Micah is Three!!!

It is unreal to think that Micah is already three!!!  Over the past three years, he has become a handsome little boy with the most amazing personality.  In the blink of an eye, he went from being a little baby to a boy.

So Micah, what kind of boy are you?

• In the last three months, you have become quite the talker.  Although I can't always understand everything you say, you are talking constantly.
• You have fabulous facial expressions.  You are quick with a smile but easily express your feelings with your animated face.
• You are thoughtful.  Like your sister, you frequently think of others and love to offer help.
• You love to cook!!!  If I pull out a pan or bowl, you immediately run and put on your frog painting apron and come to the kitchen saying "I wanna hep!"
• CARS is your favorite movie and Mater is your favorite character.  If you see anything Cars, you become almost frantic.  Reasoning becomes almost impossible when anything Cars is around you.
• You're funny!!!  You have a very BIG personality that has a comical side to it.
• You have short love affairs.  You will find something insignificant, the blue UNO cards, the orange Candyland cards, a pen, orange plastic bracelets, a car, or anything else that you find at the beginning of the day and you are literally ATTACHED to them for two or three days.  Last week, the item of the day was the blue UNO cards.  You insisted on sleeping with them for the night.  At some point in the night, you ended up in Mommy and Daddy's bed.  When you woke up the next morning, your first thought was to gather up all of your cards.  Too funny!!
• Orange is your favorite color.  You love to choose the orange marker or crayon.  You eat the orange M&M's first.  When choosing a shirt or pair of socks, you are automatically drawn to the orange.
• In your eyes, your sister hung the moon.  You gravitate towards her all throughout the day.  You always want to know where she is or to be near her.  You love to give her hugs and kisses.
• You can be very stubborn.  When you set your mind on something, you refuse to budge.  
• You are learning so much....to count, your ABCs, nighttime prayers, and songs.  You only know a portion right now, but are trying to learn them all.
• You stole my heart the moment you were born.  You bring such joy to our family.  You keep us laughing and bring smiles to our faces everyday.  We love you!!!

Jackson's Orchard

Over fall break, the kids and I took our annual trip to Jackson's Orchard in Bowling Green with Nana and the cousins.  Unfortunately, Josh was unable to attend because of work.  However, Abby and Micah had a great time picking pumpkins, exploring the corn maze, sliding on the Cider Slide, petting the animals, and taking a hay ride.  It was a fun memory for me and hopefully will be one for the kids as well.  We missed Daddy, but still had a good time!!! Enjoy some pictures.

Halloween Fun

Trick-or-treating that falls on a Monday after school is bound to be sprinkled with chaos.  Living in the country, Josh and I have to drive the kids to houses.  Some people don't have to contend with the challenges of "country" trick-or-treating.  Josh was raised in town, so he could walk to the various houses in his neighborhood.  My childhood treat-or-treating was load up the car, buckle up, don't squish your costume, we're here, visit for a few minutes, load back up, and start again.  Of course, as I child I didn't care-I was getting candy just for holding out a bag and saying trick-or-treat.  Mom and Dad never complained about the driving and I didn't think anything about it.  Fast forward twenty years and now I am the mom and have come to one conclusion....trick-or-treating is exhausting, especially in the country.  Don't get me wrong, it is still fun.  But having a gun-toting cowboy and crown-clad princess that have to be buckled into booster seats after each stop takes time.  Plus, I like to..brace yourself...talk to our friends.  So rushing home from school, changing into to costumes, taking pictures, and starting the fun can be a bit chaotic.  However, the kids have a great time and although I am tired at the end of the night, it is still fun for me.  A piece of candy or two is just an added bonus!!! :)  Enjoy some pictures of our pretty princess and rambunctious cowboy!!

Disney on Ice

Our kids LOVE Disney movies and characters.  Abby is all about the princesses....all of them.  Micah loves Mater and Mickey....all boy.  So when I noticed that Disney on Ice was coming to Louisville in September, Josh and I decided to take the kids.  I captured some pictures of their sweet faces.  Enjoy!!! 

