Just This and That...

So just to catch up on the happenings at the Edmonds household. Starting with Abbigail, as the Last shall be First.

Abby: I often tell Abby it's a good thing she's cute. I also tell her if she'd been my first kid, she'd have been my last. Please don't think I'm mean. I love her very dearly. She's beautiful and a blessing and I'm so thankful she's mine. That being said, she's a fussy, needy kid. Nana says it's just because we have spoiled her. I don't recall specific dates and times said spoiling occured, though. What does Nana know, anyway. Pffff. *eye roll* Moving on. Abby has just recently cut two of her lower molars, which makes teeth numbers 7 and 8. Twelve to go. And she's progressed quite rapidly from walking to running. ("From then on, whenever I went somewhere, I was run-ing".) Which would be fine, except she's about as coordinated as I am. Luckily, she's a tough little cookie. It's a good thing....which brings us to

Arabella: My Bella-boo. My punkin-head. Bella is growing both in stature and the ability to facilitate mood swings. One minute she is my sweet, adoring three year old, I blink and she's giving me tween attitude. Talk to the hand, sister, not in my house! So we are working on various methods of discouraging that. I find for now the best is to explain (calmly!) that certain behaviour is not acceptable. She usually gets the point. We are working (both of us!) on using our "nice" voices, and also on manners. Like saying, "Can I have chocolate milk please?" instead of "Get me chocolate milk!" Oh dear Lord, if they made a cow that produced chocolate milk straight from the teat (I really hope that's what it's called) I give my right kidney for it. Chocolate milk is like crack to her. Sheesh. Anyway, we completed our fall semester of homeschool co-op and will be starting back up in February. I have taken a break from home lessons over the holidays be expect to start back up next week. My plans are to begin a more structured program with her in the fall, using Saxon Math and a reading program recommended to me by several moms. I like both of these because they are simple, scripted, and require very little planning ahead.

Dad (K): The hubby is good. He has begun his new job at Eastman Chemical and we are adjusting to his crazy schedule. They work 12 hour swing shifts. So for instance, he has worked third the past three nights. Now he has three days off. Then works four days, then has seven off. Etc. and so on. I bought a big dry-erase calendar for the kitchen to help us keep track. So far he is liking it a lot. And when the schedule falls so that he is off when I am working, he has been keeping the girls. So they are getting lots of quality time. So much so that some days when I come in he has that semi-crazed look in his eye and I know he's thinking, "A twelve hour shift is nothing compared to this!" Just kidding. K is a wonderful dad.

Mom: Oh, mother of pearl. Now me. Lets see...oh, I am going to be working at ETSU this spring, helping instruct the dental hygiene students in their clinicals. I'm really excited about that. What do they say? Those who can't do, teach! I am just trying to keep up with these little girls and be half the mother my mom is! It's hard! Being a great mom would be so much easier without the kids! ;-) I love my punkin-head and my Baby Precious, and I am so blessed to have them. I am looking forward to what the new year holds.

Calorie Rich and Battery Poor...otherwise known as Christmas

This Christmas was, as is usually the case with holidays, a mixture of fun, excitement....and yes, stress! Since K worked Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, it was up to me to get food, gifts, and kids to all our holiday parties. We managed to get everywhere on time and not forget any gifts, so to me that was a success.

It really felt like Abbigails first Christmas, even though she was here last year. She was three weeks old and pretty much comatose the entire holiday. This year she was wide open. She ran around, she climbed on things, she ate stuff (edible and not!). It was fun. The good thing about holiday parties is there are plently of people around to help keep and eye on her. Although if Aunt Rachel is anywhere in the vicinity, thats who Abby wants!

And Bella got a plethora of new toys, games, books, etc. I know it is fun for little kids but I am kind of wondering how you keep them from feeling entitled. For two or three days you are going from house to house and they get several gifts each time. Bella got to the point where she would open one, look at it a second, then grab another. If anyone has any suggestions on how to help little kids stop and appreciate their presents, I'd love to hear them! I want my kids to realize that some people don't get all these presents and blessings at Christmas!

