Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

It's a few days after Christmas and all is calm here. The kids got so much and love everything!! Of course, Santa Claus was great to them...both Courtney and CJ got everything on their lists which wasn't a lot! Courtney only listed 2 items and CJ only asked for 3.

I must say this...it was wonderful to have Christmas with Marti for the first time in 14 years!! I can remember when Josh was little and being in Florida at Christmas time but not since then. I think it ranks up there with one of the best Christmases EVER!!! It was a special Christmas to actually have all 3 sisters together and their families. Not sure that would have happened if Jason never got a job here in Texas.

The kids are out until January 6th so it's entertainment time for them. They are enjoying playing with all the goodies they got for Christmas and goodies they have bought with some of their gift card money!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and have a safe New Year's Eve!

6 days until Christmas!!

Where has time flown to? I still can't believe Christmas is just around the corner. Time flies when you have been busy and life has been hectic!!

Let's see here, we are officially moved to Texas! Courtney and CJ are both enjoying school a lot! CJ loves riding the bus in the morning and after his AM Pre-K school. The nice thing is that both of them ride together in the morning and then seperately after school. Next year, they will be at the same school which will be a huge bonus for me. I still can't believe my little guy is riding the bus!

We are almost all organized and settled in here. We've been here about 1 1/2 weeks and things are going smoothly. Couldn't ask for a better transition for Courtney and CJ. Yes, they both miss their old schools but are making friends so easily - who could ask for anything more.

Christmas shopping is almost done - I hate feeling this far behind but with the big move and everything - I'm happy I only have a few things left to get. As far as Christmas cards/letters - that'll get done hopefully later today or this weekend.

That's it for now...hopefully in the new year I'll get back in the full swing of things - blogging included!

If I don't blog before Christmas - I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Been a long time

A lot of things have been happening in our lives!! Where do I begin?

Well, first and foremost - we are moving to Texas next weekend!! Jason got a job in Granbury, TX and we'll be living with my oldest sister Marti and her family for a while (hopefully not too long to outlast our welcome). I'm so grateful for them letting us into their home. We wouldn't know what to do without them!! Thanks Marti, James and Josh! We still have to sell our house in Alabama which has been on the market since mid-October right before Jason moved out to Texas. There was an open house yesterday and we'll find out how well it went later today.

Courtney's softball season with the Bombers is over. They didn't win any games but had fun and came together really well as a team. Hopefully there will be an end of the season party this Saturday or at least before we leave.

CJ turned 5 in October!! I'm not sure where time went. We had his party with some of his friends at the Trussville Park. He had a wonderful time and didn't want to leave. Also, CJ's last day of Pre-K was Friday and he got to do his Thanksgiving Feast. He was so cute dressed up like a Indian! I did take pictures but haven't downloaded them as we left for Texas early Saturday morning for the week. He was so sad to leave but we'll be able to visit school one last time before leaving.

Other news....Jason had another experience deer hunting - with a Kia this time and the Kia AND deer lost. His car was totaled and we've learned now that it was an 8 point deer not a 4 point deer!! The deer just commited suicide...that's our way of thinking of it. We are VERY lucky that Jason was uninjured! No scratches, scrapes or bruises. Thank God for that! So today, James is taking Jason out looking for a truck! Jason needs a BIGGER car so hopefully they'll find something we both can live with.

I will share pictures once everything is downloaded and I have time. Once I get back to Alabama...it's packing boxes time. Thankfully Mom (Jason's mom) is coming to help on Tuesday Dec. 2nd and will drive with us here on Monday Dec. 8th. Jason actually flies to Alabama late Sunday afternoon to drive the U-haul. Most of the kitchen is already packed - THANKS Rhonda for all the help!! Just the rest needs to be done (some scrapping items have been packed too).

That's it for now - sorry it's so long.

Results....

Courtney's first tournament was Saturday - first 2 games were at 8am and 10:30am. They lost both of those. The 3rd game at noon - lost. 4th game at 7:15pm - lost. Even though they lost all 4 games, the girls improved each and every game. Courtney has made a spot for herself in the infield - on 3rd base!! She can really move out there. Unfortunately, she didn't get to pitch because they needed her on 3rd. I do hope they use her in the next tournament no matter what! She was disappointed about not pitching but excited to play 3rd.




On another note, please keep a dear friend of mine, Sarah and her family in your prayers. She delivered baby Hannah on Saturday night and Hannah was stillborn. My heart aches tremendously for Sarah and her family. This is one of God's miracles as Sarah was trying for about 5 years to have another child and once she accepted God's will of not being able to conceive any way, she became pregnant. Understanding God's plan is extremely hard but I know he needed baby Hannah next to him. Thank you for your prayers for the family.

September already!!

I still can't believe how quickly this year has gone by! Things are moving right along here. Both Courtney and CJ are enjoying school. Progress reports come out Sept. 16th for Courtney - still can't believe it's almost time for those.

Courtney has been practicing hard with her pitching and with the Bombers99 team. I can't believe their first tournament is next week!! We have a 3 hour practice tomorrow and a few more during week. It's an all day thing next Saturday so hoping they do good. We won't know what time she plays until Wednesday. They'll be playing in 4 tournaments total for Fall - Sept. 13th, Sept 27th, Oct. 18th, and Nov. 1st. We'll see how things go and then decide on what she'll do in the spring.

Other than being at the ball fields or driving to and from both of their schools, not much else is happening here. I'm keeping busy doing all that...LOL! I'm hoping to actually scrapbook sometime soon as I haven't since before we moved into the house last October!

Speaking of October - we are trying to get tickets to go to Talladega for the Nascar race the first weekend of Oct. for CJ's birthday. Keeping fingers crossed for that!! CJ would absolutely LOVE to go since he is a HUGE Nascar fan especially of number 48 Jimmie Johnson (sponsored by Lowes). He has even decided to do a Nascar themed birthday (cupcakes for his class). I can't believe he'll be 5 next month.

Also one other thing before finishing this post....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!!!

We love you!

Just a little update...

We actually have some tournament dates for the Lady Bombers99 Softball team! Courtney will be playing Sept. 13, Sept. 27 and Oct. 18. They are only Saturday tournaments but they could be ALL DAY LONG!!! Games usually start about 8am and if you keep winning (which is what we want to do), you can plan on staying at the ball field ALL DAY!! I can't wait to start taking pictures. Her colors are orange and black plus white for accent (I guess). We've ordered her uniform and socks...debating about the helmet (it's $22 plus an additional $10 for the face guard in front) since they all want to match - or atleast the Moody Trio does :o)

Courtney's pitching is going to kill me. I got nailed in the kneecap yesterday and I've never felt it 'move' before until then. It's so sore, swollen and bruised that it really hurt to walk and do much of anything yesterday after it happened. It's really time to buckle down and start saving some money for those catcher's knee/shin guards. Stairs aren't fun to go up at all!! It'll improve slowly but I still don't have an option - I still gotta catch for her since Jason is usually working late. At least I'm not afraid of the ball :o)

CJ just LOVES school. He got to be the line leader last week and the blessing helper this week. He was so sad on Friday because he got 2 days off and 'lost his job' of line leader. It was cute. He isn't thrilled about having 3 days off this weekend but I told him daddy had off Saturday and Sunday so he cheered up a bit. He can't wait to figure out what his job will be next week. Tomorrow they are cooking - Shape snack mix - I guess it's not really cooking but you know what I mean. Hopefully he'll try it since he got to bring in the triangle shape - Tricuit Crisps.

