When I Grow Up

The kids are busy with school and we are finally falling into a routine for this year. Things have been crazy at this house, but I think we are on the right track! ;)

Okay, now please mind the mess on Joshua's shirt. He made pancakes for everyone that morning and so he had a little bit of a mess going. He has had this idea that when he moves out and is on his own, he won't know what to do. So, he has insisted on learning every single recipe and day-to-day task until that day! Lol. I love it! 

The kids are getting ready for this big event at school called the Hat Day Parade! Every student makes a hat and they parade them in front of the whole school and parents. This year's theme is When I Grow Up. 

Michael has decided to go with HERO! - I think by this he means military man.

Joshua is going with either scientist or football player. LOL

Alexandra has settled on Author/Illustrator and has since written 5 little books. ;)
Now if I can just figure out what I want to be... 

Best Santa EVER!

This is our first year to go see Santa... and when the kids found out that Santa was their Papa, they were ecstatic! ;) Miss Sass was a little unsure at first. After all, the last time she saw Papa he was clean-shaven. ;)

She warmed up to him though... however she hid her smile from me, of course. ;)

So, these are all straight out of the camera so they are far from perfect! But I wanted to share, so here they are. ;) This next one was fun... sort of a behind the scenes shot.

Drama Boy was so fun. He just loves the Santa story and he loves Papa even more! ;)

I really need to get a new lens... one with auto focus!!!

Then it was Mr. Cool's turn. He thought the whole thing was a blast and just told Santa everything! Lol

I think my Daddy makes a pretty good Santa. ;)

How was your trip to see Santa?

What Is Virtual School?

Okay, I wanted to do an update on this sooner, but life got so busy! ;) We will not be attending public schools this year after all... After advice from a few reliable sources and another assessment for Mr. Cool, we have decided that our kids will attend a virtual school this year. We have enjoyed the example lessons...

Our official 1st day will be August 30th, giving us more time to prepare. I'm excited about it and I think it will be a nice change from the homeschooling we were doing the last couple years. So, what exactly is virtual school? Our lessons are prepared and ready each day for each subject. We follow an over all lesson plan that helps us stay in line with the course material that they are supposed to learn over the year. We will have enough time left over each day to do some extra activities or additional lessons if we decide to. This will give us the opportunity to spend time on areas that need extra attention or to study things that are not covered in the state curriculum. This should be fun and I look forward to sharing some of our experiences! ;)

Bad Week To Be My Mom...

Well, this stuff actually happened last week, but I am just editing this post, so there ya go...

Several Days Ago:
My mom found out yesterday that she is diabetic, Type 2. Lots of diet/exercise planning and some medications and she will be on track to a healthy lifestyle. Not fun news, let me tell you! But at least it explains some mood swings and fatigue that have been plaguing her lately. ;)

My momma (step-mom) went into the hospital today... Appendicitis, no joke! Poor Momma has had some health issues as of late and she just deserves a break! She will be able to go home tonight, but has a ton of rest ahead of her!

My "adopted mom" (the kids' godmom) had a severe ear infection and is finally recovering. When I say severe, I really mean it! She had to get tubes in her ears... 1st adult the doc had ever performed the procedure on!

If you've ever felt I would make a wonderful daughter, I recommend dismissing the idea immediately!
Back to Real Time:
To top all this off Little Miss had a lung infection last week and now is running a fever. With only 1.5 days until her Bday party, I'm feeling really bad for her! Sometimes, you just wish you could take it all away!

Zoo Day

We met up with cousins for the last Wet 'n Wild Days for the year. After water play, we had to check out some animals. The first stop was in the Jungle to see the River Rays.

This is a horrible shot, but there is the memory of how much these kids loved the rays. ;)

This shot was when we had first arrived and my little niece was so stinkin' cute!

She was really stealing the cuteness today! These birds were really interested in us today. I mentioned that maybe it was dinner time and the little one replied:

"Don't eat me!" So cute. ;)

Here's another one that didn't come out that great, but she was so excited about the waterfall and she was giggling the whole way over there!

The kids earned t-shirts today with the Kid's Club by attending enough events. The boys love them!

Daddy Fashion, or something...

Orange

Pink

Red

Purple

Patchwork

Stripes

Dressy

Burmudas

Long Sleeves

&

Crazy Hair

It's a Daddy and Miss Sass colaborative! Wow... that's all I got, just wow.

