Stomach Bug--YICK!

Stomach bugs are no fun. For anyone. Nothing like getting sick in the parking lot of your school as people are leaving Open House to humble you a little. Priceless. Thank goodness the bug only lasted 24 hours. Gatorade and saltine crackers quickly became my best friends. Now the waiting game begins to see if anyone else gets it. Man, I hope not.

On another note, today we have plans to drive up to MHC to catch a football game. At first I didn't think I would be up to it, but after a shower and a little breakfast I think it will be just what I need-some quality time with my family. Tomorrow night is 5th Sunday Night Singing at church followed by an ice cream fellowship. Fun!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Well, it's that time.....

Yesterday Mick kicked off this 4-wheeler racing season with a 6th place finish in Yadkinville, NC. Having not raced in a few months we were all very pleased with his finish. Anytime a plaque can be added to his collection, it is a good day. :) Here are a few pics from the race:

Kindergarten- wk. 1

Sorry I have been MIA this week. School officially started back on Monday and it will take me a while to get back into the swing of things. Mackaylan, on the other hand, has been up every morning and ready to go by 7:00 am. I thought she would be tired in the afternoons, but she is wide open until about 8:00 pm. A few nights this week she did ask to go to bed. Whoa! Anyway, here are a few things she learned this week:

1- Parts of a book- We got tickled because she was telling us all about the parts of the book and she said: "This is the 'skine' of the book. It holds the pages together."

2- oo- She was introduced to the "oo sisters." She told us all about how they can make different sounds depending on if they are in the word "book" or "too." That night we were reading Little Red Riding Hood when she jumped up, ran and grabbed a crayon, and began to color over the words that had -oo- in them. Why? Because that's what Mrs. Gramling does! (BTW- We did talk about how she could do that with a personal book, but not the books at school or from the library.)

3- R-E-D Song- R-E-D red. R-E-D red. I can spell red. I can spell red. Firetrucks are red. Stop signs are red too. R-E-D. R-E-D. Friday was "Red Day" and each child could bring something for Show-and-Tell that was red. Mackaylan took a stuffed bird- a Cardinal, of course!

4- Journal- She was thrilled that yesterday she got to write in her very own journal! She said she wrote about hearts.

What did I learn this week? I learned that I am slowly moving into 2nd place. Wednesday night we were sitting at the table playing with her bead kit making jewelry. Mackaylan looked up at me and said, "Mom, I think I am going to give this necklace to someone who is very sweet and nice." Well, being the mom that I am, I thought, "Oh, that is so sweet. She is going to give that necklace to me to wear to school tomorrow." WRONG! She then went on to say, " I am going to give this necklace to Mrs. Gramling!" Let me tell you, that put me in my place. haha It did hurt a little, but I am so happy that she is in love with school and her teacher. Just another prayer answered.......

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Phone Dump

Well, I finally figured out how to retrieve pictures from my phone. As you can see, the camera on my phone is not of top quality, but pictures are memories, and I love being able to access them via the internet and download them to my computer or to print. I currently have 110 pictures in my album, and they range from 3 years to 2 weeks ago. Here are a few of my faves:

{{HUGS}}

Owen and KK at Olive Garden

Mackaylan and Aunt Betsi


Pleeeaaase, Daddy?!?!


Hope you all had a Terrific Tuesday!

First Day of School

So.... you may be wondering:

1- Did Mackaylan cry? Not a bit. She jumped out of the bed this morning ready to go!

2- Did you cry? I can't believe it, but yes! I told myself that I was not going to cry, especially since I am at the same school and will see her often. I guess I am a bit more like my mom than I think! Anyway, her teacher was so sweet and gave me a big hug and a word of reassurance. :)

3-How did Mickey react? He still can't believe that our little girl is in Kindergarten. He was the best dad and carried her bookbag, helped her find her seat, hang up her bookbag in her cubby, and label her supplies. Somebody had to have it together, because I certainly did not!

