I Love A Parade

In Small Town U.S.A.
In the South

With bikes
Judson Won 1st Prize
(Thank you Overachiever Dad)

And Kids

And Friends

And Wheels
And The Unique
And Most of All, THE HEROES!

Click on pics to view larger version.

That's My Boy

Judson: Not 100% sure I'll marry when I get older but I'm going to have 3 kids.
Me: That is awesome, where are you going to get 3 kids?

Judson: I'm going to adopt them.

THAT MAKES ME SMILE!!!!!

Don't Take it Personally

Conversation with Sawyer this morning:

Sawyer: No school today
Me: Yes, we have school today.

Sawyer: It's Saturday
Me: Nope, not Saturday

Sawyer: It's a holiday
Me: Nope, not a holiday. It's Friday.

Sawyer: O000hhh Kaaaay.

Swimming Lessons 2010

OH LORD, GIVE ME STRENGTH

The PLAN was that the two 5-year olds would take lessons. So an hour long session was scheduled for this morning. 8:30 to 9:30. (each getting 30 minutes)
The REALITY was different. The almost 8 year old decided once we were there that he wanted to take.

Problem 1: No extra time. Solution: 3 sessions of 20 minutes each.
Problem 2: No trunks for said 8 year old. Solution: Mom carries an extra pair of shorts in her car.
Problem 3: 8 year old had not eaten breakfast. Solution: Complete and total meltdown.

Ansley: She was VERY skeptical and just plain scared at first. BUT she hung in there and started to enjoy it.Sawyer: Never did listen and was quite upset to taken out after only 20 minutes. (I'm still drying out from wrestling with him)Judson: After the meltdown, we've been on a roller-coaster of emotion. I'm NOT taking lessons anymore! OR I'm only taking them until I learn the dog-paddle and then I'm done!

T with Dr. T

Today was Turner's well visit. Dr. T (as we call him) is a no-nonsense kind of doctor. Never gets excited. Never suggests things that are not important. He does, however, always listen to mom and makes sure to address any issues. So, today he said he thought Turner was doing well and there was nothing to worry about at this time. He's growing. He is acting like a 3 year old. Since Dr T was not worried. I am not worried. Honestly, I was not worried anyway. Turner is quite healthy and a very typical kid. He has JUMPED percentiles. He is now in the 40% for weight and 45% for height. Pretty good growth for a kid who was below the 25% for the last 2 years.

Parade

So we are getting ready for the 4th of July parade. Judson has ridden his bike in it for several years. This year Ansley will be able to ride too. (You have to be 5 years old)

We decorated Ansley's bike on Sunday. What does it look like you ask? Why it's Pink and Purple, of course.

What? You thought it'd be Patriotic or something? Pshaw!

Everyone knows a Pooh's favorite colors are Pink and Purple. We can't compromise, even for 4th of July.

Pictures to follow!

Family

Can you tell going for a walk was NOT their idea of a good time on Father's Day?

How Hot Is It?

I do declare Miss Scarlett, It's so HOT, I believe I have the vapors!

Happy Father's Day

To my Dad, whom we love dearly. Hope you have a great day!!!! Wish you were here!


To Pop-Pop, Mr Fixit. Jack of all Trades. We love you, too. Hope you have a safe trip to Fort Lost-in-the-Woods. See you soon!



To Randy, My Soul Mate. The Man I would choose over and over again!
You are an awesome Dad.
You give of your time FREELY.
You flew across this globe TWICE to deliver two of your children.
(We won't say who delivered the other two)
We love you and hope you have a wonderful Father's Day (everyday)!

Cardio

Took Saw-Man to the cardiologist. It was a follow up to check on his blood clot. He was a champ. Everyone loves him. No doubt about it. He got the social gene x3!

It appears his blood clot has reduced in size!!!

It may be that it has split. That was hard to tell as there might have been another mass. We really couldn't tell. The one that was clear was about half the size it was 6-8 months ago. The other mass may have been part of the valve or maybe another mass. It was tiny and not of interest to the cardiologist. He was happy with the pictures and told us to come back in 9 months.

