started bawling!!  I mean the worst frown, gigantic alligator tears...just sobbing!  So, I'm wondering if I'm going to have to enroll him in 2 days a week instead of just 1 day a week at Mother's Day Out. 

Oh, how my heart just smiles on a daily, well maybe hourly basis.  My boys are the best!!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Upward Basketball

Several years ago our church started hosting Upward Basketball.  Basically, Upward is a Christ-based, Christ-centered basketball league where every child is a winner and given equal opportunity to play.  Within the past couple of years they have added Devoted Basketball (which is for high school) and Upward Cheerleading as well as adding kindergarten kids in the league.  So, Connor decided he wanted to try it out.  So far he loves it.  He's decided he's going to play basketball instead of soccer. 

Two weeks ago we started having games.  The first 30 minutes the kindergarteners practice.  Then they go to the locker rooms for devotion (and recite their Bible verse).  They then come back to play their game.  Here is part of the excitement from the second game.

Blake wanted to sit on Aaron's shoulders

#14 gearing up for the game

Passing in the ball to Sally

What a great pass!

Not a bad dribbler if I say so myself.


At the end of the games, each team goes to their own little room where they are given little stars that get ironed onto the blue undershirt.  Each star is a different color representing many things such as Christ-like, best offense, best defense, etc.  So, each child gets a star based on how they played during the game.  Then a new Bible verse is handed out to be memorized for the next game.  Connor is loving the memorizing.  In fact, he's had both of his verses for the past 2 games memorized within minutes of leaving the game. 

I just think this might be Connor's sport (along with swimming).  He's never really gotten excited about soccer.  He's just gone and been there but not really gotten "into" it.  But, he is really enjoying this.  He said that he doesn't want to do soccer again but wants to start swimming again when it gets a little warmer. So, I guess we'll stick with swimming March-Sept and then basketball Dec-Feb. 
 

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Snow Days

I really should have put this post up last week, but I was just plain lazy last week.  So, let's start way back a week ago last Friday.  The weather forecast kept saying we were going to get some nasty weather.  So, the school system called off school.  Well, nothing ended up happening, so Connor got a great day out of school for a little rain.  Then the next day we got up to snow.  It was Connor's first day of Upward Basketball (next post) and Aaron was sick!  So, I loaded up Connor in the Explorer because there was snow on the roads and it was 4WD.  I feel pretty good about driving in snow but not with a little Mazda 6.  Well, by the end of the day most of the snow was gone.  Well, it all came back plus more Sunday night/Monday morning.  And, it snowed off and on until Thursday morning!!  I cannot remember a snow storm that lingered around so long.  Usually we get a big snow for a day, maybe a day and a half and it moves on along.  But, it just kept snowing and snowing.

One of our friends, Jordan, sent me a text with a picture of his daughter and the snowman they had made.  It was really big.  Well, Aaron couldn't be out done by Jordan, so he left work early to come home and work on a snowman.  Thankfully, our neighbor decided instead of him building a snowman and Aaron building one that they could work together and make one big one.  Here are some shots...

Aaron decided to load up the wagon with snow

 Aaron rolling the snowball

Aaron and Ali discussing the engineering of the snowman

 Rolling the second ball up on a 2 X 4!! 

Packing snow

Still engineering

We didn't have anything to decorate him with, so Aaron and Ali went to our garage, looked at the random pieces of scrap wood and decided to carve this mustache and cover it with black tape!!  The eyes are dowel rods covered with tape too.

The finished product with the engineers (minus Blake. He refused to get in the shot and then cried after I took the picture and he wasn't included!)

Unfortunately, about an hour later, Ali's wife sent me a text that said "snowman fell! :( "  So, he didn't last long.  Blake was not happy at all.  We enjoyed snow until Sunday afternoon.  Now they are saying we might get more on Thursday night.  Connor was out of school all last week plus the Friday before that.  Good thing they get 13 snow days here!!


Saturday, January 15, 2011

Christmas #3

After we leave my Dad's side of the family gathering, we head over to Aaron's parent's house.  We are always the last ones to get there.  We usually let the kids play together for a while, dress them in their matching PJs (Nana always buys matching PJs for the kids), Alex reads "The Night Before Christmas" and we send them off to bed so that Santa can come!

Christmas morning is so much fun!!!  When the kids first wake up (usually around 7:00) we get a picture of all of them under the tree,


read The Christmas story,


sing Happy Birthday to Jesus

and have a birthday cake for Jesus.  Then it is time for presents...starting with stockings.


Here is Connor reading his letter from Santa that tells him what wrapping paper to look for under the tree in order to find his presents.


