twinmadness

"Specialist"

2010-12-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated you in a couple weeks because I just haven't had the words to use. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving we say Dr. Lohr a psychiatrist that specializes in cases like Nick's. He is seeing us as a favor to our pediatrician and psychologist. He doesn't take new patients. It was a miracle that he agreed to take our case and we have been waiting for 2 months to see him. After saying all that he called the Monday before Thanksgiving and asked to see us on that Wednesday.

so the whole family goes because the kids are out of school and John wanted to hear what he had to say. Long story short: the direction he is looking is called PDD: Pervasice disintegrated disorder. No I had never heard of it either. It is the 5th category on the Autism spectrum. Yes it scares me and yes I'm crying as I type this. This is not something I was prepared for. Ok back to the treatment. We are in the process of taking Nick off all medications. Wow! He is bouncing off the walls and at times driving me crazy, but I'm glad Dr. Lohr wanted to do this. It will give us a new base line then we will go from there. We did not get a definite diagnosis. He will spend some more time with Nick before we are given one. I think that is what is driving me crazy. The not knowing. The other thing Dr. Lohr was concerned about is Nick's sporatic sleep patterns. He said this is very concerning. Most of you probably know but some of you might now that he will sleep ok for a few days then not sleep at all. There is no pattern to this and you never know when it will happen. We have not been able to find a trigger for it. I guess that is why it is very concerning.

I have been walking around in a fog since we saw him. I was just totally not prepared for the word autism to come up. It wasn't something I had thought about. My educated brain knows there is nothing I can do if this is the diagnosis. I will deal with it. But my heart seems to not be able to deal with any of this. I just want to stay home keep the kids at home and not have to deal with any of this. I'm very anxious and worried all the time. Having horrible dreams and just not sleeping in general. Everyone keeps telling me it will be ok and I will deal with it, but he is not their son! He is mine and I want to be able to fix this. I don't want him to suffer or have a heard life because of this. YES I know it could be so much worse. But this is also something that takes some getting used to. and I'm not used to it yet. I'm sorry. I wish I could just flip a switch and process it and get over it. I just haven't gotten to that point yet.

Tomorrow we go back to see Dr. Lohr. I'm a nervous wreck. What will happen? What will he say? Will tomorrow be the day we get that final diagnosis? these guestions keep rollling through my head. What will he tell me I won't be prepared for? will I ever be able to deal with any of this? I don't know. I just can't seem to shake it.

I wish I could just make time stop right now. The kids are outside playing in the snow, life is slow, it is cold outside and cozy in the house and it is just my family. I just wish I could keep it like this for a while. maybe until I'm ready to deal with all the other. Your probably reading this thinking I need to just get over it and how much worse it could be and I apologize for not being able to do that yet. Just quit reading and I wouldn't come back to this blog for a while. I can't promise when I will be ready to deal with life again.

Reflection

2010-11-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

It is 12:31 and I promised myself I wouldn't stay up after 12:00. So much for that. I have been sitting here since 1:30 today working on projects for school. When Caroline asked me to help her get past a level on her DS I had to say no. When Kruser wanted to play I couldn't, when John wanted me to help clean up and get kids to bed I couldn't. My bottom (butt) is attached to this couch now and can not get up until everything is done. Ask me is it done now that you are writing on your blog?????? NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!!

I'm starting to think I might not ever be finished with these 4 classes. You wouldn't think 4 classes could cause so much trouble ahhhhh but they do. It's that whole education major that causes the problems and make the hoops I have to jump through. Just so you're not worried I'm procrastinating again I'm just taking a little brain break. Trying to clear out some stuff so I can actually think. I'm getting close! In the last hour I have written 2 position papers. I think that rocks and it is 2 more things I don't have to do tomorrow. I do although have to observe my favorite teacher in the world tomorrow and so how hard can that be? I will get to be in my favorite classroom with my mentor teacher for 6 hours plus I might get to eat lunch with my little lady. Who yes is feeling better tonight.

I'm so looking forward to having all my projects completed and turned in so I can concentrate on my kids and this new dog that has fallen in love with me. (that was not supposed to happen). I want to cook a Potts' Family Thanksgiving for my family this weekend and not one time have to say I have to do homework. In case you didn't know it is a tradition in our house that we fix thanksgiving dinner usually the week before or week after for just the 4 of us. The kids get to help and I get to be giddy about making happy holiday memories with my children. No they would much rather have chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, but they indulge me once a year and let me get all excited about cooking for them. In my brain right now I don't know if I will be finished with all my projects and have all assignments turned in but I guess that is why I'm up writting position papers at midnight to try my very best to get it all done. So my brain can be free of the unusually large amount of stress it has been carrying around lately.

So I guess the only way I'm going to meet my goal of a homework free weekend is if I get off here and get to another task. I do have a sweet picture for you. you know my babies are the most beautiful babies in the world and have completely stolen my heart. He is asleep in my arms at 9:00 sweating like you would not believe. But he is so peaceful and we can't say that every night. So I treasure the moments when he sleeps like this. You can't see but out to the side he is holding my hand. I told you....he holds my heart in his hands.

Halloween fun!

2010-11-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Here they are! The civil war solider and the mouse! They had a blast. We went trick or treating in Corydon, IN on saturday and in L'ville on Sunday. It is a tradition to trick or treat with the Hoagland's. We have for the last 4 years.

The "Gang" before trick or treating!

Here is the funny picture of the gang!

Here are some BFF's spending their 4th halloween together. Aren't they cute???

Nick had a Halloween paradae on Thursday at school. This is a pic of his class.

Mom guilt - message under pictures

2010-10-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

If you are a mom you have "mom guilt"! We try to do so much and the more we try to more we forget or miss or just don't get done.

Right now I'm trying to calm Caroline down and get her to stop crying because she can't find and orange strip of paper that was supposed to be in her backpack. This is not the 1st thing she has cried about today or even this afternoon. So the guilt kicks in as I get ready to hurry out the door for school and leave my kids and house in the hands of my husband. Yes he is capable, but he just doesn't do things the way I do!!!! My thoughts are....how do I think about school when I know my daughter needs to get to bed early and my husband is not very successful at getting her to bed. My brain is full of school, Nick, caroline, and the rest of life. Like the fact that I'm the room mom for caroline's classroom (WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!!!)

So I spent Sunday making the below picture along with a painted candy corn on a tri-fold board for a toss game. Yes I will get it all done and it will come off without a hitch (if people still say that), but the stress up too it is sometimes unbearable.

I finally received an email from Nick's dr and the diet idea is not a good one in her opinion. Because he doesn't have severe food allergies that we know of. That is what she said. I'm torn because at least it is something to try, but Nick eats all of 5 things and it would have been extremely difficult to do with him. I'm grasping at straws here and from now until december 10 is a long time. Again this fills my brain and makes me feel so guilty when I walk out that door 3 nights a week. I do know it will be worth it in the end, but right now I feel like I'm slighting my kids.

We did have a wonderful moment over the weekend with an impromptu photo shoot in the leaves. I love taking pictures and especially of my kids. They turned out great and enjoyed it. When I was finished Caroline proceeded to take her own pictures and she is so cute. she loves to take pictures as much as I do.

Ok I guess that is enough rambling for today. I have started blogging again to try and get my thoughts out so they don't consume me! Hopefully it will help. If you don't want to read what I have to say at least enjoy the pictures!

"Special"

2010-10-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

Look at that face! Red hair, green eyes and that look! You would never know just by looking at this picture that he is a child with special needs. This post has been on my heart for a long time. We knew something wasn't right the 2nd week of 1st grade (which has been 2years ago). After a lot of testing, doctor visits, and meetings at school Nick was diagnosed with Central Auditory Processing disorder, anxiety disorder, dyslexia, and ADHD. We started a roller coaster of medicines, interventions at school, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and psychology apts.

This year we moved Nick to Friends School and he is repeating the 2nd grade. He loves his new school and is doing well academically. He has made friends very easily in his new class and enjoys going to school everyday. That was not the case last year. Friends school is a fully inclusive school and most of the 8 boys 1 girl in Nick's class have some of the same diagnosis' as Nick.

After many meetings and much talking the team of doctors that work with us have decided Nick may have a metabolic disorder and his original diagnosis of ADHD may not be right. We will be seeing a Psychiatrist that specializes in these medications in December. Most likely Nick will have genetic testing at that time. They tell me this is the only way to tell if there is a metabolic disorder. The reason they think Nick might have a metabolic disorder is because he doesn't metabolize ADHD medicines the way other kids do. We have been through all the medicines and the only one he gets benefit from is a patch that goes on his hip and is absorbed through the skin therefore not metabolized first.

As a mom this is very difficult for me. I want so bad to be able to "fix" my son. Yes I know he is not dying as I am constantly reminded and it could be much worse. But to look at the issues Nick has and not be able to "fix" them is so frustrating. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to get us through until we see this new doctor. I have decided to keep his medicines the same until then because we see crazy side effects if we change them. So I started doing research to see if there are any alternative things we can do to help him. Like diet.

I love this little boy so very much and I know God gave him to me for a reason. I also know this will make all of us stronger and wiser one day....

A New Year

2009-12-31T12:24:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a while since I have updated the blog. I find it much easier to post a quick comment on facebook and go. But that doesn't really give you all the information or emotions that are taking place in this house. So here we go.

This holiday season was one of the best we have had. My family went to candlelight service at a Baptist church and it was unbelievable. At the end they started on one side and everyone lit their candles and the light spread around the church as we sand silent night. The feel of that moment still overwhelms me.

We got to visit with lots of family over the holiday, but did not get to see many friends because we were busy with out of town family. So were are going to start our new year out by making our good friends a priority.

The kids have grown so much this year and in 2 short months will turn 8 years old. I AM NOT OK WITH THIS!!!!! I'm not really sure where the time has gone. I am really struggling with how fast they grow. In the middle of all the craziness I do get glimpses of how it will be when Caroline is older. The other night we were walking the dogs, just the 2 of us, and she looked up at me and said, "Mom I like it when it is just you and me, and we can talk and just enjoy ourselves." I know we will go through a rough season where I am not her favorite person or she might not even want to be in the same room with me, but I believe we will get back to the above comment soon. I love that girl.

I don't really have that type of story for Nick, but I can tell you that my boy has the biggest heart of anyone I know. It is even bigger than mine and I love, love, love that about him. He is always thinking of others and how he can help or what he can do special or just how he can make them smile. Ah the words can not even express how he makes my heart feel.

I'm really looking forward to this year....this time NEXT year I will embarking on student teaching and 15 weeks away from graduation! I can not wait!!!!! I know it will feel long and drawn out at some times and like it is flying by at others. I just can't wait to have this huge accomplishment behind me and be in the same classroom everyday with those sweet kids I know are out there.

I have a couple of resolution I am going to share with you and a couple I am not going to share with you. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself with a couple of them. But the ones I can tell you about include: 1. I'm going to be more creative. Creative is my word of the year for 2010. 2. 365 pic a day. I am going to do my best to take one picture everyday. Even when it is crazy and the picture really doesn't amount to anything I'm still going to try to take one. I love to look back at them. 3. I"m going to take more pictures with my big fancy camera and try to get better at it. I would also like to take a class on photography and photoshop (if you know of any let me know) It is something that I really enjoy and would love to continue to do.

God has blessed me greatly over the last 10 years and if I tried to list them I would leave someone or something out. You know who you are and if you are part of my life you know what they are. Thank you to my very good friends that are always there for me with a shoulder, an inspiring word, or just to be a good role model. You have been extremely helpful. I love you all very much.

I am also thankful for my family and how wonderful they are. We are not all perfect, but we are still trying and still loving each other.

HOpe you all have a wonderful new year and a great new year.

2009-10-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

Sophie LaRue

2009-09-12T09:03:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the Potts' Family Sophie LaRue Caroline's new puppy. Caroline did such a good job of taking care of Zander and she misses him so very badly we decided to replace him with a puppy. I didn't want another cat because of the cat hair so we found this cute little puggle (pug and beagle mix).

Look at that smile. She said yesterday was the best day of her life.

We took Sophie to the vet this morning and all checked out well. She weighs 2lbs.

Back to school and new glasses

2009-09-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Lots has been going on here and I will try to fill you in on all of it. I am trying my hand at sewing. I have no idea what I was thinking. Girl Scouts are getting ready to start and sewing is a badge the girls can earn and that is how it started. Well then I found this cute dress pattern called the Caroline dress. So of course I had to try. Here is Caroline showing what I have completed so far. As you can see I have to finish the top and arms. She picked the material out herself and is very proud of it.

Most of you know about the testing and problems we had with Nick last year in school. well one of the diagnosis he received was dyslexia. After school started last month we noticed he was having more problems with it then before. After seeing the pediatrician she ask us to try these glasses for dyslexia. Doesn't he look so very cute? They are working so far.

Here are pics from the first day of school. I can't believe how much bigger they look this year. It was a hard transition for me this year, but not them. They love their teachers and school.

My very gorgeous daughter.

My humorous handsome man.

I am trying to sub this year but have not gotten any calls yet. This is very hard for me because I am home by myself every day and miss the kids terribly. I started back to school myself last Monday so that has helped a little.

Nick also started drum lessons last week. He is really enjoying them and likes the teacher who looks like Mic jager with long white hair. Caroline will resume piano next week. Then the next week Girl Scouts and Boy scouts start. Nick has wanted to join Boy scouts for 2 years and we finally got to it this year. He can't wait to shoot a beebee gun and participate in the pinewood derby and the regatta.

The kids are doing great and growing everyday. We are enjoying them very much. Hope you are all doing well.

Meet Bob and Spongebob!

2009-07-29T14:09:00.001-07:00

Well my almost 2nd grader lost another tooth today. She is very excited to show off her new look and the tooth fairy coming. Isn't she gorgeous????This is Nick cleaning his bike. Please notice his seat is off bc "Mom, you can't clean your bike with your seat on." I don't know about that boy.

