Consider Yourself Warned!

As I stated earlier, Collin created an entire indian costume in preschool this week. The Pow Wow was on Thursday, but he insisted on wearing it all again on Friday.

After preschool, we met Heather and Logan at Mazzio's for lunch. A very sweet, elderly woman was watching Collin and me as we moved through the restaurant. She was grinning ear to ear as we passed her, and she said, "what a cute little indian."

Collin stopped immediately, turned around and said, "I'M NOT CUTE. I'M AWESOME!"

Thank goodness this lovely lady had a sense of humor. She was also quick. Because, without even stuttering, she begged for forgiveness and told him he was awesome.

With slight eye rolling, Collin turned and headed to our table with a very confident look on his face. Obviously, he felt sure that his discipline had been productive and this woman would not make the same mistake again.

I tell you this story so that you will learn from her honest mistake. Please do not call my very cute three year old "cute". You can probably handle his attempt at authority, but there's only so many embarrassing moments one mother can take.

Happy Thanksgiving! Due to the fact that I will not be able to use this week to decorate our home for Christmas, I decided to go ahead and decorate my blog.

Oh, and let me update you on our Mickey Mouse viewing status. Collin does want to "see" Mickey, but I am to inform Mickey not to "touch" Collin. And, he will take no pictures with Mickey. Well, at least the situation is improving. Be on the lookout for Disney pictures WITHOUT Mickey Mouse. WHATEVER!!!

Thanksgiving Fun

Yesterday was so eventful that I just had to sit down this morning and write about it. Sometimes, it seems that Thanksgiving just gets completely overlooked due to the fun of Halloween and Christmas. I don't feel like we've overlooked it this year, though.

First Baptist Clinton had the Preschool Pow Wow Thursday morning. Collin was very excited about it. He has been singing the songs for me all week. His teacher gave him the name, Swift Horse, so that's what we called him all day.

I had to be at the school early, because there were many activities prior to the actual Pow Wow. There were drums, headbands, and and necklaces to be made. Oh, and war paint had to be applied. The kids all had a fun time. And, as they lined up, parents moved over to the gym.

Let me just pause here to say that Collin had been having a blast. He was in full Collin form and ready to perform.

So, you can imagine my surprise as the "indians" began their procession into the gym. They were all in a line and moving through the gym in a circle while beating on their drums. Very Cute! Except that there seemed to be one child who was VERY upset and crying at the top of his lungs while screaming for his mom.

Yes, you guessed it. That would be Collin. The same well adjusted, easy going Collin that I spoke of in an earlier post. Once he saw me, he came out of the line and walked over to sit with me (just in case I was trying to act like it wasn't my child that was the distraction). His teacher came and got him and stayed with him. She even sat down on his mat with him. I was pretty sure all was lost, and I was going to have to go and rescue him.

But, after two very short songs, he pulled it together. He even did the hand movements with all of the songs (which Caleb NEVER does) and a little pow wow jig with one of the last numbers.

Whew, glad that's over!


Caleb had a friend come over after school. They were so impressed with Collin's indian attire that they all dressed up and went out back to play indians. They had a blast and Claire was right there with them. I was inside working and cleaning and checking on them frequently. One time I stepped out and she had climbed up into the trampoline. (Grandparents, I was only inside for a moment. She wouldn't have been in there long without me.) She thought she was so big. And, I had a picture, but it won't upload. :(

Scotty came home and had to take us to dinner for HIS birthday. He left this morning to go hunt with his dad. Scotty's birthday is Saturday and the only thing he wanted was to go hunt before our trip. I apparently took him literally, because that is the only thing he got. I didn't even pull supper together.

But, in my defense, I was trying to make turkey cookies for Caleb's Kindergarten class. I wish I could show you what they were supposed to look like so that you can see the struggle that I had. But, I asked Caleb what it looked like and he said, "a turkey". That was good enough for me.

I assure you this isn't what they were supposed to look like!

And just so Scotty wouldn't feel completely left out, I made him a kindergarten version of a birthday cake. He was a good sport. Especially since he would never be forgiven if he pulled a stunt like this on MY BIRTHDAY. :)

It's o.k. for you to feel sorry for him. I do, too.

So, we're really off to Disney on Sunday. I know we are going to have a blast. Collin told me this morning that he did want to go to Disney, but he didn't want to see Mickey Mouse. Is he trying to make me CRAZY?!

