SWEET TEA-N-ICE

Isaac's New Ride

2012-01-09T23:08:00.000-05:00

He's definitely a boy. He knew just what to do and has that spatial thing down! Look at my little man driving! :)

Photoshoot with Evi Lou

2012-01-09T23:00:00.000-05:00

A Barrage of Pixs

2011-12-22T14:55:00.000-05:00

It seems I've passed on the photography bug to my munchkins - who aren't so munchkinish anymore. Emi's got 1/2 and inch til she meets me; Eli a few inches. Isaac is already up to my ribs. :(

Anyway, here's some pix they've taken recently:

Some of Emi's jewelry:

Daddie gettin' his groove on:

Trying out my donut maker with eggs:

Nicaragua Pix

2011-08-11T07:27:00.000-04:00

Here's some pix of Mimi's and Eli's first mission trip to Nicaragua!

Nicaraguan nature walk

Mr. Coleman being his usual ornery self!

Getting ready

Stay hydrated!

Cutie patootie!

Eli's day as a clown!

The bus

The compound

The team

Check out the trees!

Home sweet home

Another cutie pie!

At the airport

Eek!

2011-08-11T07:13:00.000-04:00

Monday, August 8th, Mims and I headed to our local DMV bright and early in the morning. 8:30 to be exact. After figuring out how to check in thanks to another kind patron, our numbers were soon called. BTW, it's a good thing to have an appointment! It goes a lot faster.

Mims was called up first; I handed off her paperwork and fielded an orthodontist phone call. Then she went to take her test. Then I took mine to renew my license. Yay, I passed! After paying for mine - thankfully, I had some of my kids' money with me as I thought the renewal fee was $4 - ha ha - that's $4 per year, thus $32! - I then got my mug shot and proceeded to wait on Mimi to finish.

I just couldn't tell how she was doing. But when I saw the lady hand her a paper to sign, I knew she had passed! Woo hoo! Uh oh! (insert nervous laugh here) She got her picture done, we got our temporary papers, and we were off! I can't tell you how nervous I was getting into the passenger side!

We ran by the banks and then home. She did well. No major incidents or heart stopping moments. Just a little rusty since her driver's ed was back in April. She's even driven with all the kids in the car (think of two giggling girls and a loud, emotional 4 year old boy). She drove Daddie and Isaac to BJ's in Cary the other night. Her common question now is, "Don't you have some errands to run? I could drive you!" :)

A New Twist to the Creation Story

2011-07-18T14:06:00.000-04:00

I can honestly say I've never heard this version of the story of creation. Isaac asked me at lunch today if I knew that GOD had everybody in HIS tummy! He first said GOD had to do it all HIMSELF, but then he changed course and said a farmer, no a doctor, no an ambulance man helped GOD deliver everybody. He said GOD had a really fat tummy! LOL

Tick, Tick, Tick

2011-06-16T09:24:00.000-04:00

Time keeps ticking away! Can it really be that it's now mid-June, and I haven't posted since February? I remember growing up, and time surely creeped by. Nowadays, I think I'm on an Amtrak stuck in high gear!

So what's been going on? Let's see:
1. Mims is less wise (ha ha) with the removal of all four wisdom teeth. She suddenly became a lot more expensive though! LOL
2. YiYi decided to join in the fun and just had a frenectomy done on Monday - having the flap of skin between her lip and gum trimmed with a laser. Ouch! Gotta hand it to her - only one pain pill and a couple of doses of ibuprofen.
3. New do's for YiYi and Evi Lou Who:

You can't tell it so much by the pix, but Erynn's is a stack cut and Eli has layers and long bangs. Both have blond highlights. I wish I had the cosmetology gene! They look so much better with a good hair cut! All I can offer is the straight trim.

4. Mims has completed driver's ed. Waiting on her 15th birthday and her return from Nicaragua. Can I really have a 15 year old in my house?

5. Mims and YiYi are getting ready to go overseas for their first missions trip! I'm excited for them and praying that GOD will open their eyes to see what the rest of the world is really like.

6. Little Man isn't so little any more. He may soon catch up to Erynn! I woe the day he gets taller than me! Speaking of which, Mims is right there! No! No! No!

7. Little Man is now taking swimming lessons from the man who taught the other three to swim. Mr. Finneran still has that magic touch - getting Isaac to put his head in the water on the first day after three sessions at the Y last summer to try to accomplish the same thing!

8. The oldest three are in full teenager mode - wanting to stay up late and sleep in. Didn't Isaac get the memo???

9. High school is upon us. (nervous laugh inserted here)

10. Red Honda (think Christine in the old movie - has a mind of its own - loves to set the alarm off on me at its own choosing) is running again after a two year stint in the back yard. Now for the Blueberry. And to get the AC in the Shammy running again...this ol' lady sure is hot natured now!

11. We actually have a growing garden now! Bubs and I make our every other day trips to pick giant cucumbers and a handful of tomatoes. We're also watering and Miracle-Gro(w)ing our vincas that have seriously multiplied in the flower beds. The poor verbena are being overtaken!

12. YiYi sent off her pix for the photo project she entered - similar to Erynn's Sketchbook Project.

13. Isaac attended his first VBS this week. I didn't go for the first time in years - though the second night I stayed there and did some work in the one unused room since the first night they ended up calling me about his tummy hurting.

14. Could it be that I'll finally see Mickey again after 35 long years? Big Daddie wants to go to Disney for my birthday. :) Will I survive the drive down?!?

How We Have Dreams

2011-02-02T18:54:00.000-05:00

Ziggy and I were laying on his bed after nap today, and he was drinking his water from his sippy cup while laying down. I asked him how he did that. He told me that's how you remember your dreams. It (the dream) goes up in your brain and then down into your mouth and then back into your brain so you can dream it a second time. Just thought you might want to know!

Ten Times the Fun!

2011-01-31T16:24:00.000-05:00

Although Erynn turned ten in December, we didn't get to her party until mid-to-late January. I think she had a good time - 12 kids, 1 super-large oreo cookie cake, and a mall trip to boot. They created their own fashion show as entertainment Friday night.

Meanwhile I-Man was being treated like a royal prince at the Reed's house. Here's he is enjoying time with Molly & Ziggy and reading with Mr. Reed. Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled...

Good Ol' George

2011-01-20T23:04:00.000-05:00

After months of waiting, we finally got around to seeing the George Washington exhibit at the history museum last Saturday while Eddie was off at Caswell. I can't say I learned too much as I was busy with the Booger, but we got lots of pictures!

The resolution on these isn't great, but these statues were so lifelike!

One of Ziggy's favorite parts was this fort scene.

If I could only get warm...

This was done by an elem/ms student. Impressive!

The Beach in Pictures

2010-09-01T13:03:00.000-04:00


Tradition for Big Daddie & the girls to go get

Tornado!


Erynn took this!


Feedin' the crocs @ Chesapeake


Mummy man


Harley & Cookie-we see them there every year!

@ Le Cirque Adrenaline!

Granny, Poppa, Erynn, Eli, Emi, Eddison, Eddie & moi (Roob taking pic)


Rides at Broadway - Eddie, Emi, Eli & Erynn


Early morning walks to the pier

@ Duffy's Seafood Shack

Beachy Thoughts

2010-08-16T15:27:00.000-04:00

Why does packing for the beach take so much more effort than unpacking? That just seems weird! I get worn out just packing for the beach! I've broken it up by days, which is good for not feeling overwhelmed, but still to have to think of everything and find the time to do it amidst all the everyday stuff...

The girls are doing their own packing now, but still I have to double-check behind them to make sure they bring the appropriate and enough of the right things. Bubbie and I packed his stuff today. It was nice actually. He likes to be a strong man, so I let him carry the stuff and put it in the bag. He also helped me carry the beach towels and put them in the hamper. We combined some of the many bottles of lotion we have, and he threw away the empty ones. He brought me tissue paper when one of the bottles was spitting at me. :) I think he's going to be a simple packer. When we were packing his toys, he didn't want to take all of everything. He wanted his Bible, one book, one car, and his container of Little People. Go dude! He is so excited about the beach! He says, "I wanna go NOW!"

The girls are excited in a different way. They think the grandest idea is to take off this week from lessons so that I can pack everything. Umm...no. lol

I imagine Sammy & Frodo will have a grand time at their dog sitter's house. Lots of attention, a backyard to roam in, maybe even a bath??? They don't seem to be anxious as we drop them off. They run right up to the door, walk on in and disappear within the house! Not even a good bye! (sniff, sniff)

My goal for the beach is to learn how to use Photoshop and read and catch up on the journals that I keep for the kiddos. I am so incredibly far behind on them, but one is caught up at least! Photoshop, well...I bought PS 6, and I still haven't learned to use it. Version 8 is out now, I believe! I did find a book on PS 4, so I'm hoping it will teach me the basics. I've tried using the guide on the computer, but I need it in front of me as I'm looking at PS, or I lose it.

Here's some pix of the girlies that they took with their friends. Getting taller and older...I can't believe Mims is almost ready for driver's ed! The LORD better get HIS guardian angels ready! :)

Here's one they took of Boogie Man:

Isaac was helping Daddie with some yard work. I was surprised he stayed out there the whole time. It was hot!