Please meet Bob and Spongebob. These are the kids new hamsters that attempted to replace the cat. They are brothers, but fight so they have their own cages.

This is Nick's spongebob.

This is Caroline's Bob!

We have been very busy this summer and can't believe it is almost over. Saturday we have our back to school picnic at school and go back on Aug 13. The kids are not ready and I don't blame them. It seems like our summer has been very short.

What have we been busy doing?

1. swimming and sitting by the pool.

2. Nick has been playing tennis (which is his new favorite sport)

3. Caroline has been swimming. She wants to go to stroke school in the fall.

4. I have been going to school and it has been a very busy 6 weeks.

5. Going to the drive in.

6. Going to the park and riding bikes.

7. SLEEPING LATE EVERYDAY!!!! WHOO HOO!

Lately,

Nick has been into:

taking things apart, building with legos, watching tv, NOT SWIMMING, playing tennis on the court and in the street, reading, and playing games with caroline.

Caroline has been into:

reading, swimming, riding her bike, building legos with Nick, playing games with Nick, playing with Mollie, very into clothes, eating (she has grown alot this summer), watching movies.

That is about all I have to report. I'm on my way out to school. Enjoy!

In Loving Memory of Zander!

2009-06-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the Potts' Family had to say good bye to Zander (Caroline's beloved Cat). It was a very sad day for her. Had a little bit of time with him before we went to the pool. Yes she was given the choice of staying home or going and she wanted to go. So she went in and laid with him for a while and told him she loved him with all her heart and would forever. So very sweet. Zander had a very good life with CAroline. She took great care of him, he slept with her, she read to him every night and called herself mommy to him.

He will be greatly missed around our house. It is awful for me to see her so sad, but I know God will protect her and she will make it through this.

Here are a few of our favorite pics of Zander:

Z-bo we will miss you very much. You were a great cat.

Piano Recital!

2009-06-23T16:53:00.001-07:00

Caroline had her piano recital tonight and she did great. She played Yankee Doodle and had no mistakes. She also looked gorgeous in her dress. I didn't think about having her try it on before tonight (never thought it might not fit.) so when I put it on her I could barely get it zipped in the back. Then we put on her shoes which were 2 sizes to small. Poor thing had to wear them anyway. She was walking funny too! We will never forget this recital.

End of school and beginning of summer

2009-06-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome back! We have started the summer off by cleaning the house out. I mean basement, garage, cabinets, and drawers. It is big trash pick up here so we have had a deadline of Monday. I'm almost finished...thank goodness. But we have had some fun in there too. We got to meet Baby Charlie (the newest Potts' Family member.) We played at the park, we have been swimming, we have been reading and doing some school work, and all that in one week. The kids spent the first 2 days of summer break at Grandma's while I finished up my job at St. Matthews. The last day was very sad as it came to an end. But summer break here we are.

Today Caroline had a playdate with Lily. They went swimming and played at Lily's house. Here she is before she left looking so cute. She had the best time and can't wait to go back. Her and Lily have really become good friends since meeting last year in Kindergarten.

Nick played his last baseball game today. In the car on the way home he said, "I really like playing ball I don't want it to be over." I was afraid I wasn't going to hear those words this year and they were so sweet to my ears. He has started a little tennis clinic at the pool so that will fill his time nicely until fall ball. (these pictures are in order backwards)

Here is Nick with his statue after the game. Check out that smile.

Here he is up at bat for the 1st time of today's game. He hit it the first time in the outfield.

Here he is in the ceremonial photo shoot that he hates before we left the house. He is so not into getting his picture made right now. I'm showing the best shots.

I like this one. Yes he wears his sunglasses when playing the field because the sun hurts his eye.

Now to the end of school. The kids were both very sad to say goodbye to their teachers this year. Caroline cried herself to sleep for several days before school was over bc she isn't going to be with Mrs. A again next year.. Mrs. A made up for it by asking her if she would come back and help her set up her room before school starts. Caroline stayed after class everyday to help set up for the next day and whatever else Mrs. Armstrong needed done. They got very close this year.

This is Nick and Mrs. Speevack. This woman was my lifesaver this year. I don't know what I would have done without her and I am very sad Nick is not going to have her next year too. She hates to have her pic made, but she told Nick she would do anything for him. I truly believe she would too. For those of you that don't know it was a very tough year for Nick being diagnosed with dyslexia, add/adhd and Central Auditory Processing disorder. We would not have survived 1st grade if Nick had not had Mrs. Speevack to help him in class and out. She played a big role in the services Nick received and was a true advocate for my son. I can't put my emotions into words when it comes to this situation.

For the kids in my class I wanted to make something special they could always keep and that would remind them of a special day. I thought back to when my kids were in Kindergarten and what my most fond memory was...It hands down is the awards ceremony they have that honors each and every student for their strengths. So I decided to make picture frames with their picture in it receiving their awards and shaking Mr. Leffert's hand. They turned out so cool and I had many very thankful mom's. The kids liked them too, but they liked more that I got teary when I gave them to them and told the story that went with it. They liked my stories and I would tell one everyday.

Here are Nick and Caroline after they received their awards.

Here is Nick receiving his awards from Mrs. Beard the guidance counselor. He received a math, science, improved reader and junior achiever awards.

Here is Caroline receiving hers from Mrs. Beard. She received the academic excellence honor(the biggie), Accelerated REader, and the friend one (we can't remember the exact name of it)

I am so proud of both of them. They changed so much during 1st grade. Caroline has developed such a love for reading (just like her mother) and Nick had so much improvement in reading and writing I'm amazed. It was a hard year, but good one.

I think that is about all I have for you. I will try not to wait so long before posting again. I haven't taken many pictures yet this summer because we have been so busy cleaning. Now that it is finished I will.

Star Search

2009-05-17T14:47:00.001-07:00

My gorgeous boy performed in his 1st grade play on Friday "Star Search". It is about the planets and moons. The planets loose their moons and are searching for them. He did a great job, said all his lines (at the right times) and sang and danced. The dancing was hillarious and I wish I had a video camera.
Here are a couple other moons.

Here is Nick dancing. You don't get the whole effect, but it was so funny.

A funny face.

Some of the cast.

The Planets.

Getting ready to start.

I am so proud of Nick and how well he did.

It has been a busy weekend here. Got the yard cut, a garden planted, the grocery, and some studying. Nick has been wanting to plant a garden so we went to Kmart today and got pole beans, carrots, and corn seeds. 2 tomato plants, bell pepper plants, a squash (totally caroline's idea) and some sunflower seeds. It was a lot of work, but the kids helped with all the work of preparing the dirt and planting all the seeds and plants. Now if they just keep it up. I will post a pic of garden tomorrow.

Spicy chicken & mushrooms

2009-05-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the much requested recipe John and I have falllen in love with.

1 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 TBSP minced ginger (I still haven't found this)
2 c sliced mushrooms
4 scallions, sliced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (be careful they make it very hot)
1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
1 TBSP rice vinegar
1/2 c cilantro
3 c cooked rice (I use minute rice)

Heat oil in a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger to pan; cook 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms, scallions, red pepper flakes and 1/4 tsp each of salt and black pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring often.

Reduce heat to medium. Add chicken to pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until cooked through.

Stir in soy sauce, vinegar and cilantro; cook 2 minutes. Serve with rice, if desired.

Makes 4 servings Prep 20 min Cook 10 min

This is so easy and quick and we love it. I hope you enjoy it.

Lots to share

2009-05-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

I added my pictures first so I'm going backwards. This is Mother's Day Eve. The kids wanted to take me to dinner at my favorite mexican resturant and we got these pics before we left. Of course Nick had to wear a tie because it was a special occasion. Note: Caroline's hair she has started fixing it herself. Somebody help me.she kept wanting to tilt her head back like in the first pic so I was holding her ponytail so she wouldn't which cracked her up.

My sweet sweet boy giving me a kiss because, "You're the bestest mommy ever."

That's my boy.

My class had their play at school last Friday and here are the crayon I put together for them as a small gift. They did such a great job. I was so proud of them. The play was named the Color Factory.

The day of Nick's surgery he got a prize of these lego men and a star wars sticker book. (these pics are for Nick's very special friend Riley)

This is how the ship goes together. No I'm not sure why the men stick off the side. I haven't figured that out.

This is Nick drawing the lego ship with side walk chalk for Riley to see.

Ok over Derby weekend the kids thought it would be hillarious to put the cat in the build a bear stroller and push him around. Yes he sat there and didn't complain. Go figure.

Here are pictures from Nick's first ball game. This pic is after sliding into home with a homerun. Yes he had 2 homeruns (not over the fence) that he knocked into the outfield.

Here he is batting on of those homeruns.

Throwing the ball into home with a huge smile on his face.

Here he is waving to me after one of the homeruns. He was very excited.

This is before we left for the game. I'm not sure about that face.

Here is CAroline reading to Nick and Zander on the picnic table outside one day after school. It really was too cute.

Everyone here is doing good. We are counting down the days left of school which is now 15. We are looking forward to no homework, no getting up and not being on a schedule, and being able to do what we want all day, especially the pool. HOpe you are all doing good.

Ear tubes

2009-05-04T17:30:00.001-07:00

Nick is having ear tube surgery Tuesday morning please keep him in your prayers! 30% hearing loss is back in each ear. He lost his previous tubes 2 weeks ago. They are putting in long-term ventillation tubes. They will stay in for a couple of years (they hope) then he might have to have his ear drum patched, but the dr said we will deal with that then because there is not an option. Please pray this is the answer. I will update tomorrow after surgey.

Eggs, hunting, and duvet

2009-04-14T16:18:00.001-07:00

I hope you all had a Happy Easter. Saturday we colored eggs and the kids again this year got dye all over their hands. They were so funny this year. It was like they had never dyed eggs before they were amazed with the color. Sunday morning Caroline wanted me to hide her eggs outside, but Nick didn't want his eggs outside (they would get dirty) so only Caroline hunted. Yes that is what she slept in. I know don't even go there with me. Here they are coloring eggs. They colored 3 dozen eggs.

John and I have been working on the house since we got our new furniture, which you can see in the previous post, so we got this new duvet cover, shams and brown sheets. I put them on today while I was home with Nick. We are going to paint the walls, get curtains and get a new shower curtain and we will be finished. I'm also going to hang pics of the kids on the walls. I figure since the kids are 7 now we can be a little fancier than we have been in the past. I'm ready to move past the hodgepodge we've had going on.

This weekend Nick had a rare several reaction to some of the meds he has been taking so he didn't sleep for 3 nights this past weekend. We were at the dr yesterday and thankfully he slept last night. He seems much better today and I appreciate everyone's prayers. I will keep you updated.

New furniture

2009-04-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

We got our furniture on Wednesday and we really like it. Here are a few pictures, but I'm having trouble getting one of the whole room.

review of spring break

2009-04-06T18:28:00.000-07:00

Ok I meant to post everyday, but obviously that didn't happen. It seems like we were so busy, but home alot too! Wednesday we visited The Uhls' Family in Lexington and had a great busy day! The boys love each other so much and played non stop all day. They are so cute together. Caroline tries to keep up with them, but hangs with the girls more. Below are pics of all the kids playing, Nick and Riley playing basketball, Caroline swinging on the horse, Reed looking so stinking cute, and the kids playing with the tractor, then the kids watching tv on Riley's bed. We had so much fun and the kids get along so very well together. It was a great day!

Thursday we stayed home, played a bit, cleaned a bit, did a little homework, and then did it all over again. WE also made a special trip to Michael's for the kids to get a craft for the afternoon because we thought it was going to rain. Nick chose a rock kit where you dig for the rocks. He got so excited when he found one. Caroline got an American Girl Hair kit. She sat in her room most of the afternoon watching a dvd that came with the kit and fixing her dolls hair. We also scored a ton of $1.00 crafts. It was a fun afternoon!

Friday John took the day off and we shopped all day! The kids were not thrilled about it, but were good sports. We bought a couch, 2 chairs and a rug for the living room. I'm very excited. John is picking it up Wednesday night. We also picked up a duvet cover for the kids. Nick got Star Wars and Caroline got a cute pink polka dot.

I will take a pic of the new duvets and furniture when it gets here and post. Today it was back to the grind with all the craziness that goes with our lives. Nick had speech theraphy after school so I dropped Nick off then took Caroline to the dr bc she still has a bad cough and sore throat. She has a sinus infection and ear infection. John picked Nick up and Caroline and I went the grocery. It was 6:15 before we got home. Much craziness, but only 39 more days!

Saturday I had class and Nick had baseball practice then we just hung out at home.

Sunday John played golf and the kids and I went to L'burg to visit Aunt Carol and Granny. Aunt Carol is here for good Her and Uncle Danny have moved to Bowling Green. The kids are very excited she is back and they can see her when they want too and not just once a year. We headed home early to get ready for school/work today. I'm really sure where the week went. It seemed so short. Oh well I guess they all do. Just 39 more days until Summer break.

As you can tell I'm ready for summer break since I said something about 3 different times during this post. Oh well what can I say.

No purchases!

2009-04-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

These are the best pics I could get. Couldn't get far enough away to get the whole living room in the pic. What do you think?

Spring Break!

2009-03-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

Could not have come soon enough. We all needed a break from the craziness. Here is what's been going on.

Since robbery we have replaced our wii, Mario Kart, controllers, steering wheels, and computer. It has been so hard getting used to a new computer. We got a Dell and had to get the 2007 version of Microsoft office and it is completely different. There is definitely a learning curve.

Saturday had a very long 4hour biology class. I put this class off as long as possible bc I did so bad in it the first time I went to college. Keep biology and me in your prayers. I just want to look at this woman and say "God created us and the world and that is the end of it." Aunt Mel we can't all be science junkies. Then John and I went out on a date by ourselves for the 1st time in a long time. We went to my new favorite resturaunt Sol Aztecas. They have the best cheese dip and taco salad with chicken. Awesome.

