2009 July 11-18 Texas Trip

7-10 (Friday) We left the house at 5:45 EST on & arrived in TX around 8:45 EST. It took a little longer than usual because we stopped in Muenster, TX (a German town) for dinner. It wasn't as authentic as I had hoped, but we were glad we stopped.

7-11 (Saturday) We had lunch at Grandmother & Papa's on Saturday, July 12.

7-12 (Sunday) We went to church. Tom (Dewayne's dad) rode with us and the big boys rode with Debbie (Dewayne's mom). Garrett turned to Tom in the car and told him, "Granddad, your eyes are cracking." We all got a kick out of Garrett pointing out his grandfather's wrinkles. After church we (and a lot of Dewayne's extended family) had lunch at Grandmother and Papa's house.

7-13 through 7-17 We had a lot of fun throughout the week. See the link at the bottom of the post for pics of our fun.

7-18 (Saturday) Caleb's 11th Birthday We drove home from Texas with only 4 stops. The kids were amazing.

Here are pics from the week: http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/annsworld/2009%20TX%20Trip/?albumview=slideshow

2009 07 01-09

1-Work & Church
2-Work
3
Dewayne worked. I had the day off. Sam, Garrett & I drove to Signal Mtn. to pick up Caleb from camp. When we got back to Cleveland, the boys and I had breakfast at IHOP. Garrett had his first smily face pancake (chocolate chip). Then we went to the used bookstore to find some things for the drive to TX. The boys each got a book, and we got a movie. After that we went to Wal-Mart, then home for lunch and Garrett's nap.

4-Independence Day

We all went to the opening of the new McKay used bookstore in Chattanooga where we found another movie and more books for the drive. After that we went to Sam's. That evening we went to the Stricklands' new house for a cookout. There was a pretty big crowd. It was fun, but we left around 8. Dewayne and the big boys went to get fireworks after we got home. All 4 boys had fun shooting them in the front yard.

5-Anniversary

This was our 12th anniversary. We went to church and relaxed at home the rest of the day.

6-Camp

Dewayne worked, and I worked until about 1, then took Sam to Camp.

7-Work

8-Puddin' Pups

Around 7:30, as we're walking out the door, Dewayne noticed our dog Puddin' had had 2 puppies. Caleb, Garrett, & I hung around the house for a while to see how they were doing and if she would have anymore. Finally the boys and I left, but Dewayne stayed a little longer. Everyone at my work was happy for us. They said if it ever happened again to be sure I was late to work again. They all would have done the same thing. Dewayne left for work after she had two more puppies. I came home for lunch at noon and found a fifth puppy. Right before I needed to go back to work at 12:50, she finally had her sixth puppy. It was quite an exciting day. We also had church that night.

http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/annsworld/Puddin%20Pups/?albumview=slideshow

9-Pack & Load

I worked, but they didn't have any work for Dewayne, so he and Caleb went and picked up Sam from Camp. Since they weren't going to have any work for Dewayne the next day either, he asked me to see about leaving for TX a day early. My bosses all agreed, and I managed to get enough work done to leave for vacation a day early. We spent the evening finishing our packing and loading the car.

2009 06 30

Last Wednesday (6/24) was Dewayne's birthday. We didn't have to teach at church because the Church of God Tennessee State Offices were holding the annual Camp Meeting at our church. So, we went to Red Robin for dinner. We had never been there before, but we had been talking about trying it because it's the favorite restaurant of the main characters of "Psych" (one of our favorite TV shows). We did some shopping after that.

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Friday (6/26) as soon as I got off work, I picked up the kids and we went to Caleb's best friend's house for his birthday party. Right after the birthday party we went to Camp Meeting at church. We were 45 minutes late and parking and seats were all but gone. Tommy Bates can really draw a crowd. They also had a mass youth choir that night. It was a very full day.

