Today

Today...I am copying Lynne's blog post.

Today...was the last day of Tiger Ice for this school year and I was able to make it through without getting a single drop on my clothes. That might be because I was only there for third grade.

Today...I ran to Wal-mart to buy lunchables after dropping the kids off at school because they informed me that the sliced ham being served in the cafeteria was "disgusting." I bought a pound of my favorite Jennie-O Sun-dried Tomato Turkey (sliced on a #1) while I was there.

Today...I got a much needed pedicure and indulged myself in a recent copy of Us Weekly while there. When I say much needed, I am serious.

Today...was the last day of after-school choir practice for Taylor. I played bubbles with Hayden while we waited. The big High School Musical concert is on the last day of school. I can't wait.

Today...I went to 3 stores looking for the elusive perfect brown flip-flop. My old ones are RAGGED but I will wear them until I find the perfect replacement.

Today...I was lonely, just like everyday. You would think that after an entire school year, that I would be used to being alone during the day, but I am not.

Today...as usual, I cried when I read Lynne's blog.

Today...Mrs. Funk was nice enough to take Payton home with Elle and then on to soccer practice. The end of the season tournament is this weekend and their team is in second place.

Today...I am sad that the school year is almost over and that means the kids are getting older.

Today...I am excited that the school year is almost over because that means no more ironing uniforms, packing lunches, signing reading logs, etc. for 2 1/2 months.!!!!!

Today...the DVDs were returned on time to the library. That is a first in a very long time.

Today...Hayden came home and promptly changed into her pajamas. Oh wait, that happens everyday.

Today...I was not as concerned about the dog roaming the neighborhood as my neighbor was. He is way nicer about dogs than I am.

Today...I am going to my first mutual activity in a long time since I am now serving in YW after serving in RS for almost 4 years.

Today...I counted the days again until the Benhams get here. Only 10 more days. I can't wait!!!!

Run, Taylor, Run!!

Taylor decided to join her school's cross country team at the first of January. The team was formed this year in the fall. She didn't want to join then but after our family ran the Senior Bowl 5K in November she decided she wanted to. To make the team she had to run 2 miles in 26 or 28 minutes (I can't remember.) When she made the team she was very excited and committed. They had practice every Monday and Friday and meets a couple of times on Tuesdays. They also had one mandatory Port City Pacers 5K a month to run on Saturdays and several other optional races. Each of the 5K races gives awards based on age divisions. She is still in the lowest division, 0-9 girls. This is mostly 9 year old girls. A couple of times there have been younger participants (like her sisters) but not very often. Taylor's hardwork has paid off. At her most recent race, she ran her best time ever - 33:10. This is almost 7 minutes faster than her first 5K. She ran this race with her coach, Ms. Green who was encouraging her the whole way. Here they are together at the end of the year banquet. She is a great coach and sacrificed alot for this team. She ended the season with knee surgery after running a little too hard with Taylor at that last race.

It hasn't always been easy for her. She has finished a couple of races in tears after pushing herself. Hayden has been willing to help her out a few times. Knowing that there were treats and awards at the end of each race also helps.
This was after the Bunny Chase 5K where I think she placed first.

This was part of the ERD team before one of the races.

This was at the end of the year banquet. It is such a great group of kids and parents. Everyone cheers each other on and waits at the end of the race to high-five their team mates. She is excited to be on this team again next year.

These are her other 3rd grade team mates and the rising stars of ERD cross country team.

Butterfly release

Several years ago, our PTA decided to set up two outdoor classrooms, AKA the butterfly gardens. Thanks to several hardworking parents and teachers, they have gotten bigger and better each year. What started out as a couple of canopies with nets thrown over the sides, is now two full size green houses with planters, benches, stepping stones, etc. Parents also donated flowers that butterflies are attracted too and will lay their eggs on. Each year every classroom in the school is given two cups with 5-8 catterpillars in each. The children are able to watch them progress from catterpillar into caccoon in their classroom. The cups are covered with a coffee filter and this is what they attach themselves to. After they become caccoons, (or is is it a chrysallis?), they are transferred to the greenhouses. Clipping these coffee filters to the lines strung across the greenhouses is not the most fun job in the world, but it was all worth it. After a week and a half, we had hundreds of butterflies just waiting to be released. On the day of the release the students gather around the greenhouse as the sides are rolled up and the butterflies start to fly out and sometimes land on the children. Obviously, they all loved it!
I didn't get any pictures of Taylor because the two greenhouses are released at different times and her grade level was scheduled for the second release.

