Happy Birthday Whitney!

Hey Everyone,

This post is going to be a little different seeings how I, Wes, am writing it. I decided to highjack the blog for a post to celebrate Whitney and her birthday... a day late.

She's aways diligent to update us on how everyone else is and I thought she deserved a little update of her own. From my short blogging experience (when I went to Europe) I can tell you that blogging is not easy and can be very time consuming. Not only do you need to convey information in a way that is interesting and informative but everyone loves pictures as well. It's a process and one that Whitney makes look effortless. Her blogs are informative (sometimes to a fault), funny, and full of visual support. Literally, I am in awe of how she finds the time to do these.

As many of you probably know Whitney celebrated her 27th birthday yesterday. I hope everyone reached out to her to wish her a happy one. If you didn't, for shame- leave her a comment.

In true Whitney form she decided, many years ago, to do away with some birthday traditions. Instead of adding a candle to her cake each year she has opted to add a child to each birthday celebration... To each their own. I kid. In all seriousness I would like to let everyone know how proud I am of Whitney. Growing up we were always close but I never would have pegged her for the 'Mom' type. I always pictured her in some type of corporate career role- bossing someone around. And, in fact, I may have been closer than I thought. The way Whitney runs the house and raises the kids is the epitome of what a stay-at-home mom should be. The kids are smart, well behaved, gorgeous and fun to be around.

Whitney is bright, caring, headstrong, funny, creative, and has a passion for her family. In short, she is amazing. I'm truly blessed to have her as a sister and friend. Happy Birthday- a day late- little sis!

PS- This post is in no way related to the fact that my card will be very late... very

Directions

My head is going in so many directions i am not even sure where to begin. We'll start with Ella. Her first day of school was great. She loved it. She learned how to walk down the hall. This would be her "hip and lips". One finger over her lips and one hand on her hip. She learned how to get her food in the cafeteria. She has eaten there both days. She got to play on the playground and read books in class. They also take a short rest period and snack time in the classroom. She is very happy. I arrived at about 2:10 to wait in the "car rider" line to pick her up. I find it ironic that i got Dad's race car number, 71, on my "car rider tag" and how slow that line moves. I was there for about an hour before i got her. Today i arrived at 2. We were still in the car for about 45 minutes but she had only been out of class for about 15 minutes. She has so many things to tell me about her class that they all get mixed together and i have to sort out the stories. She has made friends with a girl named Terri. I met her mother at Ella's assessment and i was glad to see they were in the same class. Ella says she is very nice and she likes her the best. Ella was also very happy to share that a little boy in her class walked up to her and said "i like you Ella." You can imagine my response...He said what??? She said he was a very nice boy and he walked up to her and said he liked her but they had to go before she could ask him his name. I asked if he was cute and she said "noooooooo but he does have a race car backpack". She is supposed to return to school on Monday but in light of these new boy developments she might not be returning. Eric is currently seeking out this boy for a beat down. HA!

I would like to say a big THANK YOU to Kim and Syble. The UPS man delivered two boxes to our door. The kids love boxes. Syble sent Ella gerber daises, a teddy bear, balloon and a loving letter wishing her well at school. She was so happy. Even happier when she realized the flowers were real. :) Kim sent a lot of little school supplies. Cool pencils, colored pencils, a change purse, a pencil pouch, notebooks, lip gloss, a calculator (what else would i expect from an accountant), an alarm clock, and more. Ella is sure to be the coolest kid in school now. She was so happy she said that Aunt Kim was the "awesomest EVER! Even more awesome than Uncle Wes" . I think these two are pretty awesome at buying lots of little things that end up all over my house. :) She looked at me and asked "why am i getting all these gifts from everyone that i know?" HA! Thanks for making her trip to big school so special for her. Thanks to everyone for all the phone calls wishing her well and asking how her first day went.

Now to her gymnastics. She did try the Mighty Mites class last night. It was two hours. Katie is still the teacher but did much better with this age group. Ella got a lot of instruction and was schooled by the other girls. It was nice to see her have to work. We go back tomorrow night. It was a long Tuesday for Ella and she was exhausted by the time her little head hit her pillow.

Jack's turn. This story might not be funny to some but i love how he thinks about things. Today while i was folding clothes he asked if he could draw a picture, not wanting to stifle his creativity, i said sure. Later he brings me the picture and i glance at it and then back to my laundry. As i am looking at my towel i say "what is it Jack?" This is how is went:

Jack: It is us riding a dinosaur.

Me: Really?

Jack: Yeah. But see...see mommy...he has a happy face. He is a happy dinosaur.

Me: (briefly glancing back at the paper and trying to make out how it was a "happy face"...looked more like braces on his teeth, back to my laundry) Yeah i see. Beautiful smile.

Jack: i drew his wiener.

Me: (As my mouth hits the floor and eyes buldge out of my head. I look back at his paper and see what he is talking about) Oh, i don't think that is very nice.

*at this point i am not sure what is going on or where "wiener" came from and i am not sure how to address this but i wing it.

Jack: ya uh.

Me: No. you shouldn't draw things like that. That isn't appropriate.

Jack: But i had too.

Me: No you didn't.

Jack: Ya uh. What if he had to go tee tee? What would he do momma? See i had too.

Me: Well, he could still tee tee.

Jack: How?