Anyway, the holiday came and went, leaving my house looking like a Christmas party had thrown up here. Last night K and I un-decorated the tree (is that a word?) and this morning I started putting away new toys, washing new clothes, etc. I got a new vacuum from the parentals which should come in handy once I can actually see the floor again. And a new Keurig coffee maker from K, which will be nice when I lose stamina...which will probably be before we find a way to get this huge tree out of our living room. It was bad enough getting it in when it was all tied up. Hmmm...between K's new skilsaw and the new vacuum, we should be able to work something out... Would anyone think I am a grinch if I said I'm glad the holidays are over?

Here are some pics from our holiday. Remember, K was working, it's not that I wouldn't photograph him. (He is very handsome.)



Me and my beautiful snow angels, the day after Christmas.

Me and the girls, at my moms on Christmas Eve.

Abby's 'camera face'. Cute.

Ashy, Rach, Memmie, Me, Bella.

A Little Sticky...A Lot of Sap...

This year I decided that no only did I NOT want to use our puny artificial tree, I did NOT want an overpriced, dehydrated tree from a roadside stand. I wanted a real, honest-to-goodness fresh cut pine tree. I wanted the whole experience.

So my husband, who is usually very accomodating when I get these wild hairs, loaded us up last Saturday and we drove to Madison County, North Kakalacka. It was beautiful. It was sunny. It was freezing. And so began our Christmas Tree Adventure.

We found the tree farm that one of my coworkers had told me about, and a friendly Mexican worker directed us to the first field on the right. The first field on the right happened to be on the side of a mountain. In mud. Really deep mud. We got turned around and parked facing down hill and bundled up the kids. There were trees as far as the eye could see. And several men walking around with chain saws, which I have to admit was a tiny bit disconcerting, despite the circumstances.

Here is my wonderful husband, foraging for a tree and carrying
the baby. Yep, he's a keeper. (The big stick he's holding is used
to measure the trees by)

Bella shows off our perfect tree!

Once we found the tree, we flagged down a couple of men to cut it and

haul it down the hill for us. They wrapped it up and tied it on top of my

Forerunner, we gave them $35, and headed for home.

Then the tree went easily in the tree stand, the end. Yeah, right. Of course, the

tree stand was missing a piece, which I pointed out to my husband after several

minutes of effort. He continued to try really hard to make it work, then said to

me, "There's a piece missing." At this point you say, "Oh, really?" like it's news you

you.

$20, thirty minutes, and a new tree stand later:

At this point we were starting to realize a crucial fact to remember when

purchasing a tree at a tree farm: When at the tree farm, remember that any tree you

pick out will be two to three times bigger than you think it is once you get it in your living

room. Luckily, we have a big living room.

Bella and her daddy decorating the tree:

Our mostly decorated tree- I strung some beads on

later. The thing is over seven feet tall, and I think six

feet wide. She's a beaut, Clark!

Happy Birthday, Baby Precious!

I must be living in a time warp. Because just two or three days ago I gave birth to a sweet baby girl...and now she is already a year old! A year! And even though first birthdays are the best, I hated to see it creeping closer and closer on the calendar.

Even though Abby's actual birthday is Dec 2, we celebrated on Nov 27th because of Kenneth's work schedule. So at one o'clock we gathered with a house full of family and friends to celebrate the birth of Abbigail Skye.


Abby's cakes, the big one for our guests and
the little one for her to destroy! (I made them both!)
Abby trying to decide which part of the frosting
to eat next.

Me and Baby Precious.

One of her favorite gifts....big sis Bella loves it too!!!!

Pass the fried turkey!

So, a brief synopsis of our Turkey Day: We had a little chaos getting everyone dressed and out the door (although from the picture below you can tell I didn't spend any time on my hair- what can I say, I'm low maintenance!). My sweet potato casserole was DE-licious. My bro-in-law's fried turkey was soooo yummy. Memmie Renfro coudn't stand it and once again tried to wash the kitchen floor while we were all standing on it. (Apparently the 'cleaning' gene skipped my generation). I ate so much I didn't have room for dessert. The end.


Me and my family on Memmie's side porch.
Abby and Auntie Rachel

After dinner we went up to see some of my sisters' horses. Bella loved it.

I am not in this picture because I am so allergic to horses I can sneeze just

thinking about one. I kept a safe distance and tried not to breathe.

Halloween 2010

Halloween this year wasn't just any old Halloween, it was also Abbigails first Halloween. So I was super excited to dress her up.

