Mark Your Calendars

John Lowery's Chalk Drawing

A great way to start 2008!

Join us At Charlestown Independent Church this Wednesday, January 2 at 7:00 pm (during Psalm95) to experience a unique ministry that words can't describe! John Lowery will be at CIC to share his Chalk Drawing Ministry with us. Bring the kids and watch as he turns a blank paper into an amazing work of art while sharing the gospel. Tony and I went to see him in September and I took the pictures you see above. John's sister, Joyce, is one of my mom's best friends. It's really interesting to watch. I hope to see you there!

Psalm 95

Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

Think of it as a mid-weekcoffee break with fellowship,
worship, and of course, coffee.
Have you been to Psalm95 lately?

The Christmas Season

It's been a very good Christmas for our family. Very busy, but great!

Tony and I were brought on last minute to be in the CIC Christmas Cantata. We had a good time. It was hard to make all of the practices with 3 kids, but we managed and it was well worth it.

The Christmas Season is always fun at school, too. I teach a thematic unit on Jan Brett (children's book author) and we do a mini-thematic unit on the Polar Express book by Chris Van Allsburg. We also go on our 2nd grade field trip in December. This year we went to the Louisville Science Center and IMAX and ate at The Old Spaghetti Factory.

Once I was off for Christmas Break, Tony and I finished up some last minute Christmas shopping and then focused on family over the weekend. We had Christmas with his mom on Sunday and went to the movies later that afternoon.

On Christmas Eve, my mom kept the kids for a few hours while we finished wrapping and getting things ready for Christmas. After leaving the Coomer Christmas Party, we stopped by the church to have communion, to pray, and to watch the slide show. It was nice to take a break from the hustle and bustle and really focus on what Christmas is all about. When we got home, I let the kids open one gift each (new pajamas), gave them their baths and then put everyone to bed. Tony and I were even able to sit down, relax, drink some hot apple cider, and have great conversation.

Christmas morning, Blair was the first one to wake up (at 6:30). Rhett and Micah both wanted to sleep in our room so that we could all go into the living room together (tradition) and I could video their expressions and reactions. Blair ended up being loud enough to wake up Rhett about 7:30. While I went to set up the tripod for the video camera, they woke up Micah, which is unusual because she's usually the first to wake up. They were so excited when they saw what Santa had left them. Blair didn't know what to think! After opening all of the presents, Micah went to see if Santa had ate the cookies we had left for him. When Rhett noticed that ALL of the milk was gone, he immediately said, "Santa is real! He drank all of the milk!" It was so sweet!

Rhett got a basketball goal, soccer goal, Nerf goal and ball, skateboard, real basketball, set of 3 pound weights, Transformers, clothes, pajamas, Pirate ship, Trouble, hot wheels cars, legos, Veggie Tales DVD, etc.

Micah got a new bed, dresser, and mirror for her bedroom, a wooden dollhouse with furniture and people, a baby doll and playset (high chair, stroller, and playyard), Barbie car, Disney Babies (Belle, Cinderella, and Aurora), pajamas, clothes, etc.

Blair got a baby doll, a teddy bear, finger puppets, and a lot of clothes.

Tony and I didn't exchange gifts for each other. We are planning on getting carpet in the basement soon. We just aren't big on giving gifts. Getting gifts was never big in my family growing up, and I'm just not good at it. Plus, we just bought cell phones (we had previously shared 1 pre-paid phone) and I bought Tony a lot of clothes the week before.

We both commented on how content we are and how blessed our family is. God is so good! My mom is cancer free, we both have jobs that we like, we are all healthy, we have good friends and family, we have an awesome church family, and we have a great marriage. I could go on and on about all of the blessings we are thankful for. Most of all, we are thankful that God sent his son, Jesus, to save us from our sins. That is the most important gift of all.

Christmas at Grandma Sharon's

Everyone (Tabby and her family, Johnny and his family, and our family) stopped by to visit Sharon and Herb on Sunday after church. She is recovering from surgery so we decided to do a mini-Christmas at her house (without the stress of a meal). I packed clothes for us all to change into, but forgot the camera. So sorry, but I don't have any pictures to show. We all bought Sharon and Herb a fleece throw with a picture of the grandkids on it. It turned out really good! It's the perfect size for her to take with her when she travels. Rhett got 3 Power Rangers. Micah got 2 Fairy Barbies and a Barbie car, and Blair got a stuffed animal and a new outfit.

Then we ALL (14 of us) went to the movies to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. The kids were fabulous! It was such a cute movie. The chipmunks were one of my favorites when I was little.