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Saturday (6/27) turned into arts & crafts day. Garrett put "tattoos" (Curious George stamps) all over his arms. Caleb helped Garrett paint. They made this mask. They all really seemed to enjoy it. We also packed for Camp and started packing for TX. Looks like everything will fit in the Pacifica.

Dewayne did another good job with his sermon on Sunday (6/28). Among other things he said, "Just as a baby is born and must grow, Christians who have been born again must grow." The boys all came to service with us. The people at the chapel really enjoy having them there. After church we shoved down some sandwiches and finally went to see "Night at the Museum 2." It was a pretty cute movie. The neat thing was we were the only ones in the theater. We didn't have to worry about bothering anyone. Garrett ended up falling asleep during the movie.

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I took Caleb to Youth Camp yesterday (6/29). He's there until Friday morning. I went to dinner (and premier jewelry show) at a co-worker's home last night. She served a mexican fiesta menu made by her husband's secretary who is from Mexico. It was very good. I had a good time visiting with women from church, too. Some I knew, some I knew of, and some I had never even heard of. I did rather enjoy the one lady who asked me if I go to Lee. I should have said "yes," but I told her I graduated 10 years ago.

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This video from Fathers Day is pretty shaky, but Garrett is pretty cute doing all he can to make it through lunch.

2009 06 22

Last week was a quiet week again. We had church Wednesday (6/17). I led a great discussion in my class Wednesday, but when I tried to start the video, it had no sound. Turns out the whole sound board was dead. So I dismissed everyone early and stayed and talked with some of the class participants until the rest of the classes had ended. Caleb went on a sleepover at his best friend James' house on Friday (6/19). I went to the movies with my sister, her best friend, Cheri and two of Cheri's coworkers, my mom, and 4 other friends (3 of whom go to my church; one from my Couples Sunday School class, one from the Single Adult Ministry, and another who has been an acquaintance for a while who is married, but her husband doesn't come to church). It was certainly a diverse group of ladies. We had a great time, and it was a really good movie. Saturday (6/20) Sam went with Dewayne to help him fix a friend's A/C. We spent the rest of the day catching up on housework. Sunday (6/21) was Fathers Day. I made a bacon quiche for breakfast. We went to Sunday School. I did pretty well considering the emphasis was on fathers. I did have to leave the room during one video. It was too hard not to think of my dad. Dewayne did a great job with his sermon on Sunday. He preached from 1 Tim 2:1-8 which says we must pray for our leaders so we can have peaceful and worshipful lives because God wants everyone to be saved. For lunch I made grilled cheese sandwiches with homemade bread, American cheese, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese. For dinner we had a london broil that I had marinated all night, fried potatoes with vidalia onions (I NEVER make fried potatoes and they were very good), vegetables, and more homemade bread. I think Dewayne liked being spoiled for Fathers Day.

2009 06 15

Things certainly changed pace in June. I started the Bible study on Esther at church June 3. I'm really enjoying studying and leading it. The boys went to Mega Sports camp from 9 am - noon every morning last week (June 8-12). Our church partnered with 8 others in the community to provide a free VBS-type camp. They had professional sports stars there giving demonstrations and speeches. The kids got to play a different sport every day. My sister took them and picked them up for me. They stayed with her after it on Thursday, June 11 for a sleepover. We took Garrett to see the surgeon at Shriner's on Friday, June 12. Garrett was very excited about going to "Tucky." The doctor said Garrett doesn't need therapy. We just need to encourage him to use his right hand. He goes back in 6 months for x-rays and a visit. He did get sick on the way there, though. He finally got to feeling better Saturday evening.

2009 05 21 Video

Dewayne hung Sam's old swing from the boys' clubhouse. His brothers are very loving AND protective.

2009 06 01

Last Wednesday (5/27) Dewayne and the big boys went to church. It started storming while Garrett and I were at home. He informed me "It's not thundering' it's lightnering." Later in the evening, he very politely and matter-of-factly told me, "Mama, you're getting me angry." I never did figure out what I had done to get him angry.

