Christmas Eve

What a beautiful Christmas Eve!  We stayed around the house today.  The boys worked on raking the leaves in the front.  Have you seen the number of trees we have in our front yard?!?!  We went to Christmas Eve service at church this afternoon- it was BEAUTIFUL!!  I just love singing 'Silent Night' when the church is lit by candles!  After a quick dinner, we went off to the Moore's house to enjoy cookies and hot chocolate.  When we got back, we gave the kids their first gift- New PJ's!!  Boy, were they excited!  Kate got a set that had matching pjs for Mary.  She sure liked that!!  After a few books- 'An Angel Came to Nazareth' and 'The Night Before Christmas'- it was off to bed!  Not sure if they are even asleep yet!!  Kate can't help but come out of her room.  They are all so excited!!  The cookies are out for Santa, the reindeer dust has been spread outside and, hopefully, the children are all nestled snug in their beds!  Soon enough, we will be awakend by the sounds of little feet at the top of the stairs- thank goodness for the baby gate at the top of the stairs!!  Can't wait to see their little faces in the morning!!

Christmas with Gran

Gran came to vist the weekend prior to Christmas.  We had a great time!  The kids couldn't wait for her to get here and asked at least 50 times 'When is Gran coming!'.  With all our family out of state, it makes it hard to have people here on Christmas day.  We enjoy spreading it out!  We had a nice time opening gifts from Gran.  Will was so excited to get the Lego Police Statio set he had his eye on for some time!  Ben got a Lego Police Boat and UT Football set.  Kate loved her new bed for Mary and dress up clothes!  Gran was only able to stay the night, so we enjoyed each minute!  The kids were all sad when she left- Will even shed a couple of tears!  He misses all his Grandparents so much!  

Making Reindeer Dust

Yes, Reindeer Dust!  What, you might ask, is that?  Well, after a little 'Googeling' I was able to find a recipe for just that  Apparently, Santa's reindeer really like Oats coated in colored sugars!  We decided it would be fun to make this for our neighbor friends instead of all the gooey treats so often made this time of year!  It was such fun!  The kids enjoyed mixing all the sugars together and making little bags for our friends.  I guess we will know soon, enough if the Reindeer are really drawn to the dust!

The Legend of Magical Reindeer Dust

It has once been said,

That right before you go to bed.

You should sprinkle magic reindeer food,

To quickly bring Santa and his brood.

For many years the legend has been told,

To boys and girls, both young and old,

Sprinkle the food throughout your yard,

Then finding your house won’t be so hard!

The reindeer can smell the food for 100 miles,

Just do not leave it in big piles!

After you do this you must go to sleep very fast,

So Santa and his reindeer will not pass!

Ben Turns 6!!!

Can you believe it?  Because I sure can't!  My little man has turned six years old!  We had such a nice birthday for him.  This year, it fell on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Grandma and Papa were in town for the holiday and we had a nice party on Saturday.   Ben wanted  'race car' theme for his 'friends party' so I had the opportunity for a dry run on the cake!  It turned out pretty well!  We had cake and ice cream in the afternoon and opened gifts.  Ben was so excited!  He got new big boy tools- he really wanted these- and a new football.  The kids LOVES football! 
We have had such a great six years with Ben!  What a little man he is!  He has such a sweet, cuddley personalilty.  Ben eats everything put in front of him and even eats it if he doesn't liek it!  Ben is doing quite well in Kindergarten, this year.   He has made lots of new friends and his teacher just loves him!  The other night, at dinner, he told me "all the kids in my class, except George and Cindy, said I am short.  I told them, 'But I'm FAST!".  It is so neat to see his confidence already!  He has grown like a weed this year!  Gained 8 lbs and grew 3+ inches!!  I wish I could make this stop!!  Ben is so excited to be six!!  Can't wait to see what this year brings us!

Goodbye, Old Kitchen!

