Tee Ball, Ice Cream, & Soccer

Last night, Hank and I had to split up to cover both tee-ball and soccer. Bryant had his last scheduled game last night, and Tres had evaluations for soccer last night. Bryant's game got cancelled due to weather, and there will be no make-up game for this one... but we have one other game to make-up on Monday and his season will be complete! So we headed over to Chik-fil-A and let them run off a bit of energy there. Sophie was lovin' some ice cream...She was actually getting quite the attitude wanting to hold it herself (Thanks for that Aunt Tonnie!).


Tres was so excited about soccer! We let the boys choose one sport to play every year. And since Tres decided not to play tee ball, he decided on soccer. I think he has his heart set on goalie, but at this age there is no goalie. He was excited that his friend Caleb was there too!

It is so strange watching your children play something. You already know how to play it, and I feel myself wanting to silently transmit all my knowledge of the game to them, to make them the best they can be! We have big talks now about doing the best you can no matter what... even if someone else is better than you. You just keep practicing and working at it until you are.

In other family news, I think the new routine is starting to work. For the past 2 mornings, the boys have gotten up on their own before my alarm has gone off. Now, it's time to move bedtime back a half hour and wake them up a half hour earlier. I can't believe that next week I will have a kindergartener. I'm trying not to get emotional, but that's a little bit more difficult than I thought it would be.

Tonight, the boys' cousin Luke is coming over for a Back To School sleepover extravaganza. I think I'm gonna pick Luke up in the afternoon so we can still do fun stuff and get in bed early enough to not mess up all the hard work with the nighttime routine!

I'll Take My Colon Dirty, Thank You

I've gotta say it, people. I have a problem with the thought of getting a colon cleanse. I have a friend who does this for a living, and swears by it. My Mom has friends who do it monthly and say it helps them to get and stay regular. And some people even say it helps them to loose weight. I just have a problem with how you have to cleanse the colon. It does not seem right. I think my Mom had to do it before her last surgery. And that is a different story all together.

Speaking of Mom, she is scheduled for a hip replacement surgery at the end of August. Please keep her in your prayers. She is definitely on the up side of recovery from this last surgery, but it's got to wear on the body to be operated on back to back.

Lose it, so use it!

I got on the scale the other night for the first time in a very, very, very long time. I was holding my breath and getting ready to let out a string of cuss words, when I was pleasantly surprised. I weighed in about 12 pounds lighter than when I found out I was pregnant with Sophie. Now, am I content to let myself remain the way I am? No. But, I was happy to find that I had a little less to work off. I really want to tighten as I go to. Any suggestions? A couple of people have tried Orovo detox and said that it worked to get their diet and exercise regime jump started. Anyone out there tried it? I'm thinking that when I take Tres to school, I can head over to the park and run with my sister. She is a great encourager and motivator for me. And accountability is key for me.

Fast Everything Please!

Hank has been helping get pictures and movies together for a DVD Movie Story that I'm gonna do at CVS before Sunday. He's been able to load everything I need onto a memory stick and I just take it in and load the pics straight into the Kodak machine and make the cutest little photo story! Isn't technology wonderful? Tivo, cell phones, digital cameras, memory chips for DS's and a million other ways that I think technology ROCKS!! I love that little memory stick, though. Hank uses it to transfer pics to my parent's computer for them and he uses it at work, and to get pics from the laptop to our CP here at home. Do you guys remember the days of dial-up? Waiting for up to 10 minutes to log on... getting kicked off of the computer when someone called? Getting a busy signal if you called someone who was online? We jsut might be a little spoiled to the convenience of life!

To sleep or not to sleep... that is the question!

Sophie sleeps in her room in spurts lately. She has been a REALLY busy girl cutting teeth lately, and becasue of that, she sometimes has rough nights. She doesn't always sleep in her bed, although I would love nothing better because it would ensure that both of us slept good. There is actually a school of thought out there that says a baby will sleep better if certain colors are used in their rooms. Use soothing colors like lavendar, sages, etc. and they will be soothed. Red, yellows, and basically anything primary could overstimulate them and cause them to be restless. It all sounds a little kooky to me. A baby tires out and will sleep just about anywhere. I really don't buy into the notion that certain colors of walls or baby bedding will help them sleep better or longer.

