Georgia Therapy Mom

2012-01-29T20:44:00.000-05:00

It's the beginning of a new year of Service Sunday! Here's the problem, church is now from 12:30-3:30pm which makes it slightly more difficult since we don't have as much time after church. So...we may have to make some changes for 2012.

A few weeks ago as I was asking Abby what we should do she said, "Why do we always have to do service for people? Why can't we do it for dogs?"

So, yesterday we went to our local animal shelter to give service to some dogs by taking them for a walk or just by loving on them.

Here is the puppy room - Abby's favorite! The puppies couldn't be walked outside or be put on the ground so we just had to hold them and snuggle them.

Here is Abby holding one of the MANY pit bull puppies that have been dropped off at the shelter.

Todd and Abby walked a cute little dachshund for a walk. His owner dropped him off.

Sam & I chose to walk this little Pomeranian dog. Not sure what his story was. He was very busy!

We walked through the main part of the shelter and there was a Doberman just dying for some attention. He would stick his paws under the gate just trying to get me to pet him. I decided I would take him for a walk and it was crazy! He pulled me around like I was nothing and it was difficult to put him back. Poor guy.

This dog, "Jeremy," nearly came home with us and I'm still struggling with him being in that cage. He was such a sweetheart and would not let us go. He just loved on Sam and didn't want him to get up. He just wanted to be loved so badly.

I can hardly stand it! I kept thinking all day...Ok, could I handle another dog? The food, the shedding, the poop? Just look at that face!! He was literally hugging Sam and didn't want him to leave. Ugh!

It was a fun little service project other than Abby losing one of her opal earrings in the grass.

And as a public service message:

Please spay and neuter your pets!!

16 and counting...

2012-01-27T17:26:00.000-05:00

So...what to do for our 16th Anniversary?

Do what any normal Southern couple would do...

Go shooting guns!

Todd took the morning off and we went to Stoddard's Gun Range and shot the Glock and the shotgun. Now, I've never shot a shotgun before and once was certainly enough for me.

We are hopeful that our NRA membership card arrives in the mail soon.

After we exhausted all our ammo, we went to the bagel place for a quick lunch then I was off to Sam's school for a parent meeting. We got a sitter, got Thai food for dinner and went to see the movie "Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud" and it was really great.

Happy Anniversary!

How did we survive....

2012-01-25T22:11:00.002-05:00

pan·ic

noun

1. a sudden overwhelming fear, with or without cause, that produces hysterical or irrational behavior, and that often spreads quickly through a group of persons or animals.

2. an instance, outbreak, or period of such fear.

Last night I had to take Abby to choir practice. I left at 6:15pm to get to the church by 6:30pm and am to pick her up at 7:10pm. So overall, I was gone for a little over an hour.

I forgot my phone.

What? What will I do? What if someone needs to call me or email me or text me or "hey tell" me? Will the world end in the next hour? I have no idea because I DON'T HAVE MY PHONE!

How is it that we've become so dependent on a phone, albeit a Smart Phone? I remember in the olden days where I would send Sam (you know, the one with special needs!) off to school and run errands and there was no way to get a hold of me. If someone called, I'd have to wait til I got home to check caller ID. If someone had left me a message, I would just have to wait til I checked the answering machine. GASP! I remember being stuck in the ER for 15 hours with 3 year old Sam and 3 week old Abby and I had to use a wall phone!

How did we ever get along without our cell phones? Did our life have less purpose back then? Why are we so consumed with being "available" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year?

I'd kind of like to have a balance between "the good old days" and "nowadays". I'm actually the type who turns off the cell phone at night. Crazy, I know! I know some people who sleep with their iphones (I will not name and names, you know who you are).

I just don't want to be so connected all the time.

I still like to tell my kids...."I remember when we didn't have cell phones" or the classic line, "I didn't get a cell phone til I was 30!"

That was only just last year you know...

Newest members of the NRA

2012-01-22T19:15:00.000-05:00

Todd has wanted a handgun for awhile and managed to find someone who would sell him a gun for a couple of hundred dollars less than normal if it's sold to a police officer or a paramedic. So, Todd called his friend Kevin, who is a paramedic, and got himself a gun at a discount.

He got a Glock 26. Whatever that means.

Todd wants me to be familiar with the gun and learn to shoot it in case someone were to break in. The only problem is that the gun is up so high, I can't even reach it!

We went to our local indoor gun range and practiced. It was scary to me to be handling so much power! I can't believe that there are punk kids running around with guns in their pockets!

I was very ~~methodical~~ slow in my loading, aiming & shooting. Just a note to the burglar who tries to enter my house....don't worry, just grab stuff and go...I've got to make sure I am totally ready.

Not too shabby for my first time shooting a gun.

I'm still trying to figure out which Charlie's Angel I want to be.

It was a good experience but I've got a long way to go before I'm ready for the "kill shot"!

New Year...new niece!

2012-01-13T11:01:00.000-05:00

2012 is the "year of the baby" in my family...3 babies are due in the next few months!

First up..coming in at 7 lbs. 9oz. & 19.5"

Julianna Mae Duguid!

Julianna was born on Thursday, January 5th at 10:06am

We are so thrilled that she arrived healthy and happy!

Congrats to Jeremy, Annie & Jonathan!

Christmas & New Year's 2011 re-cap

2012-01-11T11:25:00.005-05:00

Man, Christmas was busy and fun this year....I am still trying to recover.

Once Thanksgiving was over, we got the house decorated for Christmas. It usually takes me the majority of the day but once it's up, I really enjoy having it. It was also fun to start listening to Christmas music. I typically need to wait until December 1st to play Christmas music because I feel we need to give November a break.

Here are a few photos of the decor:

We had planned on doing a smaller Christmas and spend most of our money on a trip. I secretly had been planning/reserving a trip to Disney World. I got a good deal..free dining plan! This will be the first time we've stayed on the property. I was mentally preparing and thinking of ways to tell the kids...a scavenger hunt sounded like the most fun.

I was able to get most of my shopping done early and online which was so convenient and easy. I really didn't want to be shopping after Thanksgiving. Now it was just a matter of time. We made it through the school parties and finally made it to Christmas break! We had a pretty quiet break but enjoyed the lack of driving and homework.

We did have one friend birthday party and they had a lot of fun activities...

We had a few "elf events," the biggest one being they moved our piano out of the piano room and into the office! What in the world were they up to? This is what we came home to one afternoon:

On Christmas Eve we had a family dinner & white elephant gift exchange at Greg & Kattia's house. We had turkey, stuffing, salad, sweet potato casserole and desserts. It was fun except for the fact that I wasn't feeling too good. The kids had fun playing together and were excited for the next day!

I still wasn't feeling great but we had a really fun Christmas morning. We had the kids do a scavenger hunt to figure out where we were going on our special trip. It took them a little while to figure it out but finally Abby got it. It was fun.

Santa left a very special gift for the family!!

After all the excitement here, we drove up to Todd's parent's house and had a wonderful day there. All the kids had fun opening gifts, eating and playing together. It truly was a great day.

This is the one photo I managed to take that day...what is wrong with me?!

The next morning I packed up the van and headed to the beach. Last year, I put my name down on the list of those who get to go to the beach with Gma & Gpa. As it turned out, Annie was due any minute and Gma & Gpa needed to stay in Atlanta and no one else wanted to go down. I had already planned for it and was going down either way. Like I say, a bad day at the beach is better than a good day in Douglasville. I really shouldn't have been driving since I was dizzy & had a headache but we made it and the kids were really good.

We spent a fun, albeit sick, week at the beach. The kids pretty much did what they wanted to do. We watched a lot of TLC and Food Network! The pool was not heating so we did go to the indoor pool a couple of times, enjoyed eating at the Club, walked the beach, found a Great White shark tooth, rented a golf cart, got a massage, walked downtown & just enjoyed being away. I think we spent over a month's worth of my in-laws Club dues in that week..oops!

We decided to come home on New Year's Eve day so we could spend New Year's at home. After 6 hours of driving, I unloaded the car and spent the next few hours "de-Christmasing" our house. I was tired of looking at it! We did stay up til midnight, toasted with some sparking apple cider then went straight to bed. Luckily church didn't start until 12:30pm the next day so we were able to sleep in.

We all met up at Todd's parent's place again for a New Year's Day celebration. It is a southern custom to eat black-eyed peas and greens for good luck & prosperity so that's just what we did. The kids had fun playing and the adults had fun eating and chatting.

It was a wonderful Christmas and New Year and here's to a great 2012!

And the winner is...

2012-01-04T19:29:00.006-05:00

2011 marks the second year of

The Weinreb's Present...

This year we had a tie for our favorite Christmas card of 2011. This year it's not so much about the actual card but the story behind the card.

Our first winner is the Blatter Family from Midvale, Utah. We were in the same ward as the Blatter's when we lived in Utah. Tim recently returned from a tour Iraq where he works as an Army Chaplin. He's awesome! We also like to recognize his lovely wife, Julie, who stayed behind to handle things at home and showed her continuous support.

Our second winner is the Stephani Family from Panama City Beach, Florida. Carrie is my cousin and last year during a routine hernia repair surgery, her husband Gabe was diagnosed with lymphoma. This past year has been a battle for them in many ways. While Gabe fought cancer and the treatments, Carrie handled everything else! They fought a good fight and have won!

Congrats to our 2011 Christmas card winners!
Your major award is this awesome certificate and a Cold Stone gift card...it's in the mail!

Is there an orthodonist in the house?

2012-01-04T16:41:00.005-05:00

Abby is the only one in the family who currently has braces. When we were researching orthodontists, we got two consultations and decided to go with Dr. Oleg Eisenstein (aka Dr. E.). I just felt he was more thorough and more friendly. Abby has been seeing him for about 16 months and typically I have Sam with me when we go to her appointments. Sam seems to work his charming magic and make friends with everyone in the office.

The office ladies always let him go back and give them hugs, he takes off into the back to find Dr. E. and on our most recent visit, this is what I went back to find:

I supposed Sam's got a good career ahead. Dr. E. is really great. He adores Sam and last time we were there, he came into the waiting room, sat down next to me and asked how Sam was doing. I proceeded to tell him about Sam's most recent dental appointment and how he had a loose tooth. He then turns to me and says, "How is Sam doing and I don't mean his teeth." He is so kind and is truly interested & concerned about Sam and what he's got going on in his life.

So...if you need a great orthodonist, Sam is taking new patients, and I'm sure Dr. E. is as well.

Service Sunday

2011-12-30T11:15:00.000-05:00

For December, we didn't have a designated Service Sunday because we participated in several service projects.

First off, I had the kids donate money here & there when we came upon a Salvation Army bucket. They think it's cool.

Secondly, in our church, we took a couple of names from the Angel Tree and bought some clothes for kids in our church as part of their Christmas.

Third, Todd's co-worker had some financial issues come up and they had to take back the gifts they got for their 3 year old granddaughter in order to get money. As a group, Todd's sales department participated. We were in charge of toys so we bought some toys for this little girl. The kids had fun choosing toys for her and we hope she enjoyed them.

