Field Trip

Yesterday, the kindergarten classes at Savanna's school in Mt. Vernon went on a field trip. They needed their classrooms for TAKS testing, so they came to Sulphur Springs for bowling and lunch and play time at the park. Because I work in SS, I decide to pick up a sandwich at Subway and meet them at the park and eat with Savanna. She was so excited to see me. I love it when her eyes get so big and she runs to me. The weather was just perfect. We sat on a bench and ate lunch while she told me about bowling and all the kids in her class. Each of the kindergarten classes had their own colored t-shirts, which is a wonderful idea in keeping up with your class as they play and then regroup. It was a great afternoon and I am glad I took the time to go!

Remembering Alene Armstrong

On April 26,1998, my mom's mom, Alene Armstrong, left this world and went home to be with God. I can't believe it has been 10 years. I just wanted to remember with a post and write down some things I will always remember about her.

• She made all my sunday dresses until I was in the 8th grade. I will never forget the first time I wore a store bought dress. I loved going next door to Grandmother and Pa Pa's and having her measure me and letting me pick out the pattern and fabric.
• She was a hard worker. She worked as the janitor at our church right up until she got sick. She loved working in her yard and garden - mowing, weed eating, planting flowers, raking up pine needles, hoeing up weeds. She always got such a red face when she worked outside. Everything in her yard and garden was beautiful.
• She loved the Lord more than ANYTHING and we had many discussions about Him and His Word. She was a great teacher. I have her little Bible with the blue flower cover and I love seeing the things she wrote out in the margin for certain verses.
• She had a wonderful smile and laugh and a sweet spirit about her.
• I loved watching Wheel of Fortune and Gunsmoke with her and Pa Pa, but she usually made him turn off the TV so we could talk.
• She made the best dressing for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• She loved eating cornbread and sweet milk.
• She was not only my Grandmother, but my friend and I miss her.

What Weekend?

I titled this post "What Weekend?" because I went from my "regular" job on Friday to my "wifes duty" job on Saturday. Besides Jody's passion for having a tack and saddle business, he also has a passion for anything to do with auctions - which means I am the one stuck with doing all the paperwork for these auctions. Anyway, we had another estate auction on Saturday that didn't wrap up until 9:30 pm. We were exhausted and really had every intention of going to church on Sunday, but just couldn't drag ourselves out of bed. When we did wake up, we went back to the auction site to load up the things Jody bought and finish up the paperwork - back home at 6 pm. And now we are getting ready for our big annual spring auction in two weeks. We will sell equipment on one day and horses the next. This time of year, I get so stressed and irritable because of this sale. Everything in our household gets put on hold or interupted - fun time with the kids, housework, Jody coming in late, etc. So... if you see me and I look mad or don't speak, then please forgive me. I have been asking God to give me a little more patience than usual.

New Look

Wow! Three post in one day - this is a new record for me. I keep forgetting to say things. I love my new blog look and I have to thank my friend, Shelley Hale. She is so creative and creates blog designs - check it out at www.simplyshelleydesigns.blogspot.com Thanks Shelley!

Tea Party

I forgot to add that Sunday afternoon Savanna and I attended a Mother and Daughter Tea Party at church. We learned the history of tea and how to hold your cup. They had refreshments and different kinds of tea to drink. There was also a guest speaker. She showed a Veggie Tale video clip and then used the neatest demonstration to me. She had a line of very different tea cups and put a different personality with each cup. One was plain, one had bright colors, one was shaped different, etc. and on down the line. She compared people to these tea cups - they are all made different but each one is special. God makes each person special with different personalities - some are plain, creative, funny, etc. It was a great afternoon and I was glad that I could share it with Savanna. God has created and blessed me with a special daughter.

Here I Go Again

Here I go again - catch up time.

• The weekend before last was soooo wonderful weather wise and we truly enjoyed it. I love this time of year and being out doors with the kids. Our yard desperately needed mowing but with the wet weather it had been so hard to find time to do it, but Sunday was the day. After church, we ate a quick lunch and got started. I mowed and Jody weedeated. And the kids swam in their "new swimming pool" as Savanna likes to say. But as I like to say, the kids swam in the mud hole in our drive way. I am so glad that kids can find entertainment spashing around in muddy water. They really had a great time until it came time to be hosed off with cold water.

Look, it's Forrest Gump! Oh no, that's just Jody on our trusty little Snapper

• This past weekend, we attended Jody's cousin's (Lacy Taylor) wedding. It was so beautiful! Jody is in shock that he now has two cousins (first Katie in December and now Lacy) that are married. A little history for those who don't know... Jody is the oldest grandchild on both sides of his family, but on his mom's side he is the only boy. Growing up he was out numbered 6 to 1. Or should I say, he was able to pick on 6 girls. By pick on, from the stories I hear, I mean throw and crack easter eggs on their heads, put frogs down their shirts, dunk them under the water at Granny's swimming pool, etc. I feel sure he was a mean cousin. So Jody is in shock that these little girls that he picked on have turned into beautiful young women who are walking down the aisle to become married.
  

The first pictures are from Katie's wedding in December and then from Lacy's wedding this weekend.

Katie Hare Elliott - beautiful




Mike and Katie



Cutting the cake (don't know why these pictures are smaller?)


Shane dancing with BreAnna



Katie and Molly




Savanna and Sarah

Bliss, Sarah, Lacy

Lacy and Phillip Mattek - first dance

Katie, Mike, Debbie, Sarah

Molly and Ryan
Maybe the next to get hitched - we'll see ????


DeAnna, Deaneth / MiMi, & Granny


Jody dancing with Aunt Debbie

Lacy was a beautiful bride and she makes me look like a big cow-lol!


We all had a great time!!!

• Shane officially has his first black eye, but we have no clue how he got it. They called me from daycare and asked if anything had happened at home, and I honestly can't remember him crying about anything. He surprises me all the time with his tolerance for pain. Savanna will cry or whine at the slightest pain, but Shane just keeps going - must be a boy thing. I am sure this will not be his one and only black eye.
  

Big Boy

Shane is becoming a big boy.

First, this weekend we finally took down his crib and put in a toddler bed that a friend gave me (thanks, Carrie!). Shane absolutely loves it. Which I am so glad. I really feared that he would always be getting up and coming into our room, but he hasn't! He had learned how to crawl out of his crib and one day I caught him doing it - he would just fall out and I was sure that he had broken his ankle or something - he didn't cry but the way he did it, I knew it was time to make a change.

Next, yesterday I took him to Aunt Penni and had his hair cut, not trimmed, but cut. I think everyone thinks I am crazy for doing this because his curls were so cute but let me explain - Shane is VERY hot natured. Even as a baby he always kicked the blankets off and he has never slept with covers on. In the mornings when I wake him up, he is sweating and with warmer weather coming, I wanted him to be cooler. Anyway, I keep telling everyone that it can always grow back out. I just hope the curl comes back when it grows out.

Finally, he is really starting to use his words and communicating really well. I am so trying to soak it all in because I have a hard time remembering what it was like with Savanna - wish I would have discovered the ease of blogging a long time ago.


The new bed!


Before.....

Before.....

After! He was so good and still!!

The remains. bye bye curls :(

the Big Sister and the Big Boy