Home Depot Day

(It is a little scary that the kiddos are in control of REAL tools!!)

I try to find "free" or low cost things to take the kiddos to whenever possible. One of our favorite things to do is Home Depot Day. It is the first Saturday of every month. Home Depot holds little workshops where kids can make all kinds of fun little projects. The kids even get a free apron and little pin to put on their apron for each project they complete. Our kids think it it GREAT! They have made some pretty cool stuff too. This last month they made these little fun message boards with hooks. Mr. C uses his to hold his backpack. I saw one mom on another blog that helped her daughter "cutesie" hers up to hang up in her room. I may follow suite and do that with Sweet E. Anyway, I am writing to tell you about this today....since tomorrow is Home Depot Day. I know it is conference....but at least here they start handing out projects around 8:00am....early enough to go and get back in time for the first session. Anyway, just wanted to share in case anyone was interested. I know I always LOVE to hear what there is out there for kids!!

( I love their faces....Sweet E is has her tired eyes....and Mr. C has his CRAZY eyes)

Dance Performance

Sweet E's dance class is held in 8 weeks sessions. At the end of each session they have a little performance, and get to wear a costume.

Sweet E has LOVED going to dance class and has learned a lot of new tricks and skills. We even think she is a little more coordinated these days.

She is so fun to watch. Dancing and music are definitely her little area of talent. She loves to learn new dances and then practices them all week.

Sweet E is signed up for the next 8 week session again, so she will have another little performance in December. I just wanted to post some pictures for those that did not get to attend...especially for Daddy. There is a video of her actual dance....but I'm still working on that one. So you may see that pop up here in the next few weeks....until then enjoy the pictures of our little dancer.

Yee-Haw!!

Yee-Haw!!!

As you all know Big B's B-day was last week. Well for his B-day I got him tickets to see one of his FAVORITE singers....Brad Paisley. We are going to the concert TONIGHT!! We are SO EXCITED!! We don't have super tickets....but it will just be fun to be in the same arena. Now if you would have told me years ago that we would be such country fans I probably would have laughed. Country.....well that was something that my dad and my cousins from the "sticks" listened to! (Now to be fair....my cousins called us the city girls) My dad's old truck radio used to be stuck on the local country station....he said it was because it was "holy" music! We just made fun of him. But when no one was looking....and we were all alone we would occasionally listen to a song or two. I secretly liked all the music my cousins played at their weddings....just was not sure I was ready to make the commitment. However, when I was near graduation from college I had to drive a good 20-30 minutes to the school I was working at. I grew SICK of the typical music I listened to so I started listening to the "holy" station. And I soon found out I liked it. Soon after Big B caught on to my secret....and started listening here and there. Soon he too was hooked....now we probably own 2 times as many country albums as we do any other genre. One of Big B's favorite from the beginning was Brad Paisley. He owns most of his albums.....and even can play a few of his songs on the guitar.....he uses some of Paisley's songs as bedtime songs....and now he has Sweet E singing along to them at night. Big B even had a dream where he was in a studio with Paisley as he worked on recording a new song. So when I saw he was coming to our state I knew that I had to get tickets!


PS. The picture of the kiddos was taken at Texas Roadhouse on Big B's B-day. They bring out a saddle and make you sit on it while everyone yells "Yee-Haw"!! Big B banned the pictures of him on the saddle...so I decided to post one of the kiddos having fun with it!

Mr.C

This is what I looked like last week. Mr.C had a VERY OFF week. It seemed that he had reverted to the old Mr.C.....and I was not liking it.....not one bit! He was getting in TONS of trouble at school, so that was no fun. He was being a pill at home....and I just did not know what to do or what to try next. I really wanted to run away and hide in a cave when his teacher pulled me aside and said that we needed to have a special parent teach conference and it needed to be ASAP! I was luckily able to schedule it for a day when Big B was home. However, everyday leading up to the conference I fretted, I did not know what I was going to say. I have a degree in childhood education....and yet I have one crazy kid. I think I ended up with an ulcer over the whole situation. Anyway, we went to the conference and they told us a bunch of stuff I already knew. And tried to suggest strategies for us to use at home....but much to their surprise it is stuff we have already been doing or already tried at home.

