The Jadzinski's

Changes, Changes

2011-01-13T13:30:00.003-06:00

No pictures to post this time but I will try to get some up soon! This will just serve as a brief update for recent changes. I addressed some changes in our Christmas letter but there have been more changes since then - all for the good though. As pretty much everyone knows, Frankie took a new job with Regions bank in October after being laid off by his previous employer. God is always good though and the timing was perfect as his old job ended on a Friday and he was able to move right in to his new job the following Monday. Not a single day of lost pay!

Christmas passed by in a flurry of activity and we did our best to absorb and enjoy every moment. I will try to get some pics posted from that soon. We just stayed so busy. We just have to look at it as we are blessed to be able to be so busy.

We have braved the crazy weather patterns in the South to bring in our new year - temps in the 70's and tornadoes as we celebrated New Years (none in our immediate area -thank goodness) and the very next week school was cancelled for a day for snow and ice. Crazy!

School has been back in session for a little over a week now and with it brought a new opportunity for me (Kristi). I was (unexpectedly) offered a job as the school nurse at the girls school! I had been doing a little subbing for the nurse there last semester and it just opened the right doors at the right time. But, we know who was in control of it and knew it all along. It is an amazing opportunity. I have the girls schedule during the school year and will have summers off with them as well. I am still getting my feet wet and getting settled in and frequently responding to the question, "Where's the real nurse?" LOL! I know they don't mean it that way - kind of funny though. I think I am going to enjoy it - got to get past my phobia of the lice though - UGH! That is all I dreamt about last night! I will be heading to get some shampoo for preventive self treatment ASAP. I will keep you posted - I am sure there will be many interesting stories to tell.

Dazzlin' Dawgettes!

2010-08-30T21:06:00.001-05:00

Football season is here and so are the Dazzlin' Dawgettes! Natalie participated in this elementary dance group last year and Alyson was old enough this year and was sooo excited to be able to join them. They dance before every home football game. Despite a very soggy night, the rain broke just long enough (literally) for the girls to get their dance in. Hope you enjoy some of the pictures! Maybe I can add a video in coming weeks.

Just for Dad ;)

2010-06-14T16:49:00.003-05:00

So - my dad actually took the time today to send me an email to enlighten me that it has been exactly 1 year since I updated my blog. Being that he is not very techy and rarely sends me an email, I decided I would humor him with an update.

Obviously there is no way that I could update you on all that has happened in the last year! The way I ramble that would take a full year! But I can basically sum it up with the fact that we have been busy, busy, busy! The girls have finished their school year and are enjoying summer - it doesn't feel that we have slowed down much since school got out. We have already attended a softball and soccer day camp and VBS at our previous church in Columbus and are gearing up for VBS at our church here next week. Mix in a couple of softball tournaments and 3 extra kids for the summer and you get a feel for chaos we are in the midst of. I am not complaining though - we are loving it and having a ball and grateful that we are able to be this busy!

I was trying to upload some recent pictures but it won't let me right now. I will try again later - and sooner than a year ;)

2009-06-14T20:13:00.004-05:00

OK - So I know I am waaaaaay past due for an update. Some of you have asked how long you are going to have to look at my sewing machine! Sorry - I am a little excited about! Not really (although I have really enjoyed it and business is picking up - YAY!). Life has just been incredibly busy the last couple of months. During school, I was working more hours at the hospital, both girls have been playing softball and we have thrown VBS (in Columbus), camp and a couple of days working in Columbus in there as well. I think (I hope) things are about to slow down just a bit so we can enjoy what we have left of summer. It goes by so quickly. School starts back August 7th - both girls will be attending this year. Natalie in 4th grade and Alyson in kindergarten.

I obviously can't catch you up in detail on all we have been doing the last couple of months but I have posted a lot of pictures with some brief descriptions to at least catch you up to where we are. Grab a drink and a snack - this may take a little while.

To stay in chronological order, scroll to the bottom of this post then work your way back up.

Our newest resident! We haven't named him yet (any suggestions?) but he has obviously discovered that our front porch is an all you can eat buffet in the evenings. He appears every night about sundown and is gone every morning.

Hailey, Harrison and Alyson
Hailey and Harrison spent a few days with us last week. This just looked like a classic Kodak moment as they enjoyed their popscicles.

Natalie and Alyson spent the week in Columbus with Pawpaw and Nana the first week of June for VBS at Fairview. While there, they were expected to do their share of work in the garden ;). Natalie (in pink cap) and Alyson digging up potatoes with Pawpaw.

Natalie, Alyson and Lexie

Natalie and Lexie went to camp at Central Hills with Fairview last week. From what I have been told. All the kids had a great time.

Happy Birthday Hailey and Harrison - May 5, 2009

So hard to believe they are 3 years old already. They are growing so fast. Kerri hosted a great party for everyone (including LOTS of kids). It was a circus themed party that almost turned in to a Noah's Ark themed party. Kerri did a great job making the most out of the situation. The rain did eventually stop and some of the outdoor activities were able to take place. I think everyone had a great time. I know my crew did.

Anabelle, Alyson, Natalie and Rosalie

The first lemonade (kool-aid actually) stand of the summer.

Alyson's hair post recital!

Natalie, Madison (cousin) and Alyson at Alyson's gymnastics recital.

Natalie, Judy Lynn and Alyson at Alyson's school program.

Alyson with her class at her school program.

A beautiful rainbow we saw on our way to Alyson's school program. This area hosts some of the most beautiful rainbows I have ever seen!

Alyson at bat!

Judy Lynn, Alyson and Natalie enjoying a warm spring day! It wasn't quite warm enough for me!

Natalie at bat - she got a base hit!

Somehow this is the only one I have of Natalie playing ball. Not sure how that happened. She has a couple of more tournemant games so I will make sure to get some more and post them later.

Aly during warm up.

Natalie and Alyson ready for the games. It has been crazy this spring. They play on seperate teams in different age divisions so we are often going different directions with them. Unfortunately, we don't play in a park complex so we travel to various communities for our games.

Mama's new toy!

2009-04-19T17:35:00.004-05:00

I finally got it! They say "If you get it, they will come" (or something like that) don't they? So maybe now that I have the machine I want, the business will come ;). Let's hope (or I am going to have a lot of explaining to do). Anyone who knows me very well knows that I have had my eye on this machine for quite a while. Well, after a good offer on it and a little arm twisting at home, it is mine - and I am so excited. It is a Baby Lock BMP8 - it has 6 needles on it. I got it Thursday and have already christened it well by monogramming 60 visors for the girls softball league. There was definitely a learning curve there that included a couple of desperate phone calls to Brian, but I got them done. Although business has been kind of slow, I have confidence that it will pick up. I have several people plugging my business for me whenever they get the chance and graduation is coming up soon which always increases the business a little bit. After all, it took 2 years of doing it in Columbus to get me built up to staying really busy. Regardless, I am ready for the challanges ahead of me now! For perspective, you can see part of my regular sewing machine sitting just to the left - that is the one I have been doing embroidery on until now (and I can still use it for that as well).

MVP (or something like that)

2009-04-14T09:22:00.003-05:00

Last night the girls had their first softball game - in the pouring rain. Well, Alyson's team played in the pouring rain. They did cancel Natalie's because it started lightening. I had to work last night so I was only able to catch a few minutes of the game before leaving and unfortunately, didn't get to see Alyson do anything. She was next to bat when the batter before her struck out and ended the inning just before I left. Well, the action all happened after I left (I wasn't even a mile down the road). Alyson had just gone in to the field (shortstop position) for the first time in the game and the batter hit a pop fly - to Alyson. SHE CAUGHT IT!!! Unfortunately, it missed her glove and she caught it with her arm (but she didn't drop it!). The crowd reportedly went crazy and I think she was stunned for a moment. Then reality set it. That was the end of the game for her last night. She was the hero of the night though. Everyone bragged on her everywhere she went after that.

Not the greatest picture (it was a moving target) but you can see the battle scar - a nice strawberry with faint lace marks. She has officially been initiated into the sport.

I will post more pictures later with them in their uniforms and some game pictures when we have a night that is a little less hectic.

Hoppy Easter!

2009-04-14T08:22:00.005-05:00

OK - so I am a couple of days late with my Easter message. It was busy and crazy but it was great. Lots of firsts again this year for our family~the biggest change was our non-involvement in the Living Pictures (LP) presentation at our 'home' church in Columbus. With the exception of the year my mother died, this is the first year since its inception (20+ years ago) that I have not been involved. Frankie jumped on board as soon as we started dating and he started going to Fairview and Natalie has been in it as well the past few years. LP requires much time and commitment, especially the week prior to Easter, but always well worth it. Despite it being an incredibly crazy week, it is a constant reminder of the sacrifice that was made and the precious gift we receive. We did get to attend and watch LP from 'the outside' this year for the first time. It was excellent. Kudos to all involved - so neat to see how it all comes together so well.

