Play Catch Up

It feel like so much has happened since my last post, but really it is more like a lot of the same stuff over and over. I wake up, get the kids on the bus, go to work, usually stop at the store on the way home, get the kids ready for whatever practice that we have, worry about dinner, make sure that everyone has what they need for the next day and then collapse on the couch at 8:00 and Jonathan and I usually fall asleep trying to catch up on all of the TV that is on our DVR. This is the life of a mother. If you don't believe me, just ask any other mother and you will hear the same story.

But anyway, we stayed busy through the fall with football and cheerleading. I was fortunate enough for Taylor to be cheering for Tanner's team this year. I will not be so lucky for the next few years. I had the pleasure of coaching the cheer squad. I was so intimidated by the thought of 19 girls ages 9 to 11. I was intimidated at the thought of 19 mothers that probably knew more about what was going on than I did. But I was bless with wonderful girls and wonderful parents.


This has been a great school year for both Taylor and Tanner. They have both had straight A's for the whole year.

Taylor made the Jr. Beta club, which means that she had a 90 or higher average for the previous school year. Her school now has over half of its students in the Jr. Beta Club. We LOVE our school system. This is us at her induction ceremony.


Taylor also get escorted for homecoming by her "boyfriend". During this process I learned that "boyfriend" is a title only. They do not talk to each other and from the pictures you can tell that they NEVER touch each other. And that is the way that it should be.

She also had her first school dance this year. It is 5th and 6th grade only and the teachers make it fun and casual. She had so much fun. Her boyfriend couldn't go because he got sick. He was so worried about Taylor that he called his best friend and told him to tell her that he couldn't make it. I thought that was so sweet. Most guys wouldn't be thinking about anything other that how crappy they feel. Although I can't say that I was disappointed that he couldn't make it. It was just one less thing for me to worry about. This is her before she left to go to the dance.

Taylor also got 2nd place in the 4H photo contest for her school and 1st place in the cooking challenge. Since she got 1st place she will go on the County. She is also class president for 4H. She was so happy.

Tanner loves his teacher this year. She has him so excited about learning and reading. He made the school spelling bee this year. This for 3rd and 4th grade which is around 250 students. Each class does their own spelling bee and the top 25 go on to the school bee. Tanner came in 4th place and was the only 3rd grader left. He still cried and was disappointed that he didn't win. I worried about him being at school all day, so sad. When he got off the bus he said "This was the best day, coming in 4th in the spelling bee made me famous. Everybody knows who I am." Gotta love his humble attitude. I wish that I could post a picture from the spelling bee, but they are on our laptop and it crashed. So sad.

As for Jonathan, he is a happy camper. He shot his first buck on Sunday morning. This was a 11 year goal finally accomplished. Needless to say he feels on top of the world.

Well, back to my schedule. Time to go the store so I can worry about dinner.

Continue Reading...

Wegle Wegle War Eagle.....

It was a beautiful afternoon on August 31. I had just dropped my son off at his football practice and was heading back home. For those of you who do not know, I live in Alabama. Keep that in mind as you read the story. While driving down the road I saw a large bird in the road in front of me. It was getting a bite off of something that was dead in the road. It started to fly up in the air as I got a little closer and I noticed that it was lighter around its head. I thought that it was an owl, which I have seen in that area. As I got right in front of it, it landed on a tree. I very surprised to see that it was a bald eagle. They are not indigenous to this area. I immediately called my husband and told him to get ready. I got home, grabbed my husband and my camera and head back to where I had seen it before. I was so sad to see that it was not there. Jonathan decided to turn down the road next to where I had seen it and there it sat. Just beautiful. It was such a rare treat that the local paper ran the picture that I took in the Sunday paper. My only fear now is that some Alabama bubba is going to hunt it down and have it mounted over his fireplace.

I told my husband that this must have been a sign of good things to come for my Auburn Tigers. The Saturday after I saw the eagle, we went to Auburn for the first game of the season where we chant "Wegle, wegle, War xxxx Eagle, kick 'em in the butt Big Blue". It must have worked because we won.

