The Lazy, I mean CRAZY Days of Summer

Our summer was anything but lazy. Although that truth is a reality that never ceases to baffle me. Every year, by the end of the school year, I always look forward to long summer days filled with nothing to do. And, every year I stand amazed at how quickly my calendar fills up with things to do and places to be. Not that these appointments are necessarily bad or dreaded, most of the things we did this summer were tons of fun. But, fun, my friend can also be tiring. Anyway, I've been so busy (and so addicted to FaceBook) that I haven't made the time to blog and post pictures of our "doings and goings". So here are the highlights of our summer, in a sort of shortened version.


To kick the summer off, we were able to be a part of our best friend's wedding vow renewal. It was one of the funnest and most special nights. And, we were privileged to be a part of it. There was a ceremony, and dinner, and dancing, and lots of kids having the time of their life. They were blessed and we were so happy for them. We love you, Hildebrand's.


That next week, another dear friend's son had surgery on his brain to insert a shunt. We would not hear of them going through that without friends there to support them. So, that meant a daytrip with some buddies to Birmingham. I am so pleased to say that Austin came through surgery wonderfully and has recovered perfectly as well. We are still praying for his follow up appoinment at the end of this month. But, we are believing God to continue what He has already started in the healing process of this sweet little man of God.



That weekend, we went on a weekend camping trip with our kids, parents, and nieces. The kids had the time of their life camping in the motor home. We camped on a lake and they fished all weekend, except for a few excursions out to play putt putt and also to see the world's largest tree house. That's the stuff memories are made of.

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The following weekend, my sister, Shelley had the kids with her for a week in Macon so that they could go to her VBS. Then, at the end of the month, we had VBS at our church. That about sums up June.



July literally got started with bang.......a BIG BANG This year, for the first time, we took the kids to a local community firework display. The kids thought the professionals did an awesome job (but I still think they like our annual fireworks too). We also had our annual cookout with the Hildebrand's and Godwins; and were so glad that Maci, Bayley, and Aunt Sissy could be there this year too. It is an annual tradition that we've done for at least 6 or 7 years. We always have some fireworks, lots of food, swimming, and Randall's Yoo-Hoo icecream. Needless to say, the kids always have so much fun, that, at times, my heart wants to explode with mushy-gushy happiness.

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We also got hooked on minor league baseball this year. We went to 2 Lookouts games. Bryce has been to a Braves game, but the smaller stadium at Bellsouth Park really allows an "up & coming" baseball player to see what is going on. Other than the fact that it was EXTREMELY hot, the kids loved it. We especially loved having Maci & Bayley with us. And, the fireworks at the end of the game were super cool as well. I'm thinking we just started another annual tradition in the Farmer household. Oh, and I would be completely remiss if I didn't share that Sara Kate was chosen to be in one of the "between inning" contests. She was given a Mayfield Dairy T-shirt and was asked to give the crowd her best "MOOOO". She played against 2 other adorable girls, but they were no match for little Miss Personality herself. When it was her turn, instead of mooing, she got all shy and just managed out a sweet little shrug and giggle, but the crowd went wild. When it came time for the judging, she won by a long shot, just for her shear cuteness.


Let's see.... what else? Sara Kate participated in her first music camp at church this summer. She had a lot of fun learning songs and doing silly dances. She is definitely a performer...no doubt about it. Bryce went the first day, but decided that it wasn't really for him. He has much too much energy to sit still for very long in the summer (unless ICarly is on- ha ha).


I also worked a wonderful Tres Dias weekend toward the end of July. It was such a wonderful experience for me, the rest of the team, and the candidates. I am simply amazed every single time I'm involved with Tres Dias. That weekend was definitely a blessing to me and I was honored to be a part of it.



After the Tres Dias weekend, we loaded up the motor home again and went to Myrtle Beach with my parents, the Godwin's, and the Hildebrand's. It was so wonderful to be able to go to the beach with friends, and the kids absolutely loved every minute of it. We all managed to have a good time, even though between the 3 campers, there were 5 flat tires; not to mention the torrential down pours that we had the pleasure of experiencing Each.And.Every.Day. But, seriously, between playing in the sand on the beach with your friends, and going to the aquarium with your family, or playing putt putt with your buddies, and shopping, and eating fresh seafood, we don't have too many complaints.

