Will's First Lost Tooth

Can't believe I am just now posting this...Will lost his first tooth Friday morning, September 24th before school.  It was his front tooth on the top right.  He was sitting at the table eating breakfast and playing with his tooth.  Mike told him to twist it and it popped out!!  We all were surprised.  I was just glad he didn't loose it at soccer practice the night before or while he was eating.  Will was so excited that he even brushed his tooth to make sure it was clean before putting it under his pillow.  The Tooth Fairy brought him $2 for it.  His permanent tooth is already coming in.  His other front tooth is loose.  Mike and I both told him (along with my sister Melanie) that if he looses it soon, he could be singing  "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth."

Awesome Kids!

I have to brag on Hannah and Will!!  Hannah was selected to be in the National Elementary Honor Society at her school!!!  Will was selected to be in Spotlight at his school!!!

Not long after school started, Hannah brought home a note saying that she was a candidate for the NEHS at her school because of her grades.  We had to complete a form that listed all of her accomplishments over the last year.  Some of the things they were looking for were if she did volunteer work around the house and for family members; if she participated in community projects; if she was a member of any teams, groups, or organizations; and if she had received any type of rewards.  They only wanted information for Third, Fourth and Fifth grades.  We included her helping around here with the chores and the boys and helping Mom out this summer by cleaning her house. For community projects, we listed the Operation Christmas Child box we made last year.  As for the teams, we listed her softball, basketball, and soccer teams and noted how long she had played on each (this is her sixth year to play soccer).  For awards, I noted how Hannah had the most AR points in her class and in the whole Second grade.  Even though the award for AR wasn't in the parameters they asked for, I felt it was important.  The counsel met and discussed all the candidates and Hannah was selected.  She is to be inducted on 30 September.  YEAH HANNAH!!

At the end of the school year last year, Will brought home a note that he was being tested for Spotlight and that he did exceptionally well.  He was suppose to be tested again over the summer but, due to a large number of students that also did well, his testing didn't occur until well after school started.  This afternoon I received a call from the Spotlight teacher saying Will had been selected and should start this Wednesday.  From what I understand about this group, they are students that are smart who also benefit from additional instruction.  I think it is like an Advanced Placement group.  Anyway, it is exciting!!  WAY TO GO WILL!!

Hannah asked me which was better: Spotlight or the Honor Society.  (She tested for Spotlight but never made it in even though her grades have been really good.)  I told her they both were high honors and were equally awesome!! 

Needless to say, Mike and I both are very proud of our children!!

Splinters

Splinters.  Tiny pieces of wood, glass or metal that get under your skin that causes irritation and pain until you get them out.  We all get them one time or another during our lifetimes.  Sometime during the course of the day, Will got one in his finger.  While I was trying to get it out, he screamed, jerked, cried, and anything else you can think of while I was trying to remove it.  Even though it caused pain, it was only temporary.  The pain would end as soon as the foreign object was gone.  Instead of sitting still and letting me work, Will cried out, pitched a fit over it hurting and made it impossible for me to work.  Instead of taking just a few seconds, it was all over in about forty-five minutes.

As I was working, explaining and observing, I thought of how we are with God.

Us:  "God, it hurts!!"
God:  "Yes, I know child, but only for a minute if you let me do what I need to do."
Us:  "NOOO!!  It's too painful!!  STOP!!  Please stop!!!"
God:  "Let's keep going.  I've almost got it."
Us:  "NO!!  I don't want to do it any more.  Let me wait until tomorrow to take care of it."
God:  "No, it will be worse tomorrow.  I need to get it now and make it better."
Us:  "Do we have to?"
God:  "If you let me work, it won't take long.  It will all be over with quickly."
Us:  "Okay...first let me breathe...I'm not ready yet....just a little longer."
God:  "Let me look at it."
Us:  "Just a look.  OUCH!!  You hurt me!"
God:  "I didn't touch you.  I didn't even get close.  Let me try again."
Us:  "Do we have to do this?"
God:  "Let me try again.  Look, here it is.  All better now."
Us:  "It's over?  Wow, it doesn't hurt anymore."
God:  "See, I told you.  Let me bandage it to protect it.....There...all done!"

