The Stockings Were Hung....

The stockings were hung on the entertainment center with care....

I'm not joking.....it took me (and Mark both!) a long time to get those stocking holders arranged in just the perfect spot with all that garland and mesh.  They kept wanting to fall off and I don't know why because they are really heavy....

Just ask Cooper.  Two weeks ago, he reached up to see his name on his stocking and took a nasty blow to the head...

Bless his heart, he came up saying "I sorry, Mommy!"  I think he knew how hard we worked on those.... but the blood running down his forehead sent me into a panic and I wasn't really worried about my decorations.  A little ice did the trick and he was ok.... but I did wonder for a minute if he was going to need a stitch.

So when Kamdyn bumped another one on Sunday and took a blow to the nose, I didn't panic as much this time.  But, oh Lord, she did! Everyone was there because we were taking mom and dad's picture with the grands.... I think she ran into her room screaming and Brian finally ending up in there talking to her. She didn't want to go to choir practice later on because she was afraid that everyone would see and ask her what happened, which they did!

I fully expected her nose to be black and blue the next day.  It wasn't as bad as I thought, but it is noticable for sure.  She keeps telling everyone a present fell on her.  I'm thinking that I need to add a "proceed at your own risk" sign to my display. 

Memory

I got this email from Kam's teacher this afternoon and I had to chuckle to myself when I read it....

"Just got the biggest kick listening to Kamdyn lay down the law to play her Memory game….” No. 1 you have to take turns…no. 2 you don’t peek (she’s demonstrating with her fingers as well) no. 3 you have to keep them straight and no. 4 it’s the most important you keep them straight”…..funny funny funny"

I think this is probably my fault.  It drives me crazy to play games with her when she's kicking all the cards and pieces around the floor with her feet.   I'm glad to know she was finally listening to something I said!!

Go Panthers!

My brother and Uncle Ronnie are one game away from making it to the state high school championship finals at War Memorial Stadium next week!  But they have to make it past the Magazine Rattlers tonight.... I am beginning to get really nervous already!

Good luck tonight, Panthers! 

Starvin Marvin's

Cooper loves breakfast.  Always has.  His feet hit the floor every morning and he asks "we eat breakfast?"  I call him my farmer boy because he's an early riser and he eats like a farm boy.  It's no surprise that we sometimes have a hard time getting him to eat later in the day.

We were later than normal eating breakfast last week in Branson so Cooper was really starving by the time we made it to eat at Starvin Marvin's.  It's our new (old) favorite place to eat breakfast in Branson now.

 As you can tell, he rolled his sleeves up and literally dug in!!!  I had to laugh as I watched him across the table.  Notice he is wearing a "flap jack shack" shirt that I bought him this summer because he loves pancakes so much! 

Day two back at Marvin's and once again he has his sleeves rolled up and killing some pancakes and eggs.  I believe he ate six large pancakes and scrambled eggs.  I'm not sure he ate anything else the rest of the day.  Trust me when I say that we got our $3.99 worth on him!!

Parties and PJ Literacy Day

Friday was "PJ Literacy Day" at Kam's school.  I read "Purplicious" to Kam's class and she was grinning from ear to ear while she flipped pages as I read to her friends.  The kids all wore pj's and were laid out with pillows and blankets when I got there.  I was a little jealous!  There were parents scheduled to read all throughout the day and it was just a lot of fun for the kids.

It was also Kam's birthday so the kids sang "Happy Birthday' to her when I got there.  They don't allow parties but she was able to bring chocolate chip cookies (of course!) and juice at snack time for everyone.  I had lunch with her and got to see the entire K-4th grade sing to all the kids who had birthdays that day and the next week (because of the holidays).  She looked so cute standing there while the entire cafeteria sang!

Mom sent her a balloon and candy, which she loved!  She also wore her crown ALL DAY LONG!  I picked her up and we headed to her friend Maddie's birthday party.

She was thrilled to be with her Fun Time friends again.  After the party, Kam was anxious to get home and open her birthday presents.  She didn't even want to go out to eat, which was quite the disappointment for Mark and I.

She was so hard to buy for this year!  We ended up with new Wii and DS games...

I don't think she was disappointed.  She even grabbed Cooper and hugged him!!

Birthday party pictures coming soon!

Thanksgiving

This year we spent Thanksgiving in Rogers with Mark's family. Although I missed my family, it was very nice to hang out and bond with the Chastains.  My only regret is that I didn't take any pictures while we were there!!  Aunt Carmella made a wonderful Thanksgiving meal that I'm wishing I could eat again right now.  My kids had a great time with Q, Cade, and Cahl; however, I'm guessing they weren't sorry to see us go!   Kam even warmed up to Uncle Stephen who she is always "nervous" to see....something about him putting her in the dog cage does that to her.  He deputized both kids and put them in charge.  Kam came to me later in the afternoon and said "I'm just not ready to be the sheriff of this house yet!" 

Cooper was in heaven on Thursday when he finally got to play "da Wii" on the 72-inch TV in the playroom.  I found him upstairs jumping around playing table tennis.  Even after we left for Branson, he kept asking me when we were going back to Uncle Stephen's to play. 

I have so much to be thankful for not only on Thanksgiving, but every day.  I am truly blessed with family, friends, church family, and a Savior who loves me--flaws and all.  Thank you, Lord, for all my blessings!!!

Happy Birthday, Kamdyn!

Today is Kamdyn's 6th birthday.  I can hardly believe it!  She was so excited when she woke up this morning and we immediately began singing to her.  She even hugged Cooper for it!!  She then opened her cards from Nannie and Papaw Sonny that she's been dying to open the last few days.

As you can see, she racked up the money!  She was excited and told me that she "was rich now."  When she couldn't find the check that Mark had taken to put up she said, "where's my hundred smacks????"  Mark says she's just like me! 

She's having a great day at school so far today.  It's "PJ Literacy Day" so everyone has on pajamas.   I went to read to her class this morning and they were all laid out on the floor with pillows and blankets.   Can I go back to school?  PJ day sounds like heaven to me!  

Later, I had lunch with her where the entire K-4th grade sang "happy birthday" to her and everyone else who had birthdays today and next week.  She was so cute standing there while they were singing and I wish I had my camera with me. 

We are going to her friend Maddie's birthday party after school today and tomorrow is her party at Hot Springs Gymnastics.  She's so excited she can hardly stand it!  

I love you, Kam!!!