And he finds his scooter he has been asking for!!!

Here are a few more shots from the day.

The Nerf gun Connor wanted...

Blake gets a reindeer (aka deedeer)

And, Blake also gets a Nerf gun (aka...Shoot it gun)

After opening presents, Nana starts to work on the gigantic breakfast feast with bacon, sausage, country ham, biscuits, eggs, several jams, sorghum molasses and gravy.  After breakfast we just all hang out and do whatever until time to start on supper around 4:00.  Here is what we were up to during the day.

The boys put their Nano Hex bug habitats together to make a gigantic one (actually, this might have been the day after Christmas...oh well) 

Years ago when Aaron and I started dating, I can remember going to Thanksgiving at his grandparent's house and watching all the guys sit around and play poker.  A few times before his granddad and uncle died, they would be at Brenda's for Christmas and then again there would be a poker game.  So, here the tradition continues...

Watch Out!!  Grandaddy is armed and dangerous!!!

Connor got a headlamp for camping for Christmas.  Thank goodness Nana had another one that Blake could have.
We, of course, had a big dinner with turkey (deep fried by Aaron), dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, broccoli and cheese, homemade rolls (which are heavenly), corn, pistachio salad, cranberry sauce, asparagus and cheese and maybe some other stuff.  It is always a big spread.  Then of course, chocolate icebox pie for dessert, or pecan pie, or fudge, or any of the other million snack foods that Nana has made.  We had such a great time.  On our way there, I mentioned to Aaron that I wished we all lived closer so we didn't have to pack up so much stuff to take.  Then Aaron made the great statement that he like it.  He said that if we all lived close together, we would go our separate ways at night and that would be that.  He really likes all 13 of us under one roof for a few day, hanging out and just having fun.  I told him he had a really good point.  So, seeing it from that point of view, I wouldn't have it any other way either.

And lastly, our tradition family picture under Nana's tree.  Not the best but with two boys in a crazy mood, this was the best we could do.




Thursday, January 13, 2011

Christmas #2

After getting up and fixing a Christmas Eve breakfast, we head back to West TN to have Christmas with my Dad's side of the family.  Up until this year it has always been held at my grandparent's house.  But, this year we all thought it best they move into an assisted living facility.  So, we had to start a new tradition (which was very hard on me) of having Christmas Eve at my aunt and uncle's house.  It was the same as having it at Grandmother's house (as far as the people there and having a meal), but just not the same since that's all I've known for 30 years.  But, last Christmas I just knew it was going to be the last traditional Christmas Eve gathering with my grandparents (which was 100X harder than this Christmas for me).  Here are two pictures of the kids on the way to W.TN.

I looked back after a few minutes and found this sweet sight.  I thought
it was so cute that he put his blanket around his neck and
of course you will see his two rabbits that is a must for sleeping.

And, of course, Connor playing Harry Potter legos on the
iPad.  Give him the iPad
and he's good for the 3.5 hour trip.


This year we decided to have a breakfast meal for our Christmas Eve supper.  Grandmother and Granddaddy looked so good.  Here are some shots from the evening.

Look, isn't he so sweet?  He's 87 years old (88 in a week)!!

Grandmother and Granddaddy with the boys.

Monica and Connor.  They have such a sweet little bond.

Two cute little presents under the tree.

Our traditional picture under the tree. 
We've done this exact same pose since we were little. 
But, it has always been under Grandmother's tree until this year
(which, again, breaks my heart and makes me cry)

Now the same pose, but with my boys too.

Are they just sweet?!?!

Our turn!!!  Blake insisted on being in the picture too. 

Now with Grandmother


Although I was really missing being at Grandmother's house, we had a great time. 

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Christmas #1

We have a new tradition that we started 2 years ago with my parents.  We have started having Christmas with my parents at my house.  It works out very nicely, especially since I am an only child.  I always make a Christmas dinner this year consisting of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry salad, cranberry sauce (a MUST for Connor), rolls and of course chocolate icebox pie.

After supper we opened presents with my mom and dad.  The kids also get their presents from Aaron and me at this time.  Here are some pictures of present opening.






We also had a first.  Aaron and I have been married for 9 years.  During this time we have lived in an apartment and 2 different houses all of which have had fireplaces.  And, we had NEVER used any of them.  Connor had kept asking over the past few weeks to use the fireplace.  We had planned to use it at Thanksgiving and then it was so warm outside that we just couldn't use it.  So, we finally decided to use it.  Here is the first light of the fireplace...


Do you see Jingles?  He showed up in the downstairs livingroom that day.  We figured he wanted to watch us open presents.  (He's on the mantle if you can't see him.)