Isaacism

2010-08-04T21:03:00.000-04:00

Here's an example of an Isaacism:

Him: "Who made da roads?"
Me (thinking, "Oh, no, I'm in trouble now."): "The men who make roads."
Him: "But who are dey?"
Me: "I don't know."
Him: "Does Daddie know?"
Me: "No."
Him: "Does YiYi know? (Rinse and repeat...) Does Ery know? Does Mimi know? Does Katie (Eaton) know? Does Mrs. Eaton know?"

Boogie Man Day

2010-08-03T16:15:00.000-04:00

The girls flew the nest about 9:00 this morning. Yeah, second day of school and they already have a vacation day. Ha ha. Their friends are back from their cross-country travels, so being the nice mom I am, I let them go sleep over at their house.

That leaves Boogie Man and me and the doggies with a free day. I decided to take him to the free movies down at White Oak. I thought it was "Madagascar", but it ended up being "Cloudy...". He chose the seats - the very bottom of the upper section. There were just two seats there - one for him, one for me. He wanted a snack right away. I was afraid he was going to finish it before the movie even started, but he got into the first few minutes before he was done with his and started on mine.

We made it maybe halfway into the movie when he was ready to go. He said he'd rather watch it at home. He was done with snack, probably sleepy from the cold medicine I'd given him and didn't like the theater being dark. Towards the end he was getting scared from the storm and the sound being so loud. But he toughed it out.

We came home. He just finished about a 3 hour nap! Ha ha for Daddie tonight! I think we've successfully talked him out of going to the park in this oppressive heat. Instead, we'll go to a nice air-conditioned Chick-fil-a playspace. :) If we can get ourselves going early tomorrow, maybe we can make it to the park! I might even get to the Y!

New Do's

2010-07-31T15:50:00.000-04:00

Though the girls' hair has been done for a bit, I thought I'd put what I had on here anyway. I'm not sure where Mims' pic is :(.


YiYi's cut & highlights


Erynn's cut & highlights

Isaac before

Isaac after!

All his curls :(

He's still a cutie patootie, but I miss his little curls! I have to figure out how to trim his hair without butchering it!

7/23/10

2010-07-23T07:04:00.000-04:00

It's been fourteen years since we heard that first cry. Fourteen years sounds so long when think about all that's gone into getting her where she's at today, but when you look at her, it seems so young (and yet so old at the same time). To think of what lies ahead (driver's ed., jobs, perhaps college?, etc.), it seems so exciting, but at the same time, I wonder if she'll be ready. The personal perks for me sound so NICE! To think she could do some of the driving of what's becoming the taxi - ahhh! The idea of her driving all of them to Angier for CYT - an almost free night!


Getting older yet still a kid who likes to play.

She hadn't decided on what to do for the day by the time I had to leave to take Bugs to his final swim lesson with dear Ms. Molly, so I told her I'd take her out for one of her often requested milk shakes this afternoon. Erynn opted to join us as well. When Daddie came home this afternoon, we opened presents first.

Her first present was Modge Podge glue & sealer. Ha ha. The look on her face. She thought it was a gag gift until she remembered I'd told her she'd have some assembly required of one of her gifts. Next came the hardware (the round thing-a-ma-jiggies, the necklaces, the stickers/accessories), and then 12 bottles of Crush soda. THEN she knew what it all was. Do you? Ha ha. One of the fads that kids are into now-a-days is bottle cap jewelry. We went into a store after she opened her presents where she showed me some that a lady was selling for $8 (earrings)! All they were was a bottle cap, some hardware and a few beads! But the ones I had seen were turned around & decorated on the inside, so that's what Erynn & I picked up at JoAnn's. Anyway...she also got loads of Justice & Aeropostale clothes, two beach bags, her traditional book & a doll desk. Erynn made her a cool card, and Isaac gave her a nice, big, wet kissie on the lips! :)

He doesn't quite get the birthday thing, I don't think. He was saying how he wanted one too. I think he means the cake! He told a lady today that his birthday was in "three minutes" and that then he'd be five and headed off to kindergarten! He's so cute to watch when he engages adults. He began the conversation by showing her his flip flops - after he had shown another guy them as well. He truly is an Eddison - not introverted like me.

So after the presents, we went to Gifts With a Heart to check out how they made the earrings and maybe buy some (so she said). She couldn't decide by the time we needed to go, so she said we'll go back this weekend (along with the movie she wants to watch, go swimming, and make more jewelry). Then we went to Olive Garden and Cold Stone - where she treated all to ice cream!

Back home, I got out my scrapbooking stuff and looked for anything to add to the jewelry, and then the learning process began. We had to figure out which way to line up the thing-a-ma-jiggies for both the necklace and the earrings, punch holes in the bottle caps, wrangle with getting the thing in through the hole(s), and then decorate. (All the while, Isaac is giving us a hard time since he's missing the "party".) Emi made earrings with cherries on them while Erynn made watermelon earrings. Eli opted to make bead jewelry earrings & a necklace. Daddie & I were the ones trying to figure out all the technical stuff!

While at the store, I asked the lady about selling stuff there. It might work out for the girls to sell their stuff there! That would be really cool as we've hit a roadblock on how to sell the stuff since we can't take it to church anymore other than for Speed the Light. I don't know if Craig's List is a good Idea or not...

Well, it's 7:00, and no one's stirred except Eli, so I best take advantage of it and get ready in peace. :) Bugs put up a fight for so long last night, I guess he's worn out!

A Pictoral Update

2010-05-30T20:12:00.007-04:00

Playing around with iPhoto effects - fade color.

Black and white.

Black and white with black border.

Isaac built his first gate.

Recouping at the play area.

Notice where Isaac is...

Eddie's new ride!

Emi's warming an egg - or maybe the egg is warming her! It was hot!

I don't think Erynn likes snakes!

Erynn before

Erynn after - OUCH!

Our day at UNC

Easter party at Gramma's church

An uncommon day of lessons

Wrinkled Raisins

2010-05-06T22:30:00.002-04:00

In our quest to try out each of the Y's to see what each is like, we hit Kerr today. Not far from our first appointment, we stopped at Starbuck's to sell some curricula, ate lunch before my blood sugar plummeted since I didn't get breakfast, then on to Justice to buy some birthday gifts, we then hit the Y. Isaac, btw, loved trying on the sunglasses at Justice. He likes that store as much as the girls do!

Since they don't have childcare until after 4:00, we hit the pool. I'd have to say a low score for the family locker room. The kids and I alone pretty much fill up the room! And tricky lockers to figure out. The pool was nice and warm, however. Another low score to not having the same life vests as the other Y's. Boo. I had to strap two of the add-a-board types to Isaac, and they kept riding up so his chin was resting on the front one. It didn't seem to bother him until the end though. A plus to having a decent space to swim in. We swam at least two hours. We were waiting for the play pool to open for Isaac's sake. This part has a slide, buckets and shovels, a drippy pole that you can control the drip by a wheel, and a drop-a-bucket thingie. Chick wasn't too crazy about the last thing, but he liked the wheel and the slide if I caught him.

After that long, however, we all had raisin feet and hands. On to the shower. One shower for 4 of us (Eli had already gotten hers.). One bench. Hmmm...3 bags. Not a lot of room to spread stuff out. But we survived. We got Boogie into child care (nice room!), Emi and Eli went off to rock climb, and Erynn and I got stuck at the desk trying to decide about Isaac more swimming lessons. In the midst of all that, I had "misplaced" our Y cards. Grrr... Finally, to Erynn's relief, we were done. She and I walked on the track. By this time, I was too tired to work out, and I actually sat on the window sill for part of the time, dreading the drive home with 4 hungry children (remember that song???), one of whom hadn't had a nap, and one tired, old mama. True to form, we get on US1 and the traffic is at a standstill. It took us over an hour to get home.

So I can't say Kerr was my favorite. I like Cary's gym the best, but they have no family locker room. Three pools though. Tiny pool locker rooms though. More things to do there though. Decent location.

Holly Springs is nice but small. Not as many machines. Track is not for those balance-challenged like me. They do have an elevator though! :) Only an outdoor pool though. :( This is Eddie's favorite.

Hillsborough is Eli's favorite. Only an indoor pool, but the hours are decent there. Nice family locker rooms! Decent machines. Track another no go for me. Child care for Isaac is nice.

Baileywick. I'm drawing a blank. I'm thinking there was no family locker room. Oh dear. Where did my brain go??? Nice family section in the pool. I know the gym is tiny there. Track is okay as far as it's on ground level, but it's in the same tiny room as the machines.

Isaac is tentative about going in the nursery, but he always gets mad at me for picking him up. Go figure! None of them have great game rooms for Erynn though. :( Poor thing, stuck in the middle.

May 1, 2010

2010-05-01T15:44:00.002-04:00

My how time flies. I don't feel like I'm on a crazy roller coaster like some people I know, but time sure does seem to pass too quickly for me.

