5 Lillypads

Spring Break Begins!

2010-03-23T00:57:00.002-05:00

We are going on a spring break trip this year! Just Jared and me, that is. The kids are at my parents house this week and we are off on a much-needed vacation. We chose New Orleans for some reason. I've never been so I am so very excited! We don't really have a schedule per se but we have several things in mind to do. My plan is to post every night when we come in from the day. Knowing me, it won't happen that way but I have to have goals.

Today, we got a late start. Jared had to go in to work since he had a board meeting to attend this afternoon. I took the kids to Batesville and dropped them off at my parents house. We left Little Rock around 5:30. Our plan was to drive all the way to Hammond, LA and spend the night in a cheap hotel. "Why Hammond?" you might ask. You won't believe this but there is a golf course here that Jared has wanted to play at for some time.(For those of you that care, it's a David Toms course.) About an hour into our trip, Jared suggested that I use his phone to book us a room for the night. 45!! minutes later we had a room reserved at the Best Western Inn and Suites in Hammond. Just by booking the room ahead of time on Expedia.com, we saved $30! True story. We finally arrived at 12:30 a.m., only to find out that they "had" to bump us up to a suite because all the regular rooms were taken. So, we paid $59+tax for a suite! I'd say it was a pretty good start to our trip.

Jared is heading out before 8 o'clock in the morning to go play golf and I have between now and then to decide if I'm going to go with him to ride in the cart and take pictures OR take him to the course and come back to the hotel and hang out for 3 hours till he's done.(I spotted a TJ Maxx across the street from our hotel on the way in!) Stay tuned tomorrow to find out what I decided to do and what fun we had when we arrived in New Orleans!

After All, We're Irish!

2010-03-17T15:56:00.004-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Thanks to Aunt Callie for the cute St. Patrick's Day shirts. The kids normally wear uniforms to school but I knew if they didn't wear their shirts today, it wouldn't be any fun. So I let them wear them with their khakis. I didn't get a call from the school to come get them or make them change so they got to be festive and wear green. We are Irish, you know.

Life

2010-03-17T15:19:00.008-05:00

Is it March already? It seems like just yesterday I was posting about the snow! Where does the time go? Life is nothing but a whirlwind.
I am no longer employed at Pleasant Valley Day School, which is a HUGE blessing. I was only working Tues/Thurs from 8-2 but apparently my tolerance to stress is very, very low. My body didn't respond so well and I ended up on some medicine for anxiety. I resisted the medicine for several months, thinking I could overcome the problem myself. I finally resorted to the medicine after I realized I couldn't do it on my own. I feel tons better and am already weaning myself off the meds after only a month. As I said before, I also quit my job, which is what pushed me over the edge, in my opinion. That whole ordeal just confirms my decision to never go into the education field. For now I am keeping an 8 week-old three days a week. I love being at home every day again. I don't get a shower and get dressed until the baby and Chase are both napping at noon. My laundry is kept up with(mostly) and my house is slightly cleaner. The most important part is I am HAPPIER! Life is good. I thank God daily when I wake up happy in the morning(after coffee). We still have a crazy family schedule and life isn't always ideal but it's good because God blesses us EVERY DAY.

We've had a few big events in the last two months a some small developments too. No, I am not pregnant. Avery had a daddy/daughter dance at school in February. Oh she was so excited for days! She was a little put out that we didn't go pick out a new dress but her excitement for the big event superseded her disappointment over no new dress. She picked out Jared's tie and I straightened her hair with my CHI. It was a BIG deal.

Jared got her a wrist corsage and a single rose before they went. It was so precious.

Just Monday Hunter and Jared celebrated their birthdays. Hunter turned 8 and Jared, 31. I told Hunter, just as I told Avery for her birthday, that they could pick any restaurant they wanted to for their birthday dinner. Avery chose The Purple Cow for hers-AWESOME for everybody. Hunter, on the other hand, chose Play Time Pizza. Bleh! A promise is a promise so we went to Play Time Pizza for dinner Sunday night. Food-awful. Games-Chuck E. Cheese-like. The kids all had fun so and that was the ultimate goal. I guess we can sacrifice one night a year.

Happy Birthday, Boys!

