Back to the Future

Our TV went out in the bedroom....

We had to move the TV from the kids' playroom downstairs to our bedroom...

I have gone back to 1985!!!!!

A Different Kind of Sunday

We started Sunday off the way it should start--in church. However, Caitlin and I went to a different church. That's because one of my babies I taught last year was being baptized at her church in Ardmore. Brooke, who is also one of Caitlin's good friends, had asked me to come to her baptism, and there was no way that I was not going to be there! It was a beautiful service with very friendly people who welcomed Caitlin and me the moment we walked in the door.

Caitlin came to school with me on Alabama/Auburn Day and had to have her picture made with her rival, Brooke!
After we made it home and had lunch with our boys, Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa surprised us with a little visit. They had been to see my Aunt Pat in Florida last week and picked up a few surprises for us!

Harrison couldn't wait to put on his St. Augustine t-shirt! It's a little big, but he'll definitely grow into it.

Happy Birthday Taylor!

On Saturday, we celebrated our good friend Taylor's 8th birthday with a party at Jump Zone. Taylor is a VERY special friend to us. You see, I was in the delivery room when she was born 8 years ago!! She and Caitlin have since become best friends, and she has a little brother, Alex, who is Harrison's best friend. We are very, very close to their family. Anyway...we had a lot of fun celebrating her birthday yesterday. Here are a few pictures showing just how much fun we had!

Taylor and her "Suite Life" cake

"Oh boy! A Target gift card!!"

Taylor, Harrison, Caitlin, and Brooke resting for a brief minute

"Wheeeeeeee!!!!!"

Banned from Tuscaloosa!!

Randy is banned from going to Tuscaloosa without me...EVER!!!! And this is why....last year I had major surgery. As I was on the tail-end of the recovery part, Randy took Caitlin to the Alabama A-Day game in Tuscaloosa. Just for the day. Well, Harrison got a fever that day and of, course, we didn't have any Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Motrin, etc. in the house. So I had to beg one of my friends to bring me some. Long story short--that little fever landed Harrison in the hospital for 2 nights with a bad case of pneumonia!! Fast forward to today...Randy has left for a coaching clinic in WHERE?!? Tuscaloosa. And I get a phone call at 2:45 from Ms. Rita, Harrison's most loved babsitter, that he's got a fever of 101!! All I can think is, "Lord, please don't let us be reliving last year's episode!" So anyway...that is in a nutshell why you will not see Randy Hollingsworth on the beautiful campus of T-town without his wife anymore!!!!!

Sunday Lunch

We just ate one of the most delicious meals EVER!!! On the way home from church today, Randy decided to fry some chicken for lunch because "that's what my Ma-Maw did every Sunday." I am not kidding when I say that was the best fried chicken I have ever put in my mouth. My Granny would be so proud!!!!
As we were finishing up lunch, we were thanking Randy for making lunch for us, and I asked them what makes Daddy so special. These were their answers:
Harrison: "He fixes things for me. He plays Guitar Hero with me, and he cooks for me." Sweet, huh?
Caitlin: "He doesn't steal things and go to jail." Now where on earth would she ever get that?! We are still laughing over here at our house.

McWane Center

Thanks to the recommendation from our friends, Heather and Jason, we visited the McWane Center on our BIG road trip to Birmingham on Thursday of Spring Break. It was absolutely fabulous! Caitlin and Harrison already want to go back! There is so much to do there that none of us was bored for a second--tired by the end of the day, but definitely not bored. In fact Harrison fell asleep within 5 minutes of leaving the museum. We ended up spending all afternoon there exploring the many, many exhibits. It was a fun day trip that we will most likely repeat this summer!

The dinosaur exhibit was a highlight with Harrison. They have a dinosaur dig area also.

Our future weather forecasters--just be sure not to wear a green shirt like Harrison or you will blend in with the green screen!

Harrison loved playing the BIG piano!

Getting blown away in the wind machine--it goes up to 80 mph!

Caitlin got to ride the replica of Leonardo da Vinci's high cycle. It was really cool!

Mellow Mushroom

On Thursday of Spring Break, we took a little road trip (Yea--now this is my kinda Spring Break!) to Birmingham. We stopped and ate at our favorite pizza place, Mellow Mushroom. It was such a nice day that we even got to eat outside. Nothing makes your food taste better than eating it outside on a pretty day!