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That's been our summer in a nutshell......just add in a few nights at Granda's with the cousins, and a few sleepovers with friends, not to mention a pool party or a trip to the Discovery Museum here and there, and I think that about covers it. Do you see why I'm tired?

The Misadventures of the Farmer Family

It has been an eventful month at the Farmer Household. Not that it is ever really calm or anything, but this past month has been a doozy.

It started with Bryce loosing two front teeth at once. I had known that one front tooth was loose and would be coming out soon. But, Bryce somehow managed to have both front teeth "pulled" out at once. He and his cousin were playing and he had something like a towel in his mouth pretending to be an animal. My niece, tugged on whatever was in his mouth and out popped both teeth. Thankfully, I wasn't there to witness this; but, my sister and parents said that he didn't miss a beat. Apparently, it didn't hurt a bit....maybe that second tooth was loose too. Who knows, but anyway, there is now a big, gaping hole in his smile; which (I must say) makes it about the cutest smile you've ever seen. See for yourself. In this particular picture, I think he is really trying to showcase his missing teeth because that's not his normal smile.
Then, we had parent observation again in Sara Kate's ballet class. It was really fun to watch and they have been learning their dance for the upcoming recital.

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That very next day, Sara Kate decided to swallow a Stainless Steel ball. It was one of the balls that come in the Magnetix sets. She was already in her PJs, laying in the bed. I didn't even know she had it at all until she started choking and coughing. Once it was down, she had gagged so much that she threw up and it freaked me out because there was a lot of blood in it. So, off we went to the ER. A metal ball shows up wonderfully on an xray, and it was determined that it was down below her stomach and it would have to make a 'natural exit'. I so wish I could have gotten a copy of that xray to post. It was really cool. So cool, in fact that we had to really 'talk' and convince Sara Kate not to ever put anything except food in her mouth again. The doctor said that if it had been bigger, we could have been in serious trouble because it could have gotten stuck somewhere and obstructed her airway. So, we are very thankful, once again, for God's protection over her. This child is going to be the death of me.

The following week, Bryce went on the last field trip of his kindergarten year. The entire Kindergarten went to the zoo and then to the Riverpark for a picnic.

As if all that wasn't enough excitement, the very next day, while I was at ballet with Sara Kate, the school called and told Brad that Bryce had fallen on the playground and gashed his head open. Sure enough, we took him to the doctor and he received his first set of stitches. Honestly, I'm really surprised that we've made it this long, as he is almost seven and is wild as a buck. But, he was a complete trooper and did not even cry during the stitches. And, for that, a mother is thankful. They had some sort of deadening liquid that I held on his head for about 15 minutes before the lidocaine shots. When it was time to deaden it with the lidocaine, he said ouch at each stick, but that was about all. This mom would like to go give the creator/inventor of said miracle liquid a big fat, sloppy kiss right now, so it's a good thing, they're an anonymous soul. Here is his cut after they got it all cleaned up.

That same night they both had their first T Ball game of the season. And, if you're wondering, I did ask the doctor if he could still play. Bryce has played for several years now, but this is Sara Kate's first year. She is nothing if not cute. However, she is more the dancy, prancy, fancy kind of girl and it appears that she doesn't posses the natural athletic ability that her brother has. It took her several, several, several tries to even hit it off of the tee (but in her defense, almost all of our practices were rained out). Her brother on the other hand, did not have to use a tee at all last year. He's a natural, if I do say so myself.

All of this happened, in the first two weeks of April. We still have an Easter post to share, but I'm just a little weary from ALL THE CRAZY!! Hopefully, coming soon, I'll share with you our wonderful Easter.

We all need our heads examined

Up until last week, I've always thought I had a pretty good handle of who my family (extended family included) is. In fact, I would describe us as a normal family who is down to earth with a good helping of common sense and decent dose of fun. We're certainly not flashy or even overly fashionable, but we have at least an average amount of style (some of us like Shelley & Mom have been blessed with more style than others). However, last week two significant occurrences happened that seriously make me question the sanity of the Lingerfelt/Farmer clan.