That's all happening here for now!

First Days of School

Wow...can you believe it school has already started here? Courtney started on the 7th and CJ had his first day yesterday!! Yes, Jason and I got teary-eyed when we dropped him off in car line. Believe me, he was so excited to go! Today, he made me leave earlier than what I needed to and was sad that he couldn't be dropped off before Courtney...LOL

So, with first days of school already past - here are a few pictures of the kiddos....

Can you believe she is in the 4th grade??

He was so excited about going to school and really didn't want his picture taken - he just wanted to leave...LOL

Another very PROUD Moment!!!

HUGE congratulations to Courtney!! On Saturday, she had a private try-out with a softball travel team (new this year) as a pitcher and made it!!! My baby girl will be on a travel team called Lady Bombers99 as a pitcher!!! Travel teams are considered the 'best of the best' and are very competitive (which fits Courtney to a tee!). She is on Cloud 9 and you know what, so are we!!

We had a parent meeting last night and she had batting practice. The indoor facility is amazing. You can see some pictures at www.basesloadedtrainingfacility.com They actually have baseball travel teams and only had one softball team last year (hence Lady Bombers 10U pictures). They now have 5 teams which includes the Lady Bombers99 (the 99 is for the year they were born in so her team is a true 99 team - all members have a 99 birth year).

Their first practice is Thursday but neither Jason or I will be there. Thankfully a friend of hers is on the team, Alyssa, and her mom will be taking her since Jason and I will be at a parent's meeting for CJ's school. I can't believe that Monday he'll start! He is growing up too fast and is actually very excited to start. He'll meet his teacher on Friday morning and be all set.

So with all that said, it's been a very exciting weekend/start of the week for us :o)

Monday

Monday was a great day - we got to see Marti and Josh :o) Since Marti was in Georgia visiting Nanny and with Nanny being still weak, she came to visit us here!! Marti asked me not to tell the kids and have it a surprise and BOY...they were surprised!! As soon as the door bell rung, I asked Courtney to answer it. Her response "I don't know who it is..." followed by a very LOUD scream! She opened that door so quickly and gave each of them a HUGE hug. Believe me, CJ wasn't far behind!

There were a couple of priceless moments - CJ being held by Marti and him smiling ear-to-ear with his arms wrapped around her as soon as she got in the kitchen. Another moment was when Josh was sitting on the recliner and CJ was laying in his lap watching t.v.

I did get some pictures and will post them later. It was a wonderful visit but short! Both kids (and me) were teary-eyed when they left. I've come to realize that we can't wait a year anymore to see each other!

Lottery results....

We went again last night to see if CJ could get into the Odenville Pre-K via the lottery. And the results are......NOPE! It's ok because we walked out of there knowing that he was in a school already and that he really liked it when we toured it.

So with that said, Courtney starts on Thursday and CJ will start school on August 18th. Then I'm not sure what I'll do during the day...LOL

Oops - another lapse!

Man, I need to get with blogging again...LOL

Our vacation was nice but short. We got to visit with almost everyone we wanted to see :o) I was happy to be able to spend time with Mellan and Richard on Sunday while visiting my parents - it was really nice being able to do that. Also, we got to see Pat on our way out of town. She was walking Shamrock as we were driving down the road. It was great to be able to see her too!

Jason and I enjoyed our 3 days at Daytona Beach. I even got Jason back in the ocean! He told me only his feet would go in but after a while, he was in to his waist and having a great time. We both got a little burnt but not too terribly bad thankfully. It did hurt but all was good.

On Thursday, we took Courtney, CJ and Madisen to Disney. They had a blast and so did Jason and I! We got there early and left just after the 9pm parade. CJ was tall enough to ride Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain and he LOVED them! Unfortunately, he wasn't tall enough for Space Mountain (only 1'' to short) but I think it was best for him to wait a little bit before he rides it anyways. Madisen got to ride it and both girls screamed and laughed the whole time, well, maybe I laughed the whole time at them screaming!!

We even went to Hollywood Studios (or to most of us MGM) and CJ got to see McQueen and Mater from CARS! That was well worth the long bus wait and trip there! That really made his day. We also watched the Pixar 3pm parade and all 3 really liked that too. Some of those jumpers were really amazing! I forget how 'above and beyond' Disney is - even in entertainment.

Anyways, CJ did not get picked for the Odenville Pre-K at the lottery drawing. I was disappointed at first but had a few other options to go with. So, last Monday, I went calling to figure out where I could get him in. Boy, that was hard!! My first 3 options were waiting list only. I was really getting discouraged especially since Wednesday I hadn't found him anywhere. Thankfully my friend Rhonda called her former employer and they had a opening but I couldn't formally take the spot since they were closed last week until Friday. On Thursday, I found another place, Grace Presybterian and they had ONE opening come available and all the 8 on their waiting list had already found somewhere. CJ IS GOING TO PRE-K!!! I drove straight there on Thursday, turned in the registration fee and form and took a tour of the church's facility and CJ really liked it. Grace doesn't start until August 18th, parent orientation is August 14th evening and meet the teacher is August 15th in the morning.

BUT....guess what I received on Friday afternoon - a call from the St. Clair Board of Education! They called to say that Monday, August 4th at 6pm that there will be a 'lottery' drawing again for 4 spots for boys and 5 for girls. Something wasn't done correctly the first drawing so they are re-doing those spots. Woo Hoo....we'll be there! THEN....yesterday afternoon I received ANOTHER call from the same lady. She wanted to make sure I received the message. I told her 'yes and that we would be there Monday night'. I knew that there was only 4 spots and the chances of him getting in was going to be slim but at least I know that I can walk away from there if he isn't chosen knowing he has somewhere to go! Well, turns out we'll even have a better chance - ALL 9 SPOTS ARE BEING CHOSEN AGAIN!!! So, tomorrow night - WISH US LUCK! We have a second chance at this opportunity and then only reason I am willing to go back and do this, is that the Odenville Pre-K is a free public school grant and Grace Presbyterian costs us. I know that if he isn't chosen, he will go to Grace and we are fine with that but nothing hurts us from trying again for the Odenville one. Keep your fingers crossed for us and those prayers coming!

Another quick note, Courtney meets her teacher today. She starts school on Thursday and is getting somewhat excited. Hopefully after today, she'll be more but since she is in a different building, it's something new to her and looks nothing like the elementary school. At least, she'll know the cafeteria well - they share the same one.