Real Snow (for Arkansas)

2010-02-10T15:34:00.004-06:00

We got some snow! Good snow that when it fell was so soft and fluffy! I can't remember the last time it snowed such perfect snowflakes. I didn't even know we were supposed to get any snow and then I woke up to the sound of sleet on my window at 2:30 a.m. and remembered that Buck was still outside! Aahhh! I jumped up and put him out in the garage and went back to bed. When I awoke at 6:45 to get the kids up, I looked outside and saw the snow/ice. It snowed all day long! HUGE, beautiful flakes. The neighbors were out by 9 and we were all bundled up and out by 10. There were about 4 families at one time out in our cul-de-sac, throwing snowballs at each other and making a snowman. Jared and I were also opening our mouths and trying to catch the flakes in them. We stayed out for about 2 hours and had lots of fun. I think Jared and I were the last ones inside, actually.

We are now on Day 3 of no school. The snow is lingering outside but isn't fluffy and soft anymore because it's been sunny but right at freezing during the day. It melts but then at night it freezes up again. My house is a mess and Chase and I have worn our pj's for 2 days now.(We changed our pj's at night after our shower) At least we had bread and milk in the house.

It's Been Awhile

2010-02-10T15:03:00.002-06:00

I told you so! To all 2 of you followers, I told you from the start that I would not be a good blogger. We're a busy family for sure but that doesn't mean I haven't had ANY free time to update this blog. When I do have free time, I have to choose what I want to do the most. I guess it's obvious where the blog falls in that category. However, this is Day 3! of no school due to snow/ice so I have some time on my hands.

We did celebrate Christmas. I now have pictures on my computer to prove it. We were home on Christmas morning and that was so fun! We finally got loaded up around 3 p.m. on Christmas day to head to Memphis. We stayed there for a few days and had 3 different gift exchanges! I'm pretty sure this was the last Christmas Hunter really believed in Santa. He didn't talk much about him and he told me that there were some girls in his class at school who thought their parents were the ones who ate the cookies and milk left for Santa. I acted totally shocked. I only said, "Man, I hope they still get presents for Christmas." I'm sure next year, 3rd grade, his eyes will be opened to the truth. The kids had a great Christmas though. Santa brought Hunter a Razor Spark scooter and a new Mongoose helmet. Avery got a new bike and a helmet and Chase got a Radio Flyer scooter and a helmet. Let me explain why they all got helmets, besides the fact that they're supposed to wear them. At Hunter's 7 year checkup, which was about 6 months late, his pediatrician asked him if he wore a helmet when he rode his bike. Now, when he said no, who was the little "talking to" directed toward actually? Us, right!She lectured him on the safety of riding with a helmet on to protect his head and that he shouldn't ride anything without one. Ugh. Overprotectiveness at it's finest. I'm all for safety and all but geez, kids have to get some injuries along the way right? Also I, for one, couldn't imagine riding a bike or a scooter with a helmet on. I think it would be very uncomfortable and distracting, which could ultimately cause a wreck in and of itself. Whatever. They have helmets now so next time the doctor asks if they have helmets to wear they can say yes.

Finally

2009-11-16T09:23:00.003-06:00

I've been wanting to get some pictures of the family and just haven't had the time to do it. I really wanted to take some when the leaves were at their peak but that really didn't seem to happen here this year. I don't know if it was because we got so much rain or what but I was a little disappointed in their showing this year. That's neither here nor there. We went to mom and dad's last weekend for mom's 60th birthday and the weather Sunday was absolutely gorgeous! There weren't anymore trees that had colorful leaves on them but I thought the landscape itself was a beautiful backdrop. I was pretty certain that out of 35 acres I would be able to find SOMEWHERE to take some good pictures. Obviously we couldn't get everyone to smile at the same time. Who does? I'm just happy we got all of us in the same picture. My dad just got a tractor last week and he wanted a picture of us sitting on it.:)