This year, we found ourselves with a little more free time than in past years but we managed to find plenty to do to fill the time. Saturday dawned a little cool but absolutely gorgeous - a perfect day for our church (in Meridian) Easter Egg hunt at a neighbors house. All the kids had a great time and walked away with goodies and candy.

We took a little while Saturday afternoon to dye our Easter Eggs before heading out to get a bite to eat.

Sunday morning dawned clear, sunny and beautiful -how fitting. It was a little cool but the girls managed to stand still just long enough to get some pictures.

After we attended church in Meridian, we hit the road for Columbus where we had our annual Easter lunch with family and friends at my parents house. As always, we had a great time but missed some of our regulars this year.

The 'kids' - not so sure you can call of them that anymore.
Not all of them were willing participants!

This group of girls goes back a few years - since Amelia (in purple) was an infant!

(Sorry it's off center - we let a man take the picture ;) )

Alyson is just silly!

The kiddo's get in a visit with the Easter bunny

A Day at the Zoo

2009-04-04T21:18:00.004-05:00

Friday, I got to go with Alyson on a field trip to the Birmingham Zoo. We had a blast! Here are a few pictures from the day.

Alyson's first request of the day was to see a zebra. We managed to find one pretty quickly which freed us up to do a little more leisurely exploring (not that we were in much of a hurry to start with). We managed to find a few more interesting creatures along the way. I really think she was most excited about the fact that she could just let loose and run!

Shortly after arriving we attended a brief educational program where the kids were shown and taught about various reptiles including a turtle, a gecko, a snake and an alligator. At the end of the program the children (and parents - I passed on this one) were given the opportunity to pet the snake and alligator. Aly jumped at the chance.

Aly made sure to use only 2 fingers and stroke the animals in a downward motion, as instructed.

I think our favorite exhibit of the day was the Lorikeet Aviary. So much so that we visited a second time later in the day. You could purchase a small cup of nectar and carry it in with you (you can see the small cup in Alyson's hands) and you can see the results. They were so much fun. You could barely get through the door before they were all over you. They were very gentle and when they finished the nectar, they were on their way again looking for the next visitor.

Yes, that is a Lorikeet sitting on Alyson's head.

The worker said they were also very facisnated by the screens on digital cameras. I was attempting to get a shot of one that landed on my hand while I was taking pictures of Alyson.

This is all Alyson was good for on the ride home. I could barely get her awake to get her off the bus. She definitely made the most of her day!

Under The Big Top

2009-03-31T11:58:00.003-05:00

Saturday night Natalie's school had their spring program. It consisted of PreK thru 3rd grade. Please do not be offended for not being invited. Space was a serious issue and there was barely standing room only for those that were there. I am sure I still have someone's knee print remaining in my back - it was very close quarters. The theme was "Under the Big Top". The teachers and students did a wonderful job and had the gym set up like a 3 ring circus. Each grade had their moment in the spot light. Most of the pictures I took turned out pretty dark but here is a video of Natalie's class- she is just to the right of the middle. She is wearing khaki shorts and holding a purple streamer (though it is hard to see). They are singing "God Bless the USA". You can see her better towards the end of the video.

Spring Break?

2009-03-23T21:30:00.002-05:00

"Break " has to be a misnomer. At least for our family . I think this was the busiest spring break I have had in years. We managed to cram in a visit to Brandon, 3 dentist appts, 2 haircuts, a visit to Starkville (Check out Judy Lynn's blog), a visit to Columbus that included a fishing trip, a family cookout, cleaning out a storage unit and just visiting with family and friends in general. I had to take an extra day off work just to recover from my week off! But please don't tell my boss ;). We seriously did all of the above and then some but it was a very rewarding week. Read below for some of the highlights of the week.

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-23T21:26:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, the girls and I headed to Brandon to spend some time with Suzan and Gracie and do some much needed shopping for Natalie. It was St. Patrick's day so we took advantage and dressed festive. No one in this bunch was going to get pinched.

Octopus Soup

2009-03-23T21:19:00.004-05:00

I can't believe I had never heard of this in all my dealings with children over the years. Kerri suggested this for lunch one day for the kids and I honestly thought she had lost her mind. I am not a huge hotdog fan but this is a pretty ingenious idea! You simply slice a hotdog 2/3 of the way up into 8 strings and boil until done. The result~an octopus! Too cute!

Family Fishing Trip

2009-03-23T19:15:00.004-05:00

Friday was a milestone day for all 4 grandkids. They got to go fishing for the first time! Paw-paw took all 4 of them (with Kerri, Debbie and I in tow) to a private lake where we could fish from a pier. Mind you, it was a little crowded - 8 people (4 under the age of 10) on a 10 x 10' (approx) pier with no rails. Certainly a recipe for potential disaster but we somehow managed to avoid it. Poor Debbie ran her legs off between trying to keep kids from the edge and taking pictures. She earned a gold star that day. We considered the day a success as everyone stayed dry and all 4 grandkids caught a fish.

Paw-paw giving the girls a little instruction on how to cast before heading to the lake.

The grandkids

Harrison caught the first fish of the day!Natalie was nextNatalie with her first catchAlyson's reaction when she realized that there was really a fish on the end of the line.This is as close as I could get Alyson to her first catch.Finally, after much patience, Hailey had her catch. Can you see her enthusiasm?A brief photo shoot before heading home.

We had a great time and some learned a great lesson in patience. Kerri and I vowed that next time we are going without the kids. Paw-paw has to go though - we need someone to bait our hooks and take the fish off ;).

Angel Choir

2009-03-23T18:04:00.003-05:00

I didn't choose the name of this choir (Angel choir is their name) but I think it is quite fitting. They consist of 2 year olds through kindergarten and you definitely get a taste of it all when they sing in church. We had everything from a bellydancer to a runaway and there were a few in there that actually sang. Alyson is on the top row on the left of your screen with a white headband. Despite a stuffy nose and a case of laryngitis, she sang her little heart out. Hope you enjoy!

SNOW!!!

2009-03-01T21:19:00.003-06:00

After more than one missed forecast for snow, followed by disappointment, they finally got it right. Natalie woke us up bright and early this morning to let us know it had snowed. Although the accummulation was minimal, it sure was pretty. I guess March is the magic month around here. There was a significant snow here this time last year. Of course, we weren't here to enjoy it and it totally missed Columbus.

Call me a bad mom, but the girls were having a fit to get out in the snow to play (we were very short on time because we had to get ready for church) so we bundled up the best we could with what was in reach - robes and crocs (with socks).

The girls enjoyed playing with the snow, eating it and even managed to get in a brief snowball fight. After they finished playing, they 'offered' to clean off my van :).

They were a little disappointed that there was no snow left

to play in when we got home from church. That is OK though - they desperately needed their naps (which they got thanks to cancelled softball practice).

Maybe we can get a repeat performance next March as well.

Lil' Miss Singer

2009-02-28T21:22:00.003-06:00

One of Alyson's Christmas gifts was a sewing machine from her Nana and Paw-paw. As luck would have it-the machine was backordered. Alyson has anxiously, but patiently waited for her gift to arrive. Friday, when she got home from school (which is going very well), she had a package waiting on her. Excited is an understatement. We spent the next couple of hours undoing all the tape, twisty ties and straps that were holding the machine captive. We did manage to get it set up and run a few test seams to let her get the feel of it before bedtime. She seemed to really enjoy it and anxiously began to plan her first project. She had a birthday party to attend today and she was insistent that she was going to make something for her friend~and she did. She made her a sash/belt and even attached a little heart to it. She was quite proud of herself and so was I.

I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

School Girl!

2009-02-23T21:41:00.002-06:00

Today was Alyson's first day at her new school and from all accounts she had a great day. She was all smiles when I left her and picked her up. She made several new friends, including one named Natalie :) and got a green light today. She told me that she liked it well enough that she wanted to go back tomorrow. Good thing ;).

Alyson and Mrs. Leah

Aly all ready for the day!

HI HO! HI HO! It's Off to Work I Go.....

2009-02-19T19:26:00.002-06:00

Well, it's back to the grind! Can you feel my enthusiasm? Nah, it's not really that bad.

