Jaelyn Loves Her

Jaelyn Loves Her

Allie's Room Reveal

TGIF

What a week!  What a month!  What a year!  Ha and it's only January.  Dan's in a class this week.  He leaves early and gets home later, not really late, but every minute counts when someone is screaming at me, right?  I feel worn down this week.  I'm sure the gray skies, rain and low temperatures haven't helped.  I'm not going to share details, but we've found help for us in the form of a psychologist here and a psychiatrist in Springfield.  It's not going to be an easy road, but we are taking the real first steps.  We've taken these steps before, but this time, I feel like I have people actually hearing what I'm saying.

We are also full swing into hillbilly karate or hardcore martial arts depending on which teacher is there.  It's a different person every night (which was 3 this week).  Caden is so serious and loving it.  Allie is semi-serious.  She's learning, but she's having fun too.  Jaelyn is all about the big smile and the fun.  I think Caden will have his black belt before she makes it to yellow.  Oh well, it's an activity and Dan takes them which gives me an hour to clean the kitchen and prep for bedtime craziness. 

I've also shuffled my volunteer hours at school because a teacher changed her schedule so I'm at school 3 days instead of 2 and some how I went from 6 hours to 8.  I'm a sucker when a teacher excitedly says "so you can stay till 1:30 now?"  I do love the teachers and I enjoy helping most days.  I had problems with two third graders yesterday that reminded me of why I never want to teach again.  I was able to go to the teacher and say "they won't cooperate" and she got to deal with them.  It was awesome.

Yesterday was filled between being at school and shopping and making 100 days of school projects.  I think they turned out very well.  That'll become it's own post later maybe.  100 days down, 80 to go and they can't go fast enough as far as the kids are concerned.

Currently, I'm listening to a little puppy barking because she wants out of her crate.  She was spayed yesterday and is on strict no running, no jumping, no excitement orders till tonight.  The anesthesia is out of her system this morning and all she wants to do is jump and play.

My big project of the day is to do some major furniture rearranging.  The plan moving here was to put the girls in their own rooms.  That hit a snag when we saw the size of one huge bedroom.  There's been more fighting and fussing lately and I overheard Allie telling her teacher she wished she had her own room (benefit of volunteering - easedropping on your children)...so she's getting it.  Her room is going to be our guest room, which is really tiny, but with some creativity, I think I can make it work.  Jaelyn is still going to have to share her room, but only with the guest room furniture so she'll have a room to herself 99% of the year.

Tomorrow is Caden's birthday party, finally.  One year, I'm going to plan it before the holidays so it'll happen ON his birthday.  Out of 25 kids, 10 RSVPed.  We might have a lot of pizza, cake and goodie bags left over, but it'll be fun no matter how many kids come.  We are renting the indoor pool for a splashing good time.
That's what's going on at my three ring circus.  Stay tuned for Caden's birthday party, hi first love letter (received, not sent) and our 100 day of school projects.  I'm getting there....slowly but surely.

The Mae Mae

Gracie is getting big.  She weighs about 20 pounds now.  She's getting tall.  She can stand at our gate with her armpits resting on the top.  She can reach anything on the table or the counter.  She swiped a tortilla one night when I was cooking.  She's a sly one, that Gracie Mae.

The other night I found this in her bed.

The girls don't really need to memorize 9x12, do they?  The stack of flash cards had been in the middle of the dining room table.  Anything and everything is fair game from now on.

I found a puppy obedience class that starts tomorrow night.  I'm thinking Gracie and I need to take a night class!

We found one of Gracie's baby molar yesterday.  She's lost several baby teeth, but this is the first one we found.  Jaelyn wrote the tooth fairy a note and we left Gracie's tooth by her crate.  The kids were so excited that the tooth fairy took her tooth and left her a new ball.  We have the best, if slightly forgetful, tooth fairy!

Moose Poop and The Jae-Byrd

It's here and Jaelyn earned the right to open it after a day of complete cooperation.  The Queen of Brussels Sprouts outdid herself.  She found Jaelyn a "Moose Nugget Necklace" and "Flowering Moose Nuggets."  I can't wait for spring so we can plant the seeds and see what grows from Moose Manure.  The best part is where she bought them.  Where else but an Alaskan Walmart would you buy moose poop art???

Out and About

I cannot remember the name of this place to save my life...something mill spring - help me Dan.  Last weekend, we had to get out of the house.  Dan decided we should check out this place on base.  It's on the other side of Happy Hollow for those folks that have been there with us.  The spring feeds a creek that runs into the creek that flows through Happy Hollow - make sense?

We walked on a short trail to the spring.  It'll be a beautiful spot in the spring and summer to picnic and play at.  I'm not sure if you can swim in the spring or not, but I know we can at Happy Hollow.

Gracie loved playing in the last little bit of snow on the bridge.

She wanted to go in the water so badly!  She managed to get her front legs in, but that's about it.

The highlight of the outing was collecting "seaweed" and "cooking" it for lunch.