Free and Clear

My friend Kelly works for mortgage lenders here and told me some pretty interesting stuff about the company that holds our mortgage. She said that they will be bought out or taken over by a larger organization. Now, get this. She said that customers have been calling them and asking if that organization goes bankrupt, if they will still have to pay their mortgage payment. Now, the answer is yes... we will still have to pay mortgage. But could you imagine if you got your house clean and clear because of that? That would totally ROCK my world right now. I mean, adding an extra couple of hundred to our income monthly makes a difference, could you imagine adding triple that? If only...

Sit or Stand?

When we had our yard sale, we sold about 3 of the 6 strollers we have. I am now wanting a sit, stand stroller. It would make it so much easier on me when I need to do shopping and have all three of my kids with me. I know that Tres will be in school soon, and I will be able to go with only 1 or 2 kids, so the sit/stand one would be perfect. Now, if I could just talk Hank into it. It's not that we NEED a stroller... this is a definite want. But man do I feel like I need it when I'm yelling at my kids while we're shopping... chasing them from aisle to aisle or herding them out from under clothes racks. Anyone else have this problem?? Does anyone have a sit/stand one? Do you like it? We have a jogging stroller, but we rarely use it... but we didn't want to sell it at the yard sale, cause we just MIGHT need it.

Party Plannin' Momma

I've been stressing over getting some cute party invitations for Sophie's birthday! I want something cute, and unique, and child-lie, and fun! I found a couple of things I like, so far. What do you guys think about this one?I like it, but I feel like there are others out there... or that maybe Hank could design one for me that is similar or something I like better that is a bit more Olympic in theme. All the patriotic invites I found have to do with the Fourth. I'm thinking that we will schedule the party to end close to dusk so that we can end with sparklers! I just love sparklers!

Planning...

So, I've spent the afternoon doing a little online research on Sophie's birthday party. I bought some party favors and decorations at the oriental trading company, and I found the cake I'm gonna try. I plan on doing a variation on these Marshmellow puffs skewers to make them red, white and blue and I'm gonna do them at different levels so they look sort of like fireworks around the cake. I even found a craft for the kids to do... I feel so 'Mel' like! Ha! I'm not sure if we'll have time for the craft with all the "Sophie Olympic" Events we have planned... diaper dash and such.

I had originally planned to do a beach theme for her party, but who could pass up the chance to have an Olympic party! Her birthday... 8-8-08... is the day the Olympics start! Cool, huh?

Savings Alert! Savings Alert!!

I got a call from the savings police... aka Mel... today. She told me about a killer diaper deal at Walgreens, but the catch was, it was only good today since the coupons in the July and August Easysaver catalogs overlapped today... and the price on the diapers was $5.99.So after following her instructions as far as I could, I ended up getting 9 packs of diapers. I spent $13.23 for all of them, and brought home $15 in Register Rewards (Walgreens money!). Not bad. Mel was able to spend only about a dollar out of pocket per every three she got because of some ellusive coupon you are supposed to be able to get from the pharmacy. The pharmacist here had no clue what I was talking about and even called the regional manager to find out, with no success! But, although I wish I could have gotten that deal... I'm content with making a small profit for something we can use.

Family Fun Night... and a trophy!!

We went to the Baron's game last night. The YMCA had organized a special family night for Bryant's t-ball season. We all got to go to the game for $7 (plus parking, plus concessions, plus this n that!). And the Barons gave all the kids a red jersey. The boys were thoroughly impressed with how hard and far the players could hit the ball! I caught Bry several times going "Whoa!" We watched the first five innings no problem. All three of my boys were busy hoping and praying for a foul ball, or asking for food or drink. Hank spent a lot of his time going back and forth between seats and concessions. It was a hot night, so we had a bunch of drinks between the five of us! (BTW, do you see the lady smiling at Sophie in the background? She kept talking to us and watching us the whole time we were around her. Not bad, I suppose, but it made me uncomfortable. She looked at us like that the WHOLE time.) Bryant was extremely exciited to get his trophy for the season... even with a couple of games to go. Hope that doesn't mean his motivation to complete the season is gone! :) We left shortly after that cause the kiddos were tired and Ms. Sophie is not feeling that well. It was a fun night though, and all the kids slept HARD!