Christmas in Salem

Donald helping Rhett with his tool set.
Micah waiting for her next present.
Sean helped Blair open her presents.

Christmas evening, we headed up to Salem to Tony's Aunt Carolyn and Uncle David's house. Instead of the typical holiday meal (ham and turkey) we had lasagna! What a nice change! Everything tasted really great and it was good to see everyone! Again, the kids opened more presents than I was expecting! Rhett got a race track, Magnetixs set, tool set, and a HUGE package (like 5 pounds) of Skittles ... thanks, Donald! Micah got a Dora horse truck and trailer, ballerina book, and a stuffed animal. Blair got a stuffed animal, fold out book, and bear book. I'm sure I'm forgetting things but you get the idea!

Rhett and Micah absolutely love to go to David and Carolyn's! Micah always says she can't wait to see that funny guy (Donald). Rhett loves observing the older ones play Fireball Mountain and will one day soon be ready to join them (if he hasn't already)! I love their house! You just feel like you are at home when you go there. It's so peaceful and relaxing! My mom has even said she wants to visit because I am always talking about how beautiful it is there.

Christmas Day at Mamaw Laney's

Wow! I think they got just as many presents at my mom's as what they got at our house! Here's a list of what they got. (And I am sure I'm forgetting some things!)

Rhett: Power Rangers Mission Helmet, digital camera, Diego Rescue center, handheld TV, sticker books, books, candy, and a hunting playset.

Micah: Disney Princess Barbies (set of 5), dress up shoes, light up ballerina dress, Dora nightgown, sticker books, books, Barbie Baby Doctor with 2 babies, Fisher Price Snap & Style doll and outfits, candy, and a light up puzzle.

Blair: Middleton baby doll and outfit, Little People Busy Day Home, Loving Family van, and a Dora nightgown.

My mom and dad let the kids open their presents first, and then we ate our Christmas dinner. My dad's friend Denny and his son Larry joined us for dinner. I think Rhett thinks Denny comes over to visit Rhett just as much as my dad. Damon and Lee were there, too (but I didn't get them in the pictures). They are good at getting all of the toys out of the boxes and putting in batteries, etc.

Rhett took several pictures with his new digital camera (Fisher Price). He loves all of his gadgets! He reminds me of Julian (a friend from church) with all of his little gadgets and imagination!!

The Coomer Christmas

Rhett LOVED his Transformer cell phone and ear piece!
Micah got a Strawberry Shortcake doll!

For some reason, I only took 2 pictures at the Coomer Christmas on Christmas Eve. So, if anyone reading has any pictures, please e-mail them to me. Blair just kept being passed around (she's so social) that I didn't even get one with her! We had a really good time. I was dissappointed that Sharon wasn't well enough to come. It just wasn't the same without her. The highlight of the evening was when Micah decided to sing karaoke! It was hilarious! We got it on video, but I didn't even think to record a mini-video with my digital camera. I tell you, with 3 kids, my mind just isn't what it used to be! ha! ha! Anyway, back to the Karaoke story, she had her back to the crowd, but she sang a few Chipmunks Christmas songs. She didn't even really seem shy! I kept thinking that I wished I would have bought her a Karaoke machine for Christmas. Just a few minutes later, Tabby said she had one that wasn't being used and that Micah could have it! I can't wait ... maybe we have a little star on our hands!

Cookies for Santa

(Micah is wearing the Cinderella Princess costume that was her gift from the Wee Ones gift exchange.)
Notice Rhett's Ninja sword ... just in case!


Here are the cookies that we made for Santa. We waited until Blair was asleep because I knew she would want to be right in the middle of us! Micah kept accidentally spilling the sprinkles EVERYWHERE and then would say, "That's okay!" Needless to say, the Pergo needed a good cleaning by the time we finished! Halfway through decorating, after numerous glances of them licking their fingers, I thought, "I hope Santa doesn't mind a few germs on his cookies!" ;)

Micah's Wee Ones Christmas Program

Micah and Blair wearing matching dresses.
Micah and her BFF, Emma!

Before the program, Micah wanted to go on stage for a few photos. Rhett, however, decided to stay in his seat. We ended up not even getting a picture of him that night!

Okay, so I'm a little late blogging this, but better late than never, right???? We were so proud of Micah at the Wee Ones Christmas Program. She did such a great job! She sang all of the songs and did all the hand motions. Our previous experiences have been with Rhett who stared blankly into the crowd with this mad facial expression, not singing one word the entire program.(He has severe stage fright!) Big change!!!

