Creepy Crawley

Tres is a very good reader... his teacher told us he is on a third grade reading level and he's in the first grade. He comes home super excited on library days, and is diligent to point out to his brother that one day, Bryant too, will be able to read like him... one day.

So with Hank being gone during the week, I have decided to let him do his nightly reading in bed. He finished up his nightly reading (he's really into Flat Stanley right now!) one night last week and I tucked them in. I headed out to the den to fold some laundry and watch a show and few minutes later, he came down the hall excitedly. He had apparently continued reading from his stack of books after I left.

"Mom! Did you know that a tarantula SHEDS it's skin?" He is so very expressive and it is so hard to capture that in writing... his eyes get big, he gestures with his hands a lot. "And did you know that they lay HUNDREDS of eggs at one time?"

"I didn't know that Tres," I say. I try not to giggle at his incredulous eyes as his plops his little tighty whitey clad bottom down beside me on the rug where I'm folding his pajamas that he never wears.

"AAANNNNDDDD," he sings this with his inflection pattern jumping up and down, "the babies inside the eggs live there for 3 to 4 years!" (I should point out that I have not read said book as it has a big hairy spider on the front of it and therefore can not verify these facts.)

"Wow, that's a long time," I appropriately respond.

"Mom! If a tarantula bites you, you will get very sick, but you might not die. They are HIGHLY poisonous, but not deadly!" he finishes with a proud and satisfied smile.

"Okay, baby... it's probably time for you to get back in bed now."

"Okay, Mom," he says as he slowly gets up and tenatively begins the walk back down the hall to his room.

"I love you, Tres man."

"I love you too-- Mom?" he asks as he rubs his neck a little, " I feel like I have a tarantula bite now..." he says as I choke on a laugh. He holds his hand up, palm up and cocks his head to the side and gives me the tiniest skeptical smile... "but I know I don't."

I so enjoy being a Mom.

Rangers, Ninjas, and Monkeys! Oh My!

I'm slightly ashamed that it is the end of November and I am just now getting around to telling you about our Halloween! To be honest, the past month has been very surreal at times and in fast forward in others.

On Halloween day, we had our first open house and Hank and I hung out at the house that day. But as soon as it was over, we headed over and got the kids and took them trick or treating! So here is our cast of characters for this tale:

Meet Jack, the red Power Ranger (SPD). Tres was uninterested in finding a costume this year and at the last minute dug through our costume bin and pulled this one out!


Storm Shadow is a bad guy in the G.I. Joe saga. Bryant was so excited to find this costume! He had it picked out and hounded us until we bought it a good 3 weeks before Halloween.


And introducing, Ava Sophia as the monkey princess. This picture was taken after we got to my grandmother's house that evening (our traditional first house to trick or treat at). As soon as we got out in the backyard, she took off running around acting like a monkey. I have a handful of blurry pics trying to capture just one of this wild child! She stood still here because she heard a dog barking... she was saying, "You he-ah dat, Mama?"

This year, it was a fun coincidence that Kayla and I had monkey costumes for the little ones! I added a little tutu skirt, necklace, and a bow (which she lost). These little monkey cousins were so cute!


Here are all the cousins and one friend at Grandma's house. Sierra was Dorothy, Luke was a Jedi, and Tyler was the cutest little cowboy.


Then it was candy time!


So these pics are random, but I liked them and wanted to post them! So enjoy!

My beautiful daughter! She loves 'fow-wers!'


Tonnie revisits the past in her 80s-90s inspired costume.


Luke uses the force to keep Grandaddy in line!


Me and Soph as we were trick or treating... it's hard to take pics when your corralling your kids! Smile! Also, we used this opportunity to spy on the other houses that are for sale in our neighborhood! He he! I know I'm sneaky!


At the end of the night, we saw the Zaxby's sign advertising a free kids meal for every costumed child with no other purchase necessary! So we ended our evening with some 'shicken' (a Bryant-sim), then headed home to tally up the loot!

The First Half Way Meeting

This has been a week full of adjustments at our house. I'm learning to not let my emotions guide my actions... because my emotions are unpredictable these days!

Monday morning, Hankie helped me get the kids off to school, then we came home and got him packed and ready for his first week away. He is staying with his sister until we can sell OUR HOUSE and find a new home.

It wasn't so bad this week, since we knew that the kids would be out of school Wednesday for 'vet-trins' day (a Tres-ism). We had prepared them. So we rolled along pretty well and I woke them up as usual on Wednesday morning and we headed over to Anniston to meet him.

We met at Shoney's for their breakfast bar... Hank loves that place. I'm ambivalent. Tres, however, has discovered a love for breakfast buffets... and the independence of selecting his own foods.

