Madison's Birthday at School

Happy Birthday Maddie!! Today I took cupcakes to school for Madison's 10th birthday and ate lunch with her. I love watching her with her friends at school -- she's funny and seems to always keep everyone laughing. Madison has a great class with a terrific group of girls -- what an awesome 4th grade year this has been for her. I love you honey, Happy Birthday!!

Day at the Zoo

It's been a while since we've been to the zoo, so last Sunday we decided to make a day of it. So glad we did. When we lived in Montgomery we used to have season passes and the girls grew up going all the time. It was fun to go back, and Jacob had such a fun day running from one animal exhibit to the next. The new playground was awesome, too.

Ahhh, the life.... no worries....

The rhinoceros

The kids loved the new playground.... it's worth a trip to the zoo just to play on it!

I wish I had this playground in my backyard.... they haven't gotten along this well in a while!

I think this little trick was their favorite.... over & over & over again they flew!

And Jacob takes his turn....

Jacob zooming down the slide at 50 mph!

Then Jonathan gets this GREAT IDEA to try walking on this wheel....
then he DARES me to do it..... DARES, I say....

"I'll take that challenge," I said..... and then, the former gymnast with all the confidence in the world that my husband would be GOING DOWN.... well, he creamed me! Right there in front of 50 kids and their parents. Don't try this one at home, people.... it's a lot harder than it looks!

The kids were fascinated with the extra large boa constrictor.... YIKES!!

And as always the kids loved the train ride....

I'm loving Macy's hair pulled back.... doesn't she look sweet??

That little boy was SOOOOO excited about his snowcone....

We've never had a day a the zoo without some kind of song & dance competition on the stage....

Maddie & Mommy

Can't wait to go back this summer.

Thanks Holly & Walt

We've been really busy lately between softball and some other time-consuming projects so, of course, the ole blog took a backseat for a while. I guess this is cheating... but I'm going to back-post some memories before I forget them....

Thanks to Holly & Walt for having us over the other night. The kids all had a great time and were unbelievably well behaved. Holly, I'm still thinking about that hash-brown casserole, girl. And Walt.... YES, we DID loooove those Walt burgers.

Some of us hanging out in the kitchen....
looks like Stephen may have had a few too many....

And then the REAL fun began..... Holly, Weatherly & I hear a mind-numbing scream coming from the bathroom.... and were soon relieved to find that it was only Heather freaking out at the clogged toilet she found when she went into the bathroom. We all knew it was one of the kids, but as you can well imagine, no one claimed the prize..... Heather, big girl as she is, took the plunger into her own hands and took care of the job herself. Roto-Heather to the rescue!

And the Bell girls, Sulli & Stuart Scott

Tyler and the crew setting up the projector for the movie outside....

The freaks come out at night, I guess.... Heather, what do you do to keep those girls so calm in the midst of all those crazy kids????

Thanks again, Holly & Walt.

Spring Fling

Last night was Spring Fling at Ogletree. Our neighbor, Barclay, has been working tirelessly for months organizing the event and she did a fantastic job! The kids had so much fun playing games, filling tubes full of colored sugar, and hanging out with their friends. The silent auction was amazing, too. I know from experience what a time consuming but rewarding job that is, and Davina, you deserve a special thank you as well. Thanks to everyone who put it on for the kids and for the school. I hope you made lots of money, but much more important than that was how much fun you made it for the kids. Great job!

Kate & Macy with Aubie -- Macy got an autograph

Baylor, Walton & Jacob with their whistles.... those were some LOUD whistles!

Jacob fishing for a prize...

Macy and her teacher, Ms. Williams

Jacob and the twins riding the train

Macy & Wheeler going "rock star" on us

Sutton, Madison & Hannah

Maddie and Mommy

Happy 11th!

11 years ago right about this time Jonathan and I had been married for all of 24 hours. Blissfully happy and blissfully unaware of all the good and bad times to come.

Yes, yesterday was our 11th anniversary. Not much fanfare this year.... I don't really know why we all make a big deal out of the 10th and not the 11th or the 13th or the 14th. They are ALL big deals. Any couple that can stay together that long with all that life has thrown at them AND raise children..... well, they deserve a special celebration. And then I think about Jonathan's grandparents..... his grandmother married the love of her life at 16..... yes, 16.... and they remained married for 64 years. Amazing.

