Something beautiful this morning

Not that I didn't have enough guilt that the other morning one of my three beautiful things wasn't about Caleb...
That morning we had butted heads over a missing vocabulary book and a messy room. So, that was not one of my beautiful things that day....

And then Sam has to come along and make a comment that I left Caleb out....one day you will understand Sammy... anyway....

This morning...my beautiful thing...
Sitting up at the bar eating breakfast with my little man, who asked, "Can I sit next to you today, Mommy?"

Three beautiful things...

Smallworld asked...so I will answer...
What is beautiful in my life?

-My little Bekah girl reading anything and everything now. She reads my emails as I type them, signs, books...I am so proud of her.

-My Elisa, who is four, but will be five in three short weeks. She is my baby....but today came out in a dress that I have had for two years (it's a size 3 and had yet to fit her) Not only did it fit, with a matching hat...we had a fun time outside taking pictures for her birthday invitations...that is, until she got a little cold without tights on...

-My afghan from my mom. She made this a few years ago when she and my dad were out of town for almost six months so they could take care of his aunt. She picked out colors to match my living room, but I love it on top of my comforter on a cold night to help keep me warm.

What is beautiful in your life today?

Homeschool Memoirs #10: 10 timely facts...

I am very late in doing this this week, mainly because.... I have had a cold and I haven't felt like blogging, and because all I have done lately is blow my nose and couldn't find anything interesting about myself. But, as I sit here on this rainy day and have nothing to do...well don't feel like it anyway...I have made list of some interesting things...here goes..

1. I love to dance...I dance anywhere and everywhere I can and one day hope to learn how to "Riverdance"
2. I love Sushi, and could probably eat it every day.
3. I also love gymnastics, and when I was 13, I got to do an exhibition with Peter Vidmar, who was a member of the 1984 Olympic gold medal men's gymnastics team.
4. I wanted to be a nurse all my life... Until my senior year of high school, when my mom talked me out of it saying the profession wasn't what it used to be. (she was a nurse) Instead, surprisingly enough, I studied communications, and wanted to be a sports broadcaster.
5. I really want to deliver a baby some day, and can't get enough of baby shows.
6. I am very loud...Mike makes fun of my laugh and says the neighbors at the end of the street can hear me...
7. I have a crush on Zac Efron from High School Musical. Mike knows this and makes fun of me. Bekah once put one of her baseball cards of him on my night stand...I'm thinking this has gone too far...
8. I love crafty things. In the past, I have loved scrapbooking and stamping. Right now, it is vinyl lettering, which you rub onto your walls and makes such a great way to decorate.
9. I love to sleep in...and I turn on the Disney channel before I go to be, so when my kids wake up, they have their electronic babysitter until I am ready to roll out of bed...you don't have to tell me what a great mom I am...I already know!
10. I gave up sugar a year ago after I kept seeing it grow and grow in my stomach...I am a little too obsessed with how my jeans fit...

So..there you have it...a little bit more about me...

The big night...

The kids and I have been waiting for this since last August...since we saw High School Musical 2....

Today it has arrived, High School Musical 3 in the theater!

Now, I feel like, well, crap, and I have done very little this week with school, no energy for finding out 10 interesting things to blog about me, and we skipped a field trip today, but we will head out tonight for our family date to see High School Musical...

Two flower girls and a ring bearer...

Last January my friend, Jenny and I got together for our not so annual birthday dinner. We were both born on January 13, just 11 years apart. I don't remember when we became friends, we just did, and we like to celebrate our birthdays, at some point, together.

She had just gotten engaged, and we had fun talking about weddings and her dress. I joked with her and asked if I could be her flower girl. She laughed and said, "well ever since I met you, and Caleb was little, I told my mom I wanted him to be my ring bearer when I got married, and then you had two little girls, and want them to be my flower girls." I was so excited, because I had always wanted to be a flower girl, but never was.

This past Friday was the wedding. We rehearsed on Thursday night. The wedding was at the Bleak house, a historic house in Knoxville. It was so beautiful there, and a beautiful evening. The next day was overcast all day, but about 30 minutes before the wedding was to begin, the sun came out and it was amazing. My eyes teared up as...ok, well as my kids came down the aisle so sweetly. And again as I saw Jenny and Larry.

