Funny Sayings!!!

At church Wednesday night, Abby discovered (for the 50th time) a mole right below my collar bone. Although she has seen it before, it fascinates her. So she looked at me with wide, innocent eyes and said "Mommy, your heart has a mimple!!" I thought it was so cute. These are the little sayings and words that you hope you'll never forget...but I thought I better jot it down, just in case:)

Fall Break Frenzy!!!

I love being out of school!!! I love the time I get to spend with my family and the break from the daily duties of teaching. As a result, I try to fit as many things into a break as possible, often times resulting in a very tired Mrs. Wilson when school resumes:) Anyway, over our fall break we had a wedding, traveled to North Carolina, visited a pumpkin patch, and laid hardwood floors in our house.



My sister Stephanie was married on October 1 to Tommy Brothers. I was her matron of honor and Abigail was the flower girl. I helped decorate the morning of the wedding and then spent a very nice evening enjoying the festivities. They had a small, intimate ceremony at the Brown-Pusey House in town (ironically the same venue where Josh and I were married six years ago.) She had several innovative ideas that made the wedding extra special. For example, she and Tommy each have child, Caleb is 7 and Camden is 5, so they each contributed to the unity sand ceremony. Each had their own color of sand and added it in layers to a vase. It was really neat. She also had a wishing tree at the reception. This was a tree where guests could hang notes of encouragement from the branches. In celebration of fall, the little notecards were in various fall hues and shaped like leaves. She also only had desserts for refreshments. Cheesecakes, pumpkin desserts, coffee, hot cider, and more yummy treats. It was just a really nice night!!! Many happy years to both of you!!!



The day after the wedding, Josh and I left for North Carolina. We were traveling to see two of the couples from North Carolina that we met in Austria. We left on Saturday and spent the night in Tennessee. Then we spent Sunday with Anthony and Amy Reese in Boone. Boone is a beautiful mountain town. The Reese's, along with their daughter, took time to show us the town and surrounding attractions. Josh had the opportunity to go the office with Anthony to discuss business. Amy and I spent the morning talking...which we found we were really good at:) After we left the Reese's on Monday, we drove to Asheville (about 1 1/2 hour) to meet David and Angela Rea. Although they live on the coast, Angela had a conference in Asheville so we just met up there. We had supper at the Mellow Mushroom and then spent some time with them at their hotel. On Tuesday, we only saw David briefly and Angela was in a meeting. So we went to the Biltmore Estate and spent the day touring the home, gardens, the farm, and actually had a great meal at Cedric's Tavern which is on the farm. Neither one of us had ever visited the estate and we really enjoyed our day.



Thursday of fall break, the kids and I, mom, Pam and the boys, and Tommy and the boys went to Jackson's Orchard in Bowling Green to spend the day. The kids played on the tractors, the Cider Slide, the petting zoo and the straw castle. Then we took a hayride to the corn maze and pumpkin patch. The kids were grimy, head to toe and slept the whole way home. Of course, the adults were pretty tired too. I am glad mom and Pam drove so that I didn't have to. I think I snoozed a little on Pam on the drive home:)

Micah at Jackson's Orchard...attached to the pacifier and refusing to look at the camera.

Micah and the goat at Biltmore Estate....having a standoff!!

Abby and Isaac on the "Cider Slide" at Jackson's Orchard.

Abby at Jackson's Orchard.


Thursday evening, Josh and I ripped up the living and dining room carpet in preparation for putting down hardwood floors. Josh's parents came for the weekend to help as well as Adam, Sarah, and Adelynn Bunnell. (Adam has laid several hardwood floors so he was the expert on the job:) Anyway, it was a very tideous, time-consuming project but with fabulous pay off. I LOVE our new floors!! I feel so blessed to have such a beautiful living room. It doesn't even look like the same house.







Abby and Micah helping Daddy rip up the old flooring.

Abby pretending she is taking orders at a restaurant. We had to take the screen out of the

window so the air compressor hose could come in the house.

Early Sunday morning dancing....the kids love the slick new floor.

A couple of after pictures of the floor.


As usual, my break was packed full with activities and projects, but it was a GREAT fall break...my favorite time of year!!!

Life is a Stage!!!