CVS Saturday!

Today seemed super long getting through at CVS, cause I stopped by a CVS that was doing a grand opening and then went to my regular CVS too. The kids all went with me, and they did great... with a little assistance from the lovely Crystal Dawn! This is right at $135 worth of merchandise, according to CVS Extracare prices. I rolled my ECB's over and spent $51.17 in coupons. All total, I spent $5.44 OOP, which I put on the gift card I got a couple of weeks ago.
Here's what I got:

(1) 24 pk. Dasani half liters $3.99
(4) Pepsi 12 pk. 4/$11
(1) Gold Emblem White Cheddar Popcorn $1.99
(1) CVS Cheese Crackers $1
(2) Sippin Straws $1 ea.
(8) Trident Xtra Care Gum $1.49 ea.
(2) CVS Ammonia Cleaner $2.49 ea.
(4) L'orreal Shampoo $4.99 ea.
(2) VO-5 Shampoo $.75 ea.
(2) L'orreal Studio Hair Products $4.99 ea.
(2) Nexxus Comb $4.99 ea.
(1) CVS Men's Shave Gel $1.99
(1) CVS Make-up Towelettes 15 ct. $2.99
(5) CVS Wipes 80 ct. 2/$4 or 1/$2
(1) CVS Kid's Body Wash 2/$5 or 1/$2.50
(6) Johnson's Buddies $.99
(1) Aleve 100 ct. $9.99
(1) Sponge Bob Band Aids 20 ct. $2.99
(1) Ultra Strips Band Aids 20 ct. $2.99
(1) Elmer's Squeeze and Brush Washable Paints $4.89 (were supposed to be on clearance for $1.22... so there's where some of my OOP came from! Guess now, I HAVE to go back! Ha!)

Bryant Playing T-Ball

He loves to try and jump into a pile of people. He might make a great football player someday!!!!!!



Bryant has a couple of more games, but we thought we'd let you guys see what you're missing!

Count Von Count

So, I've been going in and waking the boys every morning around 8 to make sure their little bodies are getting used to a new routine. This morning, I headed in and sat on the bottom bunk cuddling Bryant as he woke up (he is HARD to wake up). From the top bunk, I hear, "Hey Mom!" and his little hand patted my head. I told him good morning. Then after a minute or so, I hear, "Mom, if you had three heads," then he stops to, I can only assume, analyze the brilliant piece of information he is about to impart on me... "If you had three heads, then you would have six ears!" I laughed out loud. I was thinking he would say something like, if you had three heads then you could kiss all of us, or something like that.

Tres is super obsessed with counting. He can count all the way up to 100. He can count my 5's and 10's. He can also do some pretty fancy adding and subtracting.

My little baby boy is growing up to fast. 0-1-2-3-4-5... how come 5 is so close to 0, but still so far! And if you say he's 5, he quickly lets you know that he is 'almost 6!'

Little Miss Independent

A couple of nights ago, I headed up the stairs to get the boys bathed and left Sophie downstairs with Hankie. I must have forgotten to put the gate up, cause a few minutes later, as I headed down the hall to grab some towels, I hear the unmistakable slap of baby palms on hardwood. I glanced down the stairs and a happy babbling Sophie was sitting on the landing holding her arms up to me. My heart dropped, but I was also strangely proud that she had accomplished something on her own... you know, without cracking her head open!! So we spent a little time applauding her accomplishment then promptly put the gate at the bottom of the stairs permanently. So if you come to our house and have to hop the gate... Sorry about that! I just care more about Ava Sophia's safety than your convenience!
The boys are her biggest cheerleaders! They just love seeing her do new things and are constantly listening for new words. And she seems lost if her cheering section isn't in place! :) Also, yesterday, I was paying bills at the computer and I hear her howling. She had crawled to the gate and was trying to climb it! I mean her little toes were stuck in the grid of the gate, but she couldn't get any higher. We are going to be in serious trouble in a few more months!!