Two Down...and I Don't Want to Think About the Rest

When you are pregnant and expecting a little bundle of joy, everyone loves to give you advice.  "They grow up so fast" or "just wait until they are teenagers" or "there is nothing like a child" are frequent sentiments that you hear.  However, no one warns you of one of the most difficult battles between a parent and a child....teeth pulling!!!  It is horrible!!  Friday night, after several other attempts in the past week, Josh and I buckled down and told Abby that the two bottom teeth HAD to come out or we were visiting the dentist.  Her permanent teeth were already making a strong showing even before the baby teeth were out.  After a two hour struggle and lots of crying, the two bottom teeth are finally out and you have never seen a prouder child.  Of course the next time she faces a loose tooth, she will forget the excitement of the pulled tooth and the money she received and once again all reasoning will leave her and another battle will begin!!!  Needless to say, I now understand the phrase "like pulling teeth."  However, since this is the first tooth of the first child, we should brace ourselves for several years of pulling teeth.

Future Cheerleader?

The North Hardin Cheerleaders have an annual Cheer Clinic in order to raise money for uniforms.  Last year Abby attended and she did this year as well.  The girls learn cheers for four hours, receive a t-shirt, and eat lunch with the cheerleaders.  During the season opening football game, the girls cheer with the cheerleaders during the third quarter.  Abby looks forward to this day like it is Christmas and she talks about it for months.  Although this is the only cheer leading activity she participates in the entire year, she insists she is a cheerleader!

 The Future Cheerleaders--Abby and Anna Jaggers

Abby and Dakota Grigsby (a cheerleader and one of my students!)

Kindergarten

A major milestone in Abby's life was reached this month when she started kindergarten.  Although she was in preschool for two years, kindergarten is a whole different ballgame.  She calls it "real" school.  The hardest adjustment was no nap.  During preschool she had a nap and for our sanity, we continued naps throughout the summer.  So the first couple of weeks was really rough on Abby because of the change.  As a result, she had a few days of behavior notes, but over the last two weeks, her behavior has leveled out as she adjusted to this new schedule.

On a positive note, Abby loves the library.  Each day, she has the opportunity to check out a new book and now they have started Accelerated Reader tests.  On the first three tests, she did not earn any points.  However, she is on a role now and earns points every day. 

She has also mastered several sight words and loves math.  In fact, she has determined that she wants to do math everyday!!!  I will remind her of this comment once the high school years hit!!!  It is hard to believe that our little girl is in school.  Her life is generally scheduled around her social agenda, so school is the perfect place for her.  However, she will have to do her socializing at appropriate times!

What are little boys made of?....

....Frogs, snails, and puppy dog tails.  No words have ever been as true as these.  I really don't think these pictures need any explanation.  Micah is clearly all boy!!!  I am not a huge fan of frogs, but I feel sorry for this one!!!

Our New Pets

Saturday, Josh decided that three dogs and two kids just wasn't enough excitement for our house.  So to liven things up a bit, we have four new pets....two lop-eared rabbits and two Nigerian Dwarf goats.  The excitement began right off the bat when one of the goats jumped from the back of the truck and preceded to lead Josh on a chase through the woods, back yard, and eventually the front yard.  While Josh was working up a sweat, the dogs were barking and Micah was laughing.  I am sure it was comical to witness.  We named the rabbits Thumper and Flower and goats are named Smokey and Bandit.

 Abby and Micah with Thumper (Flower was too feisty for the picture!)

 Smoky and the Bandit

Josh and Rachel Plus....Three

That's right!!!  We are expecting baby #3 in early March 2012!!  We are very excited to become a family of five and I am feeling great right now.  I just started my second trimester and fortunately, the sickness has subsided.  July is a little blurry for me between the heat and the nausea.  Thankfully, I started feeling really well right before school started.  Josh is probably glad as well, since he has been flying solo in the parenting department for a few weeks.

