We Are The Lanes

Old Testament Books of the Bible By Kendal

2009-10-23T22:10:00.002-05:00

My favorites are Clementations and Nalagi.

2009-09-23T20:37:00.002-05:00

Here is how we spent our Sunday afternoon. Since our yard is literally tore up from the dirt being brought in for the backyard and we have had non stop rain, there is lots of mud around. This was Kendal's idea. She LOVES mud.

I'm Back!

2009-08-14T23:36:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I have been a horrible blogger lately. But it is for a good reason. I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of 4 little ones. Hannah is getting more independent which is due to her new found freedom in mobility. She just waddles around the house. Since I am only nursing her 3 times a day now, I am not sitting and feeding her all day and not on the computer as much. Sometimes all I have is a minute, which is not enough to post pictures and write. But I am more productive around the house now.

We are officially starting school next week so today we did a run through of my new schedule I wrote up last night. I posted it on the fridge and Austin really did great with it. At the designated Snack/Break time I told them after snack they could have playtime and Austin was concerned because the schedule didn't say 'Playtime.' I'm really excited about this school year now. The hardest thing is going to be keeping Jacob and Hannah cooperative when I need them to be.

Our backyard is almost done!!! The wall is up and reinforced; just a few more bolts and we are ready for dirt! Lots of it. My life is going to be SOOO much better when I can just let the kids go outside and play and see them from inside and not be baking in the sun.

Interesting things going on with the kids right now:

Hannah has two bottom teeth in and one top one coming in and the other cutting through. So cute.

Austin is teething, too. He has his second permanent tooth coming in, but he still has only lost one tooth. The tooth will not let go! It looks like a shark with all those rows of teeth. It's bound to come out soon.

Austin, Kendal, and Jacob will be playing soccer this Fall! My life is about to get busy.

Hannah Walking

2009-07-22T21:02:00.003-05:00

Here is a video of Hannah walking this past Monday. She has been taking a few steps then would sit down or hold back on to whatever was near her. Last week we were on vacation and she started taking more steps on Saturday night, but really did not get alot of floor time. Well, Monday afternoon she started showing off. I got a few videos of her, but this one has the least amount of children running in front of the camera. The cutest thing about her walking is that every time she would stand and take a step, we would all clap and praise her. Now, if I want her to walk, I just clap and say "Yay!" and she grins real big, and stands up and walks. Too cute. She still prefers to crawl if she needs to get somewhere, but it won't be long until she's running around.

Tonight we celebrated her 1st birthday!!! I'll get the pictures up another day. We had a nice relaxing evening eating dinner then finishing off with some strawberry birthday cake. Mmm...

Happy Birthday Jacob!

2009-06-22T08:43:00.002-05:00

Jacob turned three yesterday. I can't believe how fast he is growing up. He is my third baby, so full of life and energy. As Barry always says, "He's so stinkin' cute." I wish I had the pictures I took of him on this computer from when he was born and his first birthday, but they are all still on the old one.

Here is my 'little' 9 lb 4 oz boy.

Hanging out at Grammy's.

Jacob turns 2!

I got the kids little Cars tatoos to play with and he ended up with them ALL over!

Happy Birthday sweet Jacob. I love your big blue eyes and 'yellow' hair. I love your passion for life. You have been such a blessing to our family. I love you, little man!

Jacob

"All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go."

~Gen 28:14-15

Sorry

2009-06-11T21:22:00.002-05:00

Okay, so its been awhile. We have been so busy, and I have been trying to spend less time on the computer, so no posting has been done lately. Hmm, what has happened? Here's a what I can think of right now.

Barry finished his first semester in the ministry program. I am enjoying him being home every night (until the Fall.) Although, I am currently ignoring him in order to write this.

His sweet Grandfather, Pawpaw, or Great Paw to my kids, passed away. Do any of the Lanes have the negatives to the photo shoot done at Chuck and Lee's about 4 years ago? I don't have a copy of all the Lane men and would like one. I want the kids to remember him.

Austin graduated from Kindergarten. I'll get some pics up from that another time. He played on the piano for everyone. No shy bone in his body.

Hmmm... I know I'm missing something.

My sister visited a few weeks ago with her sweet little ones. I miss them. Move to the Ham, Katie! jk

Kendal had her dance recital. It was so sweet. She was business when it came to dressing and hair fixing and being back stage. Not sure if I can upload her video off the camcorder (are they still called that?)

Barry and his stepdad, Karl, have been clearing out the woods in our yard so we can have a play place for the kids in the SHADE!!! Super excited about that. I dread playing outside when it is SOO HOT and I have to put on sunscreen. Its an event. Can you tell I'm complaining about it? Karl has a super duper weed eater that can take down small trees. I can't wait until its done. I'll then be fencing the yard and Barry has an awesome idea for a tree house. The kids are already talking about what they want to put in the tree house. so far, I've heard they want to put checkers in there and the game Cootie, along with a potty. I then noticed the little Diego potty was moved out on the back deck.

Jacob is doing great with potty training these past few days. He is letting me know when he has to go poopoo. He always tells me when he is sitting on there that he has to do a "mongous one." Too cute. He insists on sitting on the potty with the lid AND seat up. Strange.

And then its Birthday Season at Lane Manor. Starting off with Jacob turning 3, then Barry with the big 30!!!, Kendal will be 5, and finishing it all is sweet little Hannah having her first. All these within a month. CRAZY!!! I need to plan on not being around Barry in the fall.

