Waterballoons!

I am always on the lookout for the kids to do fun things at home. In their own yard! Kids work is Play and I don't think they have to leave home to get it! We do sprinklers, slip and slides, water on the trampoline, etc. But I love finding them something "new" to do. Water balloons were their choice this week. They are having a blast with them. My fingers hurt a bit for tying them all. We have this ball with a timer on it. They throw it back and forth (like hot potatoe) it pops the balloon when the timer goes off. This concept is not really working much because K does not catch so well and everytime it drops hard the balloon busts anyway. So they are just tossing the balloons back and forth and jumping with them on the trampoline. Its actually very entertaining. K is very concerned about the busted pieces though. She carefully picks each one up after it bursts and puts it in the trash. Funny girl. I guess she is right she is trying to keep them from Mac. Mac is definetly trying to eat them. But he absolutely loves the water. He tries to get wet more than the kids.

Shrooms, berries, and birds...........Ahhhhh Summer

I absolutely love Summer, as I mentioned in the T-13 post. I love being outside and exploring everything with my kids. I like getting hot and dirty in the yard(get your head out of the gutter) and then running through the sprinkler to cool off. I love feeling exhausted at the end of the day from excersise and sun. We made some pretty cool discoveries yesterday.

Shrooms fascinate me. I am not sure why. They pop up where ever. There has been a plethora of them lately. Some me and Mac went exploring. The kids were less excited about these.

Here are some of the ones today in the yard.

Now this is the mother of all shrooms. Its huge! Found it while mowing. I had to place something beside it to show true size. That is a regular size kitchen bowl!


This one was near the cow pasture. Now I know what some of you are thinking and I did not cut it up and make koolaide. Wrong kind! Not that I have ever done that! ah hem.


The kids have also been checking out the berries. Strawberries line the front porch and I can often find them collecting and eating them. The dog too!




We have had so much rain that everything is in abundance. Its very green and lush out. I have been keeping an eye on the blueberries. Uncle Ross's bushes are huge but Dad's are getting bigger every year. I am ecstatic that there is one bush taller than me! And the blue "babies" are covering the limbs. We are going to have a huge amazing crop! Which of course is all Rye eats during the summer!



Here is Mac -a- roni. He is loving mountain living. I am loving him loving the mountain living. He is so much calmer. He gets tons of exercise and never leaves the yard!



For the past few weeks I have been noticing this big nest sitting on top of a wreath my mom has by the front door. I never saw anything in it but could not bring myself to touch it. I did find this below it on the porch.




Today I saw some heads sticking out of the nest, mouths open!
We have 3 baby robins living in the nest. Momma bird watches me very carefully everyday. I promise not to touch your babies. Just let me turn it in to a learning experience for the kids. They loved them. I held them up high so they could look directly into the nest. They know not to touch them so that they do not get their smell on them. We watch mamma bird bring worms to them. Its a awesome thing to watch. Ryley went straight to the computer to identify the egg and birds. Everyday we check on them.

Thursday Thirteen

Header by samulli

Its my season! I can not get enough of it. I need hot temps!

Thirteen things I love about Summer!

1. No school! (which includes : no alarm clocks, no homework, no schedule)
2. Shorts and tank tops
3. Trips to the beach
4. being tan
5. flip flops or bare feet
6. Swimming
7. sleeping in and staying up late
8. longer days
9. grilling out
10. fireworks on the 4th
11. my birthday!
12. Watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries
13. Summer rain showers



Lets see there is also.......Fishing, 4 wheeling, road tripping, all those veggies from the garden, running through sprinklers, slip and slides, sunsets, blowing bubbles and drawing pictures on the sidewalk, mowing the yard......

I could go on forever! I am so glad you are here Summer!

Memorial Day Weekend!

I had a fabulous long weekend! I feel so rested and rejuvenated! It started out Friday morning. I passed the kids on to DH and headed south! Chris took the kids to Andulusia this weekend. They pretty much cooked out and swam all weekend with family. They had a great time! I headed south to a little place called Sweetwater. I have not seen Ky in so long! And she had a baby! So I went to visit with her. We had a very relaxing time. Something I needed since I have not felt good lately. I even debated the race(Cotton Row) all weekend. After shots and antibiotics its still there. Ky and I sat around and talked all weekend just catching up. We ate 12lbs of Crawfish Friday night. Okay Miller helped some but it was mostly us! Crawfish and Beer! Yum! It looked like this!