Abby is very excited about the baby.  In fact, it will probably be a very long six months for her.  She has already named the baby if it is a girl....Queen Angel Princess Pretty Pink Flower Flip Flops....I'm not sure how that is going to work out!!  Creativity is definitely a strength for Abby.  I asked her what the baby's name would be if it was a boy.  She said Micah would have to name it!  Micah on the other hand doesn't really know what is going on.  He was with us during a preliminary ultrasound, but he was more impressed with the "exam glove balloon animal" than he was with the baby.  I am sure that will change once the little bundle arrives.

I am looking forward to enjoying pregnancy #3 and will post baby and kindergarten updates soon!!

Independence Day

I love the Fourth of July!!!  I don't really know why...I am not overly patriotic, I have no connection to the military, and I am definitely not into politics, but I still love Independence Day!!  It is probably a combination of both the history of the day with the carefree attitude of the day.  I love fireworks!! I love watermelon!! I love red,white, and blue.  I am also quite smitten with Americana and vintage themed decor.  When I was in college, my first apartment living room was decorated with Americana items.  Fortunately, Josh enjoyed the look as well, so when we were married, we had Americana/Civil War rooms in both houses we have lived in.  Unfortunately, our extra rooms have now transitioned into kids' rooms and no longer sport the red, white, and blue.  So the Fourth of July offers me a reason to dig out a little of my Americana items and decorate the house.


Although we didn't go all out for the Fourth, we still celebrated in our own way.  On Friday night, the kids and I went to White Mills to watch the firework show.  (Unfortunately, Josh was helping a neighbor harvest wheat, so he was unable to go with us.)  The kids really enjoyed the show.  Abby was concerned that the fireworks were going to fall down on her and during the finale, she actually stood up and ran back a few steps because of the loud noises.  So I had to explain that the fireworks would not get to her.  Sometimes it is easy to forget how a child perceives certain situations.  On the other hand, Micah loved the fireworks!!!  He had a smile on his face the whole time.

On Saturday night, we had to opportunity to go the drive-in with our neighbors, the Hockman's.  We watched Kung Fu Panda 2 and Tranformers.  We could have stayed to watch Green Lantern, but it was already 2:30am when we left.  The kids had a great time during the first movie.  By the middle of the second movie, both of the our kids (and their daddy) where asleep on the air mattress.  Blake and Evan were also asleep on the ground, but Clayton and Grant were troopers and stayed awake the whole time.

Today was our lazy day.  Slept late and spent the day at home just hanging out with the family.  It was a great weekend!!!

 The Whole Gang!!!

 Clayton, Evan, Abby, and Micah

 Best Friends!!

 These two just look like trouble!!!

Abby's Black Eye

Last night, Abby got a black eye in the dugout.  A constant battle with these young girls is to leave the bats alone.  Although Abby hit another girl in the eye with a bat a couple of months ago and gave that little girl a black eye, Abby really didn't understand how dangerous bats can be until last night.  On the bright side, Abby did get a base hit last night and was able to score!!  With Abby's dramatic personality, I am sure that this black eye will be reason to tell a very detailed story and to be the center of attention!!!

Josh and the 5K

In January, Josh decided that he was going to lose weight.  And generally, when Josh decides he is going to do something, he does it!!  So in January, he started a workout regiment and a diet and has lost 40 pounds.  However, in addition to the new weight loss (and new wardrobe:) ), he also has more energy and feels the best since we have been married.  He is also the same size, if not smaller, than he was when we got married.  (The same cannot be said for me:) )

Another goal that Josh had when he started his weight-loss adventure was to complete a 5K.  He has been working to increase his stamina and cardio to accomplish such a feat.  So this morning, he ran in his first 5K at the Heartland Festival.  He completed the 3.1 miles in 30 minutes.  Although he fell a little short of his time goal, he has conquered two other major goals..losing 40 pounds and running a 5K!!!  I am very proud of you.

