Summer's Here

Summer is here and for us that means lots of sun and WATER!! My kids love water - and with water, in our backyard, comes mud. Now Blake, cannot stand mud. Meredith however, is a different story. I'll let the picture speak for itself. She and her cousin, Jaycee, had a fine time. Don't those Hollywood types pay big bucks for mud facials. Oh, I guess they don't mean this type of mud.

Meredith at the top of the world - also known as the waterslide.

Blake has found his favorite seat of the season - underneath the Wiggly Water Sprinkler, guaranteed to keep you cool.

I've Been Tagged

Well, this is a first. I'll have to think hard on this one. I've been tagged by Kelly and now I have to come up with 8 things about myself; some random facts and/or habits. Do I really want to tell all those secrets? Okay, here goes......

1. I LOVE the color PURPLE. I love it so much that two rooms in my house are purple, my bathroom and my daughter's room. My mother had pink wallpaper in my room as a child, so I was determined to paint my daughter's purple (she wants pink!)

2. I am a procrastinator. I always get things done, but usually at the last minute. I work best under pressure. It drives my husband crazy.

3. I color in lines. It makes pictures look NEAT and orderly. Okay, maybe I'm weird here - but if I'm spending time making something to hang in the classroom, I want it to look good. (Footnote: Remember, I teach school - so I am not just sitting around coloring all day!)

4. I can't throw away anything that my children have made. I have boxes of school work. They made it with their precious hands. If anything gets tossed, my husband usually does it. I might have tossed a few duplicates, but not many.

5. I like to put things together - BIG things .... like toys, shelves, cabinets, anything with a lot of parts. Sometimes I like to try and put things together without the directions - just to see if I can. I'm just that stubborn. I think I get that from my Daddy. Oh, and I like to use the power tools too. I think these two go together. They seem to anyway.

6. My best friend has been the same since the second grade. Her mother was my second grade teacher and her father was my childhood pastor. She is the closest thing I have ever had to a real sister. Lee Ann was also my maid of honor in my wedding. Her father was one of the two ministers in my wedding ceremony. My children call her, "Aunt Lee Lee". True friends never go away.

7. I knew in the third grade that I wanted to teach special needs children. My desire for that never changed. I just didn't realize that part of the reason I was given that desire by God was because He had a plan to give me my own special child.

8. I'm trying to think of an unknown fact. I talk a lot, but most people know that already. I'm also short, but that is a given too. .......................Still thinking....................I still get my right and left hands confused. Dumb HUH?!? I know - it's crazy!!! I can give directions and tell someone the wrong way every time. I did it just today. It makes me so mad at myself. I mean, I'm a grown woman for goodness sakes, who can graduate from college and work through mounds and mounds of paperwork and still mix up her own right/left. Talk about embarrassing. Well, now you know.

Okay, that's the most thinking I have done today.
The only person I know with a Blog is the one who tagged me. If you happen upon this one by chance, consider yourself tagged.

I'm Back!!!

It's been a loooong time since I last visited my blog. I thought I would send a few long lost photos of the kiddos. They are growing waaay toooo fast. Meredith just graduated from kindergarten and Blake is finishing fourth grade. Anyway.... On to the pics....

Blake and Meredith

with Uncle Mike and Uncle Todd

(yes, the date is December!!)

Christmas Card Photo 2006

Blake and a friend on the 100th day of School

Meredith is a cute horse at kindergarten graduation.

A little out of order, but

Blake and Meredith

Easter 2007

Hope you enjoyed the update.

The Hunter

Blake has decided that he wants to be like his Dad, a hunter. Here he is looking the part this Thanksgiving. He does look cute and I think he was quiet while looking for deer. Don't worry, he did not shoot anything. He was just happy to be out in nature with his Dad. He is growing up too fast!!

Yes, It's Been Forever!!!

I vowed that I would keep this blog up to date; oh, how I have failed. A dear friend suggested that I at least post a few pictures. That sounded like a great idea. Maybe our long distance friends and family will appreciate these semi-recent photos.

The first day of school. Fourth grade for Blake

(boy, how time flies!)

Kindergarten for Meredith

(she thinks she is 16!)

Aunt Shea's wedding - Meredith the Flower Girl

Halloween

Elvis and Wonder Woman

Family and "The Fair"

We are Buzzing around preparing for our annual weeklong trip to Mississippi. The kids have been ready for days!! Their "stuff" (books, toys, junk) is already packed. If they ask my one more time ,"How many more days until the fair", I think I'll scream!