Christmas always brings out the best in people and makes people want to serve and give more. We enjoyed participating in these activities this month.

"The BIG talk"

2011-12-17T14:56:00.004-05:00

Oh boy! I've known I needed to start thinking about this conversation with Abby for a while. I knew it was definitely time when during Sharing Time in Primary they were discussing the birth of Jesus & Christmas and Abby asked, "What's a virgin?" Poor Sis. Moore.

It was time.

I ordered these two books as they were highly rated in reviews and the authors, Linda & Richard Eyre, are LDS which helps me.

This little book was also mentioned by the Eyre's as a good resource too.

So...last Sunday, Todd and I told Abby we were having a talk and her first question was, "Is this about me getting my period?" Nope. Her next question, "I don't want to wear a bra!" That's not it either. We had already read The Care & Keeping of You by American Girl so that was helpful and I highly recommend that book.

The "talk" went very well and I do agree with the authors that you need to have this conversation with your kids at age 8 (we're a year behind) because at that point they've not heard much about it and they have no preconceived notions and they are open and honest. It was a really good discussion and we told her we want her to be able to ask us any question because we want this important info to come from us, not her friends.

Phew! Glad that part is over....it will only get harder now!

Recital

2011-12-16T19:55:00.003-05:00

Abby wanted to join the Primary Singers group at school so desperately but logistically we just couldn't accommodate it. She then tried out for a little local children's choir but needed a little practice before she could join the group. Again, she was devastated but you can't win everything and I believe it's a good lesson to learn.

Abby then started some voice lessons with the lady who directs the choir, who also happens to be in our ward. After several voice lessons, Abby participated in a recital and she did a good job! She is now a member of the children's choir and will begin in January and she couldn't be happier. Good things come to those who wait (and practice!).

Abby's Christmas concert

2011-12-15T20:36:00.000-05:00

Today was Abby's final Christmas concert at the Primary School. It's bittersweet to have this be the end. The concert was great! She played the recorder, sang and danced. All the kids did an amazing job but I do believe Abby was the best in her row!

Elfin' Around

2011-12-15T19:15:00.006-05:00

Well, Elf Season 2011 began early this year...much to my dismay. Elves seem to cause trouble.

Here are Abby's elves...Buddy (the white one), Harold (the black one), Margaret (the lone girl):

First sign of trouble:

Seriously?

Over the last few weeks we've had some trouble, constant note passing and I can't afford to feed these creatures anymore. They are eating us out of house & home!

Here are the letters that have been going back and forth:

Did you notice the question about a reindeer? What? There are more creatures available?

She's resorting to begging? And constant status checks?

A magical elf scavenger hunt took place:

Coco has been welcomed into the family:

Good times.

Ward Christmas Party

2011-12-04T23:16:00.001-05:00

The Primary Presidency was "nominated" to be in charge of the Ward's Christmas party this year (we also handled the Ward Trunk or Treat too but who's counting...) so we planned early and planned well.

We really wanted to do something different...a little more special than we've had in years past. We didn't want the traditional ham/turkey, potatoes and green bean dinner.

It was decided that we would go old school...I mean really old school, like Bethlehem old. We put together a wonderful menu, a simple program and the ambiance.

Our theme for the party was:

Follow the Star

Our menu consisted of the following:

Lemon Chicken
Tabbouleh
Pine nut and golden raisin couscous
Roasted red potatoes
green salad
yeast rolls
tasting plate on each table (hummus, flat bread, dried fruit, nuts, grapes)

We, as a presidency decided that we would be in charge of cooking the majority of the food. We each marinated & baked 20+ lbs of chicken, we assigned two sisters in the ward to make the Tabbouleh, we cooked the couscous at the church, purchased salad from Sam's Club and ordered 17 dozen rolls from Golden Corral.

The program was simple yet included everyone in the ward. We asked each Primary child to dress up as either an angel, shepherd or wise man. We asked people in the ward to lead the music, to play the Christmas hymns and to be the narrator. As music was softly played during the narration, the children would walk in and take their place near the manger scene and the entire congregation would sing the hymns when directed. It was really beautiful.

We also wanted there to be the ambiance to reflect the special occasion so the night before we hung Christmas lights to be the "stars" and it offered just enough light. We had a beautiful manger hand-crafted by a guy in our ward. It was truly a work of love & art! We set the manger scene with lights, straw and of course, the star.

The tables were decorated with burlap, a lantern, tea light candles, a tasting plate & a water carafe. It was lovely. The food tables were also set with some fabric, we used white serving dishes, baskets for rolls and had bowls of clementines out as well. It was lovely!

One of the biggest problems at ward parties is that you have 200 people in line trying to get food, kids running around and chaos! We set a few rules in place: We numbered each table and invited the tables up one at a time, ONLY if they had children at the table. Our plan was to get the children to eat first because we had set up Santa's Workshop in the RS room. We had a table of candy, a table with coloring sheets and movie, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" playing. This gave the kids the opportunity to have some fun without running around the building (all other rooms were locked up...smart!) and also time to change into costumes if necessary and it also gave the adults time to have a quiet meal and to enjoy dessert.

The entire gym was really transformed and we were so pleased!

We worked hard, planned well and were happy when it was over!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T09:54:00.004-05:00

Thanksgiving was really wonderful this year.

I spent most of the day on Wednesday baking/preparing all the desserts. We had about 20 people coming so I wanted to be prepared. I made 2 pumpkin pies, 1 coconut pie, a chocolate sheetcake and a BTS dessert.

Here's the destruction of the kitchen!

Thursday morning rolled around and Sam's small cold blew up into a massive cold. We wondered if I should just stay home with him but we decided to at least make it to the Club then decide from there.

The entire family meets at the The Capital City Club for Thanksgiving lunch and it's really great. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet of some pretty yummy food...salads, shrimp, oyster shooters, prime rib, brunch items, and the typical Thanksgiving fare.

We have quite a group and require a lot of space!

After filling our tummies with way too much food, we let the kids run around a bit outside and they always love that!

Abby & Jonathan:

Judy with most of the grandkids:
Logan & Austin were getting a family photo taken:

A quick family photo...blinded by the sunlight:

We then went back to the condo to get changed and a big group of us went to see "The Muppet Movie." The kids seemed to enjoy it but the adults feel more could of been done. I fell asleep so I have no opinion either way.

The men spent most of their time watching football:

The kids enjoy playing at the pool table:

There was also free make-overs by Sydney & Ava:

We then proceeded to eat once again but it was all traditional food and it was delish! Once the guys cleaned up, we were able to enjoy the fireworks!

Video:

After the fireworks, I pulled out ALL of the MANY desserts I made and barely any of it was eaten. I brought most all of it home and proceeded to throw it away after a couple of days. A sad waste of time, money and delicious desserts.

We had a really wonderful day and grateful that Sam managed to keep to himself enough so we could be there with everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another first

2011-11-22T20:24:00.001-05:00

Sam has been 12 for 6 months and due to his "early to rise" schedule, he's been unable to attend the temple with the youth. Luckily for him (and me), they scheduled an appointment to do baptisms for the dead during the Thanksgiving holiday.

That day, the weather did not look good. They were forecasting high winds, lots of rain and possibly tornadoes. I was quite reluctant about going but decided to give it a try. We met with the other youth at the church and we drove up. The weather held out just in time for us to get inside the temple.

We coordinated the evening so that Sam could go first so that I could get him changed in the girl's dressing room quickly enough before the girls came in. Sam was a bit wary but decided to give it a try. After asking for his goggles, which I didn't have, he was able to do two baptisms and that was enough for him. It was a very special moment and I know that those two men who he was baptized for were there in spirit.

After he was changed, you could just hear the torrential rains coming down. It was very loud but we were safe and where we needed to be. Sam also managed to do ten confirmations so he got to experience everything which I am grateful for.

Once we were finished, we walked out and the rain had stopped. We took 20 people to Chick-Fil-A for a late dinner and then headed home. It was a really wonderful experience to be able to see my own child help and serve others who can't help themselves.

Service Sunday

2011-11-20T17:57:00.007-05:00

For November's Service Sunday we helped Todd's mom clean up and plant new flowers around Stacy's (Todd's sister) grave. It looked pretty sad with all the leaves tangled in the pansies & rose bushes but we all worked hard to get it looking good.

This is the before photo of the headstone:

Sam working hard

There was some old pinestraw around the tree and we pulled it all out and Judy & Abby planted some ivy and some pretty purple flowers.

After photos:

So much nicer.

Afterward, we got some frozen yogurt.

It was a nice day to spend time together and honor Stacy.

Sometimes I'm a genius

2011-11-19T15:49:00.003-05:00

When I say sometimes I actually mean rarely but I did have a good idea last year.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, with the exception of finding the funds to pay for it. I decided at the end of last year to start putting some money away for Christmas the following year. I have an online savings account so I added a checking account and started putting $25/week into that account. As fall rolled around, I got a debit card to use for that account and that was my Christmas money. I managed to save about $800 and let me just say how nice it is just to have that available just for Christmas and I don't have to worry about keeping track of every cent like I do in our regular checking account.

Life made easy!

Blackberry Farm

2011-11-16T11:50:00.004-05:00

Back in July I received this email:

okay...

i want a daughter trip. i think this is the place! who is available to come either oct 20/21/22, or oct 27/28/29. look up the place...it is wonderful. spa, hiking wonderful food. if there are enough, i can rent the 4 bedroom house. let me know. lots of birthdays for us this time of the year.

love, j

Well, you don't have to twist my arm too hard to get me on board! It seemed like such a long time away, July to October, but now it's come and gone and we had such a wonderful time. Blackberry Farm is located just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee in the Smokey Mountains.

The group consisted of my mother-in-law, Judy, sisters-in-law; Jennifer, Kattia, Annie, Lisa, Judy's two sisters, Nancy & Amy and Nancy's daughter, Sarah. 9 lovely ladies to spend a long weekend with out jobs, spouses, kids or responsibilities of any kind. My kind of vacation.

Here's a photo of all the girls!

The girls from Atlanta (the others flew in) drove up on Thursday, October 27th and we got there just in time for me to change my clothes and head over to the barn for a 2 hour horse ride with Amy. It was a perfect day for a ride and it was so much fun. I was, however, sore since I am not accustomed to riding a horse that was too big for me for 2 hours.

Me riding VW (Van Winkle)

By the time we got back to the house, it was time to shower and get ready for dinner. All dinners are served in The Barn and let me just say...the meals were a.maz.ing! Every single thing I ate was delicious and the presentation was fabulous! The only downside was that it took like 3 hours to eat dinner and that was a bit long.

Our house:

Our bedroom:

The Dinner Barn

Friday six of us were scheduled to go kayaking but the weather was 100% chance of rain and it was cold! As luck would have it, they canceled the kayaking trip and we were all able to get a spa treatment booked. I chose a facial and it was seriously the best facial I ever had. She even brushed out my hair as I was laying there.

One of the special perks of Blackberry Farm was the ride service. All we had to do was call and say we needed a car brought around to pick us up and shortly a black Lexus SUV would be there to take us where we needed to go. I wish that service carried over to my real life.