Me: (oh, geez.....think Whitney.... THINK) Well, we don't see yours and you still go tee tee. Maybe you could just put pants on him next time.

Jack: i will show daddy. he will think it is funny (off he runs)

I had to tell Eric before Jack did. As i told him he laughed. I call Jack in and ask him where the happy dinosaur picture is. His response "the one with the body part i shouldn't draw". Never mind. It is lost in this house somewhere. I hope it doesn't turn back up but it was a nice laugh.

I found a mouse in the garage today. When we told Ella about it on the way home she decided that we should kill it. No mercy in my house. After dinner they got a plan together as they headed out the door. Ella was going to "wop it" and Jack was going to "slap it in the face". Ella's next suggestion was to get a cat to eat it. Like i said, no mercy. John is great. Adjusting to a different nap time and loving the attention from Jack. Talking more these days. I still can't understand it sometimes but he is getting clearer and talking more. Ben is great.

Eric has inspections this week. The inspector for the sprinklers and fire alarm will finish tomorrow and the other city inspector will be there on Friday. They will spend the next week cleaning and moving stuff in and then, according to an e-mail he got today, tentatively have the state inspection on September 11th.

Now to me. Thank you to Aunt Sherri, Jordan and Jared for the lovely edible arraignment they sent to me on Tuesday. We have eaten it. :) Tuesday morning wasn't that bad. This morning was a little different. I pulled up to the drop off and the door swung open and Ella hopped right out. I ask out the window if someone will help her get to her class. The lady assures me that there are teachers in the hall to help. What if she doesn't ask? What if she goes to the wrong room? I say okay and yell "have a good day" out the window. She looks back and gives me a big beautiful smile and waves, "bye mommy". In a matter of a few minutes my baby was out on her own. It was easier walking her in. I knew the day would fly by and she would be jumping in the car just as fast as she had jumped out. However, this feeling of Ella being such a big girl now left me looking at the boys differently. I looked at Ben today and thought that these were my babies. The only ones i would ever hold so dear. Because the four are so close in age it is easy to see how fast they grow up and change. I am not one for holding babies but i held the boys today. A lot. I will never again have them so small to fit in my arms. I am cherishing my moments. Now i am going to spend sometime with Eric. Date night on Saturday! Whoo hooo

Ella's first day of school

Ella was up bright and early this morning. I could hear her chatting with Eric in the kitchen while he fixed her favorite breakfast, pancakes. I had her come and get dressed while Eric finished up. I fixed her hair and her lunch. Just in case she didn't like what they were serving in the lunch room. She assured me that she wanted to eat the corn. It was much healthier than peanut butter and jelly. I let her know that if they were serving corn she was more than welcome to eat that instead of her sandwich. We packed her snack bag that i had decorated myself. I wrote her a message on the back. Lunch and snack were carefully tucked away in her backpack. She sat to eat her pancakes. The time had arrived. Eric got the boys up and loaded in the car and Ella got her backpack. She had to wear it to the car. Carrying it just wouldn't do on the first day of school. There she stood, in the doorway, a big girl. Snack packed, lunch packed and lunch money in her pocket, nails painted, hair fixed, backpack on, tummy full. Ready. We made our way to the school and parked so i could walk her in. She took a few pictures but you could tell she couldn't wait to get inside. She just knew she would learn something today. As I start to walk her in she asked me to skip with her. I did. We skipped all the way into the the school. :) We made our way through all the other parents and kids towards her classroom. We make a quick stop in the bathroom and then she was in her room almost before i could get the picture. Another mother assured me that her teacher, Mrs. Cronce, was great. Her daughter had her last year and loved her. Ella took a seat at the table with 3 other girls. Mrs. Cronce goes through her backpack to pull her lunch out and put it in it's appropriate place and when i ask Ella to hand over her lunch money....uh-oh. It must have fallen out during our skipping. I check the bathroom and no money. On my route back to her classroom i see another mother who i am sure just dropped her baby off in kindergarten. She was sobbing. I made note not to do that or at least wait until i got to the car. I tell Mrs. Cronce i will return with more lunch money. I go out to the car and ask Eric if he wanted to run her in some lunch money. He was happy to do so. He wanted to take her in just as much as i did. He got to see her and tell her good-bye one last time. I pouted like a child no tears though. School stinks but i love seeing her so happy about going and learning. 2:15 will be here before i know and she is all mine again! Until 6, then she is off to gymnastics.

6 Months

Baby Ben is 6 months old today. Yes, this is an occasion i have experienced 3 times before but this is the only time i get to experience it with Ben. I am not one for celebrating these dates but i would like to take a minute and reflect because this time passes so quickly, especially with 4. He was 1 week old when we moved into this house. Seems like it was yesterday. Of course Ella is starting kindergarten and i feel like i had her yesterday too. He was so small. Such a good baby. Ate well, sometimes a little too much. A great sleeper. So tiny. Fast forward to today. He is very talkative. I guess he has figured out early that he has to speak loudly for everyone to hear. He is sitting up, rolling over (back to tummy), eating 3 meals a day, still nurses like a pro, sleeps upstairs in his crib from 8 or 8:30 until 6ish, and is getting his 2 bottom teeth. One has come through and the other is not far behind. He loves his walker and can move himself around the kitchen. I understand that walkers with wheels are a big no-no these days but i am not worried about him pulling the refrigerator over on himself just yet. He loves his bath and his brothers and sister. Everything goes in his mouth so we have to make sure he doesn't try to eat the dogs when they sit next to him. When he is happy he is a delight. When he is mad.....give him to his momma. :) He is a blessing and more beautiful than i ever could have imagined. My Uncle Keith calls him Lucky. He says it is because he is lucky to be here. I think i am the lucky one. Not just to have him but to have all four of my beautiful, well mannered, polite, caring, considerate, sharing, loving, loud, wild, crazy, adventurous, helpful, mini-tornadoes that i call my kids. 6 more months and i am baby free! What am i saying, they will always be my babies. :)