The first 'incident' was that my parents finally received their anxiously awaited for Snuggies. I can not even begin to tell you how shocked I was that they ordered these. They are just not the 'as seen on tv' kind of folks. Trust me, this incident alone has provided more comic relief to my siblings and I than any other of recent memory. And daddy can't say a thing, because he is the one that bestowed on us the lovely facetious/sarcastic gene that we have practically worn out from overuse these last few days. And before you go and feel sorry for them, just know that they are both as happy as little larks in their oversize bathrobes worn backwards. Upon viewing Dad in his newly acquired Snuggie, Scott said that he expected to be served communion immediately, so he dubbed Daddy the "Snuggie Monk." And, Shelley said that the reason they send the darn lights with them is because something is bound to get lost in that vast expanse they call "sleeves." Probably the funniest thing to me is that the snuggie is apparently insanely popular. My parent's snuggies were back ordered for 4 weeks. And, so was Beth Moore's . And, what's worse, much to Shelley's chagrin, is that you can even get them accessorized. Which, I'm sure even to Shelley's perfectly accessorized self is just wrong.....all wrong. But, without further ado, let me introduce you to the Snuggie Monk:

By the way, he may look all monk-ish there, but don't let the appearance fool you. You are looking at a man that can build and fix anything. Be watching for a post soon about what he built the kids for Christmas (I'm only 2 months behind). I'm going to devote a whole post to the Snuggie monk and his wares.



The next incident was what I saw in my own back yard upon a casual glance out the window. Apparently, my husband had a temporary lapse in good judgement and decided to wash the car wearing a bear head hat. I have absolutely no idea what possessed him to do this, but it got so much attention that our neighbor had to come over and say hello. So, just the other day, in my own back yard, to grown men were having a grown up conversation and one of them was wearing a bear head on his head. Mind you, this is the same hat that my then 4 year old son wore to his first dentist appointment.




What's more is that both of these things happened on the exact same day. I commented to a friend that I needed to go find a rock to hide under until all the insanity stopped. However, it just continued to rear it's ugly head. The very next day, I walked by our poor beagle and noticed that she looked especially bright and perky. Upon further inspection, I discovered that Sara Kate had gone all Mary-Kay on her and had given her some lovely pink rouge on her furry little cheeks. But one should never just don blush and forget the eyelids and Sara Kate would never break this cardinal make-up rule, so she also got above Gigi's eyes as well. I suppose with a Parisian name like Gigi, Sara Kate just assumed she would be a fashion forward kind of dog.


I know the actual make up is a little difficult to see in this picture, but I just had to show this picture because it looks like she's in prayer. And that prayer probably goes something like this, "Dear Lord, I have no idea what I did to deserve this cruel and unusual punishment, but I do hereby solemnly repent and swear to never, ever do it again, if you will make this little girl leave me alone. - Amen."


Again, the make up is sort of hard to see. But, have y'all ever tried to take a picture of a dog whose still in shell shock from all the beauty torture she just endured. I honestly, don't know how in the world Sara Kate got her to be still to get all of it on her, but make up was all over both of their faces.


So, it seems that Bryce and I are are the only sane ones remaining. But, even if he does go all wacky like the rest of them, I believe I'll leave him alone. 'Cause look what he can do:


Yep, that's my 6 year old breaking a board.

Advent at the Farmer's

Brad & I try to be very intentional on how we raise the kids. To be honest, more often than not we fail miserably. I could make a list a mile long of all the things that we need to improve on as parents. (Please don't ask me to do that 'cause I'll be buried in a mountain of guilt that will take me until this time next year to dig out of). Just trust me when I say that this is not a false humility.

But, during Advent/Christmas we have tried extra, extra hard to keep the focus on Christ. My parents did a great job of teaching us what the real meaning of Christmas is, but we were Baptists and the word advent was not in our vocabulary. When Brad & I started going to our current church (some 10-11 years ago) we began to learn that Advent just means waiting. And when we celebrate advent we are waiting for our Saviour, just like thousands of years ago, the world waited for Him.