The sweet ride:

It seemed as though we were eating non-stop at BBF! Lunch & breakfast were served in another house and it was fun to try all their amazing food.

Lunching:

Friday was also our photography day. We hired a professional photographer to take our photos as a group for Judy's birthday gift. The hard part of course was the weather but we managed a few good photos.

On Saturday, we all went to yoga, a first for me, and it was fun. We then walked over to eat breakfast, again! Jennifer, Kattia, Annie and I then took the golf cart to the trail head and we hiked for about an hour which was really nice. Afterward, I met up with Sarah and we toured the grounds in the golf cart and it was amazing! It is such a beautiful place. We came home to find a bird stuck in our house and that was exciting!

Hiking:

Bird incident:

For dinner that night, it was Judy's birthday celebration dinner and we had all gone in on a special necklace made with charms we each chose and it was all put together by Amy & Nancy. It was an emotional dinner and we had a wonderful time talking and reminiscing. It was sad to know that it was our last night of heaven.

Dinner Celebration:

It was such an amazing and fun trip and it was all thanks to Judy who wanted to spend time with the women in her life. What a wonderful time!

These photos don't do Blackberry Farm justice but there are so many to share:

It was such a magical weekend and a great opportunity to spend some quality time together having fun, resting and eating, eating, eating!!

He's Published!

2011-11-03T21:06:00.003-04:00

Back in May we participated in a photo shoot for the Just Kids magazine cover. You can read the post here. It's been quite awhile since the publication came out and although Sam didn't get on the cover, he's still featured in the magazine which is really cool! I finally was able to get some copies after two requests.

Here's the cover of the magazine:

and here's Sam's little feature:

There are a couple of mistakes but all in all, it's a fun little article about Sam.

You can view the magazine in pdf form here.

Requests for autographs will be be reviewed at our leisure.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T08:54:00.001-04:00

We were pretty easy going this year. Neither Todd or I dressed up. Todd did take the kids to the ward's Trunk or Treat while I was out of town relaxing and both kids had activities at school.

This year Abby was Hermoine from Harry Potter and Sam was a Starbuck's barista.

Sam was required to be a book character for his school's Fall Festival so here he is as Mr. Rogers. Not much other than a button up cardigan and a comb over.

I took Abby trick or treating in the neighborhood and Sam chose to stay home and watch his iPad...um, hand out candy. Both kids had fun and since Abby has braces, the majority of her candy, with the exception of chocolate, was thrown in the garbage.

Happy Halloween!!

5K #2

2011-10-23T09:04:00.000-04:00

It's been a couple of years since I did the Midnight Run so I convinced (pressured) my friend Teresa to do it with me. It was a lovely night for a run, the weather was perfect and I think we managed to run about 85% of the race. Next year we are going to run the full 5K.

Pre-Race

Post-Race
(I think I got 39 min 42 sec)

Post-Run snack

Unfortunately we decided against the dessert and went with food and I think we both got food poisoning from the bacon. I was feeling sick for almost a week afterward.

FYI...I'm not eating bacon for awhile.

Military Procession

2011-10-20T09:12:00.002-04:00

I had heard on the news that a local Marine had been killed in action and since Abby was out of school, we decided to join the community and attend the funeral procession.

We got there early and waited for the procession to start. There were a lot of people who came out to show their support for this soldier and his family.

We were right on the road and very close to the procession and when the family drove by, I could just see them sobbing and it was so hard to watch. After the procession, we would be on our way and go about our lives and they didn't have that option. Their lives are forever changed. It was heartbreaking to witness but I am grateful we were able to go and show our support.

Many thanks to Lance Cpl. Scott Harper

Service Sunday

2011-10-16T18:16:00.005-04:00

The third Sunday of the month seems to sneak up on me every month! I guess I need to put some extra thought and preparation into this.

I saw this idea here, and thought is was perfect for a fun fall treat! So I made a bunch of s'mores, wrapped them up, and took them to some neighbors and friends in the ward.

Who doesn't love a s'more?
Happy Fall!

Wicked good time

2011-10-12T17:58:00.000-04:00

My sweet mother-in-law took Abby & I to see a matinee performance of Wicked for our birthdays. Little did we know when it was planned that Atlanta's Gay Pride Parade would be going on at the same time, right in front of the Fox. We were unsure about parking, if we'd have to be dropped off and walk, if there was going to be a place to eat, etc. Needless to say, we didn't have any issues with parking or eating so it all turned out well. We had a great time and Wicked was awesome!

Arriving at the Fox

We had brunch at The Georgian Terrace, right across from the theater.

Brunch is served...

Getting in on the celebration!

Just some of the colorful attire that was worn that day.

Abby kept wondering why there were so many people in costumes...it's close to Halloween. I wasn't quite ready for that conversation with my 9 year old.

Thanks Judy for such a fun & colorful day!

Abby's 9

2011-10-11T18:26:00.001-04:00

It's so hard for me to believe that Abby is now 9! Just one year left before she hits double digits. Abby is truly the best little girl ever! She is calm, sweet, sincere, compassionate and so smart! Abby loves arts & crafts, reading, her fish, dolphins, Harry Potter, Activity Days, her brother and eating.

I am so blessed to have this sweet little girl as my daughter.

xoxo

39

2011-10-08T13:08:00.001-04:00

39? Seriously?

I never really thought I would get to this age...but I'm here and I'm ok. We'll see about next year.

I told Todd not to get me anything since we had just taken a weekend trip to the beach. I did need some new running shoes but they were on sale so that was my plan.

On my special day I picked up Abby and we went to her school's fall festival, Super Goober Day, and spent about 3 hours running around in the chaos. She had fun and that's what's important.

We finally got home and Todd and the kids had some gifts for me.

The first was was very fragile:

That's right...Sublime Doughnuts. Heaven.
(this was our appetizer)

Next package was in a doughnut box as well and it was this cute Sublime t-shirt!

The last gift was a hidden word puzzle that Abby wrote up:

Yep...I am finally complete in our apple world. ihear my life will change after istart using this iphone. ihope.

Happy thirty-niner to me! Did I hear a "niner" in there?

Life Skills

2011-10-07T13:39:00.000-04:00

At the end of last year we were asked to fill out a survey of things that are important to us regarding Sam's education. Todd and I both feel that a more functional education is important for Sam. We'd rather see that he knows how to shop for groceries rather than know about the Great Wall of China.

Sam's teacher asked for a list of things that Sam needs help with and we came up with this list:

getting his own meds in pill box
hygiene
phone manners/use
$$$
banking
washing/drying clothes
kitchen safety/cooking
work on interrupting others
transitions
personal space
table manners
doing what he's been asked to do w/o having to ask multiple times
anger management
appropriate conversation techniques

These are just a few of the many things that Sam needs to learn in order to function as an adult in the world. We are excited that part of his week will be spent working on things that are most important to him.

His teacher sent this video of what they've been working on:

We've got a long way to go...

4 letter word

2011-10-04T12:42:00.002-04:00

This note was in Sam's folder today....

"Dear Class, I am sorry I said "damit" I will not say anymore
your buddy Sam

I thought it was ok of (for) Christopher

to sit there but a bad word poped (popped) out. Next time I will use good words."

It was really hard not to laugh at this note. It really could have been so much worse. As of now some of Sam's mean words are:

"You're a nut!"
"You barnacle!"
"Phooey"

I'm guessing at some point we'll have our own "A Christmas Story" moment.

"Ohhhhh fudge..."

Celebrating Rosh Hashanah

2011-10-02T13:21:00.001-04:00

Abby's school was out for Rosh Hashanah (aka Fall Break) for two days so we decided to pull Sam out and go to the beach for a long weekend. We also picked up Abby's friend, Carly, in Macon and headed down to Amelia Island.

Swimming at night

Oceaning at night

A favorite trick...jumping into the pool
(just a few short years ago Sam would only sit on the stairs)

Todd's impressive Kid Catapult

Shopping downtown

The beachcombers

Dinner at Kabuki

There was an infestation of huge dragonflies...ugh! They landed in the pool and drowned and we had to scoop them up. It was horrifying (at least for me).

Todd & Sam golfed

The pros are now wearing wetsuits

Hunting for hermit crabs

Playing in the rough surf

A brief moment of brotherly/sisterly love

Sam is so brave in the water and loves to dive into waves. It scares me to death!

We had a great little trip and enjoyed some time away.

We also enjoyed:

eating out
playing tennis
watching cable TV (which we don't have)
eating M&Ms
renting a golf cart
walking the beach
skinny dipping (don't worry, it was the little girls)
giggling late into the night
losing a tooth (Carly)
Elf mischief

Did not enjoy:

losing 2 pair of sunglasses in the ocean
getting a nose/brain full of salt water after being crushed by a wave
hearing the TV go "pop" and have a burning smell (I swear we were not even near the TV when that happened)
going home

Service Sunday

2011-09-25T13:10:00.000-04:00

For September we chose to clean up the trail at Sweetwater Creek. This is our second time doing a quick clean up. The weather was beautiful as is the scenery.

Sam balancing on his own...can be difficult for him.

Sam throwing rocks into the river. Shortly after this photo was taken he threw a rock when we asked him not to and it nearly hit a person. Needless to say, Todd took him back down the trail to go sit and wait for Abby and I to finish.

Abby trying to skip rocks.

More balancing.

Abby climbing.

The actual garbage we collected.

Other than Sam throwing a fit, we had a lovely afternoon.

Lithia Springs Ward Primary Program

2011-09-18T17:59:00.003-04:00

Today was our ward's Primary Program. It is always a favorite because the kids are so cute and the Spirit is always strong as these kids bear testimony of Jesus through words and music.

Abby was asked to do a musical number along with Sis. Orme, our pianist:

This was her speaking part for the program (which she memorized-go Abby!):

All the kids did such a wonderful job and were rewarded with a church video, popcorn and M&M cookies.

Observations: Sam's Club

2011-09-16T20:08:00.003-04:00

I often go to Sam's Club to pick up my bread, chips, salad, fruit and occasional pesto. I am usually (thankfully) alone in my adventures to Sam's but what I have noticed is there are a lot of elderly couples that shop together. I often think to myself, "Is that what happens when you get older? Is your weekly date shopping and lunch at Sam's Club?"

These cute little couples are often dressed for the adventure: The lady typically wears some khaki or print culotts and a nicely ironed button-up floral shirt and some sensible shoes. The man is usually wearing khaki pants and either a golf shirt or a nicely ironed button-up shirt. And sensible shoes. There are A LOT of sensible shoes at Sam's Club.

I even once saw a "double date" at Sam's Club. Two cute couples dining at the Sam's Snack Bar. They were indeed having a good time together.

Is this what will happen when Todd and I are in our 70s & 80s?
Is that what we have to look forward to? Culotts and sensible shoes?
Dare I say I NEVER shop with Todd as it's torture for the both of us. Will we actually enjoy shopping together once we are in our Golden Years?

Perhaps I should start looking for some sensible shoes.