Bye Bye Bye

Jordan and Jared left on Saturday. I had Melissa come and keep mine so i could take them to the airport. The airline was kind enough to give me a pass so i could walk them to their gate. We had a bite for lunch and waited for boarding. We talked about all the things we would do next year. Well, as much as we could given we don't know where we will be. They boarded for the direct flight to Detroit and as their plane taxied off i headed home. I had a tremendous amount of housework to do in preparation for the upcoming week. I love that they get to come and stay every summer. My kids love it as much as Jordan and Jared do. We stay busy and exhausted but it makes great memories. Until next year.

Sunday, Eric worked. Inspections start this week. That is three weeks ahead of the original schedule. I attempted to get some work done. I think i am ready for the busy week ahead. Ella starts school Tuesday and will also try out another gymnastics class at 6. Busy day for such a little girl. Wednesday she is back at school and Eric's inspections start (i think). Ella will not go back to school until Monday the 31st. City inspections should be over on Friday and maybe Eric will be off this weekend. Family time and a date night for me. Can't wait.

NASCAR Superstars

Friday we took a trip over to Concord to visit Hendrick Motorsports, home of Dale Jr., Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. We visited there last year so not much new other than Mark Martin. We picked up a few maps and decided to go to Roush-Fenway Racing before hitting the NASCAR Speedpark.I stayed in the car with a sleeping Ben and John while Jordan, Jared, Ella, and Jack explored the museum. Time for the track! NASCAR Speedpark is like a mini amusement park. Mostly go cart tracks but a few other things as well. Much to my surprise they had a track for Ella and Jack. A track where they could drive their own go cart. This was a little scaring. Introducing a 5 and 3 year old to driving might not be a great idea. Ella went first. She was a little slow and after 2 laps she was done. Jack was up. I had my concerns since he can be so timid. He strapped in and listened to the guys directions. Would he go? Would he get scared and want out? NO! He was hammered down the entire time. He looked like he was going to run into the wall but then he would turn. Whew. I laughed as he drove past me screaming "WHOOO MOM!" I did get the second rounds on the camera. Ella did much better the second time. Here is a taste of their driving skills.





John wanted to drive but just wasn't tall enough. I am scared to even think of him behind a wheel. Jordan and Jared rode the big go-carts and Jordan took Ella and Jack in a double cart. Jared didn't fair to well. Two girls put the block on him. :)It was so hot so we headed in for indoor cart track and the arcade. Walked the mall for a bit and then dinner and back to the bumper boats. John was to short for all the rides so we just watched. They sprayed John with water so he was happy. A couple of amusing rides accompanied by Jack screaming "THIS IS TOTALLY ......TOTALLY......AWESOME" and then home. A long day but it was a BLAST! Judging by Jack's skills he just might be "Jack Brackin NASCAR superstar"! I guess we should get him a go cart for practice. *hint hint Grandpa.

A rainy day

Thursday was a rainy day. We didn't know it was going to be. That is what we get for not checking the weather. However, we had planned to go to the movies so it was a perfect activity to fit the weather. Aliens in the attic. Not so much. I thought it would be a cute movie but it didn't hold my interest and judging by John's activity level he didn't get into it either. There were only about 4 other people there so it wasn't a big deal. The rained poured while the movie played and when it was over the sun was back out. We made a quick stop at Target and then hopped over to Dale Jr.'s race shop so we could see if any changes were made since last year and so Jordan could drool over the wax figurine of Dale. :) HA! Off to elementary school for open house. The open house was good. We didn't seem to find out a whole lot of information but we did meet Ella's teacher and see the school. She was very excited to show everyone "her" school.

Jack gave it two thumbs up. She starts Tuesday. It will be a full day Tuesday and Wednesday and then off until Monday. We are set....well, except she doesn't have her backpack..or school supplies....or a new outfit for her first day. I think i am putting it all off in hopes it will delay the inevitable. After the open house the girls went shopping for Jordan a dress and the boys went home with Eric to do boy things. I think they laid around the house. Ella and i took funny pictures while Jordan tried on her dresses. She found a beautiful one. She is so pretty in it. Then Jordan drove us home. Another full day of fun.

