That's The Way I Like It

We had such an uneventful weekend that I didn't take a single picture. Not one! But this has been our first "no plans" weekend in such a long time that I actually loved it.

On Friday, Caitlin had her last Dance Competition practice (We leave for Montgomery on Friday at noon for the actual competition.) then I drove her to my sister's for a birthday party for my niece. When I came home, I had 2 rockin' boys playing Band Hero.

On Saturday, when I picked Caitlin up from Stephanie's party, the two cousins convinced me and my sister that both of them would be SOOOOOOOO bored that afternoon if they weren't together. That is how Stephanie ended up at our house for what was supposed to be just an afternoon. How that ended up in another sleep-over is really beyond me! But Stephanie spent the night after all 3 kids played outside here and at my parents for the Whole Entire Afternoon!!! I really wish this weather would stick around for awhile--it was 70 degrees on Saturday!

We woke up and went to church on Sunday where Randy and I "performed" our last Preschool Worship Show until April when it is our month again. Then we had a delicious Mexican lunch together. We took Stephanie home, and once again Caitlin was SOOOOOOOO bored! I really think she was just exhausted from her weekend's activities because she laid down for a rest (not a nap!) and didn't get up until 5:00. So much for Sunday Night Bible Study.

And then it was back to regular routine of bath, teeth-brushing, and bed....

A "Monster" Kind of Day

Harrison has been obsessed (to put it mildly) with monster trucks for a couple of years now. He always asks for them for his birthday and Christmas. and his fourth birthday had the monster truck theme. So when he heard the radio commercial for the Monster Truck show, guess where he begged to go?!?

And his daddy did not disappoint him! Can you tell how excited he is?

Randy said he wanted his picture in front of the monster trucks SO BADLY!!!! This is as close as they got.

WOW!!!

My two boys enjoying the trucks

And after the show, he got to see one of the dune buggies that was in a race. Notice the toy monster truck that Daddy was coaxed into buying!
So glad they had a great time, and Harrison FiNaLlY got to see his precious monster trucks!!

My Birthday Day

So I had another birthday. I'm very thankful to be blessed with a healthy, happy family, but I just don't like turning another year older!
I got to start my day off with a homemade breakfast made by my three very favorite chefs in the whole wide world!

Who doesn't love blowing out a birthday candle placed atop a homemade biscuit?!?
Then I got Caitlin all dolled up to go to her Dance Competition Dress Rehearsal. (What a great way to spend my birthday afternoon!)

She and her friend, Kayla, were practicing their "funky" faces before going onstage.

She has a solo to start off "Hammertime."

It's a great number with lots of energy.

And the outfits just make the song!!!
We then came home, changed clothes, and met the rest of my family for a nice dinner at Carrabba's. YUM! Love me some ravioli from there!!

Me and my handsome birthday boy himself!

Caitlin and my precious niece, Stephanie

My nephew, Daniel, and Harrison
Who looks happier to be there?!?

My sweet, sweet parents
Could you say a prayer for my Daddy tomorrow? He is having surgery to remove his soft palate because of some nasty cancer that has been growing there.

My sister, Dana, and brother-in-law, Scott

It ended up being a very fun day, and I wouldn't have changed anything about it.

I just don't like being reminded of how old I am because I still feel 22!!

The Gamers

All I can say is....
Thank goodness for Hasbro, Milton Bradley, and those other brilliant game-makers!! If not for them, I just don't know how we would have survived being stuck in the house for 4 whole days.
We played...


Hollywood Domino,

Hedbanz,

Monopoly Deal,

lots of Wii games like...

Just Dance and our very favorite....

Michael Jackson, the Experience. (I am pretty sure that I have passed on the MJ fan base onto my children!)
I am so thankful for my sweet family and the memories we made last week, but

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE....NO MORE SNOW!!!!!!

Memory Verse #2

It's already time for my second Memory Verse of the year to go along with Beth Moore's Siesta Scripture Memory Team. I have read and reread this verse over the years.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 NIV

The Rest of the Day...

...was spent outdoors! We couldn't resist the call of the snow once again! So we bundled up and got our "Alabama sleds" to go have some more fun.

Me and my sweet, sweet girl. Apparently she spent way too much time outside because she has been on the couch fighting a bad cold and cough ever since.

Happy Birthday Randy! What better present than a Snow Day where you don't have to go into work?!?

Caitlin gets her "sled" ready.

But Daddy beat her to it!