Just a side note of information. I do not typically have good luck with birds while I am driving. Once while driving home from a baseball game something flew into my windshield. I just thought that it was a chicken that had fallen off of a large truck up the road. The next morning we discovered a baby owl stuck in the luggage rack of our mini van. A few weeks later I was driving to a ball game and a mallard duck (you know the ones with the green heads) flew right into my windshield. For days you could see the streak where it slip up the windshield. It does not end there. About a year later I was leaving baseball practice ( do you see a theme in my life?) traveling down a major road. The sun was setting and I could see something strange in the road. It looked like a shadow, but as I got up on it I could see that it was a peacock!!! It was trying to run, but not doing a very good job of it. I couldn't dodge it because there was a car coming in the other direction. I just slowed down as much as I could and hit it. I felt sorry for the beautiful bird, but I couldn't help but chuckle as I look in my rear view mirror and see peacock feather flying out from behind my car. After all of that bad fortune with the birds I am just glad that I didn't kill the Eagle!

Continue Reading...

OH My Ears

As many of you know we surprised the kids and got them tickets to go see "The Jonas Brothers". The concert was Sunday, August 16 and my ears are still ringing. There is no sound in the entire world quite like the sound of around 17,000 girls squealing for four hours. The screams began an hour before the concert when someone would text to the screen, "Scream if you think Nick is cute." They would scream so loudly that you would think that someone had spotted one of the Jo. Bros. The shrills continued for the next three hours through two opening acts and then ENTIRE time "The Jonas Brothers" sang. They really did put on a good show. I was entertained through the whole concert and was pleasantly surprised. It was worth all of the damage done to my ears just to watch my kids having the time of their lives. It took me back to the day when I went to see "New Kids on the Block". I still remember that concert like it was yesterday. Taylor is the same age I was when I went to that concert. That is what it is all about, creating memories!

Continue Reading...

Trying to Catch up

I realize that I haven't posted anything in a long time. It is like scrap booking, you get too far behind that you get overwhelmed and then you just don't do anything. I thought that I would give you an overview of our very short summer.

For us baseball ended not long after school let out, but softball didn't end until June 20th. We had playoffs and a fundraiser tournament for Krymson Feazell. She is a middle school girl from our area that got Lyme's Disease. The doctors didn't catch in time and she as been very sick for a couple of years. We were able to raise a good bit of money to help the family out with medical expenses, although I'm sure it just a drop in the bucket.

June 5th was Tanner's birthday. He turned "9" and that is just crazy. He had a simple skateboard party at the house with just a few of his closest friends. This birthday was very enjoyable because we didn't end up with a lot of toys. He got money to buy a Nintendo DS, golf lessons (which he loves. He is such a sports nerd), and a deep sea fishing trip that we are taking this weekend with Daddy.

My summer fun ended on June 20th. I came home from the Krymson Feazell Tournament with a 102.7 fever and it lasted all weekend. I went to the Dr. on Monday and they gave me a shot and antibiotics. By that Wednesday I was still running a fever and went back to the Dr. and he said that it must be viral since the antibiotics weren't working. By Friday I was still running a fever and could barely move. Jonathan had enough and took me to the emergency room. They ran some test and said that it was bronchitis and gave me another shot and more antibiotics. The next week I felt better, but still not good. I felt good enough to to go to work and to watch the 4th of July fireworks. Monday I decided to work late and try to catch up from being out sick the week before. By the time I got home I felt like CRAP!!! I decided to take my temp and it was up the 103 when I went to bed. I thought that was weird since I was still on antibiotics. I didn't sleep at all that night. The next morning I got up and went to work. All I could do was lay my head on my desk. I also had Taylor with me because I was supposed to take her to the Dr. that afternoon. After a few hours of misery my boss sent me home. I decided to go on to the Dr. and just make sure that everything was okay. The nurses started jumping. They couldn't find my blood pressure and when they did find it, it was like 71/54. They did a chest x-ray and said that I had pneumonia. I spent the next 6 days in the hospital and the next week on bed rest. It was double pneumonia and they said that it was viral which is why the antibiotics didn't work. Anyone who knows me knows that I am never sick so this was a new experience for me. I am now feeling much better!!!

Now I am focused on getting everything done that I was hoping to do between baseball and football seasons. I have sewed curtains, finished a flower bed, cleaned out rooms and closets. Now I am pressed for time with school starting in two and a half weeks.

The kids have had a fun summer. They spend time with grandparents and friends while Jonathan and I are at work. They are both excited about starting school. Taylor is especially excited since she gets to go up to the middle school this year. She is so elated to get a locker! Taylor will be in the 5th grade and Tanner will be the 3rd grade. I am also looking forward to school and the comfort of a schedule.

Continue Reading...

