Johnsons' Journal

Ready for some "MOO"re Fun?

2010-06-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

We made one last stop to the Dairy before Hayden left. We started our tour watching the film and then they passed out our lovely headwear before entering the tour. Here are some of our lovely models:

I'm sorry dear, but it is my duty as a mother to humiliate her children as payback for all the embarrassing things that have have been done in public to your father and I. Are we even? Not yet. I just need a few more pictures. =) I Love You!

Nathan, I know nothing embarrasses you. You would wear underwear on your head if you were told to. But the torture of babysitting your siblings a couple times a week is enough to satisfy us.

I was taking this picture (above) when onlookers were snickering at what Andrew was doing:

"Mom! Take a picture of me milking the cow!" Don't worry son, payback is coming.

Adventures at The Aquarium

2010-06-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

The TN Aquarium sits on the bank of the scenic Tennessee River in Downtown Chattanooga. It is one of our favorite places to visit. There are water areas around the buildings for kids to splash in and enjoy on hot summer days. The aquarium consists of 2 large buildings. One is dedicated to Ocean life and the other to Freshwater life. We started on the Ocean Journey. The escalator takes you up 12 stories to view and pet stingrays and tiger sharks (both are harmless). While the boys were ready for a hands on experience, Emma and I decided to just observe. The thought of dipping my arm into a fish tank did not appeal to me. I like the pleasing odor of hand soaps and lotions better.


Here's Scot getting a manicure from a bottom dweller. Nathan was eager to be next

This one thought petting it just wasn't enough. He wanted to play with it and fell in


His shirt is contrary to what kind of day he was having. Your pretty proud of yourself aren't you buddy? Stinky boy. I wonder if they'll keep you. =)

Onto the Butterfly Exhibit:

It was a sunny day and they were everywhere! I would have taken more pictures but Emma and Barret were terrified one would land on them! Emma was running around me like they were bees and began to "freak"(his own word) Barret out. They where latched on to me like monkeys. I'm surprised my clothes were still intact when we left out of there. I did manage to get her to sit still for one second to snap a picture of her.

Mr. Fearless holding this delicate creature

Barret's favorite Exhibit is the Penguin Exhibit. He wanted a picture of him and a penguin, but only got the tail of this one.

They have a huge salt water aquarium that is home to sharks sea turtles. All of which my pictures came out too dark to post.


Emma at the coral reef exhibit

Sadly, this is the only picture I have of the Freshwater exhibit. Scot and the older boys spent more time than the younger 3 so we ended up getting ahead of them. The building is dark and I had to put up the camera to keep from losing my offspring.

Emma in front of a trout exhibit in the River Journey building.

The water simulated a swift moving stream. The trout were swimming at a fast pace. I'm so glad I'm not a trout. I was exhausted watching them swim and going nowhere. Much like running on a treadmill all day, everyday for the rest of your life. I'd be in awesome shape, but miserable.

Pass the cookies.

Train Ride/Ruby Falls

2010-06-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

A trip to Chattanooga would not be complete without a train ride


ALL ABOARD!!

Tickets Please!

Barret is in heaven right about now.


Mr. Johnson and me. Man, my Texas farmer's tan is fading :( Emma Posing in front of "Emma" street

On the way back, our tour guide was gracious enough to allow us to go to the back of the train and take pictures. We stayed in our seats, Hayden and Nathan opted to go.

They got some pretty good shots of the tunnel

Afterwards, we headed up to Lookout Mountain to Ruby Falls.

Nothing makes me happier than having us all together :)

Civil War History Lesson

2010-06-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

We were so happy to have Hayden visiting with us. We wanted to do as much as we could with him during his short stay. The Tennessee River Valley played a major role in the Civil War, so we decided to dedicate a day for a little history lesson. We started our trip in Fort Oglethorpe, GA at the Chickamauga Battlefield. There we watched a live artillery demonstration, toured the museums and took a scenic drive through the Military Park the nations oldest and largest Civil War Battlefield.


"Union Soliders" firing a cannon

The sound was deafening and it wasn't a full charge. I can't imagine dozens of cannons lined up firing at once!

"Confederate Soldiers"

Interesting fact: We noticed the the solider on the left was wearing a US buckle upside down. He said that confederate soliders intentionally wore them that way so that it would stand for "Southern Nation".

A solider's knapsack and his contents

We headed up to to Point Park on Lookout Mountain where the battle took place overlooking the Tennessee River, known as the gateway to the Deep South. Union troop claimed victory. General Grant posed for pictures atop this mountain.


Overlooking the Tennessee River

The scene was beatiful but there was a drop off and no railing. Scot and I had a death grip on the kids. Needless to say we didn't stay very long. We headed over to the visitors center where there were artifacts that were found on the battlefield displayed and toured the Craven's house where Confederate and Union soliders used it as their headquarters.

End of History Lesson :)

Warner Park Zoo

2010-06-04T17:24:00.000-07:00


The kids posing with their Dad :)

Our first trip of the summer was a trip to the zoo. We met up with some moms from play group and had a some fun. It was a tad hot, but the animals were out and about.


Nathan and his future college mascot

We picnicked on the lawn that was a blanket of clover. There were bees all around us. The boys were fascinated by how the pollen was collecting on their legs. It kept them entertained while we ate our lunch (and kept them on the blanket too). Emma however, refused to sit anywhere.

After lunch, we rode the indoor carousel.

Wheeeeeee!

Don't worry, it won't bite!

I wonder if we could get one of these in the backyard

Can we keep him? Pleease!

I can see for miles up here!

After a hot day at the zoo, we cooled off with some ice cream. Mom was exhausted from the heat that I accidentally ordered an extra cone. Nathan got one for each hand. Lucky boy..


I know, I am the best mom you ever did see.