Basketball

Here are some pictures of Rhett playing basketball. His next game is January 5th at P.R.E.S. He's really doing well! Tony says he needs to work on being more aggressive (his whole team does)! It is so much fun to watch the games. Half of the time they don't even dribble or pass the ball. Whoever gets the ball just runs down and shoots. You should see Rhett's face when he makes a basket ... he just lights up! Then he checks the crowd to make sure we are watching! Too cute!

A Busy November

Wow! So much has happened since my last post. Where has the time gone? It just occurred to me that I have very few entries lately. It just seems like we are so busy (or by the end of the day, I'm too tired to post). We have all had the sniffles. First Rhett had a cough. Then Blair ended up with an earache. Micah had a fever Sunday night and when I took her to the doctor on Monday, she said it was a viral infection. Now I feel like I am starting to get a cold. Tony has had several days that he has had a sinus infection. Hopefully this isn't a sign of how the rest of our winter will be!

Rhett started playing basketball in the CYBL league (Charlestown Youth Basketball League). Tony is coaching. The team consists of Preschool and Kindergarten boys and girls. They shoot at a 6 foot goal. They play on Saturday mornings. The first 30 minutes they have practice and then their game is the next 30 minutes. It's so cute to watch! I'll post pictures soon. They've only had one game and Rhett scored 2 points!!! Yeah!

When Micah was at the doctor they weighed her and she weighs 30 pounds! She is growing a lot and has gained 3 pounds since her check up in February. Micah went to her first "friend Birthday party!" I was so proud of her! She wasn't clingy and she did a good job playing with the other kids.

Blair is growing like a weed! She is FINALLY saying "mama." I usually here my name when she is sleepy and wants to be held. With all 3 of my kids, mama has never been one of their first words. It's "dada" this and "na-ne" (Laney) that. ;) She tries to say "kitty" and the other day it sounded like she said "santa". She says "What's that?" (in her own version, of course) all the time. She points to the deer at my mom's and says "dee." She goes to the doctor next week. I can't wait to see how much she weighs. When she went to the doctor for her earache , she weighed 18 1/2 pounds. Oh, and she has been a little fussy lately. I think her 2 top teeth are about to come in. I'll keep you posted.

Tony started a new job. He is a Design Engineer at Louisville Lamp/Kelley Fabricators. He is really excited! The only downside is that it's in Louisville and his Jeep is NOT good on gas. A part of me thinks we should buy him something newer (and nicer) that gets good gas mileage; The Dave Ramsey in me says no, let's trade in the Jeep and buy something cheap! We'll have to take a look at our budget.

My job is going well. I have a really great group of kids this year. 2nd grade is such a fun age! I just sent their Santa letters to The Leader. That's always fun to read!

Most important, my mom got GREAT news at her last doctor's appointment. The doctor said her cat scan showed "no evidence of disease" (NED) which we call "remission!" Praise God!!! He wants to monitor her closely so she will have monthly doctor appointments (bloodwork) and will have a cat scan in 3 months. Thanks to everyone for all of your prayers.

More Fall Pictures

Blair's Namesake

I asked Beth to take some fall pictures of my kids (before she became too busy with the house and the Christmas play) back in early October. It was very hot and the sun was shining, but I thought they turned out really good. She had a great idea to use the tombstones to show who Blair Carlene is named after. What a neat and unique idea! I've waited to post the pictures because I wanted to surprise Sharon on Thanksgiving.


This is my mom's first baby. He would have been 40 this year.

Need Some Extra Cash?????

Looking for a little extra cash this holiday season? Sharon asked if I would post this ad for her. She needs dependable people to do demos at local grocery stores.

Aidells Sausage Company
Now Hiring
Friendly, energetic, responsible individuals to demo sausage in grocery stores
Friday, Saturday and Sunday hours available
Must have reliable transportation and
be able to lift 40 lbs.
Demonstrators are responsible for transporting and storing demo kit
$12/hr + obtainable commission/mileage
Please contact Sharon Kearns
502-553-1069
812-285-9308

Carving Pumpkins

Blair's pumpkin was too little to carve!
Happy Halloween!!!

Next year, I thought about buying stencils and really test Tony's pumpkin carving skills!

Baby's First Halloween

Sorry for the delay in pictures. Here are some pictures of the kids in their costumes. Rhett was a ninja (surprised???), Micah was Sleeping Beauty, and Blair was a Little Lamb.

Micah and her friend Emma wearing their costumes at Wee Ones Preschool.

No Girls Allowed!

So you know that your kids are spending too much time together and starting to get on each other's nerves when you see this:I went upstairs to get ready for church and found this on Rhett's door. He said it says, "No Girls Allowed." It's a picture of Micah crying because she can't come in his room.
This is what was on Micah's door. She said it says, "No Boys in My Room!" It's a picture of Rhett not being able to go into Micah's room.