Here's something funny to leave you with:

PBJ is a staple around here. The other day I was getting it all out and Austin ran off and got his new baseball bat and started singing, "Peanut butter jelly and a baseball bat."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3ZAGBL6UBA

The little memories

2009-04-27T20:08:00.002-05:00

It seems like at the dinner table these days, we end up sharing stories and little sayings that the kids use to say. They crack up laughing at them, and they always seem to refer to "when I was three." This is especially funny when 2 year old Jacob gets in on the action. Sometimes I try to document the important dates - Christmases, Easters and birthdays - making sure I got the pictures I needed. Really, though, its the little things that I don't want to forget; the everyday things they are doing that will soon turn into "remember whens." So, here are a few of them:

Austin:

Use to play with my egg separater in the bathtub and wave it saying "Poo Ki Ki!"

Instead of saying "Uh oh, spaghetti O's!" said "Uh oh, spaghetti ghost!"

Called Frosted Mini Wheats "Coke" and I could pass them off as cookies to him.

He would call Kendal "Sweet the Pea."

"Creamy cheesy eggster, eggster, eggstersons!" - Not sure how that one started. I think that was a Daddy thing.

He really likes to clean the toilets these days.

We have this new thing now where I call him "kind sir" and he calls me "kind mommy."

Reading lesson time is now also called cuddle time.

When he was two he would say he was "Stimaman" instead of "Spiderman."

Barry liked to play a game with him called "Go Away Dark!"

Kendal:

When she was around 1 year old she use to rub her face on us when we were holding her like a cat.

These are not as funny unless you could actually hear her say them.

She would say in a low voice, "Hey baby!"

If you told her she had a little booty, she would say, "No, I got a big booty!"

Until just recently she would say girl - "gore."

She can definitely make a mess, but is a great cleaner upper.

Says she wants to be a mommy when she grows up.

Jacob:

We were eating corn on the cob and he was handed half of one, to which he replied he wanted a "mongous" one. He loves using that word now.

He likes to sing this sweet little song with the lyrics, "I love my daddy. I love my mommy. I love my cookie dough."

For a while he thought he was a race car and run around "shifting" gears.

Hannah:

When I pick her up, she starts gently squeezing the back of my arm.

Twinkies

2009-04-25T21:35:00.002-05:00

Okay, so we are watching Wall E for the 20th time this week. Everyone but Austin and I have had a stomach bug, so tv time has been a lifesaver. So, back to Wall E. There's a part in the beginning where the cockroach climbs into a twinkie. My kids had no clue what it was. I told them, and somehow they thought the cockroach was called a twinkie, then wouldn't believe me when I explained what was what. So after watching the movie several times this week and hearing them laugh at the "twinkie" (cockroach) I did what I never thought I would do - I bought a box of twinkies. Maybe I should have left it alone, but the kids had no clue what a twinkie was! We all ate one at lunch today and they weren't overly impressed with them. Neither was I. I kept thinking I should have gone for the Swiss Cake Rolls. Mmmm...

Austin's Piano Recital

2009-04-24T20:13:00.003-05:00

Austin had his first piano recital on Sunday. He's such a performer and thrives on being in front of people. Not nervous or shy a bit. He played Heart and Soul first and then Ode To Joy. I didn't get the second song because I was filming on my picture camera and it only takes short videos. I was planning on taking a video of the first stopping it and then the second. When I tried to take the second song it stalled and had to finish saving. Arrgghh!!! He started taking lessons in January, but has been teaching himself to play songs. Heart and Soul is one of them. I love that he taught himself to play Amazing Grace and figured it out on both the white keys and black keys. He really loves playing!

Hannah is 9 months old!

2009-04-22T19:47:00.005-05:00

Hannah is 9 months old today. My friend Adria took these of her Saturday at a get together. I love them! She did such a great job.

Easter Pics

2009-04-15T19:45:00.005-05:00

Here's some pics from Barry's Aunt's on Easter. The kids had a great time hunting eggs. Austin now has a new way to smile:

Jacob sporting his new hat. I couldn't resist it:
Kendal blowing bubbles:
Hmm, no, not Hannah. Barry's Aunt gave me a ton of digital pics of the kids from past holidays! That's Kendal on her first Easter:
And there's sweet little Hannah:

My Boys

2009-04-02T15:48:00.005-05:00

When Barry was little he had some lederhosen from his aunt and uncle that lived in Germany. His mom has a picture of him in one when he was 2, so she had the idea of having the boys taking their picture in them. They turned out pretty cute. Austin wasn't too thrilled to be wearing "Germany clothes," but he sure does look like he was enjoying it. I think these could only have been better if we could have gotten Barry in there matching them. Yikes!

Where's his tooth?

2009-03-30T21:07:00.005-05:00

So, this afternoon we were all playing outside and Austin freaked out because he accidently pulled his own tooth out and couldn't find it. I don't think he expected there to be blood involved either. Austin was standing in the driveway when he lost it, so imagine looking for something the size of a pebble amongst little pebbles. Barry found it after about 10 minutes. Austin calmed down once I told him all the cool things he could do with food and spit now that he has a window in his teeth. Somehow, he knows about the Tooth Fairy. Actually, Kendal brought it up...

My Publix Trip

2009-03-30T20:14:00.004-05:00

Here's my recent trip to Publix. That's Austin giving me a high-5, Kendal hiding (maybe I'm embarrassing her), and Hannah thinking I'm crazy. My total was $75.94 and I saved $93.19!!! I was able to stock up on some items and picked up some rainchecked items from last week. I know that most of that savings is because Publix is higher to begin with, but I would be spending at least $100 at Target buying store brand and never stocking up.