Then with our bellys full we promptly fell asleep watching Trueblood. Nothing better. Saturday we took off shopping in Meridian. We spent about a hour trying on jeans at Buckle. A girls got to do what a girls got to do! We had plans to go out to Callahans so we rushed back to get ready. We had such a great night. Light crowd, good dancing, kinda sucky band! But it was great to just have girl time!



Sunday I really took my time leaving with all the storms everywhere. I have to admit I was really dreading leaving. I did not feel up for the race and just always hate to leave Ky's! That place is so good for the soul. I can not explain it. Its weird. But I had made promises. Promise to Juliet to run her first race with her and Misti to actually do another race! I also did not want to let myself down. Its that whole being hard on myself issue. Besides Cotton Row is my inaugural race. It was my very first race and this is the 3rd year for me. I got to the expo later than expected but it was great to walk in and see the smiles on my friends faces. My aunt and uncle were there too and it was great to see them. We registered and shopped then headed to the hotel. Shogun was the call for the night and chopsticks, sushi and saki were on the menu. That and a really bad cook who had the hots for Misti.


Next up dessert and beer at Hooters.



Why? Not sure. Because we were having a excellent girls night out and no one wanted it to end despite the race in the morning. So after we closed the restaurant down, we headed to the pool, which we promptly got kicked out of. Apparently not open for swimming yet according to the security guard. Although I did not brake the padlock, I don't care what anyone says! Water was cold anyway! *sticking my tongue out*

Race Day!! Up and at em! We got to the race, warmed up, peed and we were off! Juliet and I kept pace for about 3 miles. Misti was not to far ahead. After the Rocky mountain I took off. Its all down here from there and I was ready to fly. I sprinted the next few miles in and finished with 2 minutes shaved off of last year. 1:03:40. Hate documenting that but I will break it next year. There was alot of people this year. Conjestion was bad in the beginning. Awesome to see so many runners though! I know I could have done better but I wanted to stay with Juliet. Everyone needs a motivator! Maybe next year I will not be sick either! Again! Great race, Excellent atmosphere. Now I got the fever! Again!



I said goodbye to my friends and headed out to shop a little at the new mall in Madison. love it. Headed home. I guess I was stalling. I really was not ready to come back. Krysten and Ivan were at Little River Canyon so I met them over there and we hiked around a bit before heading back to the house to grill out.



It was so great to see the kids! K came running across the yard and jumped in my arms! Their weekend was great to , and they were anxious to tell me all about it. Ryley has a new obssesion with Weird AL Yankovich. Thanks. *shaking my head*

So we are back to reality this week. I am enjoying having no agenda! No school, no work, no schedules, nada.