If we would just let God work, He might accomplish what He needs a lot sooner.  It would still hurt at times but not as bad.  If we fight Him over it, it just makes the situation worse.  Abba will have to dig deeper than He intended to get all the junk out.  But, He will finish and make it all better.

Will knew I didn't want to hurt him.  He knew the splinter had to come out.  Because he fought me over it, the process took longer than it needed to.  Isn't that the way we are when God wants to remove something potential dangerous or hurtful in our lives?  We just need to trust Him to take care of it.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28, New King James Version)

Working Together

UPDATE:  When listing Will's wonderful presents, I forgot some.  He was really blessed to get a digital camera kit, a Triple Boost Rocket, a six shot Nerf gun, a plane kite, a Super Soaker water gun and four smaller water guns. Wasn't he blessed by his friends?

Yesterday was Will's birthday party.  He received all kinds of neat toys:  an arrow that sticks on everything, Iron Man action figure, Hot Wheels cars, two different Hot Wheels tracks, money and a Sonic card.  Because we got in so late last night, I told Will he could play with his Hot Wheels tracks today.  So, this morning after we got one track set up, all three kids started fighting over it.  Andrew wanted the monster truck that came with one; Hannah wanted to be first; and Will wanted to be first plus try out all the features.  After listening to this for a few minutes, I told them to put the track up.  I wasn't going to listen to them argue over a toy all morning long.  Immediately, they started working and playing together (and made sure I knew it).  They were determined to play together and not have to put the toys up.  Hannah remembered Will got a second track so she is setting it up so they can play with it too.  Andrew got the box of Hot Wheels cars so they would have more vehicles to play with.

Isn't that how God wants us to be?  I'm sure He gets tired of listening to our bickering and arguing over silly things.  He wants us to work together, share our resources and get along.  And, when we do, we find out we are actually having fun and enjoy each others company.  What can we do to get along with our family members, co-workers, neighbors, etc?  All it takes is for someone to take the first step, share our toys and say a nice word.  Will that be you?  It's something I need to think about and do, too.

Pillow Pets and Doctors

When my mom asked Will what he wanted for his birthday, he was quick to say a Pillow Pet.  He had seen it advertised on television and just had to have one.  Mom went online, checked it out and ordered one.  It was suppose to take 3-4 weeks for delivery so Mom had a backup plan for his birthday party.  She was going to wrap a picture of it in a box then give him the real thing once it came in.  Fortunately, it was delivered today (Friday).  Mom found the box on her carport just before the kids and I stopped by.  While we were eating lunch, Mom was talking to Will about what he wanted for his birthday.  He immediately answered "A Pillow Pet!!"  She asked him a few more questions about it then gave him a box.  When he opened it, Will's eyes grew as big as saucers.  He was sooo excited!!!

Will took it with him to the doctor's office (he stepped on a bee Wednesday afternoon and had a histamine reaction to the sting).  He took it into Wal-Mart and was lying in it while in the back of the buggy.  He even took it to Baskin Robbins tonight (but left it in the car).  When we got home from Nana's, he ran over to our neighbor's house to show Mrs. Trisha and her granddaughter, Madison, his present.

Hannah and Andrew both want one.  Hannah has tried to bargain with Will to play with it by offering candy and what not.  One time, Will had it in the floor, lying on it while watching t.v.  He let Hannah lay on it for a few minutes with her blanket.  When Hannah got up to do something by the couch, Andrew jumped off the chair, picked up Hannah's blanket, threw it on the chair and plopped down on top of the pillow.  It was sooo funny to watch!  Tonight, as the kids were getting in bed, Will took his pillow off his bed and replaced it with Mr. Monkey (the name he gave his monkey pillow pet).  He is in love!!