Bella was an Elephant this year. Why? Well, because my niece Ashlyn was an Elephant last year, and we get her hand-me-downs. And as long as Bella doesn't mind wearing used costumes, that's what we're gonna due! I know in a year or two she will probably start wanting to pick out a particular costume. Until that day comes, I'm going cheap!

As for Abby, well, she lucked in to being born at a different time of year than her big sis and cousin, so she got her very own brand-new costume. With her dark hair and brown eyes, I knew from the start who she had to be...


Bella-Ellaphant and Princess Snow White.
Bella in action on Main Street in Erwin!

Abby visits Memmie Miller

Halloween was lots of fun this year. We made our usual family rounds, and met up with my sister, Aunt, and cousin for some trick-or-treating in down town Erwin. Abby got tired a little earlier than the big girls, so we headed back in early.

We had a great time and got a ridiculous amount of candy. And I tried my very best to help my children eat all their Reese's cups. It's hard being a mom, sometimes!

For Sale!

After living in Jonesborough our entire married life ( four and a half years and counting), K and I have decided to put our house up for sale and move back to our hometown, Erwin. Jonesborough is a great place to live, and we have a nice neighborhood. But I work in Erwin three days a week, and we go to church there. Plus we are often over on the weekend for some family function or the other.

Now that we've actully got the "For Sale" sign in the yard, I'm really excited about moving back to Erwin. The irony of this situation is that I can remember a time when I couldn't wait to get out!

Anyway, I know the housing market isn't that great right now, but I'm not gonna worry about that. The thing is, the Lord already knows who will buy our house, and he may be moving them this direction as we speak....or type. Oh, whatever.

Orlando, Part II.

My husband has had this trip to Orlando on the brain for ever. He loves riding roller coasters and couldn't wait to ride rides with Bella. I was of the opinion that it would be better to wait till they were both older, were tall enough to ride everything, and would remember it all. And although my opinion has not changed, I have to admit it was an awesome trip. And kudos to my hubby for being our travel agent!

We stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort, one of the three resorts located inside Universal Studios and Islands of adventure. The rooms were really nice, if a smidge on the small side. We could take a water taxi or walk to the park entrances or the Citywalk.

Bella rode everything she was tall enough to ride. I know we rode "The Cat in the Hat" at least thirty times. Here are a few pics:


Me and Bella on "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish".
We got really wet!

Me and Abby hanging out by the Lagoon Pool.

Bella and Aunt Rachel on the "High in the Sky Seuss

Trolley Train Ride."

Hogwarts! My hubby's favorite part of the park!

It was awesome, especially if you are a Harry Potter

fan....we are!

In front of Honeydukes Sweet Shoppe.

Worwando! Part I : Gatorland!

Ok, so I know the title of this blog post sounds like a video game. One of those strategy ones where you pretend to be the wizard or the swordsman, etc, and battle the evil monsters.

Actually "Worwando" is how Bella says Orlando. Which is the real subject of this post. After returning from Hilton Head Island, we were home for seven short days before we had to pack it all up again and head for sunny Orlando. Yes, we drove. No, it was not fun. And no, we will not be venturing to Orlando again unless it is on an aeroplane.

Anyway, getting there wasn't too bad. We drove to Savannah and spent the night, then went on to Orlando on Monday morning. We had gotten free tickets to a place called "Gatorland" from our travel agent, so we decided to stop there since it was too early to check in our resort.

To be honest, we were all a little leery of a place called "Gatorland". It sounded kind of... well, redneck. And the entrance wasn't entirely reassuring:

Yes, that is a large alligator mouth made of fiberglass. It wasn't very encouraging. However, Gatorland actually turned out to be a pretty interesting place. And it was more than a little disconcerting to be walking along and look over the hand rail to see this:

The picture doesn't do it much justice, but they had some big gators. There was a small petting zoo, as well as an aviary, a walkway through the swamp, tortoises, etc. The girls had a blast. The down side was that it was in the upper nineties that day.

I love this picture. And I shouldn't have to even say it, but no, this is not a

real alligator. (Although you could have your picture made with a real

baby one for $15. We passed on that. )

6 Juniper Lane

We recently loaded up our belongings (almost all of them), filled up our coolers, borrowed a u-haul, and headed for sunny Hilton Head Island. This year our temporary residence was 6 Juniper Lane, just a short walk from the beach and- a fact that thrilled my husband to no end- a two minute drive from a Wild Wing Cafe. I ask you, does life get any better?