Coastal Cuisine

Part of Taylor's science curriculum this quarter is studying marine life. For the past couple of years at our school, the teachers have ended this unit with a Coastal Cuisine luncheon. This allows the students the chance to sample the local cuisine that includes some of the things they have learned about. The teachers put this whole thing together and the kids make decorations for the hallway. On the menu this year was gumbo, hush puppies, crawfish, bowled shrimp, and banana pudding .

Taylor willingly put everything on her plate but was not willing to try everything. She tasted the gumbo and said it was too spicy. She didn't want anything to do with the crawfish. She was willing to try the shrimp once a classmate offered to peel it for her but, when she saw the inside of eat, she changed her mind. She liked the hush puppies and banana pudding and asked for seconds. I was surprised at how many of the kids actually enjoyed the crawfish. I guess because it is not my thing, I figured kids that age wouldn't like them either. Yet, a lot of the kids were cracking those things open and sucking the heads like pros. Yuck!

Here are some gratuitous seafood pictures for the Benhams. Just a few more weeks and you can partake in your very own Coastal Cuisine.

Thanks to Maureen for being my hand model.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

I have a confession to make. I have a slight shopping addiction. I don't spend my time hunting bargains for clothes, shoes, purses, makeup, or scrapbook supplies. I am addicted to finding great bargains on groceries. I like getting the Wednesday grocery ads a little more than I should and the Target ad is the first thing I pull out of the Sunday paper. I try to keep my coupons clipped so I can make good use of them. This isn't a new found love. This has been part of me for many years. Back when I was first married and when Taylor was a baby, Lynne and I used to spend hours clipping coupons and shopping at Delchamps when they would double and triple coupons. Sometimes we would close the store down trying to stock up on tinfoil, toothbrushes, cereal, etc. for free or just a few pennies. Delchamps eventually closed and those middle of the night grocery runs were history. But my need for a good grocery bargain lives on. You don't want to get behind me in the checkout at Walmart. I love to ad match and use coupons and it usually takes awhile. I also love to get my coupons doubled (up to 50 cents) at Brunos. I have recently discovered Targets $5 gift cards with certain purchases. But the story doesn't end there. Just a few weeks ago I was getting my weekly fix from the Wednesday grocery ads when I saw it.....Brunos was tripling coupons up to 55 cents on Saturday. Oh My Gosh!! I was so excited. And if that wasn't exciting enough, it has continued every Saturday for the past month. So what is a girl to do that has a stockpile of coupons and a addiction to good grocery bargains?! Go to Brunos. My first trip a few weeks ago yielded this bounty:

Any guesses on how much 5 bags of frozen biscuits, 5 boxes of Hormel lunch meat, 6 tubs of country crock spread, 10 large jars of Ragu, 8 tubs of frosting, 2 jars of wostershire, 1 box of crunch n' munch, 10 5ct. packages of Pringles minis, 12 boxes of Ziploc bags, 1 bottle of hot sauce, 1 bottle of Hungry Jack syrup, 4 bottles of Pine-sol, 11 rolls of Bounty paper towels, 2 bottles of shampoo, 2 bottles of detangler, 16 boxes of granola bars, 16 boxes of fiber one bars, and 17 1-lb. bags of rice costs? (That is 130 items -- all of which, we use)

Drumroll please......$117.00 with a savings of $232.97.

But it doesn't stop there. Here is the receipt for the day I spent 54 cents TOTAL on 6 boxes of cereal.

This is the other day at Target when I got 8 boxes of cereal and 8 jars of peanut butter for a cool $16.43.

Last Saturday's haul at Bruno's yielded this result:

I got these 17 1-lb. bags of rice, 25 rolls of Bounty paper towles, 16 boxes of Betty Crocker muffin mix, 16 Betty Crocker Warm delights (for when the Benham's come), and 5 boxes of Ziploc bags for $42.41.

The only drawback is that Bruno's will only let you do 10 coupons at a time so I have to stand in line dividing up my order into groups of 10 and try to keep the correct coupons together. My bank actually called me a few weeks ago because there was "suspicious" activity on my account. Apparently multiple small transactions at the same place sets off some sort of fraud alert.