Ok - this has been an extremely long post and I have left off something very important to me. So, if you are still with me, please pray for my Nanny. She is recovering from a procedure she had done Monday and is still weak. It was truly a scare that I can say, I wasn't ready for at all. I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks, I'll be able to visit with her without the kids (I want her stronger before taking them) and then after a while, take them to see her. I know Courtney was nervous and kept making sure I was ok with what was going on - she wants to visit her too but understands that Nanny comes first and she'll wait until she is 'up for the visit'.

We made it!

Well, it was to say the least a very interesting road trip on Thursday. Even though we gave Biscuit some medicine, she still got car sick (just waited until 130 miles into the trip to do it) THREE times...LOL! Thankfully Jason prepared the car very well with towels and we made several Biscuit stops. We even decided about 5pm to go ahead and drive through to Jason's parents to make sure we didn't have to go through it all again on Saturday. Doing for 2 days of travel was much better than 3! We are going to have to get some extra inexpensive towels to make the trip home.

We just relaxed yesterday and today, Jason is playing golf (still as I type this) with his parents and brother Mike. Then we'll adventure over to my parents this afternoon and spend some time with them. Hopefully we'll also get to see Mellan and Richard too :o) I haven't even taken out my camera for pictures - I'm slacking.

Anyways, that's all that is happening here.

Vacation!!!

Yes, you read that right - we are going on trip!!! We will be leaving a little later today (around 1pm or earlier) and making our way to Florida. We plan on returning next Saturday evening. Jason and I are actually taking a "mini vacation" within our trip :o) The kids (including Biscuit) will be at Gramma and Grandpa's house for 2 nights. Nothing fancy for us - just the beach.

CJ is all excited about going!! Jason will get to see his brother Mike for the first time in forever...LOL They are actually going to play golf Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon we'll adventure over to my parent's for a visit. Either Thursday or Friday, we plan on taking the kids to Disney since CJ wants to go so badly! Hopefully he'll be able to meet Lightning McQueen and Mater (if they still have that parade). That would just make his day.

Since Courtney went back to Florida with Jason's parents last Saturday - it'll just be the 4 of us in the car down and then all 5 of us on the way home. Courtney is really enjoying her time down there and spending a lot of it with her cousin Madisen! They get along so well and I'm glad she gets that quality time with her!

Anyways, off to finish up packing things for Biscuit. It'll be an adventure since she gets car sick but we have medicines to give her - a BIG BONUS!!

FINALLY.....Good news!!

WOO HOO!!! Courtney did her tests today and the results were normal :o)!!! That means (for now at least) no more testing!!! She is on the correct medications to control her asthma! So if everything goes smoothly, she doesn't have to go to Dr. Brasfield again until September!! If she gets sick then she'll have to go IF she coughs with it. So here's hoping for not getting sick.

Picked up CJ's form today and actually got to drop off the packet of information today. I learned alittle bit more about the class. There will only be 9 girls and 9 boys and only ONE class. There has been lots of packets already turned in and everyone still has until July 18th to hand them in. So, start praying for CJ to be 'chosen'!! I know I can get him into a program somewhere else but the cost is outrageous since they are all private ones. I guess I will have to look into those since it's slim-pickin's for this class. But we are still keeping our fingers crossed and praying!

2 posts in one day!!

Yes, we just got back from pitching lessons and boy do I hurt!! I now am a 2 knee-capped person...LOL

This is my goose egg less than 1 1/2 hours after it happened...I tell ya, she can throw the ball HARD and FAST!!!

On another note before I forget, Odenville Elementary was awarded a grant for a K4 program beginning in August. It'll go with Courtney's school calendar and it's full time. We picked up all the paperwork last Friday and will turn it in on Friday (hopefully due to having to take Courtney tomorrow and the office is only there until noon). Everyone's paperwork isn't due until July 18th and then on July 24th is the lottery drawing for the class slots. I will have all 4 parts of the information needed that night tomorrow (just have to pick up the Blue form which is AL immunization record from his pediatrian). I'm so hoping CJ will get lucky and get one of those slots. He so wants to go to school :o) So, if you could keep your fingers crossed for us!!

More pictures...

Well, first before posting pictures, I wanted to let you all know that Courtney will be going tomorrow morning for her tests at Children's Hospital and then having a follow-up appointment immediately afterwards with Dr. Brasfield. Hopefully we'll know something tomorrow - keeping fingers crossed!

Ok - here are some of the pictures I mentioned I would post...

The cake from the softball party

The wonderful bruise on my knee area a week AFTER the initial pitch to it....LOL I must say it doesn't look as bad as it really was in the picture - thankfully!

Now, here are a few of Biscuit :o)

This is how CJ LOVES to put Biscuit's ears...LOL

It's been quite a while....sorry

Let me recount a few things...LOL


Courtney thoroughly enjoyed her softball camp at UAB. I didn't take any pictures which is ok but I wish I had brought my camera the last day. I forgot that they did 'awards' and out of more than 50+ girls, Courtney received the 'Hussle Award' and got a UAB hat. She LOVES that hat and wears it often :o) She also received many compliments and one from the head coach who sought me out after the camp was over. Coach Townsend said that "She has what it takes to be an outstanding ball player. It's in her blood and don't let her give it up!". When I ended up telling Coach Townsend about this past spring was her first official season - she was literally shocked since she plays so well and everything. That was a HUGE compliment and it made Courtney's day!

Oh yes, the softball team party went well. That's the only thing I asked. All the girls enjoyed it and really that's all that mattered to me.

We finally found a large plastic pool for CJ (and Courtney). I did take pictures and those will be posted further down. He LOVES the pool. Now, when we cleaned it up just the other day, we killed the grass underneath but it'll grow back and well worth it with the fun he had!

Courtney did her follow up with Dr. Brasfield on Thursday afternoon. She is doing great except for her testing for pulmonary functions. So, with everything we've done, she will be going for further testing at Children's Hospital. She'll take the pulmonary function test there (it's the Cadillac version compared to the Volkswagon one they have...lol) and then do a breathing test in a plastic box (not sure what that one is called). We'll be called on Monday by Dr. Brasfield's office to have it scheduled hopefully soon. From there, we might have to continue with more testing or proceed with stronger steriods (which we prefer not to do even Dr. Brasfield prefers to do that as the last resort so that's why it has taken so long to get there.) As soon as we figure everything out, I'll post.


I'm sure I'm missing posting about something but I need to make sure I post more and even if they are small posts :o)


I know I owe pictures and here are a few....













CJ was so proud of himself putting his face underwater and not wanting to wipe the water off. He doesn't mind it in the shower but for some reason - the pool makes a difference...lol

I'll make another post with more pictures later. Blogger isn't letting me add more - it's stuck right now. I'll make sure I add the picture of the party cake, the bruise on my knee a week after I was hit there by a pitch from Courtney (it was a fast and hard pitch which is what we want but not for me to catch it on my knee...LOL), my office wall area that I added something to along with the pictures around it, and a few more - like our kitchen floor and updated pictures of Biscuit!