We have been seeing a lot of our doctor's office lately.  Tuesday afternoon, Will and Nathan were playing baseball in the backyard.  Nathan was pitching and Will was hitting.  Nathan threw one of his fast balls and hit Will square in the forehead above his left eye.  It knocked the breath out of Will for a minute.  I was walking past the backdoor when I noticed Will holding his head and crying hard but silently.  After a minute or two, he and Nathan told me what happened.  Will had a nice big knot on his forehead, a huge headache and some discoloration.  I gave him some Motrin and an ice pack to help the swelling.  When I called the doctor's office (to see what I needed to look for and to see if he needed to go in), they said they wanted to see him the next day.  Thanks to God above, Will never experienced any nausea, vomiting, blurry vision or any other type of complications.  The nurse practitioner said Will was acting fine and, since he didn't have any other problems, he would not need a CAT scan.

That same Wednesday afternoon, Will and Nathan were playing baseball in the backyard again (this time using rubber and tennis balls instead of baseballs).  When it was Will's time to pitch, he stepped on something in the grass.  Thinking it was one of the many sticker weeds that populate our backyard, I told him it was nothing and to finish playing.  When he went to bed that night, Will said his foot hurt.  I didn't see anything but did feel a small bump.  Early the next morning (sometime after 5 a.m.), Will woke me up saying his foot was hurting and itching really bad.  I gave him some Benedryl and put some Calamine lotion on it and continued this regimen for the next couple of days.  Since Will was still complaining about it, I took him to the doctor.  The bottom of his foot was had a nice sized red patch that started going up his foot.  Dr. Carpenter said it looked like a histamine reaction to a sting and prescribed a steroid and Zyrtec.  Hopefully it will get better soon.  I hate to see my little man (or any of my kids) suffer.  When we left the doctor (the second time that week), I told Will that I didn't want to see the doctor again for a long time.  He just laughed.

Birthdays and Getting to the End of Ball Season

First and foremost, I want to wish Will a very Happy Birthday!!  His birthday was yesterday and he turned seven years old.  He opened his birthday presents at breakfast.  Will got a rubber-band airplane, Rocky Mountain Ranch Lincoln Logs, and a remote control truck.  He was soo excited!!  Do to both kids having games at 6 p.m., we were not able to do anything special with just the family.  I did make his favorite dinner (poppy seed chicken casserole) and take a special snack for his team so they could celebrate with him. Mommy and Daddy love you very much and are very proud of the wonderful young man you are becoming.

As stated earlier, both Will and Hannah had games last night.  Because I was running between two ballfields, I didn't get to watch much of either game.  Hannah's team won 15-4.  Her teammate, Emily, got a grand slam and five girls (including Hannah) hit home runs.  At her second time at bat, Hannah got a triple.  The girls were pysched, as you can imagine!  They worked together and did their best.  Way to go CRASH!!

Will's team was up 6-4 when the game was delayed due to lightning.  Thirty minutes later, the umps restarted the game.  Unfortunately, Will's team lost 14-12.  They did much better fielding and hitting but were not able to get the win.  This was their last game.  I am still very proud of these boys.  They have worked hard and were able to get two or three wins this season.  Will hit two home runs this year.  Good Job REBELS!!!

Andrew's last game was last Tuesday, June 1st.  Being T-ball, the teams don't keep score or keep track of how many outs.  These boys were so much fun to watch.  The ones who started out chasing the ball after they hit it ended up running the bases like big boys.  We still had a few (like Andrew) who preferred playing in the dirt when they were in the field but, in all, they all did wonderfully.  Even though Andrew is through playing baseball this year, he keeps asking when he is going to practice and when he is going to play his game.  Mike and I will just have to continue to work with him.  His coach, Paula, said she was thinking about calling the parents when she took her son to the park to practice so the boys could practice if they wanted.  I think that is a great idea.  She also wants to keep the team together, if she can, over the next few years. I am very proud of how Andrew and his team did.  Way to go MARLINS!!

The Most Awesome News Ever!!

