counting our blessings

Christmas Break 2009

2009-12-29T13:07:00.000-08:00

We have been having a great break from school for a few days. Cole and Haley were so sweet making cookies for Santa. Cole and I have done this for a few years. This is really the first year that Haley participated the entire time. Doug has been off for several days with us this year. He and Cole (actually mostly Doug) spent about 2 days putting Legos together. Cole loves to play with them and does put them together, but sometimes he wants the really big ones and well a seven year olds attention span is just not that long.
Good thing his Dad can't put the things down until he is completely finished. I haven't posted in a LONG time. We are now renting a house in town while our new house is being built. I will try to post some pics of the framing soon.

Scientifically Speaking...

2009-08-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

What's with the title? Well these precious kiddos were eating at a local restraunt and discovered this little nook. Ma decided to take pictures. After many trips up and down the top of the chairs, my daughter says... "Oh my buttocks" very loudly (she can hardly speak any other way). Ma, Pa, Aunt Laura, Sarah and Cole all thought this was hilarious. I have learned that there is no telling what will come out of my daughter's mouth and was pleased that she had used a scientific word. We are still working on gluteus maximus.

Happy 7th Birthday Cole!

2009-07-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

Cole turned 7 on Friday. We celebrated with a pool party on Saturday night. Cole actually celebrated most of the weekend. On Friday he went to his cousin Sarah's house with Ma and Pa. They swam and played most of the day. He then spent the night at Ma and Pa's house on Friday. Saturday morning, Pa took Cole to Ft. Knox. They went to the Patton Museum, the Calvary store, and Red Lobster. Needless to say, Cole returned with a full stomach (my son loves lobster--yikes!!!), a complete army uniform (dog tags, and grenade included), and a new t-shirt. He stayed with Ma and Pa until time for the party.

Haley had her share of fun on Saturday as well. While Cole was with Pa, Ma took Haley to a local nail salon for a pedicure and manicure. My little girl is so girly!! How did this happen? I am not sure. I do love pampering at the spa, but I have never been girly. Haley loved the attention and the movie during the pedicure.

Sarah came from Nashville a little early on Saturday. She spent time with Cole and Haley at Ma and Pa's house on Saturday before the party. After the party she came home with us and spent the night. The kids were so excited they love the time spent with Sarah. I love watching them interact with each other.

Spring Break

2009-04-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

Over Spring Break we were able to go to an indoor water park in Sevierville, TN. It was so much fun. Our family went with Ma, Pa, and Sarah and I believe everyone loved it. Our first night was spent at the water park, and then we went into Pigeon Forge for a couple of nights.

Cole riding the intertube in the wave pool.

My true "water baby". She loved the water.

Sarah overturning Cole. They love playing together.

Disney Playhouse Live Show

2009-03-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, our family traveled to Louisville to see a Disney show. Haley's ticket was a gift (thanks Ma and Pa) for her birthday. She loved it. She was literally dancing in the aisles. I have no idea where she gets this wild streak. We left a little early from school on Friday afternoon so that we could eat before the show. The plan was to eat at the Spaghetti factory. When we arrived though, the Spaghetti factory was not serving dinner until later. We decided to try something else. As we were walking to find another restaurant, Cole spotted Hard Rock Cafe. Needless to say we ended up eating there. Both kids loved it. The whole night was so much fun.

Sorry No Pix!

2009-03-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

My camera is "out of order" right now and I had two surprises this weeked that I wanted to share. I am feeling a little bummed that I can't share pictures. Surprise#1 On Saturday when I returned home from the grocery store, Cole greeted me at the door. He didn't want the food (I found that quite odd) and he kept grinning without showing any teeth. After a few minutes he showed me that he and his dad had pulled his other front tooth. He is so cute without his "two front teeth". The story that followed the tooth pulling is quite amusing, as Dad was quite the handyman I hear. Surprise #2 After putting away the groceries I went to open the mail and found a package from a dear friend from College. She sent a beautiful bracelet with the kids names on it. I love it! Thanks so much Ashley. I hope to have pictures soon.

Saturdays in February

2009-02-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

Saturdays in February have become quite routine. First we go to Cole's ballgame where Cole plays basketball at the YMCA. He really loves the game, but mostly just the social aspect. He spends a lot of the time jumping up and down touching the net. I must say he has improved since the first game and he usually scores several points. Haley has fun with the family members that come to watch. After the game our family and extended family heads to McDonald's or DQ. I grew up in a very busy family. I now realize (somewhat) how busy my parents must have been taking 4 kids to the many activities. I am sure the coming years will be even busier, but I do enjoy every minute of it.

