Madison oh Madison!

Come home my dear Madison! It seems like you've been gone forever our sweet girl. You can't live with Grammy and Poppy. Sorry. Your turn is over. Come home soon. We miss you. :0)

Madison oh Madison!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

We've had a wonderful morning! I'll post more later but that's at the forefront of my mind. Emma was thrilled to be the one to put Baby Jesus in his manger this morning. She kissed him and passed him around before placing him in there gently. I love it. I hope you all have a wonderful day with family and friends. I'll try to post photos later.

Advent Workshop

The children and I went to the Advent Workshop at our church last night. We had a grand time again. It is such a fun event! I remember going to the same function as a youngin. I still have a wooden reindeer that I made at one. I also remember making wreathes out of fresh greenery. I also made Chrismons, which are "Christmas Monograms". They are Christian symbols that adorn our Christmas tree in our church. I know if I looked hard enough I'd find some on there that I made as a child.

It is a family event where the fellowship hall is set up with different tables and stations. Each area has a different craft or item to make and then take at the end of the night. Last night, the gingerbread houses were a favorite. They also made birdseeded bagels, frootloop and cheerios garland, cranberry ornaments, Chrismons, ceramic tile trivets, Christmas cookies, hot chocolate mix gift jars, decorated gift bags, cards, to name a few. I love seeing my kids so comfortable at church. As tired as I was, I love the fact that they never want to leave. They always seem to be some of the last ones there. That's a good thing. Merry Christmas all.

Time is flying

We went to mom and dad's for Thanksgiving and came back late last night. I found out this trip that I like traveling at night. We went down on Tuesday evening after school and visiting with Nanny and Granddaddy for a while. It was around 5:20 when we left so it was dark very shortly after we got on the road. We drove for about and hour and fifteen minutes and stopped for dinner. After that, the children were full and ready to sleep. They were very subdued and the ride was great. I decided to do the same thing on the way back.

We celebrated my brother's 40th birthday on Thanksgiving Day. The children were very excited to present him with a scrapbook that we made for him. I must give big "thank yous" to Stacey B. and my Mom for helping with that project! It wouldn't have happened without your help, you're both the best! The last page was a happy birthday page that was mainly from the children. I think he really liked the book. It had pictures from as far back as when our Mom was pregnant with him! It pretty much covered the gammut.

Here's a first: my Mom and I went shopping on Black Friday! We were at the Wytheville WalMart at 4:40 am! I was specifically looking for some electronic items for the children and hoping for the $198 laptop for Mom. We did really well working together and splitting up. I decided right off that I wasn't going to attempt the laptop when I saw the hoard of people lined up around the items and cordoned off with police tape. I finished my shopping and went to checkout. I struck up a conversation with the couple behind me about their laptop in their cart. The lady said that it was crazy getting it and that she had gotten up at 2:30 am to get in line for it but she was thinking of not buying it; she already had one and didn't really need another. I told her I was hoping for one for my Mom for Christmas but had given up when I saw all the people... Next thing I know, her husband put it up on the counter in front of me and said, "Tell your Momma to have a nice Christmas"!!! I couldn't believe it! They were there for that long and they gave it to my to buy! This just made my day! It made my mom's too! Great people- that was my experience on Black Friday... :)

Boo!

Scared ya! We're back! Our computer finally went the way of the dump and we've been offline for a while. I bought a new desktop today. It was a good buy for a great price. So we're back and will be figuring out the new Windows 7 I guess.

The kids are doing really well. Mason will have his last flag football game on Saturday. He has absolutely loved playing. He's bummed that the season is ending. He'll be counting down to next football season. I guess I have two guys in the house like that now... :0) We're going to have him play one more season of flag fb so that he can really get the hang of the fundamentals of the game before moving on to pads and tackle. (Did I say anything about putting on a little bit of size too?) giggle giggle Boy, did he get aggressive once he got the concept of the game. He reminded me of myself when I played field hockey in school. They'd all size me up, and underestimate me of course, because I was the scrawny one. Then I'd let 'em have it! That was my boy too!