Zoo Day ... Pictures Galore!

The kids had a great day at Wet 'n Wild Days yesterday! We started off our adventure with two little guides leading the way...

We had an extra munchkin along for the ride. This is my squeezable nephew, Little Man. I promise he is not squished under all that stuff!

Little Man was the first to test the waters...

The other three kids quickly made their way into the largest puddle in the state, waving at the firefighters as they are drenched by the firehose! You can just pick out Mr. Cool standing right in the middle, blocking the spray with his arms.

Next we found a misting tent where Mr. Cool just couldn't resist splashing like he did when he was two! He loved this picture, so I just had to share! ;)

The kids got pretty worn out, so we headed for the door, but we found an awesome photo spot and stopped for a few more shots. I was thrilled because I finally got Drama Boy to hold still for a few clicks! heh

I really loved this one! Notice the bare feet, though? Yeah, we lost her shoes somewhere along the way! (sheesh, pay attention mama!) Thankfully a wonderful zoo employee found them and brought them all the way to the front for us. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers!

And finally there are these two shots! I love my creative kiddos!

They were so fun... if only I could get all four kids to look at the same time. yeah right ;)

Why, oh why?!

Alex came out of the bathroom screaming, teeth chattering, that she was free e e e zing today. I did NOT give her permission to take a bath!

My husband can break anything!

No really, I mean that... especially if his brother is involved. So there's this company, Coleman, that made these virtually "indestructable" canoes. What they mean by that is the hull. Yeah, no one ever figures on the frame breaking... twice. Shall I go on or just tell the story? Ok, the story then. I was not there, but I'll do my best...

Daniel (the hubby), Steven (Bro-in-law), and Randy (Dad-in-law) decide to canoe the Arkansas River the day after a two day storm. --1st Mistake-- Typically, you would want two people to a canoe. Steven's brother-in-law was going to join them, but had to cancel last minute. So they decided to all hop in one canoe together! --2nd Mistake, yeah we're already at mistake #2, so you get the idea-- Apparently most of the trip was just fun and games until they hit a rather rough patch. Randy takes a tree branch to the chest that throws him from the canoe. Daniel jumps out to keep the canoe from capsizing, and Steven (the smallest by a considerable amount) simply could not keep the 17 foot canoe going from the middle seat in the swift current. By the end, the canoe's keel and one thwart (both parts of the frame) had snapped and all three of the guys went for more than one nice swim down a not-so-calm river of 5 foot rapids. At one point, Daniel was pinned against a tree... by the canoe. Then it was Steven's turn as he was the only one who had a hand on their only way home and his other hand clung desparately to a tree. Everytime he managed to pull the canoe closer, his head went under. Not exactly conducive to survival. When they finally managed to get out of the river, 500 yards downstream from their vehicle, they found the only way back was to carry the canoe through 5 football fields worth of thorny bushes. With no shoes. In addition to the scrapes, bruises, severe sunburns and previously described property damage, there were also several items lost. They include:

A brand new cooler (with lunch, 4 beers, 1 Dt Dr. Pepper & 2 Dr. Peppers)
Two seat backs ........... So, have I mentioned yet that they borrowed the canoe!?!?!
Bladder control (to which the guys have not admitted, I'm just guessing on that one)
2 Shirts
2 stabilizers
2 oars
1 pair of sunglasses
1 pair of suspenders, no, really my father-in-law loves 'em

As my husband told this harrowing tale of bravery and cunning on the trecherous waters of the Arkansas to our children, they stared at him with awed looks of terror and pride. The oldest and most inquisitive asked for a recitation of every tiny detail and a description of the damages inflicted on the canoe he has taken oh-so-many rides in. The middle child and most dramatic/creative simply asked in a gasp, "You mean, you almost died!?!" (eh, he's in Kindergarten... everyone almost dies, all the time.) But the youngest, our only girl and the princess of the house held her hands over her mouth for a long moment. When she was finally able to speak, it was in hushed tones of agony "You lost your shoe?"

Tinkerbell likes to Tickle People

Mr. Cool was playing with his little sister, who is obsessed with Tinkerbell;) He climbed under a sheet and starting rolling around and giggling. He told her that Tinkerbell was tickling him. Lol, so cute. She thought it was the greatest thing ever! ;)

Sneak Peek

Took pictures today for Alex's bday invitations... here's what you can look at for now;)

Grrrrrr!