Finally...a little bit of time

Well, it's officially done - planning the end of the season softball party (to be held next Sunday, June 8th from 3-5, a pool party @ the YMCA) AND trophies and plaques have been ordered. Here's what the trophies will look like..

Now, I just have to call all the parents and let them know (later today) and get their money no later than Wednesday :o) It feels good to have that taken care of.

What else has been going on...

1. Courtney is continuing her private pitching lessons every Wednesday afternoon during the summer. She has improved so much and can throw a curve ball and screw ball but doesn't know how she does it...LOL Those are later lessons but the cool thing is - she can throw them on target now :o)


2. We have changed Courtney's inhaled steriod from Flovent to Qvar to see if that will help with her coughing during the day since that hasn't gotten better. We'll go back to Dr. Brasfield on the 19th in the afternoon to see how things are. I do know that if Qvar doesn't do the trick - she'll be on a combo medication that is inhaled but that could change with how things go before returning to the office.


3. CJ has decided to start coughing at night - so this means we are starting up his albuterol inhaler again! If that doesn't help, we'll be going to the dr. for him. I'm sure down the line he'll be a patient of Dr. Brasfield....fun, fun!


4. Courtney is signed up for 2 different softball clinics/camps in June. The first clinic is on the 4th and 5th and then the camp is from the 9th-12th. She is looking forward to it!

And before I forget...here are some family pictures from Portrait Innovations.

Finally....some pictures

Well, softball season is officially over. Courtney did not make All Stars but that is fine with everyone here. It's nice to be home at night (at least at a decent time). BUT on with some wonderful news....Moody Elementary does a 3rd grade award ceremony and Courtney received 2 academic medallions!! One was for the A Honor Roll all year and the other was for the highest grade point average for a girl in her class :o) We are so proud of her!!!

So on with some pictures... (ones from Portrait Innovations will be in the next blog entry)

First from her Award ceremony....

















This was for the 'Good News Bear' club she was appointed to.

Softball pictures!

Busy Weekend ahead..

The softball team has entered into a tournament that is being held this weekend. Tonight is our first game at 6pm and then tomorrow - we have 3 - yes you read that right - 3 games!! The times are 9am, 1:30pm and then again at 6pm. Then they play again on Sunday and it's a one game elimination. So we could actually play all day Sunday too if we win every game we play. It's all coach pitch so Courtney won't be pitching but that's ok - I'll be sure to get pictures I promise!

Biscuit is settling in really well here. We take her to the vet today at 10 for puppy shots - that'll be fun. Thankfully she loves car rides and doesn't get sick. She is so small she can fit under the seats!! I'm sure that'll change soon but for now, it's cute.

I want to say Congratulations to my sister Misti - she graduated on Monday!! It's nice to say that you're never too old to go back to school :o) And I'm not saying she's old at all but for some - being in your 30's and going back to school isn't something they'd do - so I'm proud of her!

Also, Marti got another goat! I actually told CJ about it and he can't wait to see it. He keeps requesting to have Norton too!! I tell him he can't but he states that Norton loves him :o)

I promise I'll do better with pictures soon - most are downloaded now but I'm using my laptop currently which has no pictures on it. Next time, I'll post some softball pictures.

We have saved a life!!

We went last Saturday to look at a beagle puppy that was for adoption but didn't get her for 2 reasons - 1. You had to have a fence up already and 2. She was really cute but VERY skinny. Lizzie was already in a 'foster home' so we didn't understand why she was still so skinny. When we were on our way to look at her, we heard the radio ad for the Greater Birmingham Humane Society 31 hour Adopt-a-thon. Since CJ was so disappointed about not being able to get Lizzie, we decided to go there and just look.

We looked at a lot of them - from puppies to older dogs (only up to 4 years old). We looked at a hound that was named 'Ella' which she reminded me a little of Angel with the tri-coloring but when we got into the room to interact with her - she didn't have much to do with any of us. We then asked to see a yellow lab (only 8 weeks old). There was 3 of them in one kennel and Jason wanted to see the 'middle shaded one'....LOL Her name was Sheree and she was so timid and scared. She peed from the time they took her out of the kennel to even when she was put down into the room. She warmed up a bit to each one of us and the kids started to fall in love :o) Then...out of the corner of Jason's eye, he spots the little black puppy he saw someone holding when we went to the 'meeting room' for the first time. The puppy wasn't in any kennel the whole time we were there so we didn't see it. Jason wanted to make sure the puppy was a girl and then wanted to see her.

So, only weighing 5 lbs (at least their last weigh in) - Biscuit came into the room. She is a lovable and playful puppy. She has become part of our family :o) We are not 100% sure what she is...we've been told a few things but the vet suggested a shepherd/lab mix but most of those puppies were triple her size at this age (2 months) so we don't know what she'll become. She looks like a Manchester Terrier too. The joy of watching her grow!

Here she is...

One of my favorite pictures I have gotten to take :o)

Now, all we need is our 'Buttermilk' (which would be a pug puppy from Piper) to complete our little family. Jason stated a brown puppy would work and call it 'Gravy' but I want a pug!! We looked for pugs at the shelter and even online at the Alabama pug rescue but no luck :o( - we'll just wait patiently for Piper's puppies!!

Another update...

Courtney is done with Predinsone...YEAH!!! It really has helped her sleep at night even though it took a few days. She is still coughing during the day but hopefully it'll get better each and every day.

There are only 2 more games in the official softball season - tomorrow night and Saturday afternoon. It's such a short season but they'll be playing in a tournament May 16th-18th. Courtney did get to pitch again in a game (Monday night) and it was in the 2nd inning. She was not looking good during her warm up pitches but when the batters got up there - she was doing good. She almost walked one but didn't!! She actually did 3 up 3 down!! I'm so proud of her! PLUS during that game, she had a home run!! She has been lovin' this season and wishes it doesn't stop. It all depends on All-Stars (we'll find out hopefully on the 19th). If she doesn't make it, she'll be having fun at 2 softball camps!

I have my camera out and ready to take some pictures and then download some! I know I owe pictures to this blog and hopefully will get to it soon!!

Quick Update...

Well, things are still crazy here. Courtney started to cough last Friday so we did our Ventolin Inhaler (Albuterol) everyr 4 hours. It hadn't gotten better and by Sunday - her stomach began to hurt. So I got her in to Dr. Miller (regular dr.) on Tuesday and everything checked out but we are treating her proactively against walking pneumonia like CJ had with antibiotics and started Prevacid for heartburn (thinking that could be the cause of her stomach issues present and past). She'll take it for 2 months and we'll go from there.