We had a great time. There was lots of good food and long lazy afternoons in the sun. On Wednesday evening we all donned white shirts and khaki bottoms and headed to Folly Field beach for family photos. Apparently this is very popular because half the people on that beach were dressed like us. I was tempted to casually join another group and see if anyone noticed...

Arabella is a beach veteran, this being her third trip to the island, but for Abbigail it was all brand new. And of course the first thing any self respecting baby does at the beach is sample the local cuisine:


Isn't she beautiful? (the baby of course!)

Abby loves the water. Every time we sat her down, she

would turn tail and head for the open seas. I think if we had

gone out one night when the moon was full and the sea turtles

were hatching, she would have crawled away with them into the

water without looking back...

Ashlyn and Bella, one of the rare moments when

they were sitting still.

...and we're off like a herd of turtles.

The following is an excerpt from my journal.

August 28, 2010
Saturday

I am crammed in the backseat of Rachel's Denali with her and Abby, hence my worse than usual chicken scratch writing. Abby was up and down last night and both girls were up by 6:10. We did last minute packing, loaded the car, and hit the road at 8:00.

It looks like we are refugees fleeing some war-torn province. Well-fed refugees, to be sure, considering the four coolers and various-sized totes of food we loaded in the trailer.

It is considerably more cramped this year, even though Abby is our only addition. Her rear-faced carseat makes climbing into the third row seat quite a feat of acrobatics, but we have managed it twice so far: this morning when we loaded up and again when we stopped for lunch.

I brought a pillow in hopes of a catching-up nap but can't get comfortable. I haven't fully extended my legs in so long I'm starting to worry about blood clots at this point. The snack size Twix bars in my bag are helping me soldier on.

Ashy and Bella are in the middle seats, refusing to nap and prompting us to ask ourselves if we really had to bring the children. Abby at least is being good, she fussed a while and then went to sleep.

I do envy the men. Someone else packs up the rest of the family, leaving you responsible for only yourself and some of the heavy lifting. And even so you forget your swim trunks.

So here we are, Hilton Head bound with no elbow room to speak of, two nap-less preschoolers, and the remains of an undrunk slushy from lunch just asking to be spilled on someone...

Remote Area Medical Clinic 2010

Today I volunteered at the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic in Unicoi County, along with some co-workers from my dental practice. I had volunteered at one a couple of years ago. To be honest, at first I didn't plan on working at this one. But the closer it got, the more my conscience ate at me. So I signed up!

I know volunteering is supposed to give you a warm fuzzy feeling, but to be honest I wasn't feeling it at 5a.m. Especially since Abbigail woke up for a bottle at 4:15, and I just had time to feed her and get back to sleep when my alarm went off.

I got to the high school at 6a.m. and we started seeing patients about 7:15. I saw patients from 7:15 till 5:30, with about a 25 minute break for lunch and two trips to the bathroom. I was actually ready to throw in the towel about three o'clock, but I just couldn't do it. Because I kept looking at the people waiting in line to have their teeth cleaned, and I hated to have to turn anyone away. Without exception, all the patients I saw today had been in line all night.

I was so tired by the time I got my last patient in my chair, I could have cried. I know cleaning teeth doesn't sound like manual labor. But imagine sitting for hours with your neck bent, and your back straight (siting on a backless stool!) , using your hands to scale tartar off people's teeth- and sometimes it's very hard to get off, like little pieces of cement. In addition, when working in a regular dental practice you have down time even on a busy day, while waiting on a doctor, or waiting for a patient to arrive, etc. At a RAM clinic you see a patient, clean your area, and get another one right in your chair. And for the most part these are people who haven't had dental care in years. So you can imagine.

But I was so glad I did see my last patient, a very nice Hispanic lady named Rosa. When we were finished she said, "Thank you so much! " and hugged me. And you can't imagine how humbling it is to think that someone has spent the night in a parking lot and then waiting in line all morning for you to clean their teeth. It makes you want to do a really good job!

RAM is a nonprofit organization that provides free medical, dental, and vision care all over the United States and internationally. For information regarding volunteering with RAM, donations, or a schedule of upcoming clinics visit http://www.ramusa.org .