Halloween

2009-11-09T13:22:00.003-06:00

Halloween has come and gone and what kind of mother would I be if I didn't put some pics of my kids in their costumes on my blog??!! I told Jared around the beginning of September, when I started seeing costumes at the stores, that I wanted to get the kids costumes early this year so we wouldn't have to just settle for what was left in the stores the week of. Where are we the Tuesday night before Halloween? In the seasonal aisle at Walmart looking for costumes. Since Chase isn't old enough to understand that he gets to choose what he wants to dress up as, his costume was decided for him. We had a clown costume from when Aunt Callie was little(probably 4 or 5) that fit him nicely. Avery wanted to be Barbie so I thought I could appease her by suggesting that we put make-up on her and she could wear some clothes she already had. We did buy her a long, blond wig and some fake fingernails. She was thrilled. Hunter was the choosy one. He wanted to be a ninja but 4 days before Halloween, you usually don't get the costume you want. After much deliberation he decided to be an "army guy". I just assumed he would want the camo face paint to go with it but no. He doesn't like paint on his face. So, his costume was kind of lame but he was happy and he got candy so all was well. (Except that I had to take Avery to the after hours childrens clinic on Saturday morning. She had strep throat.) After a HUGE penicillin shot in the leg, she was good. We already have next year's costumes too! After church on Sunday, we ate at Jason's Deli and went to the Halloween Express store in the same parking lot and got next year's costumes for 1/2 off! Woo Hoo!

Lately

2009-11-09T13:03:00.010-06:00

Nothing extremely exciting has happened at our house lately. We're just plugging along. I'm working two days a week now so there's that. Otherwise, it's fall and we're enjoying the last few weeks of beautiful weather outside. We spent most of our weekend outside last weekend. Jared was doing some repairs on the house where he had taken down the gutters. I REALLY wish I had that on video. His method for removing our house gutters was so Griswold-esque. He used a rope and tied one end to the hitch on my car and the other around the gutter. You can imagine what happened next. He inched slowly forward on the driveway to pull the gutter off. It actually worked quite nicely. If he would have told me what he was doing before he got into the car, I would have raced inside for the camera.

Anyway, we enjoyed a gorgeous weekend outside. I snapped some photos.

H's Gig

2009-11-05T09:14:00.003-06:00

Two weeks ago, Hunter and his fellow 2nd graders had a school program. The name of the program was "It's Saturday". I can't post the whole program because it was 45 minutes long. However, I am posting a small clip of the program, in which Hunter had a solo part! Before you get to the good stuff, let me give you a little run-down on the point of the show. All the songs are about things kids like to do on Saturdays: sleeping, laying around watching tv, playing football, playing outside or doing nothing. There is one little girl in the show whose mother is making her take piano lessons on Saturdays. She is sooo upset about this and she's complaining about all her previous piano teachers and how they're all the same. She has a new piano teacher now and he's just arriving at her house for her first lesson.

I think Hunter might do well as an actor. I also think Hunter's daddy thoroughly enjoyed helping him rehearse.;)

Enjoy!

Jump on Over

2009-09-22T17:35:00.005-05:00

To see some cute pics of Chase and his birthday party, go to Callie's blog. For those of you that don't know who Callie is, she's my sister-in-law and one of her hobbies is taking photos. She's pretty good at it, I must say. I took some pics at Chase's party but hers are better so go to mostlysweet.blogspot.com to see them.

Happy Birthday to Chase!

2009-09-17T11:50:00.005-05:00

Today is Chase's 2nd birthday. He was born at 8:01 a.m. and weighed 8 lbs and 1 oz. I'll have to admit, I really didn't think he was very cute when I first saw him. I was a little disappointed. However, after the swelling went down and he had a bath, he was the cutest, snuggliest thing ever! My baby isn't really a baby anymore. It's kind of sad, maybe a little, but I'm kind of ready to move on past the baby stage now. At least, that's our plan. We'll see if our plan turns out to be the same as "the master plan".

Here are a few pics of the birthday boy.