Let Summer Begin

Although school is not officially out, Memorial Day is still the official start of summer in my opinion.  And the weather agreed!!  This long weekend, we had some great family time.  We were going to camp out, but thought it would be pretty miserable due to the heat.  So we did some other small activities that were a little cooler but still loads of fun. Saturday was a lazy day...sleep late and watch cartoons.  On Sunday evening, we went to the drive-in in Green County and had a great time.  On Monday, we let the kids play in the water hose before we went swimming at the neighbors, Patrick and Renita Preston.  I remember playing in the water hose when I was little and loving it.  Our kids are the exact same way!!!  It is amazing that such simple things can bring the biggest smiles to their faces!!!

 Micah "helping" Daddy wash the four-wheeler.

 Micah and his gun.

 Testing the waters!!

 Micah and Daddy

Prom Night

One advantage (or disadvantage depending on your perspective) of being a high school teacher is chaperoning prom.  I went to my high school prom and, if I'm being honest, it really wasn't that fun.  I went with a nice young man, but it's not like going with your husband, which is your best friend.  Also, when you are in high school, the entire day is scheduled...hair, nails, pictures, eating, etc.  Well, when you are an adult going to prom (that does sound a little weird:) ) you're not really worrying about all of those superficial things.  I mean, you are going with your spouse, whose has seen you in the MORNING.  Plus, you already attracted him, so who do you have to impress!!!  However, Josh did look very nice!  On May 14th, Josh and I went out to eat with two other couples, Crad and Tessa Jaggers (both teach at North and Crad coaches football) and Rondale and Alison Langley (Alison teaches at school and Rondale is an assistant coach of the baseball team.)  We met at Ginza and had a great meal.  Sometimes it is nice to have an adult only meal that does not require any ketchup or food to be cut up!!!

When we arrived at prom, we spent time finding and taking pictures of our students.  The kids love to show off their dresses and tuxes.  They do look so nice...such a contrast to everyday in class.  After a couple of hours of socializing with the students and other teachers, we headed on home.  It was fun to spend the evening socializing with friends and reminiscing about our own high school days.  Prom 2011 was a fun night for all, even the teachers!

 Alison and Tessa

 Crad and Tessa

 Rondale and Alison

 Wilson and the FFA girls!!!

Rachel, Tessa, and Alison

Bumps and Bruises

Life with a son is drastically different than life with a daughter.  Both pose their own challenges. Dramatic daughter vs. calm son.  Fearless son vs. cautious daughter.  Even at their young ages, the differences are glaring.  But one of the major differences is Micah's injury list vs. Abby's.  In fact, I can't even think of Abby ever being injured (which is a good thing, don't get me wrong.)  However, Micah has had stitches, busted those out and had to be glued back.  He has had two black eyes and now another trip to the emergency room can be added to his resume.

On Thursday night, Micah fell hard into the corner of the bench in the living room and he immediately fell to his knees, screaming and holding his head.  (I would like to mention that Micah rarely cries when he falls.)  I was standing on the bench trying to get a balloon down that had floated to the ceiling.  In the amount of time it took me to step off the bench and pick him up, his head was swollen in the exact shape of the edge of the bench.  The spot was sticking out of his head about 1/2 inch in less than 10 seconds.  I looked at Josh and he said "We should go!!"  Of course, this was bed time and the kids were only in there underwear/diaper, no pajamas yet.  So I quickly dressed Abby and scooped up Micah and we were out the door.  Abby was very confused and scared about the situation, but she cooperated quite well.  We dropped her off at the Andy and Jessica's (the best neighbors ever!!) and headed to the emergency room.  We planned on going to CareFirst, but they do not check head injuries.

Once we arrived at the hospital, we began to second guess our decision because his head was looking much better.  However, we decided to go ahead and have him checked out.  It was a very quick visit.  We were in and out in less than an hour.  In fact, the nurse practitioner was in and out of the room before vital signs or insurance information was even taken!   Needless to say, everything was fine and by Friday, his head was simply a bad bruise.  We are generally not parents that overreact.  In fact, we are pretty laid back about all injuries.  However, when it is an injury involving the head, I become very concerned.  We may have overreacted but I would rather be safe than sorry!!!

