The smile on the kiddos faces....priceless!

Do you ever get in the middle of a project and wonder to yourself why in the world you decided to start the project at all? In the last couple of weeks I can say I have had those feelings/thoughts on numerous occasions. The last couple of weeks we have been doing projects. With our new house, has come many projects. In many ways it makes us miss our last house even more....when we bought that house there were ZERO projects to be done. The only thing we did while we were there was maintain. However, this house is another story. There is a decent sized list of things we would like to do to make this place better. Last weekend we tackled one of the top items on the list....put in a swingset for the kids. Initially we had talked about hiring someone to come level out a place in the backyard so that we could put in the swingset. But after numerous extremely high dollar bids and a grandpa who stepped up to help, we decided to do it ourselves. We spent all weekend building a retaining wall, building a swingset, transporting mulch and spreading pine straw. It was a lot of hard work! Many times we wondered why we were doing all of it....then, our kids jumped on the swing set for the first time. You should have seen the smiles. They have loved it! They ask in the morning to go out and swing before school. The first thing they do when they get home is swing. My kiddos love the outdoors and they love their swing set! Thanks to my hardworking husband and dad, we saved at good chunk of change and we have a great place for the kids to play.


Some of the other projects as of late have had nothing to do with the house, but are just a product of being a mom. Kendal's kindergarten class had their musical program a couple of weeks ago. We were asked to come up with a cow costume for her to wear. Now you may be thinking that a cow costume really isn't that hard to do...which it isn't, however when you really aren't that crafty, like me, and you are asked to do something like that it really is a bit stressful. In the end I think the costume turned out all right and she made a very cute looking cow. She loved preforming and was excited her Grandpa could be there to watch her program. Bayley also had a crafty project that I was asked to participate in. The Activity Day Girl's at church had a special mother/daughter activity where we worked together to make a pillowcase for Bayley's room. Bayley got to pick out her own frabric and loved showing off her sewing skills (thanks Heidi) to the other girls. It was fun and a pretty full proof project for a mom like me!

Trey's only projects have come with his preschool. Myself and two other women with kids Trey's ages put together a little preschool where we take turns once a week teaching and doing activities with the kids. The kids look forward to Tuesday's all week long. My last preschool day before we take a break for the summer was a couple of weeks ago. We decided to take a field trip to a strawberry patch. The kids loved it and the strawberries were delicious.


Yesterday was Kendal's last softball game. They had an end of the season tournament, where her team was the #1 seed entering the tournament, but after a very poor first inning they lost the first game and were done for the year. It was an interesting season in that Kendal's coach knew absolutely nothing about softball. So the fact they she learned anything about the game is amazing in and of itself. She definitely improved as the season went on and she says that she wants to play again next year. It was funny how after they lost their game most of the girls really didn't seem to care....Kendal however, after getting into the car to leave was pretty distraught and upset that they had lost. I love that she is so competitive!


We've been busy and really are just gearing up for a busy summer. We can't wait! So whenever I ask myself why I do some of the crazy, busy things that I do....I just have to remember the smiles on my cute kid's faces....they really are priceless!

Country Music Madness

The only picture of Leigh and I at the race

16 weeks of training, many early morning runs (5 am), logging way too many miles on a treadmill, passing the finish line in Nashville....priceless! I did it, again. I can't believe I signed up for the craziness of training and running another 1/2 marathon, but I did. They are almost becoming addictive...almost. My time was 2 hours 12 minutes and 45 seconds. Not my best time, but I'll take it any day. I'm not a long distance runner...in fact I really don't enjoy running unless their is a ball that I am chasing, however I run to stay in shape and so that I will be able to eat what I want to eat. It was a lot of fun this time training and running with my sister-in-law, Leigh. She is a much better runner than I, so she keeps me motivated to want to do better. Maybe next time I can hang...but don't count on it.