Crash at the bottom!

There goes Harrison!

Finally Caitlin gets her turn.

And, boy was it worth the wait!!

I had to get in on the action myself! It was a LOT of fun!!!
I don't ever remember getting to sled this much when I was a kid. The only time we got to sled down our neighborhood hill, it was pure ice. I remember screaming my head off the one and only time I went down the hill because I was scared to death! Snow is much more fun to sled on than a sheet of ice.
We then came in, changed into our warm PJs (yes, in the middle of the afternoon!), and played many a hand of Monopoly Deal and Hollywood Dominoes in front of the fire.

I think Randy had a decent birthday--better than being at work with a bunch of fourth graders!

Happy Birthday Randy!!!

Yesterday was my sweet hubby's birthday!! We tried our best to make his birthday extra special especially since we were snowed in and his main present hasn't come through UPS yet! He was a great sport and was just happy to be off work and sharing his special day with his favorite people (at least that's what he told us!).

His two favorite kiddos giving him birthday love!

Harrison gave him a fishing game for the XBox. That kept them both busy during the afternoon.

Caitlin loves to shop, so she figures everybody else does too! (Actually he's already used it.)
And to top it all off...Caitlin and I made one of his favorite desserts....

banana cream pie! Who doesn't love pie for breakfast on their birthday?!?
We ended up getting dressed right after this and taking him to Cracker Barrel for a yummy breakfast. (We had a little bit of cabin fever so it was a nice break from our house.)

Snow Day!!!!

So yesterday after church, we headed over to the Mayer's house for lunch and fellowship. We joked about it snowing 10 inches and the schools already closing for the next day while there. But there were a few flakes falling before we went to bed. So many, in fact, that I put our big red "snow" bowl outside to catch some fresh snow.
And when we woke up this morning...we found 8 1/2 inches of snow!!!!!
What to do? What to do?
Well, first we...

broke out the Alabama sleds (Rubbermaid box tops) and went sledding down the hill behind our house. You can just see it in the left background up there. We were disappointed at first because when I first went down the hill, I got stuck. But we soon realized that if we packed down the snow and made a run, then those "sleds" would go speeding down the hill! It was snooooooow much fun!!! (No pictures because I was way too busy having fun with my family!)

One worn out Mama with a "Hare Bear" on her back.

Next we dug out our "snow" bowl from the backyard...

and stirred and mixed until we had...

SnOw CrEaM!! It was so yummy!
We warmed up by the fire, ate some lunch, then answered the door bell. Who was there? Only our next-door neighbors asking us to come out and play!

They had decided to build a BIG snowman, so we lent a hand.

Isn't he the cutest bundled up five-year-old?!? He went in soon after this because he was "way too cold". He's just like me and will take the beach and warm weather any day over a snow day!

Rush was the man in charge!

Meredith putting on the finishing touches.
We couldn't let them outdo us, so with Daddy's help we built a...

SnowWoman!! Maybe they'll date and get married one day!
After that it was time for Snow Angels.

Even though I am going to be sad to make up these days in May, I am cherishing the fun times we had as a family today!

On the agenda tomorrow...an igloo and more sledding!

Dance Jubilee

This is where we spent our Saturday afternoon after prepping Caitlin to look like this:

Her competition dance number this year is "Hammertime", and they got to perform it for the first time ever this afternoon at Columbia High School. Don't you love the "funky face" her teacher told them to make during the dance?!?

Here is one of the few pictures I took that did not turn out so awfully dark! They do some great hip-hop moves, and it is such a cute dance! Of course, I have loved every dance she has done just because she is in it!

We get to watch her perform it again next Saturday at their dress rehearsal for competition, then it's on to Montgomery to compete against other multi-talented dance companies for medals and awards. I can't wait!!!

Report Card Time!

We went to eat at....



on Friday night because my wonderfully smart children did so well on their report cards!!!
Harrison is in Kindergarten, so he earns an S, N, or P for the different categories. My smart boy's looked like this:

So very proud of him!!!

My talented daughter had an equally excellent report to show off:

In case you can't read that tiny print, she made 2 A's and 3 B's for the 2nd Nine Weeks!!!! She was bummed she did not make straight A's. I told her that should be her New Year's resolution because I know she could do it if she just studied a little bit harder. We agreed that was a good resolution, and the child has already made good on it!
I am so proud of my children and hope these good grades continue as they get older and the curriculum gets harder and harder!