When we pulled into the parking lot, the boys were all over me to find Dad's car and park right by it! And they zoomed out of the van when they saw their Daddy! I mean, that hug alone was worth the drive. It was a loud breakfast for us... lots to catch Dad up on. School stuff, friend stuff, wii stuff, pokemon stuff... imporant, life altering stuff... and Hankie gave them his full attention and responded appropriately to every insignificant detail. I chose well... God gave me a wonderful husband. We laughed and the kids hung on to him. Sophie made us all crack up when she announced to the table next to us that she had pooted. She is a nut!
Then we went to a few stores to waste a little time together. Target is always a fav for my family. I enjoy looking at clearance and sale items... and the kids could live in the toy department.


Bryant really wanted his dad to read to him, so they sat their happy little butts right down and did it! This made me tear up. And Bry chose a book about always loving your family... sigh... tears... even now.

Our time was up before we knew it. Hankie had to get back to work. So we took him back to his car, and started our good-byes. This was horrendous for us. Bryant and Soph were okay. But my ultra sensative little man, Tres, was sitting in the back with a heartbroken expression. He climbed out for one last hug from Daddy and broke down.

I tried to make it a quick getaway since I knew it was already killing Hankie... but Tres was really pitiful. He kept saying, "It's not right to leave a family member behind!"

He and I talked about how the Bible teaches us about different seasons in life. Tres sat and thought for a minute, then asked... "What do you mean by seasons, Mom?"

"It's a short time for us to learn and grow. For God to teach us things and for us to learn to trust Him more," I tried to explain... the whole time praying away each day that we would be separated. "You trust Mommy and Daddy to make the best decision for our family, right?"

Tres nodded his head, the movement releasing huge tears that had welled up again.

"And Mommy and Daddy trust God."

I've been replaying that conversation in my head a lot. You can probably tell. I want this to be a time that we teach our kids what it is to fully trust. What it means to be instant... in this season and the next. I want them to see Hankie and I handling this with faith and love and patience.

Lord show us how to do this. This season is here and we need You more than ever.

House Update

So we are showing our house to a number of people, and getting great feedback and even some genuine interest... but no buyers yet!

So go by the house blog to check out the latest...

This HOME is just waiting for the right family to fill it!

Check it out...

This is why we've been slightly preoccupied lately!

Our house is officially on the market and ready to be sold! If you know of anyone looking for a quality home, please tell them about us! We are doing for sale by owner for now, but agents are welcome!

So sorry for the absence, but we took tons of pics tonight of a certain red power ranger, G.I. Joe, and princess monkey girl! I'll be sure to share them with you all soon!

I need....

...a magic wand. Things are coming along and sort of starting to come together. Progress is being made, but I still want a magic wand! :)

Park It, People!

This was the day I took the kids to the park when Hank called me about a possible job interview...

Progressing...

For a while, we were sitting and waiting... it seemed like we were in a holding pattern. We were waiting for a formal offer, and not really sure how to proceed. God helped us. Doesn't He always?? He helped us find clarity when it felt like there was none in sight. He brought several people into our path the reinforced what we already felt God was doing for us. We are taking a step and trusting that the path has been laid before us!

During the holding time, Hank and I stayed busy. Painting, sorting, packing... you name it... we've done it. And with every task, we've been in serious heart-felt prayer.

Hank got his official offer yesterday. He is talking to his current boss today. And it looks like he will be in ATL, without us until this house sells, early November.

Here was his interview day. He's so handsome!


Atlanta traffic wasn't so bad. His interview started when his shift would start, so it was a good measure of what he had to look forward to.

This is me having some fun with mirrors at IKEA.


Crystal! This is four of the mirrors I was telling you about.
I sat in the car for HOURS punching in addresses into the GPS and seeing how far they were from the station.

His interview finally ended around 3:30... and we drove around and looked at a few houses, but didn't see anything special.

We'll keep you all posted on what becomes of us! As you can probably gather... my head is in other places besides blogging for now! Please be patient with me! I will return!

In the Middle of It All

Well, here at sit at Krystal in Atlanta... Hank is down the road in his interview and I am sitting here praying and researching real estate now that I have more of an idea where the station is.

Hank looked so handsome this morning. He thought about shaving his goatee, but I convinced him to keep it! He was nervous, but confident. We spent the ride from his sister's house making a list of questions that he has for them and trying to prepare for any question they may ask him.

My computer is about to run out of juice and I don't see a handy dandy plug here at this lovely Krystal, so I guess I will shut down and trudge over to IKEA and waste a little happy time there!

Please pray! We honestly have no idea how this will turn out. God is in the middle. That's what I keep saying. He is here, right now, sitting here with me while I intermitantly sip my coke, tear up, and pray. He is with Hank as he answers questions, fills out paper work, and does some hands on stuff. He is with my kids who are happy but nervous about the possibility of moving near the Coca Cola Factory (Smile). He is with my family who are supportive, but I know not thrilled at the idea of me and mine moving away from my home for the first time in my life. He is in the middle of it all.

And that is how we will proceed... with Him in the middle... in the very midst... of every decision... from housing, to schools, to banks, to insurance. I will not neglect that step in the process... it's the first one.

I've enjoyed my morning with You, God. Thank You for being here with me.