It was exhausting, to say the least. And the incredibly cute shoes I chose to wear ended up putting the biggest blister on the side of my foot, and I still can't walk very well. But it was so special to be a part of all this...so here are a few of my pictures, much to the photographers dismay who told me "you can go to my web site and look at the ones I took, then you can buy them..." Oh well, mine aren't too shabby. Mike told me I should have told her, "and you can go to my blog and view mine, for free."

Here are my little sweeties, getting ready to leave for the wedding, and looking so beautiful!

This is the top of the aisle, which was at the top of a hill...

Here is the beautiful bride, now Jenny Ray.

All the girls...one of my favorite things about this wedding is they all wore flip flops...why wasn't I that smart?

Ok, this one loaded sideways, and since the computer it is loaded on isn't doing so hot...this is as good as it gets right now...so...my girlies and their baskets...

And the most handsome ring bearer...I had to back off on pictures when the photographer got snippy with me, so I didn't get too much of the guys....but I am free to take as many of this guy as I want!

Talk at the house...

A few things Bekah is saying to Elisa at this moment.
"Come on, Elisa, let's read the Bible to our suffed animals. Let's read Genesis, Genesis is the best." Elisa says, "Genesis?" and Bekah says, "Yeah, you know the first book of the Bible. In the beginning...."and she goes on the read the first chapter of the Bible to Elisa...
"Now do you want me to read out of Luke?" "No," says Elisa...."Just a little bit?" asks Bekah... "OK."
This is a milestone, let me tell you...not that she is reading the Bible, but that she is willingly reading. On her own. And not complaining...

Earlier today, Bekah said, "Mommy, what was the other state we learned about yesterday? New Hamster?"

Fall Festival....

Last year I posted how I love our annual Foothills Fall Festival. How it is something the kids and I look forward to every year. How I love that they perform their gymnastics and dance skills with Tumblebears.....and then Mike had to work. Again. For the third year in a row. I am thinking he has caught on to the craziness earlier than I have, and is starting to plan his schedule to include working this weekend....

I started out Friday with my friend Joy, and her three kids, who are all friends with mine. Now, I have to say that while this is the FALL Festival, it never fails to be the hottest weekend in the fall. While we did have a good time, you take six kids who want to go in at least three different directions with two moms and no dads...and it makes for a long time waiting in lines, keeping those waiting happy, and trying to keep them cool while paying $2.00 for water.

Caleb found a jousting game he wanted to play, but when he asked Ezra if he would play him, Ez said no. So with tears in his eyes, he looks at me and says , "guess I wont get to do this until next year." So, with tears in mine, (for not wanting to do this) I say, "I will do it with you." So I put on this huge outfit, and to top it off, they add an extra weight to the top of my head. I will say it was fun to do this with Caleb, and I thought "He better remember this the next time he says I don't do anything for him." I did smoke him in the game...and looked fondly on it until I read Sarah's facebook where Leigh had left a message saying "Ewww, hope you didn't let your kids put any helmets on." That's when my head started itching. I keep telling myself we were the first ones to use those outfits.

The rest of the day was fun, but so exhausting, and much grumbling and fighting on the way home. That was before I even HAD to be there because of my job teaching gymnastics and any of the kids performances.

I didn't think it could be hotter than last year, where everyone had burn marks on their bodies from the sun melting the mats they were tumbling on. This year, it was feet that were burned. I no sooner showed up when my co-workers showed me their bright red knees and feet. Let me just say, hours in the sun watching, spotting, and leading gymnastics, equals tired and grumpy instructors, and more whiny children who would rather be going on "the rides."

The highlight...and there is one...my girls started a new class this year called cheer gym. (they both thought they were too big for my tippy toe and tumble class) Anyway, they were so cute doing their cheers for the Vols, and dancing to High School Musical, Elisa being the one they lifted up for the stunt. My other highlight...I led the little girls I teach to the song Dancing Queen (one of my favorites ever) (and my girls said they wished they knew we were dancing to this song...they would have joined us...)

(Side note....when my desktop is feeling better, I have great pictures to add....until then, I need to add a photo program to the lap top, or you will just have to visualize my jousting, lice infested outfit!)

