Healthworks!

We have such an awesome museum for kids right here in Tupelo! We used to drive to Birmingham (McWane Center) or Memphis (Zoo and Hands On Children's Museum) if we wanted a little culture. I am proud to say we have it right in our own backyard! This new museum is centered around one theme- good health. MC has already been here with the Parkway kindergartners, and I got a sneak peek of it before it opened, so this was new to Judd and Cole. The kids were greeted in the lobby by a giant brain that told them about making good choices. We then went to the discovery room where they had to make decisions on what foods are healthy/unhealthy, play games that encouraged excercise, and activities that taught them about the human body. Then, we went for a 20 minute interactive movie in the "brain" theater. Afterwards, we came back for more scientific fun! Judd and Cole's favorite part was the computer that could "age" you and show you what the effects of too much sun and even the use of tobacco would have on your face. MC cried and didn't want to do it! As we were leaving, Cole asked if we could go back next weekend!

The Brain
 

Decisions Diner
 

Washing the germs away!
 

Supersize Challenge
 

Big Mouths!
 

Operating on the femur
 

Sorting the foods into two groups- GO! and Whoa!
 

Daddy's turn at it
 

Climbing the "skin" wall
 

Getting ready to age MC
 

Quizzing with Dr. Nose It All
 

Keeping them pearly white
 

Dodging the ball (notice how MC gets off the board to keep from being tagged!)

Hanging With the Girls

Every other Sunday, I spend a few hours with some really special girls. These teenagers are fun, loving, and always make me laugh. They just happen to live at the Gardner-Simmons Home for Girls. This is a special place where they can grow and be nurtured until they can return to their home.

For the past few times, I have taken Mary Conlee with me. She absolutely loves being with the girls and they love having her around. We went there on Super Bowl Sunday to cook some food and "tailgate" before the game. Last week, we drove the girls to many Tupelo landmarks and took their picture at each place. Next time we go, we are going to make scrapbooks with the girls. This has been such a special time for MC and me, and we cherish the sweet friendships we have made at G-S!

Making rotel


Hanging out before the game


MC and Charity (far right) with the G-S girls
 

The sign at Crosstown
 

The fountain at Fairpark
 

The Setting Sun

About 2 weeks ago, Cole tested for his orange belt in karate. They have to wait a week until the awards ceremony to see if they passed their test. This time, our ceremony was at the Gardner-Watson warehouse. This is owned by his friend, Woody's, granddad. It was so cool to be in there with all the Elvis memorabilia and the former Oleput Mardi Gras decorations. Now he is an orange belt- Do San, which means setting sun. The sun has set on his beginner stage in karate and he moves on to the intermediate level. This is when he will begin using his sparring gear. I don't know how exciting this will be for Mom, but Dad has assured me that this is all part of martial arts!

On Friday, Cole received ribbons for 1st place in the group storyboard division and 2nd place in the science fair 2nd Grade chemistry division. Whewwww...I hope we're finished with school projects for awhile!

The newest orange belt
 

The white, yellow, and orange belt students at Kinetic Kick
 

Woody and Cole after the ceremony
 

Cole and Woody receive their award for the storyboard competition
 

Love, Hearts, and Surprises

On Thursday, we started celebrating "hearts" by having a Family Breakfast at Parkway. They do this each year in conjunction with Valentine's Day and the school Book Fair. They had dress up days, so Thursday was Hollywood Day...Mary Conlee's favorite!! She decided to channel Hannah Montana.

We had our Valentine's Day parties at school on Friday. Mary Conlee has been planning her Valentine's Day surprise for a few weeks. She kept asking us how many days until the 14th. She also had warned me NOT to look under her bed because that was where she was hiding her surprise. One night before bed, Brody ran in her room and hid under the bed. While pulling him out, I noticed she had shoved one of her dress up gowns under there. I was expecting to see some magical work or art or a handmade card...not a dress! MC said that I ruined her big surprise and that she was planning to wear it for us on Valentine's Day. Needless to say, I promised to keep it a surprise from Judd. Today when we awoke, there was Mary Conlee dressed in her Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses gown. I do believe a tear rolled down her Daddy's cheek when he saw her!