I mentioned last year, that our church hosts an Advent festival each year, where families come an make their own advent wreath together as a church. Then, in our homes each night, we light the candle/candles and read a devotion that corresponds with the day. My children just absolutely fell in love with this. So, it became a tradition in our family too (and luckily at church too). I love how lighting the candles helps them count down and anticipate getting to finally light the white candle in the middle on Christmas. And, how our waiting on Christmas represents the world awaiting a Savior so many years ago.

But, I wanted to share something new that we started this year as well. I got the idea from a blog that I read quite a bit, but several of you may already know about it. This year, we started our own Jesse Tree. You start the First Day of Advent, and each night you read a devotion. The devotions are meant to sort of take you through the Old Testament and lead up to or end with The Savior's birth on Christmas Day. Several of the devotions are from Old Testament prophecies predicting Christ's birth. But they all kind of show God's ultimate plan and provision for us through Christ. In fact, the first devotion is about the stump of Jesse (hence the name Jesse Tree), and the first sentence of our particular devotions is, "God has a plan for everything."

The element that I like the most about the Jesse tree concept is that you get a small tree (it can be cut out of felt or paper, or an actual small Christmas tree or whatever) and each day of devotion has a corresponding ornament to represent the lesson of the day. So, for instance, the devotion that teaches about creation has an ornament of the world (or something representative). Again, the kids love this. And, I love that they are getting such a great foundation of the Old Testament and eventually (maybe their too young right now) getting that the events of the Old Testament happened exactly the way they did to provide the world with a Savior.

This was not a hard tradition to start. I used these devotions and used the symbols as guides when looking for ornaments. If I couldn't find one that was exactly like what was listed, I improvised. Or, I actually enlarged what was shown, printed it, cut it out and then colored it. Easy Peasy!! If you google Jesse Tree, you will find other books or resources, but I've been really happy with the content of the devotions that I'm using.

If you are interested, and have an questions, give me a holler and I'll send you some links that will help get you started. Or, start here

But, along these same lines, I must share with you what was said during our Jesse Tree/Advent devotion tonight. It is just too priceless not to.

Our devotion tonight was about Joseph, and how God sent an angel to talk to Joseph in a dream and tell him that Mary was going to have Jesus. At the end of each short devotion it has a 'talk about' section. Tonight's 'talk about' section said, "Name some ways that God speaks to us.". So, I asked the kids to tell us some ways that God speaks to us. Bryce immediately popped in and said this:

"The other night, when Daddy sent me to my room, when I really didn't do anything [mom interjects that he obviously DID do something]..... God told me that I was right."

Now tell me, how are we supposed to argue with God???? I have a smart, smart boy on my hands. But that's not all, when Sara Kate heard this she said (and I quote) "Wait a minute, my brain is telling me something here." - It was like she was processing the fact that what she just heard might help her get out of some things in the future. However, she's pretty good at dodging the bullet, she just blames her brain on everything, especially when she is getting in trouble.

We really do wish you all a very blessed Christmas! Celebrate guys, Christ's coming means Hope for the Nations. Take hold of it today!

Much love to all!

It's better late than Never, and I totally made up for my tardiness.

Brace yourself folks, this is gonna be one heckuva catch up post. So much has gone on since my last post, but I haven't been able to blog about it. The Thanksgiving/Christmas season is one of my favorite times of the year, but it is also, by far the busiest. In case you're wondering, the formula for a non-updated blog is: Busy season + little one with pneumonia and a then a stomach bug + babysitting a toddler. I can think of a few other variables that will give you the same result; but don't worry, I'm throwing in another one that will give us the desired outcome. It is called shear determination.

Ok, enough with the math analogy, I've just exhausted all my knowledge in that department. So let's see, where did I leave off. Oh, yes, just before Sara Kate turned 4. I guess I'll start with her fourth birthday party. It had to be a little smaller this year, because we had it at the Creative Discovery Museum.

Here, Sara Kate is taking her place of honor as her party guests sing Happy Birthday.

And, here she is about to dive in to that yummy birthday cake.

Here's what it looked like before.

After that celebration, it was time for Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for. But, every year, without fail, I am most thankful for family. One of our Thanksgiving traditions is a massive leaf jumping extravaganza. Every year, G-Daddy blows up a ginormous pile of leaves and the kids go wild jumping in them. This year, I actually got pictures of the leaf pile assembly and Bryce & Sara Kate got in on the action too. I don't know exact measurements, but let me stress, this thing is huge. And the kids LOVE it! Check 'em out.