Opportunity

We're taking a deep breath and big step on Tuesday of this coming week. It all started this past Tuesday. I had the kids at the park playing, when I got a phone call from a very excited Hank. He said, "I just got a very interesting voicemail!" He then proceeded to tell me about a job opportunity in Atlanta.

You may remember back at the beginning of the year, Hank's station laid off a ton of people. One of them was Hank's manager, Gary. Gary took a job in Atlanta. When this position opened, he sought Hank out. Hank has been told, the job is his if he wants it. It comes with a substantial raise and some job perks. We will know more details after Tuesday though.

In the meantime, we are researching what houses in our current area are selling for... researching what houses in ATL are selling for... researching the company that could be Hank's future employer... looking at schools, banks, insurance, etc. There are a lot of details.

Needless to say our heads are spinning! A lot of things will have to line up, but God is in the middle. He dropped this opportunity in our laps the afternoon after we sat down and did a job search in ATL and Nashville online.

We feel right now like this could be the move for us. But we are open and praying. God guide our steps. Direct us. We want your best for us.

Tres's 7th Birthday Pokemon Card-y!

So I've been waiting to get pics downloaded from my Mom's camera... we took pics with hers and mine at the party, and I know how to upload from my camera, but not hers! Maybe my super helpful and handy husband will help me out with that! But I want to get down the details before my memories of the day start getting fuzzy... and let's face it... after three kids and dividing and multiplying my attention so many times now... my memory ain't what it used to be folks! It's somewhat diluted. Smile!

First of all, he was a sick puppy the week before his birthday. We had planned to have his party the weekend before, but due to a high fever, and a very lethargic little boy, we were forced to reschedule his party. But, we rescheduled it for his actual birthdate day, and he thought that was pretty cool!

Hank took the day off, and we saw the boys off to school. They both skipped off to school in their Pokemon shirts! Then the madness began for us! We were wrapping presents, picking up last minute party items, getting goody bags ready, etc. We stopped mid day and went and ate lunch with our boys. (That is one thing I love to do.) Seeing them come down the hall with their class, walking orderly and looking around hopefully until they spotted us... then their little faces just lit up! I didn't realize I had the camera with us until after we had eaten with the birthday boy! C'est la vie!

After lunch, we headed over to my Mom's house to set up party central. About this time, I remember looking at the sky and realizing it was gonna rain. I was just praying it would hold off. It was hot enough to still let the kid's swim and run around outside... and all of the parent's were hoping for a good way to burn off some energy!

Hank ran to pick up the kids while I continued party prep... and before we knew it, we were in a countdown to party time!! But, the rain did not hold off, and as it started to pour, and I mean soaking-wet-through-and-through rain, Tres started to get worried that his friends would decide not to come.

{Insert picture of Tres sitting on Mom's front porch cross legged waiting for his friends to come, while it pours! Pic on Mom's camera.}

We had to pull my parent's grill into the door way of their garage to grill the hot dogs, and we had to make sure we had plenty of indoor games planned... well, at least, garage games! :) I was beginning to get worried that no one would come out either, and as I watched Tres sitting on the porch so forlornly, my Momma's heart started to hurt. But just about that time, I saw a car making a slow pass by the house... I had just enough time to grab the camera! I snapped the best shot of my baby waving to his first guest from the porch.

{Insert pic from Mom's camera here!}

I grabbed an umbrella, and began the wet task of ushering EVERY GUEST that we invited (with the exception of Caleb, who was sick) quickly into the house.



Then it was time for food! Hot dogs, chips, drinks, cheese dip, cookies. We got the kids set up and eating first. I was a little hardcore about no one putting hands into food. I was the sole server, and I had someone go around with the Germ-X once the kids were settled. Once they ate, I shifted the kids into the den for opening gifts and let the adults dig in...



Man was it fun to watch Tres open this year! My little man takes pure joy in all things, and has since he was a baby. He has always been and will always be my joy. Just look at that face!



He took great pride in reading each card this year. One of his classmates was sitting beside me and told me that Tres was the best reader in his class! That made me smile. Then she sighed and said wistfully, "I wish I could read that good."



Bryant is such a good brother. I really pray that my boys continue to develop their friendship. My sister and I were and are close and I love that. There is really something special about someone who knows you so well, that actually likes you too! :)


After presents, I handed out goody bags. This year, instead of the standard junk in a bag, Hank and I went online and ordered a huge lot of Pokemon cards. We divided it up and gave those as goody bags. The kids began trading immediately and were throwing around words like 'starley' 'rocario' and 'eevvee.'



Then it was time for the ice cream sundae bar! We went all out finding all sorts of topping to make this the best for the kids! And they really, really seemed to enjoy it! Again, I was the only one dipping ice cream, and Hank was the only one handling toppings.



Then we took the kids out to the garage and let them let with a nerf gun and a tower of pokemon characters! It was so fun, and the kids loved the satisfying racket the cans made when they shot 'em down! We had prizes for everyone, so everyone was a winner!



Well, that's all I have for now, folks! I promise when I get the pics from Mom's camera, I will insert them!