Toof Fairy

Back on July 4th, Tres noticed he had his first loose tooth. So we've been on 'tooth watch' for a while now.

On Sunday night, I was getting Sophie to bed, when an extremely distraught Tres came into the room.He had been eating a pancake when his little tooth fell out. I think the blood freaked him out a bit because that night, no matter how excited we were for him, he didn't want any pictures taken of him or the tooth. The above picture is the only one we got, and we got in trouble for sneaking it! :)

By Monday morning, though, he was in good spirits! He knew the tooth fairy would come and was excited to show off his gap to anyone that would look.

After Bry's tee ball practice last night, after we got them bathed and ready for bed, Tres made sure to put his tooth under his pillow.Do you see it in the baggie? We were scared the tooth fairy might not find it if it wasn't in something! And this morning, when I went in at 8 to wake them up... that was the first thing he wanted to check for. He was slightly disoriented since he SHOULD HAVE gone to bed at 9, but instead stayed up past 11... so when he felt under his pillow and the tooth was still there, I told him that he didn't give the tooth fairy enough time since they stayed up so late. So, I told them to go back to sleep for five minutes. Once they were snoring again, I ran into my room and dug a dollar out of my CVS money, scrawled out a quick note, and stealthily snuck back into their room. Tres had actually fallen asleep with a grip on the baggie, but I was able to pry it from him and slip the note and dollar under his pillow without incident.He was so excited! He's already asked me about a million times to take him to spend his dollar! Now he's checking two and three times a day to see if he has any other loose teeth!

Breakin' Routine

So it's after 1 am and here I sit... wide awake. Everyone else is warm and cozy, but not me. Just got through folding clothes and checking a few other sites. Not really sure I want to tackle much more than that this late.

We are trying to get the kids into some semblance of a routine before school starts. So we've been pushing back their summertime bedtime of .... as late as they want... to 8:30 or 9. Everyone was in bed by 9, but not asleep until 11:45. Not great. But my alarm is set for 8 am, and when that goes off, they are getting up whether they want to or not!! I mean, if I have to drag my butt out of bed, they do too!! :) Even little miss priss.

Mosaic Game...

1. day 35................in her struggle to become a domestic goddess she felt like she had finally flipped her last pancake......, 2. Lettuce Wraps, 3. Week 7: Northridge vs. Thompson, 4. :P, 5. Untitled, 6. Field Day Kelly Elementary 2008--Refreshments: Cherry Coca-Cola, 7. St Cirq Lapopie, 8. Nutter Butter Balls, 9. River Typewriter, No. 2, 10. Happy Girls Under a Rainbow, 11. Love is..., 12. Make a Joyful Noise

If you want to play, go to Crystal's blog for instruction! This was fun.... should have been cleaning, I'm sure... but fun!

Bittersweet Weekend

It felt a little surreal piling into Mom & Dad's SUV to head to Florida this past Friday. My Dad came and got me and Soph first, then we headed over and picked up Matt, Kayla and Brody.The babies did pretty darn well on the trip, I must say! Soph was a little thrilled to have me beside her, talking and playing with her instead of in front of her. We talked and laughed easily on the way. The whole trip seemed to be marked with fond and funny memories surrounding my grandmother. Christmases, birthdays, summers, weekends, get togethers... stratigically placed wigs, a back yard full of kittens, the Legend of Zelda, Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum, and a hand full of rings...

It was a ruinion of sorts for our family. It's been a long time since we've all been together.Aunt Debbie and her son StephenUncle Bobby aka Butch, his wife Anita and their daughter Ambre

It was a beautiful service. Aunt Debbie sang. Tonnie and I sang, with the help of our pastor and his wife who went with us too. We sang "Fields of Mercy" and "Made Me Glad." The little minister was sincere and sweet. And he recounted for everyone how Memaw Susan gave her heart to the Lord just before she passed away. It's never too late. Never. Thank you, God, for your mercy. We don't deserve it... but that's the nature of mercy, isn't it?