It's My Blog And I'll Brag If I Want To!

2010-05-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

As the end of school drew near, my schedule filled up quickly with field trips, class parties and awards ceremonies. I'm so glad it over! I was afraid to answer my phone for fear that the PTO President was calling.

Anywho, Nathan graduated from 8th grade. "Is it that big of a deal?" Scot asked. We passed the Middle School on the way to drop Emma and Andrew off at school. There was a sea of cars parked on the side of the road and 2 men directing traffic at the church down the hill from the school. It was pouring down rain. "Uh Obviously." I said. "Drop Barret and me off at the doors and I'll wait for you to park the car. Oh, and good luck with that." 10 seconds later, he double parks in the school driveway blocking traffic and is jogging towards me. Pomp and Circumstances is already playing as we try to find a seat. A sweet grandma scoots over and offers us a spot "If you don't mind sitt'in on my cushion.", she said. "Not at all." My rear end was ever so grateful.

Nathan graduated " The Soddy Way" Honors and received a medal for highest average in Science. They played a slide show of random pictures taken during school functions. We didn't stay for the reception. Crudites and finger sandwiches served in the school cafeteria didn't sound appetizing to us.

Here's our handsome beau after the ceremony. He actually fixed his hair (and ties his own tie)!

Time just keeps marching on.
:o(

Emma and Andrew had their awards ceremony later that week. Emma was the top reader in 1st grade. She read 60 AR books and passed all the tests! She got a T-shirt and a certificate. Pretty good considering we moved here at the end of September (28th). When they announced Perfect Attendance for First Grade. The recipient couldn't accept her award. Her Nana called the teacher that morning and said she woke up with "The Pink Eye". How ironic :)

Here's my Overachiever:

Andrew started crying toward the end of the ceremony. He thought he wasn't going to get an award :(
He wiped away the tears when they called the Kindergarten classes up to get their graduation certificate and pictures taken.

Whew! Kindergarten down, only 12 more grades to go.

And Barret:
Well... He gets the Momma's Boy Award. He gets to be the baby for one more year and I'm going to cherish every moment.

A Day of Service

2010-05-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

"Hi, I'm Darryl and this is my other brother Darryl."

These boys crack me up. When we were about to leave, they met me by the garage door with this ensemble.

Our church helped sponsor A Day of Service to help the East Chattanooga community. Projects were for all ages. They ranged from Landscaping to Quilting, Home Repair to Donating Blood. Teams were selected for the adults/teens ahead of time. Scot and Nathan were on a paint team. I signed up to help with the children's projects. The kids were excited about doing the children's service projects. It rained through the night and thunderstoms were predicted throughout the day. Most of the children's projects were indoors so we weren't affected. Several stations were set up with various things. We were divided into to groups and rotated so that every child had the opportunity to each craft. The kids made sock puppets, cut fringe on lap quilts tied quilts , made cards, and assembled hygiene kits. They had a wonderful time doing it. The projects were easy enough for Barret to participate in. He really enjoyed doing things by himself. They had mural painting going on outside but, the thunderstorms rolled in before they could paint. Thank goodness. They were oil based paints. It was a great experience and look forward to doing it again next year :)

Here's some pictures:

Wook! I made a nake!

Andrew cutting fringe on lap quilts

Making cards for the sick

This card was so cute that I had to take it home :)

The boys got rained out. They only Painted 1 house out of 3 they were scheduled to do.

Easter and Spring Break

2010-04-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

The kids' Spring Break week started on Good Friday. Andrew caught a virus 2 days prior and was sick for a week. The day I took him to the doctor, I came down with the virus and spent the rest of the Spring break sick with chills, body aches and fever. What a way to spend Spring break.

While Andrew laid on his death bed, Emma and Barret dyed Easter Eggs and made chocolate covered pretzels.

The bunny left presents on the table...

Mom had to walk Nathan's upstairs since he doesn't get excited about the bunny.

....and eggs in the yard.

They're too fast now to get pictures of them.

Easter Dinner

My favorite part. It reminds me of how fortunate I am to have a wonderful husband and wonderful kids.

Spring has Sprung!

2010-04-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah! If we relocated any further North, I would have packed up and gone back to Texas (we still have a home there). This has been a rough and cold winter for me, at least. At times, I couldn't get the house warm enough. My feet constantly stayed cold and I drank enough cocoa to bleed chocolate. It has been wonderful seeing all the flowers bloom here. Seeing the daffodils and Iris bulbs sprout from the ground reminds me a lot of my childhood.

Our neighbor, Mrs. Collier was an avid gardener. I coveted her yard. She had many varieties of flowers in her yard. I loved the creeping phlox that grew on the hillside over the rocks by her driveway. We used her yard as a backdrop for Easter pictures when her azaleas were blooming. If we ever had a science project, we would head to her house and she would help us gather leaves and seed varieties of everything that grew there. On many occasions we would pick her irises on our walk to the bus stop and sometimes traded them for a little change to a few to my friends in elementary school (BTW, I've repented of that trangression) :)

Anywho, this got us in the mood to play in the dirt. We went to the local home center and picked up some plants and soil. We made a small garden and spruced up our containers with new flowers. The kids picked out lavender plants. They call them perfume plants. The kids love to garden. They find great joy in seeing something that they planted and water grow and make flowers and fruit.

Everyday afterschool, they jump out of the car to water the garden.

They each got a strawberry plant. The kids say they taste better and sweeter than the ones at the store. Doesn't everything taste better homemade? :)

Emma and I have been watching the trees in the yard. Pink blossoms popped out all over the branches. When they fell off and the leaves grew in, we noticed :

We Have Peach Trees!

The kids and I were licking our lips thinking about all the wonderful things we could make and bake with these babies. Oh, Please let there be an abundance of fruit!