I have the most awesome news ever!!!  Will's baseball team, the Rebels, won their game tonight.  The best, most awesomest part is:  this was the FIRST GAME EVER in THREE YEARS that Will, AJ, Wesley, and the three coaches won!!!  The three boys have played on the same teams (the Giants, the Cubs and the Rebels).  Their coaches (Mike, AJ's dad Patrick, and Wesley's dad Keith) have been with them all three years.  FINALLY!!  The coaches gave a game ball to the best player last night and tonight.  Will got the game ball last night for hitting a home run!  Tonight, it was between three players: Evan, Wesley and Will.  The coaches gave it to Evan because he hit three home runs.  I am so proud of Will.  He has really come far this year.  He is paying more attention to what is going on during the game and has really improved in his hitting and throwing.   Way to go Will!!

Lunch with Will

Today I surprised the second most handsome (handsomest???) man in the world - Will - for lunch.  (Second only, that is, to Mike.)  I met with Mrs. Huffman, Will's school Speech Pathologist, Mrs. Moore, the school principal, and Mrs. Moffitt, one of the first grade teachers, this morning about his progress and the plan they want him to follow during the school year next year.  We had a great conversation about his progress this year, too.  He did not regress much over any of the holidays (Christmas break, Spring break) and was able to pick up where he left off pretty quickly once he got back into the routine.  Because of this, he doesn't need to do any speech therapy over the summer.  YEAH!!!  All three ladies raved about how sweet Will is and what a wonderful child he is.  A mother just loves to hear that about her children from people other than family!!

When we finished our meeting, it was close to Will's lunch time so I thought I would surprise him.  He was really excited to see me waiting in the lunch room.  After he picked up his lunch tray, the two of us and three of his friends sat down and enjoyed our time together.  His friends were Chris, Prissy and Jill.  Prissy asked Will why he liked her so much (she had Chris ask him too).  Will answered it was because she was so cute.  All three kids were very well behaved and were just adorable.  We talked about their favorite colors, what color car their parents drove, their birthdays, if they had any siblings and that they were going to the playground after lunch.  I was sad when lunch ended.  The time just flew by very quickly.  It was so nice and very enjoyable.

Exciting News

In the busyness of the weekend, I forgot to mention something very important - Will can ride a bike WITHOUT training wheels!!!  He is sooo excited!!  Mike took off the training wheels on Friday and worked with him for a few minutes.  Will has had a little trouble starting off but is getting better.  He wants to turn the wheel when he starts then looses his balance.  I am so proud of him.

Also, both Hannah and Will made all A's on their report cards.  They are doing great in school.  Keep up the good work.

My friend Julia is. This will be #3 for her and her husband David. The baby is due December 4. Both David and Julia's birthdays are in December as are their boys. Isn't that interesting and fun?  Congratulations!!

All's Quiet on the Southern Front

This weekend has been great and quiet so far.  It is the first weekend in about two months we haven't had basketball games to go to.  The kids played their last games last Saturday and their Awards Ceremony was last night.  Of course, the kids were up early (even though they didn't have to be) so I made scrambled eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast.  Usually I make a big breakfast on Saturday mornings but, because of basketball, I haven't been able to for a while.  In fact, the last time I made a big breakfast for the family was pancakes about two weeks ago, and I was able to do that before school one morning.  Tonight, Mike is taking Hannah and Will to the hockey game with some of the other Dads at our church.  Andrew and I get to hang out together and enjoy ourselves. 

Last Friday was Grandparents' Day at Will's school.  Mom called him that morning and gave him a suggestion.  Since she wasn't feeling well, she asked Will if it would be okay if she missed going to school with him.  Instead, she would take him out to eat anywhere he wanted to go Saturday after his ball game.  Will agreed with the plan.  So, Saturday he got dressed up and Mom picked him up for their date.  His first choice was Chuck E. Cheese's but when they arrived, they found out there was an hour and a half wait just to get a table.  So, Will's second choice was Texas Roadhouse.  He had received a coupon for a free kids meal with his last report card and was begging to use it.  He and Mom had a great time and he felt like a big boy.  Mom let him order anything he wanted, including dessert, and eat all the peanuts he wanted, too.  Afterwards, they went back to Mom's house and Will played by himself (without any other kids competing with him) for a couple of hours.  When he came home, it's all he could talk about.  In fact, the other day we were getting ready to sit down at the kitchen table and he mentioned how much fun he had and the food he ate too.  I'm glad he had a great time.  Mom wants to do it again with one of the others soon.  I know they will enjoy themselves.