The last 2 nights she has been coughing in her sleep that it has woken her up. I called Dr. Brasfield today and got her in (1pm) - gotta love that!! We have upped her steriod inhaler to the middle level, added Predinsone (2 tablets) every morning for 5 days and keep doing her Albuterol everyr 4 hours for one more week. Hopefully everything changes with this and it'll kick this awful cough. We now go back in 4 weeks and see what our plans will be for the rest of the summer. It's been so bad at school that Mrs. Simpson told me today that she thought for sure Courtney would have coughed up a lung today plus a few classmates told me about how purple she turned while coughing!! I'm so glad we got her in today!!

Other than all that....we still are doing softball and enjoying it. Our official last game is on May 10th but have some tournament games scheduled for later in May and possibly June. Plus we never know about All-Stars!!

That's it for now, I'm off to make sure Courtney is resting after her not-so-much sleeping night - hopefully she'll nap before practice tonight. She has already complained about 'little black lines under her eyes' - LOL!!

3 straight days

We have softball games 3 days in a row. Tonight's was the first one and it was against Odenville. It was a game of 'change ups'. The girls all started in their own positions except for one (Kelsi) who was trying out a new position as catcher. After the girls scored and got really ahead, both Coach Carrie and Coach Jason decided it was time to change things up!! The girls really enjoyed it :o) We did win too!!

As far as all the positions Courtney did - shortshop, was on 1st base for a while until the normal first baseman didn't like being on pitcher's mound so they switched (this was during the time of Coach pitch) and then she actually pitched!! Yep...she got to pitch for the first time in a real game!! She ended up walking the 1st and 3rd batter, striking out the 2nd and got close to striking out the 4th but ended up walking her. I can't tell you the excitement I felt when she threw her first strike!! I'm so proud of her! She also made a great line-drive catch on pitcher's mound to get the 2nd out and then threw to 1st base but unfortunately overthrew her BUT it ended up being a double play since the first base runner didn't 'tag up' so it was 2 outs at once!!

I'm so proud of each and every girl on our team. Even had one of my Brownies (first time playing softball is now) hit a double! Another pure excited moment - I was jumping up and down for her!! The smile was priceless!!

As for all sorts of first today....Jason actually got on the mound to do some coach pitch! He has been doing some in the batting cages and at practices but never in the game. For 8 & under softball, it's girl pitch the 1st, 2nd and 5th innings and coach pitch the 3rd and 4th. Plus the coach comes in to pitch if 3 batters are walked by a girl pitcher in an inning and it doesn't have to be in a row. Jason didn't do too bad but he did mention that it was much different during the game than at practices!

CJ has already asked Jason to coach t-ball when he begins to play. We believe t-ball isn't offered in the fall like softball so we'll be spending TONS of time next spring at the ball park! It keeps them active and helps get all their energy out!!

I forgot to take my camera today but definitely plan on taking it tomorrow to the game - even if it's just to get pictures of Jason pitching since tomorrow's game is all coach pitch since it's a different ballpark we are playing at. We won against them over a week ago so tomorrow shouldn't be any different. We would like to win Monday night as we have lost against that team (Coach King - Courtney's fall ball coach) but it's definitely ok if we lose as long as the girls are having fun :o)

Wow....what a game!!!

Of course, we've been busy with the softball season. The girls have had 3 games so far and one rain out (which has already been rescheduled). They are doing so well!! Our first game was against another Moody team (Cherry) and we won 10-4!!! We had played them during the preseason tournament and lost so this was a sweet win :o) Our next game was against Courtney's fall ball coach - we hadn't practice since the first game (which was 4 days in between) and our rain out game was the night before so unfortunately we lost :o(. We ended up having practice with a few girls on Sunday late morning.

We then had a game last night against another Moody team (Holcomb) which went to the finals in the preseason tournament. They have won against us in practice games. It was a very intense game. We were the home team and kept them from scoring in the top of the first ending. We were up at the end of the first. Then all of a sudden we got down 6 to 1! During the bottom of the 3rd - the bases were loaded and Courtney was up to bat.

GUESS WHAT..............




GRAND SLAM BABY!!

I am so proud of Courtney!! As soon as she slid into homebase, we walked towards each other (I was the 1st base coach) and I lifted her up in the air! It was one of the most proudest sports moments I've ever had with her! She is on cloud 9 and on a personal high :o) We ended up winning the game 10-8 and the girls are so happy. Also during the game, Courtney got 2 of their best runners out on 2nd base - it was sure her night!! A mom from the other team ended up giving Courtney $10 after the game for her grand slam. Both her daughter and Courtney were on the same ball team in fall and I would always tell her daugther that I would give her $10 if she hit it to the fence. She did once for me and I paid up. I never thought it would go reverse especially being on different teams. Half of the fall ball team is on Courtney's team now and the other half on Holcomb's team. It's difficult to not cheer for those girls when we are playing them but we do support them in every game :o)

On another note, CJ just got the all clear from the dr. yesterday for his follow-up. We had to take him a week ago last Friday to the dr. since his cough wasn't going away and nothing was working. He had walking pneumonia! He is all better now and enjoying time at the ball field. He always ask if we are going to practice or play :o) He is one supportive brother!

That's all that's been happening here. We do have games this weekend. Friday night and Saturday late afternoon then again on Monday night. I hope we continue to do such wonderful teamwork!!! We are so proud of these girls! Hope to post pictures soon (when I'm not helping on the field as a coach I can take more pictures).

Belated!

Sorry I'm late in wishing everyone a Blessed Easter! Things have been so crazy here that I finally had yesterday to relax with the kids (Jason had to work). It was nice to have a 'lazy' day and do nothing but play in the tournament area of Webkinz with Courtney :o) Her friend Lauren had a fever and their plans were postponed but hopefully she'll be fever free later today!

What's been going on besides softball here? Well...we finally got our pictures taken!!! We went last Tuesday to Portrait Innovations. Let me just say, OMG...they take some incredible pictures. We now have to find a few 10x13 frames since we got some of those free! I will have to get the family pictures ready to send out but not sure when I'll get to it.

Courtney did have a softball pre-season tournament last weekend - they played Friday, Saturday and Sunday and lost, won and lost. I was so proud of the team - they really came together :o)

We have softball practice tonight and throughout today - I plan on doing my normal chores - cleaning, laundry and such. It'll be tougher this week as Courtney has Spring Break and wants to do lots of things...LOL We definitely are excited that tomorrow morning - we will be picking up Gramma!! The kids can't wait - CJ was just crying and so upset yesterday about missing Gramma that when I told him she was coming in 2 days - he smiled so big and let out an excited scream - it was loud! Also, after we pick up Gramma, we take Courtney to her follow-up appointment with the pulmonary specialist.

Sometime this week I need to get together during the day with Rhonda and another team player's mom to work on our team sign for opening day. We have a parade opening day in the park and whoever wins 1st place on the sign gets $100! We would LOVE to win to apply that towards the girls trophies or end of the season party. We have ideas already and most of the supplies so that could be done today if everyone can get together.

