Did We Vanish

No we didn't vanish, but some days I wish that I could. Here is a quick list of the things that have kept us so busy the last month or so:

Prattville Youth Lions Football practice and games
Savannah's tennis lessons
Morgan's guitar lessons
my 15 credit hours of school
Todd's 15 credit hours of school
the kid's school work
laundry
the list goes on and on

I just really have not had time to make a post. Besides that I figure that most people don't really care about all the school work that we do at our house. Over the next few weeks, I do have a few things that I want to update, but I can't do it right now because we just got home from a whirlwind trip of over 580 miles in less than 24 hours!!

Just wanted everyone to know that we are still alive and here, just that we are drowning in school work.

Update soon!!!

I Need Your Help!

All of the kids have been out of school this week with Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease! I am so glad that they are better and will be able to go to school Tuesday! I know that they are happy about that too! I hope that we do not pick up anything else and that the kids will be able to stay in school for a while.

I need some advice!!

Since Morgan started Jr. High, some things have changed around our house. She is actually enjoying school. She has all A's and one B right now. She is really growing up (her birthday is the 24th) and we are really proud of her! However, we have entered a new phase of adolescence! She has, for the last 2 Fridays, went out with her girlfriends. There has been a mother with them the entire time and that brings her home. Last weekend they went bowling. We didn't give her a time to be home because she was with another mother and other 12-13 year olds. She came in around 11:30ish.

Now before I go into what happened last night let me say, sorry Mom. When I was getting the information out of Morgan, I sounded just like my Mom. I guess, maybe the things she did wasn't so bad!!

I need to know who was going, what times, and where they were going. Now, I know that things are different than when I was 12 or 13, but she is 12!

The girls wanted to go eat Mexican, go bowling, and then go play flashlight tag at one of the girl's house. We agreed to that. Well, shortly after dropping her off I get a call on my cell and Morgan says that they want to go Cosmic Bowling which is from 11:00-2:00 am. Well, the first words out of my mouth were, "YOU ARE NOT STAYING OUT UNTIL 2:00!!" I even told her that we would come and get her if we saw that they were going to be late.

Well, after Todd and I talked we quickly saw that we don't think the same way as some of the other parents. After she texted me some, we told her that whatever she thought was best and we would talk tomorrow. She thought that she was in trouble, but she wasn't we saw that we were. Needless to say she came home at 1:30!! Yes 1:30!! I was so not happy and her Daddy was not either. We were even more unhappy when she told us they played flashlight tag at the park, not some one's house, and that she rode to Millbrook to take a girl to her Grandmother's. I thought all the girls were going to be dropped off in Prattville. I would have really liked to know when things change. Are there parents that actually allow there 12 year olds to stay out all night. What is going to happen when they go out with a boy and expect to stay out until 1:30! There is nothing in the world that she needs to be doing with a boy after 10:00.

Well, when Morgan got home, we went ahead and laid down the rules. From now on, she has to be home at 10:00, we have no problem picking her up, but she is not going to stay out past 10:00. That does not mean call me at 10:00 to pick her up. That is late and she will not go the next time. She also can have the outings taken away for not doing what we expect from her. When things change she has to call us to make sure we are fine with it.

What are your thoughts on this? We are trying to do what is best for our almost 13 year old. Thanks for your help.

Football and School

I guess that you can tell that school has not just started back for the kids, but also for Todd and I. Not only do the kids have their fair share of homework, but Todd and I are drowning in assignments that we have to get done. I even have a class once a month on Friday night and ALL day Saturday. I keep telling myself that it is only once a month for 3 months!

The kids are all doing GREAT in school right now. Morgan actually has all A's in her classes. She is loving Jr. High. I am glad because I was a little worried about it. The principal really runs the school in a strict, but fun way. I think that the atmosphere seems to have a big difference, she really seems to have a new passion for school.

Savannah has all B's and LOVES Science. She has already read several Box Car Children books. She likes the fact that she has 2 teachers and continues to love school. I am so glad that she enjoys school.

Zach is also doing well. He loves his teacher, Mrs. Mills. He is doing great with all his work.

I am so glad that the kids are having a good year so far.

Well, if school has not been keeping us busy enough, Zach is playing football for the Prattville Youth Lions. He has practice three days a week.

He had his Jamboree game today in Wetumpka. They only played two twenty minute games. They won one and lost one. I think that they played pretty well. They even got to play in the rain!! (Zach is #40)

If I don't make any post for a while, you will know that we are trying to juggle everything.

First Day of School

Monday was a big day for our family! The first day of the new school year is ALWAYS exciting for us and the kids! Morgan started 7th grade! Jr. High! I can't believe that we have a child in Jr. High! She was excited!! When we picked her up from school, she could not stop talking and telling us all about her day! It was actually nice, even though my head was hurting. I was really glad that she enjoyed her first day!