9/11/2011

2011-09-11T20:40:00.000-04:00

It's so hard to believe that it's been 10 years since our world changed. I know everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing at that moment. I thought I had better write down what I was doing and where I was that tragic day.

We were living in Midvale, Utah at the time and I was in bed. Sam was also asleep as it was about 8am our time. Todd was at work.

I heard the phone ringing and it kind of woke me up but I didn't answer. The ringing stopped but then it started again. I got up and it was Todd and I will never forget what he said: "We've been attacked!" I was still trying to wake myself up and I was so confused. He just said, Go turn on the TV."

I turned on the TV and watched in horror. It can't possibly be real. Was this a movie?

After watching the live coverage for several hours, I had to get out of the house. Sam was awake by then and I decided to take him for a walk. As I was walking, I distinctly remember looking up in the sky and noticing there were no airplanes in the air. It was eerily quiet.

It's hard to imagine what those poor people in the planes and buildings were thinking. I cannot even fathom the terror and the longing to see their families one last time. To say goodbye, to say I love you. It is so heartbreaking.

I'm truly grateful for those who risked their lives to save others and for those who fought the terrorists knowing full well that this was the end but they were going to go down fighting.

I will never forget.

Youth Speaker

2011-09-11T13:20:00.003-04:00

Sam gave his first youth speaker talk today in church. His topic was "Faith in Jesus Christ." He was a little nervous but managed to get thru it just fine.

You can listen here:

Here's the written talk:

In the 4^th Article of Faith it states: “The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ...” This is what I have been asked to speak on, Faith in Jesus Christ.

What is faith? In Alma 32:21 it states: “If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.”

On LDS.org it also states: Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. It includes believing His teachings. It means believing that even though we do not understand all things, He does.

How can we increase our faith?

Study-we can read the scriptures, go to church, & listen to conference
Prayer-we must pray for faith to receive faith
Service & Sacrifice-we must serve and help others to increase our faith
Personal Righteousness-we must always Choose the Right and keep the commandments & repent when we sin.

I know Jesus was born in Bethlehem even though I wasn't at the stable

I know Jesus taught the gospel to many, even though I wasn't able to listen to Him in person

I know Jesus suffered the Atonement even though I wasn't in the Garden of Gethsemane

I know Jesus died on the cross even though I wasn't at Calvary.

I know Jesus was resurrected even though I wasn't at the tomb

I know Jesus visited the Nephites, even though I wasn't in the land Bountiful

I know Jesus visited Joseph Smith, even though I wasn't in the sacred grove

I know Jesus lives today, even though I can't see Him

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Friday Night Lights

2011-09-10T19:59:00.003-04:00

Last night was Woodward Academy Primary School's Tailgate party and game night. Abby's been at the Primary school for going on 4 years now and this is the first time we've been. Lame.

We ventured off to the middle school for the tailgate BBQ (which was free) and had burgers and hotdogs then we walked with the rest of the students and families over to the football stadium to watch the Woodward Academy War Eagles play against Carrollton's Central High.

It's been many, many years since I've attended a HS football game. It was fun to people-watch and both Todd and I noticed the young teenage girls who were there and knowing full well that Abby will be one of those teenagers before we know it.

Abby had a great time seeing her little friends & cheering the team on. We stayed thru the half-time show which was the marching bands of both schools. I will say that Central High out-banded WA. They were awesome.

In the end, Woodward beat the Lions 42-0.

Service Sunday

2011-09-01T11:18:00.003-04:00

August was a busy month and kind of got away from me.

School started.
I spent a weekend at the beach.
No other good excuses.

I was frantically trying to think of some quick idea and it dawned on me, we were going to visit Todd's sister Annie and since she's a busy working mom of a 23 month old and has a baby due in January, what better person could use a freezer meal.

I made up 3 pans of chicken enchiladas, had some Spanish rice packets and a brownie mix. Not very exciting but hopefully helpful none the less.

Since I had 3 pans, I also took one to a family in our ward who I felt could use a little "Service Sunday."

I was happy we could do a little something, even though it was just barely under the August wire.

PS...got this email from Annie:
Thanks again for making us the beneficiaries of yesterday’s Service Sunday! That was really sweet of you guys. You really “walk the walk” and I know that Sam and Abby will grow up to be such good people because of your influence.

Love,
A

PS...got a thank you note from the other family saying that "it came at just the right time."

A little crock pot chicken goes a long way.

A Lovely Weekend

2011-08-24T09:37:00.019-04:00

It was the 3rd Annual Girls Trip to the beach last weekend and how sweet it was. This year I decided to take a smaller group so that we can all be in on the same conversation and I think it went really well.

This year I invited Jennifer, Teresa and Kathryn. Unfortunately, Kathryn couldn't attend at the last minute and we missed her.

The three of us left on Wednesday night at 8:15pm and headed south. We made our first stop in Savannah to use the gross bathroom and grab a Diet Coke. The best part of our stop was the awesome transvestite that came into the store for a sandwich and condiments. He/She was wearing a pink summer dress with matching lipstick and some white heels. He/she would have looked better if he would have shaved his legs. It. Was. AWESOME! The only problem was that Teresa, who was our photographer did NOT get a photo. What a wonderful start to our weekend.

We arrived at the house at 2:15am, found our beds and went to sleep for a bit. I hardly slept because one of the smoke alarms was chirping & my particular bed was not comfortable. I ended up getting up around 7:30am, dressed in one of my 7 bathing suits and laid on the couch and watched TV.

We had a quiet morning, packed our bags and grabbed chairs and boogie boards and walked out to the beach. We kept checking the clouds and they were gray and moving quickly. After about 15 minutes, we felt a drop & we decided to pack it all back up and went back to the house. We sat under the deck and watched the storm that moved in. Once the storm passed, we decided we were hungry and had a gift certificate for T-Rays and we went out for lunch.

T-Rays is a tiny little burger joint that was a former gas station. It was awesome and the burgers, fries and corn nuggets were delish. We then decided it was pool/ocean time so back to the house for pretty much "nothing" and we were good at it. We were able to float in the ocean and enjoy the warm water.

I do believe that the entire trip was based on food and we made the best of it. On Thursday night we went to Wal-mart Sushi (aka Kabuki) and enjoyed some Will-prepared sushi. We then hit the Wal-mart to find some treasures. Most evenings were spent chatting in our jammies and watching some sort of cooking show & eating M&Ms by the handful.

Friday we were up a bit earlier and Teresa and I went for a beach walk. You can't beat exercising on the beach. We spent time at the beach and at the pool & had gourmet PB&J for lunch. We then decided to go to some little shops near the house and to the antique store then back to the house. We relaxed, got cleaned up and pretty and went downtown to check out the shops and had dinner at 29 South. Pure heaven. Jennifer & I split the pork chop while Teresa got the scallops. We shared 2 appetizers; fried green tomatoes and a crostini and one dessert; krispie kreme donut bread pudding. It's just as good as you can imagine and then add coffee ice cream. Oh boy!

Saturday offered us yet another day of nothingness! We decided to spend the day at The Ocean Club where we were with very few people. We sat by the pool, read magazines, chatted, had lunch, hit the beach, tried to boogie board in the rough current, showered and enjoyed a pina colada. It was a rough 5 hours.

We came back to the house, dressed for dinner and went back downtown to hit a couple of shops that were closed the day before then had a lite dinner at Cafe Karibo. Yum. Back to the house for jammies, M&Ms and TV. It was pretty tough.

The weekend goes by way too fast but we had such a great time and are grateful for our husbands for handling things at home so we could enjoy our time. Many thanks again to my sweet in-laws who are so generous in letting us borrow their beautiful beach house.

Til next time...

First Day of School-2011

2011-08-16T21:00:00.000-04:00

Man, summer seemed to go by so fast! Perhaps part of it is that Georgia likes to start school in the middle of summer. Lame.

Sam is back at ClearWater Academy again this year. This marks his 4th year at the school and he is now in the Upper School. His homeroom teacher is Mrs. Gullick but he will be changing classes a little bit with two other teachers, Mrs. Huber and Mr. Braxton. We are looking forward to a great school year despite the fact that Sam doesn't want to do school any more. He wants to give up on school.

First Day: Monday, August 15, 2011

Abby is beginning the 3rd grade this year at Woodward Academy. This will be her last year in the Primary School which is bittersweet. Abby wasn't able to go to her school's open house since she was partying in Wyoming but we took photos for her. Abby has Mrs. Campbell this year but since she is on maternity leave, Mrs. Terrie will be the substitute until Mrs. Campbell comes back.

First Day: Monday, August 15, 2011
(Abby returned home the day before school started but was up with a smile despite the 2 hour time change for her.)

We're off to another busy year of school, homework, dance recitals, hiking, piano lessons, horse riding and lots and lots and lots and lots of driving.

Abby's Jackson Hole Adventure

2011-08-15T20:02:00.002-04:00

This long and wonderful post is being made possible by Judy Easterly, Abby's grandma and sponsor (along w/Grandpa David) for Abby's 2nd annual trip to Jackson Hole. All photos, videos and commentary are by Judy.

Day One:

Abby flew out to Jackson with Aunt Kattia, Uncle Greg, and cousins Logan & Austin. They arrived in Jackson Hole a bit late due to a delay in Atlanta but did manage to see some wildlife on the way to the cabin.

Day Two:

update on abs day.... all kids up early..breakfast by g'pa (cereal) out to play with cricket. g'ma rolls out of bed at 8:30...by 9:30 kids having banana chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup prepared by g'ma. walk to the river, guitar strumming with grandpa, bike riding and visit to horses, lunch, games, playing outside, quiet time, constructing teepee, making bow (maybe arrows tomorrow) dinner, cookies, ice cream, movie, bed. man..no wonder it is 9:30 and all are fast asleep! abs went to bed without my asking.

tomorrow we are up bright and early for the rodeo riding instruction...and to buy cool boots for the rodeo on saturday night. tuesday we plan to fish. so you can see we are keeping her busy. last night she slept with logan, but wants to sleep by herself tonight which is just fine. you do not have to worry about her speaking up for herself.

i'll send pictures form the horse adventure tomorrow.

love, j

Day Three:

Monday adventures...up bright and early and off to Wilson, Wy for rodeo riding. Up on a horse and learning how to "go" and "brake". Then it is learning to barrel race. Around the barrels and trotting to the finish...pony tail bouncing in the air. Lasso training and back up on the horse to try and lasso a " bull".

Off to lunch at snake river brewery...huge burgers and fries. Back home to grandma's and ready for afternoon adventures...riding bikes to the horse pen just down the road and getting to feed them carrots...tops and all. Ride back home and hike to the snake river with furry friend cricket. A 20 minute walk can take an hour if you stop to throw rocks and tarry along the way.

Back at the ranch...drove to a neighbors house to salvage wood from their construction site...and build a ramp for bike jumping...a work still in progress. Dornan's for dinner with yummy pizza.....home to shower, watch Harry potter movie and fall into bed around 10:00...what a day! Logan and Abby spent the night together...Logan would attach herself to abby's hip if she could. All the cousins are great! Fun! Cooperative! And entirely lovable.

