Houston...We Have a Problem!

 
Cole took this picture of his Dad at the Orange Beach Karate tournament


We are in the midst of our busiest week yet of 2009, and it's only Tuesday! Parkway is hosting their annual Winter Fest this Thursday night. I am in charge of the school raffle, which is almost more than I can take! Along with our regular duties of homework and AR, we have our extra curricular activities like boy scouts, karate, and ballet. In addition to that, Cole and his pal, Woody, have to present their storyboard at the district-wide competition on Friday. Could this week be any more hectic? YES!!!! I've lost my karate carrying, school taking, shower giving, and homework checking companion. In other words, my right hand man is gone! Judd is on a business trip to Houston, Texas and is probably enjoying his "down time" this week! However, we want him to know how much we miss him and that we realize how much of a role he plays in our everyday lives when he's gone. Hopefully, I won't have any trips from the tooth fairy to report, no broken bones to mend, or any bumps and scratches on my car while he is out of town. But, I can report a more quiet house (one usually filled with music and laughter), a more hectic morning and night, and a more frenzied Mommy! So, Houston...we do have a BIG problem. Please send our Daddy back home safely and soon. We all miss him very much!

Spaced Out

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1....BLAST OFF!!! Today we visited outer space during the 2nd grade play at Parkway. Cole and his fellow 2nd graders rapped about the Milky Way, introduced us to heroes and legends from the space program, and sang about the sun, moon, and stars. We learned about each planet (even Pluto, the dwarf!), witnessed a meteor shower, and made one small step for mankind.

The best part of the play (to a Mom and Dad) was Cole's solo part in the song "Meteor Shower." They turned the lights off and used black lights for that song. Cole, Taylor, and Mary Alice rocked out on their guitars. This was a HUGE leap for him, being that he is the most shy of the family. When he was first asked to recite Little Boy Blue for the Kindergarten play two years ago, he had a near panic attack. But somehow, he overcame his fear and did a great job. Now that he's in 2nd grade, he loves to be on stage and thinks of himself as a rock star! Mary Conlee loved watching her big brother on stage. She has his solo memorized, which as you can imagine, doesn't make Cole too happy! His favorite part of being a meteor was spraying his hair neon green. Thankfully, it all washed out and we have our little blonde boy back. We are proud of you, Cole!

Getting sprayed before the show. Thanks, Mrs. Alisha!
 

We've gone green!
 

Blast off!
 

Mary Alice, Cole, and Taylor
 

Meteor Shower (Cole's in the middle!)
 

Our rock star!
 

I'm glad that's over!
 

We love you, Mrs. Hawkins!
 

Jackson, Cole, and Woody
 

Meteor Shower


The Milky Way Rap


One Small Step

It's Like Pulling Teeth

 

 

 

It's been like a tooth-pulling factory over at our house lately. Mary Conlee started the trend on Christmas Day when she lost a tooth. Since then, Cole has had a couple of loose ones, but he won't let anyone near him within a 2 mile radius that is claiming to just "look" at the tooth. He doesn't fall for that line anymore! When I taught school, my favorite thing to do was to pull teeth. My students would take home their little tooth in a tooth-shaped necklace, along with a cute little certificate claiming their newest loss. I even had kids from other classrooms come to my room asking me to pull their tooth. My Granny once told me, "You'll quit that once you get a free bleeder." Sweet Granny was thinking back to her days as a 1st grade teacher and pulling teeth. Thankfully, I never ran into one of those free bleeders, Granny!

Since Cole doesn't want his Mom searching his mouth (and his Dad won't get anywhere close), he has learned to pull his own teeth. Actually, he begs for me to pull it at night while he is asleep, but I did that once...and lost the tooth somewhere in the bed--never to be found! So, either we restrain him in a straight jacket or just let him muster enough courage to pull it himself. Last week, he came home from school so excited that he had swallowed his tooth while eating his chips for snack. The tooth fairy understood that sometimes it happens, and came to see him anyway. We sure weren't going to be checking the potty for that tooth! Then a week later, he came home with a tooth hanging at the most unnatural angle, and he begged and pleaded that we just leave it in there. After 15 minutes of torture, begging and pleading for another way out...he finally yanked it out. Mary Conlee's big front tooth made it's way out of her mouth yesterday afternoon. When telling Bubbe where it was located, she referred to it as one of the "sitral cisors" (central incisors). She was a little panicked after seeing her brother's recent displays, but she was such a brave little girl and let me pull it for her. So we are all sporting new smiles, fewer teeth, and we are running low on "petty cash," if you know what I mean! The tooth fairy is worn out from her 4 trips to Tupelo in less than a month. I hope we can give her a break for awhile! On her way to school this morning, MC said, "This is just going to be the biggest surprise. They won't recognize my new smile." I hope she always loves pulling teeth like I do!

S'more Family Fun

Judd, Cole, and Mary Conlee surprised me with a firepit for Christmas. I was so excited about my outdoor fireplace. We plan on having lots of backyard campouts...without the camping out! A few days after Christmas, Cole and Judd put it together. Cole was excited the most because he was the one who picked it out for me. We decided to build our fire on Friday night. We sat on our back patio gazing at the stars, roasting marshmallows, eating s'mores, and telling stories. What a great way to end our first week back at school!

Putting it all together
 

Lighting the fire
 

Roasting marshmallows
 

Getting them right
 

The only way to eat them- burned to a crisp!
 

Are you sure about this?
 

These are yummy!
 

Campfire stories
 

The girls keep warm
 

We Need Change!

2009 had barely begun when we began a room makeover project. Poor Mary Conlee has been in need of a new "big girl" room for some time. Several years ago, we turned her crib into a daybed, but she has begun to outgrow it. Can you imagine that? She has begged for her own canopy bed to match her American Girl Bitty Baby's bed. While shopping with the Simmons family for a bookshelf for little Bounds, we found a cute bedroom suit that was fit for a princess! She loved the bedding and was excited about having a big mattress like Cole! It was fun for MC to help pick out her paint color to match. While we were in Pensacola for Christmas, we had the room painted. (Thanks to Betty Gayle for letting Mr. Vinson in the house to paint.) When MC came home from school on Wednesday, she was so excited to see the transformation. MC says the new bed makes her go to bed really fast. Cole asked if he could sleep in there with her every Friday night! We still have pictures to hang and things to arrange. However, I think we'll stop here on renovations...at least for this year.

Picking out paint


Moving EVERYTHING into the playroom
 

Cole and MC's crib/day bed
 

Laying down on the job!
 

The old blue room
 

The new color
 

Waiting on MC to arrive
 

Wow...my new room!
 

Trying it out!
 

Cuddled up before bed
 

Finally...the princess is asleep!
 

Candid camera