Learning as we go

Now that fall has arrived, Bella and I are baby-stepping our way into preschool lessons. I have a big container that I have filled up with artsy-craftsy stuff: pipe cleaners, cotton balls, popsicle sticks, googlie eyes, empty baby food jars, etc. These are supplies for our "projects" and she gets really excited when she sees that box!

This is going to be a learning experience for me as much as here. My experience with learning education in college consisted of teaching people oral hygiene. You want to know the proper technique for flossing, I'm your girl. Teaching preschool, not so much. Till now. So even though I know absolutely nothing about the theory of education, I do know a lot about Bella. And I am learning how to teach her. So far the biggest thing I'm realizing about homeschooling is to seize opportunity. Almost anything you do can be made into some sort of a lesson.

So, for now here's pretty much what I do. I go through my resource file and decide what "unit" we'd like to study and choose a few ideas. I read through them and make a list of supplies I'll need for the lesson. For example, for today's lesson we needed glue, cotton balls, construction paper, and I had to put together a little booklet for her to "read" with me. Then if one is not already provided, I get out my Bible dictionary and find a Bible verse that goes along with our lesson.

Todays lesson was based on "Mary Had a Little Lamb". We had a little picture booklet to look at as we recited the poem. We answered questions about the pictures, what Mary was doing, what color is her dress, is the lamb happy or sad, etc. For our art project, I cut out a lamb and Bella glued white cotton balls all over for the "fleece as white as snow". Then we put in on a piece of construction paper and wrote Psalm 23:1 ("The Lord is my Shepherd") under it, and we talked about what a shepherd is, and how the Lord takes care of us like a shepherd cares for his sheep.

Next we got out our math manipulatives. I kept seeing that term, "math manipulatives" in the homeschooling catalogs when I was first looking at them. I was kind of intimidated by that. My friends all know that math and I do NOT get along. But I am trying to keep a positive attitude for Bella's sake. Anyway, I figured out that math manipulatives are pretty much just something you use to demonstrate a number, or adding, etc. Like a counter. We are pretty plain jane around here: I used dry macaroni noodles.

We practiced our counting. I gave her an empty baby food jar and told her to put x number of noodles in it. Then we did some "who has more?", for example I would give her 3 and myself 1 and ask "Who has more, you or mommy?" She had a little trouble with that at first but caught on really quickly.

Last I got out her number flashcards. (1-10). She does really well recognizing her numbers, she only has trouble with 7 and 9. I don't expect that will last long, as she learns fast! So I would hold up a 4 and have her tell me what it was, then count out that many noodles.

So it may not seem like much, but I am just tiptoeing into this. If I sit back and think, "I have to teach this child to read," it is overwhelming. But if I think, "Tomorrow we'll work on recognizing A through E and learning their sounds," I'm much less intimidated.

I spoke with a patient of mine this week who homeschools her three children. She said, "Homeschooling is great and I love it, but there are days when I want to shove my kids out in front of the school bus and say 'Here! Take 'em!" That made me feel better!

Tidbits and teething

I have been a total slacker lately, as far as blogging is concerned! Usually the only chance I get is when the girls are in bed, and I often use that time to check email, pack diaper bags, work on a quilt, write in my journal, etc.

Journaling is a biggie for me, I have kept one (one and off) since I was about 6 years old. The 6-year-old one is pretty hysterical. The handwriting is horrendous and the big news items are things like , "Joy pinched me today." (sorry Joy, but you were a pincher!) The high school journals are more interesting, and not quite as light of a read because high school was not the highlight of my existence to put it mildly! But it's interesting to look back and realize how much your perceptions of life and love have changed. And boy have mine changed...

My girls are doing great. Abbigail is crawling all over the place. Her form isn't quite perfect yet, sometimes she gets up on all fours and other times she uses an army-crawl that would do the special forces pround. She gets! She's also working on teeth numbers three and four, which I think is why she's been getting up like clockwork at around midnight and 4a.m. for several nights. It's like having a newborn again.

Arabella is pretty entertaining. She's discovered a flair for entertaining so in the evenings she gets on her "stage" and I have to say "Now presenting Bella!" and daddy has to say ,"The star of the show!" Once we have said these exact words with the proper accompanying hand gestures, Bella sings. Sometimes she makes something up, sometimes she sings a strange song called "Imagination!" that consists of repeating that word over and over. Sometimes she sings Victory in Jesus. She calls it "O Victory!"

