A little bit of this and that

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve blogged. Things have been busy with us now that everyone is back into their daily routines with school and work. I have been enjoying watching the kids grow and learn new things over the past few weeks. Samuel is talking a lot more and it is so funny to see him carry on conversations with his sisters. They better watch out because it won’t be long until he starts telling them what to do. Olivia ha growing like a little weed. She has hit a growth spurt and has shot up. She is still quiet and loves to play all by herself. Riley is amazing us everyday. We got her report card last week and she had straight A’s again with a 99 average in everything. This week one of her writing pieces was chosen to be taken to the central office to be put on display. And today she was chosen as “Terrific Kid” and got a terrific kid t-shirt and a certificate. I can’t tell you how proud I am of her. She is reading so good and her writing is great. Riley has also joined the Girl Scouts and is selling cookies, so if you would like to buy any just let me know. She is back in full swing with Soccer too. She is also interested in cheerleading and we have a meeting next week about that, so we will see if it is really something that she wants to do. I am trying to get Olivia involved in some things but she says she doesn’t really want to do anything. Maybe we can talk her into dance or gymnastics at least. Who’s knows.

Joel is extremely busy at work, which is a great thing. There are just some days that we don’t get to see much of each other. But I can’t complain because he loves what he does and he doesn’t come home too stressed. I just hope and pray that he will be able to hire some more technical support people soon. That will really lessen his work load.

I have been busy with church activities and motherly duties…cleaning, cooking, homework, cleaning, cooking, etc. I have been doing a few crafts here and there. I made Olivia a new Valentine’s shirt and I am working on some things for Samuel’s room. About a month ago I was looking on ebay for the girls something to wear for Easter. I had several dresses on my watch list but just wasn’t willing to pay the high dollar price for them. So last week I began checking online sites that I have bought from before. My first site I checked was Remember Nguyen and this site was having a huge sale. I bought ten dresses for $140. If I would have paid full price I would have spent almost $400. So the girls are set for this Spring and Summer. Now if I can just find Samuel some really cute clothes.

Wish we all felt better

I wish the weather would makes its mind up…cold one date, warm the next. We are all sick with the crud again. Riley didn’t feel good Sunday and ran a little fever Sunday night. She didn’t play much Monday morning either. Olivia started feeling bad Monday night, and ran fever during the night. Samuel has had a runny nose too. Today, Riley felt good enough to go to school and she hadn’t ran anymore fever. Olivia didn’t feel to good this morning. She slept until ten a.m. And if you know her, you know that this is not normal. She is usually up by 6:30 a.m. After lunch, she was running around with Samuel and they had a great afternoon playing. Joel and I didn’t sleep well last night. We both have the crud. We are constantly sneezing, blowing our noses, coughing and my eyes are watery and itchy. Will it ever end? We have a busy weekend so I am praying that we all get better soon.

I would like to end this post on a good note. Riley brought home her report card last Friday and she did great again. She had all A’s and her lowest average was a 98. We are so happy that she is still liking Kindergarten (just doesn’t like getting up so early) and learning a lot. She is getting excited about the Fairy Tale Ball. She and I are also making her birthday plans….can’t believe she will soon be six years old.

A little bit of normalcy in the family.

This past weekend Joel and I took the kids to his parents while he and I helped my parents move into their new house. As you know they l lost everything in the April 27, 2011 tornado. The building process went pretty smoothly. They began building in the middle of September, so it only took about four months to build the house and shop. My parents built bigger and better. The old house was about two thousand square feet and the new house is twenty-seven hundred square feet. It is three bedroom, big living room, kitchen, sun room (kids playroom too), office, huge master bedroom and bath, and a nice utility room. My dad’s shop is a three-bay shop and has lots of space. They built where my grandparents house was and sold the land where their house was. We moved just about everything from the rent house only leaving a few things. We will go back this weekend and help finish the moving and let the kids see the finished house. My parents slept in the new house for the first time Saturday night. So glad they are finally back home in Smithville and can get back to a normal life. My dad retired in December, so he has lots of time to relax, fix up his shop, and hunt.

We are also getting back to normal routines at our house. All three kids went back to school this Monday. After I got Olivia and Samuel dropped off at preschool, I didn’t know what to do. The house was way too quiet, but I enjoyed it because I had a migraine. I got some cleaning done, read a little, and rested. We are getting ready to begin the spring season of soccer and Riley just joined the Girl Scouts…so she is a brownie. I am trying to talk Olivia into taking dance or doing gymnastics or play soccer, but she doesn’t want to do anything. She says she just wants to watch Riley. Oh well, she will eventually come around and get involved in things.

So far 2012 has been pretty good and I hope that you and your family has a wonderful year filled with many blessings.

Happy New Year

2011 was a good year…not great, but good. We had some rough patches as everyone does, but God pulled us through and we are ready to see what God has in store for us in 2012.

Joel and I decided to start our own little New Year’s Eve family tradition…

Red Hot Apple Cider.

If you haven’t ever tried this, I highly recommend it. Here is the recipe if you would like to give it a try.

