10

FREEZING!!! That is all I can say to describe the weather. Some of the counties north of us cancelled school and in Northern Alabama they issued a state of emergency in anticipation of the winter storm moving through. I was keeping my fingers crossed for the weather to move a little south and for school to be cancelled for us. No such luck. It was business as usual around here this morning. Except there was a little more whining about the cold from Hayden. So, I bribed her not to whine with hot chocolate. Works everytime. I brought a blanket in the car on the way to school because we southern folk aren't adapted to this kind of crazy weather.

If we have to put up with cold, we should at least get some snow out of it.

9

Bryan and I always talk about how we don't see our grandparents enough. With Grandma Jeanne being gone now, that is my biggest regret. She lived so close and we didn't go visit her near as often as we should have. With that in mind, we decided to spend the afternoon with Granny and Paw Paw. The girls usually enjoy riding bikes and visiting the neighbor's horses when we go over there. But, it was FREEZING and raining so we let them bring their DSi s to keep themselves entertained. They spent most of the time taking pictures of everyone and morphing them. Paw Paw really got a laugh out of the one of Granny with a moustache.
After dinner and cake to celebrate Bryan's birthday we sat around and chatted. Granny and Paw Paw always have the best stories to share. They remember names, dates, and details of so much from their lifetime. Note to self: Bring something to record them with next time.

8

I have now exceeded my total number of blog posts for 2010. Wahoo.

I LOVE Saturdays. Especially during the school year. The girls usually sleep in until 6:30 and play quietly/watch TV until 6:31 when they start asking for breakfast. The best part about a Saturday is that we aren't having to rush out the door by 6:50. And we usually do something fun as a family. Since today is Bryan's birthday, we celebrated by going to this cute little guy's birthday party.

My girls love Collin as if he were in our family. The girls ask me almost every Sunday if we can bring him home from church with us. He is so fun to have around and is always the center of attention. That is, unless one of his cousins is around (especially the babies). Then Payton's attention is usually diverted.

At the party, she stayed occupied with the sweet baby girls. She is going to be a great baby sitter in a couple of years.

Hayden spent most of her time riding her bike around the park with Grant. Those kids have so much fun together. I hope they will remain friends for a long time.

Flashback Friday

If I am supposed to blog everyday this year, I am going to have a very hard time coming up with things to write about. So I have decided to do "Flashback Friday." I will post a picture of something I should have blogged about a long time ago.

Date of picture: 7/3/10

This day was so much fun. The opportunity for everyone to go to Stadium of Fire kind of just happened. I was lucky enough to hang out with these kids outside the stadium before the show started. We passed the time by eating a picnic lunch/dinner, rolling down the hill, arguing over a snuggie, and taking silly pictures. Things only got better once we got into the stadium and the show started. I may have to one day write every detail of that night. But for now - just a list of my favorite parts: The F-15 (or16) flyover, honoring the military, all things patriotic, being part of the worlds largest Eagle Scout Court of Honor, bursting with pride for my awesome nephew Trent, the Carrie Underwood concert, watching an interpreter do sign language to all of Carrie's songs, an amazing fireworks display, and sharing it all with some of my favorite people in the world!

On a totally different subject-Bryan's birthday is tomorrow so I took him out to lunch today. Me taking him out to lunch means that I drive out to his office, pick him up, and pay with his debit card. We did our birthday date today so we could take advantage of the free babysitting we had access to. (School) The non-fast food options for lunch in Saraland are slim. So we had about 4 places to choose from. Bet you can't tell where we went.

Day 6

I love the few minutes that Taylor and I have alone together in the afternoons before we pick up the other girls. When she runs to the car in the afternoons, she always has a big smile on her face. She loves her school, friends, teacher, etc. When she gets in the car we talk about her day. The highlights always involve what she did in PE and who she sat with at lunch. There is also usually talk about a certain boy. Sometimes I get to hear about a science lab, the book she is reading, or something neat she learned. Other times she shares details about her day that may seem mundane, but I love hearing about them. Today she told me about how she reorganized her desk and textbooks. She told me who she sat with at lunch. She told me her hands were red after PE from playing tetherball the whole time. She asked me what some words mean in the book she is reading. She showed me the new mechanical pencil she bought so she could do her homework in the car. She told me she is learning how to use a protactor. She reminded me how many more basketball games are left in the season and that she would really like to go to one. While we sat in the carpool line the other school, she quickly did her homework so she could play when she got home. I love this sweet girl!


On a totally different note: How did I ever live without this thing? Bryan has given me some pretty awesome Christmas presents through the years and this one is close to the top of the list. (The engagement ring 13 years ago is at the top.) I am so lucky to have the best husband in the world!