Sunday I scrapbooked for the 1st time in a very long time and got 8pages finished. I was so happy and now I have the itch. The bad thing about having my computer stolen is I lost my pictures and the backup disc I thought I had is missin 6 months. At least I have the blog.

Monday John was home sick with us so it was a lot of playing outside. The kids had their sleeping bags in the front yard just laying there talking, and playing.

The boys playing Tiger Woods Golf.
Battleship is our new favorite game here. This contraption in the front is Caroline's new Fashion Polly set.

Tuesday has been very busy with a bunch of everything. At 9:00 this morning we made a model volcano, then we cleaned, then we played video games, then we played board games, then we cleaned, then we played more video games, then we painted the volcano, then we had lunch, then we played more, then we ran a couple of errands, then came home to watch a movie at 4:00. Whew! We are having lots of fun though.

Aunt Carol is driving to Kentucky as I type moving to Bowling Green. We are very excited about this. We will be visiting with her at the end of the week. That is about it from here. We are going to explode the volcano. I will post pics tomorrow.

ROBBERY*madness!

2009-03-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

We'll after a short break due to a robber stealing my computer I'm back. Someone broke in on Tuesday sometime (no I don't know how or when) and took my laptop and the wii. It was a hard week at our house. The kids have been pretty freaked out over it. We replaced our stuff yesterday so things are sorta back to normal. At least the kids are happy they can play wii.

Hopefully, blogging will get back to normal to, we'll see!

My little PIGGY!

2009-03-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

Caroline played a pig in their play today "Three of a Kind". Isn't she adorable? She did a great job and had a blast. she was so excited last night she couldn't sleep and she shaved her legs for the occasion (yes with the fake razor). Grandma and Daddy came to watch her and attended her cast party after the show in her classroom.

`The Three Little Pigs
Three Blind Mice
Three CabellarosThree Bears. Baby bear was hiding in a tree bc the story is about baby bear running away and the muskateers finding him.

Three muskateers.

Father/Daughter Princess Snowball Dance 2009

2009-02-22T14:54:00.000-08:00

Isn't she gorgeous. THey had so much fun. THere were about 300 Dads/Daughters at the dance. THis is her corsaige.

WE ate at Texas Roadhouse before they dance with Kris (GS leader with me) and her Husband Matt and daughter Maddie. THe girls were so cute and everyone kept asking if they had been in a wedding.

THe girls did a lot of picking each other up while "dancing". I'm not real sure why.

Caroline did dance with John quite a few times. Some of the girls wouldn't dance with their dads.

THis is before we left.

The pictures aren't great bc my camera quite working when I tried to take pics of her getting ready so we went to the camera store bc I though it was a memory card issue, but wasn't so I bought a cheap point and shoot for last night.

Happy 7th Birthday!

2009-02-15T17:05:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe how fast the last 7 years have gone by. Last Monday the kids celebrated their birthday. It was a day of reflection for me. Remembering how I felt when I saw them for the first time, how it all happened, Granny cooking breakfast, the pain, how bad the pain was, how beautiful they were when they were born. It was hard for me to put my thoughts into complete sentences. I love them both so much and in so many different ways. I could not have asked for more wonderful kids.

THis year they decided to have seperate birthday parties. During the power outage we decided a pj, movie party would be fun so we borrowed a projector and hung a sheet on the wall in the basement and it was very cool. Nick had 7 friends over and watched Star Wars Clone Wars and Caroline had 6 girls and watched High School Musical. Not much watching happened but everyone had fun.

Monday they took cupcakes to school for each class and Grandma and Pa-paw came over for dinner. I have created several traditions over the years for their birthday, but I had to let some of them go this year realizing there was so much other stuff going on I didn't have time. One of those traditions was special cake toppers on small bday cakes and making their invitations. So we handed down the invitation tradition to Aunt Mel and I still made small cakes they just didn't have special toppers.

Here are the pictures:

FOr some reason I didn't get as many of the girl party as I did Nick's Oh yeah because they were just running around screaming. Oh they were loud.

I'M BACKKKKKKK

2009-02-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

COmputer is fixed (for free I might add) I have a ton of great pictures that go back to 1st week of January. Here we go hang on:

Cheerleading with the Princess

Caroline and BFF Mollie before first game. Cute aen't they?

Ah yes she can shake those things.

Next we have family sledding in an ice storm that knocked out our power for 6 days.

Yes we are dummies from going down this hill with freezing rain hitting us.

Nick's got it going on then oh no:

He looses it and flips over.

That takes us up through the ice storm. I want to do a seperate post for their birthdays. Glad to be back and blogging again! I've missed cyberworld.

Holiday RECAP

2009-01-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has taken so long, but we have been so busy or sick. We had a great holiday this year and I will recap all of it.

Our last day of school was Dec. 19. It was a great day at school. WE enjoyed passing out the gifts we made, which I did't take one picture of. I'm so sorry bc they were really cute. We took glass ornaments and filled them with yellow styrofoam balls and put a fluer de le on the front then tied blue ribbon. These are our school colors and symbol bc we are a french school. Then we made some that were round with red/green balls with different sayings on them like joy, or just snowflakes. We also made the special area teachers tile coasters with their initials on them. They turned out really cool too! Next year I will document our creativeness. The kids had their holiday parties at school and had so much fun. Nick and John made snowman cookies on Thursdsay night while Caroline and I went to a Girl Scout party to decorate cookies. His cookies were a hit at his party. WE got rid of a kitten at school on Friday Daisy went to live with Mrs. Link. So we took him and a small liter box to school with us to deliver him with a big red bow on his neck. She fell in love with her and carried her around with her all day. She definitely went to a good home. My class had their party in the afternoon and I was given a gift card to the camera store. I was so excited. WE stayed after school to get the decorations down and everything ready for the 1st day back. The kids and I were so ready to be out and have a break.

The weekend was filled with shopping and wrapping, and getting ready. Tuesday Jennifer and AShley came over to make cookies. It was tons of fun and a huge mess.

Tuesday night we went out to eat and had a suprise visit from Santa while we were gone. The kids were sceamin' their heads off when we walked in and there were 2 presents for them to open : with a Wii and extra remote. He had already set it up and it was ready to play. So JOhn and I let them open the wii related presents we had gotten them. Santa left a note saying we would be gone Christmas day and the day after so he brought it early so they would get to play with it. How cool of him? WE played the whole next day and had so much fun. So far the favorite game is the sports pack that came with it. JOhn and Nick love the golfing and all of us love the bowling.

Christmas day we spent the morning in the 'burg with the ENTIRE family. I mean everyone no one was missing. It was madness, but fun. It was nice to meet Chris' new wife, and see Joe and Sara's new baby Zachary and hold him (oh I didn't think I would be able to let him go, but when Joe told me I would die if I tried to take him I figured I better give him back). Granny really enjoyed having all her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids in her house. AGain very crowded.

Friday we made the trip to Berea to see my Mom, sister, and neice Destinee. WE had lunch, played their wii and enjoyed the company. The bad part of the trip was Nick asking every couple of SECONDS "ARE WE THERE YET? HOW MUCH LONGER?" the entire trip there and back.

Saturday was hanging out which we have pretty much been doing since then. We have cleaned the basement, the garage and the house several times. We put all the toys away, got rid of some and found spots for new stuff. It is Sunday at 4:00 and I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning at 7 or going back to work. But I"m sure once I'm back into the routine it will be nice.

Here are some funnies!

I bought the kids a kids shaving kit for Christmas bc they keep shaving their legs with my razor so the pic of caroline shaving her leg is hillarious. If you know me you know I shave everyday no matter what like, running late, pregnancy, sick it doesn't matter everyday. Where did she learn to do that? ha ha!

Here is zander climbing our Christmas tree while I was taking the decorations off. He tore it up this year so we threw it away after taking it down.

The second kitten left the monday before Christmas (the 22nd I think) so Zander and the Daisy (the other kitten) slept with CAroline the couple of nights after the 1st one left. Here they are in the middle of the night sleeping together.

Friday night Nick lost his 1st tooth. He was so excited. The tooth fairy brought him $5. CAroline politely told him he only got $5 bc it was his 1st and he wouldn't get that much again.
Before Christmas we had to have a cat rescue. Zander climbed the tree in the backyard and then went higher, then caroline flipped out thinking he wasn't going to be able to get back down. So Nick runs in and puts on his fireman costume and runs outside to save the cat. Because Firemen rescue cats from trees! Duh! It was so funny to watch. He was throwing sticks up in the tree to try to get him down (I have no idea) and the cat started trying to get down and fell, but he laned on his feet. Nick threw his hat down and said, Well that's done. and went in the house. So funny!

John and I had a version of the stomach bug not once but twice. Crazyness.

I played Super paper mario so much my wrist and thumb started hurting.

My basement is clean, my garage is cleaned, the house is cleaned, I got almost everything done I wanted to while off, so I am going back tomorrow with a clear head. I'm looking forward to a year of accomplishment. That is the word I chose for the year: accomplishment.

cheerLEADING MADNESS

2008-12-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

Caroline had her first cheerleading practice last night. Of course I forgot my camera, but here is her uniform. She was so excited when she put it on. The fee came with skort, shirt, hair bow, car magnet, magnetic picture frame, cd of scriptures, and a mess bag to carry it in. She has practice next monday then not until after the first of the year. She can't wait until her first game.

Weekend Joy!

2008-12-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

The kids are bathing, John is in Florida, the cat is laying beside me with the dog chewing on him and I am in one of my favorite spots....the computer. It has been a combo weekend. Some rest and some busyness. A good one for sure.

Last week was a tuff week at school and I started back to school which made it even more difficult. I had Nick's meeting at school on Friday and all I will say is it was not productive and at one point I said, "we are talking about my son not a piece of paper." I cried through half of the meeting. I'm trying not to worry about it bc I know God will take care of him and lead us where we need to be. And if that is a school that cost $10,000 he will show me a way to make it happen. See previous posts if you don't know what is going on.

Saturday we had some errands to run and were trying to get a better picture for our Christmas cards so we walked around the mall for a little while after getting these pictures we headed home and hung out there and the kids played while I did homework. It was restful to be here not out in the cold. John and I did go to a St. Matthews Elem work function at Incredible Dave's to see Mr. Seiberts band V-groove and we had a great time. There were about 20 people from school there. WE are trying to decide on one of these pictures if you have an opinion.

TOday the kids and I went to the grocery after JOhn left, then I had school from 1-5 so Jennifer kept the kids. WE have had dinner, cleaned up, the kids are in the bath and we are getting ready to settle down to our traditional daddys out of town movie before bed. I Hope you all had a great weekend. This one is just for the fun of

The CATCH-UP

2008-12-02T14:06:00.000-08:00

Ahh where to begin:

Here is Caroline in her Brownie sash before her last meeting yes which was the 1st Thursday of November. Isn't she cute?

Next Ashley Potts turned 19. Wow can you believe it? Me either.Here is the latest picture of Baby Katherine.

Next is St. Matthews Fall Family DInner. This is such a big event that all the kids love. This year instead of a dunking booth they had a pie throwing booth. Yes Nick hiit Mr. Siebert the first try. He was so excited he came running through the hall yelling to tell me bc I didn't get to see it.

This one is Mr. Leffert our principal and the first one is Ms. Hunt the kids teacher last year. We all had a great time.

Next both kids had to do timelines of their lives. We got a lot more creative with Caroline's bc we got it 2 weeks earlier than nick's. Here are the finished product from both.

Next is the latest movei night. WE watched the new star wars clone wars movie. Nick couldn't wait to see it, but only lasted about 20 min. There were some men that scared him. DOn't you love the darth vader masks? I rock!

THen we have THanksgiving. I took Sallie to the groomers on WEd to get a haircut and she had picked up a cat with 3 kittens and a puppy on the side of the road that morning with frost on them. She asked if I knew anyone that would want them and to make a long story short I brought them home with me. NO THEY ARE NOT STAYING. WE ARE FINDING THEM GOOD HOMES. I took 2 of the kittens and the puppy and a teacher I work with took the other kitten. The dog Caroline is holding in our horrible THanksgiving pic is Grace.

and these are the cats. That is all for today. More tomorow.

2nd attempt

2008-12-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

I've been gone for awhile so I have a lot to catch you up on and I will in time.

We had a good Thanksgiving and we hope all of you had a good one too. My computer was gone for 2 weeks and didn't come home until last Wednesday. THat is why I haven't posted. It is also getting ready to leave again because 5 of the keys are falling off, which means I need another new keyboard. It is only covered under warranty until Dec. 8.

I tried to take a class last year during Christmas called Journal your Christmas and I didn't get very far, but you are included every year after you sign up the first time. So here I go again and I'm going to try very hard. I wanted to post the manifesto and will probably do some of it on the blog for all to share.

Starting today, December first, I will keep a Christmas journal. In it, I will write
something every day to reflect on the holidays of my past, enjoy the holidays of
the present and dream about the holidays of the future. To some, this would be a
stack of papers and trivial
scribbles, but not to me. I
am taking back my
Christmas, I am letting it
be something I relish and
most importantly I am
giving at least fifteen
minutes to myself, every
day, no matter how crazy
this season becomes. This
Christmas I will make
something with my own
hands, my own words and
my own memories.

After reading the manifesto if you are interested you can find it here. I really want to take the time to reflect this year for me and the kids.

Ok I haven't loaded any pictures yet, but I have a movie night to share, thanksgiving, the kids time lines for school, new animals in the house and a few random things. So there will be more tomorrow or Wednesday.

Fall Shoot

2008-11-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

Here are the pics from our fall photo shoot. Enjoy! We are now trying to figure out where to take Winter pics.

This is Nick rolling down the hill.