I am sure that you have already figured it out, but I am going back to work. Just part time though. I have taken a job at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center here in Meridian working on the OB unit. As much as I have enjoyed the flexibility of being home, I think we will all benefit from this. Alyson enjoys being home but she gets so bored. She will be starting in a Pre-K program next week and she is so excited about it. We visited the school this week and we were very impressed. Natalie's schedule won't change much. Instead of me picking her up, she will go home with a neighbor. Once my orientation is over, I hope to work my schedule so that I am only working a couple of partial shifts in the evenings and one weekend a month so I can still do things with the girls and we can still have plenty of family time. Maybe wishful thinking, but my supervisor at the hospital seems to think we can work it out. I still hope to do my monogramming and hopefully continue to build that business.

I can't promise you that I will keep the blog current in the next few weeks since I will be working full time during orientation but I will update you when I have a chance.

One Tough Cookie!

2009-02-17T22:28:00.006-06:00

Today had many makings of a not so great day when we started out. On the agenda - a yucky, cold and rainy day, a visit to Alyson's new pre-K school she will be starting soon (more later on that), a Wal-Mart trip (ugh!) and a visit to the pediatrician with Alyson for a check up and SHOTS!

Alyson was aware she was going to the doctor but I was waiting until just the right moment (and the last minute) to tell her she was going to get shots. I was anticipating the worst - it took 4 of us to hold Natalie down when she got hers. Those of you who really know Alyson will appreciate the humor in the next comment. Once in the exam room, I sat her in my lap and told her I needed to tell her something about our visit to the doctor. She looked at me and very matter-of-factly said, "What, I'm getting a shot?" and that was essentially the end of it. Wait, where is the screaming and crying I am braced for? We talked briefly about how things would take place but she never said anything else about it. When the moment actually arrived she was amazing. She sat still as a statue and "blew out her candles" as she received 5 shots in her arms. Not a tear was shed. Not a whimper was heard. I only noticed one small grimace. We had far more drama tonight when we went to remove the 5 bandaids on her arms!

We are ready for school now!

We never made it to Wal-mart. Mom was too tired!

2009-02-17T21:21:00.004-06:00

Natalie's choir sang again in church Sunday night and they did a wonderful job. Natalie was in a trio that had their own part in the song. She was so excited about it and practiced very hard for it. She even had a surprise visit from Paw-paw and Nana for the occassion. I definitely see showchoir or something along those lines in her future since she is always singing and choreographing something. She jumps for a chance in front of a mic any chance she gets. The dominant voice you hear in her trio is not hers - sorry. She is wearing the red shirt.

Table for Two

2009-02-15T13:15:00.003-06:00

Friday night the GA's at our church 'hosted' a Valentines banquet for the A.W.E. group (Adults with experience/55+) and their families that also served as a 'fundraiser' for the Annie Armstrong Easter offering. It was really a neat experience. The girls and mothers got together Thursday night to decorate their tables and get things organized. Friday night they all looked so cute in their waitress type outfits and Valentines aprons as they waited tables and took orders (moms were scattered around supervising and in the kitchen fixing plates). As the the girls families arrived, they were allowed to serve them, then with their mother, join them for the meal. When Frankie and Alyson arrived, we proceeded with the above plan. Natalie was taking their order when I came out and asked if I could join them for supper. Alyson was quick to tell me that this was hers and Frankie's date (that is what I told her was going to happen and I guess I should have taken the hint when there were only 2 chairs at the table). Needless to say, Frankie and Aly enjoyed their date night. After seeing the two of them there, I wouldn't have changed a thing. Savannah, Kellye, Emma, Autumn, Natalie
Cortney, Erin, Lexie

Natalie had as much fun waiting on them as they had on the date. The GA girls were so cute waiting the tables and they all enjoyed their evening. Natalie and I had our own little dinner date after the rush was over.

She did it again!

2009-02-02T09:31:00.009-06:00

It has been a pretty quiet week at our house - no complaints there. Kerri and the twins stayed until Tuesday evening and Kerri was looking much better by the time they left. Most of the swelling had resolved and she only had some light yellow bruising under her eyes. Again, if you didn't know anything had happened (minus the obvious bandage on her nose), you probably wouldn't have noticed the swelling/bruising. She goes to see her ENT in Tupelo today to find out what, if anything, will need to be done for the broken nose.

The remainder of the week was spent doing the usual - school, housework, etc. Saturday was a beautiful day and I strongly encouraged the girls to spend most of it outside. You would have thought I had learned my lesson the last time this happened (August 2008/Mud Fight post).

This time, she (Alyson) woke up with just a slight touch, grinned at me and said "I fell asleep!?"

Last night we enjoyed a Superbowl party and lots of sinfully good food with our Sunday School class (yes, we attended church in its entirety - DVR is a wonderful thing).

The week is off to a cold, rainy start but looks to be fairly quiet (at least according to the calendar). If we do have any excitment, I will be sure to let you know.

Update

2009-01-25T20:39:00.003-06:00

I promised you updates and here they are. Fortunately, much less graphic than the last post.

I wish I could tell you that the drama ended with Kerri's accident and ER trip, but it didn't. Friday night was a little difficult as Kerri obviously didn't feel very well, but the twins had a difficult time settling in as well. Saturday dawned cold, rainy and yucky! Natalie attended a dance clinic at her school Saturday morning. She even had her hands autographed by "Danny" and "Sandy" which she insisted I take a picture of before she washed them off. She really enjoyed her morning. While she was gone, the rest of us just hung out at the house and did your typical Saturday morning stuff. That is when the drama kicked up again. Hailey was having a meltdown so Kerri put her in Natalie's room to "regroup" and closed the door. I am sure you can figure out what happened next - she locked herself in the room. We thought, no big deal - just stick something in the little hole and release the lock. If only it were that easy. We tried everything to no avail. We even tried getting to the window, via ladder - in the rain, but of course that wasn't successful either. Frankie was out of town with a dead cell phone so we called my dad and Travis (Kerri's husband) for advice. Nothing they suggested worked either. Finally I broke down and called the contractor who built our house to see if he knew how to get them open. Jackpot! It wasn't a push button release - you have to have a small (precision) screwdriver and actually turn something inside the doorknob. Fortunately, Hailey was basically clueless about what was happening. She was just mad because she was being punished! Not long after that, they were working on cleaning up the TinkerToys in the living room when Harrison lost his balance and fell - with a stick in his mouth. More blood. Fortunately, this was very minor and had only scraped the roof of his mouth. Enough already. I can say that the remainder of the day Saturday was relatively quiet (injury wise) as has been today. I took another picture of Kerri this afternoon so you can see her progress ;). Surprisingly, the swelling has been minimal and unless you knew better, you probably wouldn't notice it. Some bruising is starting to appear on her eyelids (you really can't see it in this picture since she has make up on) and that will probably worsen as the days pass.

We are looking forward to a good day tomorrow - thinking positive! Suzan and Gracie are planning to come for a visit so we can't wait. We promised them there wouldn't be any drama! Keep your fingers crossed.

WHAM!

2009-01-23T21:28:00.003-06:00

WARNING - This post is not for the faint of heart, seriously!

I told you in my last post that Kerri and the twins were coming to visit and I was sure the I would have some stories to share. Now you know I never tell a lie!

Today has been beautiful! The temps finally warmed up some and the sun was shining. The day started with Natalie participating in the spelling bee at her school. She didn't win but she made it to the 4th round before being eliminated. We are very proud of her. After she got home from school we decided to take advantage of the beautiful afternoon and strong breeze and fly some kites in the back yard. That is where we were when Kerri and the twins arrived. They joined us in our venture and we were all enjoying the time outside. As these things usually go, the kids lost interest and went off to play elsewhere. Kerri and I took advantage of everyone else being otherwise occupied and relived our childhood for a moment. The wind started whipping around a little and we were worried that the kites might get tangled (and I was trying to take a picture at the same time). Kerri started moving away from me to avoid a mess with the kites and the next thing I knew Kerri was screaming for help. I turned to find Kerri face down in the dirt with blood literally pouring from her mouth and nose. She had tripped over this stake on our property line (no, she didn't bend it).We had no clue what the injuries were at that point but we knew we had a mess, 5 onlookers under the age of 10 (a friend was here), and no clue as to how we were going to handle this. I started screaming instructions to a very overwhelmed Natalie and Alyson up the hill (and I must brag on them tremendously - they did fantastic - kept their cool and followed instructions to the letter, until the dust settled). About that time a neighbor (and an angel) showed up. She was on her way home from the school and saw us out back and stopped to make sure we were OK - THANK YOU Deirdre, Amellia and Abby! They were absolute lifesavers at that point. Deirdre helped me with Kerri while her girls corralled and took care of the kids. Next, another neighbor was out riding around on their golf cart and stopped to check on us. Jeff was Kerri's escort back to the house via the golf cart. (She looks very good here)

We cleaned Kerri up and tried to decide what the next step should be. We were pretty sure her nose was broken since it took the impact of the fall but also knew that there was very little that could be done since it didn't appear to be out of alignment. There was a small cut on the side of her nose but it wasn't as deep as we initially thought and the majority of the bleeding had subsided. Our primary reason for seeking medical attention was to get her a tetanus shot. So, off to the ER we go - leaving Deirdre, Amellia and Abby with all 4 of our kids (all a little shaken up)! Bless them!! The assessment there pretty much agreed with what we suspected - the tip had broken on the bone (will have to be evaluated by Kerri's local ENT after the swelling subsides), the bleeding had stopped and the cut only needed a butterfly type bandage. She received her tetanus shot and we were on our way. I must brag on the ER at Anderson's Medical Center on their kindess and efficiency. We were in and out in approximately an hour.