Abby is a poser...not someone who strives to put on a front, but a real poser....for pictures. If any sort of camera is spied by Abby---phone camera, video camera, pretend cameras---Abby immediately strikes some sort of a pose. This trait has been a basis of her personality since she was old enough to recogonize a camera. She loves to be the center of attention (which I must admit is similar to my wants when I was her age). At about 18 months old, she began her mindset of "life's a stage." Since that point, she will break into song, dance, or pose at any given moment....regardless of the appropriateness of the timing or location. As a young mother, I often become frustrated when she lingers in these moments as opposed to doing as I commanded. However, when she is sweetly dreaming in her bed and I take a peek at her peaceful face, I know these moments are fleeting and I will soon want those little glimpses of her innocence to return. So in the meantime, as she continues to grow up too fast, I will pray for patience and learn to slow down and enjoy those moments more. Her personality leaves a fingerprint on all the hearts she touches. Enjoy some of the poses I captured!!!

Stick a fork in me, I'm Done!!!

After 14 months of classes while caring for a family and maintaining a full-time job, I have finally completed my Master's. My classes were official over last week, but today I received my diploma. It states that I have received a Master of Arts in Education. Although I didn't walk the line, holding that diploma in hand is a sweet reward for the amount of work and time this degree required. I am so thankful to have found a program that caters to working professionals as well as mothers. I am blessed that Josh supported me throughout this degree, even through my stressful moments.

So now that I have new diploma, I look forward to a little less stress and a little more money...a nice combination to say the least.

The First of Many?

Abby was a calm baby..somewhat dramatic but overall calm. She never rummaged in the kitchen cabinets, she never climbed on a chair, she never attempted to do anything without my help. In fact, when she learned to crawl, she wouldn't move out of the room I was in. Fast forward...Micah is in everything. He loves to get into the cabinets, he climbs on EVERYTHING...or at least attempts to. His legs are covered in bumps and bruises, scrapes and cuts. He is fearless in every sense of the word. This past weekend he had the first of many major accidents.

Josh had went to his parents over the weekend to prepare a deer hunting site, so it was me and the kiddos. I had everything well organized and prepared for my morning with both kids. I had the kids up and eating breakfast at 6:30 and out of the house by seven. I had recruited Pam to watch Micah and Abby was going to school. During the day, I received an email from Pam inviting us for supper. Those of you that are moms understand that you always eat any meal YOU don't have to prepare. So I arrived at Pam's about five and Abby immediately joined in the brood to play. I had sat down on the couch and hadn't been there five minutes when I heard Micah fall. I jumped up and he was walking towards me...crying and bleeding. The bottom of his chin had a big, wide gash. The cut was about one inch long but it seemed wide to me. Pam and I concluded that I should take him to an urgent care clinic. Since Josh was gone, I called Mom to ride with me so that I could sit in the back with Micah. Once Mom arrived, I left Abby with Pam and away we went. Micah did not fuss the entire drive to Care First. He didn't cry in the waiting room. In fact, he didn't even cry when the nurse and doctor came in to assess the situation. He would raise up his chin so everyone could see his injury. The doctor felt the cut was wide enough for stitches as opposed to just the "super glue."

So the all the necessary preparations were made and the nurse came in and wrapped up Micah like a mummy in order to restrain his arms. HE DIDN'T EVEN FUSS!!! He just laid there perfectly calm until....until the shot was given. Of course, he screamed and fought against me, mom, and two nurses. (As a result, I also cried:( ) And of course he cried and fought while the doctor stitched him up, but as soon as she was finished, he sat up and started waving to the nurses. He is such a turkey. He slept well and was fine the whole rest of the evening.

Sunday morning, after a night of camping in our woods, me and the kids came in the house while I fixed breakfast prior to church. Abby was playing a game at the kitchen table and Micah decided he should join her. I heard him fall and he immediately started holding his chin and crying. I quickly looked at his chin and realized that one of his stitches had busted out. So I had to go to urgent care for the second time in one weekend. Once again, Micah laughed more than cried. Since only one stitch busted, the nurse practitioner simply glued that portion of the cut and left the other stitches in place. When she was done, Micah acted like nothing had happened and immediately wanted to play.

Micah's rough and tumble attitude will earn him many injuries throughout his life. I am not sure if the stitches were a once in a lifetime accident or the first of many. Only time will tell. I pray that he stays safe, but also maintains his easy going personality.

Back in the Swing of Things!!!

The 2010-2011 school year has once again started and the Wilson family has survived, but barely. I am so tired!!! Even though I was at school at least three days out of each week this summer, it is totally different when 30 students are in the classroom with you. In addition to me starting school, Abby started her second year of preschool and she loves it. She loves her teacher, which is such a blessing as a parent. Micah is once again back in daycare. He loves the people at the daycare and is always ready to play, but it is still hard to know that someone else has the opportunity to spend time with my kids while I am at work:(

Anyway, the whole family has been tired but we will once again grow accustomed to our hectic lifestyle. This year we have added a third agriculture teacher at school so I hope that I won't have to attend every single activity this year. My goal is hopefully we can split up responsibilities throughout the year.

