They must really love each other...

No matter what they are doing, I always find the girls crammed into the same 2 square feet of space. They like to share this same space in:

• A closet floor
• Eating breakfast
• Doing homework
• Under the comforter on my bed
• On the swingset
• In front of the TV
• The couch where I am already sitting
• In the bathroom to brush teeth
• In their beds
• In front of the computer

This is not a staged photo. This really is how they play. They have plenty of room to play in their bedrooms or in the TV room. Yet, they usually all cram into a closet to play. When they sit down to do homework, they will all gather around one corner of the dining room table. But their favorite place to share space is their beds. The other night I went back upstairs to check on the girls after I had tucked them in. Hayden wasn't in her bed or in her room. So I start calling for her. She comes running out of Taylor's room to tell me that she was sleeping in Taylor's bed. I go to check out the situation. Taylor was in Payton's bed with her and tells me that she had been sleeping there for the past couple of nights. More recently Taylor is sleeping back in her own bed but Hayden hasn't left it. So if you need some extra space to play of sleep, come on over. We have some space we aren't using.

I have field trip fatigue

It is only November and between the three girls, there have already been six field trips. Fire Station, Little Schoolhouse, Bellingrath Gardens, the Farm, the Battleship, and Christmas Jubilee. Taylor has another next week, too. Since I am in school, I haven't been able to go on all of them. Bryan and Aiti (Bryan's mom) have filled in. However, I am already growing a little tired of them. I know that sounds horrible. Bryan tells me that the kids don't need one of us as a chaperone on every single one. But, I feel like it is one of the reasons I am a stay-at-home-sometimes-when-I-am-not-in-school-myself-or-volunteering-at-their-school-or-running-errands-or-doing-something-church-related-mom. However, I know how much the kids like having one of us along so, I will continue to go. Even though the buses usually stink, I usually have to ride on the bus with the mean driver that won't let anyone talk, and bathroom facilities aren't always the cleanest, I will still go. I have learned a few tricks of the field trip chaperoning trade. Always bring a bottle of water and some Excedrin. Stash a few books in the bag for the really long bus rides. Keep hand sanitizer handy. Pack a yummy lunch. Don't stress if you forget the camera. Kiss your child alot in front of their friends. Sing silly songs together. I forgot my camera on Hayden's field trip to the Battleship last week. Here are a few pictures of her Fire Station and Farm fieldtrips:

Bryan took the day off to go on the Fire Station field trip and just smiled when I handed him the camera. He knew what to do.

This little farm is in Bay Minette and is about 1 hr from the school. The long bus ride is worth it. It is one of the "Kindergarten" field trips, so I have been there 3 times. I still acted very excited about the emus, pigs, pony rides, etc. all for Hayden.

That is Hayden's teacher, Ms. Ryall. According to Hayden, she is the best teacher in the whole world. I totally agree. I think Lynne would, too. Trent and Riley both had her for Kindergarten.

Time to celebrate

I have to brag about my girls again. They all got straight A's for the first quarter. Hayden and Payton didn't act like it was any big deal. Taylor is pretty happy about it, though. She said third grade is the hardest ever. She spends about 45 min on homework and there have been a few tears shed (from her and me.) She struggled a little bit in math but once I realized she was missing the instruction 3 days a week for speech and PACE, I got that straightened out. I love her teacher so much. Once she and I discussed the problem, she made sure Taylor was there for math most days. It has made all the difference.

Once the report cards came out, we had to celebrate! The girls all agreed that Marble Slab was the best place to do this.

Hey now, they are Allstars!

It is only October and all have my girls have already been selected as an Allstar. I am one proud mom! For anyone that doesn't know, each teacher picks one student from her class each month as the Allstar. This is a student who has shown good character. I guess it is like a student of the month. They have a little breakfast with donuts and juice each month for the allstars. They are given a certificate and a prize. This year, instead of getting a little goodie bag, the kids get all star t-shirts. The best part about it, is that they can wear them every Friday instead of their uniform shirt.

Payton was selected for the month of September. On the certificate, the teacher writes the reason for selecting that student. Payton was chosen for always being kind to others.
Hayden and Taylor were the Allstars from their classes for October. Hayden was chosen for "showing she cares for her friends and teachers."

