Disney Vacation!

We're back from vacation! Spencer and IV had a WONDERFUL time at Disney- we all did! I have to admit, I am whipped. I need a vacation from my vacation. We spent Saturday at Magic Kingdom, Sunday at MGM, Monday at Universal, Tuesday at Island of Adventure, Wednesday at Animal Kingdom, Thursday at Epcot and Friday at SeaWorld. Everyday was non-stop fun and I have about a thousand pictures to prove it!

Spencer and IV are over 48 inches now and could ride most of the big rides-- little dare devils rode EVERYTHING they were tall enough to get on! They love the roller coasters but their favorites were the water rides where they could get wet (my least favorite!) We had beautiful weather everyday -- we lucked up!

I am working on my scrapbook from this trip, so be warned, I am going to make you look at it if you come over !!!

Girls Weekend Away

We had another girls weekend away at the beach. A long weekend of Christmas shopping, lounging, and fun! My friend, Dee and I had our picture taken with Surfin' Santa--we were at the beach and the money went to a local charity so we decided it was ok to look goofy!

On a sad note, keep Spencer's Grampa Clarence in your thoughts and prayers. He is very sick right now.

As he shouted out with glee

To celebrate his great report card, I took Spencer to Build-A-Bear tonight to get the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer he has wanted since the catalog came out last month. Spencer had picked out the outfit, sound, collar, etc. so this was our FASTEST trip to Build-A-Bear ever! The sound module plays the Rudolph song and of course the nose lights up! This kid LOVES Christmas!

Finally!

Spencer finally tied his own shoes today!!! For the past year or so we have been trying to get him to learn how; but he gets frustrated so easily. Dad spent the past couple of days working with him and then last night we practiced over and over-- He finally got the perfect bow! He spent most of the evening tying IV's shoes for him...it was so sweet!

I did WHAT??!!! on November 4????

I put up my Christmas tree. That's right. You heard me. Don't judge me Earl! Spencer has begged for a week to put up the tree-- it is very important to him this year. I pick and choose my battles and this one I decided not to push back-- if it was this important to him, then I could put the tree up a few weeks earlier than normal. He was SO EXCITED. He orchestrated the entire evening-- he picked out new ornaments, he chose dinner (Papa Johns Pizza), he invited the family over--- my little guy had already made up his mind and there was no stopping him!
I have always LOVED Christmas, so I am thrilled that he has inherited this appreciation for the season. Getting ready for bed tonight, he reminded me that we need to get book presents for him to win playing "hide the pickle ornament" and he wants to make Christmas cookies with me for my Mobile Meals route folks... he is really in the Spirit! I love this little guy so much-- he can make you totally decorate the house a month early--while you are still snacking on Halloween candy-- and actually feel good about it!

I was tagged...

Robyn (aka Where's Jelly?) tagged me to post a question and tag 3 people. Robyn's question was where I would like to travel. Her question was great since that is something I have really been thinking about lately!
My question...Which magazines do you subscribe to?

When I was getting the recycling together yesterday, I realized I have a slight magazine addiction: Reader's Digest, Taste of Home, Simple and Delicious, Parents, Working Mother, Entertainment Weekly, Family Circle, The Week, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbooks Etc, Ranger Rick,...Okay- that last one is Spencer's so it shouldn't count against me!

..and I tag...Lesle, Kim and Leslie F!

Halloween 2007!

We had perfect Halloween weather this year! Warm enough to just wear a costume without jackets but a cool evening to feel like fall. Fall Festival at the church was fantastic-- Games, Hot Dog Supper, Cake Walk, Costume Contest, Hay Ride and Trunk or Treat. Spencer and IV rode the Hay ride three times this year!

Spencer and IV also had a Halloween party at their after school care. Spencer dressed as Dale Jr and IV as Jeff Gordon. For Fall Festival, Spencer switched into his Optimus Prime Costume--but he hated the mask. I tried to warn him....

Spencer received LOTS of goodies, of course!

Up for the Big Stinking Challenge!

Well the Jax girls came through... Check out their perfect Spam-o-lantern! I dared them, and they braved the slime and the smell. Do they know how to party or what?
Three big redneck cheers for Val, Jen and Christine! haha!