Thursday (5/28) we had to find Garrett some new sandals to wear to water day at the daycare the next day. He has already destroyed the ones we got him earlier this spring. So we went to dinner at Stevie B's. It's the same concept as CiCi's but way better. The boys had coupons for free meals for completing the school year. We enjoyed it. We ended up buying $5.00 flip flops at Walmart because we couldn't find anything else at all. Garrett had a great time at water day on Friday (5/29) though.

Saturday (5/30) we finally took Garrett to play putt-putt (mintianure golf--Garrett's pronunciation) for his birthday. It was a lot of fun. Dewayne won of course, but Garrett is still talking about it. Sam got 2 hole-in-one's. We got lunch at Taco Bell on the way home. Saturday afternoon we went to see "Up" in 3-D. It was a great movie. Bruce and Trey came, too. It was Garrett and Trey's first time at the movies together. Neither one kept their glasses on, but the conversations they had were so cute (and so loud!). After that I went to Girls Night Out. Some of my friends and I went to dinner in Cleveland, then shopping in Chattanooga. It was a long, busy, fun day.

I brought Garrett with me to service Sunday morning(5/31). Of course they all loved that. He fell asleep during the singing. Dewayne preached a very good sermon.

I had to have the filling replaced today that the hygenist knocked out. Even though the dentist explained several good reasons why it happened and it may happen again, they didn't charge me. That was a big blessing.

2009 Memorial Day Camping Trip

This was a hornet's way of saying "Welcome to Chilhowee." It got me the first night there--never saw it coming.


I got off work on Friday at noon. The boys and I loaded up. James (Caleb's best friend) got to the house around 1:00. We picked up Garrett from his nap around 2:00 and headed to Chilhowee. The boys and I set up a little, went swimming, and made dinner. Our usual Friday night camping meal is Chicken Quesadillas (or Cheesaquillas, as Garrett says). That way we don't have to have a fire the first night. (Dewayne came up after work and got us set up the rest of the way.) Saturday night we had BBQ Chicken, Baked potatoes with all the fixins and corn on the cob--all cooked in the fire pit. Sunday night we had Bratwurst and ranch style beans. Saturday for lunch we had chili cheese dogs, and Sunday we had grilled cheese sandwiches--again all on the fire. Breakfast menus were: Sat--Bacon, Eggs, Toast; Sun--Sausage/Egg/Cheese Burritos; Mon--Pancakes and Bacon. We also made popcorn and s'mores on the fire. Due to all the rain, swimming was cold the whole weekend, but Benton Falls was full, so it was a lot nicer than usual. Garrett hiked most of the way there and back, with some shoulder rides from his daddy. It's nearly 3 miles round trip. Sam was 3 when he went for the first time. Garrett loved everything about camping. It rained on us every night. The second night it rained pretty hard, so he stayed in our tent. The 1st and last nights he was in his own tent all by himself all night long. I say that's pretty good for a 3-year-old. You can see by the pictures that Dewayne does a great job of keeping us dry. Not a drop of rain got in our tents. Dewayne stopped and took pictures on the way down the mountain from Chilhowee. It really is a beautiful place.

http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/annsworld/2009%20Awards/2009%20Memorial%20Day/?albumview=slideshow

Awards Day Pix FINALLY

http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/annsworld/2009%20Awards/?albumview=slideshow

2009 05 21

Well, I guess it's catch up time.

Last Thursday (5/14) Caleb went on a field trip with the 5th grade to Nashville. They spent the night in the science museum and went to the mall on Friday. He had a great time. Sam had a makeup game Thursday. This is the playground at the elementary school. I was impressed with Garrett.

Saturday (5/16) Dewayne spent most of the day helping friends and family with their air conditioners. We all worked on getting ready for our Memorial Day weekend camping trip. Garrett is so excited. He doesn't quite understand time so he asks nearly every day if we're going camping today. He thought that since we were packing last weekend that we were leaving last weekend. We still have some stuff to pack/load but we're getting close.