Mickey Mouse, Here We Come!!!

It has been such a long time since I posted anything about my family. I promise my children have still been saying funny things and doing CRAZY things. But, I just haven't taken the time to sit down and write about it.

"Why?"

Well, because all of my computer time lately has been spent with Tour Guide Mike. I recently heard about this website. For a small fee, I gained access to the experience of this long time Disney tour guide. You would not believe the information at this site. He tells you EVERYTHING you need to know about Disney World. We are going at a very busy time of year (as if there's a non-busy time of year at Disney), so he tells you when to visit each park to avoid the huge crowds. He even tells you what time of day to visit each attraction, where to stand for parades/fireworks, and which rides to fast pass and when. Amazing!!

I have been just a bit overwhelmed. I've printed my own little Disney book complete with all the information necessary for a perfect vacation. And, luckily, I will have plenty of time to read it as we DRIVE to Orlando. The budget just doesn't allow for 4 flights this year.

The boys are pretty excited about the trip, but I might be a little bit more excited. I just LOVE Disney World. But, at 5 and 3, the boys are at perfect ages to enjoy the magic. (Claire will be going with MeMe Janet and Pop to visit Sassy.)

So, next time I post, hopefully it will be with some beautiful pictures and a few funny stories. But, for now, it's back to planning for me.

Happy Birthday, Sassy!!!

Just a short post tonight to say, "Happy Birthday" to my sister.

My kids call Alyson, "Sassy", because I taught them to. When Alyson was little, my parents say that she called herself Sassy. That was her version of Alyson. So, when we started thinking about what Caleb would call her, I immediately thought of Sassy. It fits -- she's pretty sassy.

Alyson is one of those people who NEVER forgets a birthday. My card & package always come several days early just to sit until the day that I can open them.

I, on the other hand, usually have to call her mid-day on her birthday to say, "happy birthday" and then make sure I have a gift the next time that I see her. I wish I could blame this on the fact that she doesn't have kids yet. BUT, I didn't do any better prior to the three C's.

So, I'm hoping that a "Happy Birthday" shout in blogger world will make up for my inability to properly plan for such a special day. Hope your day is GREAT, sis. I love you.

Also, please pray for my friend Stephanie. Wednesday, November 12th, is Jason's birthday. And, while I know that every day since his diagnosis has been difficult, Wednesday will be especially hard. So, say a prayer for Stephanie, Jason's parents (Jon Mark & Peggy) and his brother, Brad. God is good. And, I am praying that Wednesday will bring a perfect reminder of God's sovereignty, care and love even in this great loss.

The Amazing Collin

I made a reference to Collin's new school on a previous post. So, I wanted to update you on what has been going on in Collin's world.

He began preschool this year at First United Methodist Preschool which is where Caleb went to preschool. He had Ms. Linda G ("GG") which is who Caleb had. We LOVE her. I am very attached to FUMC. They do a wonderful job with the children, and Ms. GG is just the perfect "first teacher" for any child to have.

Once Scotty became the interim preschool minister at FBC, Clinton, I began to think about the possibility of moving Collin to our home church. After asking questions, visiting the preschool and asking more questions, we found out that staff members receive a pretty significant discount on preschool tuition.

I cried over the decision but it was an obvious one. At this point, our decisions are pretty much directed by the financial situation which is; cheaper is always better.

Now, I know that FBC has a wonderful preschool program, and we love the church. But, my trouble in making the move was that I HATE CHANGE! We know the program at FUMC. We know the teachers. They know us.

However, in typical "Collin" fashion, he made the transition beautifully. He went for sort of a preview day on Friday and acted as if he'd been there all year.

When I went to picked him up, the director had a very funny story. At lunch time, she overheard a couple of the older boys in line talking about how they needed to hurry to get to lunch so they could eat with Collin. Priceless. He is the life of the party, and he takes that party everywhere he goes.

He is "the amazing Collin". He is full of surprises and such a joy. He has the ability to take every situation and make it as positive as he possibly can. Earlier today, Scotty and I were discussing which one of us passed on that trait. We thought long and hard and are pretty sure he got that one from His Heavenly Father. Neither one of us can take credit.

The program at FBC is a five day program, so I took him to school this morning. Right after he woke up, he started to get a little weepy about going. But, once he was awake, cowboy boots and hat on, he was ready to go. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I had to say a little prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of Collin. He's pretty amazing!!!



Now, go vote, people!!