Ice Storm

2009-01-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

Today we woke to a beautiful picture outside. There is ice everywhere and the scenery is gorgeous. We feel blessed to still have electricity and all the great amenities at home. Some people have lost electricity this morning. School is out, so we are spending the day at home playing and watching cartoons. When we were put under an ice storm warning yesterday, I admit I slightly panicked. My first thoughts were of the ice storm in 94. We had no power and no water for several days. It was sometimes hard to appreciate the beauty of it all.

Birthday Girl

2009-01-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

Just a couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Haley's third birthday. We celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese with cousins and friends. Haley had a great time. It almost seems that she automatically is acting bigger since her birthday. Today I was able to talk her through a sharing tantrum. She was listening to reason. She appeared to understand that we could not have toys that we were not willing to share. She would not have this so well just a few weeks ago. That being said it has been a crazy couple of weeks with several sick days mixed in. We all appear to be healthy at the moment. Thank God for this.

Back to School

2009-01-05T18:04:00.000-08:00

After a great time off, today we were back in school. The kids were hard to get up and going this morning. Haley told her dad she didn't want to go to Nanny's house and Cole then said he didn't want to go to school. We had a great time off playing video games, going to the movies, visiting family and just spending time together. Doug took most of last week off with us, so we were getting a little spoiled going to bed late and sleeping late. This week we will be getting ready for a birthday party. Haley turns 3 next Monday and we will have her party on Saturday. She is very excited about the party. It is so hard for me to believe that my baby will be 3 years old. I miss the baby stage, but we are enjoying the fun and trying times of the soon to be 3 year old.

Time off with Cole and Haley

2008-12-29T06:03:00.000-08:00

I love the holiday break from school because of the extra time I get to spend with Cole and Haley. They have several new toys that they have been playing with the last few days. This weekend they were able to play for hours with their Dad. We were supposed to go to my grandparents for a Christmas celebration, but I woke up on Saturday morning with a terrible stomach virus. This meant Dad was in charge for the weekend. From the looks of things around the house, the kids (and Dad) had a great time. Doug even got my Mom's potato soup recipe to make for me on Saturday night. I ate a little for lunch yesterday and he did a great job. Today I hope to tackle the mess in Haley's room. Along with Christmas usually comes a room makeover to get rid of old toys and make room for the new.

Christmas Eve pictures--for Ma

2008-12-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

We missed Ma and Pa this year for Christmas Eve at our house. They are visiting their newest grandchild. I thought I would share a few photos for the family in California. Cole has already mentioned that he wanted to go to Los California for Christmas. Doug quickly informed him that we had to stay in Los Hiseville since Santa was coming tonight. We were so glad to spend the afternoon with 2 of Doug's sisters and their families. Also Nanny was able to come for a while. She does not seem to be feeling the best, but I think she enjoyed the night.

After everyone left tonight, Cole opened the gift from Ma and Pa. We woke Haley up (no nap today because she was so excited about seeing Sarah) so she could see what she got and she liked the pjs and books. She was so tired that she put the top on and had to go back to bed. Dad and Cole loved the coloring book and crayons. I hope to read the book to Cole before bed. Thanks Ma and Pa. Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

The Christmas Train Ride

2008-12-13T13:24:00.000-08:00

As I said yesterday, we rode the Christmas train in New Haven last night. My parents, both my sisters and their families, and my friend Roxanne and her family went along with us. The kids were so excited to get their ticket punched, (just like the polar express), and to stop by the North Pole to pick up Santa. There is a house beside the railroad tracks that is so decorated it really looks like the North Pole. Last year when we stopped beside the house, Cole said, "This is the best day of my life". It was definitely one of those priceless moments. We couldn't resist going again this year and we even brought along a bigger crowd. Last year our family went with my parents, my sister Beth, her husband Josh, and their son Jackson. Allie wasn't here yet, as she was born in January. What a brave woman Beth was to ride the train 8 months pregnant an hour and a half from her doctor. So we had such a great time this year too. Above are a few of the pictures of all the fun.

A Few of Our Favorite Events This Season

2008-12-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

We have had such a busy few weeks, but it has been so enjoyable. A few weeks ago we decorated the tree at Nana and Gramps house.

Right after Thanksgiving we attended "Light Up Glasgow". This is a time when the lights on the square are turned on for the Holidays. Pa let Cole do the countdown this year. Cole thought this was awesome. Haley helped her Dad turn on some of the lights.