Sam woke up Sunday (5/17) not feeling well. We had a great service Sunday morning; good crowd, too. By the time church let out Sam was running a fever. He missed his last scheduled soccer game of the season. Dewayne took Caleb to his game, and he got to play in the mud again. Sunday night was an important night for us---the Survivor finale was on TV.

I stayed home with Sam Monday (5/18) and took him to the doctor. For once it actually wasn't strep. He had a virus. One dose of anti-nausea meds and he was pretty much back to normal.

Caleb had his last (make-up) soccer game on Tuesday (5/19).

Yesterday (5/20) was the last day of school for Caleb & Sam. We're all relieved that summer is here. Dewayne and the big boys went to church last night. Garrett and I went to Walmart and got most of the rest of our camping groceries and supplies.

It turns out Sam has one last make-up game tonight (5/21). Then soccer is done. We are all ready for our schedule to slow down. My Daddy's birthday is today. He's 58. It's hard not to be sad about that. I'm just trying to stay busy. My sister just called with good news. She has been offered a teaching job in Hamilton County for next fall. Pastor Seals (my boss and the Christian Ed. pastor among other things) asked me today to facilitate a DVD-based women's Bible study on Wednesday nights this summer. It's called "Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman." I'm looking forward to it.

I took this picture on my way back to work from lunch.

Since this was the last soccer game, we went to DQ after.

2009 05 12

Today was Dewayne's last day of classes. He still has some reports and and his thesis to finish. Tonight was Sam's last soccer practice because has a make-up game Thursday. It was Caleb's last practice because he'll be on a field trip in Nashville Thursday. Caleb received another award today. He and his best friend each got a medal in music class for participation, behavior, and performance. It was a total surprise to all of us. Sam spent the rest of his AR points at the AR store today. He brought home a bunch of neat stuff.

2009 05 11

I know I'm terrible. It has just been really crazy. By the time I have time to blog in the evenings, I'm ready to pass out. I actually did fall asleep on the couch Thursday night. I went to the dentist on my lunch hour Thursday. Everything was fine when I went in, but the hygenist knocked out one of my fillings in a wisdom tooth while she was cleaning my teeth. I have to go back and have it replaced. Everything else was fine, though. Dewayne took the boys to soccer practice Thursday night and Garrett and I stayed home and tried to get caught up on housework. This happened in the meantime. I let Garrett go potty by himself and he found a bottle of iodine. He came in the living room and said "Mama, my foot is red." See my nice WHITE robe.

"And look at my belly."

We'll have to replace several tiles in the bathroom.

I couldn't resist taking this Thursday night. I used to ALWAYS sleep like this, even after I was grown.

Friday I went on the waterski show fieldtrip with Sam. We left about 45 minutes late because it was storming. Once the storm passed it turned out to be a nice day. Sam had a lot of fun. We left the lake on the 1:00 bus, picked up Caleb from school and came home to play video games and clean. After school, I picked up my sister's kids and took them to her house, picked up Garrett from the daycare and came home. Bruce & Liz and the kids came over Friday night. It was the first time they had been over in a while so we enjoyed having them.

Ah, Saturday...
Dewayne took Caleb and Sam to the soccer complex. Sam had to be there at 8:30 am for pre-game practice. Garrett and I got there during Sam's 9:00 game. This was the schedule for the day:

8:30-9:00-Sam: pre-game practice

9:00-10:00-Sam: Game

10:00-10:30-Caleb: pre-game practice

10:30-11:30-Caleb: Game

11:30-12:00-Sam: pre-game practice

12:00-1:00-Sam: Make-up game

1:00-1:30-Caleb: pre-game practice

1:30-2:30-Caleb: Make-up game.

Of course the games, especially Caleb's, go over a little bit because of half-time.