Whirlwind tour of New York

Flew to New Jersey
Got off plane, took train to "the city"
Walked too many blocks to count from Penn Station to deli that the kids were eating at.
Found the band
Grabbed food , got on bus, listened to silly tour guide
Got off bus in Central Park
Walked through Central park, thought about the Beatles, saw fountains, saw famous bridge. Check
Got back on bus
Drove back through Time Square....Look Mr. Harris there is Radio City.....
Dropped off silly tour guide
Drove to Circle Line Cruises
Got on boat, not before they made us all take pictures in front of ship
Sat on top deck of boat, cold, should have thought about that, but the view!
Cruised through seeing the Statue of Liberty, the skyline, and various other landmarks that are completely noteworthy.
Got off boat. Frozen. Got back on bus.
Went to "the Pier" , ate Chicago style pizza in NY. I know, I know......
Shopped at the pier until time to get back on bus.
Drove to Rockafella Center.
Top of the Rock......saw nothing. Fog.
Almost cried when Amy launched my camera across the room.
Back to the Bus.
Drove to New Jersey. Not me the bus driver drove.
Went to bed. Very late. Completely exhausted. Only 5 hours until breakfast.
Breakfast. Bus. Back to the City. Slept on the way.
Museum of Natural History.
Saw a show. saw another show. Almost slept through both.
Lunch. Free time at museum. Yeah. Saw Rexy. Saw Dum Dum, from a far far. Exhibit closed. What the?
Back to the bus. Drive to Time Square
Free time shopping around the square. Bought I heart NY shirts. Rain. Hmpf. Bought umbrella.
M&M store. Bought stuff for kids.
Meet at Mars 2112 restaurant. Theme restaurant. Not impressed.
Bus. Drive to Broadway show.
Amy and I hop off bus to get Cheesecake at Juniors(the best in NY)
Fretted over leaving it on the bus because the driver told me he would eat it. LOL
The Little Mermaid. Bought dinglehopper.
Fabulous show. "I love you Mermaid!"
Bus. New Jersey. No sleep again.
Breakfast. Bus. Staten Island.
Band Competition. We all slept. Wish I had a picture of us sitting in the audience sleeping.
Sat with Amy during our performance. Laughed until I cried. Seriously. We have the silliest kids in the world.
Band did great. Bus. New York.
Radio City Music Hall. Long tour. Picture with Rockette. I am the same height as her, she just had heels on!
Hot dog from vendor.
Free time in the city.
Hello Kitty store. Bought nothing. Still Hungry
Chipotle...Yum....Miss you Laura
Walk down 5th Ave. See all the famous spots. Saks, Tiffanys, The Plaza, etc.
F.A.O. Swartz. I have waited my whole life.
Met O.X. Fell in love. Bought him.
Could have stayed in store forever. Found the Piano.
Played piano like I was in BIG. Tom Hanks eat your heart out.
Left store sad. Can't wait to go back and take the kids.
Walked all the way back to Radio City, passing some very famous hotels.
Met up with the band. Left the city for the last time. Sad.
Drove to Jersey. Here again not me the driver. J. Who thought Mr. Hagler and Amy were my parents. Thanks J. You made my day.
Fell asleep aparently dropped O.X. the horror!
Medieval Times. Ever get the chance to do this. Pass.
Waited forever.
Sat down. Band won 1st place and Best overall. Nothing but the best!
Ate with hands. Watched show.
Bus. Got dropped off at hotel. Waved goodbye to all the students. Happy once again that I flew!
Slept. Shuttle to airport. Quick flight home. Thankful my car was intact. Word to the wise. Do not stay at Red Roof Inn Atlanta Airport. Scary.
Home.
Can't wait to go back!!!!!!!! Well with more sleep and only 2 kids.

photobooth fun

I. Love. Photobooths. I love craming everyone in. Kids sitting in laps. Goofy faces, fish faces, kissy faces. Hard to resist.

Updating at last...this could get long

The last few weeks have worn me down to say the least. Its been one thing to the next. So I will definetly try to update here about all the things going on. First I went to New York. This definetly deserves its own post so I will give details about that later. Let me just say it was a great trip and I can not wait to go back! I came home and had 1 week before the studio's dance recital. My classes rehearsed hard all week and I felt such relief and knew we were ready. Friday night rehersal was a total mess. It did not go very smooth at all and I was really worried at how Sat. would go. The best news was we got out of there before midnight so we were not all totally exhausted. Rye and Kendal did very well with all of their performances. DH did a awesome job as "stage dad" Even through 7 costume changes! The kids I teach did very well too! I was proud! I can't believe I doubted myself. Here are some pics from that weekend!

After the recital we celebrating at Kanpai.....That looked a little like this...

and this.....

Misti and I about busted a gut on sushi......Or as Kendal says shushy. K said "Next time we go there I am trying that shushy!" Good kid.

Next up on the update list. Mother's Day. Yuck. I really don't like holidays such as this. We just hung around the house. Did some yard work. Then got the bright idea of a hike. Ok. Here is where that went wrong. We were just going along on the trail. Having a great time. When K falls. She falls write down on her bum on a rock. And Screams. You know the scream. The one where you are sure there is something absolutely wrong. She cant move. Can't stand, definetly not walk. So we carry her out of there. She calms down and we are like ....okay she will be fine. We get her some ice cream(because that always helps,sure helped me) and decided to continue our day. We even went by the falls on our way back to the house. I am thinking okay, it scared her, knocked the breath out of her , its ok. Well by the time we made it home she was hurting bad. We ice and give her "buprofen"(so she says) She does not move for like 15 hours. Until I promptly take her to urgent care and get xrays. I know what some of you are saying. Why the heck did I not do that immediately. Well! Kids fall all the time and there is nothing you can do for the tailbone anyway! Anyway, thats what the doctor ended up telling me too! But wow, she has been in pain. She is doing better now but definetly still limitations. Here are the pics from that day!






before the broke butt......




and at the falls....