Nick was not into taking pictures like CAroline was as you can tell.

Random bits!

2008-11-03T16:28:00.000-08:00

John made it safely to Tampa on Sunday. The kids and I hung out most of yesterday. Today we took Nick to the dr, he has a virus, and no meds. I had to work for 3 hours today and was able to take the kids with me. We just hung around the house the rest of the day.

TOmorrow morning we will be voting early to beat the crowds and then who knows what we will get into.

I wanted to mention a few things.

1 Did you see this in the Sunday paper? This would be Caroline's dream come true. No she isn't getting one.
2 They do want these. This is the one thing they have asked for.
3 Caroline also wants this.

I'm sad because for the 1st time since the kids were born I will not be able to make our Christmas cards. This company will be doing them this year. We are talking about them now. I also am looking for ideas for my kids at school for gifts. I can't believe it is November and we all know it will be here before we know it.

I hope everyone is doing good. I will update soon.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

Let's start off by showing your the gang. Here they all are. Caroline's wig didn't last long bc it was getting in her face. Yes that is the cat. No he didn't go trick or treating with us.

Here is Caroline being a rock star.

Nick was a fireman.

Isn't he cute?

Here is Caroline being silly, but I love the picture.

Here is the assemble before we took the wig off. She is MItchie from Camp ROck.

This is the gang being silly.

EVeryone had a great time. We went to a few houses then came home to tade candy, then play, then eat pizza. It was a great night.

John left this morning for Tampa and will be gone the next 4 days. Luckily we are off school Mon, and Tues. WE plan on having a good time.

The HAPPENINGS!

2008-10-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Lots have been going on around here so let me update you.

First we attended the Rotary Club Pancake breakfast at school last Saturday morning. Pancakes were delicious like always. It was John's birthday so we headed out to do a little bday shopping for the traditional blue jeans and shoes. That is what he asks for every year. The kids wanted to make him a golf build-a-bear, but I finally talked them out of that. Saturday night we headed to a pig roast in the 'burg. Yes you read right "pig roast". It is horribly gross in my personal opinion, but the family loves it. Even Uncle Danny ate it yuck gross! that is all I have to say about that. It was freezing so we weren't there long. The fire was the neatest thing there.

This is a look of "Mom I'm cold and ready to go home."

Sunday I took the kids to the movies to see this. So totally awesome (I"m such a geek), but I'm still getting made fun of because I cried through most of the movie. Yes I did. I think the nostalgia of prom and graduation were to much for me to contain myself. It was really good though so if you get a chance go see it.

Nick is totally into this now. Don't ask me...I have no idea. It must be a 1st grade thing. We are the proud owners of two stormtrooper costumes and a Boba Fett costume. You can see below he has worn them so much he lost the butt of both of them. John and him play Star Wars everynight now and yes it drives me crazy. He is in these costumes every waking minute (minus school). Here is a good action shot of the boys having a "fight".

Caroline is still totally in love with Zander. Yes dd I'm crazy or was under the influence of strong drugs at the time of purchase. I still can't believe I have a cat living in my house. I do not like cats. All I can say is it was those big brown eyes. She has not put the cat down. She carries it like a baby, reads books to him, sings to him and is the first thing she gets when she gets home from school. I think he stinks literally, but she says he doesn't. Go figure.

Nick's homework this week was for the family to create a turkey out of materials we wanted. The only stipulation was it has to attach to a piece of black construction paper. Here is our turkey. His name is Randy the Candy Turkey. My fingers are still numb from using the hot glue gun. If you would like to know the % nick did and the % John and I did is is about 1 to 99. He put the first 3 pieces of candy on and that was it. But it is finished and ready to turn in and I think it is pretty cute if I do say so myself.
We also carved our pumpkin tonight. After scooping out 1 spoon of insides Nick looked up and said " that is gross I don't like it." and off he went. I should not be suprised he hasn't liked pumpkins since his first pumpkin. Caroline was all into it and carved one of her own with the little pumpkin carving tools. Here is the finished product.

This one is Caroline's...

Here is Nick saying "Dad this is gross." Check out the look on his face.

The way cool family pumpkin.
Nick's pumpkin. Notice the top is not cut off. Is is just scrapped on the outside.
Tomorrow Caroline has her fall party at school and Nick has his Friday. They are both excited about Halloween Friday night. Nick is being a fireman and Caroline is being Mitchie from the movie Camp Rock. We are praying for teenagers and firemen. No I won't let Nick dress up as a star wars man and he is not happy about that. I'm not sure how you pray for a star wars character and that has always been the rule. You can only dress up for something you can pray for. WE will be having the Hoagland's over for pizza and trick or treating.

Please keep me in your prayers. I have to take the educators test on Saturday. It is a 4 hour test that cost $150 to take. I have to score 173 on all 3 parts. You can not be admitted to the College of Education without that score. I don't want to have to take it again bc it cost so much.

I think that is it from here for now.

Oh one more thing. Nick had the next part of his testing Tues morning and he goes back tomorrow morning for the last part. She will then set up and apt with us to tell us the results.

Happy Fall

2008-10-22T13:45:00.001-07:00

Well, the leaves are changing and falling. We are finishing up the kids halloween costumes. CAroline is dressing up as this . WE got the boots and shirt from Disney on clearance. Nick is dressing up as this. They are both looking forward to trick or treat. We are having some of their friends over to have pizza before then we will go trick or treating to the few houses around us that we know.

Caroline and me are both home from school sick today. She has an ear infection and i have bronchitis. We are sitting at the music store waiting on Nick to finish drum lessons. WE will be headed back to school tomorrow.

Zander is doing ok. I don't think his legs have hit the floor for more than a couple of minutes.

That is all from here for now.

The ZANDER Chapter

2008-10-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Ok call me stupid, dumb, crazy, etc. I am. Caroline bought a kitten this weekend. It is the big news from the Potts' house. The Humane Society was "giving them away" and we came home with one. No I can't believe it either. She is incredibly happy and he is cute (right now).

No I'm not a cat person so we will see how it goes. She has been wanting one for about 2 years now so the adventure begins. He got his first bath tonight. Yes I will be giving the cat a bath.

This picture pretty much sums up today...crazy!

We took Nick to the Psychologist yesterday. It went well. We go back next Tues. and Thurs. to complete the testing. She noticed yesterday he is very easily "visually distracted" meaning it takes a lot to keep him interested with his eyes. I will let everyone know when we find something out. Just please keep him in your prayers.

That is about it from here this weekend. Hope everyone else had a good weekend.

Here comes the TOOTH FAIRY!

2008-10-15T17:12:00.001-07:00

Caroline lost her 1st tooth tonight. It has been loose for about 2 weeks. She was very nervous about losing it and pulling it, but she was very brave tonight and got it out. As soon as it came out she rattled off a list of people she needed to call. You see the excitement on her face while telling everyone on the phone. She is looking forward to the tooth fairy coming tonight. We will let you know tomorrow what she brings. We're off to bed. Look at that beautiful face. Oh I love her so much. I kept telling her I was going to cry when it came out, but I held myself together. I just can't believe they are old enough to lose teeth. Where does the time go.

drums, gymnastics, and tea!

2008-10-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

The weekend was full and fun. We started Friday night off with Nick starting drum lessons. Wow, was he excited. The practicing, "is too hard Mom." is mostly what I hear. I guess that is par for the course. His teacher is teaching him how to hold the sticks and cross his hands while playing the snare and cymbal.

Saturday was orientation for the College of Education. Let's talk about the hoops. I can't believe some of the things I have to do. Oh well it will be worth it "ONE DAY". Then I rushed home to get ready for the American Girl Tea Party. We went with Lily and her mom Pam. You will not believe I didn't take my camera, but I didn't. The tea was at Churchill Downs and I didn't want to carry it all afternoon. After we got there I couldn't believe I didn't take it. There were so many wonderful opportunities to take pictures. The girls had their dolls hair styled. We got to look at the accessories and dolls up close and personal. This was Caroline's favorite. If anybody wants to send $250 I'll order it for her. Ha ha! After the styling and looking we were seated at a round table for 8 with pink everywhere. We were served turkey and cheese, pimento cheese, and pbj finger sandwiches, fruit and cookies, and there was a basket on each table with bags of carmel corn, smarties, gummy bears, and jolly ranchers. The fashion show was the big event of the tea and we got to see each doll as a real person modeling. They also showed their pj's, holiday outfits, and original. After the show all the girls came back out and sat on the runway and signed autographs. It was so totally cool, especially for a 6 yr old. CAroline had a look of amazement on her face through the whole thing. I so wish I had my camera.

Sunday was cleaning and reading. I'm trying to finish a book for a class on slave religion (horrible) and we went to eat dinner with Jennifer. It was good to get to spend some time with her.

We welcomed a new "blair" to the family on Friday night. Zachary Todd is Joey and Sara's newest family member. Isn't he gorgeous?

We also found out Sunday night Chris and Beth are expecting another baby in May. Katherine turned one year old this week. Happy Birthday Katherine.

Nick is still having problems in class at school so we saw the Pediatrician on Tues. and talked about ADHD and auditory processing problems. She sent me home with a packet of papers to fill out, for the teacher to fill out and Ms. Hunt (last years teacher) to fill out. We filled them out and faxed them in and Dr. Abbott's conclusion is "his primary problem is not ADHD." We have been referred to a psychologist for psyco-educational testing. Please keep him in your prayers. Our goal is to figure out what the problem is and start fixing it. His teacher this year loves Him (of course) and is very supportive and willing to do whatever we need her to do in class. This week she will be giving him his spelling test orally instead of on paper. We are very blessed to be working with such great supportive people.

Ok I have gone on enough tonight. Here are some fun pictures of Caroline practicing gymnastics in the basement.

Tiger Fun Fest and other stuff!

2008-10-05T17:36:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy week, but a good week. I took both of my finals this week(I thinkI did good) and the kids had Tiger FUn Fest on Thursday (their version of field day). It was a great day!

Here are the highlights!

Here are Lily and Caroline before they started running and then they ran around the track holding hands. It was hillarious.

This is Nick hiding from Tony the Tiger. He hid during the whole event. Maybe one day that boy will get over his hang up with mascots.

We had Friday off and the kids are off Monday (I have to work) and we all have Tuesday off. It has been a good weekend full of running errands. We had to get some fall/winter clothes because the kids have outgrown last years clothes. Caroline had a birthday party today and Nick wasn't invited so he went to his friend Dietrich's house to play. They both had a great time.

This is a picture of Caroline before loosing any teeth. Her bottom front teeth are loose, but she still hasn't lost one. I figured I need a picture of the before. I will let you know as soon as she looses one.

That is all for tonight I have to work tomorrow so I'm going to bed. I will post later.

Back to the CRAZYNESS

2008-09-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

Well our fall reprive is over. We head back to school tomorrow and to all the madness that comes along with the electric being back on. We really enjoyed our time off and together. Now we start back on our regular schedule that includes me not having time to take pictures or blog. I'm going to try really hard to continue taking pictures and updating the blog. I hope you have enjoyed our recent post.

Today Caroline and I made a quick trip to Kohl's to get these and these. I had been waiting for Dockers to go on sale and the men's were buy one get one half off. Great deal. The womens also went on sale today which I had been waiting for. I like the new wiast they have on them and the new blue jean color they have. Then we went to Michael's to get mounting board for $1 a sheet to mount our pictures on for this. I'm going to try really hard to have this project finished by next weekend. We'll see. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Then Nick had a game this afternoon. Caroline went and spent some time with Aunt Charlotte while we went to the game. Nick was not up to par today (he has croup) so nothing spectacular happened. He didn't get a hit.

Tonight Caroline and I went to Maddie's house (Her mom is co-leader girl scouts) so Kris and I could plan out the year and the 2 girls could play. They had a blast and we got 3 months planned. That is amazing compared to last year. I'm excited about this year bc you get to earn try-it badges which is what you think of when you think of Girl Scouts. I can't wait to see how many badges we can earn this year.

Ok I'm off to bed. I've enjoyed the blogging world again this week. Hope you did too.

The BIKE*era

2008-09-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

Well things are getting back to as normal as possible at the Potts' house. Doug came over this morning with his chainsaw so the yard is almost cleaned up. We still have a huge limb hanging out of one of the trees that we are still figuring out what to do with.

The kids have learned a new trick this weekend......RIDING BIKES WITH NO, NO, NO TRAINING WHEELS! Yikes. I've been a nervous reck. Nick got on and took off the 1st time. Caroline has taken a little longer, but she finally got the hang of it this afternoon. I went to the grocery and restocked our frig this afternoon then we took the kids over to the school to ride bikes in the car rider lot. When we got there we saw about 5 electric trucks. The area our school is in was hit very hard so they are not all up and running yet. Check out the determination on her face! You will also see Nick's favorite pic below....we had to buy kickstands today for their bikes. Because a bike is not a bike without a kickstand.

After dinner we went to Target to look at costumes. Nick has decided on a fireman and Caroline is going to be Mitchie from Camp Rock.

This pic is of my living room wall. The quote was my bday gift from Melanie and I'm just now getting it on the wall. It was so easy and I love it.

The thing I have loved the most about our unexpected time off is being able to take pictures. I have got some awesome shots and gotten to do a lot of something I love. I would love to do this to the living room wall with my pictures. I love the way this wall looks and I love her photos. She is one of the photographers I follow. She takes awesome pictures.

More tomorrow....hopefully. I am going to try really hard to keep taking pictures even when we go back to school, work, school bc it is something I truly love.

HOMESWEETHOME

2008-09-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

It is 8:58 and we are in our house and getting ready to go to bed. The electricity came back on about 5:00. We are so very happy to be home.

We went to H&D's to get our stuff, clean up after ourselves, and lock up. Lucky is staying with us until Monday night when they get home.