At the moment we are kidless. Such a strange feeling. We so rarely get the time, we don't know what to do when we have it! Last night we went to friends' house, had a wonderful, homemade dinner complete with Watergate salad and chocolate dipped strawberries! Then we played Apples to Apples after the guys played Wii. I've never played it before, but it's pretty neat. I won the first round! This morning we slept in until almost 9:00! Aaah...Then we headed to the Y to work out and then swim laps. Since I always go with the kids, I don't get to swim laps since I have to stay with Isaac. I feel so very pathetic! I was hurting after one lap. Then we ate lunch at the Farmer's Market and bought some plants for the front beds. Next we're off to do some shopping and pick up Isaac, who wants his mama (sniff, sniff). :)

We've got a funeral to go to tomorrow. :( Only 5 more weeks of lessons left. Only 2 more drama classes left. Mimi has until the first week of June for her tutoring, and then Isaac starts taking swimming lessons! That will be so fun to see!

Daddie-Dude Date

2010-02-07T21:09:00.003-05:00

While I was off playing taxi with the girls this Saturday, Boogie and Daddie had a date. They intended to go to the John Deere place, but it was closed, so they went to this heavy machinery place somewhere down 401. He looks so tiny but he looks like he liked it!

Sailing Through September

2009-09-14T21:00:00.002-04:00

Everytime I turn around another month has almost gone by. How can it be halfway through September already? Time flies when you have work to do!

The girls had their first day of CYT today. They were nervous, and I was a bit nervous for them, on the way in. I signed them up for a non-homeschool class, and I was wondering if they might feel weird being the only ones in a class with other school kids. GOD is good; not only are there other homeschoolers in there, but they have a friend from Upwards soccer, too! They came out all excited, rehearsing lines from the play they will be doing - acting all silly and dramatic. I also found a neat park that I can take Boogie to during practice on the days Eddie can't come by and get him.

Fresh Pages

2009-08-01T21:46:00.003-04:00

Lots of new things are occurring around here. Emi has just turned 13 - a tried and true teenager. It's as though she just fell into the teen "mold" all of a sudden. She thinks everything is so funny (even when it's not) ;o). She goes around the house with her iPod Shuffle attached to her almost permanently with earplugs in place (or whatever you call them nowadays). Now you have to look through the house for her. Where has the little, chubby-cheeked, bouncy-curled, squeaky-voiced girl gone?

Elisha is set to turn 11 this Wednesday. She has nearly completed her first full double-digit year. She will have her gymnastics party next Saturday. That is her current obsession - gymnastics.

We are set to start our new lessons Monday. This will be our first year ever of doing separate lessons for each of them. Erynn will be studying World History and Eli will be doing the first core of the upper ancient world history while Emi will be doing the latter. Will Emi really be ready for high school next year??!!

On our way back from meeting the grandparents this past week, we stopped at the airport so Isaac could see the planes take off and land. We mostly saw them land with only one taking off. It scared him a little to hear the sound following the plane landing. I think he liked it though.

A New Era About To Begin

2009-07-19T17:19:00.003-04:00

How can it be that we're about to have a teenager in the house?!? Only 3 more days and then we officially have a teenager. Where did the chubby-faced, squeaky-voiced preschooler go? Where are the cute curls? But on the positive side, I've almost got me a built-in babysitter! Now if only they could all get along!

A Little Variety

2009-06-23T07:43:00.003-04:00

Well, it's 7:44 am, and Eddison has been up since 6:00. Woke up to another "flood" in his bed. He doesn't like to sit in it (who would?), but then he sits on his pillow. Eeewww... So more laundry today. Eddie just left a little bit ago, which is different in itself as he usually heads out about 6:00. He took Erynn to work with him. :o) She was very calmly excited. She dressed up in a skirt, dress sandals and bracelets and all. Poor Boogie, though. He wanted to go too. :o( Made me tear up to see him say, "Okay" when Eddie said not this time. He can be so sweet.

Mimi and YiYi have been gone for a little over a day and a half now. Oddly quiet around here. I do miss my help though! I thought it would be easier going to the library yesterday with only two. Nope. Trying to pick out books for them and keeping him with me was not easy. Then we came home to no nap. Nooo!

Ery, Dude and I went to the mall yesterday. Yet another unusual occurrence. I found out Isaac has my shoe fettish. I went in Rack Room ever hopeful I could find some "dress casual" shoes in my beloved size 11 but narrow size. Why do I get my hopes up???? But Dude was very adamant that he try on shoes. It didn't matter if they were girls, boys, the right size or not! He wanted them and he wanted them now! I did slip a pair of Chucks on him. Cute! But I will not pay the price they want for them nowadays. They're charging double what I bought them for when I was growing up! Okay, the price Granny paid for them...

I've decided to move all the girls' toys downstairs. The play room is officially becoming a school room except for the doll condo. I'm also trying to contain all my mess in there, too. Haven't quite conquered that part yet. Hopefully I can make a large dent in that tonight. I need to get organized for this coming year. We already have the books and each has their own shelf with one shelf for the shared stuff. In the other cabinet, Isaac has his shelf, we still have the art stuff and craft kits plus the science lab stuff I couldn't fit in their lessons cabinet. My stuff is going on the desk. The bad part is now all the stuff I've taken out sits in the kitchen and laundry area until Eddie can take it all down! Poor doggies have to meander through a maze to get to their food.

Here's a pic of Daddie and his Father's Day cake that Elisha made. She researched it all on her own. Emi even made him a present without me saying anything to them to remind them. But did I remember to make him a card? No.... woops! I will defend myself though. I looked into getting him a new phone for Pappy's Day a couple of months ago. So I didn't forget the day; I just forgot the card!

Pics

2009-05-12T21:50:00.002-04:00

Elisha was adamant that I put new pics on here. So here they are. The many moods of Boogs.

Toddler School - Evi Lou Style

2009-04-09T22:10:00.003-04:00

Erynn has taken to teaching Bubba in her very own "Toddler School". I must say she does quite a good job at it. Usually she'll take him all over the house pretending this or that, showing him how to play a certain way or even teaching him about colors, numbers and the alphabet. Today, however, we headed outside for a "field trip". After Mims took her first solo ride up around the next street (sad isn't it these days??), she brought me the camera. I snapped a few, hoping to catch one for Boogie's 2 year pixs, but not putting much hope into it with the condition of his hair after nap! These pixs I ended up putting in because I liked the b/w effects :o).

Two

2009-03-22T21:20:00.004-04:00

Baby Boogs is no longer. Little Man is now two. :o( Where did my little (well, big) baby go? It's hard to believe it's all over. No more itty, bitty baby clothes; no more teeny, tiny shoes. No more crib soon, no more high chair soon. Today we took him into church for the first time without a stroller. I need him in the stroller! It's too hard to try to keep track of everything and everybody otherwise! He also went in the two year old class. Yeah! He's back with Jonathan :o). He actually pushed me out of the class, he wanted me to go... Well! I do miss seeing my little dude in back of me in the toddler's class.

He got his first Big Wheel last weekend for his birthday. He has been zooming all around the house on it. So have his sisters ;o9. Today we took it outside. He can't quite get the pedals yet. He also got a JayJay video. He likes it. He's going to be a traveling man with his cars/trucks/construction/planes affinities.

While in search of a special place to take him today, he fell asleep in the car. When we finally got somewhere, he was grumpy, so I held him in my lap. :o) He's usually too busy to do that anymore. :o( At least he likes to read though. That way he'll sit by me :o).

Park Days

2009-03-13T19:26:00.004-04:00

We were taking advantage of the warm weather these past few days and exploring different parks, something we've not done much of these past years - I don't know why. My favorite is Crowder off of 10-10. Both the little people's and the big kids' playsets are right there together. We also ventured back to Lake Benson. I haven't been there in a long time! It had been redone last fall, and I had no idea. I like it a lot better now. Before the two playgrounds were separated. Of course, someone wanted to be on each one. We have also tried Bond Park. It's okay to me; a little big to watch 4 go in different directions. This past week we tried the park off Walnut in Cary. Both parts are close together, but apparently it's a teenage hangout after school. We had to share the swings and rocking horse things with them ;oP. There was also a boy there loudly singing the national anthem :o). We found one off Lake Wheeler, but we haven't made it there. The playset looks really cool, but the little people's part is up at the top of the hill, and the other is way down at the bottom. Hmmm... We also tried one off Kaplan and Kent in Raleigh, but they all came home with black stuff that still hasn't come off.

BTW- Boogie's new word for the day was "sunshine"!

Auto Bell - Homestyle

2009-03-07T19:30:00.002-05:00

The girls, Boogs and Daddie washed the Burb today - inside and out. Boy, it needed it! Then Daddie attempted to fix the squeaking brakes on the Honda. Isaac helped him with this, too. They both came in with black hands. Yuck!

The girls have decided to revamp their "stores". Emi and Erynn are now making soaps. Eli is undecided as of yet. Sam votes for homemade doggy biscuits. Frodo votes for homemade pillows. I vote for stationery or chocolate!

Latest Sayings of Boogs

2009-02-27T20:37:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Boogs said out of the blue, "Ery, coot (cute); YiYi, coot, MiMi, coot, Mama, coot, Dada, coot, Fovo, coot, Ammeh (Sammy), coot." :o)

One of today's words was "cowguhl" (cowgirl). This was in reference to something Erynn was playing with him. Oh, he also said "gapefoot" (grapefruit) and "appuh" (apple).

His favorite words are still "eee" (eat), "fi" (fish), "dine" (Einstein video), "joo" (juice), "shoe", "sigh" (outside), "pay" (play), "buh" (book).