I was super proud of my Dad. He handled it all with a strong vulnerability. He kept saying he wanted to be strong, and we were all quick to remind him that we were there so he didn't have to be. I love my Daddy so much.
And he's a handsome cuss too, huh?? Here he is with my brother. I think we were all physically and emotionally drained from the weekend. My most fervent prayer is that someone was touched by Memaw Susan's decision to give her heart to the Lord, and as a result will do the same.

CVS Saturday-- scratch that-- Sunday

$105 worth of merchandise. My mind was in a bit of a fog, or I would have gotten a few more of the B1G1 CVS cleaner items and some detergeant. Guess I'll just have to go visit the new CVS down the street... with the handy dandy CRT machine! :)
Some really great manufacturer's coupons and some good B1G1 deals at CVS made this a great week.

Total OOP: $3.61 (put on a CVS gift card)
ECB's Earned: $24.98
ECB's Used: $5.48
Total Coupons Used: $48.03

**CVS did not issue my ECB's for getting the $15 worth of CVS brand baby items. I have to call today about that... so my total ECBs earned is REALLY $29.98

This 'n That

It's been a roller coaster of a week. I'm a little emotionally drained. Sophie and I will be heading to the funeral with my Dad in the morning. Tonnie, Brett, Matt, Kayla and Brody are going too.

My Mom is having laperscopic (know idea if I spelled that right) surgery today to have a mass removed. She should be home later this afternoon. She will not be able to go.

Hank will be staying here with the boys since I don't really want them to experience death this close up yet. I think there is a time and a place... and while the concept is not foreign to them... I don't want them to see someone that they knew like that just yet. They know that Memaw Susan is in Heaven.

My in-laws are coming in today and will be here to help Hankie with the boys. I think they are planning a trip to the McWane Center.

I want to take the kids to pick peaches and strawberries next week. Anyone want to come?? Seriously... I think it would be fun! And I'm ready for something a little lighter.

Sophie has 5 teeth and is working on her sixth right now. Can you see the top ones? I took Tres to the doctor yesterday, and found out he has a severe case of Swimmer's Ear. No swimming till he has no pain... doctor's orders. Bryant has been pretty mellow the last few days. We've been experiencing some definite 'BOY' behavior lately... but that is a whole other very long post. Here he is meditating like on the Lion King. He constantly entertains us!

I've been struggling with not being depressed. And I gotta say, my kids help me with that. There are some heavy things going on in my life lately, and I'm glad for the comic relief that having three beautiful, active children brings!

Memaw Susan

I don't remember when we started calling her 'Memaw,' but Mom told us that at first she hated it! I think we did it because we heard someone else call their grandmother Memaw. He name wasn't even Susan, but somehow she has remained, and will also remain, Memaw Susan to me.

My Grandmother, passed away Monday morning around 7:45 am. I'm sad. My Dad is devastated. I regret not seeing her more... not going with my parents around Christmas to see her. But at the end, my Dad was able to tell her for all of us that we loved her.

And her life was a good one. She had four children, 9 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren. I am thankful for who she was... because that helped shape the father I have today, and I will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be greatful for that.
The best part to me is, because of a simple prayer, and the fervant belief that she knew and accepted the Truth, I will see her again.

I love you Memaw Susan. You made the best breakfast, and you could make it so fast! I remember coming to Florida for visits and getting to camp out in your camper with the cousins in the backyard, and swimming, and watching Star Search, and loving the fact that I could drink coke at your house! I remember playing Atari with you, and how you put about a million icicles (each individually placed) on your tree at Christmas time. I remember sitting out on the front porch and swinging with the cousins in the rain. I remember kittens and puppies, and go-karts, and fun. I'll miss you and I can't wait to see you again.

Happy Birthday!

To the best mother, grandmother, friend, listener, prayer partner, lasagna maker, babysitter, and coffee maker. You love hard and generously. Thank you for all you do for your family. It NEVER goes unnoticed or unappreciated. You are LOVED tremendously.

Memaw Susan

It does not look like my grandmother will make it through the weekend. My Dad is heartbroken but glad he is able to be there. We are all praying.

CVS Saturday

I didn't think this would be a good week, but thanks to that most excellent coupon... it turned into a killer CVS week!

Here's what I got!