Ever since we first looked at this house, we knew we wanted to do something with the kitchen.  While the appliances are nice, there are granite counter tops, the kitchen did nothing for us.  We never really liked it.  The cabinets were dated and the floor had a horrible white ceramic tile.  So we finally took the plunge and decided to do a semi remodel on the kitchen!  We are having the cabinets painted and Ron is putting in a new tile floor.  This is the tile we bought 3+ years ago and that has been sitting in our garage ever since.  I am so excited to have the kitchen updated!  It has been a little trying- I have not have a stove for 10 days and will not have one until next week!  I have tried grilling pizza (burnt the first one- second one turned out good!), microwaved more that I like, and eaten out until we are all tired of eating out!  Can't wait to get my kitchen back!  I'll share pictures when it is done- hopefully in the next week!!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Kate!!!

 I can't believe Kate has turned 3!!  Wasn't it just yesterday when she was born??  She has grown so much and has become such a sweet, strong, loving little girl.  She loves to play with her brothers and can't wait for them to get home from school each day!  Her favorites right now are her baby girl, bunny, playing mommy, dance class and giggling!     We had such fun celebrating her birthday this year!  Gran was in town so we had her party on Tuesday.  She was so excited and couldn't wait for her princess cake!  Never thought I'd make a cake with a barbie doll sticking out of it!  But it turned out really cute and she loved it!  This was a big year for Kate- she got her first bike- a Dora bike that she LOVES!  We ride it every day!  She also got her first American Girl doll- it is a look like me doll.  She named her 'Mary' and she loves her!  She likes to change her outfits (got new ones from Grandma and PaPa) and feed her in the new high chair from Gran.  We had such a great time!!  On Kate's actual birthday we went to Discovery Place with friends and then had a special lunch with Daddy.  Kate picked 5 Guys- a Raulston for sure!!  We had a nice dinner and sang Happy Birthday, AGAIN!!  Our little girl is growing up!  I wish we could make it stop! 

Happy Halloween!!

 We had a great Halloween!  The kids had so much fun trick-or-treating!  They got so much candy!!  I think we are set for candy for the next 6 months!  Will dressed up as the 'Ice Ninja', Ben was 'Zorro' and Kate was a 'Fairy Princess'. 

 We went to a pre-Halloween birthday party for a friend a couple of weeks before and they had different costumes!  Amazing what they can come up with digging through the dress up bin!

Good Citizens

Will and Ben have both been named 'Citizen of the Week' for their classes!  They were both so excited!!  I was only able to get a picture of Ben- he was so proud!!

Just Another Day in Paradise...

This I just have to share.  While I am laughing now, all I could say at first was 'I mean, REALLY?!?!'
The story begins last weekend.  Will woke with a slight sore throat.  I checked his temp, felt his glands and looked in his throat.  Nothing.  Gave him a bit of motrin and off he went.  A few days prior to the slight sore throat, he had said his skin was itchy.  Mind you, the children spend a LOT of time at the park, climbing trees, running around and being kids.  I chalked it up to an irritation from something at the park.  Ben had a some itchy spots, as well.  Gave them both benedryl and they were both fine.  So, the story continues on Monday when Will said he was still itchy.  I checked him over, said we would get an appointment and go to the doctor that afternoon.  I pick both boys up at 3pm and head to the doctor.  We had just been there on Friday for Kate (chest congestion- on antibiotic).  Dr. Snitz looked him over, took his temp the said 'let's take a throat culture- just to rule out strep.'  The quick test came back negative.  He said he would let it sit and call in the AM just to be safe.  So, our week goes on.  No call from the Dr.  We must be clear!  Fast forward to this morning.  I get the kids going- we have carpool and Will needs to get there a little early to get his AR test taken.  I get the kids to school at 8:47- whew!!  As I am pulling out the school drive, telling Kate of our fun morning with her friend Brendon, the cell phone rings.  The conversation goes like this:
Me:  Hello?
Jamie:  Hi Megan, this is Jamie from Dr. Snitz's.
Me:  Yes?
Jamie:  Well, Will has STREP THROAT!
(side note, she did not yell strep throat- it just always sounds so dreaded!)
Me:  I just  dropped him off at school- I have to go get him, right?
Jamie:  Yes, he can't be at school until Friday mid day.
Me:  Boy, not the wrench I was expecting today!

