A Weekend at the Cabin

A Little Beauty


A Little Fun


A Beautiful Flower


A Smiling Horse


A Friendly Dog


A Little Work


A Little Thinking


A Little Exploring..........All in a weekend!

The Black-Eye of '09

Thursday at practice, Clay took a bad hop and it connected with his right eye. He has lace marks on his forehead. I'm sure there are many more black eyes to come, but thought you'd like to see the black-eye of 2009.

Chandler's Braces

Last Wednesday Chandler got braces. We took a before & after shot. I tried to prepare him for the pain...I don't think he thought I knew what I was talking about. I can promise you...it's a pain you never forget...like childbirth! LOL. I kept trying to tell him I understand. I still don't think he believes me. Oh well! He has two teeth that are not coming in so the orthodontist is going to put chains on those and pull them down to force them to come in. I laughed & told them that he'd have a grill & chains. Too funny! I suppose that in 2 years & $6k later, he'll look great! We'll keep you posted!

Just Thinking

We're headed up to the cabin late tonight after Clay's game, and I was thinking about how far we've come from just a piece of land to a fun little get-a-way. So I thought I'd find some pictures of like a before & after. We haven't been up there since the devastating ice storm, so I'm sure the grass is over knee-high and there is lots of work to do. Tom & I will work hard and I'm sure the boys will contribute some....after they have their paintball war! Drive up & see us...I'm sure we can find something for you to do! :)

Cubs Pre-Season Champions!

Saturday morning, Clay's team became the 9-10 year old Pre-Season Champions. We'll see how they do the rest of the season! He's loving it!

Clay's First Game

Tonight Clay played his first game of live-arm baseball. He played 2nd base & had a great time. His team won 8-3.

Papa came to watch Clay tonight. It was nice for me to have someone to watch the game with. Tom was in Houston. Chandler was at his own practice. Grammy was singing. My family (Mom, Dad, Jerri, & Graeson) was sick and recovering from surgery & taking care of the sick & unable to be there. So having Papa there really meant something to Clay & to me. It was special that someone took the time just especially for him.

I sat there watching him on deck, I reminisced of how long ago, yet it seems like only yesterday, that Chandler was 9. At that point it really hit me that my little boys are growing up. It was a bitter-sweet moment to realize that what seemed like only yesterday was in reality quite some time ago. It's like you turn around and they've grown. Today I was sent some pictures of Chandler at 9 on deck in a baseball game. Then tonight I took pictures of Clay at 9 on deck in a baseball game. Wow, it's amazing! I'm very thankful for my boys and these times we have together. Every moment is truly a blessing!

An Upcoming Drummer

We have an upcoming drummer in our house.
Clay has lots of rhythm and will make an excellent drummer.
He's quite the keeper of the beat.

Easter-Jesus is the reason for this Season too!

Easter celebration was great! Of course we started the day at church worshipping God for He is the Reason for the Season! The traditional Easter Egg Hunt was cancelled because of a huge thunderstorm but eggs were still divided and shared. We had our traditional Easter dinner at my parent's. Every year, we meet with both my parents & Tom's parents for a great meal. Of course Jerri, Graeson, & the boys are always there too. We enjoyed visiting and being entertained by the boys.

Baseball Tournament

Chandler's team played a one-day tournament in Beebe on Saturday. It was a long, hard day of play. We arrived at the park at 10:30 am & left at 9:30 pm. Needless to say, we were extremely tired. They played well; winning all 4 games. The wins were desperately needed for a confidence builder. We've been playing some extremely tough teams & haven't gelled as a team yet. So the wins have been few & far between. Hopefully this tournament will help in team relationship building. Two of the games were played against our good friend, Tray's team. We miss Tray bunches this year!

Land-fill or Dump?

Thursday we visited the Two Pine Landfill in Pulaski County. It was one of the most interesting field trips we've been on in a while. We saw first-hand how methane gas is turned into electricity and how they supply that electricity to 4500 homes in North Little Rock. We learned many interesting facts about landfills. We were able to see how the trash is brought in, deposited, covered, and how the entire process works. They even let the kids create a "land-fill" dessert and taught them about the layers involved in the process. My big question was when did it become politically incorrect to call the land-fill a dump? Isn't that what it really is afterall?

There was a little girl...or boy...

When I was a little girl, my mom and grandma taught me nursery rhymes & we read all of the Mother Goose books. Some days, they just pop into my mind. Today I was reminded of one when I looked at Graeson with his little curls. I'm changing some of the words and it does mess up the rhyme, but I think you'll get it.
He is absolutely sweet!
There Was a Little "Boy", Who Had a Little Curl
There was a little boy,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of his forehead.
When he was good,
He was very, very good,
But when he was bad, he was horrid.

Tim Tebow Bill

Search Website

Wednesday I was contacted by one of our local television stations to give a statement on a new bill that was introduced before the AR legislature. This bill would mean a lot to us if passed. We're hoping that it does. Chandler & I appeared on the 6 & 10 o'clock news. The reporter & camera man came to the house & talked to us. Chandler didn't want to speak on camera but they did video him throwing. The reported had to catch him. He had a look of "oh my goodness, I hope I can catch this ball". In the video, you'll notice the old SWAT suburban in the background that I've blogged about before. It has to be the ugliest thing around. You should be proud though. I have all my front teeth, no rollers in my hair, & never once said..."that tornado sounded like a freight train". Click on the link above to see the 6 o'clock story. Or try this link... http://arkansasmatters.com/content/fulltext/?cid=209771

Test Day

The boys took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills on Tuesday. This test is required by AR state law for homeschoolers grades 3-9 as well as all public schoolers. We set up a test site at our academy & opened it to our enrolled students plus a few others. This was Chandler's 5th year to test & Clay's first. Clay was extremely nervous but once the day started, he was ok. He said the test was easy. The boys had a pretty good day. We should receive their results in about 6 weeks. After testing, we have a tradition with some other homeschool friends to have a celebratory lunch at Red Lobster. We had a great day visiting with our friends. Homeschool life is great! We are blessed!