Finally, we are back at home. We got a quick supper and at this point have all but one child asleep. Kerri has taken her pain pill and is about ready to bed down herself. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little less eventful.

Stay tuned for follow up pictures.

Good Sports

2009-01-20T20:57:00.002-06:00

Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a visit from Mimi and Pops during which the girls performed a concert consisting of their favorite Taylor Swift songs and their favorite selections from Grease (No, we have not let them see the movie. We recently went to the school version of the movie/play performed by Natalie's school and their addictive personalities took it from there). After the concert, Pops and Daddy sat quietly (while I am sure biting their tongues) as the girls "dressed" them up. We couldn't resist getting a couple of pictures.

After they shed the wigs, we regrouped (gave a little pep talk) and met Kim and Tom at the hibachi grill for supper (see Hibachi Hysterics post if you are not familiar with this story). Natalie was OK with the decision but Alyson took a little more convincing. When we arrived at the restaurant, she still wasn't crazy about the idea, but at least she was cooperative. She did move her chair directly behind mine at the grill and stayed there the entire time, but she remained calm and would take a peek at the show occassionally.

Other than the obvious with all the inaguration events and coverage, our week has started off pretty quiet and uneventful, just cold. Natalie was out of school yesterday so it was back to the grind today. We are looking forward to a visit from Kerri, Hailey and Harrison later in the week. I am sure I will have some stories to tell during and after their visit. Hopefully, I won't take so long to post next time.

Taylor Swift OVERLOAD

2009-01-08T20:45:00.004-06:00

A very good friend, who shall remain nameless but knows who she is, has introduced my children to Taylor Swift (musician). Now anyone who knows my girls knows they have a somewhat addictive personality and when they find something they like, especially when introduced by someone they like-they are stuck to it like glue. I will probably have to purchase a new CD - I am sure this one is approaching the end of its functional life.

Here is a video of their rendition of "Love Story"

Sweet Gracie and a visit with old friends

2008-12-30T20:16:00.004-06:00

Natalie & Alyson getting in some Gracie time.

The girls and I ventured to Brandon, MS today to meet Miss Gracie. She was 4 weeks old yesterday and we had not had a chance to meet her yet and we were itching to do so. Suzan and I have been friends since we were Natalie's age so she is like a sister to me. Our friendship has been one that, no matter how long we go without seeing one another, we can always pick right up like we were together yesterday. One is very blessed to have such a friendship.

Both girls managed to get plenty of hands on time today. Poor Gracie. Mom may not be too happy with us later ;)

Not only did we get to see Gracie and Suz, another long time friend that I have not seen in many years was home for the holiday's and came over to Suzan's with her two children and dad to visit. Jen lives in Pennsylvania now so visits with her are few and far between. It was so good to see her and meet her children.
Kristi, Suzan Watson w/ Gracie and Jen (Searls) Arciere
Natalie, Kristi & Alyson Jadzinski; Suzan & Gracie Watson; Andrew, Jen & Julia Arciere

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T14:31:00.008-06:00

As we wrap up yet another Christmas season, here are a few pictures of some of our family time. Although Christmas was different this year as everyone was scattered and budgets were a little tighter, I think everyone had a great time and no one should have walked away disappointed. After all is said and done, we still remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Mimi and her girls

The girls enjoyed a boxing match with Daddy and Pops

Santa's helpers!

Both girls received some long asked for gifts.

Somehow, Santa got a message that the girls had been pretty good this year?!? Not sure how that happened ;)

My parents came through Christmas afternoon on their way home from Debbie's Dad's house in Grand Bay, AL and ate dinner with us. It was a nice and relaxing afternoon that I think we all enjoyed. Paw-paw and Aly were hanging out in the living room and I think he put some sort of spell on her!

Some just couldn't hang!

Judy Lynn topped off the girls holiday with another surprise visit Saturday. As usual, they were not disappointed.

House for Sale (Not ours ;) )

2008-12-23T09:11:00.005-06:00

I promised my sister some time ago that I would do this and honestly, I have just forgotten. She and her husband, Travis, recently built and moved in to a beautiful new home. Unfortunately, they have not sold their other house. They have set up a blog with pictures and some information on the house. The house is in Tupelo, MS in the Belden community. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please pass this info along to them.

www.wamplerhouseforsale.blogspot.com

Hibachi Hysterics

2008-12-21T10:36:00.005-06:00

My brother and sister in law, Keith and Nicole, came down to Meridian yesterday afternoon to visit and hang out with us for a little while. We decided to take them to a new Hibachi grill (a japanese restaurant where they cook your food in front of you and throw some tricks in the mix) for supper. Frankie and I had been to one several years ago and really enjoyed it but Keith, Nicole and the girls had never been to one. We thought they might enjoy the experience and figured the girls would get a kick out of the entertainment ~WRONG! They saw the fire on a grill at another table right after we were seated and that was the end of their Hibachi experience.They stood behind their chairs or against the wall trembling the majority of the time and didn't eat a bite of food. Oh well, I guess we will stick to Chick-fil-a or Wendy's for future family meals.

Patrick Family Christmas

2008-12-21T09:48:00.005-06:00

So many things have changed this year so I guess we shouldn't have been surprised that Christmas joined the list. Everyone is a little more scattered this year with different directions to go. In the past, the Patrick's have always celebrated Christmas on Christmas day at Pap-paw and Nana's house but this year we mixed things up a little. We always have a family dinner the week before Christmas at my sisters house in Tupelo. This year was no exception and we decided to make the most of it. Kerri and Travis graciously hosted the family and we had a wonderful meal followed by our gift exchange. We all had a great time and enjoyed watching the kids. Keith brought along his guitar and we enjoyed singing and being seranaded with carols.

Harrison and Hailey loved their new bean bags from Pap-paw and Nana.
Natalie got some new books - the more chapters the better is her philosophy (for now anyway).
Alyson got a new puzzle that she mastered in no time. We are developing a mini library of puzzles and Aly couldn't be happier. The more to choose from the better.

The girls crawled up in Pap-paw's lap and with Uncle Keith on the guitar, sang a carol for us. As Kerri said when it was over, "OK, someone go get a mop and wipe Pap-paw up off the floor."

Today's Quote

2008-12-16T18:32:00.001-06:00

"I slobbered when I bless-you'd" ~ Aly

*see comment for explanation*

2008-12-15T20:52:00.003-06:00

Christmas through a child's eye is so refreshing and does so much to remind us of the real meaning of Christmas.

I was upstairs working today when I heard Alyson singing downstairs. This is not an unusual thing but I thought I would take a peak anyway. She had her Little People's nativity set out and had arranged it (if you look closely, she has everything/everyone surrounding baby Jesus) and was sitting over it singing "Away in a Manger". I was attempting to video it but she caught me and got her feathers ruffled. So much for the sweet and innocent moment.

After a while, she settled down and agreed to a repeat performance and even though it was a re-creation and despite a stuffy nose, it was still just as sweet.

Hope you enjoy!

2008-12-15T08:55:00.004-06:00

Despite all the sales, advertising, decorations, etc. that inundate us from early fall till Christmas, I never feel like the Christmas season really gets going until we have attended our first Christmas party. Well, we were on the ball this weekend. We knocked all of them out in 2 days! How about that for efficiency? Of course, it was only 2 parties this year so I don't guess it was that huge of an accomplishment ;). We had our Sunday School party Friday night and had a great time. We played dirty Santa and we didn't come out too bad (because there were some really bad gifts there - for me, the worst had to be doe urine which was one of the most fought over gifts ?!?!) Anyway, the girls were surprised when their babysitter arrived and it was their beloved Judy Lynn. She came down from Starkville to keep the girls and spend the night with us. The girls really had a good time and were treated to making s'mores and building a chair/blanket tent in the living room. Judy's sister Michelle met them at the mall Saturday and they squeezed in a little shopping before heading back to Columbus.

