Whew! What a Day!!

Boy am I tired!  Today has been a VERY busy day...well, all week has been pretty busy.  It is Homecoming week and a lot is going on!  Every day has been a different dress up day...we haven't participated but Campbell has and I have fixed her hair a couple of mornings.  One day she was an eighties girl and today she was a cowgirl.  Thomas hasn't really gotten into that sort of thing yet, so I thought we would just slid on by this year and not worry about dressing up.  I have had my share of coming up with different outfits for Tori during Homecoming week HA!

What a cute eighties girl!  I wanted to tease her hair more, but she wouldn't let me.  I have plenty of practice getting the big hair...I used to be an eighties girl every day!  HA!!  Today has been wild.  It was really busy at work and then Thomas had his K-4 parade.  Since K-4 don't really particpate in the big parade on Friday, they have their own parade and ride whatever riding toy they have around the school.  The parents decorate them and the kids drive them and the other students come out and watch the parade.  It really is pretty cool! 

I thought Thomas' dune buggy turned out pretty cute!  All of the kids had a really good time, I know Thomas did.  He was so excited to get to throw out candy!

Steve walked along beside Thomas...he had to keep him from running into the kid in front of him!  Thomas' has got to improve his driving skills HA!!

Thomas and his new friend AJ.  Thomas was hoping AJ would ride with him, but AJ had his own ride!

After the parade, I went back to work because we were painting a pumpkin picture tonight!  It was sooo much fun and I think my pumpkin painting turned out pretty well...thanks Heather and Adrienne!  They were really good at fixing what we messed up!  They had the tables all ready to do with our canvases at our places.

We  had a  lot of yummy snacks that we ate before we got started on the painting.  I was going to take pictures of everyone's painting, but of course my battery died in my camera and this was all the pictures I was able to get...oh well!  We all had a great time and everyone's paintings turned our sooo pretty!  I can't wait to hang mine up.  So, it has been a busy day to say the least, I am so ready for bed! And, the week-end!!

Blue Monday

Today Sue Studle was laid to rest....I still can't believe it!  My thoughts and my heart have been with her family today and most of all her precious Cole.  I know in the days, weeks, and months to come that they will be the hardest and Cole will miss her more than anyone.  I will just continue praying for them and for God to give them the strength they will need!  On a lighter note, I just wanted to post a picture of what Dodd and Cindy got up to Saturday morning.

Their yard got rolled Friday night!  What a mess!  Oh well, I have seen a lot worse...but this was bad enough!  Tonight was library night at the public library in Brantley.  Thomas and I went and Thomas got his very own library card and he got to check out his first book at the library.

Of course MY child listened very intently on what Ms. Davina, the librarian was telling them!  She read them a book about Bulldogs and Thomas didn't miss a word she said HA!

See???? Look at that face...he was taking in every word!  He is soooo much his Daddy's child!

Ms. Davina was so sweet to the K-4 class tonight.  They all really enjoyed their trip to the library.

Back tracking to the week-end, Tori went to Birmingham with Adam's aunt and uncle and she said Greg is doing great and they may get to come home in a couple of weeks...Praise the Lord!!

Finally Friday!

Well we finally made it to Friday!  What a week this has been.  I thought I would never make it to 4:30 today...it was such a long day!  The big game was tonight between Brantley and Luverne.  I haven't heard the final score yet, but I think the Bulldogs are winning....go Dogs!  Tori went to the game with Cindy, Dodd, and Campbell.  Steve and Thomas and I kept Collins.  She has been so good!  Thomas has been so good!  It has been an easy night!

This is what I came home to today!  Tori had spiked Thomas' hair HA!  He told us the other night that when he gets big he wants his hair to stand up...so Tori was just helping him out!

Two little Brantley Bulldogs!  Thomas has finally started liking Collins.  He really helped me out with her tonight by picking up his little toys that she could get in her mouth.  I talked to Debbie for a long time tonight and she told me all about their last couple of days.  She and the rest of the family are still in shock over losing Sue.  We aren't 100% sure we are going to Georgia.  The funeral is Monday, but we had thought we would go on Sunday and spend some time with them and then come home.  Debbie says we shouldn't even try to do that...with the children and all.  She said she wants to really be able to visit with us and there will be so many people she might not get to even talk to us for very long, if we just come up for a little while to see them before the visitation starts.  So...we will talk about it some more and see.  I talked with Melanie, Adam's mom today and they were about to get out of the hospital and move to the townhouse that they will be at until Greg is able to go home.  Praise the Lord!  Greg is doing remarkable...God is so good!  I think Tori is headed to Birmingham this week-end with Adam's aunt and uncle.  They may be going tomorrow afternoon and coming home Sunday.  Steve and I are planning on moving the beauty shop tomorrow.  Tori has to go to school tomorrow from 8:00 til 12:00.  Thomas has a date to go and see Dan-Dan and Pop and play at their house in Elba...he hasn't been there to play since he started school and he is so excited!  I 'm waiting for the ballgame crew to come in...I have both of the babies asleep!  I'm off to read this great book that I can't hardly put down!