He also suggested that Sawyer might benefit from ADHD drugs in the future. He isn't necessarily a proponent of the drugs , just suggested that Sawyer was 'very busy' all the time. I had to laugh because of all my children, Turner is the one I would classify as ADHD based on his behavior at home. Outside the house, Turner is NOT hyper. Sawyer is sometimes hyper/busy but not so much at home. Go figure.

Not sure why things are BOLD. I'm not yelling at you dear reader.

It was supposed to have A/C

So we got an impromptu gathering together of some of our Ethiopian families. I billed it as 'they can scream and yell and have fun AND there's A/C'. SO...who knew the a/c was out? It was hot!

This is part of the group that showed up! The heat didn't stop them!

Turner loves his 'brother' Charlie!

Didn't take a lot of pics as I was chasing Sawyer quite a bit!
Everyone had a great time!

Science

What do you have when you combine a cork, a small plastic bottle, baking soda and vinegar?
Lots of Laughs
And one stinky Daddy because it spewed on him!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

We took Abbey to meet her mother. We stopped here:The kids checked out the gardens (in the 95+ degree heat):They checked out the model train. (The one in Helen, Ga is much better)Ate some lunch and sent Abbey on her way.Made a stop at Chickamauga and drove a bit. (going to head back when we have more time and less heat) It was such a beautiful and serene place. Hard to visualize the sadness that was once here.
That's all. Now we 'recover'. Randy has been up every day this past week going to work. Then, he and Judson would head to Scout camp from about 4:15 til almost 10. He's ready for a rest.

Last Day of Captivity

For all of those
(you know who you are )
who are saying to yourself
She is too hard on that girl

She shouldn't force
her to hike up a mountain.
(most folks would agree it is more of a big hill)

Be it known
She is a 9 year old
Healthy girl
Who is able to walk
UP
and
DOWN
the mall
TWICE
(it's not a small mall)
looking for just the right
cell phone holder.
IN FLIP FLOPS!

She survived
Stricklin Boot Camp!
The burning question:
Will she return for the next installment in 2011?

By the way, how do you feed four kids 2 meals for $10 and have leftovers?
Little Caesar's!!!
Judson doesn't count as he is a picky eater.

Day 6 of Captivity

ARE YOU SITTING DOWN???

Abbey hiked UP
Stone Mountain
Today!!!!
Randy took
Abbey, Ansley and Judson
UP
Stone Mountain
While
I
took
Sawyer and Turner
AROUND
Stone Mountain
on a Train!
He said the girls
COMPLAINED
the whole way!!!
Ansley's Brain was hot
Abbey was hot all over
They both were DRAGGING

Finally
Judson told Abbey
People from Georgia
could beat
People from Tennessee.

At that,
she sprinted the last 200 feet.

They road the sky lift down. I think if we wanted to exploit the situation we could have told Abbey she could hike down OR pay $50 to ride the sky lift. We did not.

Final analysis:
Abbey said that pulling weeds was preferable
to Hiking Stone Mountain.
Obviously, I did not give them enough weeds to pull.

On a different note:
If you get bottles like the one on the right,READ the instructions.
If it says HAND WASH,
Just Do It.
Otherwise:

Day 5 of Captivity

What's that light at the end of the tunnel?
Is it THE END
Is it a TRAIN

Today, I overheard Ansley ask Abbey when she was going home
Abbey said: "Friday"
Sadly, I had to inform her "Nope, Saturday"

She took it well enough
I mean, she didn't jump off a bridge or anything

The kids have been begging me
To get the sprinkle ball out
I have tried to avoid it
You see, the water from our house is VERY COLD
I know they will NOT spend much time in the water
Alas
I could no longer avoid it
So the sprinkle ball was setup
(Thanks, Dear)
He even set up the kiddie pool

How long, you ask
Did they enjoy this activity?

Let's just say,
It took longer to setup and take down
Than to actually enjoy it.

This is what my kitchen floor looked like after said 'enjoyment'

It was a good day.
No tears.