Cole and Hannah Montana
 

The diva is hungry!
 

Family Breakfast at Parkway
 

MC and Dalton rock out!
 

MC and Elijah
 

Even 2nd graders love their cards
 

Our Valentine's Day surprise!
 

Happy Birthday, Daddy

 
Baby Judd

 
School days (notice the unzipped pants)

 
Polyester leisure suit

Today is a momentous day in our family. Judd turns 38 today! Mary Conlee loves to keep up with everyone's birthday and she has been counting down since the beginning of February for her Daddy's big day. Instead of the usual birthday cake, we made him something extra special- banana pudding. That is his favorite dessert and MC did most of the work!

Being the baby of 4 boys, you can imagine that there are not too many baby pictures of Judd floating around his parents' house. The earliest baby picture they have was taken after a food reaction to eggs and he blew up like a balloon. I decided to forgo that one. However, these are a couple of pictures that I grabbed long ago for days such as these. Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Making Daddy's banana pudding
 

Better than cake!

Pinewood Derby

One of Cole's favorite things about being a cub scout is participating in the annual Pinewood Derby race. Judd also has fond memories of his day with the little wooden cars. He remembers Mama Charlie making the cars for each of the Wilson boys. Last year was Cole's first year as a scout and Judd wasn't sure where to begin. We had help from a master craftsman- Causey's and Bounds' dad, Dr. Ryan! He built the car, sanded and painted it, and attached the wheels. This was a great learning experience for Judd. Not wanting to monopolize another of Ryan's weekends, Judd decided to buy a premade wooden car from Hobby Lobby. Instead of painting it this year, they decided to attach a covering known as the "skin." They applied decals, added weights, and attached the wheels. On several occasions, they took the car to the post office to weigh it, making sure it was within the 5 oz. weight limit.

When we arrived at the race on Saturday morning, Cole and his dad were both a little anxious. They used graphite to lube the wheels and make it run faster. You would have thought that this car should have been under lock in key. Cole signed in and they checked the weight of his car- 4.7 oz. They also placed it in a box to make sure it didn't exceed the required dimensions. Once the car was found to be within regulation, it goes to a holding area until the race. The scouts are quite serious about this! The tiger cubs were the first to race their cars. Everything was done on computer. It is designed much like a sports bracket where the cars compete and then the winners compete. There is a winning and losing heat, which means you have to lose twice to be eliminated from the race. When it came time for the wolf cubs to race, I could see the excitement on Cole's face. He just knew that his car was going to be the fastest one there! To win each heat, you must win 2 out of 3 runs. To be eliminated, you must have lost 2 different races. Cole's car was successful in each race and was guaranteed a spot in the finals, racing in the winner's heat. However, when he raced for the 1st and 2nd position, he was a half a car length behind the other car. He won 2nd place in the Wolf Cub division. However, a trophy and medal were all that mattered to my boys. I can't wait until next year!

Signing in, weighing in, and measuring up!
 

The car on the left is ours!
 

2nd place winner
 

The racing crew
 

Winter Fest

Parkway hosted their annual Winter Fest last week. We had such a great time and it was rewarding to see all that hard work pay off! The kids loved having their kidsitter, Micah, take them to all of the games and activities. With Judd being out of town and me being in charge of the raffle, I needed backup! McDonald's graciously donated the hamburgers- and these were REAL grilled hamburgers, not the kind served at the golden arches! The kids loved the cake walk and also the real telescope. They loved seeing the moon and its craters. Each classroom designed a canvas and these were part of the silent auction. The disappointing part was when MC discovered that she didn't win any of the raffle items! She just knew that the girl's goody basket, girl's bike, iPod touch, digital camera, and flip video camera would ALL be hers. I must say it was a slight disappointment to me not to win the recliner, the microdermabrasion facials, or the Park Heights gift certificate. Next year, we are looking forward to Winter Fest, except with our Daddy in tow!

Let's play Bingo!
 

Raffle items
 

Classroom canvases
 
 

Mrs. Godwin's class canvas
 

Mrs. Farned's class canvas
 

YAY for the cake walk!