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Now, on to cookie weekend 2008. Every year my sister and I get to bake cookies with my mom, 2 aunts, and 2 cousins. It is probably ranks up there in the top 5 traditions. We start on a Friday morning, and work until supper time. Then we break and go out to eat and shop. Most of us spend the night at mom's house and we get started early Saturday morning. We always have the most fun, cutting up and being crazy. And, I must say we have a mac-daddy set up. Mom & Dad broke the glass top on their stove a few years ago, and they got a new oven/stove. But the old oven still works (they just can't use the glass top), so daddy always brings it in too. So, we have 2 ovens and 2 mixers. Not to mention, my dad always gets wrangled, wrestled, or sweet talked into helping us. This year he made an appearance in the accounting room, but we mostly used him for his chocolate melting skills and his mixing abilities. We won't mention the great "ball drop of '08) because he is just too valuable of a member to hold that against him. (see daddy, I told you your secret was safe with me). I can't tell you how much I love this weekend. This year we made over 2,716 cookies; all equally divided among the 7 of us. Most people don't believe me when I say we bake that many cookies, so here's proof.






That is my moms entry hallway, lined with bags and tins and tubs of cookies.....and that's not all.

I would have included some pictures of the actual bakers, but I have a large love of life and I fear that said life would be snuffed right out of me if my relatives pulled up the blog and found a picture of themselves [on the internet].

One last thing, the Farmer's have been helping a family friend out by babysitting a few times. And, I would just be remiss if I didn't show you this cut-E-pie. He & SK are kindred spirits in their love of dance

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I think that pretty much gets us into the Christmas season. I have a couple of thoughts about Advent I want to share, but my compartmentalizing brain wouldn't let me post about advent before catching up Thanksgiving. And, you just can't put two major holidays in the same post......just wouldn't be right. So, when I get the next free minute, be watching for another post soon.

My Budding Ballerina

Last week was parent observation day in Sara Kate's ballet class. She started classes in August, and up until now we had no idea what she was learning. So, it was fun to get to see her in action.

It's funny, I fought ballet classes tooth & nail. I just thought she was more of a gymnastics kind of girl because she is.....um, less than graceful (as the video proves). But, dadgummit, she sure is cute. And, she LOVES it. I was really surprised at how much they can actually teach 3 year olds. The class has learned several ballet terms (don't ask me what they are.........I'm a LOT less than graceful) and at least learned what they look like, if they haven't mastered the skill yet.

This spring, she'll be in her very first recital. We can't wait.

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My favorite part of the video is where she is doing a sashay across the room, and she says hey daddy and then trips twice..........as I said, "delicate flower" but she is stinkin' cute..............I'm thinking that'll take her a long way!

A mind of her own

This is where we found Sara Kate the other night when we went to check on her. Sound asleep......on her toybox that GDaddy made her. If ever a child had a mind of their own, she does. You just never know what you're going to find when you check on Sara Kate.

So close, yet so far away

So today when I picked Bryce up from school he bounced in the car and immediately said that he had something for Sara Kate. Even before buckling, he had to dig it out of his backpack while she eagerly waited. He pulled out this colorful bracelet and began to show her how to put it on. She was obviously touched by this act of kindness and began telling Bryce how nice it was and how much she loved it. Then, a few minutes later, she said, (in her sweetest, most endearing voice) "Bryc-er (her nickname for him), I love you." To which he replied, "Don't even say that or I'll take it away!"

[Sigh] We were so close to having a sweet, little family moment there....... so close, so very close! Regardless, Bryce does get bonus points for thinking of his sister while picking out prizes from the good behavior box.

The Gumball Tree

First of all, I am so behind on the blog. I have several different things to post, including this sweet nomination from my dear friend, Cyndi; and Bryce's first field trip, Halloween, and some home decorating too. But, I had to share this with you first because it is so funny. It perfectly paints a picture of the personalities of these two little ones. So without further ado, let me tell you about my two little gardeners.