* I did get a call from Tina, Ella's gymnastics teacher. She wants Ella to try the MIGHTY mites. This will be a lot like the MINI mites but the girls will be older. Older like 8ish. It is a two hour class, twice a week. We are going to try it on Tuesday and see how it goes. 4 hours a week? I am secretly hoping it doesn't go well. :)

Catwaba Science Museum

Yes. You have seen that title before. This was the kids second trip but a first for Jordan, Jared and me. Every year we go to a hands on museum. Some have been better than others. We get over to Hickory and as we wind our way through town i remember that both cameras are at home. If you remember i also lost all the pictures that Eric had taken from his trip. It must not be meant for me to have pictures. I would not go without i just had to use my phone. We were there and it was quite different from what i was expecting. It was in an old school building. Very nice but looked more like part of the college. The building housed the Art Museum, Science Museum, and more. We started in the animal room and made our way through. Then down stairs for playtime with the blue screen. I think they were rafting. Then on for a virtual game of volleyball. Jared was the champ. Through the swamp exhibit and out to the aquarium. Ella led the way. She remembered where everything was. After petting the sharks and sting rays we were off to lunch. Where else but McDonalds. The kids played in the playground and then we were home for dinner. Enjoy the pictures taken by my phone. :)

A day of rest

This is what Jordan looked like most of the day! :)

After all our outings i figured i needed a day of rest. I needed to do nothing for just a day. Plus i had a serious head cold. Tuesday was a great day to rest. We stayed in our P.J.s all day. Ella had gymnastics and i took her to her old class at 3:30. All the others stayed home so i could talk to her old teacher, Tina. I explained my concerns about the other girls not being as capable as Ella, the fact that some were still 3, and that she looked very board in class. Ella clearly told Tina she wanted to stay in her class. I left out my dislike of Katie and the fact that she was fair and Ella didn't get to be the line leader. (HA!) Anyway, we talked through the options and she was going to get with Katie and see what class she thought Ella should try and give me a call. I left Ella there for class and came home to make dinner. I picked up Ella and she was super excited about having been back in Mrs. Tina's class and we went home to eat. After dinner we went for milkshakes. We took one by to Eric since he was working late. Took a tour of the hospital. It looks great. Home for baths and bed.

Carowinds

Monday we took a trip to Carowinds, the amusement park on the North and South Carolina border. It was myself and all the kids. We arrived at about 10:30 to find the water section was closed. It would remain closed all week so we went ahead and entered the park. It was a smaller amusement park but was nice for the day. I guess it would have felt larger if we could have walked through the water section.It was so hot the water would have nice. Next time. Our first stop was in the Nickelodeon section. This was where most of the kiddie rides were located. Ella and Jack could ride almost all the rides, John was allowed on a few and Jordan and Jared accompanied them on most of them. Then the big roller coasters. Jordan and Jared rode one and then we broke for the bathroom and lunch. After lunch the kids rode through the Scooby Doo Haunted House and Jordan and Jared tried a couple of other roller coasters. They ended up on the front row of the Carolina Cobra. I was concerned because i had just watched one kid vomit when he exited the ride. They made it through. After another large roller coaster Jared's tummy couldn't take anymore so we went back to the kiddie rides to avoid any hurling. Around 4:30 we got to the car and came home. Another busy day full of fun. The little ones were great....and the big ones too.

Lake Norman

Sunday we were out for our day on the lake. I have been wanting to rent a boat for a while but you know how that goes. Never sure how 4 kids will do on a boat. Especially Jack. He is terrified of the water. This is a fear i hope he slowly out grows but right now waves are his kryptonite. Finally we give it a go. Beautiful weather...well for most of the day. All aboard for our departure about 9:30. We set sail into the uncharted waters. Okay so that is a little dramatic but that is sometimes my style. We found an island and pulled ashore to take a swim. The water was wonderful and the kids loved their life jackets. For those who know John he didn't disappoint. He started with a bathing suit that he had to remove prior to getting in. I am not sure why he doesn't understand the bathing suits are made to get wet. He, however, doesn't like them wet so he removes them. :) John is a free spirit. We shoved off to see what else Lake Norman had to offer. This is where Captain Jared took the wheel. He had it most of the day. John and Ben took naps and the rest of us attempted too. We made another stop at an "island" and Jared, Ella and Jack went to explore. Ella came back to tell me about the animal tracks and Jack came back with a stick. He was very proud of it. John loved the water. True to form, he was all out. He didn't care if it was deep he was going out as far as he could with who ever would take him. Jack did get better through the day. He realized there weren't really any waves and his life vest made him float. He still never made it past waist deep but you gotta start somewhere. As we headed south the wind turned cold and the clouds rolled in so we called it a day a few hours early. Home to make dinner and relax. It wasn't until we left that Jordan told us we should have taken a group photo on the boat. Dang it. Maybe next time but it was still a wonderful day.

Bowling

Saturday we hung around the house until Eric got home from work and then we went down to Mooresville to get some boating information and go bowling. I haven't been bowling in forever. If i had remembered how bad i was i wouldn't have wasted the money. How can i be so much better on the Wii? Anyway, the kids were SO SO SO excited. Ella just kept saying how this was her first time to go bowling. We get in and get all 7 pairs of shoes and get to our lanes. Jared rounds up the lightest balls he can find and sets up the kids lane and Eric get the other lane set up. This was tricky. Somebody has to help the kids so they don't hurt themselves or someone else, someone is bowling and someone is holding Ben. It was a shuffle the entire game. The kids had the rails up on their lane and they LOVED it. Ella perfected the granny shot and by the end of the night had gotten down to a one handed throw. Jack did really good at the squat and shove method and John was a squat and push. John fouled a lot. His little foot would slide over the line. The balls moved so slow. A few got stuck. :) We ate dinner and then the kids found some arcade games. Jared got the first strike and i think everyone had one by the end of the evening. I will have to say mine was like lighting striking. It only happened once. The kids would dance around to the music which was quite entertaining in itself. It was a great night. I can't wait to do it again.