We've been to several parks lately. He gets so excited but then seems somewhat overwhelmed by it all. He will go right up to anyone and say, "Hey!" and wave. When it's time to leave, he will turn around, wave, and say, "bye!" He even went up to a lady yesterday, pointed right at her hip and the bench she was sitting on and said, "ch-ehh" (chair). It was so funny.

Chicken Soup Anyone?

2009-02-24T13:37:00.003-05:00

It would appear that Emi was generous and shared her germs with the rest of the family. Isaac has a cough - nothing bad. Erynn has some congestion. Eli has the full-blown bug like Emi had - fever, earache, sore throat, upset stomach. I have a scratchy throat and a sinus headache. :o( I hope Boogs isn't coming down with it. I asked him if he was ready for his nap, and he said yes. Hmmm...

Mimi got to go the State/Carolina Women's basketball game with Daddie last night. It was free for kids and $7 for adults.

A Few Firsts

2009-02-20T10:34:00.002-05:00

Not a whole lot of exciting stuff going on here. Mims got some kind of bug that gave her a fever, headache, chills and no appetite for a couple of days. She seems to have recovered without passing it onto anyone :o). Isaac couldn't understand why he couldn't play "night-night" with her.

We took a walk to the pond yesterday. Isaac threw his first sticks in the pond. Every time I thought he was going to head into the water - my nerves - ahhh. We saw a rather large, dead large-mouth bass floating by the edge. He can also do the slides in the backyard by himself now :o).

Erynn has a big "fight" scene to do in her puppetry this weekend. She's a little nervous, I think.

I think we may have found a new idea for Valentine's. We actually bought a WHOLE cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory. Mmmm... Since we always share our pieces when we go there, eating a whole slice at once was quite a different experience. It does make more sense to buy a whole one than to pay for each one to get one though! It's a good thing we took it home; there was a two and a half hour wait at 4:00!

We sold our first batch of stuff to Kid to Kid this week. One miniscule dent in the basement of horrors... we're hoping to put the money in our vacation jar.

Snow Days

2009-01-25T08:59:00.003-05:00

Here's a few pics from the snow...

Date Night In

2009-01-04T14:58:00.002-05:00

Eddie and I had a date night in last night. We went to "Oakwood" - the bedroom theater at the end of the hall. The girls put up blankets around our bed so we could have a private viewing of a movie. They asked for our orders, made us dinner, and served it to us. All the while, they took care of Boogie and fed him dinner. You should try it sometime!

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T22:39:00.002-05:00

Here's to a new year. It may be one of lots of "action" as we will have a teenager and a two year old in the same house. Oh boy. We're also down to one car seat. Yay.

We had a good time traveling. No one was sick other than my back bothering me and being tired. We got to see the cousins on the Wetmore side. The girls had a great time with Lillie and Lauren sleeping over. I got to watch Nathan at church on Sunday. He's a cutie pie. He and Isaac loved emptying the bin of balls, me rolling them on the floor and then they picking them up. We did that over and over. Eli also got her favorite of fish (jk) on Sunday for lunch. Erynn has had two cakes and cheesecake so far for her birthday.

Well, my brain is getting pretty foggy here. See you next year!

New Looks

2008-12-23T13:10:00.004-05:00

Erynn, Boogie and I had a few minutes to spare, so we got a few pics done. What do you think??

My, what big cheeks you have!

And what pretty teeth, Mama!

Boogie has a big head now...

Chilled out...

Fun With Friends

2008-12-17T19:16:00.005-05:00

All four kids spent the night last Friday night with friends. This lady definitely has more energy than I do and a lot more daring! Not only did she take on my four (one being a toddler), she had her two AND she took them out places! She, without her husband, took 6 kids and a toddler out to eat, to the bookstore and on a sleigh ride! It was all the Wetmores' first sleigh ride to my knowledge - which isn't much these days! I've been in such a fog lately.

Eddie and I went to his office Christmas party that Friday night. It was nice to put faces with names finally. We did a white elephant gift. I must say, one of the things we brought was a hit. It was the Happy Feet penguin. It's been sitting in our basement with everything else in the world for several years now. Several people stole it from each other, but I think Eddie's co-worker Wendell ended up with it. I got a toilet seat (yes, I wanted it - but pooey, it doesn't fit!) and a real wreath that one of the ladies there makes from her tree farm. People kept stealing from Eddie over and over, but he finally ended up with a Ralph Lauren blanket - Carolina blue, of course.

Saturday, we slept in until 8:00 (ha ha), and meant to go out for breakfast since we never do that, but we didn't get out of the house until 10:30, so we did lunch instead. Then we went looking for stocking stuffers for the girls. We ended up not finding anything for them, but for me instead! Oh, we did find one thing for Erynn that she really needs. I ended up getting 3 shirt/sweaters, a pair of flip flops for $5 and some Nike running shoes for $16.50 at Kohls! We went to Linens-N-Things to see what they had left. I wanted to get new towels for our bathroom, but I couldn't find enough of one color. By the end of the night - after we picked up the kids - we went to another L-N-T and bought them new sheets and duvet covers for their beds and a massage seat. It was supposed to be for my back, but I think Eddie spends more time on it than I do! Even Isaac crawls up on it.

Emi, Eli and I went shopping last night for Erynn's birthday present from me. I got her a new outfit from Justice (everything was 40% off - TTL). I ended up not being able to wait to give it to her, so she opened it last night. Seeing her face as she opened up the last of the 3 boxes was priceless. She got so excited to see the light jacket with the brown fur on the hood. She was wanting one of those. :o) In twelve days, she'll be 8! No more carseat - even though it might be better for her height if she stays in it.

Almost Time

2008-12-09T19:20:00.003-05:00

It's almost Christmas! On the one hand, I feel ready; on the other hand, I feel a bit panicked. We have our yearly tradition ready other than one gift, but we don't have the girls' stuff yet. And I have no clue what to put in their stockings this year. I usually put practical things in there, but they don't need a bit of it. Hmmm...

I got zapped today at the chiro. It feels so much better now. They put these electrical stimulators on my left elbow, which has been sore for about two weeks or so now, while I was on the aqua massage bed. Now if they could do my right hand...

Isaac said his name much clearer today.:o) He has spent the day playing doggy day care with his sisters. This evening, he had a fashion show with Erynn. He was having the greatest time leading Erynn up and down the hallway. :o) We also got to meet Daddie for lunch today. As we got out of the car, he said, "Fye! Fye!" (Fry) For a boy who won't eat potatoes any other way, he sure loves his fries. He also went in the playspace with the sissies. He's not even afraid of the slide anymore.

Sam is enjoying a multitude of treats lately. He's gotten into a present we had wrapped for someone (actually two now that I think about it), candy the girls have left laying around here and there... one night he got sick enough to be put outside for awhile. Ick. I think it was Smarties or Milk Duds. I wanna know where he found Milk Duds as I love them and thought I had eaten them all.

We did make it to the Joel Lane House last Sunday after church (and Mellow Mushroom, Granny). It's a small historical place in downtown Raleigh that I never even knew was there. The program was "A Colonial Christmas". The girls got to write their names in real indigo ink and see toys that kids would have played with in the 1700's. As we visited the exterior kitchen/slave quarters, Eli got to churn butter while the man talked. He held up several things asking the kids what they thought they were. I even got a couple right :o). They also got to see candles made the old way. Eddie enjoyed talking to a guy with a gun outside; we went into the gift shop instead. Too cold and windy! Bubbie did get to shoot at a soldier with a little wooden gun that used rubber bands - kind of like a slingshot/gun mixed. He actually got the hang of it, too. Everyone in the main house was intrigued by their American Girl dolls that they brought (yes, Granny, I let them bring them ;oP), but they weren't allowed to put them down on any furniture when they did any crafts. They tried their hands at making rag dolls. Doesn't quite compare to a $100 doll, does it?

The girls' tree looks great in their room with all of Poodah's Hallmark ornaments. However, the girls forget to shut their door and thus, Boogie gets in there. He's broken about 4 so far. He hasn't messed with the JESUS tree ones too much until today.

Well, off to more Christmas cards and such.

Boogs

2008-12-05T23:09:00.002-05:00

Boogs said his first sentence yesterday or the day before! He said, "Ery (Erynn) go go bye bye." We were waving good bye to them as they left for church. I was staying home with him as we didn't want to share his diaper contents with the nursery, nor do we want any more germs right now. I guess it had to have been Wednesday since they were leaving for church. Yesterday he said, "DaDa hi 'side." That would mean, "I want to go outside to say hi to DaDa." Eddie was just coming home from work.

We decorated the tree tonight. Isaac was very interested in putting on ornaments. Sam also decided to be a snoop doggy dog today. I had put some friends gifts under the tree in the girls' room to keep them out of Isaac's hands, but Sam decided to inspect them himself. He only got into one, but it was the one where I needed the most of the items! Sam, Sam, Sam...

I'll try to get a pic of the tree up soon.

Christmas Pics

2008-12-01T21:02:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics I took while I was trying to get a pic for the Christmas cards. Let's just say Boogs was not at his finest by the end of this...

READY FOR TURKEY

2008-11-23T19:15:00.003-05:00

Erynn doing some lessons...

Zacipoo's favorite word...

Bible study train...

