Random Pictures

K picking me a wildflower.

Courtney reading K a bedtime story.

Courtney taking an after school nap.

Baby L playing in one of the cabinets.

Courtney, Victoria, & K making cornbread for Home Ec. It was pretty good too!

New Hair color

The girls bought hair dye the other day while we were at Target. We finally got around to dying their hair last night and this is the end result. They like their new looks....

Here's a picture of the girls trying to be serious; it didn't work too well.

It's MINE!!!!

K loves going to Books-A-Million; they have a Thomas the Train track he plays with. While K plays with the train track, I'm able to decide which books I actually want to purchase. It's nice. We're able to stay for long periods of time while he plays.

Yesterday, as we walked into Books-A-Million, his face grew with enthusiasm as he turned to look at me. He didn't even have to ask, for I already knew what was on his mind. All I had to do was say, "Yes" and he took off like a kid in a candy store, racing to the train track. Of course, I quickly followed him and was right behind. As soon as I turned the corner to see K already playing with two other boys, a set of twins, I noticed a Sunday School peer of mine sitting on the chair watching his daughter play.

As my peer and I talked, I heard K start crying. As I turned around, I saw one of the twins snatch a train from K's hand. That is one thing we don't allow K to do. We do not allow him to ever take something from another person's hands, not even his sister's.

I know he's not perfect and there will be moments his desire overtakes his will to obey, but we always correct it when we see it happen. Well, as soon as the boy snatched the train from K's hand, I bent down and politely explained to the boy that we don't take things from people's hands and it's not very nice. Of course, this wasn't something the boy was used to hearing and he didn't like it, but the peer of mine chimed in and told the boy to give it to K. I didn't realize the boys were with my peer. I probably would have been embarrassed if I would have handled it differently, although he may not have agreed with what I did.

The boy gave K the train back. I saw another train a few feet behind K one the floor and I asked him to get it for the little boy; he did. He tried to give it to him, but the boy wasn't happy about it and said he didn't want it.

It wasn't too long afterward that I asked K to let the boy have his turn with the train, since the train actually belongs to the bookstore and not to us. K obeyed and offered the train to the boy.

I know there was more than one way of handling the situation. I could have let the boy keep the train and tell K that life is not fair and let him know the boy wasn't being nice. I don't like that decision for our family because I want K to be confident in knowing what is right and what is wrong and to stand up for what he knows is right. I don't want K to be one of those kids or grow up to be an adult that allows people to do something wrong and just stand by and watch. I'm also the type of person that doesn't mind when someone corrects my son when they witness him doing something wrong either.

What would you have done? Have you ever corrected someone else's child?

Cardboard Boxes

I think one of K's favorite toys is an oversized box. I was looking for him the other day and this is where I found him. I think he even fell asleep for awhile. Who needs store bought toys when so much more can be done with a simple box and an imagination?


He's used them for a....
- bed
- tent
- ship to keep out of the alligator infested waters...hehehe
- spaceship to go to Mars with some of his friends
- way to keep his sister entertained
- garage for his drivable motorcycle

Paint Fight

After the girls finished painting their bed, they had a paint fight. They had a blast ruining my clothes!

Doesn't it just look like fun????

The Bed - part 2

The bed is in sleeping condition. Another words, it's completed enough to be slept in. M needs to complete the drawers and make each girl a book shelf and will it be completely finished. They slept in it last night and said it was really comfortable. All we need is V's bedding; the store was sold out of the size we need when I went to buy them.


What do you think?

(Some)things that Make me Happy

A fellow blogger, HomeschoolingFun, gave me some love by giving me an award. This is my first award since I have been blogging, but I feel very honored and excited. Being praised is one of my love languages.... :-)If you haven't checked out her blog, please take the time, it's fun and creative.

Here are the rules for the award:

-List six things that make you happy.
-Pass the award on to 5 other bloggers.
-Link back to the person who gave you the award.
-Link to the people you are passing it on to and leave them a comment to let them know.