We are definitely enjoying the warmer weather.

Faith The Cat 's First Birthday

2010-03-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

The kids have bugged me since we got the cat what day her birthday fell on. We estimated since she was six weeks around Easter last year, that her birthday was around March 6. They didn't forget it either. When March rolled around, we HAD to have a birthday party for her. We planned it for Saturday the 6th. Then we got busy, so we bumped her to Sunday.

The kids selected the menu which consisted of grilled cheese sandwiches and soup with goldfish crackers. Emma came up with an original game called "Pin the tail on the fish". Andrew also came up with a game that flopped called "Hide the Burrito" (I don't know what goes on in his rabid mind)

Then it was time to sing Happy Birthday. Faith's cake was actually a pate of the finest quality (*Cough*) in the shape of a fish.

Singing Happy Birthday

The kids had brownies with vanilla ice cream. We gave her a cat cube hoping she would sleep in it rather than our bed. It didn't work :(

Hamilton County Championships

2010-03-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

Um Yes, we found out what our $15 dollar shirts said on the Eve of the Championships. You should have seen the look on Scot's face when he got them! I busted out laughing!

Saturday was the County Wrestling Championships. Nathan was 2lbs over his weight class the day before- which meant he wouldn't be able to wrestle. He ran with a 25lb weight for an hour and ate a banana for dinner.

The next morning weigh-ins started at 8:00. We got to the event and dropped him off. 20 mins later we got in the door and saw Nathan running around the gym. He was a 1/2 lb over. Ugh! 5mins later they call final weigh in. Nathan comes out. He was an ounce over. I, including another dad are asking at the same time, "Did you pee?" Instead of scratching him, they bumped him up to the next weight category. I was nervous. One mom said, "Hey, it could be a blessing in disguise." What? That he would be wrestling kids heavier than him?? Kids he hasn't wrestled against all season?! This did not settle well with me and I began to fidget.

Then the semi - final matches started. It was chaotic. There were three matches going on at once all the time for the next 4 hours. If you lose a match, you are given 1 more chance in the loser's circle. First 2 matches Nathan won like a champ. He didn't break a sweat. On match 3 he lost to a boy from Hunter (his teammate lost to him as well) Nathan went to the loser's circle for his final match and Won!! He made it in the Championships! We broke for lunch and ate at Sonic. Barret spilled his slush all over him and had to run into a nearby K-mart for clean clothes. Nathan wrestled against one of his teammates and was defeated. He placed 4th and got a medal. Not bad for a boy from Texas who didn't know anything about the sport up until 4 months ago.

We are really proud of him. He is now in training with the Soddy Daisy Roman Greco/Freestyle Team. Two very different styles. The Wrestling Dads told me I might want to stay home. It's a little hard for the Mommas to watch. Oh boy. They start training next week with college coaches at UT-Chattanooga with Saturday Tournaments as far as Memphis-Yikes! It's gonna be a sacrifice for all of us.

Tickets for the Semi -Finals/Championships $ 26
Lunch at Sonic $34
A Change of clothes for Barret $8 on clearance (so what if they were brown corduroy cargo pants)
Drinks and candy at the concession stands $15
9 long hours with 3 bored little kids and sore rear ends (Payback from our parents)
Watching our son win a medal -Priceless

We were all misty-eyed and didn't notice that his shirt was on backwards.

Here are the matches in case anyone else besides Dad is interested in Watching :)

Semi-Finals:
Match 1
Match 2 (Nathan had a squeeze on his opponent and was doing what Scot calls "The Kickin Chicken")
Match 3 Round 1
Match 3 Round 2
Match 3 Round 3
Match 4 No pin but, Nathan won by points

Championships:
Final Match

Final Two

2010-02-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

Soddy played against the top two in the county. Last Wednesday it was Hixson. Hixson had only 1 loss- until the Showdown at the Round Gym.

Here's Nathan No Pin, but won 7-2 (I think). They cleared the board before we could see the final score.

Hixson match

Last night, Soddy was up against the undefeated champs for the last umpteen years- Hunter. We creamed them 62-30. What a shame. Hunter fans stopped cheering after they lost the first 4 matches. No pin for Nathan but he won the match by 9 points.

Hunter Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Soddy Daisy is officially undefeated. The boys are so pumped. Hamilton County Championships are this Friday and Saturday. Go Soddy!!

Did you hear Emma? She's coaching from the stands. I'm sure Nathan's eyes would roll if he could hear her. He said with the head gear on, he can only hear the "ocean". When the season's over I'm going to start wearing them when the kids are home :)

Barret turns 4

2010-02-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

I can't believe our baby is four. He still looks smaller than our other children at four. I still carry him on my hip. He still drinks from a sippy cup and still wakes up at night. He's the only one that never leaves my side wherever we go. I love to take him for lunch. He has good table manners, he's shy when strangers try to talk to him. He'll hide behind me, or look at the ground and tap his foot. I still love to snuggle with him. I wish I could freeze time.

On his birthday, he woke up and said he grew overnight (All my kids have said this). Emma and Andrew were measuring up to him. He wore his boots with spurs and his double holster everywhere. He talked me into getting him a Zhu-zhu pet, a boat for the thing, and a remote control motorcycle that does wheelies at the store. Nevermind that we had already gotten a few things already. Nathan had a match that evening, so he chose Mc Donald's for his birthday dinner (Blech!) When he opened his presents, he would say A _____ ! It's just what I wanted! Even the birthday cards. It was so cute.
Here is a video of him blowing out his candles:

Barret's Birthday

Happy Birthday Barret!

Signs of Affection

2010-02-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

This past week I was up to my eyeballs in crafts. Emma and Andrew had parties at school. A simple box of Valentine's cards from Wal-Mart was too simple for Emma. She was satisfied with making the girls something for their hair. We worked on these for a couple of nights.