Report Cards and Speech Accomplishments

The kids got their second nine weeks report card this week.  Both Hannah and Will made all A's!!!  I am so proud of them.  Way to go Hannah and Will!!!

Will has also made fantastic progress in his Speech Therapy class.  At the end of the school year last year, I meet with Will's Speech Therapist to discuss his progress through Kindergarten and the plan for the next year (1st grade).  Ms. Rockett said he would work on his L words, practicing the letter L at the beginning, in the middle and the end of a word and using it in a blend (like in the word blend).  She thought it would take him all year to complete his objectives.  We also discussed how long he would need therapy.  Ms. Rockett thought that Will would be through either by the time he was in Third grade or by the end of that year.

This year, Will's Speech Therapist, Mrs. Huffman, worked with Will on his L words twice a week.  At the beginning of January, she phoned me about Will's progress.  He has done so well on his L words, she wanted to show this objective as being complete.  She also wanted to start working on the letter R.  Mrs. Huffman was very pleased with Will's speech progress.  I am tickled pink!!  I can tell a difference when I listen to Will talk.  He has come a long way.  There are still some things he will need help with, like his TH blends, but I am more than happy with his attempts so far!

Kids and Their Sayings; Happy Anniversary

Kids do say the darndest things.  This one comes from Andrew:  "Mom, the sun is looking at me!!  Tell him to stop!!!"  (During our trip to North Carolina, we moved all three kids to the backseat of the van so they could all watch the  DVD player.  When we got home, Andrew asked if he could stay there.  Since then, the sun seems to bother him more.)

Last night while decorating the tree, Will started singing "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle on the way!"  I laughed then remembered a little boy I taught in Sunday school many, many years ago.  His name was Jared and he was five at the time.  My friend Jeff and I were getting supplies out of the closet when, in a loud voice, I heard Jared sing, "Don't tell it on the mountain!"  We started laughing and trying to figure out where that came from.  I remembered Jared's parents were in the Christmas program and he had heard them practicing the song "Go Tell It On The Mountain."

Don't you just love it?!

On a side note, I want to wish my friend Stacy and her husband a very happy anniversary!!!  I hope you enjoy your weekend together with no kids (they have six, a son-in-law, and one grandson).  I love you girl!!!

Operation Christmas Child

Today while at Chick-fil-a, Hannah picked up an Operation Christmas Child box.  We decided to fill one then decided to do two.  If you have never heard of Operation Christmas Child, you can go to Samaritan's Purse and get details.  The programs was started by Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham.  This organization collects shoe boxes filled with items and gifts for a needy child.  They offer some suggestions and have a small list of items not allowed but leave it up to the giver as to what to put in their box. 

Hannah filled her box with items for a girl between the ages of 5-9, and Will did the same for a boy of the same age group.  They had a blast picking out items at Dollar Tree.  Hannah purchased a doll, an outfit for the doll, socks, hair clips, comb and mirror set, lip balm, toothpaste, toothbrushes, tissues, coloring book, paints, socks, a pink pig puppet and some candy.  Will has a sun catcher for the child to paint, coloring book, socks, toothpaste, toothbrushes, tissues, paints, a brown bear puppet, playdough, and some candy.  I plan to get a small box of crayons for each box either tomorrow or Monday.  The boxes have to be turned in this week so Operation Christmas Child can get them to the children by Christmas.  Hannah and Will both want to include letters and their addresses so the recipient can write to them. 

This is the first year we've done it and it has been fun.  We may have to make this an annual event. I took some pictures of the kids and their boxes but will have to post them later.