By the way, that song was an important lesson for me on just how much kids pay attention to what we say! I happen to be a compulsive singer (not to be confused with a good singer!) so I sing around the house a lot. I was singing Victory in Jesus as I gave her bath one evening, not realizing she was listening to the words I was saying. Suddenly she looked up at me and said, "Why did Jesus plunge me in the flood?" (He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood) So we talked about Jesus washing our sins away to help us be nice.

As for me and the hubby, we're just working along! He is counting down the days until our trip to Orlando in September and driving me crazy talking about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It's my fault, I got him hooked on the books!

I hate to admit it, but I am over this sweltering summer weather. I got my quilting things out a few nights ago to work on my Log Cabin quilt top. As I usually only quilt in the fall/winter, I was hoping to hint-hint mother nature into sending some cooler weather. Obviously she's ignoring me.

I did get a little Christmas in July, though. My sister recently got a Kindle. If you aren't familiar with these, they are wireless e-readers. The way it works is you go online via your computer or the Kindle itself, find a book you want, and it downloads to the Kindle and you can read it! The Kindle- depending on the version you get- stores over a thousand books. Anyway, once I saw hers I really really wanted one. However, I'm not the kind of person that goes out and drops $189 on electronics. Its thrifty, thank you very much! Anyway my dad said , "Maybe Santa will bring you one!"

But then I started thinking about those long drives we have coming up in September, because in addition to Orlando we are also going to Hilton Head Island. So I asked "Santa" (daddy!) if my Kindle could come early and what do you know, it did!

I love it! I loved it even more once I discovered that there are over 19,000 books that are available free! I think it has to do with a publication date before 1923 or something like that, so it's older books, but this includes Jane Austen (one of my favorites!), Alexandre Dumas, Lucy Maud Montgomery, etc. So I have five books already without paying a cent!

This concludes our advertisement for the Kindle e-reading device. For more information visit www.Amazon.com .

And now back to life. There is a pile of laundry to do, the beds need changing,.....and now I hear Abby crying so all that will have to wait!

Ready for my close up...

We recently had family pictures done in an outdoor session at the Laurels. I have been fortunate to have Rebecca Marr, a very talented local photographer, take pictures of our family since Bella was 3 months old. As you can see, she does a wonderful job. Here are a few of my faves from our shoot:


This is my absolute favorite. It's going on the living
room wall!

I adore this pictue of Abbigail. This captures her
little bright, sweet personality.



Arabella, all smiles!

God has blessed me with a wonderful family!

Now serving customer 972...

As you know, I've decided to homeschool Bella. To that end, I decided it would probably be better for both of us to ease into it and not wait until mandatory school age (which in TN is age 6) and then jump in headfirst with no clue what we were doing.

So I talked to lots of people and read books and looked at websites, etc. And one piece of advice that kept coming up was : find a support group! Turns out there are quite a few in this region. I sent some emails out and was kind of surprised that a lot of the groups didn't even respond. Which makes me think they aren't very well maintained and therefore couldn't offer much support, anyway!

But one group, TEACH, (Tri-Cities Education Association for Christian Homeschoolers) responded immediately, and I exchanged quite a few emails with different members. They seemed very helpful and encouraging, so I went to a meeting several weeks ago. I met some really nice moms.

So I joined TEACH. One of the things I like about it is that in the fall and spring semesters they operate a educational co-op at Boone Trail Baptist Church. They offer classes for each age group (Prek-12th) on Fridays. I thought that would be a great way to meet people, and also a good time for Bella to spend with kids her own age.

Thursday was registration for the fall semester. So me, Bella, and Abby went. I took the umbrella stroller for Abby, who has graduated from her carry-seat. After checking in there was a meeting to review rules, etc. Then registration began. You waited until they called your number, then signed your kid up for classes.

I have to add here that they put you in line to register based on the age of your oldest child. Which makes perfect sense, because you wouldn't want one kid to get in their classes (sizes are limited) and the other not.

It's just hard when your oldest child is three years old. And yes, in the entire co-op, I had the dubious distinction of having the youngest oldest child. I was the last person to register. Bella and Abby did very well waiting, although it got tiring for all of us. In addition, having an umbrella stroller in a church is no easy task when it comes to things like taking the older kid to the bathroom.