So it was an okay day, and it would not be "Mother's" Day if I did not get to take care of sick or hurt children right?

Well crippled missed school the whole week. Kinda sad too because it was her last week of preschool. Definetly a milestone. Times they are a-changing....... We did have Preschool graduation on Wed. and I worried how she would do. They were all supposed to sing and dance and at this point K was barely walking across the room by herself. Well DH came to the rescue. We decided he would walk her up on stage and put her on the riser while she did the program. She looked like things were fine....at least until she started to dance. I guess she just forgot or did not want to just stand there while everyone danced around her. Poor baby started wailing on stage. I take off , to get her but one of the teachers had already gotten DH to grab her. It was very dissapointing for her, but she rallied and got back up there to get her diploma. Ah, the end of an era. Ryley moves to a new school next year and K into kindergarten. Here are some pics of all that.


"Call me ...when you need a friend, Call me"


We went on to celebrate the big night...



Not sure what possessed my son to do this.....

Now you know if I had asked him to do that he would have said..NOOOOOOOO!

Well thats about all the updates I have for now. We just spent a very uneventful weekend at home. I attempted to "shop" down hwy 11 antique alley. Rain and I did not feel that great. I did get some good workouts in, but don't feel terribly ready for the race in Huntsville. Oh well. Never do. Its just this time of year. I am so ready for school to be out. 3 more days. Yeah. Later, gator.

Manic Monday....Yes I know that last time I blogged was last Monday.

If you could completely redecorate any room in your house at no expense to you, what room would you choose? Well that would be hard, considering I am in between places to live. I would have to choose my bedroom though. That is when I get one....

Which hour of the day do you feel goes the slowest? 2 ish. Always sluggish and want a nap!

If your birthday could be in a different month of the year, when would you have it? Maybe July. I love my summer birthday but August is busy with school starting earlier and earlier. July would be perfect!

Manic Monday......A few monday's worth...

How old were you when you learned to tie your shoes? I do not remember

Have you ever snooped in somebody else's medicine cabinet? Probably. Seems I remember doing this as a teen. A person's medicine cabinet can tell alot!

Who do you think you are? come on sing along......

Mr. Big Stuff, tell me
Who do you think you are
Mr. Big Stuff
You're never gonna get my love

Mr. Big Stuff
You're never gonna break my heart
Mr. Big Stuff
You're never gonna make me cry

Mr. Big Stuff, tell me
Just who do you think you are
Mr. Big Stuff
You're never gonna get my love
Mr. Big Stuff

No....okay, moving on





Which household chore do you dislike the most? folding and putting away laundry. GAG Me!

What's the best museum you've ever visited? I think the one in Tarquania, Italy with all the naked people having sex on the dishes.....Yeah, that was pretty cool.

It's Star Wars Day today. I've never seen any of the Star Wars movies. What "common" movies haven't you seen? Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Godfather.....sure there are a ton more






What's the best summer job you ever had? lifeguard

Tell me about the worst date you ever went on.
Homecoming. great dress. date picks me up(well his brother was driving) a hatchback car. Not enough seating for all of us. It was raining. My hair, in the rain......think Kendal's curls! Brother proceeds to be a jerk all through dinner. Why was he there? Can't remember. Can not wait to go home. Date drops me off, trys to kiss me with his dragon breath. I shove away , run inside and do not talk to him again! I was in 10th grade!

Then there were a few blind dates in college. GAG!

Do you think the age for a driver's license should be raised (currently 16 here in the U.S.)? no

A new day is dawning........

Its Recital day. I really hope it goes better than yesterday. Don't get me wrong it was just a little crazy as most dress rehersals are. I felt crazy and torn between being a mom and teacher. I have yet to see my children perform from the audience. This really bothers me, but there is no option here. At least I get it up close and personal. I will get a video right? We are at a different stage this year and its huge, swallows the kids whole. I am so proud of my students though. They did very well. The little ones got a nervous but the older kids took it in stride, kept going and did very well. So I am finishing my cup of java, and about to get ready to do it again!