Around this time last year...

We were doing this....

And this....

And this....

In a few weeks, we will doing this all over again. We're going to Disney World!

Lolly

Tate's Faves

Not to exclude anyone from my lists of favorite things...today, I will share some of Tate's favorites. (In case you are wondering, I come up with these based on what I observe, I don't actually make my kids tell me these things...)



1. Baseball: Last year, all he wanted to do was hit the ball. Catching the ball, throwing the ball, running the bases didn't really interest him. This year, he likes it all. He is an incredible encourager - when I play catch with him, he always tells me what a good job I am doing (which is a stretch of the truth to say the least.) He's such a good boy.



2. Riding his bike : I am using the term "riding" loosely here. He is obsessed with jumping ramps, riding with no hands, wheelies, etc., etc.,etc. Thank goodness for helmets. He is actually pretty amazing and fearless and it scares me to death. So, I was thinking why not just put him in a class or something to teach him how to do it? Maybe they could teach him safety, too.



3. Reading chapter books: I'm glad to say he really does enjoy reading. He's good at it and it's fun to him. Now, don't get me wrong - he'd choose baseball or bike riding over it on most days, but he still does enjoy it. Mercy Watson is his current favorite - it's about a pig detective.



4. Monster trucks, bike shows, America's funniest videos, world's deadliest animals, etc.: The more gruesome or daring the better, in his opinion. Most of these are fairly entertaining and harmless with little to no bloodshed, but on occasion can be a bit gory. We have to be careful on these shows. In fact, we had to put our foot down on the show called "Scarred" - much, much too graphic.



5. Baseball movies: Any movie that has baseball in it, he really likes. Sandlot, Bad News Bears, Everyone's Hero, etc. We thought these were harmless but then we re-watched a few of these and my goodness the language in a few of these older versions was ATROCIOUS. So, we erased them from our DVR and hopefully from T's memory. Lesson learned: before he watches it, we need to watch it.



6. Fried chicken and macaroni and cheese: Need I say more? He's our carnivore - he is a meat and potatoes kind of guy - minus the potatoes.

7. milk - The kid can go through the milk. It is his beverage of choice. I don't have to worry about his getting enough calcium.

8. Fishing - For the past few years, Tate has really become interested in fishing. He loves to go with his Daddy or his Papa fishing in any of the ponds near our house. Fortunately, we know a few people with private ponds so he gets a chance to go fairly frequently.

9. Snakey and pillow - These two favorites are starting to fade away just a bit. For a long time, Snakey (a 6ft stuffed snake) was a bedtime necessity. He had to have Snakey stuffed down under the covers and then up beside his body all the way to his face. His favorite pillow was also a necessity. If he got up during the middle of the night and changed beds, he would bring his pillow and snakey with him. These days, he can live without them, but he still prefers his favorite pillow over any of the others.

10. The master bed - This is really a favorite among all of our kids. Everyone likes our bed the best. Tate will sleep just about anywhere you put him but he prefers the "big bed" or what he often calls "Daddy's bed". Many times, he will conveniently slip into the "big bed" to watch T.V around bedtime and then he just "happens to fall asleep". I think he does this knowing that we won't have the heart to wake him up or the strength to move him to his room. (The boy is like a chunk of lead.)


Lolly

Ben's Top Ten

Here are a few of Ben's "favorites" as observed by me.


1. Yellow (he used to say "lello") - Ben's favorite color, though, he isn't as attached as he once was. At one time, everything always had to be yellow. His crocs were yellow, his bike was (and still is) yellow, he had the yellow "spot" in line at school, you get the idea, right?

2. Babylegs - remember the leg warmers from a previous post? Every night, he has to have them. He puts one on his leg and one of his arm. I'm not sure why he likes them that way, but they make him happy.

3. the remote - maybe it's a boy thing. All I know is that the remote is a powerful bargaining tool in our house. There is usually a fight over it at least once per day. Ben MUST have it in the mornings before school or there is a complete breakdown.

4. the couch - Ben's coveted spot in the house. He loves the couch. He will fight for the couch. He often sleeps on the couch and when we move him to his bed, we wake up in the morning to find him back on the couch.

5. blue blanket - A soft, cuddly, fleece blanket that accompanies Ben on the couch with the remote.