Homeschool Memoirs #1...Study Spot

For the past three years, I have homeschooled in : the dining room, Caleb's room, the kitchen table, the living room, and anywhere else where we could squeeze. It was maddening trying to find pencils and math books every morning, not to mention where I last left the history book.

But not this year! We have been very blessed to moved into a wonderful house with a lot of room and an extra room in our basement that "could be used as a second kitchen" (so our realtor told us) She must not have realized the need for a school room.

This room is where so much of our schooling gets done. (Caleb does like to sneak off to his room since the girls occasionally "distract him") I did have bigger plans for it this summer, putting in new lights, a fun wall color, some art....none of which got done, but I did ,after all, just move. None of that really bothers me right now, because when I grab my coffee in the morning, sometimes dressed, sometimes still in my p.j.'s, I walk down to that room and know exactly where my books are. I know where their pencils are, and all their workbooks are put in their baskets on a shelf....and did I mention the built in shelves that were already in place?

This may not look organized....but everything is according to subject. These were built in by the original owners who grew grapes and made their own wine, so they were wine racks, but must have been thinking about a homeschool family who desperately needed shelving for all these books.

I had never heard of Strawberry Rhubarb wine before...

Mike about fell over when I had it all up. "Where did you have all that at the old house?" he said. "Oh, a little bit here, a little bit there." I have been banned for awhile from curriculum fairs...

I love this room...it may have no windows, but really has kept my temper in check in the morning and has helped with my sanity...This has been my favorite year of homeschooling.

Who is running this household?

Mike is off for most of this week, so that means he gets to run errands for me while I am lovingly teaching our children here :) Today I needed him to go to the post office and walmart for just a few, and I mean few things on my list. The thing about sending Mike on these ventures is, he comes home with many things that aren't on my list, like a new movie or two, or a new Wii game...

Elisa axed, I mean asked if she could go with him today. So, the two left, after Mike told me there would be no extra movies. Now, when I get the grand opportunity to take my kids to Walmart, I do try to avoid aisles with things I don't want in my house, or things I don't want them to eat. I need to train my Mike(y) better....he was on the aisle with the fruit snacks. These in themselves are not so bad, in fact, since they say "fruit" on them, I get pumped because Bekah won't eat fruit, but will eat fruit snacks. OK , not the same thing...

Anyway, I have kept these out of the house since Elisa has had problems with her teeth, and her dentist had said not to have chewy things because of the caps in the back. Oh, and they are filled with sugar. So, Mike is with Elisa and she asks for some and he says, "NO." She really wanted the princess ones and Mike said, "but Caleb won't like to have princess ones." She picks them up anyway, along with some hotwheel fruit snacks for Caleb. And Mike says, "what makes you think we are getting those?" To which she says, "because I have decided we are."

My kids are happily eating Princess and Hotwheel fruit snacks after lunch today...

A Brave weekend...

This weekend I got the chance to get away with my friend, Gina, and go to a women's retreat in Lexington, KY. The theme was Brave Women. The reason I wanted to go is because I had been reading this amazing blog , Bring the Rain,since the summer. My friend Joy told me about it, and said to read it with a lot of kleenex. Angie Smith, the writer/ blogger/woman who writes it started the blog when she found out last January the baby she was carrying was terminal. This blog is a testimony of her faith, and a huge encouragement to me this summer, as I was longing for my own baby that I had miscarried earlier this year. All I can say is, read it, you will love it and her...
Anyway, she was speaking at this retreat and I just really wanted to go. So I did.

Pretty much there were the women of Southland Christian Church there, and me and Gina. (who were feeling a bit stalker-ish by going...and we did end up meeting a few more stalkers there) I did get to meet and talk with Angie, and let her know while I did feel like a stalker, I was so glad to meet her. Turns out she likes that people stalk her blog...so no harm done.

What I didn't expect from this weekend was everything else I got from it. I can't write down all I learned and loved about this weekend, but I can say it was comforting to my soul. Comforting that so many women are going through storms, and I am not the only one. Comforting to know I am not alone in the storm I am in...and learning that there really is joy in every circumstance, and if I could just choose to be joyful....well, then I can make it through this and any other storm...