Intro to Rodeo: Abby Style

Day Four:

well...up early for adult fishing tomorrow, but want to document today before it falls away from my feeble brain....another busy one...these kids fall into bed at the crack of 10:30. so...the day begins with bacon, pancakes, and fishing. off to the hatchery to fish in sleeping indian pond. lots of worms, rods and eager kids...fish...not so they would cruise by the bait and swim by to feed on these tiny flies floating on the surface. not a bite! even graham with his expensive set up and hand tied flies didn't score. abby wins the prize for the most determined...when others gave up to play in the pond she and grandpa were still trying to score one of those boys.

finally we threw in the towel and went to dairy queen...i will not even tell you the junk we ate there. the big hit was some awful stuff called fry sauce...made abs very happy. also chocolate ice cream cones dipped in hard shell cherry...it tastes as weird as it looks. on to the alpine slide and back home to get ready for the music party....oops...forgot late afternoon finishing harry potter movie....no one will ever sleep tonight!

all dressed up...including snazzy new cowboy boots...all kids played and sang with phil and ben, two musicians who came to sing and play with us. a grand time was had by all. abby rocked her southern cross rendition and also played the charlie brown theme on the keyboard to a captive audience. friends arrived...lots more music...kids off to watch the incredibles...and finally...BED. i am tired just trying to tell you about it.

she is having a grand time just being one of the gang. one note...they have all eaten their weight in sugar....my job, and i am good at it.

much love, m

Dairy Queen and magical FRY SAUCE!

Dressed for the musical evening.

Day Five:

The abby report is a report form the kids as all the adults were away for the day. At the stroke of 8:30.. Favorite sitters Ronnie and Lizzie came to spend the day with 5 precious children. At the stroke of 9:00... All the parents and grandparents of said children hopped into a van to fish on the south fork of the snake river. The report is they had the best day so far! First report is ALL of the chocolate cheerios and banana cheerios are gone. All the blueberry muffins...GONE. Are you getting my drift? Several rides to the neighbors to see the horses and feed them about $10.00 worth of apples. Then badminton and games in the backyard, time out for nintendo, and a hike to the creek to play and water color painting. Back for another bike ride...lunch( not sure what that was exactly), and another round of badminton.

We returned safe and sound at 7:00, to disappointed kids who hoped we would stay away longer. But spirits perked up for garbage, plenty of taco chips, a gallon of lemonade, and mounds of shredded cheese. Abby and Logan decided to eat outside on the porch swing...why not? Out to play tag with furry friend, cricket and a call for ice cream from grandma. Not so fast...Claudia comes bounding in to announce elk sighting in the back....ice cream can wait. At least 7 beautiful elk chomping away on grasses right before our astonished eyes. You never tire of seeing it. Ice cream choices...vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon banana, peanut butter chocolate swirl...oh be still my heart. Topped with either pretzel m&m's or choice of 2 syrups.

Bath/ showers...bed. Early tonight...everyone quiet by 10 ish.

Another day in cousin paradise...pretty great for the grandma too!

Day Six:

so here's the day. up at the crack of 9ish for miss abs. into hiking gear and off to the laurence rockefeller hike. first, a stop at the visitor center for kids backpacks with binoculars, guide books, and scat identification and wildflower identification. off to hike to phelps lake...distance about 11/2 miles and lots of up. how far and when will we get there?...only once. they were all so into the hike and all the nature that we all really had a nice hike. time to play in the very cold lake, have a snack and hike back down...11/2 miles more. down is definitely easier. back in the van to teton village (or as austin call it tee tun village). lunch at mangy moose and back home to play with furry friend, cricket, SHOWER, and watch movie..."bedtime stories."

off to bon appet thai for great dinner...that girls is crazy for broccoli! little shopping ...continued tomorrow...home to a yard full of amazing elk. abby invited logan for a sleep-over and they are cozy as cats. with 5 kids you have to book your sleepovers early or you are left in the cold. abby seems pretty eager to join in with all the sleep action. slower start, but she is pumping on all cylinders now.

tomorrow is a sloooow day. now plans yet, but i think a credit card may be involved. how lucky can you get?

that is not exhaustion...they are mesmerized by the movie they are watching as they wait for the adults to finish dinner. they are full of N R G. had a few minutes to shop after dinner. they were raring to go.

i am sitting here writing you and watching morning joe...nothing like playing catch-up. so here it is friday...where did the time go. this morning was a flurry of cricket walks with grandpa, badminton and playing in the yard. at the stroke of 1:30 grandma, aunt kattia and aunt jennifer went to have lunch and shop in town. in charge....uncle greg, uncle graham, and grandpa! i left 5 kids and came home to 5 kids...who they are, i do not know, but one of them will be coming home with abby's stuff. actually, the kids were supposed to come downtown to join us, but the dad's said they were having so much fun...we are shopping tomorrow. abby wants to fish too...but we'll decide that tomorrow.

so tonight was burgers on the grill, sweet potato fries, string beans...dessert...s'mores. made with chocolate chip cookies. lots of music...guitar, auto harp, fiddle, mandolin and lots of happy singing on a beautiful wyoming night. abby is having a grand time. i do predict tears on departure. she and logan are tucked in and chatting away like little magpies.

todd suggested an early bedtime tomorrow...not...we are off to the rodeo wearing new boots, an adorable western shirt, and her endearing personality. so coming off the plane on sunday will be a totally pooped out little girl with many tales to tell. thank you so much for sharing. love, j

Day Seven:

quick note as to saturday in jackson. off at 9:45 to the saturday farmer's market...not exactly the first thing in the morning. abby's partner in crime....claudia. they were the ones who wanted to come along....lucky for them! the first thing you do at the farmer's market is have a fresh pizza....yummy. top that off with cupcake pops and now you are talking. that is a real power breakfast.

we really did try to buy abs some new shoes...but no luck...either the size wouldn't work or the color was not what she had in mind. claudia, however...found 2 pair...much to abby's astonishment. the price practically blew her out of the water...whew...i do think she recovered.

back home to play outside...the auto harp is still the winner. have a quick dinner and off to the rodeo. the kids ate it up...loved it. the bull riding, the bucking broncos, the rodeo princesses, the calf chasing. as you can tell from the video...it is pure bedlam. luckily, each parent goes home with a child so all is not lost. all that running for a free tram ticket. lord, they have to get their priorities in line. i would never be down in that dusty mess for a chance to win a $15. tram ticket. sleepy kids off to bed after a quick shower...no one sleeps in my beds without a post rodeo shower.

Not sure if more fun was even possible for Abby. As always, she has a wonderful and magical time at the cabin. Thanks David & Judy for having Abby come out to Camp Easterly.

Day with Dad

2011-08-14T20:41:00.000-04:00

While Abby was living it up in Wyoming, Todd took Sam to the PGA Tournament and gave me an entire day to myself. That's right. The whole day.

Todd had some "Grounds" passes and went with some co-workers and took Sam along. They found some space near hole #9 and hung out to watch the pros.

John Rollins came up to putt and it was supposedly a very easy putt. He lined it up...hit the ball and ended up "shanking" it (whatever that means) and missed the hole. Apparently he was quite unhappy with himself and his demeanor showed how upset he was.
At this point, Sam decides to yell out:

"Nice putt!"

Everyone around him laughed, with the exception of John Rollins is my guess. Being the golfing gentleman that he presumably is, he tossed the "shanked" ball to Sam.

That kids gets everything!

A fun day with Dad!

PS...Sam also got to catch a glimpse of Phil Mickelson!

Carbs

2011-08-03T17:01:00.000-04:00

I really don't know how people can restrict carbs on purpose.

Especially if they look like this...

This recipe came from my sister Rachel and let me just say this:

AWESOME!

I make in my Le Crueset and it is out of this world.

I also needed to make something to go along with this crusty artisan bread so with the leftovers from a roasted chicken I made a chicken potpie, homemade crust and all.

I know, right?!

I {heart} carbs!
tla
bff

The final goodbye

2011-08-01T10:02:00.001-04:00

Since the Taylor's were moving back to England after nearly four years, we choose to go out in style by hitting all our favorite places to eat. In one day.

Antico Pizza. Literally the best pizza I've ever had. Ever.

We also hit Morelli's Ice Cream shop. Here's the deal w/Morelli's: there are 2 shops and it is really best just to go to the original south on Moreland as both shops are off of Moreland. There is only outside seating available and that's a challenge when it's 95 degrees with 90% humidity but for some reason it's better.
(This has been a public service announcement)

We also had our current obsession, Sublime Donuts. Enough said.

We had dinner together the Thursday before they left since they had sold all their belongings.

Theo & Lewis spent Friday night with us and it was fun. Lots of giggling going on.

Sam & Theo

Abby & Lewis

The morning of the day they flew out, we had breakfast together at the Douglasville Diner.

Our final photo

It was a sad and emotional day as we said our goodbyes and shed tears of sadness.

It's still hard to believe they are gone.

I no longer hear:

"Mom, I'm going over to Lewis' house."
"Mom, I'm going to go check on Theo & Lewis."
"Can we go over to the fort?"
"Lewis is my frenemy."

No more Nerf gun fights, no Wii competitions, no dog/cat/house sitting, no early morning walks, no more illegal firework shows, no more kids to play with in our circle.

No more Taylors.

We do have Skype to keep in contact but it's not the same.

Goodbye Taylor family! We love you!

A Quick Visit

2011-07-29T16:11:00.002-04:00

I got a call from my sister Rachel telling me that her hubby, Joel, was going to be in Atlanta for a day for work. What?! How could he come this far and not see us? It would be a crime!

We met Uncle Jolt at his hotel near the airport then took him to lunch at Manchester Arms in College Park. Unfortunately is was only so-so and expensive. I don't mind paying good money for good food but I hate paying good money for lousy food. Lesson learned.

Sam, Abby & Uncle Jolt

The whole gang

Uncle Jolt had some time to kill before his flight so we decided to go get some dessert at Cafe at the Corner in Hapeville. It's a cute little french bakery and we got a few desserts to share. We really should have had lunch AND dessert there.

We then took him back to his hotel so he could print off boarding passes, change clothes and chill for a bit. He took the train back to the airport and flew back home to California. I'm thinking it's been about 3 years since we've seen Joel, quite sad. It's great to know that his new company is based out of Atlanta so we're hoping for more frequent visits...and maybe, just maybe, Rachel can tag along. Every. Single. Time.

Groundhog Day

2011-07-26T15:50:00.005-04:00

Do you ever have days like this?

I do.

Every.Single.Day.
I mean every minute of Every.Single.Day

And frankly, I'm really tired of it.

Do you ever go through phases of, dare I say it, not liking your kids?

Is it just me?

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids to pieces. I'd do anything for them and love them more than life itself but there are days.

I think maybe my days have turned into years.

It may be awful for me to say but Sam's likeability factor is pretty low and has been for a very long time.

I feel like I walk on eggshells every minute of every day trying to keep the peace in our home. It's a daily challenge. I keep wondering, why is this so hard? Why can't he just be nice? Why can't he just cooperate?

