A New Week - FINALLY!!

Stressful pretty much describes last week and I am so glad it's over and life resumes!

I took the Praxis in English Language, Literature and Compisition on Saturday  . . . two tests: Content Knowledge and Pedagogy.  Don't have any idea what Pedagogy is but still . . . Content Knowledge showed me that in 12th grade English I should have paid way more attention to Shakespeare!  Short story, my 12th grade English teacher paid myself and a friend $20 to grade her term papers plus as an added bonus we got to do this task during our own English class so instead of Shakespeare and sonnets we graded and oh how I loved it!  That is until this weekend and I really needed to know something on Saturday about Shakespeare and haikus and iambic pentameter! Therefore, if around this time in December you don't see a blog post about how smart I am then that means that 12 years ago I should have stayed in class!!

I do however now know all you ever needed to know about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn if any needs to write a short essay on that book!

Other things happening . . . my sweet Mason is learning to play checkers and something about cold weather always makes me want to play checkers (beat Ryan three times in a row last time!)! I am glad to teach him because now I will have someone to play games with this holiday season!

Mason has the best Mimee ever who just last week took him to McDonald's to play (and possibly eat), after his grandparents day program, even though she HATES McDonald's!  As an aside, my own mother, who happens to be Mason's Mimee, never took me to McDonald's - EVER - just saying! He also came home with a random assortment of Lunchable's, roasted peanuts, rice krispie treats, and a package of gum.  Not at all spoiled!

Mason informed me that the worst class of all is music class because all you do is "sit there and sing."  Also I am trying to persuade him to let me use the car drop off line at school since the weather is cooler and he told me no because one of the teachers might ,wait for it, . . ..say "hi" to him!  Oh, he is so much like his mother!

Sweet baby Conner has been a hysterical sweet mess as usual!  We went to the library last week and Conner has been going there since he was in an infant carrier and the librarian commented on what a big boy he was and he quickly corrected her - "uh uh big boy, my sweet baby!" - which in Conner speak means "I am NOT a big boy, I am a SWEET BABY!"

The sweet baby has also started hitting when he is mad so I watched Super Nanny on Friday to get up to par on my timeout technique!  Speaking of Super Nanny, the strangest thing happened on Friday night . . . Ryan, Mason, & Conner went to a hockey game around 5:45 p.m. so from them until around 10:30 I was home at night ALL BY MYSELF! Seriously, cannot even remember the last time I was home by myself at night - it was FABULOUS!

Felt a little like Andy's mom from Toy Story last night . . . trying to make room for the expected avalanche of new toys coming our way by cleaning out our various toy areas . . . started sorting out baby toys to store in the attic (I can almost hear the toys plotting their escape now!) and the saddest part was removing some of the stuffed animals from Conner's bed.  Mason made him a Build a Bear a few weeks before Conner was born and that teddy is now the beloved "gunga," however since the pacifier has been thrown out and the baby bed converted to a toddler bed he hasn't asked for gunga quite so much.  I left him in the bed because he is a forever kind of toy but the giraffe he got for his first Easter got moved to the shelf while the toys on the shelf got moved to a box . . . sniffle, sniffle.  Last year at Mason's Secret Santa Shop he bought Conner a little stuffed bulldog.  Mason has such a sweet sensitive spirit and he wanted so very much for Conner to love his dog and well every night I would arrange the dog just so in Conner's bed and every morning I would find it thrown out on the floor and I would quickly toss it bag in before Mason saw!  Conner now accepts the dog as his own so it will have to stay somewhere nearby but poor little giraffe had to move on . . . growing up is hard!

So amid all my studying life went on and hopefully I will have more time to blog now!  The GRE comes next so send your prayers my way!

Pink Popsicle!

Everyone needs to check out the Pink Popsicle for the cutest Christmas clothes! Holly is fabulous and she does such a great jobs!

I love her new Christmas designs!  I think I'm leaning toward Rudolph and Baby Jesus . . . still deciding!