Taylor was chosen for "always being willing to lend a helping hand."

This picture is for you, Riley. Blakely was also chosen from her class for October. So, I took a picture of her and my girls just for you.

Saturdays are so unpredictable...

...except for one thing--ALABAMA FOOTBALL! ROLL TIDE!

Our Saturdays always seem busy. They may involve cleaning the garage, helping spruce up the family cemetery, family picnics, church activities, working on the car, etc. However, we ALWAYS make time to watch the game. Around here, when you say "the game" everyone knows what you are talking about. We have been Alabama fans forever. We have rooted for them through the good times and bad (losses, sanctions, injuries, numerous coaching changes, etc.) This season has made it all worth it. Since Bryan and I both went to U of A we can rightfully call the Crimson Tide "our team." The girls love to watch the games too, especially when I make fun snacks.

The third Saturday in October is always a big game. The Alabama/ Tennesse rivalry is second only to the Alabama/Auburn rivalry. To paraphrase an Alabama player: We hate Auburn because we have to. We hate Tennesse because we want to. Lynne told me about this clip on youtube. After watching it, I had to share. I can not figure out how to post the actual video, but here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7G7loR2VVw

Anyway, I made a few fun treats for the Tennessee game this year. We had apples with caramel dip, halloweeen cupcakes, sausage dip, and Chicago style pizza. After seeing a food network special about it, Bryan decided we should try to make some. It actually turned out pretty good, but looked to gross too take pictures of.

This is the best sausage dip and is so easy to make. I got the recipe from one of my scrapping friends, Debby. She brought this to a crop one time and it was love at first bite. Just cook up your sausage (I wouldn't use anything other than Jimmy Dean.) Drain off the fat then add a can of rotel and block of cream cheese. Mix it all up and serve. So delicious.

Before the game, the girls were out drawing with sidewalk chalk on the driveway and they heard the ice cream man. So, they all run in to get their allowance and run back out to sit and wait. They sat at the bottom of the driveway and waited for almost an hour. They kept hearing the faint song of the ice cream truck, but it never came down our street. Taylor told me they prayed six times and it still didn't come. I tried to make it all better. I went outside with a box of popsicles and offered to sell those to them. Taylor and Hayden were ready to buy but, Payton was all upset because she didn't think she should have to buy popsicles from me. So being the nice mom that I am, I gave them away for free.

This is Taylor's masterpiece on the driveway. In case you can't read it, the title is "Family Stages." The order of the stages is love, marriage, baby, grow up, live, and die. I guess, since Bryan and I love each other, got married, then had a few babies, we are now growing up. Don't you just love it. I really can't wait until I get to start living.

Believe it or not...

...we did celebrate Halloween. It just seems like life has been moving along at a pretty quick pace for us lately. So, obviously, I haven't taken the time to blog about it. We did make time to pick out pumpkins, though. I didn't take the kids to the pumpkin patch this year. (overpriced and over-rated) They each picked a pumpkin out of those huge boxes at Wal-mart and they were just as happy with them. See:



And thanks to Lynne, we didn't even have to carve them. She sent us some vinyl pumpkin faces to stick on them. They turned out just as cute with no mess. Love it! After we brought the pumpkins home, the girls were willing to sit for a few pictures. Aren't they beautiful?!



I wanted a picture of them all together. To get one of those, I usually have to agree to a silly picture too. This time wasn't any different. So here is the picture I wanted and the one they wanted:

Only because I was tagged

Dianne tagged me. So here it goes. These are supposed to be one word answers, but I probably can't stick to that.
1. Where is your cell phone? pocket
2. Where is your significant other? work
3. Your hair color? Brown
4. Your mother? I think you mean yo' mama
5. Your father? Opa
6. Your favorite thing? I don't do favorites
7. Your dream last night? lions
8. Your dream/goal? 30 lbs.
9. The room you're in? Scrapbook/exercise
10. Your hobby? scrapbooking
11. Your fear? bees
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Utah
13. Where were you last night? t-ball game
14. What you're not? warm
15. One of your wish-list items? sold sign
16. Where you grew up? Germany/Alabama
17. The last thing you did? cleaned
18. What are you wearing? jeans
19. Your TV? annoying
20. Your pet? NONE
21. Your computer? handme down
22. Your mood? overwhelmed
23. Missing someone? family
24. Your car? Minivan
25. Something you're not wearing? belt
26. Favorite store? See number 6
27. Your summer? the best
28. Love someone? Bryan
29. Your favorite color? See number 6
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? yesterday

I am supposed to tag some people, but I am pretty sure the only person that regularly checks my blog is Riley. So I tag you!