Oh yes...we have completely finished painting. I'm so excited. I still need to take pictures of the family room and upload the ones from the den (completed basement area) along with the 2nd time we had snow here. I'm telling you...I'm getting further and further behind on things with everything going on. I know I'll never be caught up and I'm ok with that!

That's it for now. I'll try and keep this updated especially during softball season and I hope to take pictures soon - even if it's just practice!

What time is it???

SOFTBALL SEASON TIME!!! This week, we have spent most of our time at the ball field. We were there Sunday and then every day since then. We will be there again tonight for our first pre-season tournament game (it's more of a practice game then anything). I'm hoping to remember my camera but it's suppose to rain so not sure if I'll take it. Yes, we will play in the rain as long as there is no thunder or lightening. Courtney is playing shortstop and doing wonderfully!! What a difference in how she does in running since being on her current inhalers!! I'm grateful that CJ enjoys going to the ballpark and thankful for Hannah being there too to play with :o)

What else has been happening? We did get snow last Saturday and I took some pictures but haven't downloaded them yet (been too busy...lol). Courtney ended up with some kind of rash but wasn't contagious - it looked like she had a sunburn. She is finishing up her meds for that. We all got haircuts so we could do pictures but not sure when that will happen - might have to wait until next time.

Oh...Courtney got her report card yesterday and she made the 'A' honor roll AGAIN!! She has always been on it at Moody Elementary and we are so proud of her! She hasn't remembered that we owe her anything yet but I'm sure she'll say something soon ;o)

Gramma (Jason's mom) will be coming for a visit on March 25th and CJ can't stop talking/asking about when she'll visit. He hasn't seen her since October of last year. He isn't use to not seeing her for this long (same with the rest of us!). I'm glad she picked that week as it's Courtney's spring break and they can spend time together until ball practice :o) That's also the day Courtney goes back for her follow-up with her Pulmonary Specialist.

Hope everyone is doing well and are healthy!

Just a heads up...

We are predicted to get some bad thunderstorms - possibly hail and tornados. The wind is really kicking up and has been all day. We have a wind advisory until 6am tomorrow morning. All this is suppose to hit between midnight and 4am (sounds a lot like last week).

So, we might lose phones and internet again but wanted to give everyone a 'heads up' if you don't hear from me via im/email or phone for a while. We already have a 'plan' with friends in case it gets worse - they need somewhere safe.

Here's hoping it's not anything like last week. The funny thing is...we are expected to get snow flurries tomorrow - just like last week that we got!

Woo Hoo!

I have a phone line and Internet service back!! We haven't had either since sometime Tuesday way early in the morning due to the terrible storm that came through. I must say, I believe a tornado hit Leeds (the city right next to us). There is a lot of damage and just to name a few things - a house is gone, one lady was killed by a tree falling on her house, and the new Leeds Softball field is destroyed! My friend took me through the path and let me just say, it was awful and can't even imagine what a 'bad' tornado would do. There was a BIG tree uprooted...just really sad.

Tomorrow officially starts Spring Softball season! We have practice from 9am-11:15am. We are one excited household :o) I found out how Courtney 'scored' at try-outs - out of 40 possible points - she got a 30!!! I'm so proud of her! There were only 4 girls who scored 30 or above and the highest score was a 34. Let me just say, softball must be definitely in her blood considering she didn't get to play for 4 weeks in fall due to her buckle fracture but did a heck of a lot better than some girls out there that have played for a few more seasons! She wants to learn how to pitch so we are going to let her learn. She tried at the try-outs and actually has the technique and the consistency but just has to work on the accuracy of getting the ball up and over the plate - not rolling on the plate.

I wish I would have known in January about the USA Olympic Softball team playing right here in B'ham - I would have loved to take her. Thankfully Jason knows some people so he's going to ask about tickets. Rhonda and I plan on taking Courtney and Lauren to a UAB softball game in March (right before Easter) if possible. Plus, we are saving money to let Courtney due to softball clinics during the summer which she wishes was sooner!!

CJ is just as excited about being at the ballpark as the rest of us. He already sees Hannah (Lauren's little sister) almost every day in car line but will definitely see her every day at the ball field. They are so cute together - fighting like an old married couple - it's just too funny!! I'm sure he'll be playing next fall - either Cap Ball or TBall - but we'll just wait and see.

That's all that's happening here. Just remember - softball practice and games take 5 out of 7 days so I'll be busy especially with being co-team mom with Rhonda. We have lots to plan and get ready for the season. I'm really looking forward to sharing this season with everyone - expect pictures :o)

Sorry!

I apologize for not writing sooner about Courtney's results. It's just been crazy and been taking care of her with the flu and trying to make sure no one else gets it!

All her tests came back normal so the only issue is strictly asthma!! That's wonderful news for us! I must say I was nervous about the Upper GI test and her drinking that stuff. Let me just say, they poured A TON of Hershey's Chocolate syrup into her drink. They made it like a milkshake for her. She stated the only thing she tasted was chocolate. The FUNNIEST thing...after she was done drinking her cup (it was much smaller than what I had to drink years ago) she told both the tech and the radiologist that it was 'refreshing'! That was a first for both of them. She was just so thirsty and hungry - it didn't matter :o)

She finally became fever free on Friday and was so excited to wake up this morning and go to school! Plus she was so ready to play and have friends over that she had Lauren come over Friday night and stay :o) It was really great to see her feeling like herself again.

She had softball try-outs yesterday and did excellent!! I'm so proud of her. She even gave a try at pitching and was consistently over the plate each throw (she was given 5) but was releasing a little to late so they all rolled but the key was consistently over the plate. She wants to work on pitching a bit now too (a bonus is the head coach was a pitcher).

We are going to paint the finish basement area tomorrow. Moving the furniture was interesting but not too bad. Jason started priming the walls on Saturday but will finish this afternoon once he gets home and start painting tomorrow since he is off. It's called 'Sea Wave' and I can't wait to see it on the walls :o) Of course, I'll take pictures but can't promise they'll be on right a way...LOL

Oh yeah before I forget...Courtney has to go back on March 25th for a check up with her specialist and will see if our plan of attack is working well for her!

Finally....

I finally took those pictures - after my camera batteries charged! Of course the pictures don't make the colors look like what they do when you are here but you'll get the idea :o)

Kid's Bathroom...the color is called Quacamole

The kitchen - It's Sweet Spiceberry (more deep red than orange like shown in the pics)

The Master bedroom - it's called 'Calabash' (it's brighter than we thought it would be but we like it!)
















And a quick update...Courtney went to the doctor's this morning and she has been officially diagnosed with the FLU!!! It's a wait and see game with CJ since he had his flu shot at the end of November (he should be covered but depending on what strain Courtney has, he still could get it). Keep your fingers crossed that only Courtney has to suffer with this! Luckily, she will still be able to do all her testing tomorrow too!

3 down...1 to go!