All of this for a total of $3.13 OOP!! That's less than one of those boxes of cereal. I thought I spent more ECB's than I earned... but I actually spent the same amount that I earned... so I just rolled them over!

Can you guess how much this is all worth?

Back To School Sales

My sister Tonnie went back-to-school clothes shopping yesterday. She went to JC Penny, Target, Claire's, TJ Maxx, and a couple of other places. She was so excited about her deals. She even brought me and my sister-in-law Kayla a prize! She got my a double breasted silvery gray jacket that was originally $297... for $2.97!! Are you kidding me?? That is my kind of sale!! She said she got one for me and her other sister-in-law, on Brett's side. She also got Kayla a shirt that came in handy last night. She came over with the baby and when he pooped on her, she had something to change into! That was a nice happy surprise for us!

I've been able to pick up a few t-shirts and a few part of shorts for Tres for school, but not nearly enough for the wear and tear I know is coming! I never worry about Bry, cause he has more clothes than all of us combined, but Tres is in need of some new clothes for sure!

Grandmother Update

My dad has been keeping the roads hot between here and Florida. I know it's super stressful for him. He knows he needs to be here for his business. But he wants to be present for his mom.

Last weekend, when my grandmother was eating she couldn't swallow and nearly choked to death. They were able to run a camera down her throat (sounds painful to me) and saw she has some sort of growth. Again, she is not a candidate for surgery. So she is now on an all liquid diet.

Her doctor's are talking about releasing her today, so they prescribed an oxygen tank for her at home.

My dad and his brother and sister's have been working to get her home clean, aired out (remember she was a smoker), and get her A/C fixed. The last one is why my Dad is headed back to Florida today even though he just got home on Monday night.

I know he's scared that something will happen when he isn't there.

She refuses to be placed in a nursing home and her kid's want to abide by her wishes. So please pray for all of them. Their names are Debbie, Steve (my Dad), Bobby, and Gayla. One of my cousins (Racheal) also lives nearby and will be helping.

I love them all but am obviously more concerned about my Daddy.

Strange

I was talking to a friend on the phone today and she was telling me about how she watched the 'Tyra Banks Show' and she did a show about a mother who breastfed her children (notice I didn't say baby) until they were 7 or 8. She said that she believed in doing it until they got their permanent teeth and until they said to her, "I'm done breastfeeding." Does that seem normal to anyone? I'm a breastfeeding mother and that seems anything but normal to me!

There are definitely a few people out their that take things a bit too far. I'm all for organic and healthy ways to rear my children. I use disposable diapers, but I'm not opposed to clothe diapers... and people who choose the family bed over cribs are more than entitled to do that! I just don't understand the extreme measures that some people go to!

Working from Home?

If you are looking for help with your computer, don't ask me for it! But you might find some answers on the link listed below. They sell parts for all kinds of stuff including computer.

"We have single- and multiuser switches that enable control of multiple computers from a single KVM station. You can mix and control computers from different platforms and even manage servers over IP! In addition, our KVM extenders enable you to move computers to a safe, secure location."

It sounds like this would be ideal for small business owners like my dad, if you want to network their computers together. I know that my Mom is wanting something that would allow her to access customer accounts from home. I wonder if this is the answe that they have been looking for?

Future Plans

Hank and I are a bit fanatical about making sure that we have enough insurance on both of us to make sure our three kids are taken care of if something (God forbid) should happen to us. We each have substantial policies. And we have policies on each of our children. I was talking to my mother the other day about what we would want for our children if we weren't here... who they would live with, what church they would attend, how they would be raised. I am now convinced that we need to invest a little money in a lawyer to leave a legal document behind to cover all of that and eliminate questions, confusion, or hurt feelings.

I am a firm believer in being prepared. When Hank and I first found out we were gonna have Tres, I started getting life insurance quotes right away and before I was in my second trimester, we were covered and the paper work for Tres was ready to go once he was born. This is one thing I don't mess around with.