1. God has given me another wonderful day to share with those I love

2. When my husband kisses me when he gets home and/or before he leaves to go anywhere.

3. When V and C are smiling, laughing, and having a good time.

4. When K asks if he can help me or his daddy do something.

5. When K walks by his sister and gives her a hug or a kiss simply because he wants to

6. When K says please, thank you, and/or prays without being prompted

Here are a few people I would like to pass the award on to...

1. MandyMom

2. TheCraftyCrow

3. RamblingsofaCrazyWoman

4. TheyCallMeMommy

Need Energy

K is getting over a cold so we're limiting his candy intake a lot more right now. As I was walking in to the kitchen today, I saw him grab a few M&Ms and I told him I didn't want him to eat anymore so he could get better quicker. (Sugar affects our immune system in a negative way). I kept walking and went to get something for V in my bedroom. When I turned around, K said, "I need more candy so I can have energy to walk and fly."

It was so cute. I couldn't help but smile.

Did I mention he thinks he's Ironman, even though he's never seen the movie?

I love my life as a mom!

Girls' bed

I don't know if I mentioned that M made the girls bunkbeds. They started painting it last night. This is what they've done so far. I'll post more pics after they finish and when they get their bedding. The front left shelves and stairs on the right will eventually be working drawers. My husband is so handy.

Inauguration

Here is a lapbook the girls did about the Inauguration. We all learned a lot about the celebrations and traditions throughout history. There was a lot we weren't able to put in the lapbook.

This side tells of the traditions, morning worship, and procession.

This side tells of the swearing-in ceremonies, how and when the (former) President and First Lady vacate the White House and a few other facts about the history of the Inauguration.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here is a picture of the lapbook the girls did about Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here's the inside...

The bottom is a timeline of his life that unfolds. The little booklet in the top right are some of his quotes. The Martin and me book in the middle compares some of the girls' similarities to Martin's (i.e. siblings, parents names, birthplaces, date of birth, etc.) There's even some information about Alabama in the lapbook. We also read his "I Have a Dream" Speech and attached it to the back of the folder.

I think I learned more about him helping them do the lapbook than I did the entire time I was in school.

Another Loss

I've always heard that bad things happen in "threes". When I saw some of my graduating peers at Michael's funeral, I told them I didn't want to see them for a while. Not because I don't enjoy their company, I do, but because it seems as though the only time I really get to see most of them is when there is a funeral. I had only been home a few days when I got a text letting me know someone else from our small town was killed in a wreck. I don't think I knew who she was.

Today, I got a call from a friend letting me know that my former cheerleading sponsor and current Superintendent of my old High School was killed in a vehicle wreck today. Not even 5 minutes prior to the phone call, I was thinking about her daughter and wondering how she was doing. Her daughter, Jamie, is pregnant with her second child and her oldest one is almost a year.

This will be the eighth funeral my home town has had since right before Christmas.

Paulette was a very strong and focused woman. When I was in high school, her husband was a basketball coach and she was a teacher and my Varsity cheer coach. She always expected the best from every single one of us. I remember going to school one day and someone asked me how I was doing. It had been a rough day and I just started crying. It just so happened, it was right in front of Mrs. Smith's door. As soon as she saw me, she pulled me inside and told me to dry it up, that I was an example to the other students and I shouldn't be crying. She had no idea what happened and I was only 16. That moment left a strong impression on my mind. I didn't realize it at the time, but she was trying to teach me that when a leader is up, they're up and when they're down they're still up. My actions and responses always have the chance to affect someone else whether it's positive or negative. It wasn't too long afterward that I decided I wanted to try to always have a positive approach to things and to try to keep my emotions in check.

Thank you Mrs. Smith. You will be missed.

I never expected....

Things I never expected when the little pregnancy stick showed a positive sign...

- I could love someone so much
- It does actually hurt the parent more than the child when the child gets a spanking
- I would have to collect a stool sample from a toddler that was being potty trained
- I would have to dig poop out of one of my kid's bottom
- I would get so much joy from a smile, kiss, hug, or thank you
- I would be pooped on (I knew I would be peed on)
- I could get by on just a few hours of sleep in one night
- I would enjoy watching my kids sleep so much
- I have to make sure I'm always doing the right thing because their little eyes are watching everything

Gymnastics

Ms. Alex took K and baby L to a local gymnasium and they had a blast! Ms. Alex said she could hardly keep baby L contained and she was all over the place. K had his fair share of fun too. I guess all that practice jumping off the couches and coffee table paid off....