Jason and I have painted 3 rooms so far - the kitchen, the kids' bathroom and we just finished our bedroom. The only one left...the finished basement area. That'll take atleast 2 gallons of paint! We are leaving the family room and entry way to get quotes from a few people since I don't do heights and will not do the stairway area. Thankfully we have friends who know people that do painting - one is Rhonda's brother-in-law (I guess it would be ex but still participates in the family) and the other is Brandon (he helped us move here). With Rhonda and Kevin AND Brandon and Jamie - we pretty much have a connection with anyone here in Moody/Leeds area - they know everyone...LOL

Courtney has had a fever all weekend. Just not being herself. Hopefully it'll break sometime today as all her testings are on Wednesday. Thankfully CJ hasn't caught whatever she's got.

Softball try-outs have been moved from this Saturday to Sunday due to a pageant. So instead of all day Saturday - they'll be from 1-4pm on Sunday. Speaking of softball, Courtney had a blast at the softball camp a few weekends ago :o) I forgot my camera that day but will try and remember it for try-outs.

That's all that's been happening here. Will update once we know about Courtney and her tests on Wednesday.

Courtney's Specialist outcome...

Not sure if all of you knew but Courtney finally got to go see a Pediatric Pulmonary Specialist yesterday - in connection with her asthma and not being able to do much without being out of breath.

We had to be there at noon so I had to check her out of school at 11:15 to be able to get to St. Vincent's Hospital in Downtown B'ham. As soon as we got there, we had to get her to radiology for a chest x-ray. By the time we waited for that and got back to the dr. office - it was 1pm. We waited for a bit there and finally got called back. She did a few breathing tests (taking a deep breath and then pushing it out - like blowing up a balloon) and they tested her oxygen and her pulse. After all that, we went into the room to wait for Dr. Brasfield.

Once Dr. Brasfield came in, we ended up doing a extensive medical history of Courtney and then of her family and extended family. I hope I remembered everything! Anyways, she then examined Courtney. We know that her chest xray was normal - a very good thing and her breathing is in the normal range but basically on the line of being not good. I think it is like 1 away from being off. With her xray being normal - it limits the possible causes from 200 to about 9. Thankfully all but one causes can be tested...the one that can't is asthma. She is almost certain it's full blown asthma but wants to make sure nothing else is contributing to her issues.

With that said, we are doing a plan of action now. She is to use her Albuterol inhaler before any type of exercise or activity (bike riding, riding her scooter, jumping, etc) and she is now on a steroid inhaler (2 puffs in the morning and at night). We return to the office on Feb. 20th - to do further testing of her breathing to see if that is the right dosage of steroids to help her since they'll be in her for over 14 days (not by much but they will be).

Also on the 20th, we do all the other testing. Courtney will not be in school that day. We have to be at the hospital at 8am and her tests start at 8:30. She has to go through an Upper GI, a sinus xray, bloodwork (but I forgot what test they are running on that) and then after all that, will go to Dr. Brasfield's office for her Sweat test and her office visit (which includes her breathing test to check the steroid to see if they are working). By the time we leave there, we will have all the results of the tests and a new action plan to make sure Courtney will be able to enjoy the things she does and not have to worry about not being able to breath, coughing and chest hurting afterwards. This is our ultimate goal - for her to be able to enjoy being a kid without huffing and puffing :o)

Let me just say, I really really like Dr. Brasfield. She is very thorough and explained everything to Courtney too in language Courtney understood (not all medical terms). Now Courtney actually understands what is going on with her before her inhaler and afterwards. It helped that there were pictures too....LOL

I'll keep you updated with her appt. and testing once it happens.

Mickey Mouse has passed away....

Yep - you read that right...Mickey Mouse is gone!!

Where do I begin to explain...let's start from this morning.

1. Woke up and Jason decided to take Courtney to school since he had the day off. We decided to paint the kitchen since our last 'ant invasion' and the spray was on the wall. You can't clean flat paint. It got to the point we both couldn't stand it.
2. As he was beginning to leave, I told him that I would empty out the top of the china cabinet so we could move it forward to paint.
3. He left with Courtney as I sat in the kitchen closest to the sink and dishwasher (back towards that). CJ was in the family room playing with his cars.
4. All of a sudden....I saw a flash of something in the corner of my eye and I looked!!
5. OMG..there is a mouse in my house!! It ran in between (or underneath) the dishwasher and side cabinet. I SCREAMED!!
6. I ran out of the kitchen and to the front door (since it's glass and Jason and Courtney could see me as they were going down the driveway. I asked through the glass if he had his phone with him (Imagine me in the doorway putting the universal sign of phone to my ear).
7. He called me right away. By that time, CJ and I were both on my bed watching the entrance to the kitchen to make sure NOTHING came out. Jason just giggled and said that the mouse probably wouldn't come back out.
8. Jason returned and no more mouse. So he fed CJ breakfast and made himself breakfast (also went next to the dishwasher and nothing). I finally made it back into the kitchen and sat facing that famous area.
9. Yep...you guessed it....the mouse made his appearance AGAIN! This time - all 3 of us screamed!!! It was a fast little guy and went back into the same area.
10. I decided I would go to Lowe's and get something and Jason could stay home and be the 'mouse watcher' to make sure it stayed there.
11. While I was gone, Jason stated that he made his appearance quite often. He even tried to get out of the kitchen but thankfully CJ scared him back in!
12. We (I should say Jason because I wouldn't go near that area) put out the sticky traps because we tried the normal traps and it went off twice without getting mine or Jason's fingers!
13. Within minutes...Mickey Mouse past one sticky pad and went to the next. He then was stuck! He tried so hard to get out and I'm watching it a bit from the laundry room! No way was I going to be anywhere CLOSE to that area in case he got loose!
14. Jason couldn't take it anymore and he took another sticky trap and put it on top of him. Then proceeded to put the 2 traps and Mickey in a plastic bag. Our friend suggested throwing him over the 10 foot drop across the street - so there is where Mickey is...caught in between 2 sticky traps in a tied plastic bag thrown over a 10 foot cliff!
15. RIP Mickey Mouse!!

After all that excitement....we did paint the kitchen and it does look really nice. Finally finished up this afternoon and know that painting other rooms won't be far behind because this flat paint stinks!!

I sure hope I never have to deal with Minnie Mouse this week either! We still have traps out just in case and are going to put some in the garage and such. They are still building around us and clearing fields so I wouldn't be surprised if we don't. Just next time, I'm leaving while the traps are out and then Jason can deal with them when he gets home and can let me know when it's safe to come home...LOL

Another performance for Courtney...

Courtney has been chosen to take part in "NIGHT OF THE ARTS"!!

Moody Elementary School's Third Grade will present "Night of the Arts" on Tuesday, January 29th. It includes a tour of the Third Grade wing and a presentation of students' artwork. After the tour, everyone will go to the cafeteria for several examples of performance art and the night will conclude with awards be given. Courtney will be jump roping!! She is so excited. She does a few tricks (which I didn't even know she knew)! I believe one is called the 'cross-over' but what it is exactly - I don't know. I was never a huge jump roper. I hope to get some good pictures but not sure if that will happen. We'll wait and see.