Camp

2009-09-11T09:13:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we went to Camp Tahkodah with our church youth group for a retreat. My parents house is only 15 minutes from camp so we spent the nights at their house and during the day, we went to camp to play and hang out with everyone. I love Camp Tahkodah. I went to summer camp there for several years(shout out to third session!) and have many wonderful memories from then. Jared's church in Memphis, Brownsville Rd. church of Christ, used to rent the camp out for a week during the summer too. So, we both grew up going to Camp Tahkodah in the summers and never knew it! AND Jared and I just realized that that's where both of our parents fell in love. Awww... Anyway, our kids LOVE going out there. We didn't really see much of Hunter while we were there unless it was meal time and then he showed up. Saturday it rained off and on so there were lots of puddles and lots of mud, which is exactly what camp is about, right? I threw caution to the wind that day and let the kids play in the rain and in puddles.(They all three have coughs now) Sunday was a no puddles day. We only stayed until after lunch so we asked them to stay out of mud and water. They did really well. No one was wet when we went home.

We really enjoyed our weekend at Camp. It was great to relive memories, enjoy the beautiful scenery AND to top it all off, to sing and worship God in a different setting. I love the examples my kids saw in the teenagers as well. They can grow up knowing that even when they're "too cool" teenagers, they can still love God.

(I really hate the picture of me and the sign because I look fat but it's the only one we got of the sign so it's the one that made the cut.)

Locks of Love

2009-09-02T15:27:00.005-05:00

Well, I chopped my hair. It was time. I really didn't think much about getting it cut until Amy suggested I donate it and that it had to be at least 10 inches long. I didn't realize my hair WAS that long. So, I got it cut and brought it home in a ziploc bag to send off to Locks of Love to be made into a wig for a chemo patient. It's kind of weird to think that someone else might be wearing my hair at some point. I am glad to do it though. It does seem kind of a waste to just get a huge haircut and let all that good hair be swept up and thrown away. I mean, I am trying to go green-er. I can just think of this as recycling my hair. Now all you people who are yucked out by hair can go throw up at the thought of that!

The Way It Should Be

2009-08-29T11:45:00.004-05:00

First let me warn you that this post has no pictures to accompany it so if you want to skip it, do so now. Anyway, I have just come to realize since being "laid off" from my part-time job at Pleasant Valley church of Christ Day School, how frazzled and hurried even a part-time working mom can make a family. I am so enjoying being home every day right now. Not only to spend my days with Chase as I did with the other two, but to get things done during the day so that when the rest of the family gets home in the afternoon, I am not scurrying around trying to do household things. I also found that when I am home, getting stuff done during the day, I am much more attentive to my kids. Now, let me say that my not working doesn't mean we don't struggle with finances. We struggle just like every other family does. I have learned, in the short month that I haven't received a paycheck, to not spend unnecessary money. In the past it was kind of easy for me to just take off to Target or.....ok, mostly Target, to just look for something to buy. I would tell myself that one of the kids needed shoes or something new to wear. Or that I needed some shoes or makeup or a shirt or something new for the house. Need is a term used very loosely. Of course we didn't need any of those things. I have had to discipline myself to not go anywhere during the day and if I do have to go somewhere specific, not to make any detours on the way to spend extra money.

I'm not criticizing those mothers who have chosen to work outside the home. I understand how convenient and sometimes necessary it is to supplement the family income. However, I also think, and I am probably going to step on some toes here, mommies feel that they have to work in order to keep up the lifestyle their family is currently living. And, if they really tried, the way of life could be scaled down to fit within one income. There, I said it.(Let me say here that this in no way applies to single mothers. That's a whole other challenge that I am blessed to not have!) I guess this time off of work has just shown me that mothers are needed at home when their kids are little and still needing and wanting mommy's attention. I feel that I'm not constantly living in a hurry and I have time to plan fun things. I also have more(just slightly more) patience with my kids. They still get on my nerves sometimes, like they did this morning at 7 a.m. But I am a better mommy when I'm home all day. I think God intended mommies to stay home with small children and it makes a family happier.

Here's Proof

2009-08-24T07:57:00.005-05:00

Every once in a great while, when the weather is perfect and we have nothing else to do, we will work in our yard. Saturday was one of those days. Our whole family spent the entire day working/playing outside. The kids mostly played but we did put them to work a little bit too. We were very proud of our accomplishment. If you've ever been to our house, you know that we live in the middle of a pine forest. We don't have grass. We have dirt in our front yard. Sun doesn't ever get to the ground for the trees so we have never had a beautiful, lush green yard. Chase doesn't even like to walk on grass barefoot because he's not used to feeling the grass on his feet. So, after 6 hours and 10 lawn and garden bags full of leaves and pine needles, our yard is cleaned up. You won't be able to tell in these pics because it still looks so awful. However, Jared is attempting to grow some grass in the corner of our yard. He transplanted some grass from along the driveway and just put it on some soil in between the driveway and sidewalk. Now our yard has a soul patch. Anyway, we're pretty sure our yard is going to be chosen for yard of the month of our subdivision.