End of Fall Soccer

Tonight was our last game for fall soccer league. It wasn't the boys' best game, but we were still very proud of them. We finally had both of them well at the same time, and they just couldn't get a break. IV is a scrappy little player and spends as much time rolling around the field as he does running-- he is fun to watch. Spencer is all business-- he is serious and gets flustered when he makes a mistake. He accidently punted the ball into the face of his own teammate tonight and it really embarrassed him--poor kid!
The cutest thing happened on the sideline after the game. The guy from the YMCA wasn't there to give the team awards and I told the kids that they will have to get their awards later. One little boy piped up and pointed to his leg (clearly misunderstanding me) and volunteered, "I already got my warts taken off at the doctor's office last week!!" I was going to explain AWARDS not WARTS, but I was laughing too hard!
We took the boys for pizza after the game to celebrate their fine season and to congratulate them for being great team players. They want to play indoor soccer over the winter and then regular soccer will pick back up this Spring.

Spooky Decor!

Spencer made a Halloween wall hanging-- check out his stormy night and skeleton. I know it is supposed to be ULTRA SPOOKY-- but it cracked me up! He is so funny!

Pumpkin Carving 2007

Tonight was our annual Pumpkin Craving party! This is the first year Spencer wanted to CARVE a pumpkin-- he is usually content with stickers, paint, etc. This year--he was set on a cat...gee big surprise! I helped him top his pumpkin and Jimmy helped him gut it. Spencer pricked the template into the pumpkin skin all on his own and we carved it together. I was impressed with how well he did!
Jimmy made chicken fajitas and Melissa made her Witches brew and we all had a wonderful dinner together! Our pumpkins looked great lit up on the porch!

Another First

Spencer and IV played their first board game alone together. It was so cute. They set up the SpongeBob Life board. Spencer helped IV with reading the cards, counting the money and they were being so sweet taking turns and enjoying the game. About 5 minutes after I took this picture...all hell broke loose. They started accusing each other of cheating and whining to me. They got about 3/4 through the game--I guess that is a record!

Psst-- hey Jax girls....

I triple dog dare you to try this!

Walking WIth Dinosaurs

We went to see Walking with Dinosaurs...and it was awesome! It was very "discovery channel"-ish and taught you all about the dinos with H-U-G-E animal-tronic dinos that acted out everything as they taught you. It was so cool! The dinos hatched, ate, walked, fought, even pooped on stage! We bought tickets mainly for Spencer and IV, but ALL OF US enjoyed the entire show!!! Nana and Boppa bought Spencer and IV T-shirts-- Spencer's shirt has a big Dinosaur eye on the front staring right at you. He loves it! Spencer also got a show program and a stuffed torosaurus. The program had color copies of the story and some of the dialogue/history. Spencer used his seat light and looked at the program all the way home!

Spencer Checked up on Nana

Mom has been hacking ever since we got home from Seabrook-- the humidity was killer. Well she finally called the doctor today and said, enough is enough--and sure enough-- it is pneumonia. Respiratory infections are rampant around here-- if you follow my blog, both Spencer and IV have been sick lately. IV is finally better and now Nana is sick. When Spencer came home from school today, I told him Nana has pneumonia but they are not keeping her at the hospital, she will have yucky medicines and will come home and rest for a few days-- it was NOTHING I could do to stop him from going to her. Since she wasn't feverish/not contagious, I let him go to her house. He HAD to see her. We had dinner with her and poor Nana could barely eat because Spencer was loving all over her the entire time. But she never complained, of course :-)

The Office

I am still laughing over last week's episode. I LOVE this show! I was talking about it with some friends tonight and we knew more quotes from the past two episodes.... It's going to be a fun season!

Spencer rocks!

Spencer had the most awesome soccer game of his life tonight! Of course, none of Mommy's pictures turned out (it was really hazy here tonight and I was doing more cheering than photography!) but let me tell you- Little man was on fire. He played two quarters at goalie-- total shut-out. He had diving saves, fast stops, deep punts and quick reflexes that made his coach (Auntie) scream with joy! At one point,(Spencer's big diving double roll stop) Melissa even did a goofy little on field dance! She was SO proud of him! Spencer ended up with a scraped up knee, but it didn't bother him once the other kids started saying-- "Wow! Cool save! You're even Bleeding!"
He sat out 3rd quarter to rest up, then played sweeper 4th quarter. His offense was as aggressive and sharp as his defense. He was fast, tonight!
After the game he was congratulated by many parents, teammates, even some of the parents from the opposing team and the team official. Auntie was so proud, that she is going to buy him special goalie gloves for the next game. I took him for his favorite pizza and we talked about the game for the next hour or so! He was proud of himself and it was so cute to hear his half-embarrassed/half-proud retelling of his game!