Madison is navigating her way through second grade. She seems to be having an easier time of school this year. She's not so caught up in her clothes. Last year I felt she was self conscious and always worried about everything being just so. Horrible for a 6 year old! It really had a lot to do with a group of girls in the class I think. This year, she doesn't really worry about things so much. I'm glad. She seems like she's happy being her, comfortable in her skin, perfect in God's eyes and her own. Just the way I want her to be. :)

Emma Grace is loving kindergarten. She is just writing up a storm! It's like she's just taking off this week! I love seeing those developments happen right before our eyes! She rounded the corner tonight and spelled out "I'll s-e-e you in the morning". She's writing all of our names in the family, love, and see. This all happened in two days! Well, it just came out on paper! I love it!

Tracy and I will be going to Belvedere Farm with Emma Grace tomorrow for her kindergarten field trip. It will be a special treat for all of us. I'll try to post some photos tomorrow. We'll see how that goes with this new computer.

First day of Kindergarten!

Emma Grace had her first day of Kindergarten yesterday! She absolutely loved it! She woke up raring to go and as happy as she could be. To beat it all, she woke up the same way today too! She loved the bus, she loved her class, her teacher, the whole nine! She said she made two friends, Olivia and Paige. She checked out her first library book and had it in her hand to show us as she got off the bus! She couldn't be more pleased.

Mason and Madison came home as pleasant as they could be too. They said that they ate lunch together and filled us in on who's in the class and how everything goes. They seemed like they really enjoyed it too. I'm really hoping that they continue to grow closer with this new setup. They've even all seemed to be closer since they've all been back from Mom and Dad's.

I'm thrilled with both the teachers that we got this year. They are both seasoned teachers and it's very noticeable that they love what they do. Emma's teacher has been teaching for 20-some years and the twins' teacher is in her 36th year! I'm pretty sure that's what she said. I'm very excited for all of them. It feels like they're all good matches. God is good!

BTW: I'll post pictures later. Just having a little trouble with the camera lately.

School is drawing near...

I've had the strangest conversation with the twins lately. They've asked that they be put in the same class this year. When they first asked, I was driving and thought I'd run off the road! They're going into second grade and they never have said anything about it; until now. I wondered where that came from but they both said they wanted to be together.

Now that I think about it, over the past two years, they've talked about their days and shown great interest in what was happening in the others' room. They've seemed like they missed what the other was doing during the day. They've told Tracy and me that they want to be able to eat lunch together and be on the playground together, just be together.

I found it kinda funny since they do fight but maybe this will be a way for them to foster a different kind of relationship, away from home. Some things that we've weighed are: there is not one twin who is more dominant, there is not one twin who depends on the other, and they both have established their own "sense of self" already. We've questioned them numerous times and they still say they want to be together. This is all initiated by them so we've decided to go with it.

I called our principal this morning and it's all set. We talked about the type of teacher that I feel would benefit them both and I have an inkling as to who it will be. We'll wait for the card to come in the mail. As for the full time job for me, we would have had to move the children to that school. I love them being at R.E. Lee and pray that good things are in store for this coming year. God is working. Our strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.

Nothing new here

We've been having a nice summer. The children have been swimming a lot and playing outdoors. We've had some rain and the usual thundershowers so that sometimes puts a damper on our outside time.

Emma Grace is now having her turn at Grammy and Poppys house. I went down to meet them about two hours from here on Saturday. We made the switch to get Madison and leave Emma. We met them at Cyrus McCormick Farm in Raphine, Va. It's a really nice place to stop over, especially now that almost all the rest stops are closed down. We had a nice picnic and then came home.

Yesterday Tracy and I took Mason and Madison over to Patriot Park to do some rollerskating. There is an ampitheater there with a smooth concrete floor that was perfect for them to put on a show! They then skated from the bottom of the park all the way to the YMCA playground! That's quite a distance for little legs like theirs!

Stepping out of the box...

Some of you may know that I've put my feelers back out for a full time teaching position. This has been our (short) long term plan: when the kids are all in school, I'll go back to full time. Well, that happens this school year. The budget has been pretty bad with the school system so I've just figured that if it's meant to be, it'll happen. That's the way it's supposed to be anyway. Everything is up to God's plans, not ours.