Also, I just took another pic of the kids before I took them to school this morning. I'm kind of having fun matching their uniforms every day. I'm sure the teachers all notice and appreciate it!

July

2009-08-20T13:43:00.005-05:00

July was our fullest month this summer. On July 1st we set off at around 9:45 p.m. to drive 15 hours to see our best friends who had moved to Colorado Springs. We left at night so the kids would sleep at least half the trip. We had all the necessary supplies to keep them busy when they were awake. They did very well, I must say. The two big kids slept from about 10:30 until we stopped for breakfast at 7:00 somewhere in Kansas. Jared and I took turns driving and we finally arrived at the Hammitts house at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 2nd. We had a wonderful visit. Julie had our days planned out and we didn't waste one minute. Our kids love each other so much but fight like brothers and sisters when they're together. We rode a train up to the top of Pikes Peak and played in the snow for about 15 minutes. We had on short sleeves when we boarded the train and by the time we reached the top, we were bundled up in coats, hats and mittens. The view from the top was breathtaking! Gorgeous. God really had a great imagination when he was creating everything. We spent one day at the zoo and another day hiking at Garden of the gods. For the fourth we went to the Air Force Academy and watched fireworks. Typically here in Arkansas, we are dripping with sweat as we watch fireworks but this year, we were all wearing sweatshirts, jeans and had blankets to keep warm. We finally left Monday night at 9:30 to come home. Jared and I knew when we went that leaving was going to be hard. I think our trip really put into perspective how great of a friendship we have. We miss them so much and we aren't sure exactly how to fix it. Even Chase still asks where Casen Ray is. We just have to remember that this is part of the plan and we are just along to see where He takes us.

We also went to Hot Springs for our annual vacation with Jared's family and some close friends from Memphis. We were either on the boat or in the pool all day. Jared and his dad, Randy, can both still slalom and we always enjoy watching them. This year Jared's brother, Jamal, got in on it and learned to slalom. I don't ski or do anything really behind the boat except swim. I usually have a child to hold anyway so it's really ok. That was really our last family vacation time of the summer. It was a good summer and it went by quick, which doesn't disappoint me any right now. I'll post some Hot Springs pics later. I have to find them first.

School Days

2009-08-19T08:33:00.003-05:00

I realize that I really didn't deserve a hiatus since, according to my mother-in-law, I only have like 5 posts on my blog! However, I knew the summer was going to be hectic and I wouldn't have any time to waste on trying to upload pics and thinking of witty things to say. So, I have decided to start with the first day of school and work back into the summer. It'll take a few posts but I'll get caught up pretty quick.

So-I'll admit I was a little nervous about how Avery would do this year entering pre-k 4. Otter Creek Elementary, which is where Hunter goes, has a pre-k 4 program. It's great! The hours are the exact same as regular school hours. She'll be there from 7:30-2:20 just like the big kids. I was afraid she would freak out a little since she was being left there without parents or Chase. As usual, you can't predict how kids will react to situations. She did fine. She woke up this morning and said "I need to get dressed". Typical Avery lies in bed and whines for about 15 minutes before she actually gets up. She was ready to go before anyone else. She walked right into her room, I pointed out her desk with her name on it and she sat down and went to work building with the toys provided. She said "that's enough pictures!" Not one tear shed and she didn't even watch us as we left her classroom. Just like that. Hunter was the weepy one. As it turns out, he is more like Jared in that respect too. Jared had a hard time going to school in his early elementary years. He cried and in the 3rd grade, he took a family picture and taped it to his desk. Hunter hasn't asked to take a picture yet but he has cried every year on the first and second days. He is such a sweet boy and he is the one that always tells me that he isn't going to move out and get married. He's just going to live with us forever. We all know his viewpoint will change in a few years so for now I just say "ok, that's fine with me". I hate leaving him crying and I know he's embarrassed that he's crying in the 2nd grade but he just can't help it. The only picture I got of him in his class was from the doorway where he couldn't see me. We'll see how tomorrow goes. Hunter might be fine and Avery might break down when she realizes that she has to go every day.