We had Frankie's work party Saturday night and the food was so good. I made a meal out of the appetizers (which are my weakness) and then ate the equivalent of another 2 meals with the salad and main course. The few pounds I have lost since moving were quickly found! They always give away great door prizes at the party and this time was no exception. Two of the most anticipated prizes were a giant Santa and Snowman figurine. They were so cute. I didn't get my hopes up about winning anything because we never do. They were down to the last door prize so I knew our chances were about nil at that point. Of course, the next number called was not ours - but that person wasn't there. HA! The next one actually turned out to be ours! It took us a moment to claim it because we were sure we had heard them wrong. We won the snowman figurine and he is so cute!

He is standing in front of the Christmas tree and you can see the train in the background so that gives you an idea of his size (about 3 ft tall). I love him!

Our Plump Tree!

2008-12-07T22:04:00.007-06:00

Ignore the title friends~that is somewhat of an inside joke that only my family will understand ;).

Well as you can tell by the pictures~this was decoration weekend at our house. I absolutely love the house when it is decorated for Christmas with all the lights and smells. I absolutely hate having to do it all! It's a tough job under the best of circumstances but when you have 4 very opinionated (and at times grouchy) folks working towards the same goal, it can become a bit of a struggle.

We started our day with a visit to Lazy Acres Christmas Tree farm in Chunky, MS. Don't blink or you might miss it. This was a really neat place. They had sprawling fields of various types of trees to choose from which they took you out to in a sleigh (tractor drawn). They also had several other stationary attractions to draw your attention. The girls enjoyed checking those out.

Natalie worshiping the baby Jesus and Alyson as the donkey~no comment;)Other features included an animal pen that had goats, rabbits, a turkey, dogs, pigs and a real reindeer 'Dasher'. This 'Dasher' has a lot of conditioning to do if he is going to be ready to pull Santa's sleigh in a couple of weeks! It didn't take us to long to find the perfect tree for us. After a little sweat and grunting, a very out of breath Frankie had the tree down and ready to load on to the sleigh. After a couple of other brief errands in town to finish collecting our decorating supplies, we headed to the house to face the challange ahead of us. It took us the remainder of the afternoon, evening (with a break for supper and the local Christmas parade) and this afternoon to finally get it all done. Whew! Now we can actually sit back and enjoy the beauty of it all.P.S. - Dad, this is the plumpest tree I have ever had ~ and I LOVE it!

2008-12-05T21:09:00.001-06:00

After a raid in Daddy's closet!

The Results

2008-11-26T21:10:00.005-06:00

Here are the final results of our ornament venture. Most of the paint and marker stayed on the ornaments, with the exception of Harrison. We think he mistook his face as an ornament at one point. If you are brave enough to attempt this with your children (which I highly recommend), here is the recipe to use:

1 2/3+ cups warm water

1 cup salt

4 cups all purpose flour (not self rising)

Combine water and salt, stirring until salt is desolved. Add flour. Move dough mixture to a firm surface. The dough will be very stiff. Knead dough until all ingredients appear to be well mixed and smooth (this take a fair amount of endurance ;) ), then knead it some more. On wax paper, roll dough out using a rolling pin until dough is smooth and no more than 1/4 inch thick. Cut your favorite shapes. Use a the end of a straw to cut a circle in the top of the ornament to put a ribbon or string through. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Flip ornaments 10-15 minutes into baking. Bake the same amount of time on each side. Allow to cool on flat surface. Once cool, decorate with paint.

Dough Ornaments

2008-11-26T14:41:00.006-06:00

This was a first for us - making dough ornaments. As crafty as I am (or least told I am), I am not very creative. The girls and I have been in Tupelo since Monday enjoying a little time off from school, a little R&R (as much as you can get with 4 kids in the house) and just getting in a little family time. One of Kerri's friends, JoLynn, graciously invited ALL of us over to join her and her 2 children to make dough ornaments. It was a house full to say the least. This was also a learning experience for all of us as well, but a very fun one. It took a couple of attempts to figure out the specifics to get the dough just right. We got a lot of laughs out of that. We hope to get them painted later today and ready for the Christmas tree. Here are a few pictures from our venture.

Sarah (JoLynn's daughter), Alyson, Kristi and Natalie cutting our first ornaments ...

a few kink's to work out as our first batch appeared to have a bad case of cellulite

Alyson working her dough...it had to be the smoothest with all the elbow grease she put in to it!

Natalie's own unique creation...??? Don't know that this one will make it to the tree. We may hang on to this one for Halloween next year ;)

Hailey and Harrison weren't in to the spirit of things just yet...

...however, mom was able to coax them into at least cutting one ornament each.

Thank you JoLynn for a memory making day!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

2008-11-26T14:32:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to you! I know I am a day early (a rarity to most who know me) but I know tomorrow morning will be a busy one so I didn't want to miss the opportunity to go ahead and get it out there. I encourage you to take a moment and take note of how fortunate we are and thank the One who is responsible for that. I know we all have our moments when we think nothing in our life is going right and we have it so hard. Truth is, we have it so good. If I was really serious about it and sat down and tried to make a list of all I have to be thankful for, there wouldn't be a book big enough to hold it. Thank you Lord!

Christmas Pictures

2008-11-11T10:59:00.006-06:00

Well, I have been chastised for falling behind on my posting so I will do my best to catch you up.

I am so relieved to say that we accomplished one major task for the holiday season - Christmas card pictures. For those of you who take your self to the brink of insanity to do the same, you know exactly what I am talking about. Who would think (unless you have small children) that it could require insurmountable patience along with over 150 pictures to get just the right one (hopefully). However, I must brag tremendously on my children this year - they were real troopers and cooperated beautifully. Mind you, I had given them a lecture, threatened them and I am sure I had a ruler (for spanking) somewhere in the van. I can also attribute the successful day to help from my parents. They came down and brought lunch and spent the afternoon with us, which included a trip to the local park for the pictures. Debbie brought her camera so we basically double teamed them and it all went very smoothly.

It even enabled us to get a few family pictures in.

A great picture of Frankie and the girls.

We also got a few candid/action shots.

"Trouble" is on the way!

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-02T15:13:00.009-06:00

Check out our Halloween fun!

Natalie (Gabriella) and Alyson (Cheetah girl) getting ready for their night of fun.

Our first stop was at Aunt Kim's house where we were greeted by Madison (an old spooky woman).

Next we visited a few houses in our own neighborhood because the girls were so excited that they were able to go trick or treating at our neighbors houses.

Lexie and Natalie joined forces as Sharpay and Gabriella.

After hitting a few houses locally we attended a Fall Fling at a neighbor's house where lots of fun festivities were planned including food, a bonfire, scavenger hunt and hayride.

Alyson the mummy compliments of Maggie and her parents in the mummy race.

One last look at Happy the pumpkin.

Thanks for joining us! Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

2008-10-31T07:35:00.004-05:00

***** HAPPY HALLOWEEN*****

Alyson singing in to the pumpkin

The "Before" pumpkin

Getting ready to 'gut' it

"That looks like a birthday cake"

"Yuck"

Fabulous Fall Weekend

2008-10-27T14:18:00.003-05:00

The weather was gorgeous and absolutely perfect - pretty much textbook for the events we had planned. Our full weekend started Friday evening as the four of us and Natalie's friend Lexie went to see High School Musical 3. We all enjoyed the movie and despite it being the premier night, the crowd was not terribly bad. Then again, they did have the movie showing in 3 different theathers.