So, Kate and I drive around the block- back to the carpool lane, park and head into school.  Mind you, the first bell has not even rung yet!  I go into the office and say 'well, I just dropped off my child, got a call from the DR.  and he has strep.'  They were quick to get find him.  He was taking his AR test.  I let him finish that and he was shocked to see me.  When I told him he had strep and we had to go home, he was worried that meant a shot at the doctors.  But, lucky for him, he has strep with no sore throat, has medicine to take and gets to stay home and watch movies!  So, after dropping off the kids at 8:47 it only took 30+ minutes to get out of the school!  

This parenting thing is not for sissies!!

Kate's First Dance Class

Kate had her first Ballet/Tap class today.  Boy, has she been excited!!  We got her dance outfit a couple of weeks ago and she has been asking to go ever since!  This morning, at breakfast, she told the boys 'We need to get moving for ballet!'.  She finished breakfast up and hurried upstairs to put on her leotard, skirt and ballet shoes.  She came down- tights in hand- ready to go!  

The class is in the basement studio of a woman in Waxhaw.  There were 7 other little girls in the class.  It was amazing how well they listened and followed their teacher.  It was too cute!!  

 

The class started out with tap - yes, Kate now has tap shoes-  what were we thinking!!  She LOVES them!!  They also worked on some ballet.  It was a fun hour and Kate was wiped out when it was over!  She said 'Mommy, I am tired of playing ballet!'.  Of course, she has already asked when she gets to go again!  

 

Hope you enjoy the pictures- my camera was acting a little funny...  I am sure I will get better ones at another class.  And, not to worry, there will be a recital in May!!  Can't wait for that!

Apple Picking

On Labor Day, we took a day trip to Flat Rock, NC with our friends, the Moores and the Sykes.  It was such a beautiful NC day.  The sky was gorgeous and the temperatures were perfect!  Nice breeze up on top of the mountain and more apples than I have ever seen!!  The kids all had a great time climbing trees and picking apples.  We picked Grannies, McIntosh and Arkansas black (not the best apple!).  We had a picnic on the lawn and enjoyed the most delicious Apple Spice donuts for dessert!  We picked 20 pounds of delicious apples- now to make applesauce and apple butter!! 

First Day of School

I can't believe summer is over and school has started!  The first week is over and the boys are really liking (okay, kind of liking) school.  Will had a great first day.  He woke up that first morning and got dressed right away, came downstairs and said 'Mommy, am I late??'  He had said many times how he didn't want school to start- but I really knew that he would be excited!  He had a great first day!  

Ben didn't start until this last Monday.  Boy, was he excited!!  He has the same teacher Will had in kindergarten.  We all walked Ben to his class, then he went in- no tears, hardly a look back!  Of course, it was not as easy for me.  I can't believe I have 2 children in school!  Ben looked so big!  Of course, so did Will!  I can't believe he is in second grade. 

Where has the time gone??  It seems like just yesterday I was bringing them home from the hospital.  I picked each of them up on their first days but they have been riding the bus home everyday since. 

Ben was so excited to ride the bus the first time- of course, the first day all he had to say was 'the bus took longer than I thought and I was pretty sure there would be more seats!'  Funny little boy!  Can't wait to see them when they get home today!  We have a short week next week and soccer has started up.  I will keep you posted on all our goings on. 

July and August

I realize that I have completely left out the months of July and August.  Trust, me- I will get to it!  I just have been overwhelmed getting the kids ready for school.  I will get to those and fill in where we are missing.  We had a great July with a visit to Florida and a fun trip to the beach in August.  Bear with me and I will get to them soon!!! 

 

What We Have Been Up To...