On Hiatus

2009-06-21T16:22:00.001-05:00

New post coming soon!

My Girl

2009-05-29T12:37:00.004-05:00

I love this girl. She is the sweetest thing. She has her moments that make me a little nervous about having a pre-teen/teenager. But overall, she's precious. She loves to play "mommy" with her babies. Of course, clothes, shoes, hair accessories, jewelry and nail polish are also very high on her list. She is good about informing me if she approves of my day's outfit or not. I think she's gonna come in very handy in a few years as far as keeping me in style. It kind of overwhelms me at times to think that I am her example of how a woman should be. It scares me a little but it's worth it to have her as my little buddy. I think we're gonna have lots of fun together!

She's not crazy about t-ball but she is going to stick out the rest of the season. She does not care one bit about what goes on out there. She's too busy spinning in circles or playing in dirt to care what's going on. Maybe she just enjoys nature more than t-ball. I don't know. She is really cute in her hat though. (The picture of her in the black/pink dress is her pretending she has "boobies". Hmm...looks like there are two of us in this house that wish we had some.:)

More ball pics

2009-05-08T15:52:00.002-05:00

I now have some pictures of Jared playing at his softball game. See? Aren't the uniforms so cute??? My favorite pic is the one of Chase up at the fence with Jared. Jared was asking him to come give daddy kisses and when Chase got to the fence, he threw the softball at him. Pretty funny. As soon as I get some more of Avery-the first ones were deleted-I'll post some of her at a t-ball game. Maybe someone will take some pics of the fans one of these days....

Where has the time gone???

2009-05-06T14:49:00.002-05:00

I told you guys I would be terrible at this blogging thing. We've just had a few things going on since my last post. The theme of our household right now is "Play Ball". Baseball/t-ball/softball is in full swing. Hunter has actually turned out to be a pretty good little hitter this year. This is the first year that his games are FUN to go watch and cheer at. They are competitive and he's pretty good! He plays for the Brewers, which is 7 and 8 year olds. They are in the pitching machine league. It's very enjoyable to go to this season! Avery is playing t-ball and has made it abundantly clear that she doesn't like it. Getting ready for the first practice was quite amusing and I wish I would have recorded our talk while getting dressed that night. She wanted to wear all of her jewelry to show the team. She wanted to pick out her outfit for practice. She asked me on the way to practice what you do in t-ball. I knew it was going to be a long season. She has had 2 games and ALL she does is play in the dirt. Even if a ball is hit by her, she doesn't even look up and attempt to get it. She just keeps on playing in the dirt. She's really cute though. Chase and I are the lone observers this year. He has his stroller and I have my chair. Jared decided to play softball with a men's team from church. Whatever. I don't have pics of him playing yet. I actually have only been to one of his games so far. Maybe I'll get some of him sometime soon. He doesn't wear a cute little uniform either so it's not as fun to take pictures at his games. Sorry, honey.:)

March Is For Birthdays Around Here

2009-03-17T15:42:00.004-05:00

As many of you know, Jared and Hunter share the same birthday-23 years apart. Hunter turned 7 on March 15th, which means Jared turned......what???? 30!!!!! Yep! The big 3-0. He hasn't really expressed too much about this birthday except to keep saying that he's fat and bald. I just roll my eyes and let him grumble. We had a little party on Saturday, "boys only", per Hunter's request. They played basketball, dodgeball and baseball. Obviously, girls could not be invited. On Sunday we had another small celebration for Jared. Two birthday cakes in one weekend, a new Wii Fit and the finishing touch was the tooth Hunter lost at the end of the night on Sunday. His first one! We had a great weekend with family and friends and now the birthday month is over until next year.

I somehow deleted the pics from Hunter's b-day party so maybe Aunt Callie will be kind enough to post on her blog. :)

A Conversation With A 16-month Old

2009-02-12T09:47:00.003-06:00

Just a short video of Chase's response to every question asked.