Alyson, Judy Lynn and Natatlie

Saturday was "wrapped in Maroon and White" as Jack Cristil would say. It was band parents day and since Judy Lynn is essentially family, we were invited to take part in the festivities along with her biological family ;). The band did an exhibition show for everyone (they didn't perform at halftime because of homecoming ceremonies) and that was followed by a wonderful BBQ lunch. We were allowed to 'march' to the stadium with the band and then split off and did a little browsing until game time. There was definitely a stiff breeze with cool temperatures as the sun began to set but what else would you want at an October football game? Although I am not a cold weather fan, the weather was certainly made to order for the day. MSU played a good game and came out on top. I must say that the highlight of the game was when the girls made the Jumbotron! It happened very quickly. I wasn't actually watching the screen but was facing that direction and saw a a very brief image of a child on the screen. I glanced at Mary Grace Crenshaw (who was with our group and sitting next to me) and said "I think that was Alyson!". She gave me the same bewildered look and said "I think so too!". The lady behind us said the same thing. I found the camera that had found Alyson and it was still pointed our direction with the light on (they had put a video on the big screen). I encouraged her to keep cheering with her pom poms and maybe they would get her again. Sure enough, as soon as the video was over they put her back on the screen - this time for a little longer. Not to be left out, Natalie outfitted her with a couple of finger bunny ears. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough to get any of it recorded.

Natalie and Alyson practice to join the band

Marching to the stadium with the band

Sunday afternoon we participated in the Reformation Ride and Rally with the local church we have been visiting. The ride portion of the event is an 11 mile bike ride down Hwy 45 to Clarkco State Park. Again, the weather was beautiful - much warmer this time. Frankie, Natalie and I rode our bikes and Alyson hitched a ride with another church member who traveling in her truck taking pictures of the group and handing out water. Natalie took a small spill early in the ride and scraped her hands a little but was a real trooper and finished out the ride - all 11 miles of it. Alyson was a big help too - handing out water to some very thirsty bikers. We arrived at the park to the smell of grilling burgers, hotdogs and sausage. We had plenty of time to relax, visit and let the kids play before time to eat and time for a devotional. All in all - a great day. I don't have any pictures but Deirdre (Aly's chauffer) is going to burn me a disc and I will share the pictures with you when I receive them from her .

Honor Student

2008-10-24T08:51:00.002-05:00

Straight A's

Bear with me a moment as this proud momma brags a little. Natalie brought home her first report card of the year yesterday and I am sure you have already figured out - she had straight A's. Her lowest average was a 95. We are so proud of her.

Alyson's choir debut

2008-10-20T08:45:00.006-05:00

Alyson had her choir debut in "Big Church" last night. Although this was not her first time to sing with a choir (for other people), it was her first time to sing in front of others that are not her family or family of her friends. She had practiced very hard and was so excited about getting to sing. I must admit that she, and all the kids, impressed me with their memorization of John 3:16. She knew every word and didn't miss one. If you ask her to recite it again - be ready, she will - to perfection, no matter how long it takes ;).

For those of you who haven't seen Alyson in a while. She is on the bottom row on the left as you are looking at it. She has on a green/brown outfit with a brown bow.

Crazy Question - Please jog my memory

2008-10-17T17:01:00.003-05:00

I love the sitemeter I have on my blog because it lets me see who is 'checking us out' from various parts of the country and even the world (if I knew anyone other than LeDon outside of the US right now). Sometimes it shows how poor my memory is regarding where some of my friends are located right now. I have noticed that there is someone in New Mexico that checks in pretty frequently, usually at least once daily, and I even saw someone today from Vermont. Please jog my memory and let me know who you are (just leave me a comment). I love to know who is keeping up with us so I can keep up with you as well.

Wow! An Alyson Moment

2008-10-13T20:51:00.006-05:00

OK, so I know that laughing hysterically and following your child around with a camera is not exactly the best way to handle a moment like this. Sometimes you just can't help it and all you parents looking at this can't deny that you have done the same at some point. If you haven't, just humor me and let me think you have. This is also proof to some of you who think Alyson is so sweet and not capable of things like this that, yes she is.

Basically, it all stemmed from her wanting to sleep in the living room with Natalie (she has fall break this week). That was fine with me but she insisted on sleeping on the hard floor and I wouldn't agree with that. When we couldn't come to terms on that I told her she could just sleep in her bed tonight. Well, that went over like a lead balloon and this clip is just a small glimpse of the tantrum that ensued. There were some much more entertaining moments that I couldn't catch because as soon as I started recording she would run - I warned her I was going to get the camera out.

For all you critics who can't believe I allowed this to happen and actually took video of it - not to worry, she got what was coming to her after more than enough warning.

Sorry, I think you will have to look at it sideways - I can't figure out how to rotate it.

Finally, what Alyson really needed!

Poor Natalie had been waiting so patiently to do something with me after storm passed and she fell asleep in the meantime. We will have to make up for that tomorrow because I have a feeling she will have some hurt feelings.

Happy Birthday Natalie!

2008-10-05T07:16:00.003-05:00

I can't believe she is 9 years old! It seems like just yesterday that we were waiting for what seemed like FOREVER for her to get here. Now she is turning in to a young lady right before our eyes. Have a great birthday Nat!

Look what the toothfairy brought me!

2008-10-05T07:13:00.002-05:00

Snaggle Tooth!

2008-10-04T17:06:00.003-05:00

Snaggle tooth!!

Snaggle tooth with her tooth and the infamous (remnants of) the candy bar.

Alyson has lost her first tooth! Wow! All this is happening too fast. I wasn't quite prepared for it yet. I figured we at least had a few more months. She started to complain of her tooth hurting just before her birthday last week. It had gotten pretty loose over the course of this past week and then this afternoon, she took a bite of a candy bar and guess what! She was so excited - "My loose tooth fell out!". She even tolerated the small amount of bleeding without a panic attack. We have our Tooth Fairy pillow ready and she is anxiously waiting for her visit tonight.

Bubbles galore

2008-10-02T20:24:00.002-05:00

I will still be cleaning up bubbles next week!

Artistic Flare?

2008-10-01T22:16:00.002-05:00

Natalie felt the need to work on her artist skills this afternoon and Aly graciously agreed to be her subject. I don't know if Alyson really knew what she was getting in to. At least they didn't use the Sharpie markers they had been working with a short time earlier (to decorate a pumpkin).

Birthday Bash!

2008-09-29T08:37:00.005-05:00

The Diva's

"I got an ipod?!?!"
"I knew I saw a bike in that room earlier!"
Judy Lynn (aka JJ) and the birthday girls

Well, we survived! I guess I shouldn't make it sound that dramatic. Everything really went off very smoothly thanks to Paw-paw's handy work that was done ahead of time. We had a little bit of setting up and decorating to do but no more than your typical party. I think everyone had a great time, including all the little diva's and one little stud muffin. We had music and dancing, wiener roast (the diva's quickly found out that cooking a hotdog over a bonfire was not for them)a hayride and of course, cake and presents. I am posting some pictures of some of the highlights (thanks to Judy Lynn, my impromptu photographer that day) and a video of the girls dancing.

Happy Birthday Alyson!!

2008-09-26T07:40:00.005-05:00

Can you believe that she is 5 years old today? Wow, how time flies. We have a big weekend planned with birthday parties and other fun things to do. Check back in a couple of days for an update on the party. I am sure there will be plenty of pictures and stories to tell as well (you know we are never short on those).

Clarkdale Homecoming

2008-09-20T21:37:00.004-05:00

Well, we have survived our first homecoming experience at Clarkdale and I must say we thoroughly enjoyed it. The entire school really gets in to the spirit of things for the entire week leading up to the big game. I have even heard of a few parents who really got in to the spirit of things as well and chauffeured their children as they T.P.'d some yards! I will refrain from divulging names though. The community support behind the school is pretty amazing as well. They held a community wide pep rally Thursday night. I have included a few pictures of the night.

The cheerleaders wrapping teachers. This was quite interesting and I am not sure that everyone understood all the rules.

The Bonfire!

This thing was huge once it got going good. They had stuffed all the t.p. from the previous game inside and lit it which resulted in a spout of charred t.p. that shot out the top and showered all of us. It was fun for a moment but then the heat from the fire became so unbearable that everyone had to scatter.

Natalie with Bully

This is where most people ended up after the heat ran us off. This is a Volvo that had been "decorated" for the students to abuse. I am not sure who came up with the brilliant idea of using a Volvo - the destruction was painful slow and quite unimpressive, despite the fact that they were using an axe to work on it. Yes, I said axe.

We didn't stick around for that very long. A bunch of jocks swinging an axe is not my idea of a safe activity.

A blue raspberry ring pop!

We went to the ballgame last night and got Alyson a "snack" from the concession stand. Thus the blue mouth. She had licked a lot of it off before I could get my hands on the camera and the picture really doesn't do her justice. The entire lower half of her face was blue. We were still scrubbing it off of her lips today.

We enjoyed our first official football game here despite the rain.

PJ Day

2008-09-18T07:55:00.002-05:00

In keeping with the crazy customs of Homecoming week - today is PJ (pajama day)!

Kerri, recognize the hairstyle.