Maybe Playing Part Two

Maybe Play...Maybe Not

Gracie's Toys

Gracie has a lot of toys, but not a lot of toys that she loves.  Well, when we go on our walks, she's always biting at something.  For weeks, she's tried to attack what looked like a dirty rag or maybe mop or sock on the side of the road.  At some point the thing got turned and we could tell it was a well, loved dog's chew toy...one of those long skinny animals with no stuffing in them.  Dan and I were out the other day and I stopped on the way home and had him pick it up.  He thought I was crazy.  Then, I washed it in my washer for 2 hours on the sanitize cycle because ewwww it was gross. You should have seen Gracie when I presented her with her "new" toy.  She loves it.  She slings it around.  It's pretty sad to look at.  It's ears, foot and tail have all been chewed off and it has holes in the stomach.  She doesn't care and neither do I.  As far as we're concerned it ranks right up there with empty water bottles as prized play toys!

My Tip

I must have done a good job with dinner because Jaelyn gave me a dollar tip!  LOL.

Jaelyn and I made her favorite chicken (coated in ritz veggie crackers - not healthy at all) and then we had pina colada smoothies for dessert (so yummy with V8 Splash Pina Colada juice, vanilla yogurt and crushed pineapple).

She's actually had a pretty good day...so good in fact that she has earned the right to open her moose poop package from Alaska.  For all those not in the know, I promise to share, but yes, her royal highness mailed my little princess a moose poop necklace and moose poop flower seeds.  It's hilarious and totally awesome!

Finally Snow...Trying a Second Time

So apparently, it does snow in Missouri.  Four days ago, I contemplated wearing flip flops.  Then two days ago, the kids were playing outside in t-shirts and light jackets.  That night, a front blew through and brought an inch of snow.  Awesome, but it wasn't enough.  I'm not a huge fan of snow, but if we have to have snow, I want 6-8 inches so that schools are closed and the kids can really play.  As it was, we had enough snow to try out our new sleds, but the snow quickly blew away so the kids were landing in leaves.  They had a blast sledding down the hill.  I even gave it a whirl, but bumps are hard on 38 year old butts that are sitting on what basically amounts to a trash can lid! 

Jaelyn refuses to wear anything warm or heavy.  She really needs to live in South Florida where she can be in shorts and flip flops all the time.  After a few slides, she went inside and dug her snow pants out because she was FREEZING.  She put 2 pairs of socks over her gloves.  Hilarious and very resourceful.  Still no hat or scarf, but it was progress and kept her warm.

We've continued to have temperatures in the 20s and the wind has been horrible.  No more snow though and I don't see any in the 10 day forecast.

Hats Off to Jenn

A friend has started a little campaign for another friend.  Want to be a part of blessing her day?  If so, go and buy the cutest hat you can find and send me an email for a mailing address.  You can also check out this facebook page for more information.

Military Kids and Their Sacrifices

I started reading a new book with my book club in Jaelyn's class today. The main characters are twin 11 year old military brats and they've just made their fifth move. I asked the kids how many times they've moved. The average had moved 3-4 times. The most was 5. I then shared Jaelyn's moves: Russia, Georgia, Virginia, Germany, Florida, Maryland and now Missouri. Crazy. The girls are 8 and 9 and they've lived in 7 places. Caden is 7 and has lived in 4 places. I've always been happy with our nomadic lives but now that the kids are older and we are older, I've hit the point where I am ready to build roots and stay in one place a while.

* I should clarify that I don't want it to be here :p.

Kicking Cancer in the #%@

I'm stealing this from facebook.  Hope you don't mind, Jenn.  If you do, too bad :).

Alright! Gloves on. Take THAT lymphoma! Round 2....starts today. Ready to roll!!

Please pray for her!

Look What I've Become

I was never going to be one of those moms.  You know the ones.  They drive their kids to school in their pajamas.  You see them walking down the halls in slippers with their hair all a mess.  Not me, no, never.  Dan's out of town...need I say more.  Normally I have 5 alarms clocks in my house.  If one of the kids doesn't wake me up by 6:45, then the cat will jump on the bed and purr loudly near my ear.  If that doesn't work, in the last two months, I've learned to rely on the crying and barking of an excited little puppy who needs to go outside.  This morning, I woke up at seven S-E-V-E-N and my house was silent.  Zac joined me as I was sitting up.  I peaked in Caden's room to find him and Jaelyn building with legos.  Even Gracie was waiting quietly and patiently to be let out and fed.  It was a great start to my morning, but it gave us a late start. 

The morning was okay mainly because Dan and I have gone Super Nanny on the kids. I'll have to post later about Jaelyn, her behavior and what's up or maybe I won't. We only had a handful of X's on the chart this morning.  Anyway, I got the kids and puppy taken care of and ready to go out the door on time.  That left a few minutes to get dressed. Unfortunately, that's when I discovered the cat throw up. I chose cleaning it up over getting dressing and thus I made the quick drive to school in my pajamas and a big sweat shirt.  I'm so ashamed :p.  Tomorrow, I'm getting dressed before I do anything else...mainly because I have to go in to the school and I am NOT doing that in my pajamas!