Another Haircut

2009-02-05T10:43:00.005-06:00

I'm not going to post pictures EVERY time one of my kids gets a haircut. I'm really just putting this one on here for the grandparents and other family. We really do other fun things besides getting our hair cut! I also wanted to follow up on Hunter's infamous new hand sign story. There really wasn't any spectacular ending. Jared talked to him on the way home from basketball practice and just explained that he shouldn't talk to other kids about things like that. If he wants to talk about things like that, he should talk to us about it at home. I also talked to him as I was putting him to bed about how it's not right for two boys or two girls to like each other like that. That's why God made and a boy and a girl in the beginning. He knew the boy could take care of the girl and the girl could take care of the boy, each in different ways. Anyway, after my little talk, he said "I know. Mom do you think there are more boys in the world or more girls?" At that point I knew his innocence was still in tact and the conversation ended. I may have overreacted but it's still not something I take lightly. It's hard raising kids to be godly people! It's also scary that we won't know how we did until they're adults and we can't really change anything anymore. Thanks for caring!

Little Boy Basketball

2009-01-27T20:56:00.002-06:00

I had to post about Hunter's first Upward basketball game. Jared is his coach. It is such a hoot to watch those kids play basketball. There are 10 boys on the team. On the team roster Jared got in the mail before the games started, they were listed in order of skill level. Hunter was about 6th on the list. He's not terrible but he's not the best on the team. I say it's because there are 1st and 2nd graders on the team. He's only in 1st of course so they have a year up on him, right? Anyway, there are 6 6-minute periods. Each boy gets to play 3 periods, whether in succession or not. They could play every other or play 2, sit out 2. It's the coaches call. Also, they don't keep score at this age. That's hard to get used to. Isn't that what a sporting event is all about? It's a neat league and we've really enjoyed all the sports Hunter's played so far. Hunter actually had about 5 or 6 steals in the first game but got a whistle down the court for traveling or double dribbling. He's a good shooter though. Even if he did make it in the wrong goal!

Strange Sights

2009-01-27T20:41:00.002-06:00

You just never know what you're going to see at any given time at the Lillard house. For instance, you might see a 16-month old sitting in a recliner, controlling the tv. Or, you could see a 59-year old papaw styling barbie heads with his 4-year old granddaughter. Apparently, you might get a glimpse of a 6-year old boy playing with his sister's dollhouse. Last but certainly not least, you could see a little girl in a darth vader mask lying on the floor of a closet, after she was sent in there to pick the cars up. I'm glad I have a blog now so I have a reason to use my camera!

I Am Not Ready For This

2009-01-20T14:59:00.002-06:00

I am in panic mode. I am a nervous wreck. Right now, I want to jerk Hunter out of public schools and put him in a Christian school with other kids, whose parents actually care about them being good and doing right. This 1st grade year has been very enlightening for Hunter. About a week ago, I learned that he knew "ass" was a bad word. Not that that's the reason for my panicking. I can deal with that. I also learned that he knew it was something bad to "put all of your fingers down except the middle one". I don't THINK he knows exactly what it means but the fact that he's onto "the bird" is not good. Today, I learned that he got in trouble for making a sign with his hands that is basically calling someone else gay. When the teacher showed me the sign, I immediately thought it was a gang sign. She proceeded to tell me that it was the equivalent of calling someone gay. Finally it dawned on me: he doesn't know what gay is, does he? We've never even gone there before. I was stunned so that I didn't even know what to say to him on the way home. He was cowering behind the back seat. Apparently, some kid taught Hunter this sign in AUGUST! He and Hunter have been doing it back and forth for months now and today, the other kid decided to tattle on Hunter for doing it to him. They both got in trouble. I did ask him what the sign meant and he said he didn't know at first. Then I said "yes you do" and he said it means 2 boys in bed together!!!! It was at that moment that I knew I could not finish this conversation alone. My mind was swimming and I felt like I was drowning. Where to begin with this conversation with a 6-year old! PLEASE, if anyone out there has any advice, now would be a great time for it. Of course, I've already called upon God to help me so I didn't have a panic attack. Hopefully, He'll give us the words to say because I really don't know what to say to get through to Hunter. I am really not ready for this!