Day 4 of Captivity

Today, I made Abbey cry.

Don't worry.
She is alright.
Just pointed out
that maybe there were things
about her
that were more like Ansley
than she might think.

Just part of Stricklin Boot Camp
Tough Love Series.
I designed it to help them
come home
with more appreciation
for their own parents.

They come home saying:
"Thank you God for giving me
the parents you did
and NOT the parents
Judson/Ansley/Sawyer/Turner
Have."

Day 3 of Captivity

One thing Abbey's Mom wanted was for Abbey to get the FULL Stricklin experience. She wanted Abbey to know what it is like being a member of a large family and how much sharing and compromise goes on.

This is Abbey's take so far:

Ansley: In Abbey's own words: " Oh my goodness, she's the worst". Paraphrased: She HAS to be the center of attention. It is all about her. She whines all of the time. She needs more punishment. She also told me there might be hope that she'll grow out of it. Apparently, Abbey used to be this way but has grown out of it. So it might be that Ansley will grow out of it before she turns 9. However, if she hasn't done so by the age of 9, there really is no hope.

Turner: Paraphrased: He is probably the 2nd worst. He also needs to be the center of attention which is why he and Ansley have such a love - hate relationship. He's also mean. He hit Ansley with a hard object for no reason. Since he is young, there really is more hope that he will grow out of it.

Judson: He's pretty good. Only the 3rd worst. He pretty much does his own thing most of the time. He's super smart. He does not need to be the center of attention. He does sometimes get angry with Ansley. Unlike Abbey who just gets away from Ansley, Judson will hit Ansley. So he apparently needs to learn to just go somewhere else.

Sawyer: He is the best! He just does his own thing. He isn't constantly wanting to be sitting in Abbey's lap or annoying her. He likes to just listen to music and just exist in his own little world. So he gets the Abbey Seal of Approval.

These are Abbey's musings. She also stated she was EXTREMELY happy being an only child and does NOT want any siblings. She used to want to adopt Turner. She no longer does.

So I think my job is done. Abbey has gotten the full Stricklin experience. Now she must survive the rest of the week. Hopefully, she has the fortitude!

Day 2 of Captivity

You see

This is how it is
They seemed to have too much time on their hands yesterday
So
I decided to let them start the day in meditation
Meditate on Good Decisions vs. Bad Decisions
What better way to Meditate
Than getting Back to Nature


What better way to get back to nature
than to pull weeds
My back is out
So I cannot do it
As I see it
It is community service
We all win!

Day 1 of Abbey's Captivity (AKA Stricklin Boot Camp)

Cousin Abbey is staying with us this week. She's an ONLY child forced to live in a house with FOUR other children. No late nights. No TVs in her room. This is the story of her week from hell at Stricklin Boot Camp. Watch for us on Reality TV.

Climbing to the TOP of the Mountain.

Finally, at the TOP of the Mountain.
Adrenaline Pumping!
Descent Down The Mountain
Fear is in the air!


Delirium


Trying to Escape

Calling for HELP!


All survived, TODAY!!!

Vacation 2010

We've been to Pigeon Forge, TN!!!
(be sure to click on photos to see them up close and personal)

Number 3!!!

Happy Birthday, Little T

You're getting so big. We're celebrating over several days. On Saturday, the kids made you a birthday cake and drew you pictures. You got to play outside and get some new mosquito bites. Sunday, you get to go eat out at the restaurant of your choice (except that restaurant is closed on Sundays, so Mom and Dad get to choose) Next week you get to celebrate with cousins. It's good to be a T!

Why?

Because she is THE POOH. That's just how Pooh's roll!

The Mother of Invention

What do you do when you need some throw pillows for your sofa that are: comfortable, washable, cheap (because sometimes washable doesn't get it done), and functional?

You go to Walmart. Buy 2 travel pillows for $3 each. Buy 2 pillow cases at $3/pair. Double the cases over and sew them up on the sides. Then squish the pillow in there. Voila. Throw pillows for 4 children, 2 adults, and 1 cat. (the dogs don't get them)

Wednesday