Feeding the Ducks

So...we have two little ones that can pretty much sweet-talk us into anything (within reason of course!). After lunch at Blue Plate Cafe, Caitlin and Harrison were desperate to feed the ducks. We had told them that one day during Spring Break we would do this, so we caved!! Randy stopped at not one, not two, but three stores before we found bread! Apparently duck-feeding is a popular Spring Break pasttime. Who knew?! And then we were off to the UAH duck pond. It was so quiet, and the ducks seemed really happy to have some extra bread to nibble on. Afterwards, it was definitely nap time!!

Monte Sano Mtn Fun

On Wednesday of Spring Break, our trusty travel agent, Caitlin, planned a day of fun on Monte Sano Mountain for us. Luckily the weather was beautiful, so we got to play on the playground and enjoy the gorgeous scenery. Harrison was a little scared of being on top of the mountain, he said. After all that time spent outdoors, we were very, very hungry! So we made a pit stop at one of the best restaurants in Huntsville--Blue Plate Cafe. And of course, we had to sit at the counter on the stools. What a fun day we had!

How long do you think I can hang here?

Daddy even got out there and played on the see-saws with Caitlin!

The big slides were the best!

Nothing beats the love of a brother and sister!

Caitlin's First Date

With Daddy, of course! Randy asked Caitlin out for sushi and then "picked" her up sharply at 6:00. She was so excited! I had to fix her hair just like he likes (pulled back out of her pretty blue eyes), and she HAD to wear a dress on her first date! Randy thought it was important to show her how to be treated, and he thought her first date should be with him. I couldn't agree more! And yes, I did shed a few tears as they drove away.

Spring Break is Here!!!!

WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Spring Break is FINALLY here!!!!!!!!!!! Time to pile in the car with my best friends, drive to Panama City, and just lie back on the beach with absolutely nothing to do! Oh wait....that was 1991!
Actually...we are going to get my car serviced, see Race to Witch Mountain, ship the kids off to the grandparents for a night, go to Birmingham for a day, and visit the Train Depot. Can you tell we've gotten older?!

Pa-Pa's Birthday Celebration

We celebrated my daddy's 70th birthday today at our house with a big family lunch after church. There was lots of laughter, talking, Brady barking, and even an SEC basketball game on in the background. It all made for a very fun afternoon. I just hope Pa-Pa had a good time!

The birthday boy with his "70" cake and the grandkids--Daniel, Harrison, Caitlin, and Stephanie

The Smithermans (plus spouses and children)

The Smithermans and The Baldwins

I'm Not Afraid of Pee-Pee!

Harrison tells me this as I'm pulling my daddy's cake out of the oven this afternoon.
Me: What?!
H: I'm not afraid of pee-pee!

I look a little bit closer at him and notice that his entire right sleeve is soaking wet.

Me: Why is your sleeve wet?
H: The bottle fell into the pee-pee, and I picked it up.

I see upon further inspection of him that he is holding a small spray bottle in his left hand.

Me: Did the spray bottle fall into the toilet?
H: Yes, I just told you that! And I had to rescue it from the pee-pee!

He tells me this like I am supposed to be sooooo proud of him! At this moment I am thinking that I forgot to read the chapter about little boys sticking their hands in pee-pee because Caitlin NEVER did this!!

Happy Birthday Pa-Pa!

Today is my daddy's 70th birthday. Happy Birthday Pa-Pa! We hope you enjoy your day, and we look forward to celebrating with you on Sunday. Pa-Pa and Ma-Ma at my Aunt Bobbie's lake house on Labor Day, 2008

Just Because

Randy showed up at my 1st grade door this morning with these beautiful pink roses in his hand. My students were just as surprised as I was, but they were for a different reason---they had never met Mr. Hollingsworth! I think I have the best husband out there! He has never done anything like this, and I don't remember doing anything to warrant getting such a wonderful surprise on an ordinary day like today!