Since the summer began, I've called 911 once and have parked in the parking lot of the police station. I've threatened to take Sam up to Inner Harbor and let him live there if he can't be nice at home. Sam's anger issues seem to be getting more and more difficult to deal with and I'm about at the end of my rope.

I know Sam doesn't mean to do what he does. It's the brain damage and I fully understand that but come on already!

When I called the police, he had attempted to push me down the stairs, threatened to kill me, slammed doors, spitting, hitting & kicking me as well as Newman. Not a good day. Two police officers came, one was a parent of a child w/special needs and both were school officers. Again, they were meant to be there that day. They had a conversation with him about the police officers being his friend but that he can't hit his mom. He enjoyed showing them his stuff but I'm not sure that the reason they were there sank in. It's like dealing with a 6 year old.

A few weeks ago I started a conversation with a guy at our local indoor pool. He was working with a group of teenage boys from Inner Harbor. Say what? He told me what he did, where he went to school and that he was working on getting his special ed certification. He also wants to do recreation therapy. I said to him, "Where can one like me hire someone like you to come help me with my son?" We chatted for about 45 minutes and exchanged phone numbers. He has since texted me but we've yet to connect.

All I can say is that Sam would think twice about hitting or kicking a 6 ft.+ black guy who played college football. It's almost be like my very own body guard. Still waiting for him to call me back.

It seems our future is so uncertain. How will I handle Sam when he's 17? Will he live in some sort of assisted living situation? Will he be with us for the rest of his life? How often will I be calling the police? What happens if he gets so angry that he beats me up? I recently read an article entitled, "The Never Empty Nest" and it's about a family that has 2 boys with Fraglie X and how they will never leave home. It sounded all too familiar.

These are things that never, ever, ever entered my mind back when he was a sweet little baby. I always thought things would get easier as he got older but just the opposite is true. He is so much harder to manage and deal with and it will continue to get harder.

Happy Groundhog Day.

Church

2011-07-17T18:38:00.004-04:00

I spoke in church today. I'm good for about 6-12 months now. After the meeting was over, a lady in the ward said to me, "As I watched the men pass the sacrament, the thought came to me, "and a child shall lead them."

Sam was the only Young Man passing the sacrament today since all the other YM were at Scout Camp. The line up of men went from tallest to shortest, Sam being the shortest and the tallest is a kid who is serving a service mission in our ward and he's at least 6'5" or taller. As they walked down the aisle, Sam was in the lead and as this lady said, "I was so humbled to be here today to see that."

So sweet. And true.

Here's my talk from today:

My talk is entitled: How we can keep the Savior’s commandment to “feed my sheep” by bearing one another’s burdens, mourning with those that mourn, and comforting those that stand in need of comfort. I will take many quotes from a talk given by Elder Ulisses Soares in the October 2005 General Conference.

In John 21: 15-17 it says: So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Why did the Savior tell Peter the same thing three times? It must have been of utmost importance to the Lord that the 12, as well as all of us, to take care of those around us. Elder Soares said, “As we study the scriptures, we notice that the Savior ministered to people according to their specific needs.”

*Raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead

*Praying and blessing the Nephite children, one by one

*The woman with an issue of blood

Elder Soares continued: “Jesus showed patience and love to all who came to Him seeking relief for their physical, emotional, or spiritual illnesses and who felt discouraged and downtrodden.

To follow the Savior’s example, each one of us must look around and reach out to the sheep who are facing the same circumstances and lift them up and encourage them to proceed on the journey towards eternal life.

This need today is as great as or perhaps even greater than when the Savior walked on this earth. As shepherds we must understand that we should nurture each one of our sheep to bring them to Christ, which is the purpose of all we do in this Church.”

When we are baptized, no matter if we are 8 or 88, we chose to make a covenant with God. Mosiah 18: 8-9 says: “…and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort,”

How can we, as disciples of Christ, do these things?

How can we help bear one another’s burden?

Often times we are so involved with what is going on in our own lives that we forget that so many of our brothers and sisters are dealing with burdens that are hard to bear. Are we in tune with the spirit enough to hear His whisperings? Are we making that phone call that we feel we should? Are we doing our VT and HT? Are we paying attention to the little things? Are we checking in with our neighbors?

“Have I done any good in the world today Have I helped anyone in need?

Have I cheered up the sad, or made someone feel glad?

If not I have failed indeed.

Has anyone’s burden been lighter today, because I was willing to share?

Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?

When they needed my help was I there?

What have you done today?

How can we mourn with those who mourn? There is so much sadness and loss in the world today. Whether someone has lost a loved one to death, a divorce in the family, illness or disability, loss of job and security, people around us need to know that they are loved. Do you make yourself available? Do you know when to talk or when to listen? When we first found out Sam was very sick, a sister in our ward told me that she spent the day in the temple praying for us. We felt the love and concern of the members of our ward and family as prayers were offered, fasting took place, meals were brought in and blessings given. We truly had many people mourn with us.

How do we comfort those that need comfort?

“The need today is as great as or perhaps even greater than when the Savior walked on this earth.” We are asked to pay our tithes and offerings to help those in our ward and church-wide. We are asked to do our Home & Visiting teaching so that we are available to those families that we have stewardship over. We are asked to serve one another. Again quoting Elder Soares, “Christ Himself ministered to people, lifting the heavy laden, giving hope to the disheartened, and seeking after the ones who were lost. He showed people how much He loved and understood them and how precious they were. He acknowledged their divine nature and eternal value. Even when calling people to repentance, He condemned the sin without condemning the sinner.”

In his first epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul emphasized the need of expressing this true love to each sheep of the Lord’s flock:

“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.

“Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

“Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. …

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”⁶

As we follow the Savior’s example and teachings, we can assist people to fulfill their earthly mission and return to live with our Heavenly Father.”

What are you doing to show charity to others? Are you serving when you are asked or do you turn down an opportunity because you are too busy or don’t have the time? Do you ignore the whisperings of the spirit? Do you say to yourself, “someone else will do it”?

There are so many opportunities for service within our own homes, ward & community. I’ve tried to teach my children about service by doing a monthly service project, Service Sunday. We choose a simple project to do and plan and prepare for it. Some of the things we’ve done are treats & valentines to a nursing home, cookies to the fire department, deliver meals to homebound people, visit the grave of a fallen soldier, make treats for the Bishop’s family. These are simple things to do but make an impact on those you serve. Many people are in need of comfort and we need to be aware of those around us. People are watching us and we need to lead by example.

Read poem (click here)

As members of the church, we are also called to serve in the ward. We are given callings to help us serve & to learn things but what we also have to remember this, as stated by Elder Soares: “The gospel of Jesus Christ is about people, not programs. Sometimes, in the haste of fulfilling our Church responsibilities, we spend too much time concentrating on programs, instead of focusing on people, and end up taking their real needs for granted. When things like that happen, we lose the perspective of our callings, neglect people, and prevent them from reaching their divine potential to gain eternal life.”

Do we sometimes forget who were serving while we’re serving? My brother once said, “Sometimes we focus on the administering instead of the ministering.”

President Thomas S. Monson said: “We are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness. … We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.”

Time passes. Circumstances change. Conditions vary. Unaltered is the divine command to succor the weak and lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees. Each of us has the charge to be not a doubter but a doer; not a leaner but a lifter. But our complacency tree has many branches, and each spring more buds come into bloom. Often we live side by side but do not communicate heart to heart. There are those within the sphere of our own influence who, with outstretched hands, cry out: “Is there no balm in Gilead?” Each of us must answer.”

It is my hope & prayer that we will each answer “yes” to the Savior’s command to “feed my sheep”.

In the name….

Entreprenurial Spirit

2011-07-14T21:21:00.002-04:00

Abby's a smart girl. I'm not saying that because she's my daughter either. She's just smart. The other day she mentioned she wanted to earn some money so she could pay tithing. How sweet is that? She proceeded to come up with...

Abby Tickets

We had a little FHE on tithing and the importance of paying it and then I turned the time over to her so she could share with us what her plan was.

You can purchase Abby Tickets for 10 cents/ticket and you can redeem them by asking Abby for favors.

Example: "Abby, will you go get my iPad on my nightstand?" asked Dad.

It will now cost Dad one Abby Ticket. No more Miss Nice Girl.

I think it's an ingenious plan.

Especially for an 8 year old.

So, as of today, Abby Tickets are now on sale. Please contact me if you'd like to make a purchase.

(please note: I will not be doing any driving for the redemption of said Abby tickets)

It's about time

2011-07-12T10:21:00.005-04:00

I'm not much of a Royal Watcher although I did get up to watch Princess Di get married when I was young & also watched Will & Kate's wedding this past April.

What I'm most impressed with in regards to Princess Kate is her ability to dress in clothing that is modest....at least 95% of the time.

She is showing young girls all over the world that you can dress beautifully without showing everything.

Granted, her clothing is very expensive and out of reach for most but perhaps by her example, designers & stores will start carrying clothing that is more modest. It's hard to try and shop for clothing nowadays...try and find a dress with sleeves. Try and find a skirt that barely covers your rear. Try and find a shirt that doesn't plunge to there.

It's about time someone who keeps herself modest is a fashion icon and someone that others want to emulate.

Lovely.

Family Fun...sort of

2011-07-10T20:05:00.015-04:00

On Saturday we went to the Cagle Family Farm in Canton, Georgia. I had purchased a coupon for $14 for admission for 4 people so I thought it was worth a try.

It took about an hour to get to the farm. It was a former dairy farm that is now more of a field trip/teaching farm as well as hosting the Cherokee County Farmer's Market.

We made it for the 10am tour along with a bunch of other people.

Waiting for the tour to start

Walking through the gardens. All food grown there is sold at the Farmer's Market.

Feeding of the animals (with strict instructions to not feed the chickens & turkey).

Giant pot-bellied pig. Sam wanted to bring it home.

Feeding the calf

Duck eggs!

Milking demo

Rosie

Waiting for the hayride

More waiting

Watching the herding dog demo. It was pretty cool. The dog also rounds up the sheep. I need to get a dog like that for my kids.

Tib the dog waiting to do his work

The cute little farmer Grandpa

Don't we look hot & miserable?!

Doesn't he look like he's having a fantastic time?!

Finished off the tour with feeding the goats

They gave all the kids fresh-cut sunflowers

The History Center

It was a fairly fun adventure....we bought some banana peppers & zucchini then went to The Flying Biscuit for lunch and the new Morelli's for lunch/dessert. That's how you top off a semi-fun farm tour.

We came home exhausted from our trip. Who knew that visiting a farm would be so tiring. We didn't even do any work at the farm and we were tired.

4th of July Festivities

2011-07-07T21:35:00.006-04:00

We like to spend the 4th of July with the British. It just brings back that nostalgia & history.

We enjoyed a long weekend of swimming,

trying to learn the fine art of diving,

jumping,

attempting cannonballs,

floating,

buying illegal fireworks in Alabama,
($98 worth of illegality)

parading,

not sure what to say about this....

partaking of history,

being with friends,

trying to get candy,
(which cannot be eaten by a girl who has braces)

fixing lots of food,

eating,

making s'mores inside due to torrential rain,

I have no photos of aforementioned illegal fireworks due to standing under an umbrella in the rain watching the fireworks.