The kids and I drove up to Nashville Friday morning so that we could do some fun stuff while we were there. We spent some time at the Expo gathering free goodies and then the kids and I headed off to the Adventure Science Museum. We got in free because we are members of our local science museum, which was great for me, and the kids enjoyed the new stuff at this museum and had a great time.Trey the crazy ambulance driverKendal working hard to get her heart pumping

After the museum we headed to the hotel for some swimming, then dinner and then we called it an early night. Leigh and I headed out about 5:15 am for the race, but due to traffic we barely made our start time of 7 am. It was crazy running with 40,000 people. That is a lot of people....and running 13.1 miles surrounded by and dodging hot sweaty people just adds to the exhaustion. Jeff and the kids attempted to make it to the finish line, but there were just too many people. I totally appreciate that they even attempted to come and I was very glad they were able to find me and pick me up so I didn't have to walk home.

We had a great time and I'm glad I did it. However, I am very much looking forward to doing something other than running when I go to the gym next week, whether it be a spin class, the elliptical, or weight training.

The kids had a great couple of days. Besides going to Nashville, Thursday night was their Family Fun Fair at school. It's basically the school's big fundraiser where they have a big carnival with rides, games, food, etc. Bayley was stoked because she won once doing the cake walk and once doing the teacher treat bag (a bag full of treats). They all had a great time and walked away exhausted and happy. Kendal also had a softball game that night. She continues to improve and understand what's going on each and every game. In fact, Thursday night she was playing short stop and made an unassisted out at second base on a ground ball. We were all very excited!
Kendal at bat
Sunday picture

10 Years...Seems Like Just Yesterday

As of April 22, 2010, Jeff and I have been married for 10 years! So hard to believe. We were reflecting last night on what 10 years has gotten us:

• 4 Beautiful Children - Bayley, Kendal, Trey and Adison. They are all so much fun!




• 8 moves to 4 different states.



• A new career. When we married 10 years ago we both were planning on Jeff retiring from the military. The Lord led us down a different path and now we are enjoying our current employment with Pfizer.



• Numerous church calling which have helped us grown and learn.



• Experience!

• Good times and great memories!



• A better life than I ever even imagined!!

Happy Anniversary Jeff! I sure do love ya! We are planning on taking a short trip once I can ensure that my sweet Adison can go a couple days without her food source (me).

Chicks

Better Late than Never

I've been neglecting blogging this year for one reason or another. In the back of my mind I always have a list of what I need to blog about and why, so today's post is my better late than never post. The biggest reason why I blog is to document/journal what is going on in our lives right now. We have definitely had quite a few things happen in the last couple of weeks so here are the highlights.

Spring Break 2010

The girls had spring break from school the 3rd week in March, way too early if you ask me. It was still quite cold outside and from what I have heard it was even colder down south at the beach, so we decided to hang out here in good old Birmingham and do some of the fun stuff around here. Our first trip was to the McWane Science Center. It is a great big science museum filled with fun stuff for all ages. It seems like everyone else on spring break had the same idea that day, but despite the large crowds the kids had a great time. We liked it so much we headed back again on Wednesday where once again we fought huge crowds, but still had a good time. Our next mini-trip was up to Huntsville, Alabama to the Space & Rocket Museum. To tell you the truth I was expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised by the large amount of activities and exhibits for the kids to enjoy. We had a great time and I definitely think we will try to make it back up there sometime this summer. Friday we spent the morning at the mall where Kendal got her nails painted, then we met Jeff for lunch and Jeff and Bayley headed to the movies to see the Lightening Thief. Spring break flew by, but overall I think the kids had a good time. I always think it is a good sign that the girls were excited to head back to school the next week, however it definitely made us all pretty anxious for summer to come along.

Adison is 6 Months

Hard to believe my baby is already 6 months old. I took her for her check up and she weighed 15 pounds 7 ounces and was 261/2 inches long, which equates to 50th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. She is a funny girl, definitely a momma's girl. Her demeanor reminds me quite a bit of Kendal's when she was this age. She is a happy baby, however she is not one to quickly smile at strange faces...she will study you out first. She has just started rolling over and sitting up on her own. She grabs at just about everything and thinks that all things are intended for her. She is most entertained by her big brother Trey who can get her to crack up just by walking by. She refuses to take a bottle, which has made her and I pretty much inseparable. I am working on getting her to use a sippy cup, but she is stubborn enough to give me a good fight each time I do. It is so much fun to watch her little personality develop. She is such a great addition to our family.