More pics/stories of the kids for those family members who read and think I'm crazy for taking pics of food!

Back In The Swing Of Things

2009-03-27T18:43:00.004-05:00

I have been SOOO behind on clipping coupons and getting them organized, so I haven't been frugal shopping the past few weeks. After throwing down around $100 at Target for groceries a couple times I was motivated to get back in the game. Here's how I did:

CVS

I spent $5.08 on the items to the left with $9.99 ECBs. Not bad.

Publix

My Grand Total was $26.89 with a Savings of $49.63!!! I was very excited to find that $5 off $30 coupon in the Wed. paper that comes in the mail. I also got some rainchecks for the deals they were out of.

CVS (again)

Bounty 8 roll and some Crest Pro Health toothpaste for a Total of $1.69 and left with $3.49 ECBs earned in that trip and I still have $2.99 ECBs from the earlier trip.

Which leads me to the topic of paper towels. Not all paper towels are created equal. I really love Bounty. I've tried others, they just don't do it for me. I know the Strategic Shopping Lady from church says to NEVER buy paper towels, but I just can't quit them. I've cut back, though, by using the cloth napkins we received as wedding presents and have yet to use. My mother in law bought me some recently, also. (Thank You, Kathy!) But I have this thing against sponges and dish rags. They just scream germs to me, and Bounty is tough enough to use when you need to hand wash dishes. Select-a-size basic white is my preference. I also am blessed with a glass kitchen table which gets Windexed and Bountied at least 3 times a day. I'm just not ready to part from it. I tried using newspaper once to clean the table off with; that lasted one day, not for lack of efficiency, just mainly convenience. As for Windex, I saw that Glass Plus is BOGO this week at Publix. We'll see if it measures up.

What are some thing that are just not worth being frugal over for you?

Doodlebug

2009-03-26T15:27:00.002-05:00

Here's Hannah crawling at the High Museum of Art. She started doing a few 'crawls' when we first got to Atlanta, then I looked down that day and there she was crawling all over the place. Of course she does it when we're away so Barry misses it. Kendal did that with walking. At least I got them on video.

It seems that she has been changing a bunch lately. Still no teeth, but she has discovered Cheerios and loves them! Last night I found her STANDING up in her crib holding on the rail. She is branching out in vocabulary from "Mama" and "Dada" to "Bye" while turning her little hand toward herself and waving it. She also started signing "All done" by lifting her hands up and saying "D".

Spring Break

2009-03-23T20:58:00.008-05:00

We went to Atlanta for Spring Break to visit with Barry's aunt and uncle. I wish Barry could have gone with us, but it just wasn't possible with his current schedule. We have been in the habit of going to Atlanta every year, but it was always Atlanta's Spring Break. I thought that since we were going during B'ham's and not Atlanta's it wouldn't be so crowded; not the case. We got the City Pass and did it in 7 days.

FRIDAY: We went to the zoo. It was almost perfect weather. Every time I've been there it has been VERY warm. This time it was a little cool. It looked like it was going to rain all day. I suppose that kept others from venturing there because it was not crowded at all. My friend met up with us there with her son. The kids had a great time. They enjoyed petting the animals, watching the lion roar (the lion at our zoo is always sleeping just far enough away to where you can't see it, so this was neat), and playing on the playground in the children's area.

SATURDAY: We went to Fernbank. This is one of Austin's favorite places to go. They had a dinosaur exhibit there and the kids love the playrooms. No pictures. Sorry.

SUNDAY: To the Dollar Theater we went to see Bolt since it was raining out and we were trying to avoid downtown that day. There was a guy in the mall making balloon swords and flowers for the kids. They had a blast. There was a stage set up and all the boys were sword fighting and then there's Kendal in the midst of them skipping around with her flower.

MONDAY: The Aquarium! This is the one place I was really looking forward to not being so crowded, but no such luck. Kendal's favorite part was when, "Billy swam in my mouth!" We saw the 4-D movie and the little fish, Billy, looked like it swam in her mouth. Here's Aunt Jenny and the kids petting the sting rays and sharks.
This is inside the shark tunnel where the kids are riding through the tank.

TUESDAY: Barry's cousin and her son came to play with us that afternoon. We headed off for a local park we had been to when Austin was a toddler. This is what we found instead: a new city hall with cute little shops surrounding a big grass field. After a few round of tackling each other we found another park. There was a trail that was next to the park. We thought the kids would enjoy that. ONE HOUR later we found our way back.
WEDNESDAY: The CNN studio tour and The World of Coke. The CNN tour was interesting. They have an escalator that is 8 stories high. We ate lunch there then walked over to The World of Coke. The kids really enjoyed that. Here they are sitting on the American Idol couch.

In the tasting room:

THURSDAY: The High Museum of Art. So, we had a hard time finding the place and parking issues, but when we finally got there it was worth it. It was Toddler Thursday and they had an impressionist painting for them to look at in the gallery, there was someone to read them stories (we missed that), then they got to paint their own version of that piece using polka dots. It was really neat. I need to look into our art museum to see if they offer any programs for children. They also had an interactive play room for kids. I think Austin is an architect in the making.
No pictures please!
Hmm... I had more picture uploaded and now they are gone. More to come. Its my bedtime.