All in all, we had a lovely day with the Taylor family who are, unfortunately, moving back home to England after nearly 4 years of being our neighbors. We are not amused.

other fun things done on the 4th of July not mentioned above:

changing sheets
5 loads of laundry (washed, dried, folded & put away)
making beds
chopping lots of fruit
preparing salads
cleaning kitchen
vacuuming floor

Kristina

2011-07-02T15:46:00.005-04:00

Waaaay back in the spring of 2007 I started to look for someone to help me during the summer. Now, it's not like I was/am incapable of handling my own kids but with summer camps, therapy appointments, doctor visits and Sam's up and coming behaviors, I needed a little help.

I tried to think of someone who I knew to come help then it hit me, Ms. Clarke's (Sam's former special ed teacher) daughter, Kristina, who was in her freshman year at Georgia Southern.

I talked to Ms. Clarke and she said Kristina might be interested since she'd planned on working at a local day care for less money. I emailed Kristina and she said yes!

Phew!

Kristina has been helping me every summer and any school breaks she had during college. She has been wonderful. I often referred to her as my "Beck & Call Girl" because anything I needed, she took care of.

She's taken kids back & forth to school, to Sam's therapies, driven to art/nature/gym camps, helped at school parties when both kids had something on the same day. She's come to important events like Sam's baptism or Abby's drama play.

We love Kristina and she has been invaluable to me these past 4 years.

The problems:

1. She got engaged over Thanksgiving (thanks a lot Trent)
2. She graduated from college
3. She wants to actually work in her chosen field (RN) vs. working for me
4. She moved to Chicago

There's not much else to say...except goodbye

Before she left for fall semester, 2009

Went with me to take the kids to Centennial Olympic Park

Our last night...we took her to The Flying Biscuit and Morelli's for dessert

Kristina is set to take her board exams and will get married on Saturday, April 7, 2012 and we couldn't be happier for her. Seriously. Well, sort of.

There is always Skype to keep us in touch.

We love you, Kristina!!

PS....there are 4 Clarke girls, Kelsey is now helping me!

Service Sunday

2011-07-02T14:13:00.013-04:00

Welcome to our Saturday edition of Service Sunday.

A few months ago I had heard about a local non-profit organization that delivers meals to the chronically ill or homebound, Open Hand. They participate with meals on wheels, provide nutritious meals to the elderly, etc. I thought it sounded like a great place for doing our monthly service project.

We left the house at 8:45am (much to everyone's displeasure-sleeping in didn't happen) and made it to Open Hand. We had a brief orientation as it's quite a complicated process.

We were assigned to deliver 9 meals to 7 locations in a common vicinity.

I also wanted to give a little something from us so I made these little flags last night.

Open Hand LOVES volunteers! Anyone who is interested can go help prep, cook and portion out meals or they can also do deliveries.

Filling out paperwork and "resting."

You are taken through the kitchen (thus the hair net) to pick up your bag of meals then off we went.

Our general area was East Point and all the deliveries were within minutes of each other.

Our first stop!

Getting the proper meal to the right person was a little tricky

Abby getting the meal ready for delivery

Waiting for the little lady to answer her door

After all the meals were delivered, we went back to drop off the freezer bag.

After our service project, we tried out a new place, Antico Pizza. It was DeLisH! It's kind of a strange set up...you order your pizza (only pizza or calzones are served...no salad!) then you find space at large tables in the kitchen and you see them making all the food. They throw the pizza dough, pull fresh basil off the plant and see them chopping all the fresh veggies and listen to Italian opera. It was pretty cool but busy and hard to find a piece of table to sit at.

No lunch is complete without a treat so we drove about 3 minutes to Sublime Donuts where we each chose one donut...Orange cream, chocolate on chocolate and two s'more donuts.

They were so good we had to buy 6 more.

The grand total of said 10 donuts: $18

We shared this last donut before heading home..

Maple Bacon Cheddar. That's right.

We had a great Saturday morning serving others and eating some yummy food.

A Week of Bliss

2011-06-24T07:13:00.012-04:00

You know when you've been planning something for so long and then it's over? It's so depressing. That's how I feel about our trip to the beach with our dear friends, the Murphy family.

We put together this trip months ago and now it's over. We had such a wonderful time together and enjoyed every minute of our time together.

The four of us arrived the day before the Murphy's flew in so we enjoyed some time with just us.

Here they come!
(slight delay due to detour to feed Mary's addiction of Diet Coke)

Finally!

John & Todd played two rounds of golf while in Florida

On Monday we went to the Ocean Club to eat lunch and swim at the pool

There were days when the smell of smoke was so strong that you couldn't be outside. The Okeefenokee Swamp was on fire and the wind blew the smoke our way.

Also, a $30 million beach renovation was under way. The pipe below stretched the length of the beach. Luckily the big machinery was past the house and we were able to access the beach. Phew!

Poor Kenna spent her first full day in bed and barfing. She had some sort of 24 hour bug.

Todd spent about 20 minutes getting the bikes ready for a ride that lasted about 2 minutes.
"It's so hot!"

We enjoyed popsicles by the pool nearly every day

little video of the fun

Maddi as the dead mermaid

We found an abundance of sand dollars on this trip

On our way to Pasta Night at the club. The only day we actually dressed up.
(the only day I wore make-up the entire trip)

Fernando paid a visit

Claire and Sam at the golf course

Abby found a live sand dollar, however, it didn't last long.

We had enough wind to fly kites

Crepe morning! Delish!

Downtown Ferandina Beach

Sam loves Claire. She was so sweet and so patient and so willing to do whatever he asked of her

No trip to the beach is complete without a trip to the ice cream shop

Most of our time was spent at the beach. The weather was great!

Playing games

Our last night...brownie night

Saying good-bye...there were tears

We had such a wonderful time together and hope to do it again soon. Many thanks to my in-laws for letting us stay at their beautiful house.

Link to long & boring video, here

Mom, I'm really nervous....

2011-06-05T13:35:00.003-04:00

And so was Mom.

Today was the big day. The day Sam passed the sacrament for the first time. For those who don't know what that is, for the Mormons it is the most sacred part of our church worship service. It's where we take the bread & water and it helps us remember our baptismal covenants and to follow Jesus Christ. You can read more about it here. In our church, young men that are 12 years old are ordained to the Priesthood and they are the ones who administer it to the congregation.

I've been nervous and emotional all week. Todd took him to church a little early and got him settled. I started getting teary before church even began. Sam sat next to Ryan Moore and I saw them whispering to one another. Ryan helped Sam find the right hymn number and I saw whisperings and nodding throughout the sacrament. Sam did a great job. I was just crying, trying to keep myself composed but it didn't happen. The lady behind us just patted us on the back.

Sam also bore his testimony and said he was excited to pass the sacrament. I bore my testimony about faith and how much faith Sam has. Several others made mention of Sam in their testimonies as well. Sam was greeted with lots of hugs and handshakes today. Everyone was so happy & proud of him.

Our sweet little Deacon!

After church, Todd took Sam to collect fast offerings, another duty for a deacon. The monies collected go to help members of our congregation. There will be many more opportunities for Sam to grow and learn and I'm grateful that he has good examples in the other Young Men in the ward as well as patient leaders who will help him grow in the gospel.

Memorial Day

2011-05-31T11:46:00.004-04:00

Sam and I made a visit to Robert Collins's grave yesterday for Memorial Day. I certainly have a better sense of what Memorial Day is all about.

We honor Robert & all the other soldiers, past & present, who have fought for our freedoms.

I totally forgot...

2011-05-30T18:49:00.003-04:00

Back in February I had been reading the monthly Atlanta Parent Magazine. Toward the end there's a little spot that says if you want to enter your child in the cover contest for the yearly publication of Just Kids which is for parents of kids with special needs. I thought, what the heck.

This is the letter I wrote:

And I included these photos:

Fast forward to Thursday, May 12th. I was meeting friends for lunch and got a phone call from Marie who works for Atlanta Parent Magazine telling me that Sam is one of four finalists.

Say what? I had totally forgotten that I had submitted that letter.

After coordinating with the four families, we met at a park in Atlanta on Wednesday, May 18th. A photographer came and took photos of all the kids and the creative director will choose photos. I also had a phone interview with an intern to share a little bit more about Sam. All the kids will be profiled in the magazine but there's only one coveted cover model spot.

The competition may be tough...a little girl with Down's, a little girl who was very premature and a little boy with Autism. Here's hoping Sam's dashing ways will help tip the scale in his favor.

The photos aren't that great, honestly, but we'll see what happens! The publication is due out this summer.

Here's a link and password to the photos:

You can view Sam's pictures here:

The password is "apmweinreb".

He's a Deacon!!

2011-05-29T22:21:00.002-04:00

Sam was ordained a Deacon today. What?! I am not old enough to have a 12 year old. It was really special. Bishop Moore had him stand in Sacrament and announced he'd be ordained a Deacon. We all met in the Bishop's office and Bishop William Turbyfield ordained him and we had Joe Phillips, Don Meadows, Jared Aylworth, Ryan Cortez, Bishop Sherman Moore & Matt Sorensen in the circle. Also in the room were all the young men so it was really neat. We are sure proud of Sam. I know he's nervous about passing the Sacrament on Sunday but he'll do great and he has lots of boys who are willing to help him.

The family on Sam's special day

I hosted a "Special Dessert Night" because Sam wanted to have a celebration. We invited several families from our ward and I made some yummy Texas sheet cake and homemade vanilla ice cream.

Cindy, Marilyn, Jennifer

Kids playing in the yard

Bishop T., Matt, Ed

"He's our Bishop."

Ryan, Jacki & Brooks

Todd, Cameron & Ty

Jennifer & Emily

For some reason, this event has been very emotional for me. I don't know exactly why. Maybe this is the first milestone he's met, on time, in his life. I guess I'm also a bit nervous that Sam will not be with me during church and will be with the "big" boys. They all know and love Sam but he may be chronologically 12 but he's definitely not emotionally or mentally 12. I guess I don't want him to get teased or hurt.

I know this is just a new phase but man, transitions are tough. I am often reminded of a line from the movie "Steel Magnolias" where the character played by Daryl Hannah says, "She will always be young..." That is Sam. He will always be young and may never fully understand things and that's hard for a mom. You have such high hopes and expectations for your kids and knowing full well Sam will never do things that "normal" kids do is heart breaking. There will be no driving, no dating, no girlfriend, no college, no wedding, no children.

No growing up.

I guess he's a little like Peter Pan.

"All children, except one, grow up."
J.M. Barrie

Last Few Days of School

2011-05-27T21:40:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe it's the end of another school year!

Sam's school put on a lemonade stand to earn money for "Alex's Lemonade Stand." I helped out and the kids earned $255 in two hours!

Awesome!

Abby dressed up for her end-of-year concert. It had a Jazz theme and she says to me, "Mom, will you help me with my hair? I want to put it in a side ponytail. It will make me look Jazzier."