RED HOT APPLE CIDER
1 qt. apple cider or juice
1/4 c. red hot candies
Melt the red hot candies in the apple cider on the stove top. Once all candies are melted serve and enjoy.

We hope that God blesses you in 2012. Enjoy every minute you have with your family and friends.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A Very Merry Christmas at Our House

What a wonderful Christmas with loved ones. We really enjoyed celebrating this holiday with our families. It was a little sad not having Grandmother and Papa around, but we know that they had the best Christmas ever…Christmas in Heaven with Jesus.

We began our family gatherings at Mamaw and Papaw Seales’. We went there Friday afternoon and had supper with Mamaw and Papaw, Ryan, Miranda, Kaleigh, and Kelby. The kids had a blast and got tons of stuff. Saturday morning after breakfast we headed to Mooreville to have our family Christmas with Joel’s parents, Luke, Shey, Adrian, Missy, Sara, and Alex. Everyone ate way too much and got lots of great gifts. After spending the afternoon with the family we all headed back to Starkville to get ready for Santa. The kids played with some of there new toys while I put things away. We all sat down and ready ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ while our cookies baked in the oven. Once the cookies were done, Riley and Olivia got the cookie plate out and put some cookies out for Santa along with a glass of milk. All three kids went down fairly easy.

Santa did a great job of getting all the big things put together and ready to go. The kids were excited to see what he had left them…except maybe Olivia. Her reaction was so funny. She came into the living room and saw her bike and said ‘I didn’t want this bike. I wanted the Barbie bike, not Strawberry Shortcake!’ All Joel and I could do was laugh. All in all, all three were happy with all their gifts.

I’ll give a run down of everything the kids got.
Riley: Six Barbies, Connect 4 Launchers game, a stomp rocket, lots of make-up and fingernail polish, press on nails, My little Pony set, two art sets, MP3 microphone, Kids learning & game laptop, two overnight bags, pajamas, house shoes, clothes, boots, necklace, barbie clothes, bubble bath set, money, wildlife animal jungle set, coat, pop the pig game, power wheel jeep, princess high heels, Nook color, color on animal, color on bag, and lots of more things.

Olivia: seven baby dolls, Pinkie Pie Pony, two My little pony sets, baby stroller, bed, changing table, and carrier and high chair, lots of make-up and fingernail polish, press on nails, two over night bags, money, clothes, pajamas, boots, kids learning and game laptop, bubble bath set, house shoes, Hello Kitty waterboots, Hello Kitty stuffed doll, necklace, art set, Nook color, Strawberry Shortcake bike, cleaning set, Hello Kitty scrapbook set, Hello Kitty puzzle, and lots of other things.

Samuel: John Deer Wheelbarrow, John Deer tractor and trailer, Mickey Mouse Tricycle, money, clothes, shoes, house shoes, pajamas, over night bag, camo raincoat, coat, elmo couch, racecar bath set, bubble bath set, remote control car, Handy Manny talking tool set, a dress me bear, popping light toy, race and tumble car set, Love to play puppy,a transformer, Mickey Mote and DVD, a tanka truck, Monsters Bowling set, guitar, and lots of other things.

Joel: knife, pipe travel bag, three belts, multipurpose tool, cooler, shirt, money, coat, Bass Pro Shops gift card and a few other small things.

Emily: two pair of Toms, Vera Bradley Wristlet and Hipster, money, make-up brushes, shirt, steam cleaner mop, earrings, Charming Charlie’s gift card, and a few other small things.

We had a great Christmas and a great time with our families.

This is what Santa left for the kids.

The Washburn family: (front row) Olivia, Riley, Alex, Sara Lynn, (second row) Mamaw Alex, Emily, Samuel, Missy, Shey, (back row) Papaw Alex, Joel, Adrian, Luke

The Washurn/Corbitt Clan

Riley’s Kindergarten Christmas Pajama Party

This morning Riley had her Christmas Pajama Party at school. She was super excited because she didn’t have to wear a school uniform. She got to wear her new pajama’s that we got from Justice. I believe today was the first morning that she jumped out of bed to get ready for school.

I helped with the party, which was a surprise for Riley. I didn’t tell her I was helping. Joel took her to school as usual and then I showed up in her classroom about twenty minutes after she got there. Before they began eating, they got to decorate a Snowman Cookie. Riley really enjoyed doing this little project. She really liked getting to eat it after she finished decorating it.

After every one finished eating, it was time to swap presents. The class drew names and had to buy a gift for their friend. Riley went and picked out a gift for Kelsi and couldn’t wait to give it to her. All the kids were super excited to see what everyone got. Riley got a gift that she has wanted for about two months now. I just wouldn’t buy it for her because I didn’t want the kids to buy anything until after Christmas. Well Brayla drew Riley’s name and got her exactly what she wanted. Riley’s eyes were so big when when she opened the present. And I am so glad that I didn’t give in and buy this for her.

After the party, I decided I would check Riley out of school early. It was an early release day anyway (she would get out at 12:15). Samuel is sick with an upper respiratory infection and I didn’t want to wake him up from his nap to go back to school to get Riley. So she got to come home at 9:30 a.m. She was so excited because she is out of school until January 9th. Olivia was happy to have her home too. So far I am enjoying having all three home with me. Let’s just hope this last and everyone survives our Christmas break. I have lots for fun activities planned to hopefully keep the kids busy.