Pictureless/Sad Day Post

I have no pictures for this post, this has been a very busy week.  We have been having revival all week and my Uncle Donnie Marler has preached our revival and he has done an awesome job!  I have really enjoyed every night of it.  Today was a very sad day... a really good friend of mine was killed in a car accident...Sue Studle.  I have known Sue for a very long time.  She used to come down a lot with Debbie and Charles and we would hang out together on the week-ends.  I would go spend the night with her at the "pink house" and she would come to my house and spend the night.  When we were at Debbie and Charles' house this summer, I never dreamed that would be my last time seeing Sue.  She was taking her little boy Cole to school this morning and was in a head on collision.  Cole is fine, but Sue didn't make it.  My heart is breaking for Cole and the rest of the family.  My prayers and thoughts have been with them all day...today has been a very sad hard day that I could not stay focused on anything except our friends in Georgia.  My prayers are with them tonight and the days and weeks and even years to come.  Sue left behind a precious little boy that was the apple of her eye.  She will be missed soooo much!

Rejoicing, Homecoming and a Birthday Party

Tori got home around 9:30 this morning from Birmingham.  Adam's Dad,Greg, made it through the surgery great and he now has a new liver!  He is doing really well, he has even been eating ice today! God is so good!  There have been a lot of prayers going up for Greg and his family lately and those prayers have not gone unheard!  Tori was really tired and she has slept pretty much all day.  She was pretty wired when she got home this morning and told me all about the night.  She was so proud to have been there with all of them through this and I'm glad she could be!  She missed Homecoming at church and what a great Homecoming we had!  We had some really good singing, a fantastic sermon and wonderful food!

These two cuties came this morning before church.  Campbell wanted me to curl her hair and well, Collins just wanted to explore and see what she could find! HA!  They looked so cute in their matching outfits!

Lindsey's birthday party was this afternoon and Mr. Tim had some baby chicks and that was right up Thomas' alley!  Thomas held one and he also made him a new friend, Nick.

Thomas had a good time playing with all of the bubbles and he loved wearing his "Hawaii Necklace" as he called it!

Thomas just decided to stand in the chair and blow bubbles with Kinley HA! They all had a great time and once again the weather was such a pretty autumn day...perfect for a party outside and perfect for Homecoming!  It will be back to work and school tomorrow...but how blessed we are to be ABLE to go to work and school..praise God!!

Stay at Home Saturday

Today was a stay at home Saturday and we loved it!  I started cooking for tomorrow at church since it is Homecoming.  I did a hashbrown casserole, a chocolate peanut butter eclair, a seven layer salad and a chicken casserole. I have it almost ready except baking the casseroles.  I am also going to make some 7-Up biscuits...those are really good, Tori loves them!  Campbell spent most of the day with us and her and Thomas got along pretty well for the most part. 

Thomas has gotten to where he hangs upside down in the chairs and the couch and he uses the back of the chairs like a slide HA!

Campbell is looking so grown-up!  I think she is getting her cheerleader pose down HA!

This afternoon Mother, Thomas, Campbell and I (along with Max & Ruby HA!) went to the church to take Mother's ferns to the new building.  It looks so good when it is all cleaned up!  The floors look great!  We are all set now for Homecoming!

We are expecting a BIG crowd tomorrow.  I am sad that Tori won't be there, but so happy that she is with Adam and his family and Greg is getting his new liver TONIGHT!  It is 9:23 p.m. and Tori has just text me to say they have just taken him in for surgery.  God is so Good!  Almost my every thought is with Tori, and Adam and his family.  I know they will have such a long night tonight, but it will be so worth it if Greg can be better!  I took Tori to go with Adam's grandparents this afternoon to the hospital...Melanie called Tori and told her this afternoon around 4:00 that Greg would be getting his liver tonight and that she could come with Adam's grandparents if she wanted.