* If you were wondering, Eric won. I figure he should. He is the only one who took a college course in bowling. :)

Fun Station 2000

Friday we ventured to Fun Station 2000. Many of you may remember Wes and I took the kids back in the spring and my description then was of a desolate and slightly sketchy place. Well, it is still sketchy but there we lots more kids there this visit. It was much cooler when no one else was there. Why do kids love these places?? Anyway, we played in the playhouse thing for a bit, by "we" i mean Jordan, Jared, Ella, Jack and John, and then we ordered lunch. Eric joined us. The kids rode the rides and we wasted money on the games. Came away with junk toys but it was a fun afternoon.

Raceworld U.S.A.

So i realize that some of you aren't fond of my multiple posts all at the same time but sometimes a mom has to do what a mom has to do. I will attempt to keep these posts of our adventures brief.

Last Thursday we were much later getting out of the house than we wanted to be. No biggie we just picked things to do between lunch and Ella's gymnastics class that started at 4:30. We decided to go eat lunch with Eric at Sonic and head down to Raceworld USA, the race shop of Michael Waltrip Racing. Lunch was great. I also enjoy seeing Eric and so do the kids. We loaded up and headed south. I know Michael Waltrip isn't that great but we had heard great things about his shop. We walked in and it has the usual. Mannequins in race suits, a gift shop, old cars, car that have seen victory lane and lots of pictures from Daytona and other races he and his drivers have won. Where was the good stuff? Well, to see anything else we had to buy a ticket for a tour. We did and up the elevator we went. The whole upstairs was a viewing area. You could start on one end and as you walked you could look down into the different rooms and see what the guys in that area were working on. Finally at on in was a big open shop. The walk way went right across the room to the offices. We were able to go and just watch them working on all the decals, see the templates they use to measure all the things on the cars and see all the cars from our bridge. Now it was time for the outside guided tour. We stroll passed the hauler bay. It was noticeably empty. They left Wednesday night for Michigan. Anyway, down passed the pit practice area and into the fabrication shop. The boys loved the guys who were grinding and welding. They thought it was fireworks. :) Neat stuff but the old man that was on the tour with us would NOT stop asking questions so we were in smelling all the fresh paint fumes for much longer than i liked. Back inside we watched them cut out metal for the engines and played in the race car seat and then home for Ella's gymnastics. It is nice to have so many shops around. It is a nice afternoon trip. We also came home with 6 lug nuts we found while on our outside tour. If you would like one let me know and i will get it to you ASAP! If i don't have any takers i might be forced to sell a few on eBay. :)



Ella's gymnastics class was good. She looked board most of the time. As i was talking to another mother i found out that come other girls in the class are 3 almost 4. Why is she in a class with 3 year olds? Anyway, she would do her exercises and then just stare at the big girls. The teachers were busy helping the little girls who couldn't quite do the exercises yet. Ella came out of her class crying. Not like her. She said she didn't get to be the line leader. I told her she didn't get to be the line leader all the time maybe next week and we left. It wasn't until we were in the car that i understood that all the other girls had gotten a turn leading the line and one girl went twice while Ella didn't get a turn and she asked her teacher. I was sure the teacher hadn't heard her but Ella said she spoke up and Katie, her teacher, looked at her but didn't respond. Not that made me a little mad. I don't care for Katie anyway. Ella has had her before and Ella didn't really thrive in her class like she did when Tina came back so i am not thrilled about having her again. He attitude stinks every time i talk to her, or try too i should say. The crying stopped and i thought i would try and talk about it with Ella later. Well, at bed time she tells me that one little girl got two stickers and everyone else only got one. I don't know what happened but Ella said she got two because she did the best of everybody. Trust me, no one did better than Ella. My first thought was to take Katie in the parking lot. I am pretty sure i can take her and her stinky attitude. Instead, we arrived early to Tina's class on Tuesday and talked to her about Ella being older and more capable than the other girls and trying to find a class where she is with girls her own age and challenged to learn. I am hoping i hear from Tina today and we can find a more suitable class, that Katie doesn't teach, for Ella.

Baby John

John is having a hard time going to bed alone. He doesn't want to stay in his bed unless someone lays down with him. This is a problem we have every now and then with him but it seems more frequent when we have guests. He gets up and lays on the landing watching everyone down in the living room. Jared is the designated John mover. Every night Jared goes up and if John is sleeping on the landing, Jared moves him to his bed. A few nights ago Jared went up to check and John wasn't there and he wasn't in his bed. Jared checked Ben's room and this is what he found......

Surprisingly, he didn't even wake Ben. Just a little brotherly love. :)

Happy Birthday to me

We didn't have a 7 so i guess i am turning 2.

Yesterday was rather dreary so we laid around the house for most of the day. It wasn't so much about the weather as it was the kids attitudes. They were exhausted so we hung around the house and after nap time we drove down to Charlotte to pick up the traditional birthday cake from Costco. I love their cakes but i could never eat it all (i probably could but i would feel really guilty about it). So i always get one when Jordan and Jared are here. I got my cake and i ate it too! :) Real Birthday is in 16 days. Just in case you want to get my gifts in the mail. :) 27 here i come.