Savannah was excited also! She is in 4th grade! She is excited because she gets to change classes this year! She had a lot to tell us also when she got in the car. She is so excited to be back in school, it is one of her favorite places!

Zachary did not want us to know that he was excited, but he was! He was happy about his teacher, he has only known her since he was about 1 year old! He didn't have as much to tell us as the girls did, but he did tell us about his day.

I am glad that the kids enjoyed their first day and are excited about the new year! I hope that their excitement continues throughout the year and doesn't wear out!

After school and getting Morgan's supplies Zach and Todd had football practice. About the time that they got home, Savannah started telling me that she did not feel well and Todd came in and told me that Zach was real whinny and not feeling well. Our neighbor Landon, has a case of the N1H1 flu, so we are almost sure that the kids have the same thing (they are around each other all the time.) Morgan said that she was going to move out until everyone was better that she could not afford to get sick! Funny how her prospective has suddenly changed.

Savannah and Zach have missed 2 days of the first week so far! I really hope that they are able to go back tomorrow or Friday. That is not a good way to start the first week of school, but that is life!!

Business and a Picnic

Today, Todd and I had appointment at the Health Clinic at AUM, so Todd suggested that we pack a picnic and take the kids to the Splash Pad. I thought that was a wonderful idea. If we are going to go all the way to Montgomery, we might as well make it worth our while.

Todd needed a new TB test for the new school year, since he is going to be working at the CDC, and I needed a re-check for my medicine. We also went and got our books and Todd picked up some of his notebooks from last semester.

Afterwards, we took the kids to the splash pad. (Mrs. Pam, DO NOT LOOK ANY FARTHER!) The kids went into the bathroom to change clothes and they came running out, yelling, "SNAKE!!" Todd went and checked and there was a baby snake in the women's bathroom.

The park people came and took care of the snake and interesting enough, Montgomery has a policy not to kill any animals, but to release them back into their environment. To me the only good snake is a dead snake!!

The kids enjoyed their time playing and especially enjoyed it when Todd accidentally got wet.

Todd being laid off has been really hard for us finacially, but we have really enjoyed being able to spend some extra time with him this summer. I think that he has realized that being a stay-at-home Dad is not everything he thought it was going to be.

Menu Plan Monday!

Here's the plan for the week!

Breakfast
cereal
waffles
breakfast burritos
Zip-loc bag Omelets


Lunch
sandwiches
chicken nuggets
pizza
mac and cheese

Dinners
Crock Pot French Dips
Tomato Pie
Santa Fe Wraps
Southwest Chicken Spaghetti

Backyard Camp Out!!

Well, our backyard camp out did not work out very well. First, I tired to make a tee pee for the boys to sleep/play in, but I could not make the sheets wrap around like they were supposed to, so we cancelled that idea.

We set up the tents, air mattresses, and fans. Everything was ready. The kids were excited!

We made s'mores and then headed to bed, but not all the kids wanted to stay outside and they just would not go to sleep, so at midnight, we went inside.

The kids were convinced that they were going to sleep outside Saturday night. Yeah right, I thought.

Saturday morning, Todd and Ben took the boys to the Build and Grow Clinic at Lowe's and they built helicopter! Zach and Landon had a good time. They are looking forward to going back and building a boat in a few weeks.

Well, Saturday afternoon we went to Ben's parent's house and grilled and swam. The kids had a good time.

They all ended up going inside and not camping out. I guess it was just not as fun as actually going camping! Maybe we can take the kids soon, since it has been a while since we have been camping.

Camps!

The week before we went to the beach, Morgan and Savannah went to Flordia College Camp in Flordia. The week before that Zach went to Back Woods Christian Camp with my parents. Just last week Zach and Landon went to football camp (it was three half days).

Zach went to a one night camp with my parents. It is called June Bug and he had a great time. It made him feel big that he could go to camp to. They did all kinds of fun stuff, including making mud shirts.

Morgan and Savannah went to FC Camp and they had a good time. This camp lasts a week. This was Morgan's second year and Savannah's first year. We really thought that Savannah would get homesick or not want stay, but that was not the case. We never even heard from her the entire week. When I asked her why she didn't call she told me she was having too much fun.
Morgan did call, I think on Wednesday. She just wanted to chat. I am glad because I was missing them both so much. Todd and I are actually thinking about being counselors next year, since all three of our kids will be old enough to go to camp.

Last week, Zach and Landon went to the Prattville Lions Football camp. They had a great time. It was from 8-12, Monday-Wednesday!