  

We Warned Her

Do you know how loud a barking dog is in a car?  Have you seen Disney's Bolt?  Gracie decided to bark on the way home and it was like Bolt's super bionic bark.  Ahhh...so loud.  Dan doesn't like loud noise.  He couldn't take it.  We found a Petsmart in Hattiesburg and he bought Gracie Mae a present. 

Ha! She was warned.

Ok, I promise...that's the last Christmas picture.  I'm all caught up. 

A Day with the Beatles

We spent our last day in Pensacola with our friends.  I know I've said it before, but I love that my kids are friends with the kids of my childhood friend.  I love that our husbands get along so well.  As a matter of fact, this summer, Dan is going with Rich and some other guys to Colorado to hike some huge peak while Jennifer and the kids stay with me and our kids in Missouri.  It's going to be so much fun.

We decided to take the kids to the bluffs off Scenic Highway.  My kids have never been there.  There's a neat boardwalk to walk on and then of course there's the beach and the train tracks.  The kids were a little worried, but we kept an eye out for trains.  I think the water is Pensacola Bay or maybe Escambia Bay.

I don't know if you can zoom in on the sign, but there's a message for dog owners and then a message for dogs "Grrr, bark woof.  Good dog."  Funny.

Gracie loved running and digging in the sand.  It was a new experience for her.  (BTW, she was on a leash, I photoshopped it out to make a better picture).

I have a picture of me and Jennifer at almost this exact point nearly cough cough twenty cough cough years ago.  I should dig it out to compare...or maybe I shouldn't.

The kids had a spend the night at my parents so they could sleep in longer before we hit the road the next morning.  Dan and I went out to dinner with Jen and Rich.  We met at Five Sisters Blues Cafe.  The food was excellent, but the bluesy Santa playing the keyboard and singing was a little loud.

Our date nights usually include a little evening geocaching and this was no exception.  We went in hunt of Pelvis, Pensacola's Elvis Pelican.  He was in the lobby of a bank with a geocache in the parking lot across the street.  Isn't he hilarious?  Forty-one pelicans have been commissioned.  I had only known about the military pelicans on the corner of Main and Palafox downtown.  There are more spread out all over Pensacola.  It would be fun to spend a day finding them.

Dan's geocaching prize is a little creepy.

So there you have it.  That was a our fast, fun filled week home in Pensacola.  We had a wonderful Christmas.  Thanks to everyone who made time to see us!

Christmas with Dan's Family

We alternate whose house we stay at each Christmas.  This year it was Dan's family's turn, but they aren't a pet family.  I had to get permission to bring Gracie Mae.  My mom always watches Zac for us, but she wasn't puppy sitting for a week.  Joan and Larry said we could bring her and Gracie Mae quickly made friends.  Practically everytime I turned around, she was in Larry's lap.  He was smitten, but seriously, who wouldn't be.

We had slumber parties several nights in a row with Caleb.  The kids always have a great time playing with him.

Gracie had fun opening presents too.

Christmas With My Family

We drove to Pensacola on the 23rd.  It was a L-O-N-G day.  We left here at 5:30 and made it to Pensacola around 8:30 that night.  The kids and dog did great.  Poor Zac did great too, in the trunk all by himself :). 

Gracie loved being in a fenced backyard.  She doesn't get many opportunities to be off her leash.  She raced around and around the yard in great big circles.  Freedom!

The kids were supposed to be watching the dog in the yard.  When I checked on them and asked where she was, they said "we don't know."  I found her digging in the corner of a flower bed.  She was covered in mud and had Loropetalum leaves stuck all over her.  She was in puppy dog heaven!  I'm sure Gracie would say the bath was worth the fun. 

I can't go to my parents house without destroying something.  This trip, it was the cherry tree.  I cannot tell a lie.  "I" cut it down!  It died several years ago after a hurricane, but my sentimental mom couldn't bare to cut it down because all her Grandkids loved to climb it.  My dad has been cutting it slowly down in sections.  She was finally ready to get rid of it and what started off as my sawing off two low limbs that were right at my nephews eye level turned into my first experience with a reciprocating saw.  Fun times!

My parents new kitchen...I feel like it's partly mine too since I helped demolish the old one and design the new one.  Isn't it pretty?

Missouri's "Educational" Field Trip

The field trips in Maryland where only educational.  Sure, they had an element of fun (like the planetarium or the Baltimore Science Center), but they also were educational.  Since we live in the middle of nowhere, educational is hard to come by.  Caden's class did have a field trip to see a play in the fall in Rolla, but the girls hadn't had a field trip.  Well, for Christmas, the 3rd through 6th grades went to the bowling alley.  We have a small school - only 2 class per grade level - but that still means close to 180 students in one bowling alley.  Thankfully, we have a BIG bowling alley.  The kids had so much fun.  It was a nice way to break up the last week of school.