Chase and the haircut

2009-01-10T17:54:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, Chase got his first "real" haircut. He's had his hair trimmed a couple of times but this one was The Big One. While I loved his wings, I must say that he makes one very cute big boy. He sat up on the booster seat, wore a cape and didn't cry. He got to play with my phone, which is only used in emergency situations. After the haircut we picked Jared up for lunch. We went to a great little place called Frostop in North Little Rock. They have some of the best burgers ever! Chase and Avery shared a cheeseburger and some tater tots and I KNOW that he ate more than she did. He loved every bite! He also didn't even have to take a nap that day. What a big day for a little boy!

Random

2009-01-05T22:05:00.005-06:00

What else do you do on New Year's Day but sit in front of the TV and watch bowl games and eat cheese dip & chips?

Also, a few pics from Christmas. I have many more but this blog thing didn't act like it was going to let me put anymore on here.

There is a story for the last picture. It follows:

Today was a very unusual day for us. It started raining this morning before the sun came up and by 9:00, it started freezing. It continued to rain all day long and continued to freeze on the trees, grass and bushes but not the road. At 12:30 our electricity flickered about 10 times, seriously. Chase was just sitting on the kitchen floor being totally still watching the lights come on and go off. When they remained off, he started to whimper. I had to go pick Hunter up at school at 2:30 and the lights at his school were also off. We came back home and as we were getting out of the car, I realized I didn't have a house key on my ring. I couldn't open the garage door because of the power outage. We had to drive all the way to the arena to get Jared's house key. I didn't have my purse, driver's license, A PASSY or anything. We got home and the power was still off. It was getting cold in the house and it was kind of dark too. I finally thought to put a DVD in the computer by the fire that I built for the 2 big kids. We were just all sitting in the living room floor by the fire when Jared got home at 5:15. It was just one of those days that you realize how thankful you are for things like electricity and heat. Anyway, I also got out of cooking dinner so we went to Cracker Barrel for some breakfast. Yay! It was definitely a day out of the ordinary for us. Oh yeah, and Buck got to lay on a nice, cozy couch out in the garage. So, the last picture is of the kids in the dark, watching a movie.

I Can't Even Think Of A Good Title!

2009-01-04T21:36:00.004-06:00

I am a little brain dead at the moment. Thursday, my parents came down to give Avery her birthday present since they couldn't come for her party. Friday, I had a follow-up appointment with the surgeon that repaired my hernia. Saturday, we got the two big kids to Canaan's birthday party by noon and then left for the Arkansas basketball game at 1:00. Got home from the game and left with the whole family to eat dinner. Came home to a messy house and did as much picking up and preparing for a birthday party as I could without feeling like it was all going to be undone before the party. Sunday, went to church, lunch and home to run around like a mad woman finishing everything up before our party guests arrived at 3:00. Avery's birthday party was a crazy, loud, chaotic time with lots of kids and parents all talking and playing and laughing at the same time. The party was done with at 4:27 and my house was pretty scary looking. Now, at 9:27 pm, my kids are asleep, the kitchen is cleaned up and the trash is all neatly piled in and beside the trash can. School begins tomorrow. Along with gymnastics on Monday nights, Upward basketball practice on Tuesday afternoons, church on Wednesdays and work on Tues/Wed/Thurs. The rat race resumes. I am really going to enjoy my next 9 minutes before I go to bed! (See? Who possibly cares about any of that?)

Callie, I'll leave the tribute to Avery post to you. You're WAY better at this than I am!

What have I done?

2008-12-31T10:13:00.000-06:00

So, against my better judgement, I have started a blog. The enormity of this decision is a little overwhelming to me right now. I am making NO promises. Please do not put my blog on your little blog list or on your toolbar because you will be disappointed, as I am every time I check someone else's blog and there's nothing new. Now that that's all out of the way, I do think blogs are great to show funny or cute pictures and just MAYBE there's someone out there who is bored enough to care about the cute thing my 15 month old did or the devious thing my 6-year old did. I have no pics to go along with this first post because we got a new camera yesterday and I haven't taken the time to figure out how to put pictures on the computer yet. Don't worry! I'll stay right on top of this blog and there will be pictures in no time!