Not a whole lot new to report other than we've seen TWO snows already and it's not even Thanksgiving. Maybe for Christmas? What's Christmas without snow??? I know, Granny... The girls were excited to wake up to the snow. Even though it was freezing outside, they rushed outside - some even in pj's to taste and see the snow. Even Boogs liked it.

We have been doing something totally new for us. We're not only doing Christmas cards this year, but we're making them! I got some scrapbook materials, and I already have cardstock, so ... now we just need to take a pic of the girls and Boogs. I found a sleigh up at the Farmer's Market that would make a great picture if I can find a day and a time that will work with the temperature. Eddie, however, has already shown me up on the cards.

It's already time for Thanksgiving. Wow. This year has gone even faster than all the others before. I sure am ready for some homemade biscuits, mashed potatoes, GRANNY'S homemade pecan pie and tea! ;oP

The Wedding

2008-11-02T15:15:00.003-05:00

This is one of Erynn's pics - notice the gymnastics theme?
How well do you think Is has the girls wrapped around his finger? Erynn is toting Is around in a netted suitcase type thing.
Here's Boogie in the bottom part of his new slide thingie.

Well, the pic downloaded much easier, but I couldn't get any text below the picture. Hmmm...

The picture was of John the Elephant and Sandy the Rhino's wedding. It was a big affair held outside the mansion on Colony Drive. Sorry the picture is a little fuzzy, but I didn't take the picture ;o). Elisha claims responsibility for it. Sorry if you missed it or weren't invited, but I wasn't either, so I couldn't let you in on it.

Other than the celebrity wedding, life is about normal here. Still very little cleaning going on here no matter how hard I try. The girls are studying China at the moment. Due to a backordered book at Sonlight, we had to make a quick switch while we were studying Japan. It confused all of us for a while. Now we're missing one book from China, but I had a sub for it. Ask them how their Eastern Hemisphere Explorer is going. I think it's cool; they have a project to do with each country they explore/research. The hard thing is fitting it in! Their science this year is about anatomy with a 9 week study on survival skills at the end.

Erynn and I are having a good time learning about water in science. At least her experiments are simple enough for me. We just finished a book on William Tell - whom I knew nothing about except for the WT Overture. He was a pretty cool dude as was his son. We're reading a lot of poetry, too. Her reading skills are getting better and better. She's now at the point where she even wants to read the read-alouds to me. She's also taken a fancy to the Boxcar Children series, which are chapter books like the girls would read.

Isaac is still talking away. Had his first bloody nose today. Fell on something at church. Has decided that Eddie is now "Mama" as well. Da-yee is too close to Ta-yee for his liking. He also rode his first pony, and I missed it :o(! He went to the Fall Fair last night. Tried cotton candy, too. He dressed up as Elmo and took his Elmo baby doll with him. We tried to dress him up in a monkey suit and a giraffe suit, but he didn't want to. The monkey was so cute as it was a full body one; Elmo and the giraffe were only top half costumes. We also found out he likes ranch dressing, but not Italian singers - at least, not ones close to him. We went to our friends' restaurant on the 31st, and Jerry's dad was singing in Italian. Now, Is knows him, but when he starts to sing, Is starts to cry! There was also another singer there, but he sang in English. Is was okay with Carmine. Go figure. Carmine also took a liking to Erynn - had her dance with him twice! Go Erynn!

Erynn is also sporting a new do. I cut her hair for part of her costume on Saturday. It's a straight bob. I left her a little rat tail (temporarily) and let her show it to her daddy. She had gone with me to get mine cut (it had been since before the beach that I last got around to getting it cut!), and I showed her the new bob where it is layered in the back. She liked it and wanted it, but David didn't have time, and I don't know how to layer... Granny? Gramma?

Emi goes Monday for a retie on her braces. I think this is the last time before she gets them off. She should be free by Christmas! Now as for Erynn, they want to pull 6 of her teeth! Whoa! I called back for an explanation of that one! They want 2 of Eli's pulled. Is is still waiting on his canines and 2nd molars, but he did well for his first trip. He sat there the whole time, but he didn't like opening his mouth for her to brush.

Trying Out Mac

2008-11-02T15:06:00.006-05:00

Wanted to see if updating this is easier on the Mac. Let's try a picture:

Trying to Catch Up

2008-10-18T14:18:00.002-04:00

Trying to catch up when you're already behind is not an easy thing to do! Trying to get the house cleaned and make sure we're stocked up on food, plus homeschooling, trying to keep up with Wonder Boogs and two yappy dogs...

Speaking of Boogs, he is sprouting like a weed! Not only is he getting bigger (at least his feet are ;o) ), but he's learning so many new things I can't keep up with them! He is saying everything - not super clear, but I know what he's saying. He is saying things like:

cah (car - which stands for anything on wheels), shuuz (shoes), baah (bath), dink (stink - dirty diaper ;oO), ouw (outside), wah (walk), dop (stop), eee (eat), dow (dog), cuhr (color - wants to color), mo (more), bah (bye), tahyee (Taggie - his faithful taggie rags and lion), Mama, Dayee (this one is hard to decipher from Taggie, but it's Daddie), Mimi (Emily), YiYi (Elisha), Airee (Erynn), Za-ee (Sam), Oh-woh (Frodo), buh (book), ni-ni (night-night), rye (ride), sigh (slide) and, of course, No! I'm sure there's more, but I've been interrupted so many times now, I can't think straight anymore! :o)

The girls are doing well with gymnastics. They really like the place they're going even though the place I wanted them to go is a lot closer and nicer (better condition). The lady teaching them was there when Emi and Eli took it when they were 5 and 3. There's only one other girl in their class, so they get plenty of practice. Boogs will watch them through the window and say, " Guh (girls), Mimi! Guh, YiYi!" He knows he can't go in there, but he will sidle on over to the doorway and inch his way as close as he can.

Emi and Eli are studying the Eastern Hemisphere on their own this year :o(. I miss learning the stuff with them, but it seems to be the best way to do it all. I help Erynn with her Core (World Cultures) and science and check her independent work. She reads her readers to me, and I read a book aloud to her. I also do the read-aloud with the other girls (I didn't want to miss out on these, and I wanted to do something with them.). They even check most of their own work. They are learning to research on the computer using a World Book cd-rom as well as the net. It looks pretty neat from the bit I've seen. I had heard mixed reviews on it from other Sonlighters, but I think it's cool. I wish I had the time to do it myself. Erynn has been doing some water experiments; they're really simple but neat nonetheless. Ask her to do the tissue one for you! The other girls are learning anatomy, I believe. Maybe I'll get a chance to read some of their stuff next month.

Oh, the other big news is that Isaac has learned to climb the steps of the wooden playground out back! He can do both the ladder and the rock wall one, but his feet tend to get stuck in the narrow slats of it. Then he slides super fast down the slide! He loves it. He also uses the plastic one we bought him, but he won't go through the tunnel. He also knows "baw" (ball). He likes that I can dribble. He can kick it.

The girls are still into their dolls and Webkinz. They're EVERYWHERE! Can't leave home without them! Boogs is still liking his farm and cars. We've given him some matchbox cars that he likes. He saw a train set at the Marbles Museum Friday, and he really seemed to like it. I think I'll look for a simple one for Christmas. BTW, Eli told me to tell you she has 25 Webkinz. If you're looking for Christmas ideas, any American Girl things or Webkinz or Webkinz clothes would be a great idea. Other than a new house to put them all in!

I'll try to get some new pics posted, but first I have to find the camera!

Time's a Flyin' but I'm Slowing Down :o)

2008-09-21T20:57:00.003-04:00

Well, it's almost October, and I have yet to get the beach pics printed, nor the gifts I wanted made. I have tried though. My ever-dying computer is to blame, I believe. It won't recognize my pictures on Shutterfly. It's kind of hard to make a picture gift when you can't see the pictures!

Boogs is getting lots of choppers. He's almost running - speed walking, I'd say. We've already confused the poor boy with our wrestling around. He doesn't understand the difference between playtime and all the time. He wants to "hit" all the time! and everyone! He's saying lots of things. His favorite is "ea" for eat. Then "shooz" for shoes. "Ou" for outside, "wa wa" for drink, "bibee" for baby... He's learning body parts and likes cars, trucks and tractors. Farm animals and their sounds, too. He likes books! Yay! All four are "bookworms"!

Emi is at the close of braces. She should get them off by late November, early December. Then the retainer at night. She's done with Missionettes. She's doing a great job working with the Kinderchurch kids on Sundays. She's enjoying gymnastics now that we found her a cooler leotard. We've taken a little siesta from sewing, but I want to get her back to it.

Eli is so happy we're going back to Sonlight. It gives her plenty to read. She's also loving gymnastics. This is her last year in Missionettes; her last year to go to the sleepover. She and Emi both are picking up cooking - yay! Eli likes to bake; Emi is more the breakfast lady - complete with candles.

Erynn is now on high calcium alert. The ortho said her teeth aren't coming out fast enough; usually a sign of not enough calcium. They all need more anyway. She is taking gymnastics as well. There's one other girl in the class, so they get plenty of time to practice. She is doing a great job with Boogie as well. She and he will take the doll stroller and push each other around the hall. She's very animated with him.

Sam is as crazy as ever. I took him out tonight for potty time, and he took off after a deer! Frodo is slowing down :o(; "hiding" more under the bed. They said his heart murmur is worse. :o( Sprinkles is still alive. I found out that they have a life span of 12-15 years if I'm not mistaken. Poor Sprinkles!