This is one of the best trips of the year for our family. Not only do we get to see long distance family and friends, we get to go have go honest to goodness fun. I will share stories and photos when we return. The fair I am talking about is the Neshoba County Fair just outside of Philadelphia, Mississippi. It is like nothing you have ever experienced. My kids think it is the best thing since sliced bread and peanut butter. Now, don't go thinking this is your average county fair. It's nothing of the sort. There are vegetable and cooking contests along with the regular fair rides, but it's so much more. You have never lived until you have stayed in a fair cabin. Have you ever slept 20-30 people in one room? Sounds kinda like summer camp, huh? Now, your talking. Summer camp with a twist. There's bands every night, if you like that sort of thing - or you can just hang out on the porch with a glass of sweet tea and shoot the breeze with family and friends you haven't seen in ages. That's more my style.

Anyway, we will be gone for a week or so. I'll be sure to let you'all in on all the fun we had when we get back.

Oh, by the way, if you've ever been to The Fair, leave a comment and let others know just how much fun it is!

Favorite Things

Beware and do not think that you are behind on the times, for it is I who am just now cleaning out my digital camera and finding old, yet precious photos. I actually have a difficult time deleting pictures of my children even though I have them saved elsewhere.

Anyway, I thought since I had found these pictures (and they are quite cute), I would share a few of my favorites with you.

Meredith's Fifth Birthday Party

Princess Style

Snow Angels

Blake's 9th Birthday Surprise

It sure was worth keeping this secret from him!

Meredith's Pre-Kindergarten Graduation

Here with her cousin Jaycee,

the best of friends

Hands-on Science Fun

Here they are!

Blake and Meredith having fun at the McWane Center.

Blake is having a blast crawling around!In the Alabama area, Blake enjoyed looking at the catfish. Maybe one day he can catch one in the real outdoors!Meredith LOVED the water exhibits. Trying to get the balls to balance on the water spouts was tons of fun.

Makin' waves with sand and water.

The water tubes were fun for the little and "big" kids.

Friday Fun

Summer and Friday, what a great combination!

We took the kids and had a great day enjoying the beautiful weather last Friday at the Zoo and the McWane Center (a hands-on science museum). I cannot say enough about the wonderful times we had that day. Not only the fantastic experiences that Blake and Meredith got to take in, but just the four of us being together uninterrupted.

Hope you enjoy the photos! To get all the photos in, I am going to do two separate posts. This one will be the zoo since we went there in the morning.

The Giraffes have to be a favorite of everyone's. Blake and Meredith sure loved them. Do you notice the ostrich in there too?Meredith loved the petting zoo and getting to brush the goats. (Notice her form!) Blake cheered her on from the other side of the fence.
Blake enjoyed pretending to be a lion.

Neither one, Blake nor Meredith, were too sure about the birds at the front entrance. They were beautiful but very loud.

Summer Daze

I think it has been forever since I have posted. School has ended for the summer, obviously. My kids are sooooooooo excited that I am home everyday with them, I must say that I enjoy that aspect of teaching, too. We love to hang out and just play. There's nothing like just being together watching them play in the backyard and enjoying the big waterslide.

The beginning of summer has been very busy for us. Blake has had his yearly check-ups with the "special" doctors. We have already made two trips to Children's Hospital for those appointments. They get easier as he gets older. I didn't realize that a CT scan was only supposed to take about 5 minutes. His have always taken between 20-45 minutes because he was never still. The one this week really only took 5 minutes. It was a breeze. Anyway......He got great reports from all of his doctors. We are weaning off of his seizure medication, Hurray! - His shunt to drain the fluid from his brain for hydrocephalus is working correctly, Yea! - His bladder and kidneys look healthy, no infections (a miracle in itself since he is cathed every four hours), Woo-Hoo!

The shocking news for us has been that our so-called "healthy" child, Meredith, has had pneumonia. Yes, right here in the beginning of summer! Try telling a five year old that she can't play in the water outside. Especially this five year old who thinks she is the boss. We have had an interesting week with her. She is better now, thank goodness.

Blake had his last softball game of the season tonight. This is the sweetest league ever. He plays on the ARC's Softball is for Everyone League. These kids have the best time. Tonight the Pilot Club gave the teams a cookout and the league presented the players with their trophies. The players were all beaming. They were all truly WINNERS! I am so glad that we have had the opportunity to be involved with this organization for the past 4 years. Both of my children have received blessings and friendships from this affiliation.

When I look at the photos of Blake playing ball, I am reminded of the day we were told he would probably never walk. I don't know if you can tell it or not from the photo on the right, but he is actually running. Yes, RUNNING! Maybe not as fast as you or I but a real honest to goodness run. I thank God that He is still in the business of miracles, I thank Him even more for the priviledge to live with one. As Blake would say, "Amen and amen."

I have this thing about pictures. I LOVE THEM! I love to send them to grandparents and great-grandparents for special days. With Father's Day being Sunday, that gave me another excuse to pose my kids for photos. We had so much fun.......well.......maybe not that much......at least they looked cute........it started out as fun and I got two good shots to send in the cards. I think they will enjoy them.