Cleaning up the mess

Today Barry and I took the Christmas tree down, put up the decorations and cleaned the garage!  Whew....it makes me tired thinking about it.  It really wasn't bad since we did it together though.  We managed to clean up the living room and most of the kitchen and I made tea using my new water heater and teapot mommy got me for Christmas.  It worked wonderfully.  I made it back to the gym tonight.  Boy, can I tell I have skipped a few days and ate my mommy's cooking :-(  I am going to have to hide at my house with only a head of lettuce for the next month to get rid of the three pounds I gained over Christmas holidays.  I did enjoy seeing my sister and her husband with their six month old baby.  Gwen does nothing but smile and laugh....until it is nap time.  I think she is a good baby.  I can't wait for Spring Break.  I think the kids and I are going to go and visit for a few days.  

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2008 was a hit!  Imagine that :-)  Chloe and Clay both were blessed by Santa Claus and family, friends and neighbors.  In fact, they have two more gifts to open when they return from visiting their dad after the holidays from the neighbor across the road.  Christmas morning found Clay in my bed waking me up at 6:00......He finally admitted to being up earlier and going through all of the presents.  I figure he was up half the night!!  He took a two hour nap at 10:00am on Christmas day :-)  He was sooooo tired and crabby.  Chloe was dragged out of bed Christmas morning by her darling brother.  She was not all that happy about it.  Merry Christmas to all!!

Santa's Village

Tonight we went to Santa's Village and made reindeer out of metallic pipe cleaners!  We played with some old wooden toys and wrote a letter to Santa.  We also decorated gingerbread men cookies with icing and ate them.  We took a vote and decided not to stand in the long, long line to see Santa since we had no intention of sitting in his lap anyway.  My darlings are six now and have never, ever sat in Santa's lap or told him what they want for Christmas.  The closest we have gotten is 50 feet away and waving.  Chloe really does have a thing for people dressed up in costumes.  So, we went to the Olive Garden instead!  Chloe and I split a Tour of Italy and she ate as much as me....amazing that she still only weighs 38 pounds.  I probably gained 38 pounds!  She was mad because I wouldn't let her order a plate of olives.  Ha!  Clay ate macaroni and cheese and acted like the perfect gentleman.  He even opened the doors of the car for Chloe and I.  Then when we all got in the car, I found out why we were being so helpful......he wanted a dollar :-)  Industrious, don't you think?  I don't think he will ever go hungry.  We were talking about what we were going to be when we grew up on the way home and Chloe was just beside herself because she couldn't figure out what she was going to be.  I told her that she had a few years to figure it out.  (Although, I am a firm believer in having a goal before starting out on a new project-like college)  My children really are funny.  We went by Books a Million to buy the second book in the Twilight series (what fabulous books!!) and we saw Mrs. Pendley!!!  She looks good and feels okay I think.  She was looking for a book too.  The kids were really excited to see her.  Chloe told me on the way home that she is tired of all the other teachers and Mrs. Pendley just needed to come back.  Cancer is a hard thing for kindergarteners to wrap their brains around.  Lumps growing where they shouldn't and having to take medication that makes you feel crummy and get sick easy....I guess it just doesn't make much sense to them.  Anyway, for whoever is reading this----Have a Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Break!!!

Today was the last day of school before an extended break for Christmas and New Year's.  We had a party in the classroom where we made two ornaments, a paper chain for the tree and ate lots of "not good for you" food.  The kids loved it!  Then we all attended a school wide Christmas Carol sing a long.  It really is a site to see 500 children and their parents singing Jingle Bells at the top of their lungs.  Even my non-singer Clay had a great time.  The principal, Mr. Kimbrell, dressed up as Hannah Montana to celebrate the wonderful job the kids did collecting cans for a food drive in November.  The children made a video for Mrs. Pendley and tied knots in a prayer blanket for her too.  