Inauguration Celebrations

I thought this was interesting and wanted to share it with everyone. It's amazing to me that candidates can raise money to fund their run for President or some the celebrations, yet our country's deficit continues to grow. The following information was found on Yahoo!'s main page.


"As the recession continues to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy and inauguration celebrations ramp up, a lot of people are asking: "How much will this shindig cost?"
The short answer? More than $150 million — and yep, that's the most expensive ever. (By comparison, George W. Bush's 2005 inauguration cost $42.3 million. Bill Clinton managed with $33 million in 1993.)

"It will be the most security, as far as I'm aware, that any inauguration's had."

Obama's much-discussed (and very cool-looking) custom Cadillac limo certainly couldn't come cheap, though we'll never really know how much it cost. Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell said the car's exact specifications are a big secret, including the safety features and production cost.
To manage an event of this scale, the District of Columbia will spend a mammoth $47 million. It is not enough.... Much of the $45 million will go toward creating a dynamic Inauguration experience for the everyday visitor, not just funding exclusive events. "We don't even consider these events to be extravagant," says Linda Douglas, a spokeswoman from the Presidential Inauguration Committee. "With crowds of this size, most of our attention is being devoted to opening up as many events to the public."
The good news for taxpayers: Inaugural celebrations are paid for by the inaugural committee — and Obama has, once again, been a very successful fundraiser — at least $35 million by recent counts."

WOW!!! I understand the historical factor in what's happening, I really do, but more than $150 million? I don't fully understand that, it seems a little on the outrageous side to me. I would love to hear anyone's opinions or ideas on this.

Kids & Money

K learned this lesson a while back, but the girls are learning it in a different way now and it's been interesting. K was almost 2 years old before he knew that the riding vehicles in stores actually move. The only reason he found out was because his Nana put money in one once. I can only recall one time that I have put a quarter in a gumball machine for him. The only reason I did it then is because earlier that day I told him I would give him a quarter for doing something for me. I know, what kind of mom am I to not buy my son something every time he asks?

Now, every time we go somewhere, he either has some of his money that he has earned with him or he says, "Aww man, I forgot my money... again" all too cutely. He even knows not to ask to borrow money because the answer is always no. It only takes one time for me to say yes for him to forget his money "every time" and to always want to borrow money from someone. M and I feel that teaching a child to be responsible with money can start as soon as they ask or say, "I want that!" That's exactly when we started.


Now that the girls are staying with us, there have been a few requests for different things. Since I don't buy K everything he wants, I don't think it's right that I buy them everything they want. Like K, they have been given ways to earn money. One of the opportunities was by raking the yard. Of course, they had to rake the entire yard to get paid. Needless to say, although they did get a good size pile of leaves, the job was still unfinished two days later when I finally returned the borrowed rakes back to the neighbor. I guess playing on the computer and the PlayStation was more important than the money they could have received to buy the things they want.

Although they didn't earn any money for the unfinished job, M gave them another chance to earn money; this time they completed the job. M told them if they crushed a tub and a trash can full of cans and bagged them, we would take them to the recycling center and they could have the money made from the cans. I guess we are taking a trip to the recycling center on Monday.

Funeral

I attended Michael "Sumo" Sams funeral yesterday.

I set my alarm for 6 a.m. and had hoped to be on the road by 7 a.m. I didn't realize my cell phone alarm doesn't have snooze or if it does have snooze, I don't know how to use it yet. Shortly after I started getting ready, K walked into the bathroom and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was getting ready to go see a friend for the very last time. He asked me not to go in a very pathetically sad voice. Much to his dismay, I needed to do. After I got ready, we ate breakfast together and then I left.