6. tomatoes- Ben's favorite food. He eats tomatoes like candy. I put them in his lunch almost every day. He likes the little cherry or grape tomatoes the best but will usually eat the larger ones as well. In fact, he once ate a large one the same way you'd eat an apple.

7. bologna - Ben's favorite lunchmeat. He wants this everyday for lunch - not necessarily in a sandwich. He actually would rather NOT have a sandwich which he is sure to tell me when I make him one. When he comes home, he usually wants a piece or two of bologna before supper. How much bologna can one kid eat?

8. pudding - Ben's favorite dessert/snack. This is also something he wants everyday for school and if it's not in there, I hear about it when he gets home.

9. Thousand Island Dressing - He will dip ANYTHING in 1,000 Island dressing - tomatoes, carrots, chicken, broccoli, etc. You name it, he has probably dipped it in 1,000 Island Dressing.

10. Nintendo DS - he really likes his newest toy. He would play it daily if he were allowed which he isn't because it has been taken away - temporarily. He is very quick at learning to play new games and has always had a keen interest in anything to do with technology and game playing (computer, leapster, DS, etc.).

Lolly

Kinsey Family Farm

On Saturday, we visited The Kinsey Family Farm. It was overcast and a bit rainy but it turned out to be a lot of fun. We were the only ones on the hayride because the possibility of rain had scared everyone away. It was kind of nice, though. It felt like we were having our own personal tour of the farm. We rode down a bumpy little hill to the pond where the catfish were waiting for us. It started to rain on our way and for a few minutes we thought for sure we were going to get soaked. Luckily for us, it slacked off long enough for us to enjoy ourselves. Armed with 3 cups of fish food, we were all delighted to see the catfish scramble to the surface in a fight for food. They are very obviously well fed.

Next stop was at the apple cannons. Here you can use an apple cannon to shoot at targets. Basically, you stuff an apple down this long tube - "cannon" - and shoot. Tate and Ben gave it a try but Cora was a little afraid of the loud noise that it made so we checked out the pumpkins while the boys shot apples.

A few family photo ops and then we were off to look at more pumpkins. They have a great set up of haystacks, corn stalks, and pumpkins for plenty of good photo spots. Too bad my kids won't cooperate once a camera is in front of their faces.

We finished the morning off with a purchase of one big pumpkin, one bumpy pumpkin, 4 mini pumpkins, two bumpy mini gourds, and 2 other multi-colored mini pumpkins, a piece of burlap, and 2 bags of popcorn. (That actually sounds like more than it actually is...they are fairly small) It was a successful day! The best part is that we were home within five minutes of leaving the farm which is always a plus in my book.

Lolly

My newest obsession - leg warmers

No, no, not leg warmers for me. Though, I do think I read something about a come back. I'm talking about leg warmers for Cora. In the last few months, I have stumbled upon blogs that have featured BabyLegs. For those of you, like me, who had never heard of them, babylegs are leg warmer type things for babies/toddlers. They come in a variety of colors and styles and are absolutely adorable. They can be worn like tights (from top of thigh to ankle), leg warmers (below knee to ankle), leggings (top of thigh to just below knee), like arm warmers with short sleeve shirts, etc. Pretty much, whatever way you want to wear them, you can wear them.

Pretty innovative, don't you think? Guess who came up with them? A stay at home mom who was looking for a way to keep her daughter's legs warm while recovering from a severe diaper rash that was being treated by not wearing a diaper. Whew! That was a long, rambling sentence. Anyway, another million dollar idea by someone who had a small problem that needed to be fixed so they fixed it by inventing something that others would want too. (Ok, I am on a roll with the long, rambling sentence thing.) I sure wish I could be one of those fix-it people who can come up with another million dollar idea.

Back to my newest obsession.... I recently purchased a few pair of BabyLegs (or at least some form of them...not sure if they are authentic BabyLegs but that's a whole 'nother topic) for Cora.

I adore them. I love them. I wish I could wear them. But, I can't and I won't, not even in the privacy of my own home where no one would know.

Take a look at these adorable leg warmers. (Aren't they just yummy? I love pretty things.)

Take a look at these adorable legs in the leg warmers.

Take a look at this other set of adorable legs in the leg warmers.