So Many Things Running Through My Head

My head is awhirl with many different thoughts today:

1) Andrew's recent trip down the street by himself.
2) Will's recent actions at school.
3) The Beth Moore Conference tonight and tomorrow.
4) Everything I need to do around the house that is never-ending.
5) Obama's Nobel Peace Prize (WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!)
6) My next blog tour posting and the books I need to read for the next two.
7) End-times events
and on and on and on... I'll elaborate on a few of these.

Ever felt like, as a parent, you were failing miserably with your kids? That's the way I felt yesterday.

While my sister was inside talking to me after she came by to pick up her son, Andrew went out front with the other children. Melanie and I went out a few minutes later and asked where Andrew was. No one knew and he didn't answer or come when we called. Looking around while I was trying to keep from panicking, Nathan spot him down the road. Andrew had wandered about eight houses down and was in the middle of the road, still walking away from the house. Nathan went and got him and asked why he wandered off. Andrew wanted to pet a dog he thought was our next door neighbor's. The one he was after actually belongs down the street. Andrew got a firm talking to and a swat on the backside.

Will has been grounded for the last week because he cheated in school on a math test. Mrs. Scanlon said he was repentant and said he wouldn't do it again. Instead of giving him an F on his paper, she let him finish it away from the other children. Then, yesterday, he did something else that I will not elaborate on. Suffice it to say, he had to apologize to the Librarian and to Mrs. Scanlon this morning for his actions.

On the radio today while I was running errands, I heard that President Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?! They said it was for his efforts in bringing peace to the world and his efforts towards the Muslims. If apologizing for America and saying we were wrong in everything we have done in the past (i.e. saving the Europeans and the rest of the world's posteriors on MANY occasions), bowing down to foreign leaders, and showing Americans disrespect for our Christian heritage and beliefs constitutes getting a Nobel Peace Prize, the Board needs to rethink their criteria.

Miscellaneous News and Stuff

This afternoon I dropped Hannah off at Dad's work. She is spending the week and weekend by herself with Dad and Joan. I told her she's going to come back spoiled rotten. Joan is excited to have a "girl's weekend" with Hannah. They are going to go swimming, shopping, spending time with my niece Jessie and her son Riley, and whatever else they want to do. I'm jealous. I want to be there, too. Joan said she wants Hannah until Monday or Tuesday. That means a WHOLE WEEK without her. I don't know what we are going to do without her.

It's time to post about another blond moment I had today. For Valentine's Day, Mike bought me a beautiful watch which has been a little big, but not too bad. Today, I was putting it on when I noticed something for the first time. I knew it had what looked like an extra link to be removed by a jeweler. What I didn't know was that it had a hinge on it that could be opened and the piece taken off. So, instead of taking it to a jeweler, I could remove it myself. The funny thing is I've been wearing the watch for five months now and have just noticed this hinge. I removed the link and now it fits perfectly!!! As Will would say, "SILLY MOMMY!!!"

Oh, here is a follow up on a previous post. The other night I mentioned that the boys wanted to sleep together in Will's bed. Well, I am happy to say that they went right to sleep and didn't wake up until about 8 the next morning!! They did great!! Mike and I are talking about getting Andrew a toddler bed sometime soon. When he is a little older (and I can handle it a little better), Mike wants to get the boys bunk beds. Their room is crowded now with Will's twin bed and Andrew's crib, and another twin bed would make it even more so. I don't want the bunk beds now because I know my boys. Andrew and Will would climb to the top and jump off. I think I can handle broken arms and legs but not broken necks.

The End of an Era and Experiments

The last of the wallpaper came off tonight!!! YEAH!!! We aren't sure, but Mike and I think the wallpaper was installed when the house was built 16 years ago. Goodbye wallpaper!! Hello paint!! Here are some pictures of Mike as he removed the last pieces.

On a different note, the boys decided they wanted to sleep together in Will's bed tonight. So, I thought we would try it and see how it goes. Here are pictures of the boys just before we tucked them in for the night. This is an experiment because Andrew has never slept in a big boy bed before. If this works out okay, we may have to get him a big boy bed of his own before long.