Tomorrow that long table in the middle will be covered in yummy food!  We always have so much to eat and we have some of the best cooks in the country!  I sure will miss my Tori...I had her in mind when I decided to do the hashbrown casserole and chicken casserole.  Oh well, she is where she really wants to be right now and I just hope and pray everything goes well!

Way Behind!

It seems like I am always playing catch-up on this blog!  I have been so busy every night that I have just gone to bed without even getting on the computer.  But there are a few things that Thomas has said lately that I want to remember.  Mary Lynn is always telling me at work "you need to write down what Thomas says because all these cute little things he says you won't remember".  I used to write down things Tori would say too.  So, here is a list of a few of the things I remember:
1.  Last Sunday we were in Thomas' closet and we were moving out some of his toys.  He looked at some of the trucks and said "I used to play with those in the old days". HA!  He cracks me up!
2.  He told me the other night that he was just tired of going to that crazy old school!
3.  One day this week I asked him if he had a good day at school and he did his cute little hand motions and said he was pretty bored because AJ wasn't there today.  He said he thought he would take a day off like AJ did. HA!  He catches on pretty fast.
You just never know what might come out of his mouth!  He brought his progress report home today and he got all S's!  Way to go Sparky!  This week has been green week at school and we have had some great mornings...that makes for great days!  Tori is doing so well in college and she seems to enjoy it.  She is running into some of her classmates and I know she loves that!  Adam's Dad is now in Birmingham and he is going to be there until he gets a liver transplant.  I am praying for him, Melanie, Adam and Allan and the Dr's and nurses that are taking care of him.  The weather has changed this afternoon and it is a lot cooler...it is really feeling like fall tonight!  Today was Steve's last day in Dothan!  He is proud to be closer to home and I am glad he is.  He won't have to leave so early and he won't have to drive nearly as much.

Steve has been cleaning out Thomas' closet this week.  Wow what a job that was and Wow it looks so much better!  He has really got it organized and we'll just see how long it stays that way.

Tori studies a lot!  She still makes her note cards to study with.

On a totally different note...I have really enjoyed my ferns this summer.  I saved these ferns from a horrible death and they are probably the prettiest, biggest ferns I have ever had.  I am so glad Steve has a green house to put them in this winter.

I also saved my Ivy.  It has gone through 2 winters on the deck and one pretty big snow.  It was looking pretty bad, so I moved it out of the direct sunlight and gave it some Epsom salt and now it is so green and pretty!  It will be moving to the greenhouse too for the winter.  Thank God tomorrow is Friday.  We have a pretty busy week-end and next week coming up.  We have Homecoming at church and a birthday party on Sunday.  Next week is revival three nights and a meeting at school, a meeting in Montgomery and a hair appointment...whew!!!  I get tired just thinking about it!  Oh well, I'm just so thankful for my health and my family's health to be able to do all those things...I will not complain!!

Stay Home Day

Today has been a wonderful stay home day.  Thomas always wants to know every night what tomorrow will be and he loves it when I say it will be a stay home day...and I love it too!  Steve got up bright and early and went to the church to work on the floors in our new building.  We have Homecoming next Sunday and they are getting ready for that.  Thomas had a coughing spell about 6:15 this morning, so I got him and put him in the bed with me and gave him some medicine and we went back to sleep.  The next thing I knew there was a knock at the door and it was 8:00 a.m.!  It was Condy, Campbell and Collins.  Cindy wanted me to babysit while she cut grass.  Around nine Mr. Loumis came and he wanted to borrow a trailer of Steve's to haul his lawn mower to the shop on.  He stayed and visited for a while.  We then had a very small lunch and Steve, Thomas and I worked on the beauty shop.  I am remodeling it and it needs it so bad!  I guess that is our fall project!

We worked all day and this is what Tori did all day HA!!  She really does have such a hard life!

And this is what Thomas did all day...play.  He even started playing in the fountain this afternoon and played there for a long time, with rocks!  Little boys amaze me...anything, even a rock can become a car or a truck!

Thomas was texting his friend Fowler.  Fowler is an imaginary friend that Thomas has had for a long time.  I have no idea where the name Fowler came from.  But Fowler is a dog and he spends a lot of nights with Thomas in his room.  He sleeps on the ceiling.  Thomas has quite the imagination!

While we were working at the beauty shop this afternoon I almost pulled by big toe toenail off.  It hurt sooo bad!  This picture isn't a good one, but I can say it is throbbing right now as I am typing this.  It wouldn't surprise me if I didn't lose that toenail.