Trey's Surgery

Last Friday was Trey's surgery to have his tooth removed. Jeff accompanied him to the hospital, which worked out well so that I could stay home with Adison as well as prepare for Kendal's birthday party that afternoon. The surgery was first thing in the morning and everything went well during the surgery, however as Trey was waking up I guess he bit his tongue pretty good. In fact I think Jeff was more concerned about Trey's tongue than the missing tooth. Now that we are 4 days post-operation, the tongue has definitely given us much more difficulty than anything else. He is still pretty sore, however the swelling has gone down dramatically. The only other complication Trey had was a little bit of nausea after the surgery. Jeff had promised to take Trey to Krispy Kreme donuts after the surgery since Trey wasn't allowed to eat all morning. Well I guess as Jeff was checking out at the register he sat Trey on the counter at which point Trey began to projectile vomit all over the store. Jeff said it was awesome...not in a good way. He also puked one more time on the way home, but did a good job of hitting the bag. Other than those few things we are glad to have Trey on the mend. I'm definitely kind of sad that he is now missing a tooth. It makes him look to grown up. Fortunately it is a bottom tooth, so he still has his infectious smile intact.

Kendal's 6th Birthday

Yesterday was Kendal's 6th birthday. She has been counting down the days until her birthday for at least 6 months, so we are excited that yesterday finally came. She had her birthday party last Friday at our house and invited a few friends from school and church to help her celebrate. We decided to keep with the theme of the weekend, which was Easter, so we had an Easter egg hunt, decorate bags for the Easter eggs, decorated cupcakes, and played lots of games. Overall the party went well, however, next year I will remember better how tired my cute Kendal is by Friday afternoon. It was her party and she decided to "cry because she wanted to" just because she wasn't winning all of the games. I love the competitive spirit, however, the crying could have been saved for another day. Yesterday for her birthday she wanted cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Trey, Adison and I took cookies into her classroom during snack time and for dinner we told her she could eat anywhere she wanted and she picked good old Chick-fil-A. After Chick-fil-A her daddy talked her into dropping by Krispy Kreme's for dessert and then we headed to the ball field for her softball game. It was a busy fun day!

Here are a few things about Kendal at 6 years old:

• Kendal is a great helper when she wants to be. Trey will be throwing a fit over picking up or putting on his shoes, and Kendal will step in and offer to help him just about everytime. I can always count on her to help me fold laundry and most of the time do just about any chore without complaining.


• Kendal is very competitive. She loves games and she loves winning. She is playing softball and so far I think she likes it all right. She is the youngest on the team, so she is learning lots this year. I think by next year she could be one of the stars if she decides that what she wants to do.


• Kendal loves to write. As a result of her love for writing, her reading is coming right along. She is picking things up very quickly and surprises herself often with her abilities.


• Kendal can still be a firecracker, however she is definitely toning it down as she gets older.


• We love our Kendal and are so glad that she is a part of our family.

Easter and Conference Weekend

We had a wonderful Easter and Conference weekend. It was so nice to listen and enjoy the words of our church leaders. Jeff and I definitely were reminded of the importance of our roles as parents. I'm sure over the next six months we will spend much time studying the great council given to help us to be better parents to our great children.

It was a nice treat to be able to spend all day Easter Sunday here at home listening to conference. The kids set up their sleeping bags so that they too could listen as they worked on a few quiet activities to help with the reverence. We played games after conference and dinner and overall had a great day.

Definitely a long post, but a much needed one.

Give Me a "Break"

So this is supposed to be the post that I wrote last week about what we did on spring break, however I was preoccupied last week with a different sort of "break". Last Sunday night, Trey began running a fever. No other symptoms, just a fever. His fever continued for the next 3 days, where if he was medicated (ibuprofen, tylenol) he was fine, but as soon as the meds wore off he was miserable again. I asked him countless times if his ears hurt, if his throat hurt, if he had any pain anywhere, to which he always replied no. So after 3 days of fever and quarantining ourselves at home, I finally decided to take him into the doctor. At the doctor everything checked out just fine and he said it was probably just one of those viruses that only has a fever. However, upon returning home I felt there still might be something causing his fever. A couple of weeks ago Trey fell after trying to do a superman on the swingset and knocked his front bottom tooth loose. It was loose, but I was hoping that it would settle back in.