We signed her up for Spring softball yesterday. Currently, Jason is signed up to be the assistant coach for her team. They actually have a softball camp on Feb. 9th and she can't wait. CJ is going to wait another season to play so we can work with him on a few things. He can't wait to start going to the ball park.

That's about all going on here.

Yesterday's snow pictures!

The back deck (at least a small section but all of it was covered).

The trampoline

Courtney, CJ, Lauren and Hannah just getting to the deck :o)

Here are pictures from Courtney's party....

Wait and see....

They are predicting 1-4 inches of snow - yes SNOW - for us here in Alabama. They are also predicting more snow south of us in AL - 4-6 inches! I'll believe it when I see it!

With all the snow advisories - Courtney and CJ are thrilled that they can possibly go sledding down our hill, make snow angels AND have snowflakes hit their tongue (at least CJ is excited about this one!). I knew we bought this house for a reason...LOL IF it does snow, I have my camera batteries charged and ready. It's suppose to start after midnight and continue until noonish. No ice is predicted which is a good thing. Jason doesn't work tomorrow which is a huge bonus since no one here in AL really know how to handle the snow.

Oh, I finally downloaded pictures and will post them soon - I promise :o)

A small request from Courtney...
If you read our blog, would you mind posting a comment? I always ask my
mom if people are reading and she always tells me she doesn't know. I would
like to see how many people read. Thank you. Love ya!

So, if you could please comment once in a while to make her stop asking me - I would greatly appreciate it!

Oohh baby, it's cold outside!!

You'll never guess what happened here yesterday - we had sleet and some SNOWFLAKES!! Yes, snowflakes here in AL!! Of course, I believe we got more here at the house since we are on the 'mountain'...LOL Both kids enjoyed it though CJ enjoyed it from inside :o) Courtney loved it and stated that 'I wish we were back in PA for the snow - I miss it!'. A girl after my own heart - I miss the snow too!!

I can remember everytime it snowed in PA - I would call Misti and brag. Since she's been in Texas - she can call me and brag. So, what did I do yesterday? Called her to brag...LOL Unfortunately, it didn't stick and there are no pictures but it looks as though this weekend we could have some again - Friday night into Saturday morning. We are keeping our fingers crossed here for some!

I haven't downloaded pictures from Courtney's party yet (sorry) but let me say, the girls had a WONDERFUL time!! My friend Rhonda helped me with the spa night and actually was disappointed that she wasn't staying the night too. But we reassured the girls she'd be back early in the morning! They went to sleep after midnight and were up by 7am. I was exhausted by the time 5pm came around. I even went to bed by 8 and didn't wake up until about 9am on Sunday. All in all - the party was a success and Courtney can't wait to have another one.

If you have girls that love to have sleepovers, I must recommend the American Girl "Snooze-a-palooza!: More Than 100 Slumber Party Ideas" book (Thanks Mom R!!). Courtney received one for Christmas and that gave us the spa ideas. All the natural spa recipes were very impressive and you could actually feel and see the differences on the girls. Courtney would have liked for me to give each attendee one but considering they are $10 each, that would have been a little too much since I already bought goodie items.

Talking about the goodie items - LOVE LOVE LOVE the dollar section at Target. I got each girl a manicure set, pedicure set, lip glosses, nail polishes, an eye cover and a bath loofa all in that section! Thank goodness for this section :o)

I promise I will download the pictures soon and post some especially of the birthday cake. OMG - it was HUGE!!! It ended up being bigger than I ordered since she couldn't get it to cut right into the megaphone in the size I wanted. We made sure we gave huge pieces to everyone as they left too just so we didn't have that much left here.

9 years ago today...

I sit here and still can't believe that my baby girl is NINE today!!! This morning we gave her 2 gifts for her birthday - the WebKinz Love Frog and the Lil' Kinz Koala that she has been wanting! She was so excited.

Courtney's is having a 'Spa and Slumber party' this Friday with 3 girl friends and then a regular party (High School Musical theme of course!) from 2-4 on Saturday with the rest of the girls she wanted. I'm thinking I'm totally crazy for having 3 girls spend the night with Courtney but having 8 total - would be INSANE!!! So this is how we compromised!!

I ordered her a cake today - it'll be a megaphone with EHS (East High in High School Musical). She can't wait to see it.

We are taking her to dinner tonight @ Santa Fe and she has invited one of her best friends Lauren and her family (which is like Courtney's second family here). I have to remember to take my camera and get pictures!

Oh the weather outside is....

FREEZIN' COLD!! Here's what the weather looks like for the rest of the week:

Today - Breezy, with a north wind between 15 and 20 mph - Hi 34°F
Tonight - Clear - Lo 15°F - North wind around 5 mph
Thursday - Sunny - Hi 41°F - Northeast wind around 5 mph
Thursday Night - Mostly Clear - Lo 22°F - Calm wind
Friday - Sunny - Hi 51°F - Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph
Friday Night - Mostly Clear -Lo 28°F

You know we are at a higher elevation here at the house so it'll always be colder and more windier than what it states. Our friends came here last night and it was 38° traveling here but as they got close to us it turned to 36° and then on her temperature in the car when they reach the top of our driveway - it just read "Ice". It that helps tell you how high are driveway steep is :o)

I'm excited - Courtney and I made her invitations last night (she helped pick the picture and I created them in Paint Shop Pro). I just need to get some colored ink so I can print them and then cut them for her. She is excited about her party - it's a WebKinz one :o) She is still wanting some to sleep over but I'm debating about that - more than one girl is a lot..LOL

Like I posted before - I made some resolutions this year and today is the second day of them. So far, so good :o) I am wanting to do a schedule for myself but haven't had a chance to sit down and do it so hopefully today.

I hope everyone has a new year full of health and happiness :o)

Happy New Year!!

I can't believe it's already 2008!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We did even though I had 2 sick.


I just know that 2008 will be full of surprises and everything. I even made some resolutions for the new year which I NEVER do! I'm hoping to keep them or at least be close to what they are. I will not get disappointed if I do go off them since this is my first year doing them.


As I sit here and type, I still can't believe my baby girl will be turning 9 in 7 days!! Talk about time flying! Courtney wants a WebKinz birthday party so we are having that on the 12th here at the house. Which reminds me, I need to start making those invitations so she can take them to school on the 7th when she returns.

The kids made out for Christmas. Both got Nintendo DS Lite's, DS games, and an iPod shuffle (Courtney's is pink and CJ's is blue). I still need to purchase some songs on iTunes for Courtney - she is patiently waiting. I figure CJ can have the same songs as her so we'll be all good.

I know this entry seems to go back and forth so I promise to do a better entry next time :o) Hopefully next time, I won't have a headache!