Adam came tonight and Steve and I cooked supper.  We had grilled chicken, peas, rice, potatoes, biscuits, and Bon Jean made a pecan pie...it was so good!  I ate way too much!  Tori and Adam were playing Thomas' cornhole game he got for his birthday.  I think Tori had just scored some points!

Tori was trying to catch Adam "in Action"...nevermind Steve's work boots over next to the wall Ha!

What a cute couple!  Well that's it for tonight...tomorrow is a church day so I guess I had better try to get Sparky (aka Thomas) to go to bed!

Finally Friday!

Well it is finally Friday!  Sometimes when we have a Monday holiday the week seems even longer!  But, we made it.  Thomas told me last night that he was really getting tired of that crazy school! HA!  Poor baby he has a LONG way to go.  Tori only went to school one day this week since Monday was Labor day.  She has the greatest schedule...I could deal with a schedule like hers!  She is gone to Adam's tonight, his mom was cooking supper.  Adam's dad is doing better, I pray that he will just get stronger and stronger until he can get his new liver!  The weather was gorgeous today...a perfect fall day.  Our unit at work went out to eat for lunch today and it was so good just to get out and enjoy this weather today!  This afternoon, Thomas and I went outside and played until almost dark.  He loves for someone to swing him, so we swung and played frisbee and sticky ball.

The sand box was full of water and Steve had to drill holes in it so that it can dry out tomorrow.

Thomas loves to slide down the slide!  I tried to catch him in action.

I made apple butterscotch brownies out of the Southern Living magazine tonight.  They were okay...nothing special to me.  But I had been wanting to make this for a while and I had some Granny Smith apples I needed to use, so I made it.  Steve liked them, but I think if something doesn't have chocolate in it it just isn't worth the calories!

Five Year Check-up

Yesterday Thomas had to go for his five year check-up.  He had a great check-up....thank God!!  He weighs 34 pounds and could do everything they asked him to do except walk a straight line on the crack in the tile floor.  He was supposed to walk heel to toe and he kept giggling so much he couldn't do it! HA!  I know he can do that thought because he does it here at home on our tile floor.  I was a little concerned about his cough, but that is caused from just drainage and allergies.  Mother and Collins went with us and when we got finished we went out to eat with the Dr. who happens to be my cousin!  We went to a Mexican restaurant and it was really good.  After that we went shopping and Thomas and Collins were really good all day!

Thomas was so good and he cooperated really well.  There was a time not too long ago that he didn't want anything to do with going to the Dr.  He didn't want him looking in his mouth or ears or listening to his lungs.  He is really growing up!

Dr. Jim was just taking a listen to Thomas and Thomas was so involved in whatever was on TV that he wouldn't even smile for me to take his picture!  Oh well, like I said before, he has come a long way at the Dr's office.  He used to wouldn't even think about getting out of my lap and now he is sitting on the table and is so into the TV he isn't even thinking about what Dr. Jim is doing!

Thomas is still making sure he can see the TV even while Dr. Jim is pressing on his stomach.  Thank you Lord for such healthy children!

While we were waiting for Dr. Jim to finish seeing the rest of his morning patients so we could go to lunch, we looked around at the Dollar Tree.  They have a really good Dollar Tree and we had fun looking.  There were some really cute straw hats and I tried to put one on Collins so I could take her picture and she was having no part of that!  Thomas wouldn't let me put one on him either.  The Dollar Tree was an excellent place for getting surprises for being so good at the Dr.  He got more trucks and cars and he couldn't have been any happier!  After lunch, we headed out to shop for a while.  We ended up going to Party City and Thomas and I got us a Halloween costume (we always dress up at work and have a costume contest).  Thomas loved Party City and so did I!  Then, we headed to Ross...another store that I LOVE and then to Dress Barn and then to Khol's. So we had a fun day of shopping too!

Almost There!

I am almost caught up with my blogging.  If I can just get Thomas' birthday pictures on here, I will be caught up!  Since we were camping at the lake, we decided to just go ahead and have Thomas a birthday party at the playground at the lake.  Thomas turned 5 Friday, so we had his party on Saturday.  I prayed that the rain would hold off until the party was over (there was rain from the hurricane) and it did not rain until early Sunday morning.  The wind blew and cooled things off and it was overcast, so it turned out to be a pretty good day for a party at the playgound!

AJ from Thomas' class at school came, Campbell, Cole, and Lainey and Lindsey.  It was a small party, there was a lot going on this week-end, but it was a good party.  I think all of the kids had fun just running wild and playing.