The Search for the Perfect Job

Hank has been a bit flustered lately with work. I mean who doesn't have complaints about their job from time to time? Several months ago, Hank had an opportunity to get a resume in at one of the major pharmaceutical companies. He did get his resume in, but it wasn't two weeks after that when we started hearing about lay-offs and cut-backs and hiring freezes. So Hank and I made a decision to be content where he is, until we feel that God opens a door for him in another area.

Hank feels blessed to have job security right now. Everything feels a little shaky with gas prices sky high, grocery prices on the rise, and every thing in between getting pricier too! We're just gonna wait on God!

Call The Computer Guy!

So I know my way around the computer pretty decently. I can handle running spy software, downloading pics, copying onto hard drives and disks, and I can photo shop pictures to my little hearts content. I'm not a computer genius by any means, and I have no illusions that I am. My brother-in-law works on computers for a living and any time I'm over there he has one or two gutted and it just makes me feel anxious. Some days, my computer is my life line to adult communications! And most of my hobbies are directly tied to it... blogging and cvs'n to name two. So when I see computers with wires sticking out and HDMI switches in the wrong place, it makes me cringe!! If something were wrong with my computer and it was all taken apart, I just might cry.

Putting My Foot Down!

I guess feeling more aches and pains is a sign of aging... not that we're old, but we are definitely not getting younger. Over the course of the last year, Hank has been having some issues with his feet. He says they just hurt when he wakes up. We've brainstormed everything we could come up with... arthritis that developed from breaking his foot at a young age, to poor support. When he wears a certain pair of tennis shoes with insoles (purchased with ECB's at CVS!) he says they feel the best. He is trying to train for a marathon in January... and just this morning he told me that he couldn't go run cause his feet hurt so bad. I mean, I even rubbed them down for him the other night. Talk about love, ladies. I think he needs to go to the doctor, but short of that, I think we just need to make his shoes an investment and not worry about finding a great, cheap deal on tennis shoes that don't offer support. I found a brand of shoes that seem to offer that, Merrell shoes. I think some of them are pretty darn stylish too!This one is called 'Cruise Control.' I thought that was clever!

Then I found some shoes that I like, too. I'm in need of church shoes. These look like they would be comfy on Sunday and that I could also wear them with jeans!

FOUR YEARS!!

I can't believe that I almost forgot this! Today is my four year 'Blogiversary!' Four years ago today I was at work in my dad's plumbing shop office. I called to check on my youngest son, Bryant. Crystal watched him for me then, and talked me into getting one! I've never been sorry. Who knew that four years later I would still love blogging just as much, if not more, than when I first started! And as a writer, this is definitely a way to get my thoughts out there.

Since I first started blogging, we have most notably added Sophie to our family and moved. We have also been to Hawaii, Disney about 10 times, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Tennesse, the Kentucky Derby, and Colorado. We have gone through three mini-vans, and are planning to pick up a scooter in the near future. We've been to the emergency room 4 times and celebrated countless birthdays and milestones. And if you've been reading since the beginning, you've had a front row seat to all of these events and more!

I'm just curious... who reads my blog? I'm sometimes surprised when someone tells me that they read, but never upset! So consider it a blogiversary present... leave me a comment and tell me how long you've been reading about my family!

Here's to many more years to come!

Sabbatical Sunday

Today was sabbatical Sunday for our church... a church-wide day of rest and restoration. And man did we enjoy it! We had a family day, and made the most of our time!

We started off with everyone sleeping in, then having a big breakfast... pancakes, bacon, eggs, and fruit. After that, we all got ready and headed over to the boys' favorite park that has a huge sand pit. Well heading to that park put me in the vicinity of my favorite CVS and since I had gotten to clip some coupons while the kiddos slept, I was ready! No pic, but I did pretty good.

Then we hit the park for an hour or so.

After that, we went and met my Mom and sister, Jennie at Olive Garden for lunch. It was so good! And we had the best waiter. Then we made a few stops at TJ Maxx, Ross, Wal-Mart, and Books-A-Million and made a few purchases. Then we headed over to my Mom's house to swim for a while!

Mom & Jennie had gone to see a movie, so they called on their way home and said they were bringing home cookie dough. So we waited and made some cookies and clipped coupons together! :)

I love these kind of days. My kids had fun... we had fun... and we just enjoyed being a family!