VBS Commencement

Tonight we had the commencement program for our Vacation Bible School at church. Mikayla had been working hard all week on the Bible verse that she was to memorize, and had been reciting it for many people including Ms. Amanda. I wondered if she would say it in front of everyone at church tonight - she didn't. None of the children in her group recited theirs - Ms. Amanda even specifically asked "Mikayla do you want to say yours?", but she continued to shake her head no. We are thankful that she learned it!

Mikayla and some of the other children in her group sing one of the songs they learned this week.

Drew and some of the other children in his group receive their certificates. Drew's group also sang a song, and I was surprised at how well Drew sang. Drew was the only one from his group to recite the Bible verse that he had been working on this week - John 3:16. This was really like more of a review for Drew though, because he had previously memorized this verse for AWANAS. My camera batteries were dying so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked to. At the end, Ms. Amanda took a pie in the face. Our church has been collecting school supplies for those less fortunate. During the week, we had a competition to see who could bring in more school supplies to donate - the boys or the girls? To encourage them, Ms. Amanda said she would have a pie thrown in her face if the boys beat the girls. The girls ended up donating more, but Tanner (with the pie) reminded Ms. Amanda that she had also said if the boys donated 100 or more items she would still take a pie to the face, even if the girls won.

We had a fun week in VBS and I know my kids will be counting down for next year! We even had 1 profession of faith - and that is what it's all about!!

Career Meme

I am loving memes - it's a fun, neat way to learn about others! Thanks to The Gal Herself for tagging me!

Here is how to play:If you had the opportunity to do a 1-year internship in a company or field completely unrelated to your current career or specialty, what would be your top 5 choices?

1) Photographer: I love taking pictures! My favorite pictures to take are those of my children or other people (especially outside), but I also enjoy nature shots. I'd love to learn all I could to increase the quality of my photos.

2) Web Page Designer: With this blog and my classroom web page that I created I think I have a pretty good background in this area, but I need extensive training using html codes. Neither of these projects have required me to be proficient in that area. I think of the possibilities if I knew code...

3) Lawyer: I've known since I was in first grade I wanted to be a teacher. My parents always thought I would make a good lawyer (I can't imagine why?? - LOL). The money lawyers make (in comparison to teachers) was tempting, but the 8 years (at least) of schooling past high school was not. If one year of interning was all I needed, I might could swing it.

4) Interior Designer: I have always thought this would be a fun career, and perhaps with a year of interning I might have the artistic ability/fashion sense to actually be good at it.

5) Scrapbooking Consultant: You know, the people that get people to book parties from them and demonstrate and sell products. I'd always be meeting new people, and it might give me some time to catch up on some much needed scrapping of my own!

So now here's the moment you have been waiting for … I'm tagging:

Bridget

Jennie

Nicole

Skittles

Becca

Let me know if you respond ...

Friday Feast #153

Appetizer: Describe a toy you remember from your childhood.

I had a 2 foot tall plastic baby doll that was one of my favorites. I even gave her a nice hair cut (scalped) when I was about 5. What do you expect? I had watched my mom cut people's hair my whole life!

Soup: On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how observant are you?

I would say 8, but my sister would probably say 3 (she blames it on my blond hair). I'm pretty observant, a few things do slip by me though.

Salad: Where would you rather be at this very moment?

on a cruise - something I've always wanted to do and something we plan to do soon

Main Course: When was the last time you learned something new?

Today - I learned that my daughter really, really, really doesn't like the way the polishing paste at the dentist office tastes. I'm sure I learned many other things (more educational) today as well, but I can't recall anything at the moment.

Dessert: Fill in the blank: I have ____________ but I haven’t ____________.

I have visited many places in the United States, but I haven't visited any other countries.

Teeth Cleaning!

Drew watches as Ms. Wendy gets ready to clean his teeth.

Today, Drew and Mikayla were scheduled to have their 6 month dental check-up and their teeth cleaned. Drew went first as he is the "professional" at this. He has been going to the dentist since he was 4 so it has become pretty routine for him. Since that first visit, he has lost two bottom teeth (permanent teeth growing in now) and another tooth on top is loose. His six year molars have also completely come in. With all of these huge (permanent) changes occurring in his mouth, Drew continues to do an excellent job of taking care of his teeth. The dentist said his teeth look great, and to keep doing what we are doing!! When I asked about his molars he said "he's got some grooves in them (makes them harder to clean), but he's doing a good job cleaning them". So, yeah Drew!! Keep it up buddy!