Playing on the slide

The green slide in the backyard holds so much access to fun and freedom for my children.  One day they were outside and one would sit at the top (or lay at the top) of the slide.  The other child would leap on the other one and they would crash to the bottom!  The laughed and laughed with sheer joy.  They had a ball!

Field Trip to Wetlands Edge

Today the children and I went on a field trip to the Wetlands Edge.  It is a project of BP and the school system here in Decatur.  They have salt water animals and fresh water animals.  We got to look and talk about the salt water animals, but we really focused on reptiles.  We had a turtle race, read a story about turtles and held a real live snake!  The kids got to see why a turtle crawls so slow by wearing a shell on their backs.  I will have admit, the turtles were cute, but the snakes can stay in their cages :-)  They are painting t-shirts in art this afternoon!!

Mrs. Pendley

As most of you know, Mrs. Pendley is Clay and Chloe's kindergarten teacher.  She had breast cancer two years ago and went back in November for a check up.  Long story short-they have discovered reoccurring breast cancer in the lymph nodes under her collarbone.  This is not really common from what I read, but it is aggressive.  She started chemotherapy two weeks ago and will add another chemo agent in a month or so.  The kids have had a substitute this week and Mrs. Pendley is not coming back before Christmas.  To be honest, I cried when I read this-for several reasons.  

1.  Mrs. Pendley is an awesome teacher.  The kids had a follow up with the occupational therapist in Huntsville that they have been seeing for two years.  Even when school started they were both borderline with developmental skills.  This follow up revealed that they are doing EXTREMELY well with all the skills that they were having trouble with just three months ago.  Clay is stronger and has better balance, can write and do mazes better than Mrs. Ruthie every expected.  Chloe is more oriented to task, can finish two to three groups of instructions without becoming distracted and can write very well.  And to top it all off - both can tie their shoes :-)  I know Mrs. Pendley was a big part in getting them to this level developmentally.  She is very consistent and manages to get all kinds of knowledge to sink into thick 5 year old skulls!  Not an easy task by anyone's description.  So I am being entirely selfish----I want Mrs. Pendley back.  She is such a teacher - how can anyone else compare or live up to her standards.  I wouldn't even apply for the job.

2.  Mrs. Pendley is a very righteous, loving person, mother of 4 young kids, friend to all.  It just isn't fair.  I know life isn't supposed to be fair.....but???

3.  This is pretty close to home.  She is a young woman who has faced death already.  How would I react?  How do you explain such a disease and treatment process to your children?  How do you rest in God's strength and not fall to pieces?  How do you deal with the dark days and focus on your blessings?  I cannot imagine the strength it takes not to just lie in bed and want to die.  And then on the other hand, how do you spend enough time with your kids and loved ones?  The questions never end and the answers are so obscure.  

Please add her to your prayer lists at church.  Her full name is Christine Pendley and she lives here in Decatur.  She is a member of First Baptist Church here in Decatur.

Christmas Tree 2008

Isn't it amazing that you have to clean house and rearrange furniture before you put up the tree, only to have to do it all again after you finally get it up and working?  I have felt like we are putting on a broadway show with lights and stages this year.  The lights on the big tree were just not right and I couldn't get they to work right either.  I called my electrician I keep on retainer (that would be mom) and even she couldn't get them working.  So, the kids and I went to Lowe's and bought some strands of white lights.  We added them to the parts of the tree that didn't want to work, and tada-we have a whole tree of lights!  We hung our stocking by the fire.  My Aunt Betty made the two for the kids, I am not sure why I have one with my name on it and we found an extra, so we hung it too :-)  The small tree was intended for outside on the porch, but we found that we liked it inside.  All in all, most of the shopping is done, the tree is up and we made cookies last night!  I do enjoy Christmas time.  

Pepper Has Grown

As you can see, our cat has gotten to be quite a handful :-)  He has been banned from my room, so now he torments the children.  They seem to handle it in stride.  The little kitty Spice likes to tote Chloe's hairbows around in her mouth and growl, yes, growl at anyone or anything that gets too close!