My Girls

2009-03-09T23:12:00.004-05:00

Kendal had her dance pictures today. She looked so cute in her costumes. When we got there some of the moms were putting mascara and lipstick on their girls. I just don't want to start all that at 4. She already has told me recently that she is not beautiful and that Ariel is beautiful. She wants red hair so she can be beautiful like Ariel. She said it so seriously and sad that I wanted to cry. I need to make a point of building her up more now.

This first one they are tapping to E-I-E-I-O. The pigtails make it...

Here she is in her ballet costume. I wish I got a picture of her hair. It was so sweet all pulled up with little curls hanging loose.
Hannah on Sunday after watching The Sleeping Beauty ballet. She got her first bump on her noggin the other night when she pulled over a wrought iron candlestick onto her forehead. She is mobile and curious. Her crawl right now resembles that of an inch worm. Up on all fours, lunge forward, repeat...
I never got a chance Sunday to get the girls picture together in their matching dresses. There was another girl at the ballet wearing the same dress. She saw my girls and noticed the dresses and did not look very pleased. Somebody told me she thought the other child belong to us because she matched (and I have so many kids already, I'm sure.) You'd be surprised at the comments we get when we're out. "Are these all yours?" "You know what causes that." I even had someone tell me that we needed a tv in our bedroom! Well - Yes; We have it narrowed down and if its what we think think, we aren't stopping; We do have one.

Curly Kendal

2009-03-07T21:32:00.005-06:00

The other night Kendal found some curlers my mom gave her and wanted me to put them in her hair. When I went in to check on her before I turned in found her sleeping like this:

Family Fun Weekend

2009-03-07T20:33:00.004-06:00

We have had a fun filled weekend for the Lanes. We were all out playing Friday afternoon when Barry came home early from work. That made my day! He had plans for Family Fun Night to go to the movies. So we cleaned everyone up (when they play outside, they PLAY), loaded them in the car and headed off. We had planned on going to a certain Mexican restaurant on the other side of town near the dollar theater only to find it gone, so we got out the iPhone and used Urban Spoon to find another one near by. Lets just say that just because 100% say they like it, doesn't make the food good. However, we secretly enjoyed watching the soap opera on Telemundo. (I'm not being silly either. Barry and I wanted to know what happened to the bride whose groom was smooching on someone else in the courtyard.) Then it was off to the movies to see Bolt, which was really good. I can't recall anything in it that was questionable. The dollar theater ROCKS! $4 for all of us to see a movie! (Jacob and Hannah were free.)

Today started off great. Barry let me sleep in some and he made everyone breakfast. He's so sweet. Then we were off to the zoo. We thought about going to the science center, but since it was beautiful out we opted for something outside. So did the rest of the city. Here's some pictures of our day.

That last one is for you, Katie. Well, tomorrow is going to be just as busy. After church we are going to see a ballet of Sleeping Beauty featuring sisters from our church. Kendal is going to love it. Their Grammy got the girls new matching dresses the other day, so they are going to be all dressed up at the theater. I am now going to turn in because after pushing 2 kids around all day in a stroller, I am exhausted!

More Pictures

2009-03-03T15:55:00.004-06:00

Here's some pictures from last week. Hannah is about to crawl! She gets up and her hands and knees and rocks back and forth. Most of the time she scoots around backwards, but she can get wherever she wants by scooting and rolling. I'm not ready for her to be mobile!

Here's all three of them. I can't remember which one I was specifically trying to get, but the rest jumped in there saying cheese!
My sweet girls:
My handsome little man:
Still wearing his space helmet!

Snow Day

2009-03-03T15:34:00.004-06:00

On Sunday we woke up to snow! The kids had a blast playing in it, well Austin and Kendal did. Jacob didn't like his hands being cold and Hannah just really wasn't sure about it all. It was really cold with the wind blowing. I did realize that we are not well eqipped for snowy weather, so we had to do a lot of layering. They had fun throwing snow balls, building a snow man, and making a snow angel. Austin went and played with a neighbor sliding down their steep front lawn. He was soaked! After awhile of that he was done for the day. It was sad when the sun came out that afternoon and started melting it all away. Here's some pics from our day:

Milk Jugs and Space Travelers

2009-02-20T19:30:00.003-06:00

My day started pretty good. I got to sleep in until 6:30! Hannah slept through the night and woke up happy and entertained herself in her crib. We had breakfast with Daddy then after a quick clean up, everyone got dressed and started our day. After our regular math and handwriting lessons, we put to use the empty milk jugs I've been collecting. We made space helmets! My little space explorers colored them, put them on and jumped into their space rockets. They had a blast! I was a little upset that my camera battery died when we started this project, but they loved them so much that when the camera had some juice in it they were still playing with their space gear. Here's some shots of my space explorers:

It really amazes me how these kids can fit themselves into things

These two have been hilarious with their pretending

Excited to see daddy!

Laughing at everyone

In their space rockets

Space Princess

Space Bad Guy

He has been wearing it ALL day, during dinner, and wanted to take a bath in it

I found this picture on the camera that I forgot about and thought it was hilarious!

So that was our day. I am currently potty training Jacob. He is doing pretty good with it. He just doesn't ever run to the potty on his own; I have to remind him and take him. Baby steps...

Well, Hannah is done eating and asleep, the kids are bathed and we are about to play a game for Family Fun Night!