Celebration at Bruster's

Caitlin, being the BIG 3rd grader that she is, now takes Accelerated Reader tests at school (that's AR to the school age parents and educators out there). Each nine weeks the students set their goal with their teacher. After reading a book, they take a comprehension test on the computer. Each student's record is checked periodically, but especially right before the nine weeks ends which is this week. Caitlin's teacher checked records today, and guess what?! Caitlin met her AR goal!!! We were very proud of our little reader! So after our supper of grilled chicken, fried okra, green beans, and croissant rolls, we moseyed (more like ran) to Bruster's to celebrate with our baby girl! Harrison got his usual Dino sundae, but they did not have cheesecake tonight like Caitlin wanted so she had to settle for birthday cake (oh, the horror!!!). And, of course, Randy and I had to get something too. We split a turtle sundae--my mouth is watering again just remembering the taste of it! Congratulations Caitlin!

After we got our tummies full!

Yummy!!!!

"See my dewishis ice cweam?"

Just getting started

When I Grow Up...

...I want to be a chef. At least that is Caitlin's latest ambition. She changes her mind just about every year. Her career aspirations have ranged from a baby doctor when she was four, a singer like Elvis, an astronaut to an art teacher or maybe a Rockette. We just tell her that whatever she does needs to make her happy. Anyway her class had different things to dress up for Dr. Seuss Week, and one day was "What I Want to Be When I Grow Up."

Doesn't she make the cutest little chef?

And, of course, Harrison had to get in on the action too! He wants to be just like his big sister (but with the manly grilling apron).

I Am One of "Those" People

I have realized that I am one of THOSE people that I never thought I would be. Let me explain...I regularly go grocery shopping at the store that is 2 minutes from my house. I go there at least once a week, and you can usually find Randy there once a week also. So we are spending a good bit of our salaries at this large chain store. Anyway, we go to this particular grocery store (not big box store) because they are so friendly and take our groceries to our car for us. We can always find what we are looking for there as well. Well, there is one cashier that has never been too friendly to me. She is young--probably in her 20's--and never mutters one word to me while she is ringing up my groceries which is so unlike the other cashiers at this store. The other ones will strike up a conversation about the weather or what you are buying or talk to the kids. She says NOTHING!! I went in to do my grocery shopping one day this past week and after I had my cart filled, I walked up to the check out lanes only to realize the silent girl was the only one open with no waiting. So I went right up to her with all my coupons plus a precious $5.00 store coupon that I had been saving. I handed them to her, and she says in a monotone voice (NO LIE HERE), "That coupon is expired."
Me: "Really? When did it expire?"
Checkout Girl: "the 24th"
Little Bagger Guy: "That was only last week."
Me: "Well, since it's a store coupon can't you ask a manager for an override?"
Checkout Girl: "Ummmm...NO."
I was so upset at this that I totally forgot about my Dave Ramsey grocery envelope and wrote a check instead!! And when I got in the car, I shed a few tears (it has been a hard week!). So I made the 2 minute drive home and picked up the phone and asked for the store manager. As soon as I told her that a cashier had not honored a store coupon, she chuckled and asked, "Was it Annie?" (name changed to protect the innocent) SHE KNEW!!! She said that they have already had 2 complaints about this same cashier this past week!! So, guess what? I am not crazy or alone. She has the problem. But I became one of THOSE people who call in and complain.

Please Pray

I lost a friend today. He has been battling leukemia for the second time since the day after Christmas, and today he went to be with Jesus. I know he is rejoicing with the angels at this very moment, but please pray for his wife and 2 young children along with the rest of his family that God will wrap His comforting arms around them.

Snow Day

We woke up to the white stuff blowing all around our house this morning. Boy were we excited! We have had many close calls of snow this winter (from the local weathermen), but nothing has actually materialized until today. It was all we could do to get a bowl of cereal down their throats before Caitlin and Harrison were running out the door to play in it! As you can see, Harrison didn't even stop to get his gloves on (I promise I got them after pictures!). We had so much fun playing in it, but we all agreed that we are glad we don't live up North where this would be considered a light day of snow. This is about all the snow and cold us Southerners can take until next winter.
The trampoline had the best build up of snow to make snowballs with. It was also fun to jump in the snow!

"Keep me warm, Mommy! I'm so cold out here!"

"Cheeeeeese!"

Caitlin and Harrison with the tiny snowman they built with Daddy.

Even Brady likes running around in the snow!