The drive was easy. I spent the entire 4.5 hours thinking about what a great friend I had. There were so many memories that raced through my mind. Memories from high school, memories from talking on the phone, and memories from my recent visit to see him in the hospital. Of all the memories I had, there wasn't a single negative one. They were all uplifting and pleasant. Sumo had a way of making every person he talked to feel like they were his best friend and the most important person in the world. He had a heart of gold and was one of the most real people I have ever known. He truly impacted and made an impression on every single person that he met and knew.

The funeral was standing room only and there were a lot of people that weren't able to make it for different reasons. I saw so many friends that I haven't seen or talked to in 5-12 years. There were a lot of people I had never seen or met before. It truly was amazing to see and feel the love that surrounded his life in the church yesterday. When the pastor asked if any of his friends wanted to say something, my heart started racing. There was so much to say, that I don't know if there would have been enough time. My heart ached to say something, yet I didn't act on it. Instead I let time pass and waited. I didn't believe that I would have the strength that I prayed for to stand up in front of everyone and be able to finish my thoughts. I had prayed for the strength, but didn't believe I had it, so time passed and the pastor came back up and finished talking. I'm certain that if everyone that wanted to say something actually would have, we would have been there for 3 days.
Sumo was a wonderful friend, an amazing dad, a great brother, and a loving fiance'. He was loved by everyone and didn't have any enemies. In his last days he came to know Christ and formed a personal relationshi pwith Him. He was no longer lost, but had found his way.

Baby L sleeping

Baby L has a new preference. She has to sleep with a pillow. Last night she screamed until M put a pillow in her bed. As soon as he put the pillow in her crib, she fell asleep and slept all night. Here's a picture of her sleeping on a pillow on the living room floor. She fell asleep watching Finding Nemo. Since she doesn't feel well, we are trying to make sure she gets plenty of sleep. Unfortunately, at that age, you can't make them sleep, but can only lay them down and wait to see what happens.

Sumo

On Sunday, Dec. 6, 2008, as I picked up Baby L from the church nursery, I got a text from a friend letting me know her brother had a stroke and had lost feeling in one of his legs.

Back in the spring, this same friend of mine was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Shortly after finding the testicular cancer, they found tumors in his brain. You see, Sumo had gone undiagnosed with cancer for about a year or two. By the time the doctors had diagnosed it, he was a late stage of cancer. He went through chemo treatments and started planning his wedding for October. As October approached they moved the wedding date to February so he would be complete with his chemo and radiation treatment. When they started the radiation, they found it was increasing the size of his tumors, so they stopped treatment and he was sent home.

On Dec. 9, I made a surprise visit to see him in the hospital. The only people that knew I was going was my husband and my mother-in-law. The only reason I was driving 5 hours to my home town was to visit Sumo in the hospital. I didn't tell anyone that I was going because my visit was purely for the sake of visiting with him. I wasn't there long and a best friend of mine from high school showed up. It was nice to be able to visit and reminisce. We visited for 4 overs and many memories were recalled, memories that I had long forgotten. It was nice to see that some people never do change. I would have loved to stay longer, but I needed to go home to my family.

This morning, I got a phone call and a text message letting me know Sumo passed away last night. The doctors said he was getting better. He had started walking. He was no longer in the hospital, but was home. He was planning to get married next month. He had just got custody of his beautiful two year old daughter. Everything seemed to be going good. Sumo had even started planning a benefit to help others so they wouldn't go through the same thing he went through.

Sumo had a heart of gold and I don't know if there was a single person that had any ill feelings toward him. He was liked and loved by all. He seemed to be everyone's best friend. He knew how to make everyone smile, even if he did it at his expense. He will always be remembered.

My heart and prayers go out to his sister, that lost her mother and Bubba within a couple of months of each other, his fiance, that will never get to walk down the aisle with a wonderful man and friend, and his beautiful daughter that will only know how great how dad was through other people's eyes.

In memory of Michael "Sumo" Sams
You will be missed by everyone that knew you.

P.E. Day

Yesterday, Friday, was a very full day. I had a play date scheduled for K for the morning, so I told the girls they would need to take their math with them. C quickly asked, "So we have to do work while K gets to play?" To which I replied, "yep." They didn't like that idea.