I put these two pictures together to show the contrast - Drew closes his eyes while Ms. Wendy cleans his teeth, but Mikayla is on alert.Now, for Mikayla's report - I really wish I had more to report on her. Those of you who have been following my blog for awhile may remember Mikayla's first trip to the dentist 6 months ago. She wasn't enthused to be there, and after a little crying she let Ms. Wendy clean her teeth while sitting in my lap. Well, since this was her second visit she was going to try to sit in the chair by herself - until we got back in the room that is. She seemed to get more and more nervous watching Drew have his teeth cleaned and decided that she wanted to sit in my lap. Ms. Wendy suggested she sit in the chair beside Drew and I could hold her hand. As you can tell by the look on her face in the photo above, she's still not convinced Drew's going to be much help! Sitting beside Drew, she let Ms. Wendy clean most of her top teeth before turning her head and beginning to wail - "I don't want that yucky stuff"! Drew by this point has decided that he does not like sitting with her and wants out of the chair. So, we help Drew down and I go around to hold Mikayla in my lap. She continues to cry like someone is hurting her, and Ms. Wendy says "I think we've lost her today". Determined, I try talking to her once more (my fear was if she got out of having her teeth cleaned this time by crying, she would cry every time). Ms. Wendy had the answer for that too! Drew received a new tooth brush and two more prizes for doing such a great job today, while Mikayla received nothing. Realizing this made Mikayla cry scream even more. I'm sure this (along with mommy insisting that having our teeth cleaned is something we all have to do) will encourage Mikayla at her next appointment in six months.

My Sweet Hubby!

I have the sweetest, most thoughtful husband in the world! Now, he has his moments - believe me, he has his moments (don't we all) - but for the most part he is extremely caring and thoughtful. He always thinks of others before himself, and he continues to demonstrate this, even while working 80+ hours a week. Taking out the trash as he leaves each morning, and coming home to cut the grass in the dark are just a few examples. Knowing these are things I don't particularly like to do he does them in his only free time! He has also been known to surprise the kids and I from time to time with goodies. Last week it was a beautiful necklace for me that he ordered from one of the girls at work. And tonight, it was something I have been wanting a long time!

After leaving work tonight (and bringing a change of clothes to VBS for Mikayla after she spilled paint in her lap), Craig went to the mall to have this tag made for the front of my van! I LOVE IT!!! We had one made for all of the grandparents a couple of years ago for Christmas and since then I have wanted one. He picked out the pictures, the saying, everything! He also had the sticker I've been wanting, made for my back window. It's a sticker that shows our family - dad, mom, boy, girl. Isn't he wonderful??

Miniature Golf

Today, we went to Frankie's Fun Park with Jadyn, Trevyr, and Ms. Amy. The plan was we would play a game of putt putt, enjoy lunch, and then spend a little time in the game room. Drew and Mikayla were super excited to get started with putt putt once we arrived. So excited, in fact, that I asked them to settle down a little while I paid for our game. It didn't take long for all of them to get tired and hot, however, so that by the end of the game Amy and I had decided that we would just eat lunch and head home (no games). I was able to get a few good pictures before though. Jadyn starts us off at hole number one - Drew is showing her where the hole is.

Mikayla just made her putt - go girl!

I love this picture! It's hard to tell but they are standing on the edge looking down at the water - it almost looks like Drew and Jadyn are leaning against those rocks. The rocks were actually on the other side of the "stream".

Drew just made his putt - go boy!

I LOVE this picture of Trevyr - I wanted to take all of the kids pictures here, but Trevyr was the only one that wanted his picture taken at the time!

I love this picture of Drew and Mikayla, with the exception of Drew's eyes being closed - hey I can't blame him, they were facing the sun!

We all had a great time at Frankie's even if the kids began acting a little tired before we finished. Mikayla slept for 4 hours this afternoon, and Drew even napped (which he never does anymore) a little while before church. I knew they were tired! Amy called me this afternoon and we agreed that we would get together again next week - we are certain all four will be better then!

A Couple of Funnies...