There's A Party In My Tummy

2009-02-17T13:38:00.004-06:00

Did I mention before how creative God is on blessing us? We have had a gallon of Dreamland BBQ sauce sitting in our fridge left over from a luncheon at church. I've been looking at it trying to figure out how we are going to use it, not wanting to throw it out. But a GALLON! That's a lot. Last week I got an email asking if anyone would be interested in free chicken. Someone knows someone who has a restaurant chain and over bought and can't use it in time. There were several boxes of chicken and I was blessed with one. TWENTY POUNDS of frozen chicken breasts already sliced into strips. Can you guess how I am using that BBQ sauce now? We had some hamburger buns left over that I had froze. They have since been defrosted and consumed in the form of chicken BBQ sandwiches. Meals now are revolving around that chicken. I had some frozen broccoli, some penne pasta noodles, all I needed was a jar of alfredo sauce, add some of the chicken and voila, dinner is served for about $2. We also have chicken quesadillas and chicken salad on the menu.

Anyone have any EASY recipes for chicken they would like to share?

Chicken. Yeah!

In my tummy.

Party, party. Yeah.

In my tummy.

Yeah. There's a party in my tummy.

So yummy. So yummy!

Tornado in a Bottle

2009-01-30T13:54:00.005-06:00

Today the kids made a Tornado in a bottle. We had to do this since we actually had soda bottles handy. I remember doing this when I was little, but with 2 attached together. Here Austin and Kendal are surveying our supplies:

3 bottles, dish soap, tiny aluminum foil balls, water, blue food coloring dye

One cute baby

One handsome little man

Equals lots of swirling fun!

She also made a tornado dance up...

Hmm... his teeth look awfully blue. Caught ya!

My sweet girls

One proud dude

We never did get them working the way I thought they would, but we had fun. We learned that tornados swirl clockwise, and things that are on the bottom (the ground) will lift up and swirl around. We kept it simple.

25 Random Things About Me

2009-01-29T19:47:00.002-06:00

This is going around on Facebook, so I thought I would post it on here, too.

1. I was born in California and lived there until I was 15. I prefer the South.

2. I married my high school sweetheart, Barry, who is the best husband ever!

3. We were engaged for 4 days.

4. When I make a sandwich, I don't like the mustard to touch the cheese.

5. I have a fear of fresh water sharks.

6. I was high school valedictorian and didn't make my first B until I took Physics my sophomore year in college.

7. I went to 3 major universities and never earned a degree. I couldn't ever decide what I wanted to be. I suppose its because I just wanted to be a mommy.

8. I have always wanted a big family, like the Duggars big.

9. I have been pregnant or nursing for almost 7 straight years.

10. I had my last baby sans drugs. Not sure if I would opt for that one again.

11. I really like thunderstorms. It's relaxing in a way.

12. I cut my own hair.

13. I enjoy 'strategic shopping.' It can be really addicting to walk out of CVS with $60 worth of stuff and pay like $1 out of pocket.

14. I get nervous talking to people I don't know.

15. I do not like to be cold.

16. I do not own a pair of shorts.

17. I do not like anyone to do my dishes. I have a system. I like to wash them before I put them in the dishwasher, and there are designated spots for each type of dish.

18. I am not a very good cook. So, if I ever bring you a meal, be glad it's a frozen lasagna. You don't want something I made.

19. I am a sucker for any type of historic film. If they are dressed old fashioned and speaking in accents, I'll watch it.

20. Any type of accent I try to make always ends up sounding like a pirate. Arrrg! (Can you tell I'm running out of things... Barry is laughing at that one.)

21. I would love to live on a farm and be self-sufficient.

22. I can water ski. My parents had me in skis when I was 4.

23. I can't stand the smell of sunscreen.

24. I am a procrastinator and am usually late for things.

25. Instead of a lemonade stand when I was little, I had a golf ball stand. I would find all the golf balls that were hit in the bushes and stream, clean them up, and resell them.

So, join in the fun and make a list if you haven't yet!

Sweet Hannah Reese

2009-01-22T19:07:00.003-06:00

I cannot believe she is 6 months old today! Time has flown by, and I still have not figured out life with 4 little ones. Hopefully by the time she is 1 I will. I was playing with the camera yesterday so I could be ready for a photo shoot today, but it just didn't happen today. Glad I took some yesterday. I thought this one was cute. She really loves those beads.

A Whole New World

2009-01-19T20:29:00.006-06:00

So first I want to thank everyone for prayers for little Andrew. He was sent home that night and Holly was so happy to have him safe and in her arms.

Next, Barry and I finally joined Facebook. I know, I know, we are way behind on that. Can I tell you how awesome that is?! I've gotten in touch with people that I haven't talked to in years. One particular friend that I lost touch with I was just praying that God would bring her back in my life. I love how creative He is with answering my prayers.

So, today I turned 28. I have had a great day. Sweet Kendal has been saying that its her birthday. I truly thought she was just pretending until she asked me why everyone kept telling me happy birthday when it was her birthday. She had a crushed look on her face. Poor girl...

I have been in a silly mood lately and thought I would share some of my silliness with you:

I found what I want for my birthday. I heard it was a real hot item this past Christmas. Check it out here.

And with that I will leave you with a love song here. Enjoy!

Please Pray

2009-01-17T14:25:00.003-06:00

For those who don't know about my neighbor, Andrew, he has been battling Leukemia. He and his parents, Don and Holly, have all caught a violent stomach bug going around. Holly's concern is that his line got torn and he is in the hospital right now. She does not want him to get an infection from the tear which could kill him. Please pray for him to be alright and come home. They can't be with him right now since they are sick and don't want to risk the other children with compromised immune systems in Children's catching it. Holly was hospitalized for it last night.