ALMOST DONE!

2008-08-13T22:44:00.004-04:00

I do like doing the scrapbooks for the girls' crownings, but I sure don't like the pressure of a deadline! I'm almost done, and that's good since my hand is ready to fall off! I stayed home tonight to work on it. I was cutting letters out by hand - those precut letters at Joann's, Michael's and AC Moore look a lot better now!

It's hard to believe that Eli is done. It seems like lots of changes are happening now. Emi's officially done with choir, Eli is now done with Children's Church (and choir, too, I think). Emi is soon to be out of Friends on Wednesdays. Eli will do her last year this year. I have a break before Erynn gets there though.

Boogie is busy, busy, busy. He's taken to pulling at you to get you to go with him. I was working with Erynn on her first paper this afternoon, and Boogs comes up and pulls on her pants' leg. It was so cute. He started saying "Yah!" today for yes. He'll shake his head no for no. He's almost running; he's got the very fast walk down pat. No rest for some at the beach!

We did get the dogs to the vet for a check up finally. They said Frodo's heart murmur is considered severe now. :o( We can go to State and spend $600 to see a cardiologist to find out exactly what is wrong. They can treat it with meds, too, but they don't exactly know what is going on, so it's a shot in the dark. And it would affect his kidneys, too. Poor Fro. He has developed a cough from it. Sam is his usual crazy self. Sprinkles is still alive only by the grace of GOD. Now he needs a new light. Mimi, of course, is broke and in debt. ;oP

I'm off to bed as it's 11:00 and Boogs doesn't know the meaning of sleeping late! Oh, to sleep til 8:oo!

Surprises

2008-07-28T22:47:00.002-04:00

Granny, we've got two surprises for you when we meet on Wednesday!

Isaac is talking up a storm now. He'll cock his head and just babble off at you, looking for confirmation to what he's saying. It's quite comical. We're also having the "battle of mealtimes" right now. He wants to be rather picky about what he eats. Hmmmph!

We're getting ready for Elisha's crowing! Help! I need to finish her scrapbook! I'm only about halfway done! Eek! Oh, Eli woke up this morning saying, "Can I fix dinner tonight?" Are you kidding? Go for it! She made Greek chicken in the slow cooker! I didn't get to taste it yet, as Emi and I had to head out early, but Eddie said it was great! Go, Eli!

Erynn finally got a playdate by herself the other day. After ice skating, she went home with a friend from church. She did well trying out the ice skating, too.

I actually beat Eddie at something! We were playing Playstation 2 - Monkey Games, and I beat him at soccer! He beats me in everything else - except checkers and Sorry!, but I had no clue what I was doing really. Even Erynn beat me at Monkeyball baseball. Forget the bowling. I never even hit a pin. I did fairly well at pool though. Eli beat me though. :o( I was ahead the whole game til we got to the 8 ball!

Emi is doing well in her sewing. Her next project is going to be doll clothes.

New Things

2008-07-22T23:25:00.003-04:00

Little Man is doing new things about every day now it seems. He finally said his version of Erynn - "Air-ee". He's getting TWO new molars but still no more front teeth. He is going round and round when he dances. He is giving lots of hugs - even to Frodo and Sam. Said Jesus but not very clearly. He's starting to learn animal sounds. Can do dog on his own, and beginning to do cat, cow and bee with help. :o) His cat sound is more like "moh" and the cow is "mmm". The bee is funny but I don't know how to write it!

The girls are getting all excited about birthdays coming up - American Girls and Webkins galore. Went to Mimi's Cafe for Mimi's birthday. Eli is more than ready for hers. I'm feeling a little pressure with all these birthdays and crowning on top of it! I need to get back to her scrapbook! Eek!

2008-07-06T20:11:00.002-04:00

We scooted outside before the rain came this evening with Isaac. He likes to walk around and explore his surroundings. Well, he found his first lizard (brown anole?). Not only did he find it, he caught it by himself 3 times! And he didn't squoosh it to death either!

While we're at it, he also enjoyed MY ice cream cone. Eddie brought it to me in the den where I was sitting with Isaac on my lap (mistake #1). He dove right in! I let him hold it (mistake #2), but by that time, he was sitting on top of Eddie, so I didn't get ice cream all over me, but Eddie has some remnants on his t-shirt.

Eli and Erynn bought Isaac an Elmo doll baby today at church in the Buddy Bucks store. They saved up a 100 Buddy Bucks together to buy him this doll. It's a doll with an Elmo costume and Elmo bottle. He loves it. He's very protective of it, as a good daddy should be. He even feeds the baby the bottle and his own sippy cup. :o) I thought it was pretty sweet of the girls.

Tagged By Susan

2008-07-04T08:22:00.002-04:00

To show you my great ignorance, Susan, I've never been tagged before, and I sure don't have anyone to pass it on to! :oP But here's my answers:

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
Living in my little, tiny house in Fuquay with an almost 2 year old, getting ready to have big baby, Eli!

2. 5 items on my to-do list today:
What to-do list??? :op It's July 4th, Eddie's home, so whatever he and Erynn feel like doing, I guess. I need to catch up on their notebooks, but we'll see. I need to work on Eli's scrapbook, but probably not.

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Cold Stone's Banana Strawberry Rendezvous, Duncan Hines brownies,
Chocolate and Peanut Butter ice cream (yummy, right, Granny?)

4. If I were a billionaire:
I would finally buy my farmhouse, I would pay for a yardman, a cook, a maid and give away the rest.

5. Where would I live?
I would have a mountain house and live closer to the families, making Susan and Suzanne and Sarah move with me!

OH NO!

2008-06-22T21:39:00.001-04:00

The pool has died! The ship has sunk. Eddie woke this morning to a pool with no water in it. Apparently, a seam decided to be no more. :o(

Life Under Our Roof

2008-06-21T21:33:00.002-04:00

New Things

2008-06-21T20:11:00.004-04:00

Getting ready for lots of new things. New curriculum, another crowning, lessons with a toddler and two middle schoolers and an elementary schooler, and all of Boogie's new antics.

Emi is getting taller and learning to sew. She made two pillows last night at her first lesson. Next is an outfit. Going to camp for the first time this week. I will miss her as she's my main Isaac helper.

Eli passed her crowning test! I've got all the pics turned in; now I just need to get the scrapbook finished. She's getting taller, too. Reading like a madman to finish up a reading thing the library sponsors. Every time I turn around, she's in a book. Sound familiar?

Erynn is really coming along with Isaac, too. She's a great playmate for him. I'm having to realize she's growing up as I add more to her lessons.

Boogie is growing lots. He plays hide and seek now with Emi. He fed himself with a spoon the other day. He's mostly off of baby food; just a few jars of Graduates left. He LOVES the bumpy ball Poodah bought him. I throw it across the room or down the hall, and he goes to get it. He also takes up a play phone and talks into it. He's almost ready to run, I think. He's at a very fast walk sometimes! He's experimenting with throwing things and banging, too. I'm wondering how long I'll get away with 2 naps... We're putting him to bed later, but he's waking up at 6:00 now. Ugh.

Frodo and Sam are the usual. Frodo wants to be by himself more these days. Oftentimes he'll go lay under the bed by himself. Sam, on the other hand, has to be near me at all times, under my feet. Sprinkles is still alive due to the kindness of his grandparents (Eddie and me). If not, he would starve and have no water! ;o)

More Firsts

2008-06-04T22:01:00.002-04:00

Boogie had his first real experience at a park today. Went to "Castle Park" for a few minutes before church. I wish I had known how sweltering it was before I offered that option, but... Anyway, he enjoyed walking on all the different foundations (whatever is under the kiddie swings, the wood beams, the bridges that swayed and gave way some...). He was a little afraid of the huge monster truck tires, but he did crawl through the tunnel; he has been afraid of those before.

While we were eating dinner, there were some guys behind us having a very LOUD conversation about which sports took more strength - whatever. It was very loud and sounded very ridiculous. I wasn't facing them, so I could smile and laugh, but Eli was facing them, so she had to hide her smile. Isaac, however, chimed right in offering his opinion. I don't know what it was, but it was loud right along with them.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but he's moved up to the toddler class. Sniff, sniff... I went in to pick him up tonight and he was standing at the end of the table with his bride-to-be Merci and another little girl doing puzzles. He was so cute. I think Merci and I will get along great. She comes right to me and wants me to pick her up. :o)

I wish it were easier to get pictures on here. I don't know where the cord is that I need to download pics onto his computer so I can burn a cd so I can put them on here. Sigh. You would have liked to have seen Isaac with his barrettes in his hair this morning. :oP

Communication

2008-06-02T21:48:00.003-04:00

Boogie has finally learned to sign "more". The problem is that he uses it for EVERYTHING! :o) He makes this cute little sound with his voice that sounds like a question (intonation rises) and signs furiously. He wants it (whatever you have) and he wants it NOW. He's over the texture thing for sure. He even tried my Pepsi tonight! I thought for sure that would stop him from wanting to drink out of our drinks, but NOPE. He got this quizzical look on his face and then proceeded to sign more with that little sound again. We're going to have to hide all foods and drinks! Eat in secret! He doesn't fill up either! If he gets tired of it, he tries to throw it to the dogs.