It is always fun for me to watch Mikayla with her baby dolls - rocking them, kissing them, singing to them, even clapping her hands together (complete with high pitched "baby talk") then holding them out to pick the baby up. We had a funny conversation last night while playing with babies.

Mikayla: My baby don't gat spane kings. If she hits she don't gat a spane king, if she bites she don't gat a spane king, if she says stupid she don't gat a spane king...

Me: Babies need to learn right from wrong. What happens if she does those things?

Mikayla: I just put her in her bed (demonstrates with the baby doll bed she has brought in the room). She cries but she has to stay there.

Me: That's like her time-out, huh? Time-out is great if it gets her to stop doing those things. Mommy's and daddy's don't like giving spankings do we?

My daughter has a pretty good understanding of the consequences that she faces for making wrong choices. It's also very apparent that she doesn't like spankings. (Spankings are not the only form of consequence in our home, but we do use them when deemed necessary.)

Then, this afternoon after returning from playing miniature golf (see post above), I sent Drew and Mikayla to their rooms. I could tell by their behavior that they were tired and I wanted them to rest some before VBS tonight. Drew comes out of his room crying that he wanted to call his Poppi. "I need to tell my Poppi I'm grounded." I found this quite funny because "grounded" is not a word that we have used with Drew or Mikayla yet. When I think of being "grounded" I think of older children. We are still saying things like "time-out", "no TV", and "no toys".

Does it seem that my children are too focused on consequences?? I'd say, by their behavior, I doubt that!

Vacation Bible School 2007 - Night 2

Drew and Mikayla show off the "bug boxes" they made the second night of VBS. Notice the tables behind them - it's really starting to look like a "craft room". Drew was also chosen to hold the American flag during the pledges Monday night, and he did an excellent job - you know, the flag didn't touch the ground, nothing was turned over in the process, etc. He even got a big thumbs up from our youth director, Mr. Randy! Mikayla has been working very hard this week to memorize the Bible verse that she will recite during the commencement program this Sunday night - "God said, 'I will send rain on the earth'" 1 Kings 18:1! She can recite the verse with minimal help, but still struggles with the address. She will get it!!

Monday Madness #1

Okay guys here it is - my first Monday Madness.

1. Are there any weird "food rules" you have? Feel free to list as many as you like. I don't know if these would be considered "rules", but nonetheless here are mine: Me (and my children, and even Craig now) only eat pancakes and waffles with peanut butter and syrup. We put dip/ketchup on many, many things we eat. We even go as far to put mayonnaise in our pork and beans (when we eat them), and Craig even eats mayonnaise in his green beans.

2. When you were growing up, what ONE thing did your parents always remind you of, when it came to meal time (or cooking)? Clean your plate before leaving the table

3. Is there anyone you know whose food you won't eat (for one reason or another)? I can't think of anyone by name, but I am pretty picky when it comes to my food so...

4. Is there anything you "specialize" in cooking, that people actually ask for? I'd have to say my meatloaf and potato salad, or baked tilapia.

5. When you were growing up, what one meal do you remember as being your favorite? my mom's homemade pizza

6. Today, what is your IDEAL meal? Anything I don't have to cook!! I enjoy cooking, I just don't like planning the meal and the cleaning that comes afterwards.

VBS 2007

Tonight was opening night for Vacation Bible School at our church. After the worship rally, the children were split into 3 different age groups (3 - 5, 6 - 8, 9 - 12) to visit 4 different areas (Bible study, crafts, snack, and recreation). My sister, our friend Angie, and I are doing crafts this week. Tonight was a wonderful night, and we can't wait to see all of the excitement the rest of the week! They 6 - 8 year olds came to crafts first. Morgan works on her copper print while youth helper Brad offers assistance to Luke.Drew carefully hammers the nail into his pattern to make the print.Eli and Adam are careful not to get their fingers.The next group that came to us was the 3 - 5 year olds. We had a different craft for them to complete as we didn't think it would be a great idea to give them hammers. As you can see from her mustache in this picture of Mikayla decorating her "peace plaque", they had just come from snack.
Ms. Angie checks to see if the boys need any help, while (below) youth helper Allison assists the girls.

The last group to come to crafts was the 9 - 12 year olds. As you can tell from the pictures, they didn't need any assistance tonight.

Mikayla and Drew are worn out, but they sure had fun!