A Girl and Her Shoes

I know two posts in two days is unusual for me, but I just had to write about our trip to the shoe store yesterday.

I can vividly remember buying Sunday shoes as a child. Actually, I can remember buying any kind of shoes. I LOVED it. Really, I still do. I don't know if that is simply a trait characteristic of all girls or if my little girl just inherited it from me. But, she truly enjoyed shoe shopping yesterday.

Thanks to Dee Dee and Amy, we don't have to go clothes shopping very often. Claire has more clothes hanging in her closet than she will ever be able to wear. So, each season, I go through all of the clothes and shoes and fill in where needed. She has needed some white Sunday shoes for a few Sundays now; and, today, she had them. Aren't they precious!

The most precious thing, though, was the way Claire acted while trying on shoes. She sat right down in the floor as soon as they came out of the box like she knew exactly what she was doing. She walked around in the shoes once we put them on. Then, at home, she wanted the shoes back on. Honestly, she acted like she was showing them off to anyone that would pay attention to her (which is every single person who lives in our home).

I gave her some Benadryl before her nap, because she has a pretty runny nose. So, even after waking up, she was still groggy. But, as soon as she saw her shoes on the counter, she started pointing and making her "Claire" sound letting me know she wanted the shoes. She wore them until bath time, during which time, I hid the shoes.

I'll leave you with pictures of Claire ready for church this morning. I'm just warning you, though. This just might be the cutest thing you will see all week...even with a busted up face! :)

What a Fabulous Halloween!!!

Yes! We have broken the horrible Halloween spell. Aside from a few bumps & bruises, our week went off without a hitch.

Before I start, when I say "bumps and bruises", this is what I mean:


Friday morning, a friend rear ended me on my way back from taking Caleb to Clinton Park. Later in the day, Collin opened the gate on the deck to let Claire into the back yard. What a gentleman! Only, she doesn't know how to get down those stairs yet. She took a tumble. Both accidents could have been much worse than they were. So, I'm thinking Halloween this year was a success.

Busy doesn't quite seem to adequately describe our week. Most days, we were rushing from one thing to the other. Both boys had soccer Monday night and Tuesday night. Halloween began very early Wednesday with Collin's costume carnival at his preschool and remained in full gear until mid-morning on Friday.

Wednesday evening, we had our church carnival which I thought was very well done. The boys had a great time -- all three of my boys had a great time. Scotty spent the last 20 minutes or so in the dunking booth and was dunked many times -- three of which by his own boys. Even Collin managed to get the ball to the bull's eye. The Ninjas had good aim.

Our mayor changed Clinton's trick-or-treat night to Thursday rather than Friday due to Clinton's homecoming. One of Scotty's fellow staff members at FBC invited us over for supper and a hay ride. So, after attending the Homecoming parade Thursday afternoon, we set out for Mr. Jim's house for Halloween. I'm pretty sure I had as much fun as the kids.

His neighborhood is apparently THE neighborhood for trick-or-treating. Even though I have lived in Clinton for 15 years, I did not know about this fact. The streets were lined with families just like I remember Halloween as a kid. Since our children were born, we always joined in the fun at the local church carnivals because it seemed that is what everyone was doing. But, honestly, I did so with a little bit of frustration, because I missed good, old fashioned Halloween. So, needless to say, as we rode through Old Vineyard in our very own hay ride, I was happy to see Halloween making a come back.

On Friday morning, I went to Caleb's school to do his class Halloween party. He has a wonderful teacher who has this kindergarten thing down to an art, so my job was pretty easy. Scotty took Collin to his new preschool for trunk-or-treating.

In case you've lost count, we attended 6 different events where candy was being handed out. We are loaded down. And, if I don't quit hitting the candy stash after the kids have gone to bed, it's not going to last more than a week.

Last night, we enjoyed a quiet night at home and it was quite nice after being on the run all week. I bought the game, Perfection, at Walmart while I was shopping yesterday. I also bought a discounted cake (because we NEEDED more sugar) that was decorated like Frankenstein. We had a family Halloween party and all children were asleep by 7:30. PERFECTION!!

I know that there are different opinions of Halloween and that is fine. But, for us, it was a week of fun, friends and family. I had to pause several times during all of it to be thankful for such gifts. So, for me, Halloween is what we make it. And, I was glad to see my children get to enjoy one of my fondest childhood memories.

"The earth is the LORD's and everything in it." Psalm24:1