So I realize I have not written much as of late.  I have tried, I just have not been able to sit down, get the pictures downloaded and lay out all we have been up to.  So, here goes.  A recap to the first part of our summer:

On July 11th, we headed to Chattanooga for an extended weekend visit with Gran.  We had a BLAST!!  On Friday night, Ron, Gran and I went to the Riverbend Festival and listened to Sheryl Crow.  What a great concert!  We had a really fun time and the kids had fun with one of the BEST babysitters I have ever used!  Saturday, we got up and headed over to Lake Winnie for some fun.  Lake Winnie is an 'old school' amusement park that is located just a few miles south of where Donna lives.  We haven't been there since the boys were little.  We all had a great time. We rode the Ferris Wheel, the big slides.  Will rode his first real roller coaster and he LOVED it!  We spent the morning enjoying all the rides- until the heat was too much to bear!  Headed back home for lunch and a little break.  Later in the afternoon, we headed back over for more fun!  Those kids were wiped out!!  We had such fun in Chattanooga!  

Next up was our first family camping trip!  We went to Lake James State Park, near Marion, NC for a nice long weekend.  Unfortunately, the temperatures were in the 90's during the day.  But, we lucked out and our campsite was only 15-20 feet from the lake.  We had our own little beach and spent most of the time in the lake.  All three kids had a great time!  We did a little hiking, cooked hot dogs out over the fire and made s'mores!  S'mores are REALLY good!!  The kids all enjoyed it so much that I think we may be planning another trip for the fall.  

The kids and I took a trip uptown to check out the newly remodeled Discovery Place.  It was great!  It has all kinds of neat new exhibits.  We had fun checking out all the icky things on our skin, building towers, making shoes and checking out the new aquarium.  The jellyfish were my favorite!  There was, also, a great movie about sharks.  
Summer is going great.  We are having a lot of fun, swimming as much as we can and trying to stay cool!!

Last Day of FIrst Grade!!

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First Day of First Grade

 Last Day of First Grade!!

Will had his last day of 1st grade today!  It was such fun!  I went over to help out with a pizza party and special treats.  The boys and girls had so much fun and were completely exhausted when we were done!  Will had a great year, a great report card and is READY for summer!!  We are sure going to miss Ms. Sims-Moore next year.  She was a fantastic teacher.  Will learned so much this year.  It is amazing to think at the first of the year, he was just starting to read, now you can't keep his nose out of chapter books.  He loves science and math.  We are all ready for a little time off now that summer is here!  Can't wait to visit family, go camping and take a trip to the beach.  

Last Day of Preschool!!!

Ben is finally out of preschool!  He cannot  wait to start kindergarten in the fall!  We had a really great last day.  I went to his class a little early to take gifts for the teachers.  I had the children in the class each draw a picture for Ms. Kenette and Ms. Karen.  I then bound them in a little book for them each.  It was so cute, and the teachers really liked them.  Looking at these pictures of Ben (the one on the left is from the beginning of the school year.  The one on the right is from the last day) I can't believe how much bigger and older Ben looks.  What a difference one school year makes!  I was able to get a few pictures of Ben with his teachers and his friends.  This is Ms. Karen.  Ben just loved Ms. Karen!  Below is Ben with Ms. Kenette.  She is a wonderful teacher and Ben loved her, as well!

  

Ben had a lot of sweet friends at school this year.  His favorites were Sydney (above), and the boys David and Ethan.  What fun preschool has been.  Can't wait to see what next year has in store for Ben!!

Freedom Park Fun Day

Will's class took a field trip on Tuesday to the park that is walking distance from their school.  It is such a beautiful park!  It has great playgrounds and a lake in the middle.  Kate and I joined in the fun as chaperones.  It was such fun to see the children playing- hard- and having such a great time!  The weather held out and we had overcast skies but very little rain!  The boys and girls had a picnic lunch and were able to play on the playground.  First grade sure has been fun!  I can't believe the year is almost over!!!