Caleb scored in his first game. The bottom fell out close to the end of it, so Garrett and I headed for the car before it started too bad. Dewayne and Sam picked up the chairs and stuff. They rushed all the kids off the field. Sam's 12:00 make-up game was cancelled, so we went to Home Depot in the meantime waiting to hear about Caleb's game. We live 20 minutes from the complex so there wasn't time to go home. It turned out to be a good decision because Caleb's make-up game was not cancelled. It was a muddy mess--like watching an entire episode of America's Funniest Videos. Caleb was goalie in the first half and only let one ball get past him, despite all the water and mud and that one was way over his head. He got his fingers on it, though.

Yesterday was Mother's Day. Dewayne made breakfast. Then I went to breakfast with the boys at church before Sunday School. I preached/spoke in the service at the towers. Dewayne made lunch and dinner. Dinner was steak and baked potatoes--very good. He really tried to make it an easy day for me. That's all I ever want for Mother's Day.

This morning was Muffins for Moms at the daycare. I had breakfast with Garrett for 30-45 minutes. He was not happy when I left. It was all I could do to not take him with me, but I only had a half day off and had to be at work at 1:00. Sam's award ceremony was at 10:30. HE received the bronze medal for Accelerated Reader for his class, the P.E. award (this went to a boy and a girl in each class and was chosen by the P.E. teacher), national physical fitness award (he had to pass 5 different physical fitness tests with a score of 50% ot more), Teacher's award and spelling award for his class (his teacher announced that he has a 106 avg for spelling for the year), and the presidential award for A-B honor roll. He has one report card left, but so far he has only gotten 4 B's all year.

After the program, I went to CVS. I got two containers of laundry detergent, a box of pain reliever and two tubes of toddler toothpaste for .63 (no that's not a mistake) and had 4 Extra Care Bucks left over.

Now it's evening and I gotta keep the kids out of Dewayne's hair so he can study for a final in the morning and write a paper that's due tomorrow.

2009 05 06

Work, School, Church...LOTS of Rain

Caleb's x-ray was normal. I guess we just hope it gets back to normal soon. He's fighting a little cold now, too.

2009 05 05

Work and school and 2 hours of soccer practice. No rain for a whole day!!

2009 05 04

Dewayne stayed home to finish his paper today, and he did!! I went back to Bi-Lo on my lunch. Sub-Total b/f savings 25.39; after 9.49; savings of 63%. Sam went on an Accelerated Reader field trip to play tennis at Lee University today. After that they went to Deer Park for lunch and to play. Dewayne took Caleb for the x-ray on his finger after school. We should hear something from the doctor in a day or two.

2009 05 03

Garrett moved up to the 3-year-old class at church this morning. He wasn't happy about it at first, but he had a good time once he settled down. Dewayne did a great job with his sermon today. Soccer games were cancelled again due to rain. I went to CVS and Walgreens for their deals of the week. I basically got free toothpaste at both places, free deodorant at Walgreens, and a free vitamin water at CVS, and great deals on some other things. Caleb and I both needed sandals, so I took the boys shopping. Dewayne worked on his paper all day.

2009 05 02

Garrett was a lot better yesterday, but we weren't quite sure that he should go to daycare, so I stayed home with him. We did go into the office long enough for the secretary's day breakfast. Caleb went to the doctor yesterday afternoon to have one of his fingers looked at. It's very stiff every morning. It's not as bad later in the day, but it still bothers him. The dr. prescribed an x-ray for him, but the imaging center closed within minutes of the dr. appt. We'll try to get there on Monday afternoon. I went to the movies with my sister and a friend of hers last night. It was fun as usual.

Soccer games were rained out this morning. Garrett is still having difficulty with his stomach. Hopefully he'll be well enough to go to church tomorrow. Dewayne worked all day on a paper he has due on Monday. After such a hectic week, the kids and I tried to take it easy. We did get a little caught up on the housework yesterday and today which is very nice. I decided to wait and post the pictures from Caleb's awards banquet after Sam's awards ceremony (5/11/09).