Little Miss Martha

We ended up making about 15 of these things

I suggested personalized chap stick holders for the boys. She spilled the beans to her classmates about her tokens of love and the chap stick holders where given a "thumbs down" by her friend Russell.
So we went with plan "B"... Suckers. I found a tip on a blog on how to make heart shaped lollipops from mini candy canes. I found them in the clearance basket at our local grocery store. We already had the sticks from a failed project.

Take 2 mini canes to form a heart and put them in a 350 degree oven for approx 5 mins. to soften them.

Take them out and place a lollipop stick on the ends and use your fingers to press around the stick. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Once you've burned all your fingers, here is the end result.

We printed labels and attached them to the lollipops and Viola!

2 Happy Kiddos and One Tired Mom

Scot etched a vase for me with little words for Valentine's Day. I thought it was so pretty.

It came with a dozen roses, but I forgot to get a picture of it with the flowers while they were alive. Doh!
We forgot to tell the each other that we got something for the kids. On Sunday morning, they ended up with 2 boxes of chocolates each. Andrew loved them so much that he slept with them. When he woke up Monday morning, everything, including his pajamas were covered in chocolate and caramel. It looked disgusting

Emma gave us a Valentine card that said "I Love You Mom and Dad" Love, Emma. PS. I love my toys too. =)

Saturday Fun

2010-02-15T06:12:00.000-08:00

It is a rare occasion for me venture out without a kid or spouse for a full day since moving here. Saturday was the exception.

On Saturday, I took a course on the embroidery software that Scot bought me in November along with a new commercial embroidery machine. Boy, I was surprised! I would have never bought it myself. He said, "That's why I bought it for you." I love my man =)

Anyways, I got to rub shoulders (literally, it was a full class) with a large man named Bob. He had a gray beard and a cute little handlebar mustache that he curled up the ends with mustache wax. He was lost most of the time, but I helped him out. He was so grateful. I enjoyed it.

Scot set up a hair appt. for me as part of my V-day gift. This place is supposed to be the best salon in Chattanooga according to our Realtor. I couldn't remember the name of the stylist she referred me to ( I thought it was Shana) so they gave me an appt. with "Shasta" (like the cola). I was a little worried when I found out her name but they said she was a "Master Stylist" (code for black belt in Cosmetology). The salon was a 3 level Greek temple. I was escorted by "Star" to the second floor and waited to be called. Every chair had a woman sitting in it getting something done to their hair. It was loud with chatter.

A man came and asked a woman on the couch across from me a question. She looked a little offended till he showed her the paper that was in his hand. She shook her head. He came over and asked me "Are you Ezie (pronounced easy)?" "Yes, that's me." I said (I have been called everything). He escorted me to a closet and asked to change into a smock and to hang up my jacket and shirt. It was FULL of clothes. I figured, no one would take my Banana Republic Shirt if I put it behind a hanger with lovely gold necklaces draped over the front of a woman's REAL Fur coat. When I popped out he showed me to a chair and gave me a stack of celebrity smut to read while I waited.

I was happily greeted by "Shasta" 5'8 curly red head with a huge blond streak on the top of her head. She had tatoos on her arms and several ear piercings. She gave me a consultation. I nervously told her I would like highlights that look "natural" and a simple hairdo. She said "Great, do you want me to take your purse?" Um no.. that's alright." After seeing the clothes closet, I could only imagine my purse lost in a sea of purses.

Shasta was actually a pleasant person to talk to. We got along well AND she does great hair. I learned alot of interesting facts about Shasta:

She's only been in jail once, but only overnight.
Used to work at Little Debbie making honey buns.
Has a "developing" ten yr. old daughter that's about to get a lesson about the birds and the bees.
Lives with her boyfriend that has dreams she's cheating on him instead of going to work
Has more tattoos that aren't visible
Talks in her sleep

I'm looking forward to my next hair appointment. She said she going to talk me into doing something different with my hair :)

One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other...

2010-02-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

Remember that tune from Sesame Street???

Last Sunday, Emma (who claims she's an artist) decided to draw pictures of the family during church. When she got home, she posted her artwork on the fridge:

Do you notice something about my hair? She drew my hair two-toned. I haven't been to a salon since August (before we moved). "Does it look that bad?" I asked her "A little." she said. I hopped on the phone the next day looking for a great stylist.

When I flipped over the drawing, I noticed that her eldest brother looked a little "dark". I asked her why. She said, "Oh I was out of tan." I said, "Oh so my hair really isn't that bad, you just didn't have the right colors to use right?" She said, "No it pretty much looks like that." =(

The Birthday Dinner

2010-02-05T06:36:00.000-08:00

When someone has a birthday. They have the option of choosing what they want for their birthday dinner. It can be anything they want. Most of the time they ask me to prepare a favorite meal. Andrew's birthday was yesterday. I asked what he would like for his birthday dinner. Here was the result:

Chicken Pot Pie (marked with an A) , Cranberry Sauce and Deviled Eggs

We ate and then headed to see Nathan's wrestling match. When we got home, we had cake and opened presents. Before we finished singing Happy Birthday, Barret blew out Andrew's candles. Andrew said, "Hey,This is my birthday!" I wish I had a video of that! We had to hold Barret so he wouldn't blow them out a second time.

Barret was so upset that we had to light them a 3rd time so he could blow them out. Andrew was a trooper

about it.

Barret's face was so red!

Emma crocheted a scarf for Andrew's bunny. He was so thankful for her gift that he got down from his chair to hug her.

It would kill her to show a bit of emotion.

He sounded like Mr Krabs (Spongebob) when he was opening his Birthday cards.

Money Money Money Money Money!