Today we came to our house to clean out the frig to try to get the smell out of the house. Now my frig looks like new on the inside. I also had time to rearrange the living room furniture. I will post a pic tomorrow. Just wanted to let you know we are home and sleeping in our own beds tonight.

Jumpyness!

2008-09-18T08:28:00.001-07:00

We spent the afternoon at All about Kids for open gym. I forgot to set my camera for action shots so all my pictures are blurry you'll have to bare with me. Nick really enjoyed having a padded room he could jump, run, and flip in. Caroline spent her time practicing.

Here are my faves.

update

2008-09-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

No school today so we are heading out to the park (yes again), then home to decorate for fall(because I figure if I don't do it now I won't get it done and yes in the dark) then I have a meeting with the Dean of the College of Education in the afternoon.

We still have no electricity. WE are very thankful we have somewhere to stay. THank you to the wonderful people (dd, and melody) that left me messages. Still waiting to here from Aunt Carol bc I know she is going to love the pics from the park.

Yesterday we did some clean up around H&D's house, went to the pharmacy, park, and to our house, then I went to school. Here are a couple of cute pics from yesterday. Melody I have a Cannon digital rebel xt. I love it except you have to change lenses if you want to zoom. So my new zoom is getting real close to whoever I'm shooting. I think it has great color.

I will post this afternoon after we take more pics today. Enjoy it while you can bc when we go back to school it will probably be few and far between.

Amelia being as cute as always. The top pic is my favorite from the day.

THese two are Nick and Gabe playing with Nick's police car and fire truck at the playground. The got sooooo dirty.

Nick and Amelia playing with his cars. Nick is Amelia's favorite.

No COMMENTS

2008-09-16T19:53:00.001-07:00

Ok, I did not blog for 4 weeks and everyone was telling me I needed to update the blog now I have blogged 3 times in 2 days and I still don't have a comment..... What is up with that???????

a day at the park

2008-09-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

We still don't have electricity so we are still staying at Helen and Dave's. They left this morning for South Carolina for Lauren and Emily's birthday so we are here by ourselves. We headed into town today to check on our house and then we went to the park at our school to play. I decided it would be a good day for a photo shoot.

Here are my favorites.

News today is school is out tomorrow and my school is going back tomorrow on regular schedule. More people have electricity today, but we are not one of them. We are still hanging out at Helen and Dave's. It has been nice to have a few days off and I have been able to get caught up on some of my school work. Talk to you soon!

Tree pics

2008-09-15T13:31:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures of the tree in the backyard.

This is what the kids were doing right before the tree fell.

Here are the kids in their bed at Helen and Dave's last night. It is 5:00 now and the electricity still is not on. The news is saying it might be 10-14 days before everyone is back up. We are just going to hang out here until we have power. They have already cancelled school tomorrow.

Here are some pictures I haven't had time to post. This is a contraption Nick built and a funny picture of him.

HOpe everyone is safe. We miss you all!

IKE*hits home!

2008-09-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

We have survived the wind that mercilessly attacked us today. John and the kids were out in the yard working on a paint spill when I went out and said "guys I think you need to come in" before we had time to move we heard a very loud crack and one of our trees fell across the yard a limb hit me in the back and on the arm and a limb hit Caroline in the leg and scrapped and bruised it. It scared all of us tremendously. Needless to say we packed up and headed to Helen and Dave where we still are. The news is saying our electric will be out for an extended amount of time and SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TOMORROW. At this point there are 200 schools and more than 200,000 homes without power. We are thankful nothing hit our house and we just have alot of yard work to do. We know many people with major damage to their homes.

Ok I've been gone for awhile so let me get you caught up. It has been a MAJOR ADJUSTMENT working full-time, going to school, and having 2 kids. I love my job. The teacher and I get along great and I love the kids I have this year. Of course I already have several favorites that just make me smile everyday. One of the few down points is I have to deal with a lot "potty" accidents. I've decided they are too shy to tell someone they have to go to the bathroom. My school has been difficult this 6weeks. I will be glad when it is over. I only have 3 general study classes left and I will be glad when they are over. I'm ready to move on. I am in the process of applying for the College of Education. No they don't just let you in because you say you want to teach. I have to have 5 recommendations, go through an interview, and write an essay. Hopefully I will be accepted and start classes in January.

Enough about me. Caroline is doing great. She loves her teacher and the teacher loves her. She is reading above average and can spell a word after looking at in once. She is still going to gymnastics, piano, and Girl Scouts will start the 1st week of October. She always looks so happy and is so excited because her best friend Lilly is in class with her. Mollie is across the hall too. Nick is not doing so good. He is having lots of trouble with spelling words and is behind in general. We knew that was probably going to happen, but it has been a little more difficult to deal with than I thought. He failed his hearing test, but we saw the ear dr this week and he passed the hearing test there and the dr said his ears look great. Our hope is he catches up quickly and is just having difficulty with the transition. 1st grade is very different from kindergarten. I know I wasn't prepared for it.

Ok I have pictures but I can't get the camera to download them so they will have to wait for another day. I hope you are all ok and safe. I will try to do better blogging.

Friends!

2008-08-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is Amelia, Caroline and Mollie. Caroline and Mollie are the best of friends and Amelia is constantly trying to keep up. It is soooooo cute. Mollie started Kindergarten this year and her and Caroline call each other at night to talk about what they are going to wear the next day to school. Today Nick tried to match them too. He was not happy with me when he discovered I told him the wrong color shirt. What can I say.

Hope everyone had a good day!

Happy Birthday!

2008-08-17T18:36:00.001-07:00

Well we survived week one! Whoo hoo! Thursday was the hardest and the day I was the most tired. The kids had a great week although I think they are still tired. Lots of crying and whining. My least favorite thing about school.

I'm kind of sad because we went to the pool twice this weekend but both times the water was too cold to get in. So sad! I'm already loosing my tan. It is amazing how fast I loose it. Oh well.

Saturday was Aunt Mel's birthday so a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to her.

Nick had a ball scrimmage on Saturday morning. He looks so cute, but like a big boy now. He did very good fielding which is what they have been working on the most in practice. This one will be hanging in Nick's room. It is my favorite.

Today I taught my first kids bible study at church. I am a 3rd grade room and it was good. After church we went to Amelia's birthday party. She turned 3 this week. The first time I held her in the church nursery she was 2 or 3 months old. Wow! Nick is her favorite and she was very excited taking this picture. The party was at Tony Boom-Bozz (where Eric works) so the kids all got to make their own pizza. They thought that was very cool.

This is my favorite picture from the 100 I took today. I love the color and the angle. I think this will probably be on Lesley's wall.

We are ready for another week of work/school I think! Nick's bball games start tomorrow night. We have open house on Thursday. Caroline starts gymnastics tomorrow night also.

HOpe all of you are doing well and enjoy the post. Check out the one under this bc I posted 2 tonight. Love you all!

Day 2.....done

2008-08-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted. 24 2nd day kindergarteners is crazy. Whew. I don't even know how to put my experience the last 2 days into words. They are all so cute and WILD. The job is very busy (which is fine with me bc it goes faster) and right now very chaotic. They keep telling me it gets better with every day. I hope so.

The teacher I'm working with has been nice so far, although she is not known for being nice. Lets hope it lasts. It concerns me a little, but I'll deal with it. I'm still very excited to have my job.

The kids had another great day at school. I'm struggling with Nick to do his homework right now. Caroline has not had homework yet and that makes it hard. I'm listening to them talk in the dinning room right now and Nick said "I was wishing to go home today" Lets hope he is just talking not being serious. Nick had a paper bag in his backpack today that said Welcome to 1st grade with 2 books, a pencil and the cutest puzzle that said welcome to 1st grade I'm glad your here. Love Mrs. Speevack. I just oohed and aahed over it. What a cute idea. I will probably carry that idea with me.

We are officially 1st GRADERS!

2008-08-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

Well we all survived the 1st day of 1st grade. It was crazy, chaotic, and reassuring all at the same time. We on the road the school is on for 10minutes this morning to get in the parking lot. This made me almost late for work. We were walking down the hall and I just kinda shoved the kids on and said bye. I felt awful about it, but they made it to their rooms with smiles on their faces. Nick is very excited about his room and really likes his teacher. He had homework. CAroline knew she liked Mrs. ARmstrong, but especially when she didn't have homework. Here are the pictures from this morning. I love the one of her tying her shoe. They did great today. Tonight they are a little grumpy, but understandable. I'll post more later.

PTL......I got it!

2008-08-10T17:58:00.001-07:00

Oh my I can't tell you how happy I am. I got the job at school I was hoping for. I have been thanking the LORD all weekend. The word came Friday morning. We have spent the weekend trying to get ready for me to go to work tomorrow and the kids to go back to school on Tuesday. It has been crazy. Of course I had to have some new clothes, new shoes, and of course a lunch box. I got a cool Vera Bradley one. Now some of you can quit making fun of me for carrying a CHA lunch box.

Friday was good for the kids. Nick liked his teacher and was excited to find out her would have Mrs. Armstrong for social studies. Then he wanted to know what social studies was. Oh no it might be a long year.

We had a good visit with Grandma Betty, Phill, and Sara on Saturday. Today we did lots of shopping and returning. It took forever. I have been to Target 3 times today, but I'm so excited.

We also celebrated Sallie's 2nd birthday today. We got a cute little "pupcake" at the dog bakery and sang happy birthday. She got her haircut on Sat and they put happy birthday ribbons in her hair.

I forgot, Nick got a little boy tie this weekend at JC Penney for $1.97. This is the outfit he picked out to wear with his tie. Hillarious. I start work Monday morning so pray all goes well. I will post 1st day of school pics on Tues. Here is a pic of my "Do". Ashleigh cut and colored my hair today. John could have taken a better picture but I was trying to teach him how to work the new camera. Not a good one for sure.

The HAPPENINGS

2008-08-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

My 1st grade babies.

Ok we are into the official countdown to the start of school...4 days and counting. Yes, the summer has gone by incredibly fast. Too fast. I'm not finished enjoying my kids even though they hit a new nerve about every minute. We have had lots of family fun.

This week we:

*said goodbye to the first session of gymnastics. CAroline gets to move up to the Red Stars next week. She is very excited about that.

* NIck started baseball practice for fall ball. I can't begin to explain in words how excited he is.

* Nick was tested and is now reading on a level 3 (almost a 4). He was on zero at the beginning of summer.

*We shopped/stressed over uniforms. I officially finished yesterday. Nick outgrew all of his uniform wardrobe from last school year so he had to have all new. I had major trouble finding shorts. Thankfully JC Penney came through for me. I bought the same size shirt he has been wearing all summer and when he tried it on John looked at me and said I think he needs a bigger size. We are now wearing size 7 shirts and 7 shorts. Yes there are tears in my eyes as I type this.

* We spent a couple of evenings at the pool with Dad. Those are our favorite bc its not crowded, we eat dinner there, and mom and dad stay in the whole time. Awesome. Oh and Dad does flips off the diving board. Hillarious.

*I bought and finished this book . Even though I said I wasn't going to buy it Iwas going to wait for it to come out at the library. I folded and couldn't take it anymore, plus it was $12.99 at Walmart. Of the people I know reading it I am the first one finished, but it was awesome. I loved it.

*I put a lot of thought into the teachings of Beth Moore from the weekend and how to incorporate them into my daily life.

*Found a new favorite song. It's the kids new favorite too. "In the Sanctuary" sung by Travis Cottrell. Check him out he is awesome and Nick's favorite.

*Cleaned up the basement. Thank Goodness. It was driving me crazy. It is really bothering me bc I haven't made anything creative all summer. I have something in mind for a very special friend. Now that my desk is cleaned off I can get to it.

*STill have not heard anything from the school about the job I"m praying for. Hopefully tomorrow.

We go tomorrow for "Meet the Teacher Day". The kids will get to see their classrooms and where they will be sitting. We also get to take the 5 shopping bags sitting in my dinning room floor full of school supplies. I will be glad when they are out of the floor. Yes I said 5 bags. It is crazy what you have to take.

I forgot to post this picture, but these are really cool photo hangers from Photojojo. We hung them in Caroline's room over her desk. I wanted to put cool shots and art work on them, but as you can see she had a different idea. Look close you might see yourself. Or at least a couple of cute babies.

I ordered these cool chore cards from Aunt Mel here. The kids complete the chore and flip the card over. IT is easy for them to know what they need to do and easy for me to know what they have done.

Tomorrow (Friday): We meet the teacher, see Dr. Abbott to make sure Nick is doing ok and on the right meds, get haircuts, and watch the opening ceremony for the olympics. We might hit the pool in there somewhere too. We will definitely enjoy this last weekend of summer break with Dad. Next week back to school. HOpefully I will be going with them. I'm also very grateful I'm not feeling the same way I did this time last year. I'm much more comfortable with the kids being in school although I'm still very sad about them being so old and how fast it is going by. I will take lots of pictures this weekend to share.

Beth Moore***Awesome

2008-08-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Friday night I was blessed enough to be in a soldout sanctuary at Southeast Christian Church to see Beth Moore, my favorite bible teacher. Awesome is all I can say. It was wonderful and amazing. Words usually can't describe it. You can get more information about her here.This is what the church looked like all the way around. John and I think Southeast holds 14,000 people and the event was sold out.

This is from worship at the end of the event. Beth dancing right along with us.

THis is Travis Cottrell the worship band leader. He is awesome and Nick's favorite. Nick asked me to get his autograph and I was able to. YOu can find out more about him and his music here.

Oh can an update on the kids: Friday was tiger take-off and we found out what teachers the kids got. Caroline got Mrs. Armstrong (the teacher I worked with last year) which is who she wanted. Nick got Mrs. Speevack who I wanted him to have. He was upset at first because he wanted Mrs. Armstrong too, but after I told he she was really into science he was ok.

This is our last week off. WE start school next Tues the 12th. this coming friday is meet your teacher day and drop off your supplies. The kids seem to be excited about going back so that is good.