2009 04 30

I didn't forget to blog yesterday. I just really didn't have the chance. After work, I helped get Dewayne and the big boys off to church. Then Garrett and I went to buy groceries. I did a great job with sales and coupons if I do say so myself. Food Lion subtotal before savings was $42.91; subtotal after savings was $22.90. That's a savings of 47%. Bi-Lo subtotal before savings was 93.21; subtotal after savings was $37.87. That's a savings of 60%.

After we got home and got the kids in bed, we did a lot of paperwork for Dewayne for next school year and paid the bills.

I picked up Garrett early today because of a belly ache. I think he's ok now. Sam had a makeup game tonight and Caleb had practice. Sam scored the only goal for his team by bouncing the ball off the shinguard of a kid on the other team.

2009 04 28

It's 10:00 pm and we just sent the big boys to bed. Garrett fell asleep in the car on the way home from my sister's. Caleb's 5th grade awards banquet was tonight. He presented the award to the 5th grade teacher of the year. His awards were for Beta Club, President's Physical Fitness Award, and Citizenship. It's late, so I'll post pictures tomorrow. We're very proud of him. I also went to the middle school and got him registered today. The middle school mascot is the colts, by the way. Dewayne had his last class today. He still has papers, reports and finals to go, but no more classes.

2009 04 27

Busy, busy day. Work and school, then a makeup soccer game. Caleb did a good job in his game, though. Dewayne had to have his helper drop him off at the soccer complex for the game, and rode home with us.

2009 04 26

Garrett had a slight temperature this morning, but I think he's ok now. The boys both had games today. The big boys and I are all sunburned. Dewayne and Garrett wore sunscreen. Here are two very short videos from today. The first one is from Sam's game. He has the ball in the beginning of it. Listen closely for Garrett.

Caleb's in the goal.

Here are some pretty good shots Dewayne got of Caleb.

Beta Club Field Trip 04/24-25/09

Caleb & Dewayne went to Georgia Aquarium and 6 Flags over Georgia in Atlanta. Here are some pictures from their trip.
http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/annsworld/Beta%20Club%20Field%20Trip%20April%2024-25%202009/?albumview=slideshow

2009 04 25

Caleb & Dewayne had a blast at six flags today. I'll try to post the pictures of their trip tomorrow. Garrett seems to have a touch of a stomach bug. Hopefully he'll be ok in the morning for churh and soccer.

2009 04 24

Caleb & Dewayne are having a great time in Atlanta. Caleb said the Georgia Aquarium was awesome. He bought a snowglobe. They swam in the hotel pool for a couple of hours, and that was awesome, too. They had Cracker Barrel for dinner and went back to the hotel.

Garrett and Sam and I had a lot of fun on the trampoline tonight after having the best homemade biscuits I've ever made. I did a much better job this time. Caleb's trying to talk us into saving him one.

2009 04 23

Garrett went for his 3-yr well check today. If I remember correctly, he was 33 lbs. and 38.5 inches. That puts him in the 75th % for height and the 90-95th % for weight. He's a lot bigger for his age than the boys were.

2009 04 22

Busy, busy day. On the way to daycare this morning, Garrett and I had an interesting conversation. It was a very sunny morning.
Garrett: Mama, I can't see
Me: I'm sorry, Baby. Look the other way.
Garrett: Mama, the sun is wearing me out.

2009 04 21

It was a long day for all of us. The boys had tcaps again. Dewayne had classes. I had work. Dewayne picked up the boys from school as he usually does on Tuesdays, had them do their checklist and fed them dinner. I had put a roast in the crockpot, so he added the bbq and made sandwiches. I get off work at 4:30 and go pick up Garrett. He leaves for class around 4:45. I get home shortly thereafter, change clothes, eat dinner, feed Garrett dinner, load up and head to Sam's soccer practice which starts at 5:30. Usually Caleb has practice, but tonight he had a make-up game at his usual practice time. Pre-game practice was at 6:00 and the game was at 6:30. Sam finished practice at 7:00. Caleb's game ended at 7:45. Another kid hurt Caleb's finger at recess yesterday, so he didn't play goalie tonight in spite of all of his teammates trying to talk the coach into it at half-time. He did a great job at midfield though. He nearly scored once. He played very aggressively (the good way) and really tried his best. I was very impressed with some of his moves on the field.