Saturday, the Hildebrand's were over. And, as always, the kids were off playing. Once, when I went to check on them, they were using Sara Kate's play garden equipment to dig in my mulch along the front sidewalk of the house. Obviously, I redirected them explaining that I wasn't a big fan of holes in my mulch. So off they went to find bigger and better things to do. And, that's exactly what they did. Instead they went to the back yard to dig holes in the mulch....because nothing says obedience like moving to a different location to continue the mischief. Anyway, I digress.

A little while later, Brad came to inform me that the kids were planting gumballs. When we went out to check on them, sure enough, Ella & Sara Kate were very meticulously digging holes with the spade, carefully depositing one shiny gumball, covering said gumball with mulch, and finishing off the task by watering them. Apparently, they had been at it for quite some time; and they were playing so well and quietly. It's funny how quiet those two can get when their up to no good. But, we found it so funny that all we could do was take pictures and give them just a few more gumballs to plant.

When I went outside to get a few shots at the scene of the crime, I asked the girls what they were planting, halfway thinking that they were pretending that they were really planting seeds. But, no, not those two.

They promptly replied, "Gumballs."

Naturally, I followed up, "So, what do you think is going to grow?"

"A gumball tree." The girls emphatically explained....which makes me wonder if they thought I was a little on the dumb side for asking such a stupid question.

To which, big brother Bryce promptly and rather sarcastically replied, "Not if you don't water it."




I so wish I had done a video of that conversation. It was truly priceless. I don't know what is more funny: The fact that the girls thought they were planting gumballs that would really sprout into gumball trees, or the fact that Bryce knew it wouldn't grow unless it was watered.


Both Ella and Sara Kate have personalities to beat the band. They are their own little people, following no one. We constantly joke that Sara Kate is walking through life "starring" in her own little musical. And she operates under the assumption that rules are only suggestions, and they are really meant for everyone but her anyway. While Ella is the mischievous dare devil, that at times, makes her mother thank the good Lord she is so darn cute......and she is So. Darn. Cute!! Did I put that accurately Tammy? But, together they are the 1-2 combination of "too cute for words" and "holy cow, what are they up to now."



Anyhow, I thought you'd enjoy some pictures of the little gardeners slaving away over their gumball trees.

By the way, the real crime was that we had no clue that they even had the gumballs, which I find just as funny as the fact that they were planting them. I have no idea how many they planted, but I'd give anything to make a little something grow for them.........maybe they were planting their imaginations!!

As a quick side note, their older siblings were watching all of this take place from the screened in porch, happily coloring some pictures together. And, because they were born 7 weeks apart and because they are now 6 years old, that alone just about makes my heart explode with happiness.

What a Weekend

This past weekend my sister and nieces came in town for a visit. They haven't been up since July so we had a lot of family fun to accomplish. It worked out perfectly, because it was also Fall Break, so we had a little extra time to cram everything in.



Friday we loaded the kids up and went to the pumpkin patch in Dawsonville. The ride to get there was almost as fun as the patch itself. I won't explain why, there are no words; although I bet mom could think of several. Anyway, after we got finished with the obligatory photo shoot, we picked out pumpkins and took the hay ride. We went back home through Ellijay where we stopped and got some fried apple pies and apple fritters because you can never have too much sugar when you've got 3 kids in the back of a van.

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Saturday my sister and the kids took Katie Bell to get her ears pierced. It was all her idea and I tried explaining to her that it would hurt a little bit, but she could not be deterred. I knew in my chicken-ness that I could not take her and my sister jumped at the chance. So, while Brad & I went to a wedding, Shelley went to have metal things pierced through my childs ears. On purpose. Apparently, she did okay. Although there were waterworks despite her promise that there wouldn't be.

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Saturday night the kids painted pumpkins and everyone spent the night at Granda & G Daddy's in anticipation of Sunday morning waffles and fried eggs & gravy. Also, on Sunday the kids drove the golf cart, went on a motorcycle ride compliments of Uncle Scott, and made and decorated fall-themed cupcakes.



Sunday night we had a hayride, bonfire, and marshmallow roast.

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Shelley did an awesome post as well and it includes more pictures. If you want to check out her post. Go here. Her's is a lot more creative and funny, but I am weary and the creative juices have run dry this morning.