The only bad part about the evening was missing little IV. He is home in bed with walking pneumonia. Poor little guy is really sick!

Ending the Summer

We had our last pool party today and celebrated October birthdays for Jimmy, Brenda M, Laura and Will. The pool water was 85 degrees and we had a beautiful day! Everyone came over around 2 and we munched on the appetizers (we had enough for a small army!) all afternoon and hung out by the pool. We fired up the grill later on this evening and had burgers, dogs and brats.

The birthday folks all got nice gifts. Laura was loaded down in Bratz dolls; Will got trains, trucks and toys; Jimmy received lots of iTunes gift cards and Brenda M got mostly craft supplies! The birthday cake had INTENSE blue icing and the rest of the evening was devoted to stupid smurf jokes since everyone's lips, tongues, teeth and fingers were stained blue!

We always have a huge crowd over and today was no different. But don't worry, just because we are closing the pool for the season, doesn't mean we are ending the parties! The kids have too much fun, and all of us really enjoy the relaxation of just sitting around and chatting. Besides, the holidays are right around the corner....

Starring Spencer and IV

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!
Check out the little Hula-gans!

Dixie Classic Fair 2007

My brother has the camera so it might be a bit before I can get pictures from tonight on the blog, but we all went to the FAIR tonight! We had a blast! We got there early enough so the boys got the "all you can ride" arm bands and they sure got their $$ worth! They were tall enough this year to ride many of the "big boy" rides and they smiled from ear to ear as the slid, soared, twirled, spun, zoomed, raced, bumped, dropped etc. through the park! Once they got a taste of the big rides, there was no going back to the "kiddie" side of the fair! Their favorite ride this year was the Drop Zone--where they are launched straight up and then dropped down quickly. They couldn't wait to race back to get in line and ride it again! I was a little worried it would be too scary but I guess not....

Fair food is as much a tradition as going to the fair itself. Roasted corn, Funnel cakes, fried snickers bar, candy apples, fresh squeezed lemonades, etc. At any given time *one* of us was standing in line at a food vendor (usually my Dad)...

One of the highlights from tonight was watching Spencer on the Bungee Jumper. It is $7 for 3 minutes and he has always enjoyed doing it every year at the Fair. This year, he was AMAZING. He was getting EXTREME air and cutting flips like a pro. When we walked up, no one was in line. The timer went off on Spencer's jump and the guy let Spencer jump for free for another round because he had drawn such a crowd to watch his antics. Watching a small six year old springing so high in the air and cutting flips frontwards and backwards in succession was pretty cool! After Spencer finished--a pretty good sized crowd had gathered to watch-clapped for him and there was a line about 20 people long to jump! He was great for business! One lady asked me if he was enrolled in gymnastics--hahah! Nope--just a goofball with $7 at a Fair!

My favorite part of the evening was at the petting zoo. Of course all the animals are tagged. Spencer surveys the lot of pygmy goats and asks, "Mommy, Are they for sale?" I tell him no. Then he innocently asks, "Well then why do they all have price tags on their ears?"

As their bed time approached, we left the fair. We knew the boys would fall asleep on the drive home so we were prepared to let them ride home in pajamas and fall on to sleep. What we weren't prepared for was IV's exiting swansong.. a three minute vomit in the middle of the fair walkway. He always vomits when he is tired. As soon as we crawled in the van, IV fell asleep. Spencer defiantly refused to fall asleep until we stopped and got him a happy meal. He was STARVED. (Did I mention I am still pumping him full of steroids???) He ate his little burger and fell on to sleep.. and I know he is dreaming about all the rides because he was just giggling in his sleep!

Update on Norm

My Norm was very sick this past April, then he got better. Then he got sick again in July and now he is finally putting some weight back on and seems better. I just thought I would post a picture and give a BIG THANKS to my vet friend Brenda in Montana for all the FREE advice for my fur baby! At least I know the right things to discuss with my vet and what is normal and what isn't for a psychotic 15.5 year old kitty! He is still old and frail, but at least I feel like I am doing the right things!

What a difference another day makes!

Spencer is on the mend! Being a mean Mommy this past week and keeping him on bed rest has paid off. He was able to play a little soccer today (goal keeper--no running!) and a little baseball today! He was moved up to the 7-8 year old baseball league and did very well- I was so proud of him!

Soccer was a planned activity but the baseball game was unexpected-- we were talking with the YMCA about possibly moving IV and Spencer to the next league and the next thing I know, they hand us a Braves hat and shirt and put him out on the field! He was sick all week and I was afraid he would be weak, but he played like a champ!