Last week, I also kept Hannah and Cade for Tatum (Alicia's sister-in-law). I have them again this week.

A Week of Fun in the Sun (long post)

Well, the vacation that we planned over a year ago has finally come and gone. It was a long awaited time for us and we had a blast. Of course there were a few speed bumps along the way, but when you put three families (13 people) in a 3 bedroom cabin for a week some bumps are to be expected. We all survived and made some wonderful memories.

The first day that we arrived, we unpacked and headed to the grocery store. We learned last year, that it is cheaper for a large party to NOT go out to eat. Usually, at the beach, there is an 18% gratuity added and the service is NEVER worth it. We planned our menu the weeks before and we planned to eat all of our meals at the cabin.

We stayed at Gulf State Park at the cottages that were by the lake. The kids had a really good time catching little crabs with their nets the first evening.

We enjoyed a great meal of hamburgers, then put the kids to bed in their sleeping bags and the adults slipped out to the porch and enjoyed a nice evening.

The next day we all loaded up and headed to the beach. The kids, well most of the kids, had a great time. The babies (Andrew and Ryan) were not too fond of the sand. I was really surprised to see Todd out in the water. He got stung by something when he was younger and still has the scar on his arm. He ended up having as much fun as the kids. After the beach and an hour of "quiet time, " we loaded up and headed on an adventure (we got lost on the way) to ride on a dolphin cruise. It was really hard to get a good picture of the dolphins, they are so quick and fast! The kids enjoyed seeing the dolphins so close. .

The next day, Ben had wanted to take the little boys inshore fishing, but we woke up to a loud thunderstorm, so the fishing trip was cancelled and rescheduled for the next day. The Mommy's left the kids with the Daddies and we headed to the outlet mall. Boy, I have never been so tired in all my life. That place is huge!! I wish that I had had a lot of money to get the kids some school clothes. All the Daddies had shirts that match for their fishing trip, they say Trollin' with my Homies! So we thought that the little boys needed matching shirts, so we found some shark shirts with matching sun visors for them. They are so cute! When we got back, the guys had been fishing with the kids on the pier, near our cabin. We walked out and talked with them for a bit and then when we were about to head back to start dinner, Savannah caught the biggest fish of the day. She was so excited, but did not want to touch the fish!

The next day, was the big day for the "guys"!! The little boys were so excited to get to go fishing. They all were able to catch some fish and the captain even took them out in the ocean. Zach had the time of his life. They were able to catch Mackerel. When we cooked it, you would have thought that those boys had NEVER had fish before. They thought that they were big stuff since they were able to provide dinner for most of us.

Thanks Mr. Ben, Zach had a WONDERFUL time!

After the boys got back from their fishing trip, we went to Tacky Jacks for lunch. Morgan had been dying to go there! I was not that impressed, but the atmosphere was good.

That afternoon Alicia, Eva, and I took the girl's to the souvenir shops. Morgan picked out a t-shirt and Savannah got a hair wrap. They enjoyed the time without the boys!

The next day was the big boys fishing trip. I have nothing to show for it because they all forgot the cameras. They said that they had an OK time. They had more fun when they took the boys the day before. Funny how your idea of fun changes when you get older and have kids. On this morning, I was woke up to the words "ALLIGATOR!!" Remember the picture up above about not feeding the alligator? Well we all thought it was there just as a warning, you know just in case. Well, my kids had been fishing and swimming in the lake and this is what I saw when Alicia woke me up.

We took the kids to the beach to play for the morning and then we went back to the cabin for lunch and "quiet time!" After the guys got back we all got cleaned up and went to the beach out at Fort Morgan. There was only a few people out there and we got some pretty good pictures. The kids also had a great time catching hermit crabs and finding shells.

On Friday, we went back to Fort Morgan and rode the ferry to Dolphin Island. The kids did not enjoy it as much as we thought that they would. But it was something to do. After the ferry, we went out to Billy's Seafood to get some shrimp for our Low Boil that night. We even got to see some dolphins while we were out there.

This picture shows where the water level from several hurricanes damaged Billy's. The other pic we think is beach mice that we saw on the side of the road near our cabin.

The last day we took it easy. We went to a little park in Orange Beach and grilled hamburgers and then the kids and Daddies went swimming. After the park, we went over to the beach for a little bit to look shells. I didn't really get any good pictures. They all turned out blurry. We had a really nice and relaxing time. It was a nice way to end the trip.

Todd was under the pier playing with Andrew.

On Sunday, after we got everything packed up we stopped at Lu Lu's for lunch. This is our annual close to the vacation.

We had a great time and hope that we can do it again next year. It was nice to get away and not think about the problems of everyday life. We enjoyed the time with our closest friends.