Our week

I am SO glad it is Saturday night. Saturday night means the week is almost over. In fact, we just have about 4 hours left of this one; and believe, me I'm very happy to rip these days from the calendar. Our week has been busy and challenging.

On Monday night, Bryce had a football game and got to play against his best friend. Bryce had his best game so far, with 3 solid tackles and 3 more close attempts. Sadly, we still lost, but you can really tell that the players are improving. So that was fun!

**************Before the big game*************

Tuesday, I did our monthly grocery shopping that morning and Bryce had Karate that afternoon. Also, on Tuesday we had the privilege of taking a meal to a couple at church with a newborn. Sara Kate went with me and was allowed to hold cute, little Andy with my help. She thought that was the berries. Unfortunately, on my way home I was the lucky recipient of a ticket. My offense? I wasn't buckled. That. Is. All. You would think that the kind sir would have just given me a warning since I wasn't doing anything else wrong (like speeding) but no......no warnings for me. So, if you live near me, they mean it when they say, "click it or ticket" ......to the tune of $15.

Interestingly enough, Bryce understands my pain all too well. Wednesday he got in trouble at school. Now, it's nothing major or I wouldn't be broadcasting it all over the internet. Each day, in his "take home papers" there is either a happy or sad face to indicate his behavior. Bryce has NEVER had an issue until this week (it was bound to happen sometime). Wednesday, he received his first sad face. But, the funny part of the story occurred when we were discussing what happened. Bryce was very aggravated because apparently the teacher usually gives warnings, and this particular time, she did not. So, Bryce reasoned that really his offense should have just been a warning (makes sense to me). Believe me, I understood very well (see paragraph above). He went on to say, "Mom, even God gives second chances." (tell that to the officer) Okay, so what was I supposed to say to that. Another lesson, learned the hard way I suppose (for both of us).

Thursday, Sara Kate and I did our usual running around which includes ballet and my allergy shots. We also had karate again that afternoon. Bryce received the invitation to test for his yellow belt on Tuesday. And, he was super excited. He has been asking me when he was going to get it. If you think of it, and don't think it's too trivial, please pray for him Tuesday afternoon. But, Thursday was also my anniversary (9 years)! Mom had called and offered to keep the kids so that we could go out (I love it when that happens, thanks mom & dad). So, Brad & I got to try a new restaurant in town. It was fabulous. My favorite was the lobster bisque. It has put Brad and I on the search (again) for the all elusive great bisque recipe (we've tried several).

Friday was just fine. We stayed in and didn't do anything or go anywhere.....well Brad cut the grass. But, we stayed home and did normal "home" stuff, trying to play catch up.

And, today we had a football game and a birthday party and a few other errands to run. One thing on the "to do" list was to get the B-man a haircut. While there, Sara Kate insisted on getting one too. I have been thinking of cutting her hair, but Brad said that he liked it long. However, she is a persistent little thing and she kept going to Brad while we were waiting on Bryce, saying, "Daddy, I want a real haircut." He relented, and we took the plunge and cut her hair into a cute little chin length bob. I think she looks darling, and I hope it will be easier. But, I'll let you judge for yourself.

Her birthday is in November, and she is wanting an American Girl doll. I think maybe we'll get her Kit, because now, they look a lot alike. Admittedly, this is not a great picture, it was taken after bath and before bed, and I didn't have the patience to really exert my photographic skill (or lack thereof.) Here is Kit. Don't you think they look similar?

I know most of this is mundane, and I'm sure most people have clicked away. Why, would anyone want to read a day by day account of my week. They wouldn't of course, But, I just thought our little "life lesson" about following the rules was worth sharing. And, I needed to throw in karate, and football, and new do's. So, there you have it. I'm off to soak in the tub! Wouldn't you?

Proof

I've always wondered about the saying "the proof is in the pudding". I'm sure there is an explanation for it, much like there is a story about brass monkeys and being cold........but that's another post entirely. Anyway, in this case, the proof is not in the pudding it's in the video. I'm about to prove 2 things about my Sara Kate.