That's right, folks. Babylegs, leg warmers, etc. are not only for girls but can be worn by boys as well. They come in a variety of boy colors and patterns. (The above pictured pair are not necessarily what I would get for a boy but since he insisted on trying a pair, these were most "boyish". ) I do think that they are most useful and versatile for girls and even baby boys. However, they could be used underneath jeans/pants to add an extra layer of warmth or on the arms as "sleeves" for toddler boys and a bit older. Since my kids all sleep with very little clothing, these might actually be a good option to sleep in to keep their legs warm.

Are you in love with them yet? Just wait until I have pictures of Cora wearing them with her outfits. I am sincerely hoping that she will love them as much as I do. I am hoping that she will at the very least keep them on so that she will not freeze this winter. The child does not keep her clothes on so I must find a way to keep at least a portion of her body warm. I also think they will be a great alternative to tights. Plus, they are just so cute and pretty! And functional, too!

Tonight, I even found some for the boys with flames on them. Now, that's cool. Even Tate says so. And, if Tate says so, then it must be true.

Lolly

A little Halloween humor

As seen on a sign in Cumming...

What did the ghost say to the bee?


Boo Bee.


Lolly

From the mouths of babes...

Tate's statement today (Sunday) during lunch:

"I don't know what a daddy mummy is called, maybe a dummy?"





Lolly

Memory Lane

I had so much fun diggin' up old pictures of Ben for his 5th birthday that I decided I just MUST do that more often for this blog. Isn't it so much fun to look back on old photos (as long as it is not of you (meaning me) and if it is of you (me), then it has to be at least presentable)?

I think it should be something I do AT LEAST once a week, don't you? I thought so. I'm so glad we are in agreement.

I dug these up from October of 2007. Tate was 4, Ben had just turned 3, and Cora was around 7 months. In case you ever wondered, this is what it's like trying to wrangle 3 kids under the age of 4 into a picture taking session. Family photos always sound like a good idea until you are actually getting them taken. Looking back on the occasion, it really wasn't THAT BAD. I do remember at the time feeling a bit overwhelmed, disheveled, and curious as to who thought having family photos taken was a fun idea in the first place (I confess, that would be me).

Alas, we did get quite a few good pictures. We can at least look back on those wild and crazy moments and remember what it was REALLY like to have 3 kids under the age of 4. Crazy, fun, but worth every minute.

Tate picked out a very LARGE pumpkin at Burt's for our pictures.

Ben picked out a very UNIQUE pumpkin for his very own.

Aaaahhh. Brotherly love goes a long, long way.

I already miss those days. Sort of. Well, maybe not this part.

Lolly

Roll over, roll over...

Lately, we've been playing a game of musical beds at our house. Well, to be honest, we have played this game for about 5 years now. Long ago, before we had children, we decided our kids would sleep in their cribs. Then, we had Tate. We needed sleep and he slept quite well when he was with us in our bed. And, the cycle began.

We had Ben and swore we would put him in his crib. We didn't. He slept with me. Tate slept with Craig. All was well with the world. Then, we had Cora. She slept with me and Ben.

Then, we decided to put Tate and Ben in a room together. Most of the time, they sleep well together. Lately, Ben has taken to sleeping on the couch. He sometimes falls asleep on the couch and we move him to Tate's bed. We wake up in the morning and find him on the couch. Tate mostly sleeps in his bed but he will often lay down in our bed first and I think he secretly hopes he will fall asleep before we notice and that we won't have the heart to move him.

Cora still sleeps with me and Craig. The other night, Tate woke up and stumbled into the room and crawled in the bed with us. I was only half awake and didn't feel like telling him to go back to bed. So, by this time, we were getting cramped. Just to paint you a picture, Craig is on one side, I am on the other, and Tate and Cora are in the middle. Around 4 in the morning, Ben stumbles in and crawls into the bed. The only place left was at the end of the bed at our feet which meant that I had to keep my legs pulled up the remainder of the night.

At this point, it is getting a little ridiculous. All I could think of was the song "There were 5 in the bed and the little one said, roll over, roll over. One rolled over and she fell out..." Well, I was the one that would have fallen out because not only did I have my knees bent up, but I was on my side(because Cora was right up next to me) and I seriously was hanging off the bed. I nudged Cora over to where I felt a little safer and proceeded to go back to sleep. Needless to say I woke up very stiff the next morning. As I woke Craig up so that he could go to work, he says, "Who all is in the bed with us?" How could he not know? Obviously, he must have had plenty of room if he didn't realize that all 3 kids were in the bed with us. Honestly, I think he had half of the bed and the rest of us shared the other half.