So I am sitting here thinking, "Is this just a phase, or the start of sibling rivalry?????

From Football to Costumes

This weekend was so fun! Friday evening, we went to the CHS Football game. It was so exciting. We were undefeated and ranked #3 in Class 3A and we were playing Heritage Hills who are also undefeated and ranked #1 in Class 3A. It was a great game, although we lost. I am so proud of our players. Tony has really been into the games this year. He only missed 1 (the most exciting one- Brownstown). I missed 2 or 3. We took our kids to most of the games and made it a family event. Go to this site to view a slideshow of the CHS Football team.

Saturday we went to the Charlestown Christian Academy's Reunion. I will download pictures later. Then we dropped off the kids and went to a Halloween Costume party. I went as a J.J. Cheerleader and Tony was the Referee. We had so much fun, I am thinking about hosting my own costume party next year! So be planning your costume!!!

Sunday's are always action packed. The Browder's sang in the a.m. service. Then it was off to get groceries. I kept Sunday dinner simple by having Jay C chicken. Then, I finished the week's worth of laundry. I also finished going through the kids clothes and packing up summer stuff for storage. This was a long 3 week process because of lack of time. That's probably why I haven't blogged lately. My organization got the best of me. I took the time to really go through all of our clothes and closets. For the past year, I've been on this "nesting" instinct. I've went through every cabinet, closet, and drawer. It feels so great to de-clutter. Then, we had AWANA for the p.m. service. We came home, fed everyone, gave baths, and it was time for bed! Wow! As I laid my head on my pillow, I thought about all that we had done and all that was accomplished. That's when I realized we didn't leave any time for rest. I guess that's life as a working mom!

I've Been Tagged

Okay. I've been tagged (a few times). This one came from Megan's blog. Here are my answers:

Who is your man? Tony Kaelin

How long have you known each other? 11 1/2 years

How long have you dated? We dated 2 1/2 years before we got married. We've been married for 9 years.

Do you know his favorite color? Blue

Who said "I love you" first? I don't remember (I'm not the romantic) but I think it was Tony. I remember on our 2nd date, he kept saying, "I think I'm falling." It was so meant to be. I could have told you by our 3rd date that we would get married!

Who is taller? Tony

Who sings better? Tony sings better, but can never remember the words. I know all the words to every song and can't carry a tune! (I guess it's a great combination!)

Who is the better driver? Tony (ask about the garbage can incident at Val's)

Whose temper is worse? ha! ha! That would be Tony!!!!

Name something you love about your man. His compassionate heart and sensitivity

Who is more organized? Me!! I've got labels on everything. All of my pictures are in chronological order in albums that are numbered for easy reference. My unfinished basement has boxes and rubbermaid storage containers labeled with contents. Even the toys are organized (although Rhett and Micah haven't quite bought into my organizational system yet). the teachers at work always tease me because I can sometimes be to organized! If anyone is thinking of a great gift idea for me, there's always that label maker I've always wanted!

Who is more funny? We both are not that witty, fast thinking joke type (although I wish I was). But we both love to laugh!

Tell a physical trait you love. I love his eyes and eyelashes. I love his smile!

Who is better with the computer? Tony

Tell something you love about your man. I love that he "gets me." I love that he is sensitive, sentimental, and tender-hearted. "Our song" sums it best: You say it best, when you say nothing at all!

Who cooks dinner? I do. Tony does most of the clean up.

Who drives when you are together? Tony

Who pays when you go out? When you're married, it's "our money," so I don't think of it as who pays. It just comes out of our "entertainment/date night money". But if you want to know who actually hands over the money, it's usually Tony.

Who is most stubborn? I am!

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? We don't have many fights or arguments. I would say we both admit it when we are wrong.

Tell something you love about your man. I love his love for God. I love that he is a Great husband and father.

Who kissed who first? I kissed his hand so he kissed me.

Who asked who out? Jennifer Hutton!!! (ha! ha!) He asked me out.

Who proposed? Tony proposed on Christmas Eve, 1997. Then we went to his family's Christmas get-together and to the movies (to see The Titanic).

Who is more sensitive? Tony

Who has more friends? This is tough. I know more people. But since I'm so shy, I'm not great at starting up conversations. I'm more comfortable around my inner circle of friends. Tony doesn't have as many friends, but will talk to anyone, anywhere... it's really a great match!

Who has more siblings? Tony (his brothers are Johnny, Sean and Sterling; his sisters are Tabby and Diane). I have 2 brothers- Damon and Lee.