I can't believe your already six. You are our most affectionate child. I never tire of your hugs and kisses and your whispers of "I Love You" in my ear. We'll hold you in our arms as long as you'll let us. I wish that I could have happy dreams like you. You have giggled in your sleep since you were an infant. You made me and dad laugh so hard on the Eve of your Birthday because you were giggling so hard in your sleep that you were out of breath! You're the last one to bed, and the first one up. You are our most inquisitive child. It doesn't bother me that you climb into bed every night with a pile of books in your hands.

We Love You So Much! Happy Birthday Andrew!

Match 5 and 6

2010-02-05T05:05:00.000-08:00

I posted some videos of Nathan's recent matches below:

Tuesday's game was a home game.

Soddy vs Red Bank

Thursday's game away. I had one request from my wrestler. "Please don't call me "Sugar" during a match. =(

Soddy vs Loftis

The boys came down to congratulate Nathan.

They're halfway through the season and undefeated. Woo Hoo!

Soddy vs. East Hamilton 1/28

2010-02-01T05:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to video of Nathan at Thursday's wrestling match:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P3k7pvxulM

Hugs,

Evie

Smackdown!!

2010-01-22T07:19:00.001-08:00

Nathan joined the Wrestling team and has been practicing since October. Monday-Saturday including most holidays,School or no School, Rain or Shine . It was mandatory. This is a sport that this old mining town takes seriously. Most of these kids have been wrestling since 3yrs of age. They're known as "Mat Brats". I wasn't sure if Nathan would be able to cut the muster with the experience his teammates had. With a good coach and his determination, it all paid off. His first match was on the 19th and won. I was afraid it was beginners luck. Last night we went to his second match in East Chattanooga.

This kid (that has our opponent pinned down) has been wrestling for 9 years.

The lightweight kids were the most fun to watch. They didn't give up easily. I was amazed at how flexible the human body is. They looked like pretzels out there. The kids really got into it. Emma was so pumped. You couldn't come within a 3 foot radius around Emma. She was off the bleacher lunging forward and yelling, "Get Him! Keep Squeezing! Flip Him!"

We were 30 minutes into the game when we realized that we were sitting on the opponents side. Our team hadn't lost a match and we were the only one's left cheering. I had to ask Emma several times to stop booing for fear that our enemies would retaliate.

The matches roweled Barret up. He was having his own match with Scot's right arm. He says he wants to be in wrestling. Emma said she want to as well.

I must admit I was into it as well. Andrew was in my lap and cried out a couple of times that I was squeezing him too hard. It wasn't long after that his pizza kicked in and a foul odor surrounded me. I forced him off of me. I just kept my eyes on the game.

Here's Nathan (on the right) and his opponent.

It was over in 14 seconds. Nathan walked away a winner!

Here's Nathan shaking hands with the opponents coach AKA Guns and Roses Lead Singer Axel Rose

You couldn't even tell that this was his first season EVER! My dad was a wrestler back in the day. My Grandpa tells me that he was very good. Ahhh... I guess it's in the genes.

Soddy won 64-6. I think Axel should go back to singing =)

Snow Day

2010-01-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

The kids went back to School on Wednesday the 6th. Mother Nature decided to bring us frigid temperatures in the 10's and snow on Thursday. So back out they were. Woo Hoo. My house was a mess and the pantry was empty. The driveway was iced over and couldn't get the truck out. So what do ya do with 4 energetic kids? Go outside and burn some energy.

The kids got a piece of cardboard and slid down the driveway. Andrew saw The Christmas Story on TV during the holidays and thought he would see if his tongue would stick to the metal post on the mail box. It was 12 degrees outside. It worked. He left some of his taste buds. It was too late to stop him before Nathan and I realized what he was up to. Oh well... Live and Learn.

He loves the snow. He has a plastic container of snow in the freezer still.

It wasn't much but, it was so cold that it lasted a week.

A snowball fight put an end to all the fun. Here is the instigator.

A Tennessee Christmas

2009-12-29T06:27:00.000-08:00

We had plans for spending Christmas in Texas but our plans changed when my mother fell the Wednesday before Christmas and broke her wrist and foot. She was scheduled for surgery the following Tuesday. We went to Arkansas for a couple of days before her surgery and came home on Tuesday before the bad weather that was to follow the next day. Christmas Eve morning, we made sausage kolaches and pecan filled kolaches. Scot smoked a brisket. That night we read about Baby Jesus and the kids left Santa some milk and kolaches. We were out of carrots, so we left bread for the reindeer. Scot and I stayed up and watched our favorite movie, It's AWonderful Life.
Christmas morning (5:30) we woke up to Barret standing beside the bed whispering, "Santa left pwesents unda da twee! Come and see dis. Come on. Hold my hand." So out of the bed, and into the living room we went. Emma and Andrew were already there counting how many presents they had each.

"Are you gonna cry?" I asked "Maybe." he said when he hugged us after opening his PS2.

He was the only one on the Nice list at our house.

Emma is into Moxie Girls. She got a couple more dolls and a remote control car that she loves but won't play with it. I will never understand her.

Andrew is an infomercial freak. He wanted a Glow Station, Bendaroos, and yes, a Snuggie for kids. He got it all and more Lucky Boy.

Barret was so excited when he got his new train set. This makes the third set.

I guess you can never have too many?

The Elementary PTA hosted a store for the kids to purchase small gifts for family members. I gave them both $10 Emma came home with a present for everyone except Barret, she was .50 cents short. Not bad. Andrew came home with a present for the cat and Nathan with 2 dollars left to spend. I sent him with another $10 and Emma .50 cents. Andrew came home with a present for everyone except dad and Barret. Wednesday morning he said he's tired of shopping and handed the job over to Emma (such a boy).