So, I got a call today for an interview on Wednesday at 9:00. It's for a second grade position. I've never done anything with second grade. So, if it's offered to me I'll be way out of my comfort zone. Full time teaching: this time as a mom too, in second grade, at a school I've not been in, yikes! I'll do fine, I know, it's just a lot all at once. I'll just get past Wednesday first and then handle what comes next... keep us in your prayers please!

We're home

All of our little ones are home for the time being. We'll have them all again for a couple of weeks and then Madison will be off to Grammy and Poppy's house around the 25th. We made a quick trip down to get Mason and to help Mom out a bit. She's been a bit under the weather so we went on Wed. evening and came home this morning. We did a little housework and grocery shopping and left her with a nice quiet house so that she can recoup a bit. :)

We have VBS at our church next week, July 20-24. That's Spotsy Presbyterian for those of you who may not know. It's always a fun and very God filled week if you'd like to come to volunteer and/or bring your little ones. Check it out!

I'll be working on posting beach pictures when I take the time. For now, there are three at the very bottom of this site, if you just scroll all the way down. Happy weekend!

Happy Independence Day!

I just want to wish everyone a safe and happy Independence Day! We have one function down and two parties to go! We are blessed with wonderful friends who have invited us to their gatherings! We have a day of fun planned. :)

We are feeling a bit off balance without Mason but enjoying time with the girls. He is loving his time down at Grammy and Poppy's house! They went camping with Uncle Brad and Aunt Janet for a couple of days. He fished, swam, played volleyball, roasted marshmallows, you name it. The thing that is the funniest to me is that he rode his bike so much that he blew the tire out!! Now that's enjoying himself!!! Madison is next to go down there. Yay for her!

Have a great day! Love to ya!

He's called her Emma Grace Jackson before...

This is Emma and her friend Cooper (Jackson) at our local fireworks tonight. Isn't that the sweetest picture? They are great friends and have been since they can remember. They just love each other too! He's my friend Raegan's little boy. She and I have been friends since grade school, forever friends, so they're carrying it on. :)

We've been so busy since school let out! We left for Myrtle Beach the day after school ended and stayed a week. Two days after we returned, my cousin and his family arrived from Colorado! David and Catherine stayed from Monday to Saturday with their precious 21 month old Lily Grace and 9 month old Emma Catherine. It was a wonderful visit! They flew home yesterday.

We went to the Spotsy Stars & Stripes Spectacular tonight and met many friends up there. I have lots of photos to share from the past few weeks. I'll need to take time to do a slide show but I have a few from tonight that I'll post quickly before I turn in. :)

Stacey and Lauren (aka: Bugga)

Mason, Cooper, Jack, Emma Grace, Madison, Caroline and Kendall

No more preschool!

Emma Grace and Mrs. Roberson

Emma Grace had her preschool "graduation" this morning. It was an impromptu ceremony in her classroom. She is very proud of herself and ready to start kindergarten. She kept asking if she was going to kindergarten tomorrow. She doesn't want to wait. She has been going to a K classroom three mornings a week since December so she knows what it's all about. Her preschool is in a public school and she's had the luxury of attending K as well to get some instruction there too.

We're proud of her and think she'll do just fine. She's got a great pair teaching her and reading to her already so she's got a jump on it. Congratulations Doodle Bug!

Nature Rocks- for real!

We took the children to Alum Springs Park on Saturday. Our friend John said that they were going hiking and that gave me the idea. We had a picnic, went to the bathroom, and changed our shoes. Just as we were setting out, John and the children pulled up! They were starting with their picnic so we set off ahead of them.

I took some good shots of the kids. I played at that park growing up so it was really fun to be there with them. We spent close to three hours there I think. One thing that has changed is the swinging bridge. It is no longer swinging. It is stationary and not near as fun as it used to be.

All of the children had field day at their schools today. Madison was a sack race fanatic and Mason enjoyed the "egg" and spoon race. I did get to squeeze in a photo of his beloved Miss Schwartz. He will miss her dearly I'm sure. (shh... I've heard her name and the word girlfriend uttered in the same sentence...)

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Nature photos...Nature rocks!

Our friend John, Emma's Godfather, wrote about spending time outdoors with family on his last post. It was titled "Nature Rocks". So here is what we've been doing outside the past week or so...