This doesn't happen often. Anymore. But, when it does, it makes me very glad that it doesn't happen very often. In case it does happen again, I have a plan. I am moving by myself to another room where I don't have to share the bed. That's the plan, anyway, if I can drag myself out of the bed to do it.

Lolly

This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth, brush our teeth...

Cora loves to brush her teeth. First, she gets a stool (or the next best thing which happens to be a mini ottoman from her room).

She begins to brush.

When she is getting close to finishing, she climbs up to the sink using the knobs on the cabinet doors to push herself all the way up. Clever, don't you think?

Then, she hangs on for dear life while she turns the water on and proceeds to spit and rinse.

Afterwards, she is ready for her day!

Lolly

Prayer Request

Tonight I really didn't know what I wanted to post about. I have lots of stuff I could ramble on and on about but I couldn't quite figure out where to start. So, I started reading some of my favorite blogs and quickly found out that tonight there is something much more to concern ourselves with. Friends of mine from high school that I was recently reconnected with are in real need of prayer today, tonight, and in the future. They have 3 beautiful girls, recently adopted a sweet baby boy (who happens to have down syndrome), and have been in the process of adopting a sweet little girl from somewhere in Eastern Europe (who also happens to have down syndrome). Apparently, when children with disabilities in that particular region reach a certain age, they are transferred from an orphanage to a mental institution. Ruslana (the little girl that they are trying to adopt) is scheduled to be moved in two weeks. This is devastating news because often times, the children moved to the institutions do not survive for very long and for some reason may not be allowed to be adopted. There have been many road blocks in their way and they are so very close to being able to go get her. This is a real blow to them. I believe they are godly people trying to do what God has called them to do. My friend has asked for everyone to pray for this situation, to pray that God will make a way for them to rescue her. Please visit her blog to find out more about their journey. Please pray for them.
http://www.nogreatergift.blogspot.com/


Lolly

October Dayz are here again...

Can you believe it is already October? Can you believe we only have 3 months left of 2009? Where does the time go?

On this,the first day of October, Cora and I planted some pansies. We have 3 large pots in front of our garage that PreacherMan prepared for us in order to plant these flowers. I will confess I am not much of a yard worker or gardner. I leave most of the outside work to Craig. That's just the way I am. However, I like the idea of planting flowers. But, I don't know exactly what to do to prepare the pots/flowers for proper planting so Craig did that part for me. All Cora and I had to do was actually dig little holes and put the flowers into the dirt. Which is what we accomplished today. See for yourselves.

First, we dig the holes.

Then, we take the flower from the plastic thingy very carefully.


Then, we break it apart a little to let the roots breathe, or something like that. It sounded good and I thought someone, somewhere told me to break it up a little before planting so that's what we did.

Next, you carefully place the plant into the hole and gently push it down. Gently, I said. Don't suffocate the poor flower!
After reviving the poor flower that had been forcefully mashed into the hole, we then gently patted the flower. Why did we pat the flower? Don't know, but I think it had to do with guilt over previously suffocating it.

October is always a busy and fun month of the year. A few things I like about October:

1. The cooler yet still warm, sunny weather: I love the cool mornings and night when you need a light jacket to go outside. I also really enjoy being able to snuggle deep into the covers at night.

2. Fall Festivals, Gold Rush, crafty shows: I am a sucker for a fall festival, craft show, and Gold Rush. I love looking at all the trinkets that people make and sell. I love buying unique, hand made items at these places. I am an even bigger sucker for all the good food and treats at these events. Gold Rush has the most delicious grilled corn on the cob. It's soooo messy but it's soooo worth it.

3. Trick-or-treating: Candy, candy, candy. What more can I say? I do love the costumes, too. But, the candy is the highlight of the event.

4. Candy corn pumpkins: The only thing better than candy corn are the candy corn pumpkins. One year I won a glass pumpkin full of candy corn and candy corn pumpkins at the church fall festival. Yum.

5. Visits to the pumpkin patch: Love, love, love to go to Burt's Pumpkin Patch or Kinsey's Family Farm. Nothing like a hayride to see a bunch of pumpkins. I love pumpkins. (Let me clarify - I love to look at pumpkins, not eat pumpkins, or carve pumpkins. I like them more in a decorative, sit in front of my house with some mums and hay stacks sort of way.)

Raise your hand if you love, love, love October?

Lolly