Anyway, everyone was very nice and helpful and in the end Bella got signed up for "Letter of the Week" at 9a.m. , "Before Five In A Row" at 10a.m. , and "Preschool Art" at 11a.m. One of the rules of co-op is that a parent has to contribute 2 hours to the co-op each week. So I will be helping in other classes part of the morning, then doing a "Homeschooling 101" moms class, which I am very excited about.

Next year I may make up a fictional 12th-grade son, and be first in line to register. just kidding.

I like to move it, move it...except now I'm too sore to!

So I recently realized that my recent diet plan wasn't working. Well, actually, it was working great, just in the wrong direction. Apparently an abundance of popcorn, Mountain Dew, Twix bars, and ice cream isn't that great for you.

Who knew?

I had to do something. My friend's sister, Heidi, has been trying to get me to try a Zumba class, and I finally caved in and went.

Now, if you've never seen Zumba, it's a form of exercise. Picture yourself trying to impersonate Shakira while doing step aerobics to Latin music. It's kind of like that. I used to do step aerobics so I figured I couldn't be too bad at Zumba.

I was wrong.

My friend Jessica was a great sport and went with me, because frankly it's always better to be in good company while making a fool of oneself. The idiocy began before we even got in the gym. We pulled in the parking lot and realized we'd come with no bottled water. So I drove like a maniac to a Walgreens on the corner and got two big bottles of water.

Zumba class costs $3. That's right, they charge you to look like drunken half-paralyzed Salsa dancer.

Anyhoo, we took up our places near the back of the gym and began. It was actually lots of fun, after you get past the first five minutes of realizing you have no idea what you are doing, and that you shouldn't have stood in the back because you can't see the teacher. You can only hear her say things like, "Okay! Now triple step, cha-cha-cha!". Which apparently means something to the other 62 women in the gym. The trick is, no matter what, don't stop moving! If you stop moving you stick out like a sore thumb! When in doubt, just jump around and wave your arms.

An hour later I was literally dripping with sweat. I have to admit it was fun, and I did my good deed for the day by providing the girl and her mother who stood behind me with 60 minutes of entertainment.

The Call of the Wild

We recently took the girls to Bays Mountain Park for the second time. Well, the first time Abby went she was in utero so I guess that doesn't count. If you don't know what in utero means, google it. For that matter, if you don't know what anything means, google it. I'm a big fan.

Anyway, we saw the deer and the bees. We didn't see the otter or the bobcat because they were in hiding. Or maybe they don't even have a bobcat. Maybe they just put up a fence and threw on a sign that said, "Bobcat Enclosure"....would anyone really know the difference? If you have actually seen the Bays Mountain Bobcat with your own eyes, please let me know.

Abby enjoyed the great outdoors to the extent it can be enjoyed while strapped in an umbrella stroller. She drooled a lot and chewed on things. I think she had fun.

Here is Bella looking at the wolves. The funny part was she
started yelling, "Come here, wolf!" in her little-girl voice, and one
of the wolves actually looked up and starting coming over to us.


We took a barge ride over the lake, which was nice, even though the end
result was a faint exhaust scent coming from everyone onboard. The park
ranger who was piloting it stopped by the wolf enclosure and had everyone
be very quiet so she could howl at the wolves. She howled and they
answered...so did Abby, who started making all kinds of noises.
Apparently my youngest is part wolf.

Ordinary Days

Okay, these are just a few pics of an ordinary summer day spent hanging out with my sis and her little girl. Ordinary, except that it was magical. Because already they have grown, and changed, and learned, and will never be the same.


Ashlyn and Bella in action.

This pic is so Ashlyn. Fearless and wild and full of

energy. That look of concentration on her face is not

derived from fear. She's trying to figure out how big

of a splash she can make.

I got these little paint kits for $3 apiece at Michaels

and turned the girls loose on them. The end results were

so typical of their personalities. If you ever want to

Rorschach your kid, give them a painting kit...

Wedding Bells and Ringlets

On May 15th, my brother in law Chris got married. Bella was a flower girl, the wedding was beautiful, then we came home.

If only it were that simple!

If you've ever traveled with small children you know what a chore it is to go anywhere overnight. Kenneth worked third Thursday night, and as soon as he got home Friday morning we loaded the car and headed to Raleigh. Friday night was the rehearsal, which went rather smoothly even though it took a little while to arrange everyone.