1. She couldn't be quiet if her life depended on it.......even when she's sleeping.

2. She can whistle and she doesn't even know it. This is going to be of special significance, since Mrs. Nancy reported that her prayer request tonight at church was to learn to whistle.


Don't believe me? Here's proof:

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It is not the snoring that I find so significant, she comes from a long line of snore-ers. Apparently, yours truly could saw some logs when I was little, before I had my tonsils removed. (although I don't believe it, and they can't prove it) Bryce also used to snore obnoxiously before his tonsils were removed. And, Brad still snores enough to make me want to lovingly smother him with my pillow.....just kidding........kind of. But, it's the fact that she was whistling so well and so LOUD. We heard it from the other room. Bless her heart y'all....and the heart of those who live with her too.

Oh, and the background noise you hear is Bryce listening to Adventures in Odyssey as he goes to bed. He was in his room of course, but apparently we don't do anything quietly in this house. Yep, they're loud & they're proud!

Sara Kate's Prayer

So, last night after church, Sara Kate's teacher came up to me and said that Sara Kate shared a request during prayer time. Immediately, my heart warmed. That kind of statement surely makes a mother proud. "What did the sweet dear pray about?", you ask. And I quote, "Pray that mommy won't be mean at me anymore."

NICE! "Never mind," I stated in protest, "that she was acting like the devil himself when I had to be "mean." Um, that being proud part that I mentioned earlier? Yeah, well not so much.

I'll be anxiously awaiting all the "Mother of the Year" nominations!!

Catching Up with all sorts of stuff

I don't exactly know the reason for my lack of posting lately. It is either because we've been incredibly busy or incredibly boring. I'm not sure if you can be both busy and boring. But, if you can, we've mastered it. Pretty pathetic isn't it? Well, despite the fact that this may bore you to tears, I'm going to catch us up. And, I must warn you, this is a hodge podge if ever there were one. As I said, I'm catching us up, so the subject matter will be all over the place.

For starters, I wanted to post this picture in reference to my last post. And, the fact that I am doing so only solidifies the fact that indeed, we are boring and pathetic. Yes, if there were ever a doubt before, there is absolutely no question now. No, ma'am. But, anyhow, I was so excited the other day when I got to make something other than a PB&J for lunch that I thought I would celebrate with a picture. (Never mind that Bryce still got the "old standby".) Pathetic? You bet'cha.

Around Bryce's birthday, Grandma Sheryl got Sara Kate an Easy Bake Oven. She has really enjoyed it; and just about drove us crazy until she baked her masterpiece. Of course, her culinary debut must be captured on film. Here she is with the final product. I have pictures of the entire process, but you pretty much get the idea right? And in case you're not sure, it is a small cake with chocolate icing. She didn't even eat it, but then again, it was more about the baking than the eating. She has a cookie mix too. So stay tuned.

Okay, on the first weekend in September, the neighboring small town up from ours had their annual Civil War Battle Reenactment . Brad took the kids, along with Bryce's good buddy, Mason. I had the privilege of being busy, so I missed out on the fun. But, I think the kids had a good time. Here they are at the reenactment, and here's what they saw:
Above is the infamous tunnel. Also, Brad put red hats on both the boys so that he could keep up with them easily. I just thought it was kind of funny that Brad thought of doing something like that. I'm usually the safety freak..........or was that my idea?

And, last but not least, Bryce had his first football game on Tuesday night. We got clobbered. But, they were so stinkin' cute, it wasn't even funny.......especially, the cheerleaders. Man, Sara Kate is gonna eat that up. I thought it was so cute that the cheerleaders made a sign for the kids to run through, just like in high school. So, here's video of them "busting" through the sign.

Also, this is one my favorite moments of the night. There were several players on the sidelines during the game, and a few of them were more interested in the cheerleaders than the game. That is too funny. But, please, tell me it doesn't start this soon. Please. Please.
And, here is my big guy. He is looking ready and pumped for the big game.

Okay, sorry that was all over the place. But, it is what it is...........and it ain't nothing but a "thang". Right, MB?

As the SNL skit says, "You're Up to Date."

Just a Thought......

I wish I had a quarter for every time I've made one of these.........

Specifically, the PB&J variety.

Either for Dine In

Or Carry-Out