They awoke in the morning, got ready, and quickly and efficiently did their math before we left. It was their idea. They didn't need any prompting from me. They just didn't like the idea of K playing while they had to work.

When we got to the play date, K played with all the other kids his age, I got to visit with the other moms, and C and V walked around the track a little and then hung out for a while. About an hour into the play date, it was time to go. Baby L was getting hungry and K, C, and V were getting bored.

Next stop, bowling. The first Friday of the month is our area's homeschool bowling day. We got there early enough to play a warm up game before everyone started arriving. Of course we played with bumper pads so K could score some points. In all, there were about 10 lanes used and we all had a good time. Here are a few pics of everyone bowling.

After we finished bowling, we went to a friend's house so I could check out her history books. I finally confirmed the history we are going to use and I ordered it last night... woo hoo! I'm excited about it and can't wait to get it in.

After our nice visit, we went to the grocery store, went home, and unloaded groceries just in time for a friend to stop by. She visited for a little bit while V and I made dinner and C vaccuumed the home theater. As we put the lasagna in the oven, our dinner and movie guests arrived. We ate dinner, enjoyed a little birthday cake, and then watched a movie. Baby L was in bed by 7, K was wanting to go to bed by 8, but not enough to stop watching the movie, and I actually fell asleep in the movie.

Days like that are fun, but Baby L isn't the type of baby that goes to sleep just anywhere. She likes her bed. All in all , it was a very good but busy day.

Towers, Math, and Baking

Here's a picture of K and V building a tower with the math blocks while C reads History out loud.




K really enjoyed learning before the girls got here. Now that they're here, he wants to do schoolwork even more. Here's a picture of all the kids doing math while baby L took a nap. Do you like our kitchen table? It makes a good school table while we are remodeling.

C was wanting to make something sweet so here is a picture of K helping C make a cake. It turned out pretty good. Just what I need to eat to get in shape.... ;-)

We still need to finish the back splash and the drawer fronts in the kitchen.

I woke up....

I woke up this morning to a clean kitchen and a note from one of the girls. "I cleaned the kitchen last night. I hope you like it. Love, C.H.A" Sure enough, she had put away the dishes, cleaned Baby L's bottles, wiped the counters and table, and swept the floor. She did all of it without being asked. She has such a servant's heart.

Today was another good day of school. I don't know if the girls are learning anything, but I am.

K was the first one awake and wanted to go wake the girls up so badly; he really enjoys them being here. I asked him to let them sleep a little longer, so he did, reluctantly. While they slept, we ate breakfast, got ready for the day, and did a little reading. K read his first sentence today. Albeit it was "Dot has a hat", but nonetheless, he read it all by himself. Those Bob Books are wonderful! No, he didn't sit in the chair for very long. He read on the couch, upside down, and in the chair. He was all over the place.

After school, the girls excitedly helped M outside with their beds. They were outside helping for 5 hours. They cut (sawed), glued, hammered, sanded, measured, trimmed, and caulked. When I left to go to a meeting at church, they were even doing fractions. Now that's a lesson!

Day 2 of School

I am so blessed to have followed through with our decision to homeschool my nieces. Yesterday, one of them told someone they didn't do much. Compared to a public school, we didn't. They slept in until almost 9 am, they didn't get dressed, and they were pretty much done by noon.

They were so excited about doing Math, that when we sat down to eat lunch, they continued to do their work. I think I ended up eating more lunch than they did because they were so involved with the work. It was so exciting to hear C say, "oh, I get it!" to something she's been studying in the school system for 2 years. It's like a light bulb went off and we had only been doing it for about 30 minutes.

Before V put her things away, she looked at me with a smile and said, "I'm going to homeschool my kids." It brings a tear to my eyes just thinking about how much of a difference it has already made in their lives and it's only been 2 days. I know there might be times they will want to go back to a public school system, forgetting what they didn't like about it, but for now, things are going great.

Although we are already complete with our schoolwork for the day, we did a lot more than yesterday and still had fun. We did our Bible study, History, Home Economics, Science, Spanish, Math, and Literature. Now they are outside helping M make their beds and playing in the rain.