Esau

2009-01-16T23:08:00.004-06:00

Every year in January our church does a 21 day fast. We also follow the One Year Bible and have recently just read about Jacob and Esau. Barry said something the other day that is so simple and so obvious, but really hit home to me. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a meal. Barry has been fasting food and can relate to being truly hungry. The first day was rough, but once he made it past that he has been fine. Does he want food? Yes. Is he willing to sell what God has in store for him or wants to show him for a meal? No. Fasting or not, what am I selling away to feed my flesh? Some good quality time with God for a little extra sleep in the morning? The list could go on. I don't want to be like Esau, but if I really take a closer look at myself I can see how I have given myself what I want instead of doing something God's way. Its really neat how God works. I don't know how many times Barry and I have read that story, and we still got something new and relevant out of it.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." ~Hebrews 4:12

Tikki Tikki Tembo

2009-01-16T14:08:00.005-06:00

There are certain children's books that after reading I have to ask, "Why?" This one is no exception. As with all books and tv shows that fall into this category, like Teletubbies and 'Love You Forever' (Yes, I think this book is slightly disturbing. It is sweet and makes me tear up, but when the mom sneaks into her grown son's room and rocks him, you must agree its a little on the creepy side), the kids LOVE them! I was getting them together for our afternoon story time and they begged for our recent pick from the library, 'Tikki Tikki Tembo' or as Jacob says, 'Tippi Tippi Pumbo'. Sure, its a little humorous, but I wonder if it is offensive to the Chinese. The back of the book says it was printed in China. I suppose they would have said something at the printing press if they didn't like it. (Or just printed it with lead paint...) I feel really bad for the younger son, Chang. Anyway, you can tell I don't get out of the house much. Which leads me to my next topic...

Since it is currently below freezing, we stayed home today. I thought it was strange that Austin was playing dolls with Kendal. What I noticed he was playing with was even stranger.
Yes, that is a Yoda Pez dispenser in Snow White's gown. Oh, too much fun...

CVS

2009-01-09T08:06:00.003-06:00

Here are my awesome trips to CVS this week. For those who have not entered into the world of strategic shopping, you probably think I am crazy for getting excited over toilet paper and toothpaste. But, now that I know the tricks, I would be crazy to actually pay for them.

Saturday night I got:

2 bottles of Pantene

2 tubes of Crest Whitening Expressions

1 bottle of Tide

1 Shick Quattro razor

1 tube of Colgate Total

Grand total of $1.18 and earned 10 ECBs

Monday I went back for the new weeks sales:

1 bottle of Palmolive

1 8-pack of Energizer AA batteries

1 20 roll pack of Cottonelle toilet paper

Grand total of $0.18 and earned 4 ECBs

I still have 6.99 in ECBs I earned from the Christmas sale. What a blessing this has been for our budget. Publix has been great for saving on groceries. If anyone else has some great money saving tips, I will gladly welcome them.

Pictures

2009-01-08T13:52:00.002-06:00

So, anyone who has been to my house knows I love pictures of my kiddos. I can think of nothing better that I would want to look at hanging on my walls. (Well, their artwork would be neat, but right now snakes and potato people are more kitchen quality.) So, last spring we rearranged the furniture in the living room and that meant all the pictures had to be moved also. At the time I just literally grabbed frames and placed them wherever just to get them up and keep from getting broken. Well, Barry was out late last night so I thought I would tackle that project. I put new pictures in some of the frames, which always makes me sad to take one out, but I need to put some of Jacob and Hannah in the room. Well, I usually have Barry with me when I do things like this for some feedback. Not the case last night. I may have gotten a little carried away. I literally covered an ENTIRE wall with pictures. It makes quite a statement. I like it; Barry said he likes it. I suppose that should be all I care about, but I wonder if it is a bit much. I should post a pic on here of it, but I'm too lazy for that right now, plus I'm a bit tied down with Hannah (I really want to start calling her Hannah Reese) at the moment. Any Interior Decorators or those like me who enjoy this kind of stuff have an opinion? It's probably something you have to see. Anyway, enough rambling...

Looking back and looking forward....

2009-01-01T10:34:00.003-06:00

At the start of a new year people like to evaluate the past and dream for the future. Well, I'm not a big New Year's fan, but I am excited about 2009. God did some amazing things for Sarah and I in 2008, and I'm looking forward to seeing what He's got planned for us next year. I know this sounds cliche, but I really just want to continue to grow closer to Him in 2009. At the end of 2008 God showed me twice that He cares even about little things in my life.

Right about the end of November/first of December the dreaded "Check Engine" light came on in my Explorer. I worried about this for a couple of weeks, I even asked a couple of people where they thought I should take the car in. The thing I didn't do was ask God for help, until one morning during my devotional time. I literally just prayed that God would help me decide what to do with my truck. That very night on my way home from work the light went off, and it's been off ever since. I was so excited I begin saying Thank You out loud, which was interesting because I was on the phone with my cousin.

The same week that the Check Engine light went off I also prayed to God for a Christmas present. Now before you start thinking I was sitting here rattling off my wish list to God let me explain a bit. Sarah and I had already agreed that she was getting me an Iphone and I was getting her an elliptical machine and that was going to be all we would get each other. Sarah had already mentioned wanting to borrow my ipod so she could listen to some tunes while working out. Well, at that point I knew I was also going to get her an ipod for Christmas also. Fresh off of God fixing my car I thought I would take this to Him. I asked Him where would be the cheapest place I could get an ipod for Sarah. Wouldn't you know that very next Friday at my company Christmas party I won a brand, new 8gb ipod nano, which is exactly what I was going to get for Sarah.