Wednesday, Wednesday

What started out as a horribly, yucky, rainy day ended well with a great bunch of Young Women. For our YW activity Andrea set up a fun scripture scavenger hunt around the church. Each clue was a scripture that the girls had to look up and it led them to the next clue. We ended in the RS room with the final treasure. Andrea talked about how the scriptures are a treasure and can be used to answer questions in our daily lives. Sometimes the answers are easy to find and sometimes they take more searching, like the clues for our scavenger hunt. Then each girl shared something they treasured. None of the items that the girls brought were expensive and they all represented something that was priceless, like a relationship with a family member or a spiritual experience. It wasn't planned this way but it was wonderful to see what the girls really value. I feel so blessed that my calling is serving with this awesome group of girls. It is wierd that Taylor will be joining them in October but I am so looking forward to it.
I love the girls in this picture, but I often think about the girls that I would like to see in this picture. The ones we miss seeing on a weekly basis and the one that has moved away. :(

Tuesday routine

Tuesday is one of our busiest days. Last semester it meant school for me, school for the girls, Mobile's Singing Children, and soccer. This semester will probably be just as busy. After picking the girls up from school we head over to two hours of MSC rehearsal. Being responsible for the monitors means I get to fill in the slots that no parents have signed up for. The advantage is that I get to hear them rehearse and sometimes sit in theory with them. This is a picture of Hayden working on a music theory review "test" that they had today. Taylor and Hayden love being part of MSC. They both say that going to theory is one of their favorite parts.


When Hayden auditioned this year, I suggested to Payton that she might want to. She wasn't interested. However, she still has to tag along with me when I monitor. Since soccer hasn't started back up yet, she has to sit with me the 2+ hours during rehearsal. After finishing her homework, this is usually how she spends her time. She is currently reading "The Red Pyramid" by Rick Riordan. She loved the Percy Jackson series and "The Lost Hero." And so far, she is loving this book.

The crockpot has become my best friend on Tuesdays. Guess what the crockpot held tonight?

Pulled pork with the best BBQ sauce in town. Yummy!

Back to life...back to reality

School starts back tomorrow so we are trying to get back in the swing of things. It is also the beginning of the month and you know what that means...Sams! The girls are so helpful ;) They are all willing to push the cart and will even argue with each other for the opportunity. They also make lots of suggestions about things I should buy. And to ensure that I get a good workout, they ride on the cart. So nice. I really do love having them home. We ran into one of their PE teachers while shopping and she asked if we were ready for school to start back. We all answered "no," of course. This morning, I jokingly suggested to the girls that I should home school them. They all agreed that I should which is not at all the answer that I expected. I guess they all love being at home just as much as I love having them there. Hayden's reason was predictable though. She thinks it would be great to stay in her pajamas all day.

While out running errands today, we had to make an exchange at Justice. I guess Taylor is getting to the point where I can't buy clothes for her without her trying them on. While we were there I heard this:


I thought it was a pretty cool version of a song that I love. When we got home, my to-do list took a backseat to my trying learn how to play this on the guitar. My finger tips still hurt. I need Dave to come back with his nylon string guitar. Actually, I need Lynne to come back too so we can learn this song together and work out some pretty cool harmonies. (You know - less Peter, Paul, and Mary....more Boys 2 Men.) There is always next visit.

Our personal rockstar

The Benhams and Dave left today and it goes without saying that we are VERY sad. You would think that it would get easier to say goodbye at some point, but it doesn't. So instead of being sad, I am going to be happy about the fun times we had.

It was awesome to have Dave here. My kids love him so much and he is incredibly kind and patient with them. Having him as a brother is a real blessing. We can have an intellectual conversation one minute and be laughing about something really ridiculous the next. He is definately an important part of our family. His laugh is infectious and his music warms my heart. I could sit and listen to him sing and play the guitar all day. As the car was being packed, he took time to sit with Payton one last time and play the guitar with her. He played the chords while she strummed. It is these moments that I will miss the most. Love you Dave!!!

The promise I plan to keep

Lynne and I have made many promises to each other over the years. We are not typically very good at keeping these promises. We have made weight loss promises, promises to keep the other from acting crazy in our old age, and promises to blog. We even made a promise not to cry when she left to go back home this trip. As usual, we did not keep that promise. We did however make a promise that I intend to keep. A picture a day for 2011. Nothing elaborate or involved. Just take a picture a day from our everyday lives and post it on the ol' blog. So my first picture is from 1/1/11.

Starting out a new year is always kind of refreshing and exciting. But it is especially awesome when we get to share it with the Benhams and Dave. The first day of the new year involved a trip to the grocery store, lunch for the masses, watching the football game, playing some Phase 10, another quick trip to the grocery store, and a chocolate fountain party for all the kids. The kids played all day and most of them never changed out of their jammies.

Here is just a glimpse of what a typical Benhemmertson cousin playtime looks like.

Of course Brant and Trent were involved doing something less girlie. Probably watching football or playing X-Box. Taylor, Payton, Hayden, Riley, Lance and Gavin were playing something that involved Power rangers, a big horse, dinosaurs, Monster-High dolls, a jungle, and a giant stuffed bear. I can't wait until next time they visit and I can take another picture like this. The kids may be a little bigger and the toys may be different but the smiles and snuggles will be the same.