End of School Year

Well the school year is officially over. I have spent the last two mornings at award ceremonies for my children's accomplishments. Both Taylor and Tanner make all "A's" for the year. I am so proud of them and how hard they work. They received a metal for this honor. This is their Principal Mr. Dyer and Assistant Principal Mrs. Wilburn.

I could tell I was Tanner by his shoes. I would know his giant, dirty shoes anywhere. He is obsessed with Tony Hawk right now.

Here is Taylor with her teacher Ms. Barker, Tanner's teacher Ms. Rosier, and Tanner with his report card.

Introducing my Fifth Grader and my Third Grader. This is Taylor's last day in the elementary school and she is NOT sad about it. She can't wait to go to the middle school and get a locker!

Continue Reading...

Memorial Day Camping Trip

We decided to go camping for Memorial Day weekend this year. We decided this long before the forecast for rain was out, but we thought we would go anyway. We were able to camp on some land that belongs to our friends dad. This land is used as a recreation place for company parties. It has a lake, paddle boats, putt putt, ball fields, and bathrooms. The best part, other than the bathrooms, was that we got to camp for free!!!! It did rain on and off until Saturday night, but that didn't stop the fun.

This is a picture of a friend of ours who didn't want to get out of his tent Saturday morning, but kept joining in on the conversation. My husband and another friend decided to pull up his tent stakes. It was alot funnier than the picture is, I promise. Here he is when he finally got out of the tent. With hair like that I would have stayed in there too.

My son found a love for fishing. He would even go to bed early just so he could get up early, and he did. He woke up at 5:30 on his own. The kids would fish whenever it wasn't raining and when it was raining they would go play putt putt since it was covered. Taylor caught 2 bass and was proud to hold them herself. Tanner caught 4 bass all about 1lb. except one that was about 3 1/2 lbs. He was so excited, but still won't hold one himself.

We also enjoyed the paddle boats. The kids enjoyed going out by themselves, with Dixie the dog of course. If anyone would ride out in the lake she would swim out and get in the back. She didn't want to be left out of anything.

We ended up coming back a day early because of all the rain and mud. It was a great trip and we can't wait to go back.

Continue Reading...

Taylor's First Game Ball!

I was so proud of my daughter last night. She got her first game ball and she was so excited. The part that made me proud is that she got it for listening to the coaches and for her good attitude and character. These attributes are much more important than ball skills (although those are great too). She is growing up and maturing so quickly. I am proud of the Tween that she is becoming!

Continue Reading...

Mother's Day

This Mother's Day was a different experience for me this year. My children are getting older and starting to do things for themselves. Of course their father had helped get them a card, but he had to work so the kids were left to be in charge of the day. While I was taking my bath the kids decided that they would fix me breakfast. Taylor made her toast, which Tanner says is the best toast in the world, and Tanner cooked me scrambled eggs. The best part was when I got up from the table and they cleaned up the mess! After breakfast we got dressed and went to my mothers house.

I wrote a post a couple of months ago about my grandmother that passed away. She was my mother's mother. I wanted to be with my mother more that ever this year, being her first Mother's Day since the passing of her mother. She had picked some beautiful flowers from her yard and wanted me to make an arrangement for her grave. My grandmother loved to look out of the large sliding glass doors in her den and admire all of the beautiful flowers that my granddad had planted especially the bright pink Mandavillia. My mom and I packed up the kids and the flowers and drove over to Gadsden. We had a wonderful lunch at Struts (great hot wings!) and went to see my uncle who is recovering from shoulder surgery while waiting for the rain to stop. As soon as the rain let up we went to the cemetery and got to work.

I started arranging the flowers and Mama started cleaning, which would have made my MaMaw so proud. Since it has still so wet we let the kids sit in the van until we finished. After we felt that everything was in tip top shape we all sat back for just a moment, a somber moment. When we were walking away I noticed that Tanner, my almost 9 yr. old son, paused for a second and then caught up with me. I turned back to take a last look and noticed that he had taken the penny out of his pocket and laid it on her foot stone. You can't really tell from this photo but he is a little bit of a perfectionist. The penny is laying perfectly in the center of the stone and it even lined up perfectly. It touched my heart that he had to make his own contribution. He didn't have much but it didn't matter. MaMaw would have been touched by this precious gift. She loved her great grand babies very much!

To end the day I returned home to a husband that was cooking me some ribs!!!! It was a great day spent with family the way that it should be!

Continue Reading...

My Ma-Maw

In my earlier post about my grandmother I promised that I would post some pictures of her. I am now following up on that promise. Most of these pictures were taken by my grandfather who was taking some photography classes. He also did the hand tinting himself.