Cowgirl Up!

2008-09-16T10:05:00.004-05:00

It is Homecoming week at Clarkdale and like most other schools they have many activities to pep the students up. Each day this week the students have a different theme and today is ..... cowboy/camo day. I just thought Natalie looked so cute in her little ponytails so I thought I would share. We also have pajama and hippie day coming up.

Fun, Sun and 2 very tired little girls!

2008-09-13T20:01:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the long stretch between posts. It's not that life has been boring lately but there just hasn't been a whole lot of excitement either. Between that, my trecks back and forth to Columbus and Frankie being out of town for a good part of the last 2 work weeks, the post just got moved to the back burner. I figured I better find something to write about and some pictures to post before some grandparents get irrate with me ;).

Fortunately, it has been a relatively quiet couple of weeks. About the only excitement has been Natalie and her stomach, which unfortunately creates more excitement than we would like at times. Nothing major - most everyone is familiar with her stomach upsets related to her food allergies. She did have an episode last week, somewhat out of the blue in the middle of the night, where her stomach flared up suddenly. We got to the bathroom where she promptly fainted on me! She came to pretty quickly and was fine the rest of the night. I am afraid the fainting may be a black cloud that is going to follow her. This was the 3rd or 4th time she has done this in the past couple of years. I am hoping she grows out of it - quickly.

We have really enjoyed the mild weather lately. Although the temps have still been fairly warm, we have had a pretty consistent breeze (thanks to all the activity in the gulf), which has made being outside very enjoyable. The girls have really taken advantage of it and many days have played until they were just shy of collapsing. Tonight is no exception. It was all I could do to get Natalie through her shower. She was in bed and asleep by 7:30 and Alyson wasn't far behind. That is certainly a rarity on the weekends. Although these pictures were taken last weekend, tonight was almost a carbon copy.

Lexie came home from school with us yesterday afternoon and the girls stayed outside most of the time. They enjoyed some time in the sprinkler. Natalie and Lexie bailed out on Alyson after just a few minutes but it didn't seem to bother Alyson one bit.

Following the sprinkler, they spent a little time "practicing" their gymnastics. This move is called 'Rock the Baby' or 'The Elevator' - I was never clear on which one it was. I was shown so many. Alyson only landed on her head once.

They spent a little more time late this afternoon working on the trapeze bar. Alyson managed to land on her feet this time (with a little help).

Beautiful Blushing Bride

2008-08-31T18:53:00.007-05:00

I am sure that our family must have set some sort of record - 4 family weddings in one year!! Whew! It has been a whirlwind year, from every perspective, but it has been a good one. We wrapped up all the wedding bliss with Mary Allison's wedding yesterday (Kristi's step-sister) in Brandon. It was absolutely beautiful. I must say that it was probably the most worshipful wedding, with a little humor thrown in, that I have attended.

The reception was held outdoors at a charming old country home. Despite being the end of August, it was very enjoyable. There was good food and dancing. My girls really took to the dancing (that must have been a recessive trait they inherited ;) ). I am not really sure they even noticed the food very much after they found the dance floor. I caught a little bit of their dancing and thought you might enjoy it. They were even able to snag a brief dance with the groom at one point.

Natalie caught the bouquet!!!!!!!

Are you really surprised???

I didn't see it happen but it wouldn't surprise me if she tackled a few other girls to get to it first.

She is already planning her wedding for next weekend.

At the moment we are preparing for Hurricane Gustav as it approaches. Actually, as I type this, the first of the outer bands of the storm are passing over us with some very heavy rain and some ominous looking clouds. I wish I had had time to get some pictures of the clouds as they approached to show you. They were right on top of us before I realized it. I guess I should wrap this up in the event that we lose power. I will post again later.

MUD FIGHT!!!

2008-08-25T20:10:00.004-05:00

This is what happens when you let 4 little girls loose to play in the rain, unsupervised!! She is covered in RED CLAY!!! It is also ground in to her hair. Alyson managed to avoid the mud but did thoroughly enjoy the rain. You can see a small glimpse of yet another amazing rainbow we saw today. Here is a better shot, but again, it just doesn't do it justice. It was SO bright and vivid. If you look closely, you can see that it is a double rainbow.

I guess this is more on a serious note but cute at the same time. Never assume that your children are old enough to be left in the bathtub unattended or at least stay within ear shot so you can hear what is going on (if they are older, that is).

I put Alyson in the bathtub while I was cleaning the kitchen after supper ( I can see their bathroom from the kitchen sink). She was very tired and I knew that but what she did completely surprised me. She had been singing and talking then I realized that she had gotten very quiet. I went into the bathroom and this is what I found...

I really thought she was just teasing me but after a good bit of proding, I discovered that she really was sound asleep.

No more leisurely soaks for Alyson when she is this tired.

Rainy Days

2008-08-25T11:24:00.008-05:00

If you are ever in need of rain, just call on us to schedule a vacation. It doesn't matter what kind of vacation, short or long, near or far. If we plan it (vacation), it (rain) will come. That seems to be a dark cloud (no pun intended) that follows any Patrick that goes on vacation!

Now, we were watching the forcast very closely and were well aware of what was headed our way. However, this weekend getaway was planned months ago - hotel booked (non-refundable/transferable) and everything. Based on the forcast, we did not feel that we were in danger since we were going to a water park and we felt like we could get a decent day of playing in before the rain got there. Our hopes were not very high though as we left Meridian because is was already raining on us here. Our wheels were turning and we had an alternate plan tucked away, just in case. The closer we got to the coast, though, the better the weather appeared to be. It was very windy but only partly cloudy. We took our chances...............

As you can see from the expressions, the fun didn't last long. We were there for just shy of 2 hours when they announced that they were shutting down the park because of the weather. The girls were disappointed but were big about it. We headed to the hotel to check in and finish our swimming at the indoor pool. I think they found that they liked that just as well as the waterpark. It was an indoor pool and we had it all to ourselves.

You remember the picture of the rainbow over our house the other day? This is a picture of the full rainbow that was in the newspaper the following day. It gives you a much better picture of how pretty it was.

Lastly, we have resolved the silly putty issue - thanks for your input on that. The solution: spray area with WD-40 and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Next pour some rubbing alcohol on the area and rub with an old rag. Repeat until clean. These instructions were on http://www.about.com/ .

Whirlpool

2008-08-22T08:23:00.003-05:00

The whirlpool tub may quickly become Aly's favorite place to hang out!

Our House

2008-08-21T19:27:00.008-05:00

Several of you have asked me to post some pictures of our new house. Despite it being a new house, it still needs plenty of work in the yard and on the landscaping. All in due time. I will gladly share these outside pictures. The inside view will have to wait, all except for one very focal shot. With children, it doesn't take things long to get broken in......... Oh well, it had to happen sometime..........

No, this is not gum - that would be too easy to clean up. This is silly putty, firmly attached silly putty! Any suggestions?

I took one other picture of the house this afternoon after I got home. We were between rain showers and I ran out to check the mail and saw the most beautiful rainbow, a full rainbow that seemed to completely cover our house. The picture just doesn't do it justice.

A few minutes later, another shower passed over and Alyson said, "But the rain is going to wash it (the rainbow) away!"

Karaoke Queens and Singing in the Rain

2008-08-19T20:35:00.015-05:00

I promise to try to do better than once a week updates! I had the best intentions of updating this past weekend but had a computer glitch which put a hold on things. Fortunately, I am back in the saddle again.

We had a very good week last week with school and made some progress on the house as well. Natalie seems to be adjusting well to school. She really likes her teachers. We had the entire weekend at home so we felt like we were able to make some good progress as well as have a little family fun.

The girls were invited to their first birthday party (in Meridian) Friday night. It was a High School Musical karaoke party so you can just imagine who was in the thick of it! The girls had a great time and it gave Frankie and I a good opportunity to meet some new people, including some of our neighbors. Natalie hung around at the party after we left and came home with a friend. From what I understand from several of the adults that were still there, she made quite an impression with her singing abilities. I wish I could take credit for that but unfortunately, that was not a talent that God chose to bless me with. All I can do is make a joyful noise! I am including a couple of pictures of the girls stage time.