I also found out on Thursday that there might be a permanent position available at the school for me. They are just waiting on final word from the school board. We are praying I get this job for many reasons, but a few are I would have tuition reimbursement, be with the kids, and have a permanent job I didn't have to worry about from day to day like last year. Please pray for us that this is where I'm supposed to be.

Ok, we are heading to the pool to start enjoying our last week of freedom. I hope you all had as great a weekend as I have.

Feelings of Normal and new shots

2008-07-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here are the newest shots from the new camera. I orginally got a wide angle lens and I didn't care for it. I discovered that I take most shots up close. So today I took the wide angle lens and traded it for a telephoto. Awesome. I need to work on my focus, but I'm pleased with the shots I got.

John got home Thursday night. He had a good time, but was glad to be home. He had a little cold when he got here and since I had been sick since last thursday we took Friday easy and slept most of the day. We did make it to dinner with Doug and his new girlfriend Sandra.

Today we hung out at the pool then headed home to watch the hannah Montana 3-d concert with the Hoaglands. Totally awesome.

Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think of the new pictures.

Pictures

2008-07-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

Here are the first pictures from the new camera. Some are really good and some are not so good.

John arrived safely in Orlando. The kids are doing good so far. We will probably go out today and try out the new camera. See if I can't figure more out. Enjoy.

Weekend fun

2008-07-19T18:09:00.001-07:00

It has been a rough week here. Monday morning I had to take Nick and CAroline to the dr. Nick had Pneumonia and Caroline had a virus. Monday night I didn't close my eye bc Nick coughed, sucked air, vomited, and cried. WE did this all night. We headed back to the dr tuesday morning for Nick to be diagnosed with croup and started on steroids. You all know how I feel about steroids, but I have never seen Nick that bad so I didn't argue. Then Wednesday morning Caroline started with the same cough and fever so she had to start on steroids too. I'm feeling the reprecussions now of 2 kids on steroids. Yes they are feeling better and we have had a good end of the week and weekend.

Thursday night Caroline went to Vacation Bible school with Mollie so John and I took Nick to the driving range. Here are some of my favorite shots.

JOhn is leaving for Orlando tomorrow (Sunday) and will return on Thurs. So he took off Friday and spent the day with us. We went to the pool, yard sale, then John and I went out to dinner by ourselves while the kids stayed with Helen and Dave. IT was nice to be able to sit and talk uniterrupted. Here are my favorite shots from the pool..

Today I took my cameras to the used camera store and traded them for the Cannon Digital REbel xt that I have been wanting. The bad thing about it is now I have to figure out how to use it. I'm excited though. I can't wait to see what the pictures look like. I also got a wide angle lens that I have been wanting to experiment with. Like I said I can't wait. Then we went to the pool and to putt putt and go karts then we ate at Sonic and headed home. It was a great day.

Have a great weekend.

Purees, tattoos, and just stuff!

2008-07-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Let's start with this great pic of Jennifer and the kids. She spent the afternoon and night with us Friday. WE went swimming, played charades, and watched cartoons. We had a blast.

John met us at the pool and we had dinner there and played. John did his first ever flip off the diving board and of course I didn't have my camera. The kids loved it.

Saturday we hung out at the pool most of the day and then went for pizza. Sunday Nick woke up with a nasty barky cough so we hung around the house most of the day. We did go to Helen and Dave's for dinner. It was a great weekend.

While at the pizza place Caroline got these great tattoos from a vending machine. She had the great idea of putting them on her feet. So here they are. Hillarious. If you can't tell they are troy and gabriella from High School Musicl. We enjoyed taking these pictures. She is so funny!

I'm sure most of you have heard of this wonderful cookbook. John and me saw it on Oprah. You're nothing if you haven't been on Oprah! :) With Nick's horrible eating habits we thought it might be a good idea to give it a try. So I spent the morning pureeing sweet potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower. This is what the bags look like.

I tried my first recipe for lunch today. Nick saw a picture of a bowl of chicken noodle soup and asked if I would make it. So that is what I tried first. Nick didn't like it because he just doesn't like the soup. Caroline, who I know likes Chicken noodle soup, loved it and ate a whole bowl.

Here she is eating it. Tonight we are making the frozen yogurt ice pops with strawberries. I will keep you updated on how it is going.

I had not posted a picture of Nick's paintings Aunt Mel did for his birthday. They are finally on the wall and look great. This is a pic of Nick sitting in his bed today. You know he is not feeling good when he is just sitting. The dr said he has junky lungs (pneumonia) and swimmers ear. HOpefully he will be feeling better tomorrow.

Here are some things I'm loving right now:

1. http://www.thetwilightsaga.com/

2. I love these necklaces. I want one that says double trouble or twinmadness or something corny like that.

and last but not least here is Nick hoola hooping. I think it is hillarious the way he moves his hips.

a party and things we love!

2008-07-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Jaryn's 4th birthday. Kim and Mike had the slide set up, corn hole, and of course the pool. The kids had a blast. Yes I got brave enough to go down the slide, but there is no evidence. Here are my favorite picks from the day.

Don't you love Granny in her big sunglasses?

We had a good 4th except for the rain. We got a little pool time in and just hung out as a family.

Big news in the Blair family.......Crystal is getting married. She asked me to take her pictures, do her invitations and make some cd's. Good thing it isn't until next year.

The kids are doing great. Tonight Mollie is spending the night with CAroline. Tomorrow we are hanging out at the pool unless it rains again and that is about all we have planned for this week.

This is Jaylen. Crystals son.

Hopefully you all watched the Federer/Nadal Wimbledon finals. IT was awesome. I enjoyed watching it so much.

That is all for now and I hope it won't be so long before out next post. Hope everyone is good!

Busy week!

2008-06-28T09:05:00.001-07:00

Well, it was a very busy week around here. John left Monday morning for Las Vegas and the convention he goes to every year in June. He made is safely home this morning at 4:00 am. Needless to say it was a long day and night for him.

Monday we visited with the Dean's, Barfield's, and Uhls' in Bowling green. We swam most of the day then went back to visit at "Aunt Judy's" house. DD and all the girls are here visiting. Caroline was very intrigued by Leigha and Anna Brooke (the older girls) and Nick and McKenna seemed to bond. I enjoyed all of them, but it was especially fun to watch the little ones. Sara Kate is 6months older than Reed. Here are the pictures.

Here is Caroline flipping on the bar in gymnastics. She is really enjoying it and is thinking about not dancing next year.

Wednesday we spent the day in L'urg. Aunt Carol's son Chris is getting married today so Granny left on Thurs. We swam at Kim's and visited with Grandaddy. We didn't get home until late again.

Thursday we hung out at the pool and then Kim, Jill, and Skylar got here around 11:00 so we could take them to the airport Friday morning to go to Florida for the wedding.

Friday it rained during the day so we went to Gattiland and played then in the evening we went to the pool. That is about it for our week by ourselves. We didn't have any major problems and overall it was a nice week.

The Pianist

2008-06-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

Caroline's Piano recital was tonight and she did fabulous. She didn't make any mistakes and wasn't very nervous. She also looks gorgeous in the dress she picked out with Aunt Mel. Here are my favorite shots and the video. Enjoy.

Again Nick insisted on wearing a tie. He reminds me of Michael J Fox in Family Ties. John and I have no idea where he came up with the idea of wearing one, but he is all about it.

Happy Birthday Aunt Carol!

2008-06-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Aunt Carol. Hope you have a great day!

Love us!

Happy Father's Day! and review

2008-06-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great week and hope you did too. Ms. Hunt came over on Wednesday morning to work with Nick. He did great and she is planning on working with him twice a week. Aren't they cute????

I started my job at the Mother's Day Out this week. It is good. Not something I want to do long term, but good experience and the kids are adorable.

I told you last week Nick was having trouble with his leg. We saw the doctor on Monday and his hips are out of alignment. She couldn't get them back in and keep them in so we are going to have physical therapy for a while. He needs some core strengthening and hopefully they will go back in and stay. She thinks this is from wearing his cleats every single day. She talked to him about cleats not being shoes we wear all the time and that he should only wear them when he is playing a ball game. He has made it 7 days now without a ball uniform or cleats on. Whoo hoo! We haven't started therapy yet, hopefully this week. He is still walking funny, but hasn't been complaining of pain.

Friday night Caroline was invited to a birthday party/sleepover. Here she is leaving. No she didn't make it for the sleepover, I didn't figure she would, but she had a great time. Nick told me he missed her before we even got out of the driveway from dropping her off.

We are dog sitting Lucky for Helen and Dave while they are gone to the beach. She has been good so far. Sallie is enjoying having someone to play with.

Yesterday we spent the whole day at the pool with Dad then went to dinner at the Captain's Quarters last night. It is a great place where you can eat outside and watch the boats on the river. The boats can drive up and eat or get a to go order. The kids really enjoyed it.

Then we went to Kohl's for John to pick out his Father's Day gift. The kids were really upset about him being with us, but he wanted new tennis shoes and a couple golf shirts. I'm good, but not that good.

When we got home the kids decided to put on a show with the hoola hoop.

Nick just learned to do this and he is very proud of himself. Enjoy!

You probably noticed Nick's tie in the other pictures. We are not sure why, but he wanted to wear a tie last night to dinner.

And the winner is??????

2008-06-08T15:30:00.001-07:00

Everybody and NObody. The game was called during the 2nd inning because the coaches and a bunch of parents were fighting and yelling in the middle of the field. It was ridiculous. John and I were so unprepared for the competivness of the other team. We were tied in the 2nd inning so it was suggested they be co-champions.

So Nick got a trophy and medal and is happy about that.

This is what the other team's sideline looked like. We felt it was a little overboard.

Nick is having trouble with a hip and knee so we are going to the dr in the morning. He has been limping for the last couple of days and today it is worse and he is in some pain. He only had to bat once during the game so he was ok. I'll let you know what the outcome is tomorrow.

2nd at bat video (goes with previous post)

2008-06-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

This is his 2nd at bat. The 3rd didn't turn out so I'm not going to post it. I will post tomorrow after his game at 1:00 to let you know if we win or not.

Semi Finals

2008-06-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

Nick played the semi final game today and won. HE scored the winning run and batted great. I have 3 videos to post of his batting, but will have to do them on different posts. Enjoy.

Here is his 1st at bat. He was running slow as a turtle because his knee is bothering him. If not better tomorrow I guess we will go to the dr.

Tuesday night we went to Tony Boombozz (best pizza in town) for kid night. They have Gilbet the balloon guy and he makes balloon animals for the kids. He is very good. The kids really enjoyed themselves. The Hoagland's joined us for all the fun.

Friday night we attended a wedding for Phyllis and Dallas Prince's daughter (long time friends of Helen and Dave). We all had a great time.

HEre is Nick leaving for his 1st tennis lesson. He really enjoyed it and did great. I was afraid baseball would make it hard for him, but it didn't.

Tomorrow Nick has the Championship game and then has been invited to a friends to play. We play against the Cardinals (the armstrongs team the teacher I worked with at school) they are very good so we are expecting a close, good game. Good luck to the Braves! Let's Go Braves.

Here is Nick's favorite part about playing the tournament. Yes that is the scoreboard.

She flips!

2008-05-31T06:24:00.000-07:00

The flip.

Have a great day!

The twisty

Have a great day!

Great weekend!

2008-05-27T17:03:00.001-07:00

Iknow I'm going to get in trouble for this, but I didn't get my camera out much this weekend. We were having too much fun!

Friday was the last day of school! The kids were so excited. Their class had a pizza party and we got to spend time with a lot of the parents. After eating we played on the playground. Here are a few from the party.

I love this one I guess because it is random.

Here is our beloved Ms. Hunt. She is going to work with Nick once a week this summer. We will miss her greatly in 1st grade. She has been wonderful to all of us. She has really taken Nick under her wing and he has a very special bond with her. They know they will have a new teacher in the fall, but I don't know if they completely understand.

Ok the left pic are these really great shelves I scored at a yard sale of a preschool that is closing. (Leslie worked there this year). I have been looking for something like this forever. They were to expensive to buy new so when I saw these I had to have them.

Yes they were orange and now they are not. I got one for each room. This is the after. Caroline chose to paint hers pink and this is what it looks like in her room. I love them. The plan is to put a pillow on top and make a window seat out of half. Nick chose red. We are in the process of painting one wall in his room and the shelf. We are making room to hang new pictures Aunt Mel painted for him for his birthday. I will show you them after we are finished. They are really cool.

Here are the other pics of Caroline's clean redecorated room. The butterfly picture above her bed was her birthday present from Aunt Mel. It matches perfect. I am planning on hanging pictures in white frames above her dresser/fish tank. And a bulletin board above her desk when I find a cool one. I also want an area rug for the floor. I like one I saw at Target. Also new curtains. I think she has outgrown the nursery ones.

We started our weekend out at the pool. I'm a little gun shy taking my electronics out after loosing so many in the water last year. I didn't get any pictures of the kids swimming but I will this week. The water was freezing, but they jumped right in. After swimming for a little while they would get out and wrap up in a towel shivering. Kind of crazy. We went back on Sunday morning and stayed until around 2:00 and Monday we went even though it looked like rain. We were there a couple hours it rained twice, but they got to stay in the pool bc there were no storms.

We took today off from the pool and worked around the house. Trying to get the shelves painted so I can get the garage cleaned out again. Right now you can't even walk through it.

Caroline started gymnastics today and yes I forgot my camera. I will get pictures next week. She looked like such a natural and she loved it. Nick and I got to watch from upstairs and she was all smiles. Nick chose to try tennis this summer. We are going to take a little break from ball. We talked about trying something new to see if he liked it. No I'm not discouraging him from baseball, but the Y league is not the same as what he is doing now or fall ball so we are not going to do it this year. So I thought he should take the opportunity to try something new. Sounds good doesn't it? We'll see if he agrees.