2009 04 20

Nothing exciting to tell about today. We had plenty of excitement yesterday to last a couple of days. Dewayne and I worked, and the boys went to school and daycare. Caleb finished his biome project. He worked very diligently on it this weekend, and did a great job. This is the one night of the week that none of us have somewhere to be, so we tried to catch up on housework. It was a pretty day out, though.

2009 04 19 Garrett's Birthday

I wasn't feeling well this morning, so I stayed home and Garrett stayed with me. The boys offered to go to church with Dewayne. Sam took up offering like he usually does when he's there. Dewayne asked Caleb to read a Scripture during service. Dewayne said he did a good job.

About the time church was over reporters from two of the Chattanooga stations came to the door and asked if I was concerned about what happened down the street. I asked, "What happened?" Here's a link to the story.

http://wdef.com/news/hostage_situation_in_cleveland_ends_peacefully_one_man_arrested/04/2009

Soccer games were cancelled due to storms that were supposed to be coming, but didn't. We had a shower this morning and this evening, but nothing serious. Actually I was just about to post this and it started raining again. Maybe the big storms are finally coming. So Garrett ended up staying home all day, but we think he really enjoyed his birthday. Here are some pictures and a video.

http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/annsworld/2009%20Garretts%20Birthday/?albumview=slideshow

He broke the guitar he got for Christmas, so here's the new one and a little bit of his Wolverine toy.

2009 04 18

These are pictures from Sam's game today. You can click on each one to make it really big. Sam got lucky and scored again. He didn't kick very hard, but the ball rolled right past a defender and the goalie. He has scored once in both of his games so far. It's like night and day from previous seasons.

Dewayne worked a really long day again today. Even if he doesn't work Monday, he's put in his 3 days for the week. We weren't able to go play miniature golf for Garrett's birthday, but we'll make it up to him as soon as we can.

Caleb started packing for his trip to Atlanta next weekend, and he started working on his biome project. He's doing Grassland (savannah). He didn't want to stop to get ready for bed.

Garrett is real excited about his birthday. He tells us he's going to be "Three-year-olds."

2009 04 17

Report Cards..Caleb.......Sam
Reading..............99A.........95A
Language Arts.....98A.........93A
Spelling..............98A........105A
Math..................96A.........94A
Science...............97A.........92B
Social Studies......91B.........94A

On Caleb's report card his teacher said, "Caleb continues to do very well! I know he will do great in middle school! First Honor Roll!" He started TCAPS today. Sam starts Monday. At least the prep is over after today's homework!!! 3rd grade's a tough year.

2009 04 16

I sent letters today to over 300 first time Christians. I have never been so happy to send out a bulk mailing. Dewayne took the boys to soccer practice. Garrett was pretty cranky this evening except when he was enjoying this treat from his Easter basket.

2009 04 15

Pretty uneventful day. I'm still trying to fight off the sniffles. Dewayne got to work!! After hearing me gripe, copycat Garrett said, "Daddy, that stupid dog broke Mama's shoe." That's about it.

2009 04 14

Well, I fell asleep last night before I blogged about yesterday. After work I rushed to get Garrett, feed him and myself some dinner and get out to the soccer fields by 5:30. We got home around 7:45. It was a long day, and I think I'm trying to fight off a cold or allergies or something. I think we settled on our decision for a middle school yesterday. It's already time to get Caleb registered. We're zoned for city, but we're going to keep him in the county like he is now. All of his friends will probably be going to the other county middle school, but the one he's going to has a good soccer program and it's just up the road from the church. With all three boys in three different places next year, location is important. It's hard to go wrong with any school in Cleveland or Bradley county, really. We did find out yesterday that Dewayne has work to do for a few days at least.