Do We Look Alike?

I got the idea for this post after running into long-time family friends while we were out to dinner Friday night. We see Miss Bessie, Mr. Bill, Robin, and Randy pretty frequently, but Robin's sister Carol had not seen me in quite some time and had never met Drew and Mikayla. Robin asked Carol "doesn't she look just like Alison when she was little?". Of course, she was talking about Mikayla. We get this all the time - from family, and friends. Mikayla apparently agrees because when I show her my baby pictures, her response is "there's Mikayla". So, what do you think - does Mikayla look like her mama? Mikayla 3 with big brother Drew.
Me at 2 years old with my little brother Jonathan.

Friday Feast #152

Appetizer: On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how much do enjoy watching sports on television? Ummm probably 5 - it all depends on the sport. I enjoy watching Atlanta Braves baseball and Carolina Gamecock football on TV, but I would much rather watch in person!! If a race or basketball is on, I'd rather not watch at all.

Soup: If you could completely memorize any one work of fiction, which one would you pick? First thing that came to mind was To Kill a Mockingbird. This was one of the only novels on the required reading lists throughout school that I actually enjoyed - in fact, it's still one of my favorites.

Salad: What is your favorite breakfast food? Muffins - make them banana nut or blueberry please!

Main Course: Name something fun you can do for less than $10.00. Swim, play at the park, fish, and go to the summer dollar movies (movie costs $1 for children - adults are free, and drinks and popcorn are $1 also, so me and the kids can go for a total of $8)

Dessert: How long does it usually take you to fall asleep? Once I get in the bed, it doesn't take long at all - the problem is actually getting in the bed. I'm usually reading, scrapbooking, or on the web before bed and it's easy for me to lose track of time during any of these activities!

I've Been Tagged!

I was tagged by Nicole over at scribblesnscraps. This is the first time I've been tagged with a Meme, and since this seems like something I can handle, I'll give it a try.

The Rules: “Each person posts the rules before their list, then they list 8 things about themselves. At the end of the post, that person tags and links to 8 other people and then visits those peoples’ sites and comments letting them know that they have been tagged, and to come read the post, so they know what they have to do.”

1. I’m a kindergarten teacher which most people know since it's on my profile. I have been teaching for 6 year, and will begin my seventh year in August. I was voted my school's teacher of the year by my peers for the upcoming school year.

2. My children will both be at the school with me for the first time this year. Drew will begin 1st grade and Mikayla will be coming in the afternoon for 4 year old kindergarten. I'm sure this will prove to be very exciting - the school will never be the same.

3. We have had several different pets. Both Craig and I are animal lovers and so are our kids. Currently we have one bird (we had two, but one died just last week), and two hermit crabs. Over the years we have had 2 rabbits, 2 turtles, 4 birds, 4 dogs, a hamster, a frog, many hermit crabs, and many fish - not all these at the same time thank goodness!

4. Like Nicole, I am a book lover too! I have many, many books in my personal library - some I read for enjoyment and some are professional books I read for work. My children also have hundreds of books in their personal libraries - I thought it was just the teacher in me! My husband tells me we don't need any more pictures and we don't need anymore books! I also have an extensive library of books in my classroom.

5. Again, like Nicole, I am a scrapbooker. I have been scrapbooking since I was in high school, but I didn't call it "scrapbooking" until later. I love to scrapbook pictures of my children/family!

6. I am a reality TV junkie! My favorite of all the reality shows is Big Brother, and I am soooo glad it is on right now! I also enjoy Survivor, Amazing Race, The Bachelor, and the new one that's on right now Age of Love.

7. I am a music lover, and listen to a wide variety of music. My favorite types are Country and Christian. I have many favorite songs with even my children knowing them by heart, and the 3 of us can often be seen singing in the van.

8. I love the Internet - you can find anything you need with the click of a mouse! It is a great tool to use while researching. It has given me a great place to journal. I also use it as a way to keep up with friends/make new ones.

Ok, so there's 8 things about me - that wasn't so bad! I'll wait until in the morning to tag my 8 since it is wayyyyy past my bedtime already - so look for an update then! Thanks Nicole, this was fun!!

I'm tagging these people, but that doesn't mean they'll respond. I'm off to comment them to let them know!