Mr.C is a good kid...a little on the WILD side....but he really has a sweet spirit and good heart. He is friendly, and helpful, and really wants to be a good kid. His little spirit is just a little to strong for him to control sometimes. As his parents we have worked really hard at trying to teach him and show him what is an ok way to behave and what is not. He has made a TON of progress over the last year. That is why it was particularly frustrating that he was behaving so badly last week. His teachers have not known him long enough to know that that is not typical behavior, so they started to panic. Which I don't blame them one bit....I TOTALLY understand having been a teacher myself. Anyway...they have put him on a special rewards system....and I am happy to report that for the last 3 days he has gotten all smiley faces!! Today the teacher said he had an awesome day!! I am SO RELIEVED and HAPPY!! But being Mr.C's mom I know not to hold my breath....little hiccups are to be expected....but progress is progress no matter how slow it may be.

Sometimes I wonder if I am going to be able to make it. Mr.C knows how to push all of my buttons. But right when I am ready to throw my hands in the air I am reminded of how much I wanted him to come to our family. How many years I prayed and hoped that he would come, and how hard I had to fight to get him hear safely. I am reminded of how much love and happiness he has brought into our home. I am reminded of how BORING our lives were without him. Then I am thankful....thankful he is mine....thankful that he was sent to me....thankful that I am his mommy.

Night at The Museum

Last Saturday was National Museum day and the Smithsonian Institute was sponsoring free admission to various museums around the country. Here in town there were not many choices, but one of the choices was a wildlife museum. Big B called it more like a glorified hunting lodge. Therewere all kinds of real "stuffed" animals on display, as well as some fun interactive exhibits for the kids. The cool thing was that on the "free" admissions day the wildlife museum was doing their once a month "Night at The Museum" where they turn down the lights and let the kids explore the museum with flashlights! Big B earned some brownie points by taking the kiddos while I was at the RS broadcast. Mr.C's favorite animal was the Woolly Mammoth and elephant bones, which he was convinced were dinosaur bones. Most of the pictures are blurry....because of the lack of light and Mr. C shinning his little flashlight directly at the camera....but this one turned out...although it is not that exciting of an exhibit. Especially considering that we saw a real live rattlesnake last night while at Nonny and Poppy's house....it was climbing up their front steps....daddy almost stepped on it!! Mr. C was TOTALLY into the museum....a little too excited....running from exhibit to exhibit! Sweet E as seen in the picture above was a little more hesitant....but Big B says she still had fun....especially if he held her while they explored. I am glad that the family got to go do something FUN while I was busy! And who can beat FREE!?!

Headache

We drive a LOT in our family!! We live on the other side of town from family....so we end up making LOTS of trips in the car. Sweet E has made it her new custom of serenading us in the car with a LONG play list of songs she can sing. (Today I went to do some errands with my mom while Mr.C was at school.....and my mom was convinced that Sweet E was going to loose her voice because she sang NON-STOP for over an hour!!) Between, the singing Mr.C and Sweet E like to play Fear Factor in the backseat. They sit right next to each other and play such games as, "the pinching game," "the squeezing game," "the screaming game," etc. The gist of their games are hurting or annoying the other person to see who can drive mommy up the wall enough to pull over or at the very least get mommy to threaten to pull over!

This is a conversation that occurred on one of our drives in the car yesterday.....

Sweet E- Mommy, Mommy Mr. C is giving me a headache!!
Me- A headache??
Sweet E- Yeah a headache. (then she yells) "BE QUIET MR.C!!!" (she is quiet the bossy little lady these days....but I will save that for another post)
Mr.C- I'm not giving her a headache.....she is giving me a headache!
Me- You are both giving me a headache!
Mr.C- We give you a headache everyday!! We always get a headache, yeah! But Daddy never gets a headache!
Me- Yeah he gets to go to work :-)
Mr.C- Yeah

Mr.C- Mommy, what is a headache??

Sweet E- Mommy, Mommy, TALK TO ME....what a headache??
Me-Oh it is something that Mommys get from their kiddos, it usually means it is time to go play with Daddy
Mr.C- Oh like mine allergies (note-he does NOT have allergies), that is tooooooo BAD!!
Sweet E-Yeah

Happy B-Day Little A

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE A!!

Little A, the kiddos cousin, is turning 3 today and we wanted to wish her a VERY HAPPY B-Day! We wanted to let her know that we are thinking of her on her very special day, and hope that all of her birthday wishes come true!! Happy Birthday Little A, we wish we could be there, but know we are sending birthday wishes and happy thoughts your way on your very special day!