Who wears the pants? Tony ... but I buy them for him! ;)


Do you know your man's favorite holiday? It used to be Christmas. Now my guess would be Thanksgiving??????

Who is stronger? Tony

Who is a better dancer? I am!

Do you and your man have a favorite movie? We have so many! Hoosiers is top on our list.

Wow! Now I've fallen in love with Tony all over again! Our relationship just keeps getting better with time! I am so blessed to have Tony in my life, he means so much to me. He is such a great dad. He helps out around the house. He does so much with the kids. He really spoils me. I love his dedication to God, his family, and his job. He truly is one of a kind!

Updates

It's been so long since I've posted a blog, I don't even know where to start! Blair now has 2 teeth on the bottom. The 2nd one came in just a few days after the first. She's 7 months old now and becoming more independent. She actually doesn't cry hysterically when I lay her on her belly. She will tolerate it for a few minutes, trying to figure out the crawling thing. Then she cries so pitiful, like she's absolutely exhausted!! We think that she waved "bye-bye" to Beth and Josh on Sunday night. The next night, she waved to my brother Damon. Still no words, though. I keep telling her that she needs to say "ma-ma", "da-da", and "Go Cats"! ;)

Micah got her 1st haircut. We went to Aunt Phyllis's shop (Personal Image) and she did really good! She only cried when Phyllis was blowing her hair dry. I think it scared her! Little tears streamed down her face. Phyllis just trimmed and shaped it up. It looks so healthy and thick now! She's been wanting to wear her hair in a side ponytail (so 80's). She asked me tonight if she "looked like a teenager." I didn't even know she knew what a teenager was!

Rhett's Kindergarten class went on a field trip today to Huber's. I took the day off and went. I told my kids at school yesterday that today they might see me at school, but that I was doing the mom thing! We had such a good time. The weather was a little cool, but other than that, it was great! They showed them the process an apple goes through (from tree to packaged in a box to be sold). Then, they picked their own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. Next, we ate lunch at the picnic tables. After that, we fed the animals in the petting zoo, jumped on the new bouncing thing. Rhett and I ended the trip by finding our way through the corn maze. It was great to spend some one on one time with Rhett!

My mom was supposed to have a chemo treatment today, but her bloodwork came back saying she couldn't have it because her counts were too low. She has been more tired and weak lately. She has 5 treatments left. The nurse said the doctor may be calling her to see what the next steps will be. She has never been able to have the 3 treatments in a row like planned. I don't really understand it all. My mom says she understands when they are explaining it to her, but then when she goes to tell us, she gets confused. I need to just go with her so I can hear it myself.

Damon has really stepped up to fill in as a babysitter, which has been a blessing! Well, I should say blessing to us, but maybe not to him, because that usually means he isn't working if he can keep the kids. My mom's treatments and doctor's appointments are on Wednesdays and Mondays are the days when she feels the worst. He's kept them the past Monday and Wednesday for us. Damon had to work today, so Tony had to take the day off to keep the kids while I was on the field trip. Then, when I got home, he went to work. Sharon was going to try to keep them more, but her work schedule hasn't allowed her any days off to help out. Please pray for our babysitting situation. It looks like we may need someone 2 days a week from now until around Christmas.

Blair is all smiles around her Uncle Lee.

Micah's 1st haircut!

Rhett, Micah, and Landon at Landon's 6th Birthday party!

1st Tooth!

Sunday afternoon, I woke up from my nap and Tony told me that Blair had a "surprise" for me. (I was thinking a dirty diaper.) Then he told me that he had just noticed that Blair's first tooth was about to pop through! She has been having signs of teething for awhile now, but I didn't think much about it because Rhett and Micah were almost 9 months old before they got their first tooth. I opened her mouth and there it was! On Sunday you could just see it but not feel it. This morning you can actually feel it! Wow! My first reaction wasn't joy like it was with Rhett and Micah. I was so sad! I just kept thinking, "What happened to the little wrinkly newborn we brought home from the hospital?" She is growing up way too fast. I'm not ready for all of these firsts and milestones! I just want her to stay "a baby" forever.

Cute pictures of the kids

Blair with a "onesie" on her head!
Looking absolutely adorable sitting in her Bumbo chair Rhett's new interest: Cowboy boots w/spurs, a cowboy vest & hat, belt with gun holster, ninja sword, & in his pockets: handcuffs (& key) and pretend cell phone. He's a ninja/cowboy/power ranger/cop. We have to pack these accessories each night to take to Mamaw Laney's (or Tabby's). This is what he does in the afternoons after he gets home from school. Micah riding her little car at Mamaw Laney's house.