Well, after talking to one of my dentists, Leigh on Wednesday afternoon and telling her about Trey's fever, she immediately told me to get him to a dentist, that the fever might be caused by his loose tooth. Mind you Trey has only complained 2-3 times during the last 3 weeks about his tooth, so I really wasn't too worried about it. That afternoon I was able to get him seen by a pediatric dentist who after an x-ray said Trey had a broken tooth and that it needed to come out and that there was now infection around the tooth, hence the fever. Sounds easy enough, right??? Not with a 3 year old who will not do anything he doesn't want to do without a fight. So after an attempt by the oral surgeon to remove the tooth without sedation (Trey threw a fit), we have decided that Trey will be put to sleep for the tooth removal and that it will be done this Friday. He is slowly but surely warming up to the idea of getting his tooth removed, however, I do believe that sedation is definitely necessary. His fever is now gone, thanks to good old amoxicillin, and he is feeling much better.

He is so funny though. When we broke the news to him that he would have to have his tooth out, he was sure that he wouldn't be able to talk, like Adison, because he would be missing teeth like baby Adison. We have assured him that he will still be able to eat and to talk despite a missing tooth, so today he announced that I could pull it out if I wanted to. This has definitely been a learning experience...we just hope that all goes well on Friday.

As for the spring break post...it's coming, soon!

Hocus Pocus

I don't know if we watched one too many episodes of The Wizards of Waverly Place or what, but there is definitely a lot of magic going on around our house these days. As of late, Trey especially has been very interested in magic. He loves to perform magic tricks and now believes "Bippety-boppety-boop" will keep all monsters away (whatever works right??). Here is a short clip of him performing one of his magic tricks...(He trully believes that he is in charge of the light and he is with the help of his Daddy who is standing behind him with another laser pointer). Sorry, could not get the clip to upload...will try again later??

Besides performing magic tricks, Trey has been very busy as of late. He still misses our old home wishing he could magically transport his old friends, his old house and pool to his new location. However, despite missing all of these things he is making new friends and enjoying his new preschool. He is a funny boy who keeps us all laughing.

Kendal too has been magically inclined as of late, however in a different way. She has turned a new leaf of sorts. She has recently become very interested in writing and loves to creat books for us to read. Her latest one was about her trip to the Lake House. She not only writes the words by herself, but accompanies each page with a picture. They are very cute. She is right now gearing up for softball season. Due to the recent abundance of rain, they have been unable to practice as a team, but we have managed to go out with her a couple of days and work on her hitting and catching. She is pretty athletically inclined and is picking up the basics pretty quickly. It will be interesting to see how this season goes, as they take their softball pretty seriously around here. She is very excited that this week is Spring Break and looks forward to doing lots of fun things around town during her break.

Bayley's latest "thing" is the piano. She has been taking piano lessons for about 2 months and so far is really enjoying learning and playing. She taught herself to play one of our family favorites "Once There Was a Snowman" and happily accompanied us last week for Family Home Evening. She has a teacher who fits her personality very well and is pushing Bayley along very quickly in order to keep her interested. So far, no complaints about practicing...we can only hope that continues. She continues on with dance and is looking forward to her recital in June.

Adison of course continues to change way too fast. Her latests include eating solids on a regular basis, grabbing everything that comes within her reach, and almost rolling over. She continues on our family tradition of not being in too big of a hurry to move and is content most of the time laying on her back. I'm sure that in the next couple of weeks she will figure out rolling and then we will be in trouble. She definitely has a strong will and knows what she wants and will let us know when she wants it. She is still a great baby and so much fun to have around.

My latest adventure includes training for another 1/2 marathon. Crazy, huh? I can't believe it will be my fourth 1/2 marathon. I am getting in to the long runs, where I question why I am doing all of this training, but April 24th will be here before I know it and I'm sure it won't be the last race that I train for. My sister-in-law, Leigh, is running the race in Nashville with me, so it should be a lot of fun, plus it never hurts to feel like you are in shape as swimsuit season approaches.

Speaking of swimsuit season, we definitely are ready for spring and summer to get here. Last weekend we made a trip to the Lake and the kids were so excited to swim in the hot tub they completely ignored that it was 60 degrees outside. I couldn't get one picture with them looking at the camera because they were having so much fun.