Abby's last day of school...
Mrs. Lawler (2nd grade teacher)

Mrs. Brooks (parapro)

Sam's school goes all out for the last day of school. Water slide, pizza and "cream the principal" with shaving cream pies. Mrs. Collins is brave! She also sported a Do Rag. Sweet.

We made it! Bring on summer vacation!!

Service Sunday & a First

2011-05-22T21:14:00.003-04:00

For May's Service Sunday we participated in the Autism Speaks Walk Now for Autism along with the staff & students from Sam's school, Clearwater Academy.

It was hot and crazy crowded but we had a great time. Sam raised over $200. Thanks to our family members who donated and also Sam raised $30 selling lemonade.

Enjoying the activities

Mr. & Mrs. Huber & Ms. Schriver

After the walk, Abby had a birthday party close by at the rec center on the Georgia Tech campus. It was an awesome pool and it has this awesome waterslide. Sam was dying to go down but since neither of us brought suits, we weren't sure he could manage it since the staircase was huge and he's not a strong swimmer. After he begged and begged, we talked to the life guard to make sure he was on alert and Sam climbed the steps and came down. He loved it! And proceeded to spend the next 3 hours on the slide. A big step for a kid who didn't want to swim at all.

Sam's birthday party

2011-05-21T15:22:00.002-04:00

I decided to have Sam's birthday party a week early since his actual birthday falls over Memorial Day weekend. We started the festivities with Sam's final baseball game and his teacher, Mrs. Huber and her family (minus Nolan) came to see Sam play. It was very sweet of them to drive 40 minutes to come see the game. We love Mrs. Huber.

We rented an 18ft. waterslide and the kids had a great time!

I served snacks...fruit, crackers & cheese, pretzels, etc.

Cake & ice cream too!

Considering we had 8 autistic kids at the party and no one got hurt or melted down, I'd say it was a very successful party.

Happy 12th birthday Sam!

Surprise!

2011-05-17T14:25:00.004-04:00

I had set up a Visiting Teaching brunch for the ladies Diana & I visit so we could say good-bye to Diana since she is moving back to Las Vegas. One of my friends suggested we open it up to others so they too can say good-bye. I decided to make it a surprise for her and we had a fun little brunch!

All the girls!

The food!

A quick little video of mostly my rear end. Nice.

We are sad to see the Barker family go but happy knowing they are back "home" close to their families. Diana was a fantastic VT companion and I will miss her!

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T14:08:00.001-04:00

Mother's Day and Todd's b-day landed on the same day this year. Needless to say, it's not much fun to share your holiday/b-day with someone else. We both tried to make it special, and it was, but it's more fun to have it all to yourself.

We went to sacrament meeting since the kids were singing then met up with Todd's family at the Capital City Club for brunch. It was really special to have everyone there (except for Syd & Josh, perhaps next year). It's a lovely spread of all-you-can-eat goodness without the moms having to cook & clean up after everyone. A treat indeed!

David & Judy (mostly Judy with David's support) bought all us moms this special little magical gift...

It's a nano watch! It plays the radio, songs, holds photos, it has a pedometer and it has a "thing that tells time." It is AWESOME! So awesome in fact, that I do believe I run faster when I wear it.

Here's a photo of most of the grandkids. Some were absent and some chose not to be in the photo (that would be Sam).

We managed to get Jonathan and Gma in this one

All the moms!

I am truly blessed to be a mom, to have a great mom, step-mom, mother-in-law, sisters and sisters-in-law. I am surrounded by wonderful women in my life who are kind, loving, smart, funny and terrific mothers.

Abby's Dance Recital

2011-05-01T18:48:00.001-04:00

Abby had her yearly dance recital on May 1, 2011 and it was so fun. She did a great job and had a great time.

Service Sunday

2011-04-27T21:41:00.004-04:00

Due to Abby's piano recital, we had to rearrange our Service Sunday and ended up doing it on Easter Sunday...which is appropriate.

This month we decided to buy a few essentials for a group called No Longer Bound. They are actually clients of Todd's. They take in old cars and the donor gets a tax credit then they sell the cars through Todd's auction. They are like a half-way house for drug addicts.

I went to the Dollar Store and bought a bunch of stuff, baked some cookies then we took it out to their new facility in Bremen, Ga.

Gingersnaps!

Chocolate Chip!

We only met one person and everyone that lives/works there is a recovering addict. Here's hoping for a drug-free life for all of them.

Weekend Highs....and lows

2011-04-25T16:32:00.001-04:00

I was looking forward to a lovely Easter weekend....

Not exactly what I had in mind....

On Friday at 5pm, Todd took Abby to soccer practice and Sam was playing with the neighbor kids. I was working on the computer when Steve came in and in his lovely British voice said, "Sam cut his head and he's bleeding. A lot."

I thought he fell outside but he was in their house. We ran over and he was leaning over the sink and Jane had gobs of paper towels trying to stop the bleeding. It had stopped for the most part, still a bit weepy. He wasn't crying and he was fairly calm. Jane, on the other hand, was not.

Apparently, he had been watching Theo play baseball on the Wii and he got so excited about Theo's home run that he threw his head back and hit it on the corner of a glass table.

He was able to walk home and I sat him in a chair and got an ice pack and put it on his head. It was a bit hard to see the actual cut because of his hair. It had stopped bleeding and I had called Todd. He came home and we needed to assess if we were going to the ER or not.

The poor bean bag sacrificed itself. Per Jane, it was A LOT of blood!

Todd got Sam in the shower and carefully shaved his head. He looks like Friar Sam now.

This is what we found. It's over an inch long.

Hmmm....to ER or not to ER, that was the question.

We texted our friend Ryan Cortez, El Doctor, to see if he could come take a look at Sam. As you may be aware, Sam's is not a good patient and I cannot imagine holding him down, shooting him up with lidocaine and stapling his head. Not a good experience to even think about.

I ran to Walgreen's (twice) to get supplies to take care of the wound and Todd and Ryan we able to glue the wound and keep it together with steri-strips.

Sam is not allowed at Jane's without wearing some sort of helmet now.

The next morning we went to Abby's soccer game and she scored the only two goals of the whole game. We passed on Sam's game due to the gaping head wound.

Saturday afternoon, we went with the Taylor's to the Atlanta Temple Open House. It's been closed for nearly two years for massive renovations.

On our way...

The temple is so lovely and I'm so excited to have a temple close again. The Taylor's enjoyed the tour and asked several questions about the church. We had a great time.

Afterward, we hit The Flying Biscuit for dinner...delish!

Poor Sam

My delicious French Toast (or Eggy bread if you're British)

The gang

Easter Sunday

That was our weekend....the good (soccer goals, temple, Flying Biscuit), the bad (head wound) and the ugly (head wound & Jane's poor bean bag and carpet).

Week in Review

2011-04-17T17:34:00.003-04:00

We've had a busy week. Often I think things will eventually will slow down but that doesn't seen to be the case.

For FHE on Monday, the kids & I took invites to the Atlanta Temple Open House around the neighborhood. We dropped off four of them to our neighbors and invited them to go. For more info, click here.

On Tuesday, I hosted a Visiting Teaching brunch for the sisters that Diana & I visit teach. We had Kristy, Marilyn & Brooke join us and we had fun. I had made some German pancakes and Alpine Muesli. Delish!

Newman also saw the vet on Tuesday, much to her dismay.

On Wednesday, we met with the Bishop to get recommends for the Atlanta Temple Dedication which will be on May 1st. This will be a first for me and I'm really excited to attend. Got to go get some white hankies!

On Thursday, the kids were bored & Sam had no privileges so they decided to put together a play. They make their costumes, props and even had sound effects, albeit a bit delayed.

On Friday, Abby's soccer practice was canceled due to severe weather so we went to dinner at Gumbeaux's then took Abby to a movie: Soul Surfer. She's been wanting to see it and it was fun to have a date night with just Abby. Sam went with Kristina and did the jumper at the mall then home to take shelter from the rain storm.

Saturday was busy too with Abby's soccer game, that had been delayed 2 hours due to the rain the night before but she did great and scored a goal. Todd then took the kids to a fundraiser of a place that houses men who are reforming drug addicts. They are a customer of his so they went out to Bremen for a BBQ lunch, games, jumpers and swings. They had a lot of fun. They also bought some plants at the fundraiser and planted them. I had a Stake Leadership training from 4:30-6:30pm then enjoyed Stake Conference. All the talks were centered on the family and it was good.

Sunday was Abby's piano recital and she's been practicing hard! Many thanks to G'ma Judy for the super sparkly dress. She looked amazing!

Pre-show

Enjoying the treats at the reception

Sam & Abby

It was a super busy week but lots of fun things to remember!

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-14T09:03:00.011-04:00

Every year for the past 6 years we've been going to my in-laws beautiful beach house for Spring Break. We always have a great time. The weather is near perfect, the beach is quiet and we don't fight for beach space, the pool is heated to about 90 degrees and our rules are significantly relaxed. Can't beat that!

We usually go to Pasta Night at the Club. Sam enjoys talking to the chefs and they were nice enough to give him his very own chef's hat.

Sam playing a few holes

Abby's first find...a disgusting fish head

We also brought along our nephew Josh. He had a great time...mostly.

Playing Jenga with G'pa

The water was freezing but the kids didn't seem to care

Sam chillin'

I try every year to get a photo of the kids together...they cooperated.

For anyone who knows Todd knows that he has a personal rule to not get into any sort of water unless it's upwards of 80 degrees. He's a great dad to brave the elements for the kids.

Preparing to boogey board

The kids & Todd spent a long time digging out this hole. It was pretty deep.

Hard days work

Now this is what vacation is all about

So is this

Abby loves to run on the beach with and collect treasures...shells, rocks, sea glass, dead baby turtles.

Swimming in said 90 degree pool

Ice cream by the pool

My fun mother-in-law enjoying a popsicle, magazines, a little sun and a jacket

We took the kids to play mini golf and they had a great time. I do wish the people behind us would adhere to golf etiquette: wait your freaking turn and don't hit your ball onto our hole while we are still there! Just sayin'

Sam is very serious about his golf...even if it's mini golf
(he did win the game by quite a few strokes and even got a hole-in-one)

Abby's careful shot

Josh putting

All together now...

One of our favorite places to go: Wal-Mart sushi (also known as Kabuki)
Dinner & a show! Plus, Will the sushi guy is awesome!

Abby will eat anything you give her sushi-wise. She loves octopus, fish eggs, raw tuna, jelly fish...you name it, she'll eat it.

Todd's dinner

As always, we have a wonderful time and get to enjoy the time together without homework, school schedules, chores and DRIVING!

A little something...

2011-03-31T09:16:00.003-04:00

I was at Target the other day...well, honestly it seems I am there every day but I came across these little eye masks in the dollar section. I decided to make a little something for Sam's teachers for Spring Break.

They come in 4 different styles and I just made the little tag that says:

"Hope you get some much-needed rest. Happy Spring Break! Love, Sam"

I glued it to some cardstock and stapled it to the package.

Super simple!

Super cheap!

I am truly grateful for all Sam's teachers!

Happy Spring Break!!