He also has this baby doll the girls are so "graciously" letting him use. Tonight it was on the floor, and he covered it with Mickey Mouse's little blue blankie. It was cute.

The girls are really getting into the horse thing. Tonight they put on a show with their AG dolls and 3 horses (Eli just had to buy 2 more at Target the other day). You should see their room now. Homemade stalls, homemade beds, doll clothes everywhere. And they have to put their dolls to bed every night. Brush their hair, brush their teeth, etc.

Granny, I think they beat my record last time, though there are 4 of them and 1 of me. Our last number of library books was 100! One was mine. Four or so were Isaac's. The rest were the girls. And only two rechecks this time.

OH YEAH

2008-05-31T21:31:00.002-04:00

I almost forgot. The girls took their first horseback riding lessons this past Tuesday. These people teach them by trail riding. It was something to see them hop on the horse and just take off down the path. Erynn picked the biggest horse! She looked so small up there, but she was so proud and happy to be there finally. No one seemed scared. Now Elisha got her white horse (Lacy???), but her teacher went to get hers and Lacy wanted to go on! I was right there; no heart attacks needed. I told her to say "whoa" and pull the reigns. And she stopped right then. Maybe she just didn't want to get left behind. Emi rode Ben. She seemed to remember a lot from when she rode when she was 5. I would have taken a picture but all I had with me was my cell phone camera, and the pics would have been too small. Right now they are riding twice a month as hb riding is MUCH more expensive than dance or gymnastics! We'll have to see about the fall.

Little Man's Latest Accomplishments

2008-05-31T21:16:00.003-04:00

Da Boogie Man has been very busy! He's walking fairly steady now. He still likes to push things in front of him, including his laundry basket to the laundry room for me! He also will clean up some toys when we sing the Barney "Clean Up" song. Yay, Isaac!

Thursday night we were at a friend's restaurant eating dinner. Now Boogie had been eating since 6:00 on the way there. He ate for 3 HOURS! He still didn't act full then! Apparently, he's over most of the texture thing. He was wanting everything he saw on our plates. He had two biter biscuits and puffs and cheerios on the way there, some of my tortellini and peas and ham, croutons, Eddie's spaghetti sauce and several pieces of bread. Afterwards, he shared the girls' ice cream from Cold Stone. Any monetary or food donations welcome! But my original point was that while we were sitting there, I asked him where was the baby (at a table two booths down). He pointed! His first point in response to a question! :o) Now, technically, the baby was not in the car seat like she had been previously, but he still knew she was there!

Last night he had his first run with the sprinkler. He didn't seem bothered by it at all. I remember the girls being scared to death of it.

He's also a man of many postures. In the car seat in the blue Suburban, he will slouch way down and contort his legs every which way or cross them in the seat. He also likes to lean to the left side. At home, he likes to sit on the step. He also loves to crawl in my lap to look at books. He's also taken to enjoying sleeping on top of Taggie with his tushy in the air and his feet curled up underneath him. So cute!

The girls are doing well. Lessons, except for math, are done. I'm busy trying to get ready for July's lessons and needing to pack up this year's stuff as well as buy any last minute things. The girls have really gotten back into the Generation Dolls and Amerian Girl dolls. They want to take them EVERYWHERE. To church, in restaurants, in the car...

Life Under Our Roof

2008-05-18T12:38:00.001-04:00

Summer's Comin'

2008-05-18T10:24:00.002-04:00

I'm home with Isaac again. He was running a 102.7 temperature last night. Seems a lot better today. Sounds respiratory to me. Has one of those spasmodic coughs and sounds like it's in his chest.

On the bright side, he's getting 2 new teeth! The top 2 beside the front ones. He's also walking up a storm. He can walk from object to object now. He'll come and take your hands, so you can walk with him to wherever he wants to go. It's so incredibly funny to watch him though! He likes to walk with his hands up high in the air - like it gives him balance, maybe? He will also wave "bye bye" when you say it. He also says "baby" for me, but he won't do it in front of Eddie. He definitely has a preference for Elmo. I tried a couple of Barney videos. He didn't really care for them though he does like the theme song. Speaking of music, when we were at the girls' practice yesterday morning, they started singing their songs, and Isaac started be-bopping along. He knows the music as well as they do (we listen to it every SINGLE morning).

Erynn is also getting her teeth in. Her front ones. If you're looking at her, her right one is in and the other is trying to squeeze in. I still don't understand why we have to wait a year to begin her orthodontics treatment... She's a ribbon dancer in the musical. She told me she did well improvising yesterday when Mrs. Dawn was supposed to have moved the giant rock that Goliath rolls but didn't. :o) She is doing great in reading and in math. The word problems are a little tough for her to figure out, but she's getting there.

Emi is on her way to getting her braces off. But she has finally gotten her first cavity :o(. We go in this Wednesday for her first filling. She and Eli are cheerleaders in the musical. She's also in the ensemble, whatever that is. Hopefully, I'll get to see it tonight. And yes, for the very first time, I know you won't believe it, but ....
we're letting her go to camp this summer. Yes, I know. It is only for 3 days, and as it stands right now, there's probably more counselors going than kids. And I'm not one of them. :o)

Elisha is growing, growing, growing. She's almost caught up with Emi and they both wear the same size shoe - WOMEN'S 8! Ohh, my pocketbook. Gone are the days of a good cheap bargain on kid's shoes. She's been busy helping out with puppets at church as well as trying to get Pastor Jeff to let her do registration with the computers. She's faster than I am if she knows who they are.

The girls have all decided on what activity they want to do now. And, yes!!!, they all want to do the same thing. I didn't plan it that way, but I'm glad with gas prices the way they are. Initially, Erynn wanted to do gymnastics, Eli wanted to do piano again, and Emi wanted to do horses. Once Erynn found out they wouldn't have to race, she signed on with horseback riding. Eli decided to do it as well. We will be going on Tuesday afternoons down in Fuquay. And, hopefully, the only one I'll have to buy boots for is Eli. Erynn has a pair of hard, heeled shoes she can wear, and Eddie had found a pair of lariat boots that will fit Emi well. Eli will be excited to get NEW shoes as she is tired of hand-me-downs. I keep telling her they aren't hand-me-downs as they basically wear the same size now. They are hand-me-overs. :o)

As for the fall, I've almost decided on their lessons. I think I will enroll them in a creative writing class to see if she can get them to be more excited about writing.
Oh, Emi will also start taking sewing lessons this summer. If she does well, Eli will probably start. There's a lady at our church who makes her daughter's dresses - what do you call that pinched up material look? She does that really well. I don't expect that from Emi, but I want them to know the basics so they can make their own stuff if they want to. I wish I could!

Eddie is doing well in his job. He goes to TX for a day or so in June. Then somewhere in November.

Sprinkles is still alive. Can you believe it, Granny? Don't you want to rescue him? Frodo has been coughing a lot this week and constantly begging to get up on the couch. Sam, well, he's just crazy. There was one day I was actually ready to find him another home! He's both a career criminal and a garbage digger.

Me? I'm just tired and ready for a haircut. ;O)

Life of a Seven Year Old

2008-05-08T08:40:00.001-04:00

Again

2008-05-05T09:52:00.002-04:00

This winter must be full of bugs! Isaac is down yet again with another bug. His fever this morning was 103.?. He started feeling hot yesterday at church. He was laying on the floor of the nursery with his tushy in the air, but he wouldn't go to sleep. Everybody thought he was tired. But when I went in there, he felt hot - like maybe 99. But as the day wore on, he made it up to 102.6. :o( I hear this one involves throwing up, but it hasn't happened yet :o).

Isaac's 12 month picture

2008-04-05T18:48:00.002-04:00

Cutest Picture

2008-03-31T20:21:00.003-04:00

This is a Leah(sp?)wig from Star Wars. Poor Isaac, but he's so cute!

Photoshow of Isaac

2008-03-18T22:26:00.007-04:00

Howdy

2008-03-16T23:22:00.002-04:00

Nothing much new to report right now. Isaac is teething again, I think. He is excited about his birthday; he really is. I was telling someone about his birthday party coming up with Elmo plates, and he started clapping!

Erynn is teething, too! Her front left tooth is finally coming through.

Mr. Sammy has had quite a day. He has stolen my brownies, finished off some ice cream someone left out and then added another scoop that someone spilled as they scooped it out. Oh, and let's not forget the candy package from somewhere. Then he had the nerve to bark for a treat tonight. Rrrggghhhh.

Emi made her second debut tonight as an evil demon. She and a friend ran down the aisles before they brought JESUS in to the song "Crucify HIM". They were dressed all in black with black tights over their heads, with capes flapping and lots of pointing to the audience. People said she did well; I couldn't see as I was out in the vestibule signaling them to go in.

Fred left for Florida tonight. Plane was delayed for unknown reasons. He says they have 3 pools at the hotel. :o( I wanna go!

Elisha, Isaac and I stayed home from church this morning. I think she just gets worn out sometimes (she was at a party last night). She laid on the couch all morning sipping her herbal tea, eating toast after watching Dr. Seuss' video about toast, and then she beat me at Scattergories. She also finished off my game of Chutes and Ladders with Erynn as Boogie wanted my attention. I actually don't know who won, now that I think about it! I kept having to slide down over and over again.