You don't see that kind of commitment often. And that's exactly what it boils down to.... commitment. I'm sure there are those of you out there who are still joyfully and madly in love with each other..... and then there's the rest of us. The passion may have faded a little.... or maybe even alot...... the things we used to love about our mate we now find drive us crazy.... at times we ask ourselves, "How was I so sure this was the person for me so long ago?"

If I've learned anything at all in my last year of introspection and lots of long, heartfelt talks with friends, it's that most of us belong in this second, not so perfect group. That group of wives who just can't believe their husband has yet again spent ALL DAY on the golf course...... or who for the 117th time didn't take out the trash.......or the wives who would much rather spend a night out with the girls instead of with their spouse. And those husbands who for the life of them still cannot understand why their wives keep nagging them.... they've worked hard all day and don't believe it's their job to now wash the kid's hair. So we all gripe and complain and persevere.

But then, just when you're least expecting it, your spouse does something to remind you of those first days you were together and so very in love...... he makes you laugh when you're in the worst of moods.... or puts gas in your car......... or takes the kids to Toomer's Corner for ice cream to give you a break.... and you realize, oh yeah, that's why I love him. That's why I committed my life to him. So like I said before.... the brilliant fireworks of yesterday may be more like little sparklers today, but that commitment is what keeps us all going and growing together. May we all make it to 64 years!!

Last night we went out to celebrate with a couple of friends. We had a wonderful dinner at Cafe 123 and then went to Eight & Rail to hear a little music. Here are a few pictures from my house before we left to go out....

Goofy had his grin on again.... somebody please say something to him!

He's obviously NOT listening to me....

And don't ask me how we ended up like this....
it started as a "No that's my bad side"....
and as I began to turn, somehow Jonathan pulled me into him and started
doing the booty dance on me. Told ya he was being a goofball.

And here's exactly why we all put in so much effort to make these marriages work.... my little baby asleep in my closet. I couldn't find him.... heard some noise in my closet and proceeded to pull back all the clothes to find him sitting up... soundly asleep in my dark closet. How precious is that?

It's beginning to look a lot like summer....

Summer's Here! Well, almost anyway.... the signs are everywhere.... the pool is now open.... the sun is shining.... the flowers are blooming.... the kid's are getting that "Summer Fever".... not wanting to do homework.... wanting to stay up later and later. I look forward to summer and dread it at the same time. It's the schizophrenic feeling of being a mom..... soooooooooo ready to throw the alarm clock away, sleep a little later, put an end to all of the schoolwork and softball games, yet NOT so ready to be asked 1,000 times a day.... "Mama, what can we do now? We're bored." Guess that's just the yin and yang of life....

And so it starts.... SUMMER that is.... and here's the proof....

Playing in the sprinkler....
we've had a lot of rain lately so the "sprinkler party" quickly turned into mud-wrestling..... uhhhhh, and ALOT of time in the laundry room...

And then we were off to the pool!
Yes, it's open already and the kids couldn't wait to jump in....

That is.... until they actually DID get in and froze their booties off....

Kate & Madison enjoying the sunshine....

And then the ice-cream man....
Hearing that old, familiar music.... all the kids come running inside..... "Mama, mama, mama!! PLEASE let us get some ice cream. He's coming! Come on! Hurry!!"

Macy's favorite.... the snow cone

And Wheeler's Batman ice cream with the freaky eyes....

The whole gang.... and yes, Jonathan DID dress Jacob that day.
I am not responsible for that fabulous outfit....

And the after-the-ice cream face....

And helping dad in the yard...

So get ready mama's..... get your game faces on..... it's coming quick!!!

Fiesta in the Closet for 18.......

I've been working all week getting the house cleaned up and ready for an appraisal we were having on the house Friday morning. So the idea pops in my head to have a few families over for dinner, you know, clean house and all. I thought a Mexican fiesta would be fun.... tacos, guacamole, margaritas.... the weather was great... sunshine.... not too hot... all the kids could play in the yard while the adults would hang out on the patio, watching and socializing. It seemed perfect. Guess I should have been watching the weather channel instead of chopping up cilantro and jalapenos.