Louisiana State Fair 2010

Mason is addicted to the fair - ADDICTED I tell you! He has already asked this morning when he can go back and he'll continue asking ALL YEAR until the fair comes back!  We haven't had time to go and knew we had to get to the fair before the weekend since it's packing up on Sunday! Plus we can't stand the weekend crowds!

Conner was just tall enough to be able to ride the kiddie rides and he was very excited about that!  Of course, now that Conner can ride those rides Mason was bored with them!  Last year we made the mistake of doing exhibits and the zoo first and then didn't have time for many rides (and we listened to lots of whining about wanting to ride too!) and we weren't going to make that mistake twice. 

First stop, the carousel!  Conner instantly regrets his decision but by the end he is all smiles!

This ride was F-O-R-E-V-E-R long . . . I thought our kids would jump out they were so tired of being on it. Finally the operator quit talking and stopped the ride!

BTW, Mason was just at the doctor on Wednesday for an ear infection.  He was under strict instructions to keep his hood on at all times, that his why he seems a little incognito!

I get motion sick very very bad hence I don't ride anything at the fair.  Ryan had an arm band so he had to go on EVERYTHING with the kids, including this itty-bitty fun house slide - too funny!

However, some things he wanted to do not the kids! For instance, Mason wouldn't ride into the haunted house with him so he made Conner.  By the looks of Conner's face when he came out (not pictured!) he didn't want to go in there either!

This kiddie roller coaster was a deal breaker for Conner! We had to ask for it to be stopped because he was crying so hard - poor thing! After that he wouldn't ride anything!  

Conner's fear worked to Mason's advantage because then he got to ride big kid rides!  They rode this twice. I couldn't even watch this ride because it made my head hurt!

Conner's favorite part of the fair - large Coke! That's my boy!

My favorite part of the fair - stupid people!  Please pay close attention to the spelling of "knifes," "ect.," and "responceable." 

The boys trying to find their way out of the giant wave!

Conner & Mason both enjoyed the "big, big, big slide!"

No trip to the fair is complete without Malone's State Fair Taffy and after we got ours it was time to head home!! In the parking lot I made Ryan take my picture because I am never in any of our fair pictures and now I know why!!

LOVE MY BOYS!

Trick or Treat, Take 2

On Halloween night, Josh & Erica were having a Halloween party/outreach ministry at their house and since they live in a large neighborhood the boys were excited to get to go trick-or-treating!

Here is Sir Mason and Lady Mimee . . .

Bob the Builder and his beloved Mimee

Bob had the cutest tool apron that he refused to wear!

The kiddos knocking on Granny's door

Conner did not nap on Sunday

and I had the hardest time getting him to do anything I asked!

This is the best "brothers" picture I could get!



Ryan and "Bob" walking in the sunset!



Erica had cute food (of course) - punch with floating eye balls, fingers in the dip (carrots with almond slivers), caramel and candied apples, decorative cookies, hot dogs, chili - yummy!  It was a great time to fellowship with people in our church and to visit with friends and neighbors we ran into on the street!

Hope everyone else had a Happy Halloween!! We sure did!

Trick or Treat, Take 1

The Town of Stonewall changed trick or treating to Saturday this year, but not everyone complied! We ended up with Halloween parties on Saturday and Sunday which was so much fun for the boys!

Conner has had a little cold and we didn't want him to be out in the cool night air on Saturday so he & Ryan stayed home and Mason & I headed over to the Cobb's for their 3rd Annual Halloween Party & Hayride!

Kelly & I have been friends since 7th grade and now our kids are in the same class and Mason was really looking forward to playing with Natalie!

Here is my knight in "shiny" armour and me in my very un-original costume!

Sir Mason protecting his three princesses!

Also known as digging for Halloween treats buried in buckets of deer corn!

Sir Mason with Dino Mason, enjoying the hay ride!

As always we had a super good time! I made Mason get off the hay ride earlier because our Sunday was super busy and we needed some rest, plus he had missed school earlier in the week because of a cold, and he was not too happy with me!  Once he got home and saw how much loot he had though I think I was quickly forgiven!