I was really feeling good about my decision to play him up until I saw how much bigger the other kids are, and then I saw how rough they were horse playing in the dugout, and then...gasp... one of the almost nine year olds had the mouth of a sailor with tourettes!! Am I ready for my little guy to be exposed to these ball-playing hoodlums? hahah! I guess I will plant my foldy chair near the dugout, wield a cattle prod and run interference for the rest of the season :-)

Being sick has ups and downs...

Spencer is still battling the infections. He is sick enough to have very limited activity but well enough to enjoy the extra treats and attention. Boppa surprised him with flowers and a stuffed doggy. Mommy bought him a Transformer and a little cell phone toy that makes the most annoying sound ever (what was Mommy thinking????)

Then I turned into BAD MOMMY because I wouldn't let him play baseball tonight. It was worse because I made him dress-out and show up for the team picture and then when his team took the field, he had to take his little asthmatic self to the bleachers. I wouldn't even let him sit in the dugout with the dust. I am officially the meanest Mom ever.

When we got home, I put together his new Richard Petty Radio Controlled Car (another Get Well perk....) and when you turn the car on it automatically goes in reverse. You have to press and steer to drive forward. Because it started going in reverse, my super logical son boomed, "Mommy! You put the batteries in backwards!" Nice, huh?

My Poor Little Spencer...

My poor little guy is SICK. I took him to the doctor Monday to find out he had an Upper Respiratory Infection. He stayed home from school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I thought he was better today (no fever this morning) so he went to school--- well-- that didn't stick, they called and said, "He is feverish and hacking. Come get him!" So we went back to the doctor today. He still has the Respiratory Infection and added an ear infection, has lost a pound and a half since Monday, wheezing his little asthmatic self crazy, etc. So we loaded back down in meds and hopefully we can get him well over the weekend.

I am exhausted from the sleepless nights and he is going all exorcist on me with the projectile vomitting (I do paint a lovely picture don't I?)

But look at this picture from tonight... he fell asleep getting a breathing treatment and looks so sweet. Even though around his eyes are dark from being sick, he still looks like a baby when he sleeps and it just melts my heart.

What am I doing blogging? I should be napping with him!!!! In the mean time, please send some healing thoughts Spencer's way!

Girly Girl Weekend

I am back from my Girly Girl weekend! Mom, Melissa (my sister-in-law) and our friend Julie and I spent a long weekend at Seabrook Island, SC scrapbooking our little hearts out. The scrapbooking was fun but the oceanfront humidity and "lovebugs" I could have done without-ha! We had breaks for manicures, pedicures, massages, gourmet meals... total luxury! Oh and I won lots of prizes-- my favorite was winning the "Best Creative Journaling" on a page/layout for my Spam and Mountain Dew party with the Jax girls!

On the way down, we stopped to tour a tea plantation outside of Charleston--very interesting! On the way home, we stopped by Kiawah Island for some shopping.

The humidity flared up my sinus/allergies and asthma-but it was still a wonderful trip. I also came home to a feverish little Spencer, chest cold, tummy ache, all the works-- so I took him to the doctor today. I think this same virus is running through his school right now so we will just have to keep him in bed for another day or so!

It stinks to come back from vacation sick, but I had such a wonderful time that it was worth it!

Go Raptors!

Today was our first soccer game. We didn't score today but Spencer and IV both played very well! I was so proud of my little guys!

Mystery solved!

My RAK from the elusive Sandra was solved-- I now know WHICH Sandra sent me the wonderful gift. I am truly blessed and can I just say that I LOVE my job! Sure, you might hear me moan about a project here or there, but the little things that pop up every now and then make me truly thankful to be working where I can have friends, champions, mentors, and managers--and sometimes....that can be the same person.

A well timed RAK...

So yesterday had challenges, but today was nice. I received a wonderful Random Act of Kindness. My Irish Grandmother would have been proud-- this particular RAK came with a Shamrock charm and blessing (each petal of the Shamrock brings wishes for good health, luck and happiness) plus I received shamrock seeds to reap what I sow-- a garden of reminders-- just what I need.

This WONDERFUL gift came from Sandra...but which Sandra??-- I know two. I am not sure if either Sandra has any idea just how timely this act of kindness happened to present itself today or how touching the charm and verse is to me. I hope to reach out tomorrow and offer my most sincere thank you. In the mean time, I wanted to share this with you, my friends and family. If you haven't reached out in a random act of kindness lately, I encourage you to do so-- you never know just how powerful your gesture will be.