I love finding a good deal, I love seeing my cupboards full for my family, and I love knowing that I am getting my food storage in place.

Sorry about the music...

I don't ever have the sound turned up on my computer. So, I had forgotten that I had such a depressing song leading off my playlist. I am sorry about that. I have now changed my playlist and added a new song to the top. I have loved it since I first heard it a couple of months ago. Every word of it describes how I feel about Bryan. It is such a sweet little song and I can't get it out of my head. So turn your speakers up and listen to The Plain White T's singing "1234."

Easter 2009

This one's for you, Riley!

First a little background info: I haven't blogged in a while because my card reader stopped working a few months ago. I had great intentions of buying one but I just never got around to it. So, Lynne the Awesome-est sent me one so I could upload pictures and update my blog for Riley. I am guessing Lynne didn't want to waste a trip to the post office on just a card reader so she filled our flat rate box with goodies for the family. She made the girls the most adorable skirts for Easter and with the extra fabric she made me a cute apron. She also included flower clips to match (see why she is the awesome-est.) We love packages from Utah, especially when they include authentic "Utahian" goods. Lynne did not disappoint this time. She included chocolate covered cinnamon bears and a Down East tee for me. Add to that some FHE kits and a bag of Easter Candy for Bryan and you have the most awesome package we have received in a long time.

Between my new card reader and my guilt, I have been compelled to update the old blog today. So Easter pictures is what you will get. Here is our Easter recap:

Last night Hayden was worried that we didn't have any carrots to put out for the Easter Bunny so we left him the next best thing--celery with peanut butter. Rabbits eat that, right? He must have liked it because he left the girls some goodies. (Even though I told Hayden I thought she was on his bad list. Does the Easter Bunny keep a good list and a bad list?)

Hayden was excited to see that the Easter Bunny didn't eat all of the celery because she wanted some. As she was about to eat it, Taylor and Payton started freaking out at her because they didn't think it was safe to eat after the Easter Bunny. Really?!? Just when I thought they had already thought of everything in the world to argue about, they find something else. I guess they are only concerned about her safety. So I made Hayden her very own celery with PB.

The girls looked especially cute this morning with their new Easter skirts (courtesy of Lynne) and flowers in their hair. So after church, we went over to Mobile Botanical Gardens for pictures. We had only been there once, a very long time ago for a wedding, so we just went there on a whim. It is open everyday from dawn to dusk and is free. It was Beautiful. The still had azaleas blooming and bunch of walking trails with great places to take pictures. I only wish my camera skills matched the setting.

We were even able to get a half way decent picture of Bryan and I. This was the only picture, out of all the ones the girls took, that was in focus and had both of our heads in the frame.

After we got all of the pictures I wanted we went home for the long awaited egg hunt. The girls are getting passed the age when you can just throw the eggs in the grass and call it a day. Bryan and I actually had to hide them this time.

Bryan did hide some just out of their reach for our own amusement. It was fun watching them jump over and over for two little eggs. After Taylor walked off, Payton tried to strike up a deal with me. She said if I got the eggs down for her, she would let me have one of them. I did finally get them down for her because I knew she was willing to risk injury for a plastic egg. She almost face-planted on the driveway while trying fetch this little egg.I really didn't think Hayden would be able to able to reach the eggs in the top of the crape myrtles but she is no dummy. She just shook the heck out of those trees until the eggs fell.The weather was really nice today so the girls sat on the driveway and sorted goodies while Bryan and I sat on the front porch and chilled. It was such relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Another long overdue post

(Pretend it is October 1st instead of January 1st)
My little girl is not a baby anymore. I know that she hasn't been a baby for a long time but everytime I look at her she seems older and more grown up. I miss her bald head, big blue eyes, and bright toothless smile. But I love now seeing her beautiful smile and those same blue eyes as she changes from a little girl into a wonderful young lady. Her smile lights up a room and her laugh is infectious. She is a kind, helpful, intelligent, inquisitive, sweet spirited, funny, loving girl. People have told me you can tell how special and wonderful she is just be looking at her smile. I have to agree! Even though she is only turning nine, I feel like she is growing up way to fast. Thankfully, though, she still likes to snuggle, play with her sisters, and act silly. And she hasn't gotten to old to hold my hand our let me give her a kiss in front of her friends at school. She has gotten a little more picky about what she will wear and how she wants her hair fixed. There are some things I lover about her getting older. Taylor really loves to sit down with a good book and would read through the night if I would let her. She is involved in several after school activities that she loves. She is pretty self sufficient with her homework. She is an excellent helper at home. And she now is big enough to need this beauty:

Taylor has asked for a new bike for every birthday and Christmas for the past couple of years. Our neighborhood is not very bike riding friendly so we have held off. This year for her birthday, she once again asked for a bike and that is the only thing she wanted. So in the morning when she left to go on her birthday breakfast date with Daddy, this was waiting on the front porch.

She was just as happy and excited as I had expected and I love watching her ride it. Of course, I won't let her out of my sight and I freak out everytime I hear a car.

The other half of her birthday excitement had to wait a few weeks. We went to see High School Musical 3 and she got to bring Hannah along. We had to wait until the movie came out, which was several weeks after her birthday. The wait was worth it. She loved it and has already asked if we can buy it when it comes out on DVD. I am sure we will.

Let's start at the very beginning...

...A very good place to start.

When you read, you begin with A-B-C.

When you blog you begin with Halloween.

OK, I know those aren't the words to the song. But, it applies here. While I have lots of Christmas and Disney vacation pictures and stories to share, I am a little bit behind on the posts. So for the enjoyment of my #1 blog fan, Riley, I am going to start back at Halloween and work forward.

Taylor went as a 50's girl. You may remember that her and Bryan attended a Daddy/Daughter Sock Hop together back in August. Taylor wore her poodle skirt from that for Halloween. She looked especially cute with the new hair accessory she picked out. Payton was a Vampire Princess - not to be confused with just a vampire (like she was last year.) Ever since the summer when Riley let us borrow her beautiful boots, Hayden has wanted to be a cowgirl. Don't be confused by the Sheriff's badge she is wearing. It came in the package with the toys guns so she wanted to put it on. But she said she was still a cowgirl.

The girls posed for some pictures before we left for our Ward Trunk or Treat.

They had this little scenrio all made up for this picture. Hayden, the brave cowgirl, is protecting Taylor, the scared little sock-hopper, from Payton, the evil vampire.

We love the Trunk or Treat activity at church every year. It is usually held the Wednesday before Halloween which I really like. It gives the girls two chances to wear their costumes and gives a chance to hang with all of our church friends without forgoing regular trick or treat time on Halloween. It is really fun to see how creative everyone gets with their trunks. We don't go all out, but we do have our little set of light up ghosts we have used the past couple of years. But, I think it messed up the AV lighters in the van because now I can't even charge my cellphone in them anymore. We also have a Halloween music CD that we play. Our favorite song is Monster Mash, which we kept playing over and over. This was the first year that we let the girls roam around the parking lot by themselves. I passed out candy, took pictures, and roamed around while Bryan harrassed the Parkes boys and threw candy at the older kids.
Hayden was very happy with how her costume turned out. She was so excited that I was finally going to let her wear the beloved cowgirl boots out of the house.

She came up with this little pose and was cracking us up with her deep southern drawl and fake spitting.

Hayden and Grant are great friends and were happy to pose for a picture when I asked. I think they look so cute with their missing teeth.

Payton's makeup job shows my most advanced makeup skills. Makeup and hair are not my thing at all but she was happy with the results.

She got less candy than the other girls because she spent alot of time at the Fusiotti car. They are a great ER Dickson family that Lisanka invited to Trunk or Treat. Traci brought a Smores maker instead of passing out candy. That was definately the hit of the night. Next year I think I might just have to bring a cotton candy machine and snowcone maker.

Taylor enjoyed running around and acting silly with her sisters and Hannah. She has never been my child that enjoys being totally dressed up or wearing makeup. So, this was as far as she wanted to go. No extra scarf or make up or elaborate hair do. Totally my kind of girl. I think she looks beautiful.

As usual we had a great time at the activity and as usual my chili didn't win. That is OK though because I have never tried to win. I don't have chili skills. I just bring a pot of my chili every year because I know my kids will eat it. It isn't too spicy. It doesn't have a bunch of beans. It isn't made with deer meat. It is just plain old chili.