$30 dollars later here's what we got:
Nathan- rubix cube keychain & a dinasour egg
Barret- a mini car & Yo-Yo
Emma- small memo pad
Dad- #1 Dad flashlight and a #1 dad pen
Mom- 2 identical pink #1 mom pens
Andrew- soft baseball
Faith- Cat toys in a plastic stocking. It was the most expensive and she actually played with them the entire time we were opening gifts.

Andrew said "Sorry mom, they were out of Mom Rocks necklaces.

Darn.... Maybe next year

Traditions

2009-12-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to leave our tree in the box and get a real tree. We put the tree up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. One of our holiday traditions is that every year we take the kids shopping and they choose an new ornament that goes on the tree. When they leave and have a family of their own. They can take their ornaments with them to have for their tree. They always seem to pick out a mercury glass ornament. Nathan and Andrew's selection varies from year to year. Emma always picks a kitty cat, and Barret, a train.

Another tradition is that I sew the kids matching Christmas pajamas. This year I ordered fabric and ended up short 1 1/2 yds. Nathan grew out of the pattern I normally use. He now wears an adult size.

Emma and Andrew's school was hosted a Polar Express party. They were permitted to wear their pajamas and bring a pillow. They watched the movie in the school auditorium and were served cocoa with marshmallows. Each got a "golden ticket". They had a blast. Thank goodness I had a deadline, or they would still be unfinished.

Here is Emma in her pj's before school:

All I want for Christmas is.... =)

Andrew and Barret

I stayed up late trying to finish Andrew's before the school party. He found them on his bed the next morning and came running in to give me a hug. Scot had dressed Barret before he left for work but, he took them off to try on his new pajamas.

Andrew loves snowmen. We have an outdoor snowman that we put out at Christmas. We used to store it in the attic with a sheet pulled over him. When we were moving, the movers took the sheet off of him and loaded him on the truck. Andrew cried for an hour about it because he thought his snowman was going to get cold without his sheet. They finally had to put the sheet over him so he would stop.

Here is an old picture of Andrew and his buddy when we first bought him. He was 2mos shy of two.

We usually go through 4 pounds of butter during the Christmas season. We make several different cookies, pecan tassies, fruit and sausage and cheese kolaches.

I always envisioned creating sugar cookies with my children to look something like this:

Instead the gingerbread men look like homicide victims. My cookie cutters were Scot's mothers that included all the holidays. So our Christmas cookies include the Easter Bunny, the Thanksgiving Turkey, a Halloween Pumpkin and an American Flag.

It's the memories you're making, right? Sure.

They're getting good at making cookies though. I am pretty impressed. Here's little Miss Martha making her favorite White Chocolate and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies:

We were a dozen short because she couldn't stop snacking on the dough. I'm surprised she didn't get a stomachache!

Andrew making Peanut Butter Chip Cookies.

Barret took the job of transferring the cooled cookies to the cookie jar.

Where's Nathan you say? Wrestling Practice- Monday through Saturday, school or no school. =(

No More Diapers!

2009-12-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

I never thought the day would come to pass when our house was diaper free. I have been changing diapers since 2002 and 3 yrs before that with Nathan. 10 yrs. Sheesh! Nathan was hard to potty train, Emma, a breeze. Nothing could prepare me for the trauma Andrew put me through. He could care less about it and the furniture and clothes he went on either. He was 4 years and 4 months when he finally seceded. I swore that I would not potty train Barret until he was ready. I didn't care how old he was. He knew the concept though, he always went in the potty before bath time since he was 18 mos. If Andrew was "watering the lawn" he had to do it too. Barret was now in a size 6 diaper. His diaper just wasn't holding what he was producing and Scot and I where playing rock, paper, scissors who would change the muddy ones. It was the last straw when Barret would announce what he about to do in his diaper and then take it off . We told him that we weren't buying him diapers anymore and that he would have to potty like the rest of us. He gave us a little resistance but agreed. He was potty trained on day 1! I never had to ask him if he needed to go. He took himself. At night he went to the bathroom on his own. I couldn't believe how easy it was. He was a little hesitant about going #2 but when we told him if he didn't his belly would explode, it was an easy decision after that =)

Free at Last!

SNOW!!!

2009-12-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

If it was anything I wanted for my kids to have this winter, was for my kids to experience snow. We figured moving almost 900 miles away from our home to the mountains would increase our chances significantly. Then the inevitable happens. Houston gets snow...inches of snow! Ack!! I didn't tell the kids. Thankfully the same front moved in on us early Saturday morning and dusted a little on us. The kids came running in our room screaming, "It's snowing! It's snowing! Nathan is on the roof making snowballs!" I looked out the front door to see Nathan sitting on the sill of the dormer in his room making a stockpile of snowballs. Nathan comes down and says "I have bad news. The snow is starting to melt!" Immediately everyone is scurrying to get dressed to go outside.

Nathan took the trucks off of his skateboard to make a snowboard.

This Aggie wanted to give it a try:

Woops! Not as easy as it looks, Huh?

Let's try this again:

Yes, those are socks on Barret's hand. Nathan and Andrew were wearing them also.

"I'm not going to throw it! I just want you to take a picture of it."

.....and then he threw it at me.

We were all soaked to the bone and had frozen fingers, but it was a fun morning.

Our Thankgiving

2009-11-29T05:46:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. It is a wonderful time to be with family and friends. No gifts, just food.

I love to cook, especially for the holidays. This Thanksgiving was low key. Scot's dad and brother came to visit us and to have dinner. They brought us smoked sausage links so that I can make our favorite: Kolaches. We tried to convince his dad to move here so that he could be near us. I don't think we succeeded especially after the Saturday drive on the winding roads. We're getting used to the terrain. Still not ready to live on the mountain though.