Micah has definitely had his share of injuries, bumps, and bruises, but he handles it all very well and then loves to show off his battle scars!!!

Here are some pics we took with Josh's phone!!

 Micah playing at the ER.  He hated the ankle bracelet he had to wear.

 Close up of the bump.

 The swelling is gone, but the bruise is pretty ugly. 

Happy Mother's Day

The best part of me is in my children.  All the positive qualities that I possess are reflected in their little personalities, only on a magnified level.  They bring such joy to my life and fill I void that I didn't even know existed until they were born.  My favorite thing about my life is being a mother and a wife.  Thank you Lord for all the blessings that I have been given.

This morning, I was awakened to excited giggles from the kids as they brought me breakfast in bed.  Daddy said that Abby even helped to stir the muffins!  I must say that Josh and the kids outdid themselves.  I had eggs, sausage, pancakes, and chocolate chip muffins!!  What a feast!!   I wish that I had taken a picture of it.  I was then treated to a different card from everybody.  Josh said that Abby and Micah each chose their own card and "signed" it in their own way.  I was given some new foundation (which I needed) and a pedicure (which is long overdue.)  I told Josh that it will be like shoeing a horse:)

After church, I planted some flowers, took a nap, and then played in the yard with Josh and the kids.  It was the most enjoyable day that I have had in quite some time.  The weather was great, the activities were great, and the company was the best.  It was one of those days that I could repeat over and over.

Thank you Lord for all of the blessings in my life and I hope all the moms had a blessed Mother's Day!!!

PUPPIES!

The day Josh and I departed for Hawaii, our very pregnant Boxer, Penny, went to our neighbors and had a litter of puppies.  A BIG litter of nine puppies!!!  Andy and Jessica cared for Penny while we were gone and then we brought them to our house.  Five weeks later, we have nine, fiesty Boxer/Lab puppies and one mama dog who is ready for her brood to leave the nest!!!  Free for the taking, if anyone is interested.  Before they start going to new homes (hopefully), I thought I would catch a few pictures of the puppies and the kids.

Abby's favorite puppy...it is going to be a sad day when this one leaves.

Obviously, the little brown loves Abby as well.  Look it his little paw on her face!!

Let's Play Ball!!!

(Friday)
After struggling through a few practices and several cancelled games, Abby had her first game last night.  Although the team lost (6-3), I thought all the girls did a great job.  They had not practiced in over a week and the game was at 8:00 (when most girls six and under are in bed).  Abby played catcher and really enjoyed it.  She did a great job catching the ball and throwing it back to the coach.  She also hit the ball twice.  The first time she got out at first and didn't understand why.  Josh said she started crying and saying how hard she had tried to hit the ball, so Josh had to explain the out to her.  The second time she was up to bat, she hit and made it to first.  She eventually was moved all the way around the home.  I was so proud of her focus and effort at the game.

(Saturday)
Today "The Heartbreakers" continued in the opening season tournament. The first game was at 1:25 and all the girls were on fire....only two strikeouts the entire game!!! Abby once again played catcher and made two base hits. The girls ended up winning the game 8-0!!! Their next game was at 4:50. By this point I think the girls were tired again. During the first game, Abby would hustle on and off the field. During the second game, so dragged on and off the field. She had her first strikeout during this game but actually handled it quite well. However, the second time she hit the ball...and got a double!!! Unfortunately, the girls ended up losing this game 3-2, but still played hard. I am so proud of Abby and her improvements over the last few weeks. I hope her enthusiasm continues. Go Heartbreakers!!!

If Abby sees me or Josh, she loves to give us a thumbs up!!

Abby ended up scoring during this inning.

Micah LOVES the ballpark.  He also loves the dugout.  I caught him trying to sneak in!!

Go Heartbreakers!!!

Even after the games, Micah loves to be in the middle of the activity.