Will the Photographer

Yesterday, while I was asleep on the couch, Will got ahold of my camera and started taking pictures. I think we've found his true calling. Hannah is going to be an actress; Andrew, a sports star; and Will, a photographer. Take a look at the pictures below and tell me what you think. The only doctoring I did was to lighten a couple of them and crop one. I think he did an excellent job.

Andrew

Andrew playing with the channel lock pliers

Looking from our bedroom door into Hannah's room

Living room

Master bedroom ceiling fan

(He took about five pictures of the fan: some with the light off and some with the light on)

Another picture of Andrew playing with the channel lock pliers

A close up shot of Andrew

Looking into the boys' room from my bedroom door

Mike taking a nap

Mike painting the bathroom wall

T.V. cabinet

A self-portrait of the artist

Will's Birthday Party

Yesterday morning (around 6:45 a.m.), when I went to get Andrew out of bed, Will sprang up and said, "Mom, it's my birthday!!!" He ran into Hannah's room and told her the same thing, even though she was sound asleep. While Mike and I were getting dressed in the back, Will opened some of his presents in the Living room and started playing with one. We got him a Play dough activity set called "Coco-nutty Monkey," a set of Cars sheets, and some play dough. We took the package of play dough with us to his party because it was the one he did not open.

At Bounz, the kids played on the giant inflatables for about 1 1/2 hours. They have a big slide called "The Titanic." Andrew climbed up it as soon as he walked in the door and had a blast. There was also one that had an obstacle course with two sides. Matthew and Nathan raced each other with Nathan the winner. Once Andrew got a little help with it (some parts were a little big for him at first), he wouldn't get off. There were a couple of other inflatables (one where the kids could act like gladiators and the other one was just to bounce in) where the kids all played. We had cake and ice cream after Will opened his presents. Melanie and Nathan bought Will a Play dough "Ice Cream Shoppe" Activity set. He also received gift cards to Target and Dollar Tree, a Cars Tire Fishing game, Optimus Prime Transformer, and Sticker Play set, and some money. Will is in heaven. He loves all his toys and started playing with them as soon as he woke up.

Happy Birthday to Will!!!

Today is Will's 6th birthday!! He is really excited. For his birthday party this year, we are going to Bounz (it has three huge indoor inflatables) instead of doing the water party in the backyard. Since we've had his party here at the house every year since he was born, he decided to do this instead. Happy Birthday to my little man!! I can't believe you are growing up so fast. Daddy and I love you very, very, very much!!

It's Official!

It's official!! Mike and I now have a third grader and a first grader!! Wow, where has the time gone!! You will be proud of me. I didn't cry at all. It was VERY difficult not to break down but I was able to hold it together. For a minute, while looking through Will's kindergarten portfolio, I thought I was going to lose it and almost did. But, I caught myself before the tears started flowing because, once they started, they weren't going to stop.

Mrs. Kicker, Will's teacher, showed a video of pictures that were taken throughout the year and had a copy for each of the students in their portfolios. She and Mrs. Shelton were great this year and made Kindergarten such fun for Will. He loves his teachers.

Hannah's teacher, Mrs. Wolfe, recognized the kids for the hard work they did throughout this past year. Hannah was recognized for making the Principal's list (all A's every 9-weeks), Attendance (Hannah only had two tardies or early check-out), and Reading (she had 91.1 AR points-the most in the Second Grade; the next child in her class had 78.something and the third highest had 71.1, I think). Mrs. Wolfe also recognized the whole class for doing a great job this year and for being such great students.

Next year will be a little bit of a challenge. I will have to pick up kids from four different schools: Nathan at HL Intermediate, Hannah at Southaven Intermediate, Will at Greenbrook and Andrew (once he starts back) at MDO. I'm not sure how it will all work out but I know it will. I can't wait for Andrew to go to Greenbrook. I have loved all of the teachers we have been in contact with. They are awesome!!! Only three more years to go until Andrew starts Kindergarten!!