Yesterday, I headed to Target to see what they might have for Alex's upcoming birthday... they have tons, btw! I am always happy when I go to Target rather than that other store;) Anyway, we are looking through the "1 Spot" and Mr. Cool says:



After this, do you suppose we might see what sort of toy collection they have?



He was sweet as sugar and with a hint of a british accent... how bad did I feel telling him we didnt' really have time?........... Awful!!!

Time flies...

Been ages (okay a few weeks) since my last post and I felt like I was being neglectful. So, here you go:)
These pics are both from Father's Day. I wish I had taken another pic after the first, but didn't think about it at the time...

So, we went to this steakhouse with the inlaws for lunch. We were heading out to my dad's that afternoon for an early dinner, so I didn't order much. I got a sirloin and lobster meal to share with the kids. This...............

is what they brought out to us! Now, without another picture to compare, you may not see the problem, or maybe you do! I'm telling you that when they brought this thing out, everyone at the table could smell it! And it wasn't a good smell:( It was somewhat like an ashtray, or well, it was gross. The smell went away mostly after the nice girl put it on the table, but there was just no hope. I honestly think my lobster tail caught fire! It was horrible. I tried to at least taste it, but couldn't get the bite to my mouth without smelling it... YUCK!

The next time I saw our server, I called him over. "My lobster is a little ... dark." As he looked down his eyes flew open and nearly popped out of his head and his jaw dropped to his chest: "Oh my!" Then he literally RAN back to the kitchen! About 7 minutes later, he brought out a much more lobster-looking lobster tail and it was delicious:) A few minutes after that the manager came by to say he had taken it off my bill and to apologize in person. We also got a discount on our next visit. They handled it perfectly, but I still can't believe the girl(maybe a hostess?) brought it out to me and that the cook actually handed it to her! But, hey, how cool is that?! Someone else burns things too:)

After we left, I opened the doors in the Jeep to cool it off and Alex found this patch of perfectly soft and green grass to rest on... She was too cute:)

So, Happy Father's Day! (a week late)

It was a Mamarazzi sort of day:)

We had a little impromptu backyard photo shoot this evening:) The kids were so sweet!

I can't really decide between the pics of Alex, but I will print copies of one or two to hand out this summer. Feel free to leave your opinion:)

Alex chose the background today, saying the rock she sat on was "just the right perfect" and the flowers were "pretty pieces of purple". Sounds good to me... almost enough for a Beatles song:)

I think I might crop this one in a little closer on her... I am trying to get better at manual (dramatic music plays...) Alex moved just as I snapped this one, but still cute! Okay, so the boys weren't exactly portrait ready, Mr. Cool wearing just swim trunks:) I was a little sad after I looked at them too... I mean, look! A REAL SMILE!!! Lol, I love this picture of him! We'll have to try this again... apparently "ice cream and potato chips" is the phrase I need to use:)

And here's my precious little angel! He has the sweetest smile:)

Only two more pics...

I snapped these after the pros were finished... I'm sure his is better. Actually, I know for a fact; I made him show me:) Do you ever worry about silly stuff like spending gobs of money on pictures and not liking them later? Lol, anyway, I don't have fancy lights or a soft flash, and I was only about 4 feet from her... for those photographers(even am's), you know this isn't ideal for portraits:) Either way, I managed to capture just what I wanted...

This first one is what Alex did pretty much the whole time on stage:)

And then this... her hip shake. Lol, she's a doll!

Good Ship Lollipop... A Picture Story

I just had to put this pic up:) She just had to have something pink! The rest are a picture story of Alex's dance Good Ship Lollipop. There are quite a few, but so cute! ... enjoy!

On the Good Ship Lollipop

It's a sweet trip to the candy shop

Where bon bons play

On the Sunny Beach

Of Peppermint Baaaay...

Lemonade stands everywhere

Cracker Jack bands fill the air

And there you ahhhre

Happy landing on a chocolate bar...

See the sugar bowls
To the tootsie rolls

To the big-bad-devils-food cake!!
If you eat to much, ooh ooh...
You'll awake with a tummy ache

On the Good Ship Lollipop

It's a nice trip, into bed you hop

And dream awaaaay...

On the Good Shipp LOLLIPO~~~P!