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I got such a kick out of some of the pieces that had animal fur all over them. Everything was oversized and overpriced. I guess everything IS bigger in Texas!
Most days, Jonathan just walks into his room and dumps everything from school on the ground. Once a week I require that he straighten up. It usually lasts all of ten minutes, but at least he makes the effort for me.
The great part is that Sammy is giving the dogs at the shelter some much needed attention while at the same time getting her "puppy fix". The tricky part is making it back home without adopting one of these cute dogs. If only having a pet wasn't so costly and time consuming...
Jonathan gets a bit frustrated because he tends to get a pretty low score each time we bowl. But he keeps at it and really is starting to improve.
Sammy uses the gutter guards so that she has a better chance of hitting some pins. She and Chance take turns bowling and actually do pretty well. Sammy actually kneels down on the ground and shoves her ball down the lane. It makes me laugh, but it works for her.
My high score is usually somewhere in the low 80's, but I am working on throwing the ball straighter and have been doing better. Mostly, we just enjoy hanging out together and having fun!
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone who is celebrating today...
And here is a picture of the snow at Mom's house in Rockford, IL.
And here is a picture of the snow at Heidi's house in Wisconsin - where they didn't cancel school until there was about 20 inches on the ground! Now, that's a snow storm worthy of a snow day. 
Yes, we are pansies here in Tennessee. But while I have the time "off" I'll try to enjoy it and not go completely stir crazy.
She wasn't too sure about such a long trip at first, but ultimately agreed to stay for a whole week. It was so nice having someone to talk to and help with the kids.
I have to agree with them. Jonathan is such a kind, smart, caring, responsible, friendly, mature kid. I would love to take some of the credit for his amazing personality, but he came to earth that way! I just have the privilege of taking care of him. :)
At school I have been teaching about gravity and its effect on falling objects. My students conducted an experiment where they dropped various objects (paper, feather, tennis ball, golf ball) and recorded which object fell the fastest. The results were as expected...the paper took teh longest every time.
Uh, yeah. It was a bad hair day alright. About the BEST bad hair day I have ever seen!
So, while I unpacked and tried to deal with what needed to be done, Mike laid on the ground in the living room with Sammy and watched two of her movies with her so that she didn't have to be alone. Then at bedtime when she was still scared, he agreed to sleep on our couch so that she would feel safer. (It helped me to feel more secure as well.) NOTE: I love this picture of Sammy with Mike. They are so cute together!
Some of the funniest questions came from Uncle Paul. At one point (while he was wearing a picture of a tomato) he asked "Do people keep me as a pet?" It was hard not to laugh at that one!
Probably the best compliment Pete could have received was the comment Jonathan made. He told me, "Mom, just so you know, I'm gonna wear this shirt every week!" Such a fun and creative gift!
It was a fun visit and we hope to get back out there again soon.
After dinner, we decorated a bunch of sugar cookies I had brought with me. His kids. Derek and Abbie are such cute kids. We really had a good time. And I don't think we ended up making too much of a mess...
She named one Fred and one Bob. They "talk" to each other and play on the dashboard. She's such a silly thing! At least she can entertain herself...
I now have this sign hanging on my living room wall. Everyone who comes over always comments on it. They love the quote and the sign too! I brag on April all the time. I love having such a talented sister!
Kate did such a good job sitting still while I worked. What I loved about this style on a three-year-old (verses a 14-year-old) was that when she ran around the flips would bounce up and down. Super cute!!!
Tonight I was playing with Kate. She was being so silly. We kept making faces and silly noises. Every time she popped down from the couch, I would shout "boink" and we would laugh and laugh. (Nothing like a three-year-old to make you feel like a regular comedian.)
Well, in an attempt to help April, I tried to get Kate ready for bed. She was so wiggly. I struggled to get her diapar changed. I know it was completely my fault for trying to be silly and serious at the same time. We cleaned her room, got her pajamas on, and read a book. Still no chance that she was going to settle down. I tried sitting on the floor of her bedroom and just waiting for her to get tired. HA! Not gonna happen. Finally, April came in and took over.
One of the biggest helps on this trip was the fact that Jonathan was able to do some of the driving. Even though I still ahd to be awake and alert, at least I could shift position and be more comfortable...
They turned out delicious, as always. I made the dough and baked the cookies while Tracey wrote down the recipe and all of my little baking tricks. When it was time to assemble the cookies, Tracey decided to help out. Her first attempts were pretty hilarious! Take a look...
In case you wondered, hers is the broken one loaded with too much chocolate!