We had a traditional meal along with a Cajun Fried Turkey. Dessert consisted of: Banana Pudding w/ meringue, Lemon meringue, Apple, Pecan, and Pumpkin pie, All assembled and baked by Yours Truly ;)
All desserts were devoured in just a few days.

Here's the Chef and Main Course

Andrew and Emma raided the cheese ball Scot made (his mother's recipe) It's a holiday tradition.

Chattanooga Train Ride

2009-11-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

We have learned not to tell the kids when we are planning to do something fun. This eliminates the thousands of questions and headaches that follow.

We planned on taking a Fall Foliage train ride that takes you through Georgia, but it was canceled due to September flooding. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has a train ride that runs on the weekend. It's a 6 mile trip that lasts an hour long.

When we arrived at the Museum, Barret was hooting with excitement. He loves trains. His room shows it.
We made it right at boarding time, which made it a little difficult to get a party of six seated. All 4 passenger cars were nearly full. It took some rearranging (thanks to the nice passengers) to get us all seated together. The train takes use through a Civil War horseshoe shaped tunnel that is 948 feet long (and dark I might add). We got a live tour guide that told us civil war stories. One was the Great Locomotive Chase that went from Atlanta to Chattanooga. The kids were fascinated (I was too). The train takes us to a train yard. There we watch a live demonstration of the train turntable using our train engine. We toured the restoration shop and then boarded the train to head back to the station. The boys didn't want to leave. They left kicking and screaming (literally).

Waiting for their tickets to be punched

Going over the bridge

Our tour guide looked a little familiar to Barret. He waved and said "Hi Santa." in a casual way. He saw Santa last year when we took a train ride on "The Polar Express". I think he thinks Santa works for the Railroad when he's not delivering presents.

Here is our engine on the turntable. I found a video of the train ride we took, in case you don't come out to visit us.

Fall Foliage

2009-11-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

The Fall Foliage reached it's peak the last week of Halloween. It was really wonderful seeing all the beautiful colors. Nathan said it looked like a painting. We took a Saturday drive through the valley. Nathan said it looked like a painting. My pictures didn't come out well because I was taking them in the car.

Here are some I took in the neighborhood.

This is the ridge behind our neighborhood

Taken from our front door

The yellow trees were bright as the sun.

Andrew said he made a big leaf pile at recess and took turns jumping in it. I reminded me of the fun we had when we were kids. It sounded like so much fun. I wanted to do it too :)

Happy Fall!

No Tricks, Lots of Treats

2009-11-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

"Faith"

We started off Halloween morning cleaning and carving our pumpkins that the kids got from our dairy farm trip. We used templates for the kids but Nathan carved his out free handed. We were invited to a Halloween party that evening and then we were to trick or treat in their neighborhood as a group. Since we wouldn't be home that evening, we had a little party at lunch. The kids made pumpkin pizzas. We just cut pepperonis into triangles. Easy peasy. Jones soda had candy corn flavored soda. I found them at Target. It was a hit with the kids.

We made candy corn cookies from this blog site I steal many ideas from. After the sugar rush. They dressed in their costumes recession style.

Andrew wanted to be a robot. We googled ideas and made one. He immediately went into character when he tried it on for the first time. We laughed so hard, tears were streaming down our face. It was worth the headache.

Emma went as a ballerina. It's her costume from her ballet recital. I tried to talk her into making her a little scary. I suggested a head wound or a bloody leg. She wouldn't have it. She said Halloween costumes don't have to be scary.

Barret was wearing Andrews hand me down skeleton costume.

Nathan was low key. He carried his bow and went as a hunter.

Here are some pics and their pumpkins before the party.

I like them illuminating in this picture

Spooky!

When we got everyone in bed. Scot and I "inspected" their candy and confiscated items that looked like they could be possibly tainted and potentially harmful. We siezed all the dark chocolate, almond joys, a couple of reeses pieces and a few peanut m&ms. We took our life in our hands and consumed these items quickly. Thankfully, there were no harmful additives. Mission Complete.

A Party for Dad

2009-10-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

We were just getting into the routine of things, when it was brought to my attention by the school calendar that the children would be out of school for a week for "Fall Break". This break happened to fall on the week of Scot's Birthday. I could already hear my kids saying, "I'm bored!" "We never do anything fun!" I tried to fill the week with dr's appts, but it only filled up Monday. Before the migraine set in, I came up with a great idea. This year I decided to leave Scot's birthday party plans in the hands of 4 minors. Cheers with "Yes!" and "Sweet!" along with dancing confirmed that I came up with the greatest plan ever. They sat down with Emma as the scribe and drew up plan. It was proposed, with a list in hand. There were a few conflicts on certain items for instance, there was an argument as to which pinata to purchase. It was between Spongebob and Spiderman. After a heated exchange, The First Lady had the final say and opted for neither. We bought a jack 'o lantern instead (it was the cheapest). Barret managed to make it all the way to the checkout line with an air horn. He threw it on the conveyor and the cashier scanned it. I told the lady out of the corner of my mouth to take it off. That it was not intended for 3 year olds and I wanted to keep my hearing. She obliged.

Party day was Wednesday. Here is the birthday boy =)

Plus a few pics of the party:

Here's me letting out a little frustration :)

I thought this was funny when Scot went to hit the pinata, Barret ran inside while the others took cover.

My camera died before I could get Scot hitting the pinata.

It broke off the rope. I ended up pitching it to Scot and he busted it wide open.

I made a hummingbird cake. It was so yummy.