Continue Reading...

My Poor LuLu

My morning last Thursday seemed like a normal day, until I backed out of the driveway and right over my sweet puppy LuLu. She yelped and yelped. Dixie, her mother, was running around like crazy trying to figure out how to fix it and I was crying. It seemed as if the only thing bothering her was her back leg. Jonathan told me to go on to work and he would take care of her. While I was on my way to work he called and told me that we was going to take her on the vet because she was starting to bleed out of her ears. He was just kidding, she was doing fine but this is the kind of sympathy that I live with on a daily basis. He did call the vets office and they said to watch her over night unless she seemed to be having any other problems. Friday morning I got up and took her to the vets office. The vet said that it was a broken femur. They kept her to run an x-ray and depending on the findings they would either put a splint on it of do surgery. Late Friday afternoon they called and said that they were going to have to do surgery. The bone had been broken lengthwise. They did the surgery on Monday afternoon and it was worse than they thought when they got inside. The surgery took 3&1/2 hours. They put pins in her bone to hold it together and stitched her up. We went and picked her up yesterday afternoon. She is doing great, but has to stay in her crate for 4 weeks. This poor dog will be spoiled for sure now! Anytime I look in those big brown eyes I feel so bad. Here are some pictures that Taylor took this morning. Her poor little leg looks like a chicken quarter.

Continue Reading...

I'm Slipping

I have been so good to keep everyone updated since I started my blog, but I find myself slipping. Maybe it because I no longer have a life that would interest anyone else. Since my daughter is playing softball and my son is playing baseball I find myself sitting at a ballpark almost every night of the week. My husband keeps complaining because I haven't even been able to find time to go to the grocery store which means that I have nothing to cook for supper which equals a grumpy family. Last week, for example, was a Monday night game, Tuesday night practice, Wednesday night meeting with insurance agent, Thursday night game, Friday night family and friends cookout, and Saturday we had three games and were at ballparks from 8:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. I don't know how people with more kids do it. After the chaos of last week I decided that I was going to have to get more disciplined with groceries and housework or I was going to turn into a mad woman.

I was so proud of myself this week. On Monday, I left work at 3:00, went to a Dr.'s visit, ran to the grocery store, cooked supper, got both kids out the door for Tanner's practice (on the other side of town) at 5:00 where Taylor ate her dinner, and to Taylor's game in Jacksonville at 7:00 where the rest of us at dinner. I felt as though all of that deserved a little pat on the back. Everyone was like "Girl you have got it all figured out!" but they didn't see the giant pile of laundry that could eat a small child, or all of the crap that has found it's way to the outside of my house in the last week. I was quick to tell them "No, it was just a good day where everything worked out."

So, if you find yourself thinking, "What has happened to Amanda and Jonathan?", don't worry! We are just sitting at a ballpark somewhere cheering on one of our children. It's a crazy life but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Continue Reading...

My Pitiful Dixie

Our friends gave us a small dog bed to use with our new puppy LuLu. LuLu loved it and took all of her toys in it one at a time. When Dixie came in the house she decided that she needed that dog bed for herself even if only half of her body fits in it. Dixie slept in it all night and apparently enjoyed it because she was snoring very loudly.

Continue Reading...

April Fools Day

The children had a surprise for their father when he went to work. While they were waiting on the bus they rolled Jonathan's minivan. I was so proud of them taking the initiative to do it on their own. Jonathan had no idea until he left to go to work. The outside was done with what was leftover from the inside so it isn't as good, but it was wet and stuck to the van.

Continue Reading...

Bass Pro Shop

This weekend we went to a plant nursery and looked to see what we would like to plant in our yard. It was nice going with our children at the ages they are instead of babies like they were the last time. They were curious about all of the different plants and had their own opinions about what we should plant. They were so awesome that we decided that we would take them to the Bass Pro Shop as a surprise. Of course I had my camera and I now feel that I should share these photos with you.

This is the entrance after the long winding drive through the woods to get there. You can tell that they are trying to make it like a wildlife sanctuary. There was clover planted everywhere and streams and bridges. When you walked in the race cars were over your head. These are full sized race cars.

We had so much fun walking around and just acting goofy. The children both found things to buy with their money and things to dream about buying one day. I just walk around in amazement of the detail and money that goes into building one of these stores. It is free entertainment.

And of course I couldn't leave out the Ra-Kughn!

Continue Reading...