My aunt and uncle came to visit at the early part of the week and that's who is on the trampoline with the children. She's my mom's oldest sister. She has three. I must take this opportunity to say that she, NOT MOM, got on and jumped with the children! :) They will not ever have to struggle to remember who Uncle Tony and Aunt Charlene are now! They live far away and it's been almost three years since we saw them last. She seared herself in their memory forever!

Tracy and I participated in the Third Annual Frazier Mason Rally this past Sunday. It was a remarkable day. This was our third year taking part and I feel that we won't miss any if we can help it. Just to see all the people turn out for the memory of those men and to honor those men and women who give/have given of themselves is moving to say the least. I just am at a loss for words. We rode from Spotsy High to King George High and had people lined up along the roads all along the way. We'd see clusters of people of all shapes, sizes, and colors. One common thread was that they were all holding the flag, the American Flag that is, standing united.

Let us remember today....

THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES VETERANS

He’s the man who sleeps beside you, or the one who brings your mail.
She might be the nurse or doctor who helped you when you fell.
The one who leads in preaching? The one who leads the choir?
The man who works at the bank, or the salesman just retired?
Maybe it’s the teacher who of history tells, Sharing sounds and smells one meets just before the tolling bell.
Could it be the corner man, with no legs, in a chair? Did you ever stop to ask him when hell lit up, it was – where?
Maybe she’s the mommy all the kids love to see. You’ve never asked, my child. Did you know it’s me?
Oh, you’ve heard the biggest names in war: Patton, Eisenhower, Lee.
I bet somewhere a Smith or Jones scouted from a tree.
Doesn’t take a fancy name or grandest job at all.
What it took was going where no one wanted to be, fearing death’s angels’ call.
A place where bombs and guns were ours, the other side’s as well.
A place where sights of horror were common and death’s stench was all you smelled.
A place far away from home, where mama and daddy sure won’t be, Nor that little girl of mine – she’ll soon be turning three.
And my buddy, he’s all torn up, his first baby’s on the way.
Chaplain came to him tonight – she lost the baby just today.
Buddies turn to brother not by blood that flows within, Nor by creed, or hometown, or color of one’s skin.
Buddies turn to brothers ‘cause they’re the only ones who understand the bond, the pride of ones who serve – the United States Armed Forces Veterans!
-Rolande, www.SgtGrit.blogspot.com

Here's Emma!

I finally got Emma Grace's preschool pictures today. I was beginning to think

she'd lost the payment or something. Anyway, there she is; our baby. She'll be five in September. That's so hard to believe.

Mason had a different idea...

I just did my sweep to check the kids one last time before turning in for the night. Mason is sleeping upstairs in his new room. We set up a bunk bed that belonged to my cousin. We had it and Mason wanted one so it worked out perfectly.


The one major issue with moving him up there is that he has been adamant that Gracie goes too. Well, she's going to be ten in a couple of weeks and slowing down on the stairs so she goes out for the night and then upstairs for good. This is only the second night that they've slept up there together and the top bunk was the big novelty. I don't even have any of the matching bedding for his room. These are just some sheets from mom and dad and his blankets. The only thing up there is the bed.


Anyway, here's the funny: this is a home of dog lovers. They are members of our family. BUT they are not allowed on the furniture; never have been allowed. That is until tonight I suppose! This photo shows what I found when I went to check on him. :) He could never really get her in his other bed. It is a firetruck bed that Tracy custom made for him. It has sides and is a twin so it just never worked out. Tonight: tonight was a charm for them I guess. They're on the bottom. It's a double and the top is a twin. So much for the top now.





She wanted to immediately get down because she just knew she was in for it. I told her to put her head back down, took the photo, and came back down the steps. I guess she's still up there with her boy. Good for her. Unfortunately as we found with our precious Sandy Girl, she won't be with us forever.

We're still here!

Alright, I can't sit on these any longer. I've been waiting to receive Emma's but they are obviously taking forever. I ordered them from the school over 3 weeks ago I'm sure. I wanted to post them all together but I'll add hers when it comes. These are their first grade spring photos. They look so big to me. Well, they will be seven in the fall. They will always be my babies though. :)