So, back to my original point which is that my goal for 2009 is to grow closer to God. Not only in typical "churchy" (is that a word?) ways, but in everyday life. He's already showing me He cares about little things and that He definitely can be trusted to provide for all my needs. Now, it also appears that He is bringing me some new opportunities and challenges for 2009. However, more than anything I want to please Him. He's done so much for me in my life (that I do and don't know about), I just want to give Him everything I have, and to daily grow closer to Him. I pray that God blesses each of you and shows you personally how much He loves you and He wants to be in your life. Happy New Year!

Barry

Santa Claus Lane

2008-12-16T13:56:00.006-06:00

While driving home yesterday, listening to Christmas music on the radio my sweet Austin asks me a rather humorous question. "Mommy, is Santa Claus in our family?" Not sure what he is thinking I answer, "No." "Are you sure?" To which I assure him that I am positive. Little did I know that he is smarter than me with this one. You see, the song playing on the radio was "Here Comes Santa Claus"...

Ramblings

2008-12-10T15:21:00.002-06:00

Okay, there are several things that are pretty much pointless that I think I am going to blog about. Not all at once, though, so don't get too excited. Some of you may be wondering, "How does she have time to blog?" (I know you are thinking about me all the time, right?) Well, I don't. But what I do have time to do is multitask. Since I have a 4 month old that likes to be fed 37 times a day, it keeps me from falling asleep (which then puts me in a horrible mood.) Also, I thought I would stop reading everyone else's (is that a word? my computer is telling me its not) blogs and blog myself. That also keeps friends and family updated that are always wanting me to email pictures of the kids. (Why is that so much harder than this?) Anyway, I forgot what I was going to say...

Oh yeah, Playlists. Do you like listening to music while reading others blogs? I usually keep the music on mute for several reasons. First, I don't want to draw any more attention to myself if I actually have a moment on the computer. If my kids hear me doing something, then I suddenly have them all in my lap frantically trying to see what could possibly be taking all my attention away from them. Second, I'll be doing something like balancing the checkbook then pretend to still be busy doing something important and I don't want Barry to know I am playing because then its his turn on the computer and my turn to do something productive.

So people sometimes have a you tube video or whatever on their blog that when I turn the volume on to listen to all I hear is John Larson going in the background because my blog is still open in another window. Its really annoying. SOOO, I think I'm going to delete my playlist. Anyone have any thoughts of their own about this? Yeah, I warned you it was going to be pointless...

Cousins

2008-12-04T22:15:00.008-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving at the lake this year with my family. My mom got all the grandkids matching jammies as an early Christmas present. This was our attempt to take a picture of them.

Check out the hair on my sweet little niece who isn't even a year yet and has already had a haircut!

Kid Quotes

2008-12-01T23:24:00.004-06:00

Today at nap time I was putting Jacob down and saw that he had a ginormous booger. I thought I would help him out and picked it for him. He leaned forward, pointed to his nose and whispered to me, "Mommy, put it back." OK, it was hilarious at the time...

Hannah Reese

2008-11-22T18:57:00.003-06:00

My sweet Gracious, 4 months old already.

Thanksgiving Fun

2008-11-22T11:46:00.009-06:00

Friday we had some Thanksgiving fun at a friends house. Several of our homeschooling friends brought their kids over and we made Indian hats, vests and necklaces. Here's a picture of Kendal stringing her noodles.

After all the crafts were done, they put on all their creations and each one of them told what they were thankful for. The older ones had written up some pretty impressive lists and shared it with the group. Austin volunteered to go first and was obviously a little confused about what we were doing. He thought he was supposed to be telling everyone a story and started into his recently thought up one titled, "The Chicken and the Snake." You can see how that one ends.

Here's Austin telling everyone what he is thankful for... Me!

Here's the group acting like Indians.

To end all the festivities, the kids gathered around and ate some Friendship Soup. Everyone brought a can of vegetables and we poured them all together and enjoyed with some cornbread. It surprisingly was very delicious.

Mondays (Yes, I know today is Tuesday)

2008-11-18T21:37:00.004-06:00

Mondays are a little stressful for me lately. For whatever reason I like to go grocery shopping on that day. I find that if I have designated a day for that then I am less likely to go twice during the week and spend more money.

Yes, I actually enjoy going grocery shopping. I love Target. If you ask where I got something 99% of the time the answer will be Target. I can get EVERYTHING I need from there. Yummy food, they got it; cool toys, they got it; clothes for the whole family, that's right, they got it. We have a routine down there - I wear Hannah in the sling, Jacob rides in the cart, and Austin and Kendal each have their own side of the cart they ride on while eating the popcorn and drink we get from the cafe ($1.50 to have a peaceful trip, well worth every penny).

SO, I recently have been trying to save money on our groceries. I usually spend $100 a week there and that is if I am only getting food. My new goal is to only spend $50 a week and that means I have to break my Target addiction. (Yes, I am still having withdrawals.) So, last week I actually achieved my goal at Publix. I only spent $47! (This week was not as impressive.) HOWEVER, it was really stressful with all 4 kids. We are out of our routine. No popcorn, no drink. They enjoyed pulling the coupons out of all the little coupon machines a little too much. Then while putting the kids in the van, my cart makes a mad dash down the parking lot heading straight for a busy road with nothing to stop it. It's amazing what adrenaline will do for you.