What's in your pocket?

The other day I was thinking about that credit card commercial that has the slogan "What's in your wallet?" I don't even remember what card it is for, but it was stuck in my head while I was cleaning the house. I really kept thinking "What's in your pocket?" When I clean up I put any little stray objects in my pocket so I can deliver them to the right room. One pocket is usually for trash too big for the vacuum and the other pocket is for little stuff that probably deserves to go in the garbage but I am too nice of a mom to throw them away. So after I finished cleaning, I emptied my pockets and was amused by the assortment of things. I was going to take a picture and post it, but that is way too involved so I will just list the contents of the non-garbage pocket.

Nerf gun dart
leapster game
3 hair rubber bands
blue hair ribbon
chuck e cheese token
dime
lid to strawberry shortcake pen
my little pony comb

These things are not out of the ordinary. I am usually sticking things in my pocket all day long, so I can put them away. After emptying out my pockets, I was wondering if other people do this, and what little treasures/stuff they end up with. If you collect things in your pocket, throughout the day. Post a comment and let me know what you have. Wow, what an exciting life I lead.

Let's play a game

Who is up for a guessing game?

What phrase do I say most often when the kids get in the car after school?

A. How was school?
B. Did y'all play with puppies at PE?
C. Who wants to go to Sonic?
D. Let's circle the parking lot and sit in carpool again.

The answer is: B
Why? You ask. Kids smell. And not just mine. But mine are the only ones that bring the offending PE odor into my car in the afternoons. So yes, I ask them pretty regularly if they played with puppies at PE. But about Sonic, here is another question?

How many times have we been to Sonic in Hayden's lifetime?

A. None, why would you want to eat outside in this heat.
B. Everyday. Hello, happy hour.
C. Six times
D. Who knows, but I could sure go for a big ol' nasty cup of ice right now.

The answer is: D
But, according to Hayden it is C. The other day after school she asks if we can go to Sonic for slushies. For the record, Sonic isn't near our house, and I don't think we have ever gone there after school. (Even though it does sound like a good idea.) I tell her no. Then she starts in with this whole whiny bit about how we NEVER go to Sonic. I, of course, answer with "Never?" She says "not never, but we have only been six times." I don't know where she came up with that number so I question that too. "Six times?" Hayden says "Well I havn't counted but I know we have only been six times." My poor deprived children.

Maybe I am not as old as I feel

I have been feeling a little old lately. Not that 31 is old, but in my head, I am still in my early 20s. So, I started back to school this fall. I am trying to ease back into this whole college thing with two math classes, a biology lecture, and biology lab. Well, it has been kicking my butt, to say the least. I don't know how many times over that past month I have said the phrase "I am not as smart as I used to be." I am embarrassed to say that I have left after class in tears and had to call Bryan to vent about it. I have spent MANY hours studying for Biology. And just when I think the lightbulb has turned on for me in math, it burns back out. Actually I think the math lightbulb in my head just flickers. Anyway, between feeling a little dumb and sitting in classes full of what look like 12 year olds, I feel old. Not to mention, my run the other morning combined with being on my feet all day working my shift at the consignment sale, left me feeling like an old lady. I could barely walk yesterday.
Well today was duty-free lunch at the girls' school. (The teachers don't have to eat lunch with their class. The parents come and take over for the lunch period one day a month.) I have been running a little ragged the last couple of days and the makeup just isn't covering those dark circles under my eyes. Again, I am feeling a little old. So to make myself feel better, I told all of the kids in Payton's class that I was her sister. Of course, some kid had to call me out and say that I was her mom. He said he knew because they were in Kindergarten together and I was her mom then. And then another kid said the sweetest thing I have ever heard. He said I didn't look old enough to be a mom. How sweet is that. I don't look old enough to be a mom! I love it. Maybe I'll go have lunch with her class everyday.