Shout out to Mom and Dad who celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on the 10th. Cheers to 30 years and 30 more. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, compromise, and commitment to last that long. I am sure you guys looked back over those thirty years and saw i was the best thing that came along. I would agree. :) Happy Anniversary! Love you both very much.

Mini Might

After our adventure to the Lazy 5 Ranch we hurried home to get Ella to her new gymnastics class. It starts at 4:30 and ends at 6. Who has class during dinner time?? We get up to the observation room where they have bleachers and chairs and i hear two women talking about a little girl. "Who is that little girl", "the one with Katie?" "yeah, she is adorable" " know look how little and cute she is just standing there". I had to ask if it was the little girl in the blue and red (yes, i knew they were talking about Ella). When they said yes i was proud to say she was mine. :)They started the class just like her old one, stretching and such. Split time. Ella has been working on her splits around the house and i have to say she is almost there. I watch her and the few others in her class and she is way better, I don't like to compare Ella to other kids and normally I don't, but she was way better in the splits. Then things started to resemble boot camp. Push ups, pull ups, jumps on their tippy toes, leg lifts etc. Looked a lot like strength training. There was not tumbling. That was a little disappointing. Ella's favorite things are the flipping and the trampoline and in an hour and a half she did neither. I am hoping they will today. Back for another class today. Ella says this class is way better than her first. She still dominated.

Lazy 5 Ranch

After Ella's screening we had planned to go to the museum but with the time i was afraid we wouldn't get to see it all so we went to the backup, Funstation! I called to see what time they opened and heard all the kids screaming in the background. 6 groups were already there and more were coming. Plan C was now on the table. Lazy 5 Ranch. We decide that it is closer and something we could do in the afternoon and still make it back for gymnastics. L5R is a drive thru park. They have over 750 animals. Most seemed to be ostriches and pigs. They also had deer, big horned sheep, llamas (could have been alpacas), giraffes, a rhino, goats, zebras, water buffalo, long horn cattle, donkeys, buffalo, gazelles, antelopes, camels, tortoise, birds of all kids, lemurs, and i am still leaving stuff out. We drive out into the middle of nowhere and turn into the gate. We pay our admission and buy 6 buckets of food. Yes, we were allowed to feed the animals as we drove through the park. A recipe for disaster. We stop and shuffle the car seats so everyone can get to a window and we are ready. We pass through the gate and are greeted by 2 ostriches. They quickly came towards the car and must have signaled all their friends to come along. We rolled up are windows. Ostriches are scary animals when their beak is in your face. I quickly learned that Jordan is TERRIFIED of ostriches. I would later use that information for kicks (that means fun). We began to feed a cow/deer animal. Jordan and Ella were hand feeding and i thought we were supposed to hold out the entire bucket so i did and my animal decided he would like to feed himself. He promptly bit the bucket and took it from me. I would like to say i held it as tight as i could but i was no match for the beast. When i saw him devour the food from the bucket now resting on the ground i decide he could have it and we moved on. Hand feeding from then on. All of the kids fed animals out of their hands. We spent the rest of the drive loving on all the babies and trying to escape the ostriches. I will say the long horn cattle gave me a scare. Those horns were HUGE so we sped past them with no attempts at feeding. We wanted to feed the zebras but they were being fed by the people on the wagon tours. They got to feed the zebras and giraffes. Anyway, as we traveled i made fun of the kids and their fear of the ostriches. In order to show them they were not going to kill them i fed a white one. I honestly thought i might lose a finger. I think that might be my only experience feeding an ostrich. We still had plenty of food so we got out and saw the camels, birds and a few other animals and then we went back for round two. This time the zebras weren't being fed so i held out the bucket and shook it to get them over to the car and then....yes, the zebra took my bucket. I wasn't going down like that. After a moment of thinking i slowly opened the door and grabbed my bucket that still had food in it. I would not lose another bucket of food. We hand fed the zebra and went on our way. We finished the loop and started home to get ready for gymnastics. It was a great day and lots of laughs.

Ella's Kindergarten Screening

We arrived about 8 and signed in. They took Ella's picture and we went into the Library. One of the Kindergarten teachers introduced herself and said they would be calling the children over and asking them a few questions so they could plan where to start the curriculum at the beginning of the school year. After the test the parents would be called over to go over the results. The kids were allowed to play at several round tables while they waited for their turn. Ella was the first over to the tables because we were sitting closest to them. She surveyed all the tables and the different activities at each one. Finally as all the other kids are moving in she picks her table and sits. We watch all the other kids find a table and look back at Ella. No one sat with her. WHAT??? Yes, she sat at a table all by herself watching the other kids and playing with the shapes at her table. I told Eric that i had enough and i was taking her home! :) Finally a "brown" boy walked over and she began to talk his ear off. He wasn't paying much attention but still. Then a teacher began to read and she joined in. Her test finally came and we were called back. She did really well. She had some slip ups and her right and left and on the shapes, sphere and cube. I don't know my left and right most of the time and i was unaware that i was supposed to talk to her about 3 dimensional shapes. In her defense when the lady held up a ball and said what is this she did say a ball. Who would have said a sphere? Anyway, she did really well with cutting, number recognition, counting, and writing. The lady said she made a note about how well she wrote. She is ready to start. We go on August the 20th to the open house and we should have more details then. Now i just have to get her a backpack and school supplies.