That is about all that is going on here. Excited to get our summer underway and enjoy the kids being home. Hope all is well!

The last day of school!

2008-05-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

Here are Pictures from the 1st day of school and the last day of school.

Can you believe it has been a whole school year. The first pic is the 1st day of school and the 2nd is the last day of school. Can you believe how much bigger they are? They have changed so much in these months. They have learned so much and grown so much.

Today we are heading over to school at 2:00 for a pizza party so celebrate the end of the year. They were so excited this morning about the party and getting to be off for 100 days.

The pool opens tomorrow and they can't wait. I will take more pics after school and tomorrow. Enjoy!

and the winner is.......

2008-05-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

COOK RULES! WHOO HOO COOK WINS. BY 12 MILLION VOTES.

Yes 50 of those are mine. I"m so excited and everyone I know except Granny is excited David Cook won.

His cd will be the first ever American Idol winner cd I buy. I can't wait. I love love love his music and I think he is a great guy.

The Potts' house screamed when he won tonight even the kids. I can't tell you how happy we are he won.

On to more important things... I can't believe that no one has posted a comment with all the gorgeous pics of my kids in the last week. What are you all thinking? Somebody please leave a comment. Ok love ya more tomorrow.

GO DAVID COOK!!!!!

2008-05-21T05:22:00.000-07:00

Go David Go! Last night was the final performance by Cook on American Idol. John did not feel Cook set the world on fire. I'm still a firm believer he will win. So yes I voted 50 times. I told John 6 or 8 weeks ago he would win and it would be a David/David final.

So be glued to your tv's tonight to watch Cook take the honor of 2008 American Idol. Whoo Hoo ! Go Cook!

If you disagree with me please don't leave me nasty comments (not that anyone ever leaves a comment anyway) everyone is entitled to their opinion.

2008-05-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

Ok this is the second time I've tried to post tonight so these are not in the right order, but I'm going with it.

Today the kids had kindergarten awards. This is where all the kindergarteners are recognized. This is Mr. Leffert presenting Caroline with her awards. She received an exceptional reader award, art award, and a good citizen award.

Nick received a friendship award, good citizen award and a music award.
This one of my faves from today. this is the kids being good listeners like Mr. Leffert has taught them. You always focus on the speaker.
Saturday night Ashley Potts graduated from High school. Here is the Potts' family and her in her cap and gown. The ceremony was gorgeous. All the girls carried a dozen red roses.
Ashley will be attending University of Kentucky in the fall.

Ok here are a ton of pics from recital. CAroline did much better Sunday than she did at dress rehearsal. This is Riley, Nick and Caroline after recital. Nick gave her flowers.
Here is Aunt Mel, Caroline and that is Reed smiling at her.
Here is a great one of Nick and Riley. They sat by each other during recital and enjoyed each other. They were very good though.

These are my faves of CAroline before recital.

You can click on the videos below to watch the performances. She did very good and had fun.

This is how she spent her morning the day of recital. Yes she is laying in the sun with a pillow off the couch. While I planted flowers. She told me she was going to rest.

Nick "rested" too. He did take his ball socks and cleats off to get a little sun on his legs.

Caroline and myself went to have our nails done on Saturday. I got a mani/pedi and she got her toes painted along with this cool little flower.

Ok, that is all from here. The kids are off tomorrow due to election day so I'm sure it will be crazy. I had no idea they were off until I picked them up today. I'm sure we will find something fun to get into during the day and Jennifer graduates from 8th grade tomorrow night. I hope you enjoy the videos.

Lorakeets on your head!!!!

2008-05-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today I joined the kids on their last field trip of the year at the zoo. We had so much fun. Here are the pics.
This is Caroline with a Lorakeet on her head! She wasn't to happy about the one on her head. I will let you guess why there is not a pic of Nick with a Lorakeet.....Yes he was scared of them. All the kids were great sports about it. I needed the pics for my photography class and I got some great ones.

I think you all know this is Lilly. Caroline's very good friend. She hung out with us because her mom couldn't go today.

This is Scottie the baby elephant. He just turned a year old. All the kids were excited to see him.

These are funny pictures we took while waiting in line to hold the Lorakeets. I have about 15 of these pictures, but it passed the time. Chloe, Lilly, Layla, Donnez, Nick, CAroline and the other Lilly.
I spent the afternoon getting ready for Dress rehearsal after school.

Today was not great so I'm hoping Sunday is a little better. She looks cute though and she had fun and that is all that matters right???

That is all from here. Tomorrow is a ball game, Ashley Potts' graduations from High School tomorrow night, then Sunday is Recital. The end to a very busy week.

ONly 5 more days of school.

The Color Factory

2008-05-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Color Factory. I was a very proud mama today as my babies performed in their first school play. I hope you enjoy. Sorry the kids parts are sideways I can't figure out how to turn them. If anyone knows let me know.

Here is Nick saying his part.

Here is Caroline saying her part. Aren't they so cute.

Tomorrow we are off to the zoo on their last field trip of the year. Love you all!

Finally......JULIE

2008-05-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Julie finally arrived today. Yes she was ordered by "Santa" in December, but due to major difficutlies she just arrived today. Caroline was so excited when we pulled up to the house and there was a package on the porch. She ran to see who the box was for, but Nick opened the box first. She didn't care, bc it was Julie. The doll she has been waiting for since Christmas.

Here are some pics from ball last night. This is Nick talking smack on first base.

Here he is playing his favorite position Pitcher.
And this is a blurry shot of him throwing to 2nd.
He did very good last night. We only have 4 games left, then we are taking a little time off. I don't think his passion will die if we take a little break.

That is all for now. Enjoy!

Here's a SMILEY!

2008-05-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Just a little afternoon smile!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T00:23:00.001-07:00

I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day. Aunt Carol this picture is for you. Notice the dog in her arms...It is a Daisy dog. She took much care picking her out today.

Review long post

2008-05-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry my computer has been in the shop again! Here is the last couple of weeks in review.

Ok let me see if I can explain all this. first we have the bed races (our family favorite). We were late arriving because a certain little girl that lives here couldn't decide what to wear. (no I'm not kidding). So we missed the parade where all the beds are dressed up. This is the only one we saw.

This is the starting line. There were no big crashes like last year.
This is a bed entered by a high school friend of John's company. They did really bad.
this is the parade preview. You get to walk around and look at all the floats and balloons that will be in the pegasus parade. If you know NIck he doesn't like any mascot so he didn't get his picture taken with any, but CAroline was very proud that she has hers taken with all of them. Here are a few.

The Grand Marshall this year was Bobby Flay. At the preview you get a treasure map at the beginning and walk around and have it stamped at each booth, at the end you get a prize. The kids love it. Each booth gives away freebies too.

This is CAroline sitting at John's desk "working". We went down to his office to watch the Great Steamboat Race. AGain we missed the beginning because Caroline couldn't decide what to wear.

This is the view out of John's window. The kids took this one.

This is Dietrich Nick's Best Friend. He came over to play on sunday. They played outside all day and had a blast.Here is Mollie performing in her Noah's Ark program tonight. She did great.

This is the new favorite drink in our house right now. WE got these on sale at Kmart yesterday.

CAroline had piano tonight so Nick and I ran over to Kroger to pick up a few things. We ran into Dietrich there and brought him home to eat dinner with us and hang out at our house. Dietrich has a 4yo sister and 3yo brother. We really enjoy him spending time with us.

Things are about to get very crazy around here. The kids only have 11 more days of school. Next week they have their play, last field trip, Caroline's dance recital, Kindergarten awards, Ashley and Jennifers graduations. Whew I'm tired already. We have had a couple of very great weeks here. We are enjoying the weather, friends, and school almost being over.

I started back last night. I really enjoyed my week and half off. This six weeks I am taking fund of Physical science and Photography II.

I also started weight watchers this week. If you have any awesome recipes or good food ideas let me know. You can help hold me accountable too.

That is about it for now. I hope this satisfies all of you that are having withdraws. Love you all.

I'm back!

2008-04-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Ok. I can breathe now. I finished 10 papers and a final photo projects. After 8:00 tonight I will be off the rest of this week and next week. I will start back the next tues with a science class. I will be very happy after 8:00 to have ethics over with.

Ok now the kids and what we have been doing the last couple of weeks. Aunt Carol has been here so we have spent quite a bit of time with her. I went over and my Dad, Carol, and I went driving in the country to produce my final photo project. It turned out great. I will share the pics when I get them back. While on our trip we discovered a new creek to take the kids too. So we went back on Sunday to play.

Ok blogger won't let me add anymore pics right now so more later.

The kids are doing good. Keeping track of how many more days of school. Looking forward to the pool opening. Nick is playing ball and loving every minute of it. Report cards came out last week and they both did great. CAroline a little better than Nick, but that was expected. I'm looking forward to my week off and enjoying this beautiful weather. It is also Derby time in the 'ville so we will be busy next week with the bed races, parade preview, and chow wagon. The kids are off next Friday for Oaks day.

I was lucky enough yesterday to get one of these because my phone wasn't working right.

I guess this is all for now.

Photo shoot w/ the DIVA

2008-04-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

Ok. This week my photo assignment is dreams/subconscious. A hard one. WE can either do dreams we have during the night or dreams and ambitions we have or had. So I got Caroline dressed up today for a photoshoot. Lets just say she was into it.

Here is this year dance recital costume. Kind of crazy huh? I'm not sure about the feathers. She is doing 2 dances again this year.

A week in review

2008-04-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

Ok here we go. It has been a busy week.

Monday brought school for the kids, dance for Caroline, and photography class for me. It was a very frustrating class, but I do love it.

Tuesday brought the doctor for my shoulder, which is feeling better, school for the kids, and no baseball practice because the kids don't know how to go to bed at night. A new concept I'm trying. It has worked well so far. Oh yeah I didn't go to class bc of my shoulder.

Wednesday, brought school for the kids, homework for me, dentist apt, art club for caroline and wednesday night we hung out with the Hoaglands at the ball park watching Gabe play ball.

Thursday brought cleaning house, school for kids, homework for me, piano for CAroline, she found out yesterday she has a piano recital. She is most excited about buying a new dress. Nick's ball practice got cancelled due to rain, rain, and rain. Then last night CAroline and I had Girl Scouts(where only the two leaders/daughters showed up) the firemen came and talked to the girls about fire safety and what they look like with their gear on. They both got to turn the lights on and the siren. It was pretty cool. In case you ever wanted to know fireman have to be able to get in their full suit in 2minutes. I was impressed. Then we went for ice cream.

Today is school for the kids, lots of homework for me. Especially taking pictures bc they are due on MOnday and I was a week ahead and now i'm on schedule. Yuck! The kids are coming home and watching Alvin and the Chipmunks tonight. I picked it up at the store yesterday. Today is the last day of school before spring break. The kids were jumping up and down screaming this morning. Needless to say they are very excited.

Next week: Spring break......whoo hoo. John is taking off MOnday and Tuesday. We don't anything planned just thoughts about trying to do some fun stuff. Maybe taking in a UL baseball game (the bats havent' started yet.), zoo, museum, things like that. I still have classes so that is a bummer. It will be fun though. We will be getting together with the Uhls' sometime.

That is about all (enough) going on here. I don't have any new pics because I'm taking pics for my class....but tonight I will take pics of Caroline in her dance costume. It is very cute this year. and I will post those and other stuff from the weekend. HOpe you are well. Have a good day!

aJORDANupdate/Autism Awareness Day

2008-04-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying my sweet little Jordan has been on my mind a lot lately. So I got out the directory and emailed his Mom. She so kindly emailed me back with great news.

Look at that smile and those eyes!

Here we go: He is reading!!!!!! I can't tell you how huge this is. I'm amazed. It goes to show you how important one on one attention is for children with Autism. He is still touching everybody that walks by, but they are working on it. He has learned about consequences. For instance, the other day he wouldn't sit down so he didn't get to have a cookie for snack. The next day he told another little boy that if he didn't sit down he wouldn't get a cookie. I love it. He is so funny. She said she knew he missed me and she really appreciated my patience and work with him. I know this is what it is all about! I'm so thankful for her kind words.

It was so nice to hear from her. She told me she would continue to keep in touch.

I want you all to know that Jordan has made me think I want to specialize in Autism. That little boy stole my heart in the time I spent with him and I want to do something to honor him.

This is a little late, but today is Autism Awareness Day. Check here for more information. If you are looking for a charity to support please support Autism speaks. If you haven't noticed Autism is on the news everyday now. Your support will help a child like Jordan.

Ok I'm off my soapbox.

The kids are doing great. We had dentist apt today and all was good. Caroline still has to go to the orthodontist, but we knew that. No cavities for either. They got new toothbrushes and he told us to use the baby toothpaste and add a rinse with flouride. This is because Nick brushes his teeth with water bc he doesn't like the way toothpaste tastes. So if any of you are having that issue here is the answer. We are also counting down to spring break which starts on Monday. We are going to get to spend two days with dad and hopefully see The Uhls' family. Looks like we are going to have a lot of rain next week. Oh well. It will still be fun.

I'll leave you with this cute pic of Caroline sitting in front of the house last week when it was nice out reading. She is crazy! That's all from here.

Opening Day!

2008-03-30T18:01:00.001-07:00

Saturday!

We started our weekend off with ball practice. It was a gorgeous morning so Nick needed to wear his sunglasses. He is playing coach pitch this year on the Braves. John is not head coach but helping Coach Mike.

Today was opening day. The kick-off parade was this morning, but our team didn't participate because the weather wasn't very nice. The boys practiced in the backyard this morning then we headed to the ballpark. Nick did great in the field, and ok batting. He hit off the tee the first at bat, and off the pitch the second. He played pitcher and got an out at home. He was very excited. He also got to play second base and lets just say it was a little crowded. For some reason all the kids kept running there.