4- What were Mackaylan's top 3 memorable moments from the day? 1- Centers (She loved the Science and Housekeeping Centers best.) 2- Singing (The R-E-D Song!!!!) 3- PE (She had a mini-meltdown in PE because she didn't know how to hoola-hoop. What can I say? She has such a Type-A personality!! I'm afraid this will be something we struggle with for a while, people. Please know that we did talk about how the purpose of school is to learn and how if we knew everything we wouldn't need school. That seemed to help a little.... at least for the moment! haha)

Overall, Mackaylan's first day of school was a huge success! Here's to 12 more....

Cardinal Cheer Camp 2010

I must admit that I was thrilled when Mackaylan decided to participate in the LHS Cardinal Cheer Camp this year. She was a little hesitant at first, but after the first night she was hooked. The camp was held on Thursday-Saturday, with a parent exhibition on Saturday. It was so fun to watch her on the court. I think she has real potential! Here are a few pics from Saturday morning. I will try to upload a video later, but for now, I have had it with Blogger. Is there an easier way to upload a video? Please share any timesaving secrets.....

Meal Planning

I love summer. However, it hurts our wallets and waistlines! During the summer we eat out way. too. much. I think I may have cooked dinner 5-7 times this summer- max. Ridiculous. I actually do not mind cooking, but hate the planning, grocery shopping, and clean up that it involves. With school beginning back this week I am determined to get myself organized to ensure that I am cooking more. In hopes to keep things simple, each night of the week will have a designated theme:

Sunday- Sandwiches/Pizza
Monday- Soup/Salad
Tuesday- Crockpot
Wednesday- Italian
Thursday- Mexican
Friday- Favorites
Saturday- Eat Out

I think I will try to plan 2 weeks at a time. That way I can tackle the planning and grocery shopping for 2 weeks at a time in one afternoon. I thought about repeating each recipe once during the month, but Mickey seems to think I make too many good things to do that. See, why I love him?! :)

So, without further delay, here's what will be on our table the weeks of Aug. 8/ Aug 15:

Sunday- Ham & Cheese Subs/ Homemade Sausage Pizza
Monday- Chicken Taco Salad/ Grilled Chicken Ceasar Salad
Tuesday- Crockpot Cheeseburgers / Aunt Martha's BBQ
Wednesday- Lasagna/ Spaghetti
Thursday- Quesadillas/ Gorditas
Friday- Eat Out/ Steak
Saturday- Eat Out/ Eat out

I'll keep you posted on how this adventure goes. For now, I am off to do a little grocery shopping!

Gearing Up...

I can't believe we are gearing up for Mackaylan to start Kindergarten. Where has the time gone? CRAZY!!! For the past week we have been having lots of fun buying her school supplies and new school clothes. You are probably wondering what she is going to use this pink, glittery, CABOODLE for? Well, her lunchbox, of course! I'm telling you she is such a little princess! It is just big enough to hold a sandwich, chips, and dessert. Trust me on this one, I tested it. When she carries her lunch she will just get milk or water from the cafeteria so it is perfectly fine that it is not insulated. When she brought this over to me in Target and told me what she wanted to use it for I couldn't help but smile and add it into the buggy. This "lunchbox" is so Mackaylan! I hope she never loses her independent, unique sense of style!

Gamma Girls!

For the past few days I have been away reminscing and reconnecting with some of my favorite people- my sorority sisters. Over the years we have stood by each other through the good times and bad. Weddings. Births. Heartaches. Relocations. Some of our relationships may have changed with time, yet in many ways, they all still remain the same. That is one of the great thing about being "sisters-" even thought life is full of changes we will always have each other. We will always have our memories. We will always share inside secrets that only we will understand. We will always have a bond that is unbreakable.
That is what sisterhood is all about.

Until next year, Gamma Girls! Cling to the memories that were made, and look forward to the future. I love you all!!!