Mall day

Since we have gotten home we have been getting everything settled. We had to make the grocery run and by Monday we were all set to see what Statesville and the surrounding areas had to offer. We started by a trip to the mall. It was a nice day. Jared got a new shirt and the rest of us settled for a cookie treat. On the way home we hopped into the Joe Gibbs race shop. Jordan loves Joey Logano. Ewwww. :) The kids love all the cars. We got home and i got dinner made. Made plans for Tuesday, Ella's school screening then to the Science Museum and back for Ella's first day in her new Gymnastics class. Big Day!

Happy to be home

Can you tell the kids were happy to be home with their Daddy?

Our visit - Part Two

I have covered the first part of our visit in my previous blog so here is the last half. Sunday we relaxed and visited (and recovered from Aunt Sherri's party). We went to church with Mawmaw and then home to eat a roast she had prepared. It was wonderful. Then to Grandma and Papa's. The kids swam in the pool and enjoyed the beautiful day. Dad left for Clanton and Mom,Wes and i left for Mawmaw's leaving Ella behind. Monday we made a date with Aunt Sherri, Jordan and Jared to go shoe shopping. Ella, Jack and John all needed tennis shoes. Mom had to run a few errands with Mawmaw but before we all left Mom made good on her promise to Jack and took the boys to the creek for one last visit. I tag along. I remember going to the creek all the time when i was little. Skipping stones, racing pine cones, walking across the fallen trees to get to the other side (well, in my case, scooting on my butt). My cousins, Wes and I would venture down to find something to do. On one occasion we found a water moccasin. I don't remember much but i am pretty sure we attempted to catch it or kill it with a bottle rocket. Neither was a bright idea. Anyway, fond memories. It was nice watching the boys and Mom play even if it was brief. The boys LOVED it. Somehow Jack and John ended up soaked and their shoes were covered in sand. That is what i get for getting them dressed first. :) We get a change of clothes and are off to pick up everybody and find some shoes. We hit an arcade and Chili's and did manage to get all three a new pair of tennis shoes. Tuesday was quiet. Wes left for Birmingham and everyone was back at work. Wednesday we spent with Mawmaw. She took us to lunch at McDonalds and then went to Wal-Mart to pick up a DVD player and a few special movies for the trip home. We sat a chatted most of the day. I always enjoy my time with her. The kids and i left after dinner to go say goodbye to everyone since we would be leaving so early Thursday morning. The car was loaded and i was picking up Jordan and Jared at 6, like i had planned. My day was on schedule. We drove straight to Atlanta and stopped for lunch. After a few more potty breaks and a drive thru for ice cream we were home by 5. 6 kids, 5 states, 4 stops, 3 milkshakes and blizzards, 2 dogs, 1 day. It was a great trip but nothing is better than being home.

Our visit- part one

It was a whirlwind visit. Papa came home from the hospital just as we were arriving in Columbus. He was feeling well and working his knee everyday. Friday, we spent most of the day enjoying the company. Aunt Sherri, Uncle Michael, Jordan, Jared, Uncle Raymond, Aunt V, Monika, Elizabeth, Grandma, Papa, Catherine, Elizabeth Anne, Brad, Aunt Meredith, Uncle Keith, Wes, Mom and Mawmaw were all around town. Uncle Terry, Aunt Kim, Audrey and Dad came in later. Saturday was a full day. We (the kids, Jordan, Jared, Mom and Dad) were off to the farm to check the combine and play with the horses. That turned out to be an adventure. The boys climbed up in the combine and took turns driving. I took Ella up and had my first look inside. Ella wasn’t very happy. I think it was the height or maybe it was just that she wanted a horse. After our brief ride the horses were saddled up and ready. Ella hopped on Whitey and Jack was on Big Red. Obviously named after the colors of their coats. Jared and Dad led the horses and Ella was off for a drink so Grandma hopped on with John and I jumped on with Jack. Well, I attempted to jump on. Big Red was a lot taller than I thought and the saddle wasn’t quite on tight enough. After some flaying my big butt was on the horse and I hadn’t pulled the saddle off. The trouble I had getting on should have led me to the conclusion that this was not a great idea. Mark began to lead Jack and I down the road. I questioned why a grown man was leading me on a horse I was very capable of riding. Mark turned us loose and Dad let go of Mom and John. Off we go. Slowly walking along. We just go a short distance and turn around to go back to the shop. This is where it gets interesting. I thought I would be fun and get Big Red to trot past Mom and John. I should have considered that our saddle wasn't on tight but i didn't. Anyway, as we pick up the pace and make faces at Mom and John i realize the Big Red isn't a smooth trotter. Then the ride takes a turn for the worse. The horse seems to be jumping and i think maybe he is about to take off running and i can't quite get the reigns pulled back hard enough because i have Jack in front of me and i am holding on to him and the saddle with one hand and i don't want to pull too hard because i don't want him to throw us off. The ground is looking a long way down and i can't help but think if Jack falls off he will never get back on so i was determined to save him. HA! What were my options?? I turn and look and Mom, John and their horse were next to us. My saddle is now sliding to the side since we are off balance i give a push off Mom's saddle and think i am tipping over the other side. Could i get jack over to her horse before i fell? Get my balance back and the reigns pulled. THEN the guys come to help. Go figure. Jack didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Mom wants to know why i tried to grab her, I am thinking that my little kick got him going and as we WALK back to the shop we hear that the dog had actually gotten under the horse and got him going. Glad we didn't fall but hate nobody got a picture. I am sure Jack's and my face were priceless. It was time to head back to town for lunch and a birthday party. Part two of the trip coming up.