And I had a great weekend with Gina. I got to learn more about her, and really hear her heart about the storms in her life. It was real refreshing to get away, and to drink a lot of Starbucks (it's really nice when your friend gets her discount there)

Of course, I had to come home to girls who were filthy (thank you Diane!) and exhausted, and weepy, and hungry, and whiny.....and a little boy who had spent his day looking for pot, I mean pottery....sometimes I wonder if it pays off to get away when you come home to everyone grumpy and tired....but it was worth it, especially since I did get to meet Angie and ask her about her pirate panties...

A few words from Caleb...

I don't get many "Caleb-isms," as I call them, any more. Caleb reads anything and everything he can, so, he doesn't give me many "cute" words or stories like he used to...basically because I think he knows more than I do about many things....anyway, this week I got two good ones from him...

We were on our way to Monday Fun last week and he wanted to get his family tree filled in for Cub scouts, which meets this week...I have no idea where this child got this because Mike and I fully believe in waiting until the last minute to do anything....anyway, so, eight days early he is asking me how to spell Grandma Lacy's name and Papa Lacy's name, and then his great grand parents names...and I said, "What about my mom and dad? Do you know their names?" "Yes,"he said." Ok, well did you write them down?" "Yes," he said. "How did you spell them?" Now, I asked this because many people don't put the e in the middle of my mom's name, and I just want to know. He said, ..D-o-n...and ...R-o-s-e(I am so proud) a-n-t..Roseant.

I was away this weekend, so my kids were scattered at friends houses. Caleb went to Duncan's and had a wonderful time...Duncan being one of his very best friends. You never know what these two will get into, but I wasn't expecting this....
On the way home I asked what he did, and as he is telling me of his adventures he says, "and Miss Sarah took us on a long walk so we could look for more pot."
Now, I am really tired after driving that afternoon, but I am pretty sure this is what I heard and I am laughing...and Gina is in the back with the girls trying not to laugh. I said, "pot?" He said, "yeah mom, you know, as in pottery." Oh, "Well, Caleb, pot and pottery are actually two very different things." To which he says, "so, what is pot?" Well..."that is for for another time....glad you had a lot of fun...."

It is done...

I have never been more thankful that I don't post as much as Smallworld, than I am at this moment...after one week....my blog is transferred, and I am officially a blogspot blogger...Whoo hoo!!
It has been really fun looking over my posts from the last year and a half and having a place to remember what it is I have forgotten. Some made me laugh...others made me cry...but this is my life and my journey...and each memory is a gift...

Ramblings...

I have been so busy trying to move my blog over from homeschool blogger, that I haven't had time..or at least taken the time to write anything new....here are some of my rambles...

~Bekah came up to me this morning, after having lost a tooth yesterday and said "Mommy the tooth fairy forgot to come." Whoops...I forgot after being out last night and then meeting my parents at the airport. I told her "that happened to me once too....I think I got two extra quarters." That was good enough for her.

~Today after bootcamp I was on my way home and had Duncan with me. It was just Elisa and I at bootcamp since the other two had dentist appointments. Now, Duncan is really Caleb's friend, and his age, but Duncan has a soft spot for Elisa. It started, I think, when Sarah would watch Elisa for me once a week so I could take Bekah to mommy and me gymnastics classes...about 4 years ago. Anyway, Sarah and I have decided Duncan and Elisa will get married. He winks at her in church, and even today at walmart, they walked around like the best of friends. He even carried her new swimsuit for her to the cashier...and then leaned on her shoulder while waiting to check out. I thought "I never want to forget this...what if they really do end up married...?"

~I saw my parents last night for the first time in over two months...which is really strange since they live here....but, when they were on vacation in WA state, my dad had a heart attack, and a quadruple bypass...so they have been staying with Amy since August. It was so go to see them last night, if only for a few minutes, but the best thing of all was....my dad had to give up smoking, which he has done for the last 50 years...and for the first time, my dad didn't stink, he looked great and healthy, even after open heart surgery. Weird, I know, but I didn't have to hold my breath when going to give him a hug.

I must now attempt a nap...and then on to transferring over my blog more, and reloading all the pictures I previously moved over...don't ask...it will just further prove how computer illiterate I am...