Check out these tears! While the boys were practicing Caroline accidently hit Nick with the bat.

That is all tonight. I will post more tomorrow.

Happy Easter and more!

2008-03-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

First let me tell you a very funny story that only I could do. Friday I was boiling eggs for us to color and I burnt a dozen. You ask how do you do that? Well, let me tell you. I put them in to boil and walked away to straighten house, write a paper, and take care of the kids. I started smelling something and walked into the kitchen to find no water in pan and eggs with brown spots. Yes you can laugh. I still can't believe I did it. After burning the eggs we went to eat at our friday night spot (O'charleys) then to Helen and Dave's.

Saturday morning we colored eggs with Baby Katherine. She is now 6months old. Nick is her favorite and when he walks into the room she stops whatever she is doing to watch him. She is starting to coo alot too. CAroline spent much time reading to her which she loved.

This sums up the egg coloring. I forgot to take pics of the kids baskets, but they got swimsuits, goggles, sunglasses, flip flops, chalk, and a ring toss game. We went to Helen and Dave's on Sunday and I turned on the battery and it died. So I have no pics of Easter day! I can't believe it.

Saturday night we had family movie night which I also didn't get any pics of. We watched the Bee movie and it is great. We had these treats which were very good. I haven't decided what to watch for the next movie night, but I'll let you know. I will tell you the kids love it. They have a lot of fun with the treats and props.

I was in Dee's on Saturday and they have these that I'm dying for and I want these for Nick and these for Caroline. Then I found these when I went to the website for the above link. Lots to save for.

On to classes. All of them are hard, but for different reasons. In photography it is hard to enlarge the pictures and get them to look right. It is also difficult to take 3 or 4 rolls of film each week. I can tell you that I would never develope my own film. It is too much work and takes too long. Last night was so frustrating. I was trying to enlarge a pic of legos and I couldn't get it right. Tonight I have ethics and what about that isn't hard. This week I had to read 6 stories and write 1page summaries of each. That is not including the other projects we have to do before the end of the 6weeks. It is a good thing I'm not working at school right now. I took me all day yesterday and today to get the papers done. Oh well only 4 more classes. I can do anything 6 times.

Nick has recovered from his surgery and is doing great. He really enjoyed his time at home with me by himself. We really enjoyed each other. He went back to school Monday and was glad to see all of his friends. They all missed him.

Caroline got her dance recital costume yesterday. Are you ready? Sorry I will have to show it to you tomorrow. I don't have time to take the pics before I leave for school. I will tell you it is red. and very cute.

That is all for today.

PS if someone doesn't start leaving me some messages I'm going to quit blogging!!!!!!!!!

Success!

2008-03-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

Nick had his surgery yesterday and did awesome. He was a great patient, did well with the anesthesia, and was very brave. He has already regained some hearing. We are so excited. Nick is out of school until next Monday recovering. We are enjoying being home spending time together. He is still having some pain in his ears and throat. The nurse said this is normal and will last a couple more days. He is taking pain meds and ibuprofen.

On to the weekend. We had a great weekend. Friday night the kids had a sleepover with a tent made by the best tent maker ever....mom. They watched Ratatoiulle (or however you spell it) On Saturday morning we ran around town taking pictures for my photography class that started monday. It was a family affair. Caroline had my digital camera, I had my film camera, and John and Nick were along for the ride. Caroline is so into taking pictures. It is kind of funny to listen to her give directions. We got some good pictures and made our first trip to the skate park. Here are the kids at the skate park they skated like they were sledding.

this is Caroline's favorite pic she took. She is kissing the camera. Hillarious.

AFter taking our pictures we headed to Helen and Dave's to spend some quality time. The kids had been wanting to go to their house so they really enjoyed it.

Sunday the girls kept the kids and John and me went to finish my pictures by ourselves. We had a lot of fun walking around downtown looking for great pictures to take. Then we went home to hang out as a family. It was a great weekend.

My classes started on Monday. This 6 weeks I'm going mon, tues, and wed. It is going to be a very busy session. I was very happy to discover the pictures I took turned out. I'm anxious to see them printed, which I will get to do next Monday.

That is all for now I'm going to pick Caroline up from Art club then heading to school tonight. Hope you are all doing well.

coolDO

2008-03-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

Ok I have no idea what is going on with my 6yo little man, but yesterday we went to get haircuts and he looked at me and said, " Mom I want a cool haircut." This from the boy that hates to get his haircut and always complains and cries about it. He sat down on the bench and looked through a hairstyles book and picked one out.

This is how he came home. A snip and some gel. He loves it and I think it is hillarious. Last night before he would let me wash it he made sure he was going to be able to "fix it " again today bf school.

Caroline also got a new do that she picked out. I love it. It was her decision to go this short. It is so bouncy and curly in the back.

This isn't a great picture but she was busy playing frisbee with Grandma so it's all I got. She looked very cute before school today.

Today, I'm heading down to campus to pick up my financial aid check, then to Chuck Rubins to get a 35mm camera, then to SME for Mrs. Armstrong's class play at 2:00. Then when John gets home we're going to get a treadmill. Then I'm going to chain myself to it until I loose the weight I want. Ha Ha We all know that isn't going to happen. I'm going to try real hard though. Alright I gotta get going. Have a good day!

An AWESOME Foot!

2008-03-08T13:50:00.001-08:00

Can you believe it???? We have a foot of snow. It has been awesome and my kids love it. We have had so much fun. We played in the yard this morning then went across the street and went sledding down the embankment. Sledding makes you feel so much like a kid. We went to the hill across the street last night after dark and had a blast. There weren't alot of other sledders there. Here are a few pics from our adventures.

I have started this post many times bc it wouldn't let me post pictures. So here is the 14in of snow we got and believe it or not it was gone by Tuesday. It was fun while it was here and nice now that it is gone.

Today I took Nick to the ENT to have his hearing checked. He has 30% hearing loss in both ears. To correct this loss he has to have another set of tubes and his adnoids taken out. We are having this done next Tuesday. Please pray that he has full recovery of the lost hearing. The dr told me today that he hears like he is under water and his brain couldn't process what he was hearing to learn to read. This is hopefully going to fix all the problems he's been having.

Caroline started art club at school today. They learned how to draw several flowers and she was very excited when she got home. After dinner we played outside for awhile. It is so nice out today. Enjoy the pictures of our snow. I will check in again soon.

60 and beautiful!

2008-03-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had as wonderful a day as we did. It is warm and beautiful. There was a blue sky and we were outside all day. The kids loved it.

Of course Nick had to get in some sliding practice today. Check out the knees.

And play in the sand. Which is now good and wet from the bad weather. Caroline played on the swing set and climbed a couple of trees. All of us enjoyed being out.

I am finally feeling much better and hope to stay this way. The kids both have croup but they can go to school with it. CAroline started feeling bad this morning, but after a breathing treatment, and some aspirin she had a good day!

Finally, this is a pic from our last family movie night. Betcha can't guess what we watched???? Spy kids. Get it???? disguises!

That is about all from here. I have finals this week. I have an A in Lit and a B in Algebra. Looking forward to my next set of classes.

Have a good week!

"icky"ness

2008-02-27T23:11:00.000-08:00

The ick has invaded again. This time we all got some form of it even John. Caroline another double ear infec, NIck croup, and John and I have the same stuff. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck. I hope it leaves soon!

I'm sitting hear at 2:13am Feb. 28! I'm now 34. I can't get comfortable to get to sleep. But since I can't I thought I would update the blog. My classes are going very good. Next week is the last week. Then I start ethics and photography. JOhn is being very supportive and the kids are more than supportive. They are so cute when I go and come home.

The kids are 6 now (I know you know that) and enjoying every moment. Not a lot changed with this birthday like in the past. Usually there was a sudden change with the turn of another birthday. The new thing are birthday parties. They have been invited to 3 right now. They have lots of friends at school. They get very excited about their friends parties. It is cute.

Ok I'm rambling I'm heading back to bed to try again after more medicine. I hope everyone is doing good. I'll update soon with pictures.

Icy madness

2008-02-21T15:33:00.000-08:00

Well we are iced in here in the 'ville. We got out of school today at 11:15. John was home by 1:00 and we all took a nap. How funny is that???? The kids think it was so cool that we got out of school early.

We were off yesterday because the kids were sick again. Nick Pink eye and Caroline another ear infection. Both are on meds and seem to be feeling better.

I had school last night and got my second paper back with an A!!!!! Whoo Hoo! I found out yesterday that I can take photography 1 and 2 and it will count for the 2 art classes I have to take. I'm very pumped about that. If you know me you know I love pics and to take pics. Next 6 weeks I will be going to school mon, tues and wed nights. I have an extra night bc I have to take a university studies class that is only 1 hour so it only meets 3 times. That is my wednesday night class. I think this will beat sunday mornings 8-12.

I'm really enjoying school. It is going fast so far and I can't wait to finish and have a classroom of my own. The kids are being very supportive. Nick asks every time I get home if I got my name moved(disciplined) or if I made new friends. He is so cute and loving.

That is about it from here for now. Here are a couple pics.

Busy*ness!

2008-02-18T15:47:00.000-08:00

Well after a week of the flu and a cancelled birthday party....I am better, but both kids are running fevers and very grumpy. Just my luck. We had big plans to visit the Uhls' today, but couldn't take the chance on making them sick again!

Here is the run down of the past week.

I had class on Wednesday night, where I got a B on my first essay! Whoo Hoo! I went back to "school" work on Thursday. I am back to work full time in a kindergarten class next door to the kids. It is very interesting and much different from 1st grade. But I'm enjoying it. It is good to be back to work and with the kids all day.

This weekend was busy with lots of homework (for me) and playing for the kids. We had a small family gathering at our house for the kids birthday. We had to cancel the party we had scheduled last weekend so The Potts' family came over this weekend. Here are the cakes they picked out this year. I made these cakes the weekend before and John wrapped them so I wouldn't have to make them again. Needless to say I wouldn't let anyone eat the cake. The kids had fun blowing the candles out several times and cutting the cake (that no one ate).

With our fevers and grumpyness we headed out today to Build a Bear. Caroline's favorite place in the world. Caroline made the new pink rainbow bunny and Nick made a puppy that barks and wags its tail. They are so cute when they get in that store.

Here they are dressing their new animals. Nick chose a Lville shirt, jeans and a leather jacket. Caroline chose a blue striped shirt, denim skirt and shoes.

I took these pictures to try and show how tall the kids have gotten. I can't believe my babies are 6.
I'm hoping everyone will be well enough to go to school tomorrow. I'm heading off to write another essay on Irish drama and the kids are getting ready for bed. My sickness saved you from my emotional*ness of the kids birthday. They had a great birthday despite me having the flu and are very happy to be 6 now. Caroline told me Friday morning on the way to school that she wasn't going to cry anymore bc she is 6 now. How long do you think that lasted??? Not long.

Alright off to do homework. Hope you are all well!

We're 6!

2008-02-12T07:28:00.000-08:00

Ok I'm a little late with this post, but I have been very sick. Saturday was the twins 6th birthday. Happy BIrthday to NIck and CAroline and also a very Happy BIrthday wish to Riley whose birthday is also on the 9th.

The kids were very excited about their birthday this year. They wanted to invite the whole class to a party. So we invited the whole class to a pool party at a local indoor pool. It was a hit! Very successful. Most of these pictures are self explainitory.

Here is the Smartcycle. John and I gave the kids this for their birthday. They love it and have played with it nonstop. It has about 6 games that go with it and it plugs into the tv and they pedal to make it go. So they get a little education, a little exercise, and a little fun all in one.

Ok today we are snowed in. School is closed, Humana is closed and we are chillin' out. The kids are outside playing in the snow while it is raining, John is doing some work , and I am updating the blog and doing some school work. They are loving sledding down the front yard today bc we got ice on top of our 4 in of snow. I got it on video I will post later. Right now I'm Getting ready to go lay down for a while. I got sick saturday night and have been in the bed since sunday morning after school. We had to cancel the kids family bday party bc of the sickness and still haven't rescheduled. I haven't been this sick for a very very long time. I think Melanie gave me the flu through the phone. Ha Ha I'm kidding. But I still haven't made it to the dr. Every time I go to Kroger there is a line a mile long and my dr hasn't had any apts for days. I have been up since about 9:00 and it is 11:00 which is the most in 2 days. I do feel a tinsy bit better today. I have been up for two hours and that is a major accomplishment, but I've run down so I'm headed back to bed.

Today I have to write a 600word essay and read another play. Plus work on my algebra. So I'm hoping for another couple of up hours after laying down.

Can you believe my kids are 6???? Me either. It was fun watching them be so excited this year. They were so funny with all their friends. We had 24 show up for the party. So all their friends were there and they had a blast. It was definitely worth all the work to see their faces and how much they enjoyed themselves. Ok I'm rambling. Have a good day!

The NEW DO

2008-02-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

If you know anything about me, you know I have horrible luck getting my haircut. That is why I have held on to Ashleigh the babysitter for so many years. Now she is going to school, working, and has a very very serious boyfriend. Needless to say she doesn't have much time to cut and color my hair. Sooooooo I took the kids up to Supercuts last week to get their haircut and scoped out the girls while I was in there. Wow! The one I picked is good!

Here is the new me!

What do you think? I was a nervous wreck. The funny thing is John can't stand to have to deal with me after a bad haircut so he was a nervous wreck too. He was glad to see how excited I was when I got home. Yes I miss Ashleigh, but she is very busy. So I took a chance. Thank goodness it worked out.

The rest of the weekend was good. We had a small party for the superbowl (yeah Giants). The rest of the weekend the kids played outside. The weather has been wonderful, but today it is raining.

So it is raining, I have a 600word essay due tomorrow and I woke up with a horrible headache. I'm hoping the day gets a little better. Ok I'm off to write about Irish Literature. What fun.