Ella's First Sleepover

Sunday night Ella said she would like to sleep over at her great grandma’s. I was a little nervous. Only one other time has Ella ever said she wanted to sleep over somewhere else and she ended up coming home at bedtime. I was afraid that with all the people she might get a little nervous and want to come home and Wes wasn’t staying there so I wondered if I would get that call. I packed all her clothes and took them over and then the boys and I came home for bed. I guess I should have called to check on her but I didn’t. Never even thought about it. The call never came. I was up this morning with the boys and after breakfast we called to check on Ella. Uncle Micheal Said she was great. She slept in the living room on the air mattress with Jared and has already eaten eggs, toast and bacon for breakfast. Uncle Micheal put her on the phone. I asked if she missed me and her response was this, “No, I didn’t miss anybody because I am a big girl”. I was happy for her. Big thanks to Papa and Grandma for letting her stay at your house, Uncle Michael, Aunt Sherri, Jordan, Jared, Uncle Raymond, and Aunt V for taking such good care of her and Monika and Elizabeth for playing with her. She had such a wonderful time that she spent Monday night there too. My big girl!

She's 50

She likes to kick and stretchhhhhh and kick, she’s 50! Aunt Sherri turned 50 on the 5th but we threw her a party on Saturday. Everyone was in town (with the exception of Uncle Terry and his family) so it was a great time to surprise her with a party. This was in the planning phase for a bit, prior to their arrival. My cousin Catherine took her and Uncle Michael out and everyone else began the decorating. Black streamers hung all over inside and outside the house. Cake, chips and dip (thanks to Aunt Meredith), black napkins, black forks and black plates sat atop the black table cloth. Everyone dressed in black. Mom sits in a chair and makes her transformation into the Grim Reaper thanks to Jordan, Jared and Elizabeth. She was creepy. Aunt Sherri returns home to find a party waiting for her. V made the best spring rolls and beef. Wes burned a CD with classic songs from her era. Louie, Louie, Billie Jean, Respect, and so on. It was the best party I have been to in a while. We danced on the back porch for hours. Last call was at about 11:45. Ella was still going strong. I was getting fearful that some of the neighbors might call the police. I absolutely love getting together with my family. Here’s to Aunt Sherri..HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You don’t look a day over 29 and I love you very much!

That's how Ben rolls

Ben has been trying to roll over for a few weeks now. I realize that at 5 months this should be a task that he has already accomplished but I take all the blame for this delay. He doesn’t get a whole lot of time on the floor. I fear leaving him unattended because of all the kids and dogs running around. Anyway, Saturday, August 1st, was the day. I laid him on his play mat and he was almost there…..and no. so I look down at my phone to check my messages and I glance up to see him on his belly. What? Did he have to do it in the one minute I looked away? Yes. But I was happy he did it so we called Eric and shared the good news. Now every time I lay him down he rolls over. This might be scary. He is becoming mobile!

To Alabama and beyond

We left early Wednesday morning on our Voyage to Alabama and beyond. I was up and we were loading the car at 5:30 a.m. John was apparently ready to go too. He waited patiently in his car seat while we made several trips from the house to the car. I was ready but slightly nervous since we were without a DVD player and I didn’t have a backup plan. Well, my backup plan was to stop and buy one if things got a little crazy. We left a little after 6 since Eric decided that he needed to find his Bluetooth earpiece that was somewhere in my car (it has been in there for a month but he really needed it right then). I think it was a ploy to get us to stay. We rolled out and after a quick stop for gas and doughnuts (breakfast of champions) we were on our way. About an hour later Jack has to pee. Go figure. I made him pee twice before we left. Anyway, stop one out of the way. We settle in for the ride. Next stop, on the west side of Six Flags. I got out of all the traffic in Atlanta and we stop so everyone can go to the bathroom. The kids were wonderful. I thought we would be good for the last two hours to Birmingham. Like I said “I thought”. Just as we are closing in on the Alabama state line Ben thinks he is going to pass out if he doesn’t nurse (he had been fed via bottle earlier in the trip). I thought that maybe if I rolled down the window the noise would put him to sleep until we got to Wes’s but that was not working so I rolled the window up and happened to catch Jack’s hand in it. I think he was trying to calm Ben down. Oops. I pull in at the rest area and check Jack’s hand and feed Ben. Both were happy so we were on our way, again. We were at Wes’s about 12:45 central time. We had lunch and spent some time visiting and then we were off to Clanton. Stopped at the store for a quick visit and home for dinner. We all loaded up again for ice cream from Peach Park. That was my first trip there in a while. I love the coconut ice cream. It was as good as I remember it. The kids took some time to play on the playground and then we visited Mr. Ricky and Mrs. Robin. We were home later than I thought we would be but the kids were happy so we got them ready for bed and I was glad to get a minute to sit. An 18 hour day left me brain dead. Thursday morning we were at it again. Packed and headed to Columbus, MS. We took our time getting there. We stopped for a visit with Kim in Tuscaloosa and stopped at Grandma and Papa’s on the way in and then on to Mawmaw’s. Finally, no more traveling….for a few days. :)