Our family wishes all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Remember the true meaning of Christmas and thank God for all your blessings!

Enjoy a few pictures from the Christmas Pajama Party.

Decoorating her Snowman Cookie

Adding sprinkles to her Snowman Cookie

The finished product.

Oh so yummy!

Present from Brayla.

Brayla and Riley.

My Birthday Weekend Get Away….Nashville

This year, Joel took me to Nashville, TN for a weekend getaway. We dropped all three kids off with his parents Thursday afternoon and we headed to Nashville. Thursday night we stopped at one or two stores before calling it a night. Friday morning we went to The Pancake Pantry for breakfast and it was absolutely delicious. It is a must the next time we go back to Nashville. We got there at 8:30 a.m. and walked right in and got a table, but when we left there was a line all the way down the street.

After breakfast we headed to downtown to walk around. We hit all the shops on Broadway and enjoyed boot shopping. Neither of us bought any cowboy boots but we really enjoyed trying them on…Joel really enjoyed strutting his stuff in the boots. After walking around awhile, we headed over the the Country Music Hall of Fame and really enjoyed walking around there. Joel didn’t grow listening to Country Music, so I had to tell him who most of the people were.

The above picture has some meaning to it. My grandmother was “Minnie Pearl” when I was growing up during the Rod Brasfield Festival in Smithville. She really looked a lot like Minnie too.
Joel didn’t know to many people in the Country Music Hall of Fame, but he did know one person for sure and he had to get his picture made with this persons plaque….and I believe there is some resemblance. What do you think…does Joel look like Elvis?

We drove to what I considered the bad part of town for lunch at Prince’s Hot Chicken. Most of you know that our trips revolve around places to eat and this place as well as The Pancake Pantry were on Food Network. Prince’s Hot Chicken was great, but I recommend you get it to go if you eat there for two reasons: one – the location isn’t the greatest and two – they just painted the benches and didn’t put any “wet paint” signs up and several people got up with white paint all over their pants. The owners didn’t care that their customers ruined their pants either.

After lunch we headed back to our hotel to get ready for a special supper with friends. On our way back to the hotel we stopped by the mall for a little shopping. We had the best meal at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Friday night. We met Terry and Laura Monks for a special birthday supper for me. If you recall, Laura found the picture of my granddaddy after the tornado. She and Terry live in Fayetteville which is about an hour from Nashville. It was so nice to see them. We had a great meal and a lot of great talking. I highly recommend this restaurant. And an added bonus, Terry bought the meal since it was my birthday weekend getaway. Laura and Terry have been such a blessing in my life and I will never be able to thank them for what they have done to help me heal from the tornado and the loss of my grandparents. After the meal, Joel and I road around the Grand Ole Opry and the Gaylord Hotel and looked at all the Christmas lights. They were so beautiful. We also went to the Bass Pro Shop, which is huge.

Saturday, Joel and I ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then went to the Gaylord hotel and walked around the inside and saw the Christmas decorations. Joel and I never have out picture taken together because we are always trying to get cute and fun pictures of the kids, so we decided we would have some fun and take pictures of ourselves. I am sure the people thought we were crazy, but we had a lot of laughs and a great time taking pictures.

Joel being his crazy self in the Gaylord Hotel

After our photo session, we headed to the mall to finish out Christmas shopping. We shopped all day and didn’t finish. We hit up two malls, Target, and Toys-R-Us. After a day of shopping we headed back downtown for Joel to meet with two clients he has at work. We had a great supper at Wildhorse Saloon, then headed back home. All in all it was a great weekend getaway and I can’t wait for next year’s getaway.

(Note – all the pictures of Joel and I together were taken with the timer on the camera as it sat on a bench or brick wall, so we might not be looking right at the camera)

Big Boy Haircut

I took Samuel for a haircut last week. All I wanted cut was his bangs and just the back trimmed a little. Well, I was a little upset when everything was finished. I couldn’t see the girl cut the back of his hair because I was holding the front of his head still. She cut off all his curls. He looks like a big boy. I still don’t really like the cut, but it will grow back out and hopefully the curls will be back. Joel really hated it and I think he was a little mad at me for getting it cut.

Samuel's big boy haircut

Preschool Special Chapel Christmas Program

Yesterday Samuel and Olivia had their Special Chapel Christmas Program at preschool and it was great. Joel got it all on video. Samuel had everyone laughing…especially when his class sang Jingle Bells. Olivia practiced her songs at home all the time and she did a great job.

Here is the video of Samuel’s class singing.

Here is the video of Olivia’s class singing.

Oh where oh where is Elf Mickey today?

I didn’t get a chance to post where Elf Mickey appeared yesterday, so I am going to add yesterdays to today’s post.

Yesterday Elf Mickey appeared in the kids bathroom. He had just finished taking his shower. The girls thought this was so funny.

Today he appeared in the kitchen. He is ready to cook breakfast and keep an eye on the kids.

If you have an ideas on the things that Elf Mickey should do, please email them to me at emily@thewashburns.org.