This year I am only teaching two different classes, which is a first for me. I have one class of Principles of Agriculture and five classes of Animal Technology/Small Animal Technology. I like only having to prepare two sets of lesson plans, but I have to say/do the same activity five times in a row. This can be a little draining at times, but I will soon adjust.

As I begin my sixth year teaching, I am completing my Master's through the University of the Cumberlands. I will be glad when all my classes are finished and I have one less thing on my plate.

To all of you who are starting a new school year, good luck and happy learning!!!

My thoughts on the ocean.....

I always shunned the idea of going to the beach. My own self-critical mind always thought "Why would anyone want to see me in a swim suit?" Everyone has issues with their own self image. I also thought that I would immediately be attacked by jellyfish or sharks when I even poked a toe in the ocean. So when it was time to plan vacations, I always suggested locations far, far away from swimwear....like the mountains. Well, this summer I didn't have a choice. Josh won a trip through Farm Bureau to Bonita Springs, Florida...so, of course, I went...who could pass up a free vacation!! So we arrived at the hotel mid-afternoon and after an all night driving trip (we left at 9:30 pm), my first priority was a shower, not the ocean. This did NOT bode well with a four year old. To our good fortune, it was raining when we arrived at the hotel and bought me and Josh some time to feel human again. Since I was not in a huge hurry to see the ocean and it was a ten minute drive, we decided to eat supper...which did not bode well with a four year old either. So after we ate, we drove to the beach. I think Josh was more excited for me to see the ocean then he was for the kids to see it. (He loves the beach, so if I was convinced then we could have future vacations in warmer climates.) The drive was a little cruel to my eyes because the view was blocked by either houses or vegetation. We drove to a parking area and strolled on the boardwalk to get to the beach. It was the perfect setting for my first view...the temperature was pleasant and the sun was setting when these eyes first looked upon one of the most beautiful creations are Heavenly Father created!!! I immediately fell in love with the white sand, shells, the smell and feel of the salty breeze, the sound of the waves crashing ever so slighty onto the shore, the feel of the water and sand tickling your feet as you stepped into the water...I loved it! It is so incredible that our Lord has such an wonderful imagination...this world holds so many beautiful sights to behold. I love the mountains and the ocean both!!!

Abby also immediately fell in love with the ocean, especially seashell hunting. (Micah was sleepy, so it wasn't very exciting for him at first!!)

For the remainder of the week, we visited the beach on several different occasions. Abigail and Micah both enjoyed playing in the sand immensely. It was so sweet to watch them play nice together. I know that is so fun for Abby to have her brother as a playmate!! We also spent lots of time in the pool at the resort as well. Needless to say, no one was attacked by a sea creature and I also realized that everyone goes to the beach, regardless of body type. So my initial fears were laid to rest:) We did turn a little pink, in spite of multiple sunscreen applications, but nothing too bad.

In addition to the excitement of the ocean experience, Josh and I also had the opportunity to spend time with Anthony and Amy Reese from North Carolina (we met them in Austria) and their two beautiful, sweet daughters Olivia and Sophie. Visiting with the Reese's as well as our old friends from Kentucky Farm Bureau really added a sweet topping to an already wonderful trip!!!

I have been quite stubborn about our vacation spots in the six years since Josh and I said "I do." He tried on various occasions to convince me of the beauty and pleasantness of the ocean, but words cannot describe it...only seeing it first hand can persuade a person to love the ocean. Future vacations for the Wilson Family will no doubt include several excursions to the beach. Enjoy some pictures from our first!!!

Micah's initial reaction to the beach...of course he had just woke up:(

Abby cheeses for the camera, regardless of location. This was her first view of the ocean and she immediately loved it!!!

Abby was so proud to have a "palm-palm" tree on her cheek...it matched her outfit!!

Daddy the Pirate!!! He and Abby loved the birds...one stayed on Josh's shoulder for about twenty minutes!!

Micah the Crocodile Hunter!!! Actually this is an alligator named Pearl and Micah LOVED her. She also brough an eight-foot alligator friend with her that Micah loved as well!!

WAKE UP!!! It's time to go to the beach!!!

Micah quickly adapted to the beach and enjoyed digging in the sand!!! He looks like he is in deep thought about something....probably those alligators!!!

Abby could have spent hours moving the ocean to a hole she dug in the sand....she couldn't figure out where the water was going.

A true beach bum...still going strong at the resort pool at night after a long day at the beach.