Jennie The Gal Herself

Trish Skittles

Melanie Kara

Bridget Erin

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Yesterday was my daddy's birthday. Drew, Mikayla, and I called him while we were on the beach and sang Happy Birthday to him. I told him then that Drew and Mikayla would probably want to come see him when we got home. He responded with "well, they can wait and see me Thursday because they won't want to stay just 10 minutes, and I will be ready for bed". When I called him last night to tell him we were home, he said "you made good time, y'all can come over if you want". So, we went to Mimi and Poppi's house before coming home to wish him Happy Birthday in person. Drew and Mikayla were happy that we did because they enjoyed a piece of Mimi's homemade Mississippi Mud Cake that she made for Poppi. Drew exclaimed "this is the best chocolate cake I've ever eaten!" I'm glad the cake I made for his birthday wasn't chocolate - my feelings would have been hurt-lol!

I have always been a "daddy's girl", but these two own Poppi's heart as well!

I'm not sure about my moms face here - I don't think she really wanted her picture taken! But, I had to get a picture of the "famous baker"!

Last Pictures from the Beach 2007

I decided Wednesday morning that we would come home that night (I preferred to drive that night than get up Thursday morning to drive home). So, Drew and Mikayla and I spent a couple of hours on the beach one last time before heading to the pool with Trey. Drew and Mikayla loved playing in the sand - we even built a castle tree with wet sand like Poppi does!
Drew and Mikayla loved jumping the waves. We jumped bigger waves when we went out farther, but I couldn't get pictures then.

Drew and Mikayla loved finding seashells as well - we brought a bucket full home.
We all laughed when the waves knocked them over.
Too cute!
Saying good-bye to the Atlantic Ocean.
After leaving the ocean we went to get Trey and headed down to the pool one last time.

After leaving the pool, we went back to Nana's house to shower and finish packing up the van. Then we thanked Nana and Papa for everything - we were planning to stay in a hotel, but they insisted we stay with them at their house in Ocean Lakes. They graciously opened their home to us, fed us, and put up with us and we are so grateful! After leaving Ocean Lakes we headed out for souvenirs and hermit crabs for Drew and Mikayla and then hit the road to head home. The drive home was great - there was very little traffic, and we arrived home about 10:00 last night. It was a great mini vacation for me and the kids.

Ridin' Rides

While we are at the beach every year, Nana likes to take the kids to ride rides - this year was no different. So, on Tuesday night Nana and I took Drew, Mikayla, and Trey to Family Kingdom Amusement Park. Trey is staying with Nana and Papa for 3 weeks, and Drew loved having him there to play with! We couldn't have picked a better time to go - the weather was wonderful (not too hot, nice breezes). We all had a wonderful time, and we were exhausted by the time we got back to the house.

Trey, Drew, and Mikayla walk into Family Kingdom.

Mikayla, Drew, and Trey ride the kiddie Ferris Wheel.

Mikayla rides the canoe with a friend she met in line. Once she was on it though, she decided she wanted off and grabbed hold of the wall. She finally let go and got off as soon as she got back to the load/unload area.
Drew and Trey ride at the front of the kiddie roller coaster while Mikayla rides behind them with another friend she met in line. This was the first time Mikayla had ever ridden a roller coaster - I couldn't believe she rode!

Trey and Drew also rode some of the "little" rides with Mikayla.
Mikayla loves the kiddie swings - I'm not sure what kind of face Drew is making, but he doesn't look real enthused.
Drew and Mikayla rode the kiddie bumper cars. It was the first time Mikayla had ever ridden by herself (when they were younger they both rode in the same car), and she didn't like it at all.

Drew also rode the Pirate Ship for the first time - I think he tried more of the big rides this year because Trey was there and rode with him.
Trey and Drew ride the Tilt - a - World while Mikayla (below) laughs at the faces they were making while riding!

Drew also rode the big swings and the ride below for the first time ever!

Trey and Drew wanted to ride the Log Flume so we saved that for last since Nana and I knew they would get wet. Try loves this ride, but it was the first time Drew had ever ridden it! As he came around this curve he started yelling to me "mama, I got scared on that big hill". I reassured him that he would be getting off in just a minute. He was trying to stand up/get off before he got all the way in the load/unload area.

Drew riding all of these "big" rides, and Mikayla trying more of the "kiddie" rides is just another example of my little ones growing up!