Not 30 minutes after the 10 kids and the 8 adults arrived, the sirens started. Yep. Mexican food everywhere.... the hot dogs ready to grill out for the kids... and what do we do?? We spend all night in my master bedroom closet. It seems I'm not very good at picking out a good night to entertain.

Elizabeth even commented that one day many years from now the kids would all be talking on Facebook saying, "Remember that time we were all in that closet together during the tornado warnings... whose house was that anyway??" So I guess sometimes the best laid plans don't turn out exactly like we envision, but you know what? It WAS fun, and it was definitely memorable. Thanks everybody for making the best of a kind of wacky night.

The night started out great... Heather making her step-daughter's famous margaritas...

And then a mad-dash to feed the kids right after the sirens started....

And here they are in the closet.... finding lots of things to play with.... Wheeler found Jonathan's Halloween wig.... they all got a big kick out of that!

Vicki, me and Heather taking a closet-break

Heather, being a little petrified of tornados thought she'd be extra-safe and put on Madison's 4-wheeler helmet.... it's a nice look for her, don't you think?

It was a tight squeeze with all the mamas and their babies hunkering down in their "safe-place"

See.... it was a little crowded, but a whole lot of fun!

We all made it out OK, and everyone got home safely.
Next time I invite you over I'll be sure to check with the weather man first.

The Egg-Drop

For a week or so the entire 4th grade at Ogletree has been working hard on a group project. The kids were told to create a holder of some sort for a raw egg that would be dropped from six feet and would HOPEFULLY survive the fall. They formed groups of 4 people, did their research, formulated a plan, had to draw the design and list the materials they would use. Then they got to work, making their designs come to life.

Madison's group decided to use a box with wings and a parachute with bubble wrap and packing air pillows surrounding a ziploc full of jello with the egg tucked safely inside. It worked! First they dropped from 6 feet, then 7 feet, then 8 and eventually 9 feet.... and it NEVER broke! For the 20 or so remaining teams, Mr. Hooks got up on the roof of the school and the finale was a drop from there. The kids and the parents all loved it. It was so much fun and such a great, creative learning experience for the kids. And yes, Madison's team survived -- the egg made it even from a drop from the roof!! Great job guys!

Jonathan, Jacob & I went to eat with Macy's class before the big Egg Drop...

Here's Mr. Zutter dropping one of the eggs from 6 feet....

Here's Madison's egg being checked to make sure it didn't break. Poor Ms. Adrian kept having to go through all that red jello to make sure there were no cracks.

And here's Madison's teams' final drop.... from the roof!

Madison's team was so excited that their hard work paid off!!

Jesus vs. The Easter Bunny

I would love to be the mom who could proudly proclaim that my kids are so excited about Easter for all the RIGHT reasons. However, I'll hesitantly admit that that's really not the case. The Easter bunny, the egg hunts.... the parties and all the candy.... that's the cause of the frenzy around here. I keep talking to them about the crucifixion and the story of the resurrection and the pain Jesus endured for our salvation, hoping that at least they'll understand the significance of the holiday. Yet somehow it's not quite measuring up to all the candy and toys.... what do I expect? They're kids. Macy even said the other day..... "Mom, I understand what Jesus did for us, but I just don't understand what that has to do with Easter and the Easter bunny."

Uhhhhhh, duh. Me either. I had no idea how to respond.

I just pray that over time they will get it and until then I do try to make the occasion fun and family-oriented. I've loaded a hundred eggs with treats and hidden them well for the Sunday morning hunt, I've bought all the Easter egg decorating supplies and made a few batches of homemade sugar cookie dough with all the sprinkles and icing and sparkles I could find to make the best Easter cookies ever. And, of course, I've told and re-told the story of the resurrection during our bible devotional time. And in all that fun I hope we make some wonderful memories that will last them a lifetime.

Jacob had his Easter egg hunt at school a couple of days ago. It was so much fun to see the joy and excitement on his face as he found each egg and opened it up to find a prize inside. Here are a few pictures from the hunt....

Look Mom!!! They're EVERYWHERE!!

I wonder what's inside this one?? Let me stop and look inside, and then sit down and eat it while all the other kids are getting all the other eggs!

And playing ring-around-the-rosy with friends.....
(now THAT's some good blackmail material for when they're all 16!!)