Down on the Farm Part 1

2009-10-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

In Texas, Blue Bell ice cream is "the best ice cream in the country." Here in the Tennessee Valley, the local brand of ice cream is called Mayfield. They claim it to be the best. This raised our suspicions, and felt we needed to investigate. We packed a picnic lunch on a cloudy Saturday morning and headed North to Athens, TN to the Mayfield Dairy. We got there just in time for the next tour. They ushered us into a theater, watched a short film and then bright red shower caps were passed out to humiliate us, before entering the plant. Barret resisted at first but, complied when we told him he would have to stay behind alone :).
The tour was of the milk production. They only make ice cream during the week... Bummer. The tour conveniently exits in the gift shop/ ice cream parlor. There were no free samples but, the ice cream prices were inexpensive. A single cone was 1.25 novelty bars were .50 cents. We all voted for a cone. Here's some pics.

The verdict: Were partial to the Texas brand. Thank goodness they sell Blue Bell in Tennessee.

Down on the Farm Part 2

2009-10-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

(Lots of pics...a little long)

Maw, Paw, and Junior

Haas, Ellie Mae, and Little Joe

After the trip to the Dairy, we decided to head over to the dairy farm for some Tennessee style festivities. Every Fall the Mayfield Dairy farm is open to the public. There is a farmers market that is open most of the year. They offer hayrides to the pumpkin patch a giant corn maze, a menagerie of farm animals to feed and/or pet and games such as the corn cob cannon, chunkin pumpkin, along with a myriad of unusual activities for all ages.

During our visit, A celebrity exhibition was underway, so went went right over. Upon our arrival, we found out it was the Hillbilly Pig Races. Celebrities in the event included famous country singer Lee Ann Pork Rinds and actor Kevin Bacon just to name a few. More amusing than the names were the kids participating in the event. Their mission was to run alongside the track to encourage the pigs to run the full lap. Nathan opted out of the excitement.

Here are the boy's "hamming it up"

We took a hayride to the pumpkin patch. Everyone picked out a pumpkin to take home.

This one is just my size

Andrew rolled his to the wagon

Emma had her eye on the prize. She's so competitive.

The kids wanted to try the corn cob cannon and the chunkin pumpkin games. Out of all the kids, it was Emma that was persistent about doing it.

Nathan chunkin pumpkin (squash actually)

I think the corn box was one of Andrew's favorite activities. When we got home Barret had a handful of corn rehydrated in his diaper :)

Have you ever made a corn angel?

I think the petting area was Emma's least favorite. A bunny mistakenly thought her fingers were slender parsnips.

No blood was drawn, but was overjoyed when her lower front tooth fell out while opening her water bottle with her teeth (I know... strange).

Overall, it was a fun day... A little muddy.... but fun.

Ruby Falls

2009-10-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

One of the neat things about Chattanooga is that there are so many things you can see and do as a family. On Saturday, we decided instead of unpacking, that we would take the kids somewhere fun. We headed up Lookout Mountain to a cavern called Ruby Falls. This is a guided tour where an elevator takes you down over 170 feet into the mountain. At the end of the tour is a large waterfall that is 145 feet high. The waterfall is named after the explorer's wife, Ruby. They say it's America's highest underground waterfall. The kids enjoyed it. Nathan loves geology and Andrew has always talked about going cave exploring. He wouldn't keep his hands out of the dirt and rocks along the path. Barret was nervous and a little scared, but he began to relax toward the end.

There were some tight spots and low spots in the cave. We all bumped our noggins a few times.

It's okay Barret. A little cave bacon won't hurt you :)

I can't wait for the day to come when everyone can look at the camera together and smile

First Day of School-Again

2009-10-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

Although we were 72 hours new to Tennessee, we managed to get the kids registered prior to our arrival. They already had been assigned teachers. We were a little worried about how Emma since she doesn't handle change very well. When we announced their teacher's names, She said, What? I said I was going to quit school! Um...Sure hun..

Nathan is never nervous about being new. I wish I had as much confidence as he does. He had a wonderful first day of school. He said lunch was interesting. There were students lined up to introduce themselves.

Emma surprisingly went in her classroom without tears or anxiety. I was impressed. Her teacher says she fit right in, as if she's been there all along. Her first day of school also happened to be on her birthday. They gave her an ice cream sandwich at lunch for her special day.

Andrew is much like his older brother. He's always ready for a new adventure. He waved us good-bye with a grin on his face. Of course, I had to get pictures of them.

"Mom, I'm 14 now. Is this necessary?"

Our brave girl :)

That afternoon I asked her if she made any friends. She replied, "I don't have time for friends."

Andrew was befriended by Joe (on the right). He was fascinated with Andrew's hair. We walked in and found Andrew sitting on the floor with several children petting his head.

Damaged Goods

2009-10-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Moving day was Wed Sept 23,. The movers came (late) to pack us up for Chattanooga. As part of our farewell to Texas, we took the kids out to our favorite restaurant, Los Cucos. We figured it would be the last time we could eat good Mexican food until we could get back to Texas. Nathan tanked up like it was his last supper and paid dearly for it that night. :) The movers left around 1:00 am and we still had clean up to do. Our kids crashed on the floor and we ended up sleeping there too. Oy! Thurday morning, we said are farewells to family and neighbors and drove from Houston to Meridian, MS. Then we only had 4 hours left to Chattanooga on Friday. The movers showed up Friday afternoon (late again) in the pouring rain. It delayed getting our furninture in the house till after 4pm. While unloading the head guy noticed a broken flower pot. Turns out, they were all broken. The washer and dryer got beat up. Really it was no big loss until they unwrapped our tv and the cardboard had rubbed the finish off our TV. Plus, the glass was broken out of the plasma console. Anyways, we were compensated that evening including, a new TV. Here are some pictures of us eating at "The Last Mexican Supper" ;)

Barret and Emma (in her Rock Star eating ice cream pose)

Notice the accessories on his arm. He says rubber bands are an "in" thing.

Kids always seem happier when they're holding ice cream.

I pray these men were not products of the Tennessee public school system.