After getting home and all the groceries up, I clean the house because its Small Group night and we have 10+ kids over with a babysitter while we go to that. Cleaning is easier said than done with all of them making messes faster than I can clean them. Last Monday Austin must have sensed I needed some help, little did he know that I needed the laugh more...

This is what happens when little boys play with little girls...

2008-11-18T20:48:00.010-06:00

This is Princess Kendal of Fairytopia and Jacob the Island Princess.

Saturday Mornings

2008-11-15T08:21:00.003-06:00

I love Saturday mornings. It is my only day to sleep in (which with 4 kids is a relative term) and be somewhat lazy. Right now I'm watching cartoons with the kids and getting ready to enjoy a big family breakfast. Today, Sarah is going up to the church for "coupon class" and I'm looking forward to chilling out with the kids and watching football. Life is Good!

One of Those Days...

2008-11-13T17:48:00.002-06:00

Before I left home this morning, I just knew it was one of those days I needed to stay home. What I learned today:

Jacob can wear a size 2 diaper when needed.

When you have kids you should always bring an extra outfit. This doesn't always apply to the baby. Sometimes doesn't apply to you either. Sorry Corla!

Piddle Pads in the car seat ONLY work if they are actually UNDER their bottom!

Oak Mountain

2008-11-08T18:02:00.005-06:00

On your mark.

Get set.

Go!

The kids participated in their first race today. They were strong contenders! We learned that racing on grass with training wheels is pretty difficult, make sure you are on the right trail, and that Kendal can run a whole mile! Although they didn't give out any medals, we left with 9 t-shirts, 5 water bottles, various coupons, and 2 bags of peanuts. Who wouldn't want peanuts after a duathalon? The food of champions...

CVS

2008-11-07T20:36:00.003-06:00

All right here it is:

Transaction 1:

1 Crest Pro Health $3.49 get $3.49
-$.75 Crest Pro Health coupon
-$2 ECB from earlier today

Total: $.89 ($.74 + $15 tax)
Earned $3.49 ECB

Transaction 2:

2 Pampers on sale 2/$20 get $5 ECB
1 Crest Pro Health $3.49 get $3.49 ECB
1 Crest Whitening Expressions $2.75
-$1.00/2 Crest coupon
-$1.50 Pampers coupon
-$1.50 Pampers coupon
-$3.49 ECB from Transaction 1
-$5/25 coupon emailed
-$5 ECB from earlier today

Total: $10.75 ($8.75 + $2.00 tax)
Earned $8.49 ECB

Okay, so I spent a little more out of pocket than I would like, but I got 2 packs of diapers.

CVS

2008-11-07T12:42:00.003-06:00

Here's what I got today for a grand total of $1.44! That's after tax, too! Plus I have $7 more ECBs (Extra Care Bucks) to spend on my next trip. I had more planned, but they were out of the toothpaste I was wanting to get. I'll try the other CVS since we plan on going to Walmart tonight. My sister will be proud of me...

Kid Quotes and The Election

2008-11-06T16:52:00.005-06:00

On voting:

"Why can't they just put all the votes in two piles, and whoever's pile is the tallest wins."
~Austin 11-4-08

I am proud to say that I voted, with all 4 kids with me. The thought of bringing all of them stressed me out, then I thought more about it. They need to see me do this and feel like they were part of it. Praise the Lord, there was no line for L at all! They all proudly wore their "I Voted" stickers out of the courthouse.

Later that day while we are watching TV, Austin decides to become an Obama supporter (Austin doesn't like to lose). When we asked him why he likes Obama he tells us because he looks better. (He later explained that he liked his brown skin and short hair.) Okay, Barry likes Alabama, Austin announces he's an Auburn/Tennessee fan (I promise I didn't teach him to say that!); Barry likes the Cardinals, Austin roots for the Cubs. I see the trend here. It's kinda cute for him to form his opinion and in the process see Barry squirm. However, it is not so cute when he tells people he voted for Obama (people at Bible study!) I am very much against abortion and in no way would support someone who does not value life, even in the earliest stages.

After another evening of our little Obama supporter, it was getting old. Barry and I sat down with him and explained to him that we don't vote for someone based on how they look. We vote for the person that thinks most like us and will stand up for what the Bible says. After a few questions he states, "We can just give Obama a Bible so he can have better plans." I love it!

When I was praying with him last night he looked at me and reminded me to pray for Obama.

Halloween

2008-11-01T17:25:00.006-05:00

The kids went to their Grammy and Grandaddy's church last Sunday for their Fall Festival, so I didn't feel guilty about not having them Trick or Treat on Halloween. However, I did have to get a picture of Jacob and Hannah wearing the same costumes that Austin and Kendal wore 4 years ago. My how time flies! Hannah looks alot like Kendal did...

So instead of all that normal Halloween stuff, we went camping at Grammy and Grandaddy's. By camping I mean that they, the boys, camped while I stayed inside in a warm bed with the girls and Jacob. We all had fun cooking hot dogs and smores over the campfire. You gotta love the outfits that Austin and Kendal dressed themselves in. They took layering to a whole new level.

Kid Quotes

2008-11-01T10:07:00.000-05:00

"Did you pee your pants?"

"No, I just squeezed the juice out."
~Kendal
10-30-08