2009 04 13

It was pretty normal day of work, school, and chores, except Dewayne didn't get to work again. We did have some fun playing video games tonight. I guess the most interesting thing about today is Caleb made dinner (with a little help from me). He made Pizza Pasta from a recipe in the ramen noodle cookbook that he got in his Easter basket. Ramen noodle pizza is surprisingly tasty and filling. And Caleb kept telling me he had fun doing it with me. The boys got on the trampoline after dinner. I couldn't resist taking the picture below.



Garrett did not want to get off the trampoline, but, boy, did he need a bath!

2009 04 12 EASTER

Well, all our hard work paid off. We had a great time today, and a big chunk of our spring cleaning is done. For lunch and the egg hunt, we had the Aldermans and their two kids, the Marlers and their two girls and his mom, the Stricklands and their two kids, and the Owenses and their little boy and baby girl. The Aldermans and the Marlers left shortly after the egg hunt. By around 6:00 Dewayne was ready to figure out something for dinner, so he and the other two guys went to the store. We had grilled chili dogs and chips. While they were out, Bruce called Dusty, so the Selvages came over for dinner with their little boy and baby girl. Everybody cleared out around 9:00. It was a great day of food, egg hunting, candy eating, "tramperleen" (that's what Garrett calls it) jumping, and playing outside and inside. It was the best Easter celebration I can remember. Dewayne said earlier that he thinks the dogs are even tired after today. It was worth it, though. We'll see how easily Monday morning comes. Here's the slideshow from today.

http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/annsworld/2009%20Easter/?albumview=slideshow

2009 04 11

Soccer Games were cancelled due to standing water this morning.

We worked hard again today, but I think we're ready for company tomorrow. There are 4 other families coming, so it should be a good time.

We had never dyed eggs with the kids before. We all had fun doing it.

Dying Eggs is hard work!

2009 04 10

We were woken up today, Good Friday, by a big thunderstorm. Made me think of the first Good Friday. We were under a tornado warning this afternoon, but none touched down.

Sam had a well check today. He's 4 feet, 3 1/2 inches and 58 pounds. He also had to have 2 shots.

We all worked really hard today to get the house ready for the big Easter lunch and egg hunt. It's a good motivator to get our spring cleaning done. There's more to do tomorrow, but we made great progress.

Pictures

These links will take you to a slideshow of pictures. From there you can also save any pictures you want. You will need to enter the password to see them.


Shriners Surgery #3
http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/annsworld/Shriners%20Surgery%203/?albumview=slideshow

Sam's Birthday 2009 http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/annsworld/Sams%20Birthday/?albumview=slideshow

Christmas 2008
http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/annsworld/Sams%20Birthday/08%20Christmas/?albumview=slideshow

Garrett Guitar Hero

This was one of Garrett's favorite Christmas presents. He played it all day.

Pigeon Forge Jan 09

This link will take you to a slideshow of pictures from the trip. From there you can also save any pictures you want. You will need to enter the password.

http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/annsworld/2009%20Jan%20Pigeon%20Forge-Gatlinburg/?albumview=slideshow

2009 04 09

Caleb had his bottom canine teeth pulled today. The orthondontist thinks this will help his upper teeth if the permanent teeth come in straight. He had twelve shots to numb him. He was pretty swollen and sore, but he's doing ok.

Garrett and I had a lot of fun "being frogs" on the trampoline while Caleb was at soccer practice. After that we decided to get in the hot tub. Right after we got in, a couple of guys from church came up to the back gate to witness, but they knew us figured we were already saved.

Sam had a tough day at school. It turns out his girlfriend likes one of his best friends.

Garrett had an Easter egg hunt at Daycare, so he had more than enough sugar today. I guess it was a good thing we got on the trampoline.