Jacob & Mommy

Jacob's buddies.... Reese, Baylor & Walton

And here are some pictures of the first round of Easter cookies they made....

Jacob doing a great job with spreading the icing and then dumping a half a bottle of colored sugar on top....

Macy's favorite cookie.... an Easter bunny

Madison patiently taking her time and making her masterpieces....

Here they are.... Madison's cookies

And Macy's creations..... didn't they do a good job???

Happy Easter Everyone!!

Worth the Wait....

Yep. That's Destin.... in ALL it's glory. That's where Jonathan and I went to celebrate his 40th birthday last weekend. We had originally scheduled the trip for the weekend before, but with the monsoon we had, we decided at the last minute to postpone one very looooong week. We left Friday morning, bright and early, so we had lots of time to enjoy the ocean and the pool once we got there. It was beautiful.... 80 degrees.... this picture was taken from our balcony early one morning.... make you jealous?? I don't think 2 1/2 days was quite enough time, but we'll definitely be back soon.

Here's another photo taken from our balcony of the hotel. We stayed at the Hilton Sandestin. Love that place. We had such a good, relaxing time together. Ate at our favorite restaurants, drank our favorite drinks, I read a book, we shopped and Jonathan even got a birthday massage ($150 PLUS tax, tip and all the rest!!! Robbery, I say. Well worth it, he says.... Gosh we're opposites!)

It's always so hard to get a picture of the two of you when you're on vacation alone together, so this time I thought I'd get smart and set the timer on my camera, prop it up on the ice bucket, and let it do it's stuff. This is the first picture we took......

DO OVER!!!

So then I made Goofy take another shot. What's up with the cheesy mug these days?? He keeps taking pictures like these. It must be the 40 year old thing.... maybe he's thinking he's looking a little younger with the Mickey Mouse grin.....

.........So here's the next one..... yep -- AWFUL of me! Oh well.... I guess it's kind of like marriage..... when you're at your worst, he's at his best and vice versa..... guess that's what keeps it interesting.

And here's the last shot on the way out the door.... checking out.... so sad -- it went by way too fast, but it was so much fun to get all the big hugs from the kids when we got home. Thanks babe for the great weekend. Happy Birthday!

Happy 40th!!!

It's here! The BIG day!! We've been talking about this milestone for a while now. I'm not sure what it is that makes all of us adults feel like we are younger than we actually are.... WISHFUL THINKING.... or maybe just plain old DENIAL! But doesn't it always seem like life is flying right by us at warp speed?? How in the world did we get here.... celebrating a 40th birthday? Just the other day we were in our 20's.... building our first house... pregnant with our first child......... and now she's almost 10!! Guess that means we better cherish every precious, fantastic, wonderful, God-given moment.

Jonathan and I have been through it all.... the good times, the not so good times.... and then the really GREAT times. Looking back it's been a whirlwind of babies and diapers and preschool and homework and after-school activities and parties and...... well, for him, tons of work.... career building, house building, bill paying and OF COURSE lots and lots of HUNTING!! I can honestly say that right now, at his 40th birthday, I've never felt that he loves and appreciates me more.... so I guess that means we're doing something right.

I really wanted to plan a 40th birthday party for him, but just when I was beginning to work on it, he asked me if I was planning a surprise party. I didn't really know what to say, but before I said anything he told me not to. He said he'd rather use the money to take a family trip.... I must say I was more than impressed! No hunting trips to Canada or South America! Wow, a family trip! We decided to go to Disney, but unfortunately, I couldn't get the room we wanted until May, so we had to put off the birthday trip for a few weeks. So that's when Jonathan & I decided we should celebrate his birthday alone in Destin without the kids -- I'll blog about that one later, but we had a wonderful time! Thanks JP and I hope you had the best birthday ever!

A few decorations to welcome him home.... and through the door there were lots more banners and balloons and things hanging from every light fixture....

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Jonathan's "Older than Dirt" and "Over the Hill" birthday cake

It takes ALOT of breath to blow out all those candles...

And some more decorations.... they were everywhere!

Madison wanted to make her daddy a sign
for his birthday to add to the decorations...

And, of course, his birthday kiss from Mommy!!

Happy 40th Jonathan!
We All Love You Lots!!