The cake was so cute!  Thomas kept telling me he wanted a Clifford and Milo birthday party.  Now, Clifford and Milo don't exactly go together, but that is what we had ...a Clifford and Milo birthday cake!  The cake not only was cute, but it was yummy too!

Thomas had to get him a taste of that icing!

Thomas got a lot of great presents!  He got new trucks, big foot trucks, wild west set, money, race car set, toys for outside, dvd's, leapster games, Wii game...and more things I'm sure I'm leaving out.  He was certainly happy!

Aunt Lynn, Uncle Greg, Tori, Dan-Dan and Pop all made it to the party too!

AJ's mom, Tana, Aunt Cindy, Bon Jean, Tim and Debbie were the rest of the adults at the party.

I thought this was a cute picture of Cole!

Notice everyone except the birthday boy is swinging....where is he???  He is so absorbed in playing with his new toys, he wouldn't even think about leaving them to go swing HA!  Like I said, it was a small party, but a good one.  We got up early Sunday morning and went home.  The weather had gotten pretty bad and the electricity went off at the campsite.  That is what got us up and going so early.  We got home in plenty of time to make it to church.  It rained pretty much all day Sunday and most of the day Monday...Labor Day.  We went to the lake and Dan-Dan and Pop cooked fish.  We stayed for a good part of the afternoon and then we came home and Cindy and Dodd grilled baby back ribs.  So...I can for sure say OINK OINK because I have eaten like a pig ALL week-end.  It was back to work today and I tried to get back on the right track.  I had tuna salad and crackers for lunch...YUM HA!!

Still Catching Up

I am still trying to get caught up from this week-end!  We started our week-end Thursday at the lake.  Steve, Thomas, and I spent the night at the lake Thursday night and Thomas and I got up and went to school and work Friday morning.  Steve and Pop wanted to fish until dark and get up early Friday morning to fish, so we stayed the night and Dan-Dan and Pop did too.  They stayed in our camper, which is really their camper Ha! and we stayed in Aunt Cindy's Wildcat as Thomas refers to it HA!  Cindy and Dodd brought the Wildcat Thursday afternoon and set it up.  That was our first time staying in it and it was fun!!

Thomas and Campbell found some old cement blocks leading out into the water and that is where they wanted to play.  I wasn't too worried about them playing there, it was only ankle deep.  But what I did worry about was alligators and snakes.  Steve and Pop have seen alligators when they were out fishing in this lake.

It was a beautiful sunset that afternoon!  The lake is so pretty...it is just another example of God's handiwork!

Thomas loved staying in the Wildcat camper!  It was something new and he got out all of his trucks and tractors and got in the floor.  He was even pretending that the remote controls were cars!  Of course he was getting in a little Starfall too!  He slept so good that night...the bed really is comfortable!

Friday afternoon I took off early and picked Thomas up from school and we headed back to the lake.  Steve had promised Thomas a boat ride with him and Pop and Thomas could hardly wait to get there!  Pop was putting on his life jacket and they were ready to go!

And they are off!  The fish better look out!  Dan-Dan and I stayed back at the camper and then we went around to the playground to meet them and get Thomas off the boat.  We stayed at the playground for a little while and let Thomas play.

Thomas loved the playground.  There is a contraption there that is supposed to look like an old truck, I think.  But Thomas kept pretending it was bus and he wanted Dan-Dan and I to ride in his bus and he was pretending he was taking these "wadies" places HA!

This is the "camp cat".  This cat was the sweetest cat and Thomas and Campbell named her Red Rover HA!  I have no idea where that name came from!  Poor Red Rover was a really good sport and she let Thomas and Campbell do pretty much anything they wanted to her.  She had a really good time with them.  I would have liked to bring her home with us.  Thomas said he knew he was awergic to cats...but he sure wuvved Red Rover anyway!!

Our neighbors that camped right beside us happened to be Dodd's first cousin and her family.  Thomas made a new friend, Conner.  Of course, Campbell already knew Conner because he is her cousin, but Thomas didn't and he was so proud he made him a new friend.  They had a lot of fun.  You know they are having fun when they are so dirty that their feet are black.  I think Thomas got the dirtiest I have ever seen him on this camping trip.  I remember Tori used to do the same thing...now she won't hardly even go with us HA!  She did come and spend the night Friday night, but she slept over in the Wildcat.  She stayed with Bon Jean Thursday night and then they went home Saturday night.  Camping is a lot of fun, especially for the children...but I know some adults who like it pretty well too!!