Saturday morning I made a Starbucks run with my other brother in law, Steven. When we got back to the hotel we noticed that one of the cousins' vehicles (which was parked right beside mine!) had been broken into. The window was smashed and some things were stolen from three cars in the parking lot Friday night! I felt bad for the victims, but at the same time grateful my car escaped!

The wedding was at three that afternoon, but we had to be at the church and ready for pictures hours before that. And getting five wiggly, giggly flower girls ready is no easy task! There is hair curling and hairbow hunting, finding socks and shoes, tying sashes, etc!

Thats right, I said FIVE.

And here they are, from right to left:
Kaley, age 22 months; Alexis age 3; Arabella age 3, Alyson age 4; and Emma age 5( I think).
Aren't they beautiful?


Here is my hubby all dressed up, he's so handsome!

My beautiful new sister, Joy, with all of her lovely attendants.

This one is kind of dark and far away, 'cause I was

sitting on the back row with Abby, but you can see the

stage was beautiful.

Had you asked me at 2:15, I would have guessed that Joy might end up with one or two flower girls onstage. Bella was worn out, and Kaley was laying on her mommy's lap half asleep. And being a flower girl in front of a large audience, well that's a lot of pressure for a little kid!

I was pleasantly surprised to see Bella got walking down the aisle, although I don't think she did any flower-dispensing! I was so proud to see her up there , I leaned over to the woman next to me and whispered, "That's my little girl, the second from the right!"

If you count carefully, you'll only see four flower girls on stage. My niece Alexis was absolutely exhausted from a long day and no nap, so she didn't quite make it down the aisle. She did go and sit with the other girls, and walked back up the aisle with them!

The wedding was so personal and so beautiful. There were several songs, including one that Joy's brother wrote especially for the ceremony. She surprised Chris by singing a chorus of it to them. They were married by Joy's father and Chris' grandfather, so that was special.

And it made quite an impact on Bella...she's still playing "get married"!

The Plunge

I finally took the plunge and ordered Bella's preschool curriculum. To teach. At home. Myself.

oh boy....

When I think about it I am excited, and nervous, and scared, and happy. And I have no idea what I am doing. Not yet, anyway. From what I've gathered reading and talking to others, that's pretty much the way all homeschoolers start out.

Once I really got interested in it and asked around, I met so many families that homeschool! It's really a lot more widespread than I realized. I met with a homeschooling group that has over 150 families from the Tri-cities. A friend introduced me to a mother of five who homeschools, and who made time in her busy morning to have me over to her house for a homeschool chat. I have two cousins (on in Johnson City and one in California!) who homeschool a total of five children. Talking to all these people has been wonderful.

And my husband got me a stack of books from the library on the subject and I perused them this past weekend on a road trip. (The only time I have to "peruse" anything anymore is when both the kids are strapped in carseats!)

The main gist of it seems to be: follow the legal guidelines, learn as you go, and adapt the curriculum to fit your children and your lifestyle. For us that will mean (eventually) a four-day schoolweek.

Then there are curriculums. Mother of pearl! Just google "homeschool curriculums"- there is a plethora of them! I looked at and read reviews for several, and ended up choosing Bob Jones University's "Thresholds for Threes". I haven't got to completely review it yet, 'cause there's a lot of material, but it looks like it will be wonderful. Of course, at this level a curriculum isn't really necessary. It's more for me at this point than for her. Since it's my first experience with this, I wanted something to go by.

So I'm going to use this summer for research and familiarize myself with the curriculum. Then in the fall we will ease into lessons at home, as well as begin lessons with the homeschool group I'm joining- Bella will take 2 or 3 hours of classes with children her age every Friday.

Ever feel like you may be biting off more than you can chew? Me too, but let me tell you a little secret: its okay as long as it is something good!

Easter 2010

We celebrated all weekend for Easter this year! On Thursday afternoon we got together at my moms to let the girls play and dye Easter eggs. Saturday was Ashlyn's (my niece) birthday party, and then after church on Sunday we ate at Memmie Millers. Here are some pictures!


Okay, it has nothing to do with Easter, but this
is my Dad reading "Where the Wild Things Are"
to Bella after we dyed Easter Eggs. She loved it!

Ashlyn wanted to make all the eggs blue (her
favorite color) and Bella kept trying to lick the
coloring off her fingers....

Hunting eggs at Memmie Millers

All dressed up!

Sweet....