Karaoke Queens!
Saturday proved to be our most fruitful day as I was able to tackle a good bit in the house and Frankie was able to conquer a little bit more of the yard - both a prime example of the analogy of eating an elephant, one bite at a time. The yard is a challenge and has taken a little navigating to get through it. We have noticed that some of early work we have done has been fruitful - we have found grass growing in the areas we have been seeding. We were doubtful that anything was going to grow from that round of seeding because we thought most of it had washed away. The girls spent the day visiting between friends houses - these are big decisions to make these days. I am posting some pictures of them with a couple of their new friends. Anabelle is Alyson's new friend and they enjoy riding in their jeeps together. Lexi (blue shorts) and Rosalie (khaki shorts)are Natalie's friends. Having friends so close by has been such a blessing but we are also having to learn how to manage our time now with so many choices to make each day (homework, playing, eating, sleeping, etc.)! We are so grateful to have those choices to be faced with though. A sign that we are truly blessed.

Alyson & Anabelle * Traveling Tots * Lexi, Natalie & Rosalie

Check out the hat!

Sunday we finally had the opportunity to visit one of the local churches. We visited New Hope Baptist Church and really enjoyed our day there. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and the service itself was very good as well.

We are almost half way through this week already and we feel like we are finally settling in to some sort of routine. Some days it feels as if we got here yesterday (at least based on the appearance of our house)and some days it feels as if we have always been here which is just another confirmation that we are right where we are supposed to be right now. We enjoyed somewhat of a lazy evening today visiting with some neighbors and watching the girls playing in the rain. Hope you enjoy the pics.

Singing in the rain

Sweet forgotten memories

2008-08-12T20:28:00.006-05:00

I received an email today from a church member and friend from Columbus. She and her 2 daughters helped us for several summers (a few summers ago) by babysitting for us while we were at work. Natalie really enjoyed those summers and has many fond memories of being there. Her memory is very good so she will occassionally remind me of something from those summers. Unfortunately, my memory is very poor (which, unfortunately, works to the girls advantage sometimes) so sometimes I have to rely on others to trigger some of the sweetest memories(somehow, the bad ones seem to stick with you.) The email I received today was one of those great triggers. Read below - it makes you realize that every detail really does matter when small children are around. Thanks so much Sandra!

Here are a few that we'll always remember especially.

I was using the water hose to wash off the lint off of the concrete that had built up by the dryer vent. Natalie had just arrived and she rushed over to help, took the hose away and said, "I want to help you water your ground!"

When we had received our "free" pictorial directory picture in the mail, Natalie was pointing to all of us and telling who each person was. "And who is this, Natalie?" Jessica would ask.
"Denna"

"And who is this?"

"Sicca"

"Who is this?"

"Mr Dawayne"

"And what about this person?"

"That's Hey Mom"

That was when we realized the girls always prefaced anything they said to me with, "Hey Mom, where is the sunscreen?" "Hey Mom, do we have any more popsicles?"

And the time we were practicing the summer project and listening to the CD throughout the day. Natalie kept requesting we fast forward to the turtle song. We would start a song and she would say, "No, that is not the turtle song," and we would stop at the next one, but "No, that is not the turtle song. "Now Unto the King Eternal" was "Now I Want to Be a Turtle". That will always be the turtle song to me....

2008-08-08T14:58:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the delay in getting an update posted - you know I have had nothing but free time lately ;). Plus, we and AT&T seem to be having a communication problem regarding our internet and the necessary equipment needed (ironic, isn't it).

Well, I can officially say that we are now Meridianites - we are here, but not quite settled. It doesn't feel like I will be able to say we are settled anytime in the near future but I know that it will eventually come together. Anyone who knows me very well knows that I tend to ramble on at times but if you have a few minutes for some rambling, hang with me I will try to briefly ;) recap our last week or so.

Last Monday (July 28th) began our adventure as we closed on our new house and began the moving process. Frankie and I, with the assistance of his dad brought 3 trucks, each pulling a trailer, to unload after the closing. I think that had to be the toughest day of all. I am convinced that we picked the hottest week of the year to move - temps were hovering just under 100 degrees that day with matching humidity. The day was long and tough but we felt like we made some headway. Thanks to Tom for his help with the the furniture! We could never have done that on our own. We were very fortunate that day to meet many of our new neighbors, many of which were very helpful to us that day. The first of many blessings.

Tuesday was spent in Columbus, Kristi workng at the clinic and Frankie working at the house getting the remainder of our belongings together for the second half of the move on Wednesday. We were off again early Wednesday morning to take the rest of our belongings. This portion of the move was actually easier, despite have more to unload, thanks to all the great help we had. Thank you bunches to Dad, Debbie, Judy Lynn, Jay, David and Mitchell for all your invaluable help. We owe you a big one! We at least managed to get some beds put up and a path cleared to each room so we could sleep that night. While we were working in the house that afternoon, the girls were out riding their bikes ( a new freedom for them since they have only been able to do that without supervision in our driveway in Columbus due to the busy street we lived on). Natalie returned to the house absolutely out of breath with excitement. She had meet a little girl down the street, Rosalie, who was her age and going in to the 3rd grade as well. Not far behind her was her little sister, Annabel, who is the same age as Alyson. You cannot possible imagine what that did for this mama! I was so concerned about Natalie starting school and not knowing anyone in her class. We have also met several other very nice girls in the neighborhood since then who are close to Natalie's age. Kerri took the girls to Tupelo for the weekend so we could get some uninterrupted work done - what a break! Thanks Kerri, Travis, Hailey and Harrison. The girls had a great time. We enjoyed a couple of days earlier this week with Kerri and H2W here in Meridian with us. We actually ventured out to the mall and to eat Wednesday - that was an adventure for all of us as I know next to nothing about the layout of this town right now. Somehow, we found our way back to Hwy 45 and to our house - all in one piece. However, while we were at the mall, we accomplished one major feat. We actually got Natalie to go ahead and get her ears pierced. It took MUCH coaxing and patience, but she finally went through with it. Not before trying to jump out of the chair as they actually did the piercings though. A little traumatic at the time, but she was very proud of herself when it was all said and done. I have posted some pictures but it is hard to tell much in them.

Thursday brought Natalie's first day of school. All went well and she had a very good day.
Rosalie was in her class and Natalie was just a little bit excited about it. Her class rotates this year. Her homeroom teacher, Mrs. Breazeale, teaches the first 5 subjects, then the entire class switches over to Mrs. Carmichaels class for the last 2 subjects. They call this team teaching and it prepares them for switching classes next year in 4th grade. Natalie has felt very comfortable with her teachers so far.

I must add one other thank you to all the local ladies who have brought us the wonderful meals over the last week - Ms. Dianne, Chris, Susan, Laura, Barbie, and Theresa. We have found a truly welcoming community.

I have rambled enough. I will post again soon and hopefully it won't be so lengthy.

2008-07-22T20:58:00.003-05:00

A blogging we will go... Ok Suz, pick your jaw up off the floor! I heard it hit! I know this catches many of you off guard as I am usually the last to jump on board for these type of things. Believe it or not, I actually have a facebook page too! I am still not sure of exactly what I am doing or which way I am going with this, but I am going to give it a try. With so many changes happening right now, I thought no time like the present and hopefully an easy way to keep everyone informed. After all, what else do I have to do with my time right now ;)

If the last few months have not be chaotic, total chaos is about to ensue! If you have not been made aware of the many changes in our world this past year, I apologize. It certainly was not intentional. Now you have no excuse not to know (if it is posted, that is). The ball is in your court now! Frankie took a new job with Rexel Southern in Meridian, MS and started his new job last November. Believe it or not, the transition has actually gone quite smoothly - all things considered. In the spring we opted to build a house since we were unable to find one in the area we wanted to live in. I must brag on our builder - he told us 3-4 months and he will have us in it in less than 3 months from the day he poured the foundation. I promise that we have not sacrificed quality for the quick turn around. He has been great to work with. We are convinced that the Lord dropped him in our lap as He has also opened many other doors for us, only convincing us further that we are doing the right thing even if it is hard to believe some days. We officially close on the house next Monday. One week before construction started on our new house, we got a contract on our house in Columbus and closed on it less than a month later. Since then, we have been living with my parents. I know they will welcome the solitude of the "empty nest" once again next week even though they won't openly admit it ;). We will arrive in Meridian 1 week before school starts. Nothing like waiting to the last minute. But then again, what else would you expect from me? I will continue to work a couple of days a week to help cover a fellow employee's maternity leave through the first of September then I plan to be a full time stay at home mom with an occassional vacation relief (at my current job) thrown in. We are all excited but a little apprehensive about the upcoming changes.

Well, I guess I have rambled enough for my first post. I will try to keep you informed as we go. Our email and phone numbers (cell's) will stay the same. I will update you later with our address and other info. If I can ever figure out how to retrieve the picture I am looking for I will add a family pic. I will add some other pics soon. One step at a time!

Kristi