Soap Operas

2008-03-04T10:49:00.003-05:00

We're getting the funniest things out of our Bible studies lately. Today the subject of soap operas came up - I don't remember how. The main conversation was about credit cards. Go figure. Anyway, they were trying to define what a soap opera was. Here are their definitions:

Emi says a soap opera is a singing thing you do on stage; then a type of singing thing with comedians.

Eli asked if it was when you put soap in their mouth and sing opera.

Erynn had no comment.

Sam snored.

Frodo was in another room snoozing away as was Isaac.

Pictures - YAY!

2008-02-23T15:12:00.007-05:00

Yay! Eli's memory card fits in my copier, so I don't have to go through all the rigamarole I do with my own card. Yay! So here's a couple of pics from Eli's perspective:

I have no idea what this is about. Your guess is as good as mine.

I liked Boogie's facial expression on this one.

I Think Isaac Is Talking

2008-02-19T21:16:00.006-05:00

I've noticed it for a little while now, but I'm actually starting to think Isaac is saying stuff! He seems to be growing up so much faster than the girls. I think he says, "ni-ni" (night-night), "ah-duh" (all done), "nuh-nuh" (no no) and "daayee" (daddy). When I go in his room to put him down for his nap, he will say, "ni-ni" and shake his head no. I think I've even heard him say, "ni-ni ah-duh" meaning he didn't want to go to bed. Of course, he says, "daayee" a lot. :o)

He's still fascinated by the dogs. He'll peer into their faces while they're on the couch or ottoman. And he's finally starting to play with is toys some! He still prefers whatever you have, but at least he's picking them up now. He may be ready to drop a nap - OH NOOOO! I need that nap to get lessons done! He's started waking up at 6:00 instead of 7:00. NOOOO! Maybe it's his tooth coming in!

Emily Anna is really getting into her beads business. Too bad she doesn't have ready customers; they've set up shop in the basement. She's also getting quite proficient at her different hairstyles. She will make a good babysitter in a few years. She's getting lots of training now with Isaac and helping with 4's,5's & K's at church.

Elisha is still Elisha. You'll usually find her curled up somewhere with a book like I used to be. However, she's a speed reader; I was not. She is also refining her voices. They talk to each other in this funny "English" accent; she cracks me up with the things she says. She helps on the puppet team at church.

Erynn has quite a voice too, but what stands out to me about her is her singing and her prayers. She remembers things quite well and will faithfully pray for them, even of her own volition. She's also warming up to Boogie more and more. She can watch him now for a few minutes at a time. He likes to run through his new play gym with her.

Here's to the End of Mounds of Laundry!

2008-02-14T23:32:00.003-05:00

I think we're finally over the ickies. Eddie still gets tired and doesn't have a great appetite, but he's up now. I took Isaac in today. He has an ear infection. I was thinking bronchitis as he sounds very crackly, but she called that something else... The girls still have a stray cough here and there; the dogs have decided to leave the floors alone. So after having done the sheets AGAIN yesterday, I think I'll give the washer a breather.

Isaac enjoyed flounder for lunch, not so much the baked potato. He did like the Wisconsin Cheese Potato Soup that Eddie made tonight while I was catching the girls up on their lessons. BTW, Erynn finished her math book today due to Elisha's not so gentle prodding! :o) Isaac also liked a breakfast bar type thing I gave him tonight. He was shoveling it in!

We had a good time tonight filling our Valentine mailboxes with notes for each other. Even Frodo and Sam got in on the act. Poor Sprinkles got left out, as did Epi (Eli's hamster). Melinda(Erynn's hamster) joined Reepicheep and Oreo yesterday in the little flowered graveyard. :o( Not sure what got her other than she had a spot on her underside and she was about 2 1/2 years old.

Blustery Sunday

2008-02-10T14:27:00.000-05:00

Hope you guys are doing well. Eddie is feeling a bit better. Still laying in bed most of the day, but getting up more than yesterday. He hasn't had the flu in a long time, he said. They gave him Tamaflu (sp?); it seems to be working well.

Isaac now has a cold, I believe. I thought it was teething, but I think now it's a cold. All the girls have a bit of a cold, too. Part of the bug??? I think he's going to have slow teeth to come in like Elisha. His top two teeth are there, bulging, with just a nick of white coming through. These past couple of days, he's really gotten into the dogs - like looking at them up close.

The girls are fine other than their froggy throats. I think Emi is recovered totally. It's hard to believe she should get her braces off this November. It doesn't seem like it's been two years. Erynn should be next in line to get that expander to correct her cross bite.

I thought the dogs were going to join us in the sick house, but apparently it was a one time issue. I won't go into details. :o)

Better go. Isaac is tired of window watching. The girls are outside climbing a tree.

Family Funny

2008-02-07T10:26:00.000-05:00

Erynn and I were talking this morning (she's got the bug now) about going to the beach while reading a book of poems. One of the poems was about the beach and they made a car out of sand to sit in - it was so cool! We'll have to try it. So I was saying to her that we'll have to figure out how to teach Isaac to swim. She said, "Well, you could take him to the SPCA." :oP "The SPCA?" I said. "No, the UPS..." :oP I didn't know the postal system and the dog shelter gave kids swimming lessons! What she meant was the YWCA where I had them take lessons with a homeschool dad who rented the space there. I hope he's still doing it when Isaac is 4 (the youngest he'll do them). He had the others putting their head underwater the first day! We had tried with Emi for 2 years! Even Poppa had tried.
A cool thing happened yesterday, too. I was updating some friends on the health of our house and likened this bug we caught to a boll weevil since we had just heard a song about the harm/nuisances the boll weevil caused in the past. Well, my friend Kevin, e-mails me back and says his dad knows the guy who designed the "trap" they used to catch these bugs. How neat! He says we can set up an interview with them, too! The girls are supposed to do an interview for the Language Arts lesson. What timing. Now, we just need to get everyone well and get Eli home. She doesn't want to come home to all this yuck. Well! She did take a bulk of her work, but she's having a high time in High Point. Going to the movies, going to two basketball games - won the door prize at last night's, eating lunch with people, going to the hair dresser (or whatever you call them nowadays - cosmetologists???) with Granny. He asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She said a cosmetologist and a model.He said she should be a model. There is one place I've heard of that I would consider sending them to for that sort of things. It emphasizes much more than what is normally taught in that arena. It talks about manners, and choosing your own style, etc. You have to be in 8th grade though.

She and the other girls are pretty insistent on the cosmetologist idea. They have it all set up - who will do the hair, who will do the nails, etc. :o). I'm looking forward to the discount, right girls??!! And I hope they get a masseuse there! Isaac better learn to walk soon, or I'll need a brace for my back sooner than later! This boy likes to eat (though he does have stronger preferences than the girls did from what I remember - which isn't saying much these days). He will eat a whole slice of bread, a couple of jars of baby food, some small chunks of whatever we're eating and drink at least half to a whole bottle of milk. He seems fine on cow's milk. Actually, I think the formula was what was constipating him before. We are doing organic for him though; I don't want to introduce those hormones to him at this age! He'd be a huge monster at the rate he's going. :o) He loves meat and bread. He will shovel the bread in faster than you can put it on the tray. He also loves to be "free". He likes to crawl all around. He figured out how to get down the steps last night. We bought him this crawl through toy for a birthday present and gave it to him early. He loves it, especially when Erynn will go through it with him. It's SO funny to watch. He also likes his ride on cars; took one to church the other day when we had a meeting, and one of the girls was pushing him down the hall. He had a blast. Caught all the other kids' attention, of course. His buddy, Jonathan, had to have a ride, too. He's a couple months younger, so he didn't quite get it as well (have to lift their feet a little). Maybe we should have named Isaac David instead (the story of Jon. & David in the Bible). Still no top teeth, but they are bulging.

PS - the girls love their comments from you guys on their blog and e-mail. :o) Maybe you could send one to Erynn at groovygirl@nc.rr.com to cheer her up???

Ahh...the joy of laundry!

2008-02-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

Schoolin' the Boys

2008-02-06T14:26:00.000-05:00

Since Elisha is in HP, Emily Anna is sick and Erynn has already done her work, we thought we'd take our "free" time and give the boys an education. Who do you think learned the most? Sam is eyeing Erynn's math; Erynn is teaching Isaac about dogs (notice her location), and Frodo looks extremely excited about the new Kidsville paper.

Christmas pics

2008-02-06T13:57:00.000-05:00

Just a little late here, but as Lu Hsun would say, "Better late than never!"

Family Site

2008-02-01T22:11:00.000-05:00

Arghh!I already lost the first post! Anyway, I am hoping to give you guys a way to check in with us more often. Hopefully, pictures will be easier to put on here than at hsb. You can still check on the girls' sites. They love to get comments! (hint, hint)

Jeff & Betsy, Wesley & Liz, Rob & Amy, their own sites are as follows:
Emily Anna: www.homeschoolblogger.com/mimispage
Elisha: www.homeschoolblogger.com/brookiesblog

They also have e-mail. Would love to correspond with family via the written format (hint, hint Granny :o)).

Emily Anna: simplyme96@nc.rr.com
Elisha: oldbluejeans@nc.rr.com
Erynn: groovygirl@nc.rr.com

Eddie's own is ewetmore@nc.rr.com