Cole and Haley in front of the finished product............................................

Last weekend was the Glasgow Christmas Parade. We all rode with Pa. Haley's favorite part was seeing Mickey and Minnie.
Tonight we went to New Haven and rode the Christmas train at the Kentucky Railway Museum. We had a great time with our family and friends. We enjoyed Christmas music, the conductor punched our tickets, hot chocolate and cookies were served, and Santa Claus came on board. More pix of this trip tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

Our family will be traveling just a few miles to Aunt Karen's house for Thanksgiving dinner. We are so thankful for our family and friends that live close and those that are a little farther away. We had dinner with my family on Sunday and this Sunday we will travel to my grandparents in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

fun with cousins

2008-11-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend the kids had a great time visiting with a couple of their cousins. Sarah came and spent the night on Friday. She plays with Cole like another little boy would. They fight with light sabers and play Bakugan. They had a lot of fun. Haley got in on the action as well. She was the evil villian they were fighting most of the time. On Saturday afternoon Riley came over to visit. Melanine watched all of them so Doug and I could get some Christmas shopping done. When we came home all three kids were sitting on Mel's lap watching a movie. They must have played hard, because they were tired. Also this week Haley and Cole got a new cousin. Mary Rachel arrived on Wednesday to Angelia and Jason in California. We are so excited for them and we can't wait to see her in person. Haley keeps telling us that it is her baby every time she sees a picture. Its been a great weekend.

Cole lost another tooth last weekend (#2)

2008-11-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

Dad tried to pull the tooth at first, but Cole decided he would be the one to pull it in the end. Haley watched the whole thing intently. After the tooth was out Doug told Cole he may need to spend the night at Nana and Gramps' house. Apparently the tooth fairy pays more on their side of the county (according to Doug).

Halloween Fun

2008-11-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

On Friday Cole had a Halloween party at school. The kids paraded through each other's classrooms so that they could see all the costumes. They decorated cookies and danced to the Monster Mash. They had so much fun. Cole and I left the party and picked up Haley. We all headed home to get ready for trick or treating. Cole wore his Aniken Skywalker costume to school, but Haley had to get dressed. Haley decided at home that she did not like the way her princess dress fit, so I put a pumpkin shirt on her hoping that she would change when we got to Ma's house. When we got to Ma's she received some makeup and princess shoes to go with her princess dress. The makeup and shoes were great, but Haley decided she did not want to wear the dress. We had lots of fun trick or treating in Ma and Pa's neighborhood and then we went to Nana and Gramps' house to join up with the other cousins. It was great we had dinner at both places (thanks to the grandparents) and it was delicious. I was so glad to have gotten some early pix of the Halloween costumes, since Haley changed hers at the last minute. Here are a few pictures from the night. Cole and I carved the pumpkin on Wednesday night. I wanted the funny face, but Cole chose the scary skeleton.

Football

2008-10-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

Cole had his last flag football game yesterday afternoon. He has had so much fun playing this year. At first he was very unsure about the whole thing. It took him a while to learn the basics and by yesterday afternoon he was upset that it was the last game. He told his Dad that he didn't want to wait until he was 7 to play again. Haley and I made it to the end of the game. She had a long weekend and we decided a long nap would be best for her. She spent the time in the bleachers with Ma and Pa. I took a few pictures while she was in the bleachers.

Favorite Photo Friday (Saturday)

2008-10-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

One of my friends who has a blog for her kids started doing the favorite photo friday (fff). I thought I would try this. I probably won't get this done every friday. As you can see I am already a day late. These are some pictures taken last April on a trip with Ma and Pa. The kids had so much fun. They love traveling with the grandparents. What's not to love? They get everything they want and the entire trip is planned around them.

Star Wars and Victorian Princess

2008-10-23T16:42:00.000-07:00

Today after school Cole had a dentist appointment. He is so funny. He loves to go to the dentist. He told the lady as we went in that he had a lot of fun at the last dentist appointment. He got a great report. After dinner tonight, Cole and Haley decided they wanted to try on their Halloween costumes. Then, of course we needed to take some pictures of this occasion. We had so much fun with all the posing. The best part was the light saber fight. Dad sat in the recliner with his light saber. I guess the day just took a lot out of him.

A Great Hectic Day!

2008-10-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

Today I had a meeting after school, so the kids got some needed time with Nana and Gramps. They love spending time with them so much that it was very hard to get them to leave. This made us very late for the bedtime routine. I was getting a little frustrated, but after a while I did realize it would all be ok. They are now resting happily in their beds.