Carolina Kids Club Day: Women's Soccer

We had an AWESOME day at the Carolina Kid's club! We started off with a good breakfast and made an entire day full of events, shopping and fun! It was HOT HOT HOT at the game--even with coats of SPF 50, we all got too much sun! But Carolina beat Yale 4-0 and the players were in a fantastic mood for the meet and greet/autograph session after the game. I think IV met his match with the all the "flirts"-- I have never seen him so shy! The kids club had pizza, drinks, Coldstone Creamery icecream, water bottles, posters, etc. for the kids.

Spencer had an awesome time shopping for new stuff for his room. We are redoing his room from a Looney Tunes theme to a Carolina theme. We found all kinds of treasures today!

Happy Grandparents Day 2007

Spencer was SO excited about giving Nana and Boppa their grandparents day presents this morning! He wrapped them himself--and even wrapped their card! He presented their gifts with lot of hugs and kisses! I loved the little card he made for them!

Soccer practice

Soccer season has begun! Spencer got all new equipment and hit the field totally ready. His foot grew another size and a half and we had to buy all new shoes since two months ago--these little growth spurts seem to always come just when you buy new clothes and/or shoes!

I tell ya- I don't know how Lucy coaches that team. Kids that age are a mess- but every field had the same mix of kids so I guess it is their age.

You have 1 or 2 kids that are generally good and listen to the coach.
Then you have the one little boy that is the "flirt" that does everything he can to get attention from the little girls. On this team it just happens to be my nephew IV. He even bought a PINK soccer ball just so the little girls would want to play with him.
Then you have at least 2 Momma's babies on the team that run to the sidelines every 30 seconds with a new issue.
Then the team brat-- the one that REFUSES to listen to the coach, makes life hell for the other kids and, of course, his Dad stays on his cell the entire time and totally ignores the fact that his kid is on the verge of dethroning Satan.
Then you have one twirler/tumbler on the team-- the kid that really should be in dance or gymnastics but her parents put her in soccer...the one twirling and doing cartwheels on the field the entire time....
And last but not least...the crier. The one that clings to mommy and cries the entire time refusing to participate.
Yep-- That's the 5-6 year old soccer league at our local YMCA folks. Grab a foldy chair and watch the fun. While the other parents are signing up to bring juice boxes for the kids, maybe I should sign up to bring Valium for the coach....

Happy Labor Day 2007!

We had a wonderful Labor Day party filled with fun! The line between family and friends is so blurry, it is just like having one big family at the house most of the time! Instead of the traditional Labor Day cookout, we opted to do a big spaghetti dinner since we have been grilling out all summer. I made a huge pot of sauce and slow cooked it all day. We swam, rode 4 wheelers, then had drinks by the pool late into the evening and laughed until our sides hurt! The kids had a blast playing together.

My brother invented a new litmus test for drunkeness (insert sarcastic roll of eyes here)-- at the last party, he dumped a bucket of ice water off the deck onto Barry (to check reflexes of course!)--This party, he used the long, electric lighter thing we use for candles and snuck up behind Barry and set his arm hair on fire. It smelled SO BAD. Burned hair smells foul!--but here is the kicker-- while the rest of us see Jimmy light Barry up and smell the foul odor-- poor drunk Barry just sits there, doesn't feel a thing and matter of factly declares that the kitchen trash stinks. Uhmm... nope buddy--that smell is all you! Of course the FLAMING jokes were just starting....

Some more pictures:
Julie and Laura 4-wheelin
Mike with his birthday cake
and Barry poolside with Alex (Yes, Alex comes to all the pool parties, she loves the warm air, fresh foods, loud noises and all the attention!)

Blur on two wheels

Spencer spent most of the day riding the trails! A big boy now with new gears, no training wheels and speed that worries a poor mommy..... Boppa can keep up with him but I have trouble keeping up with Little S(granted, I am not exactly a speed demon on the 4 wheeler but I have been known to scare the bejeesus out of Boppa a time or two-haha!) If I ever complain about living in the country, I need to remind myself about how wonderful a day like today was--open air, lots of land and winding trails that keep the entire family having fun!

Happy Caturday!

Just had to share this picture of Kim's furbaby, Baxter, and my little guy--don't they both have the best smile????. Spencer had the best playdate ever last Caturday with Baxter! (photo by K.Salyer)