The Kaelins

9/10 All-Stars Pizza Party

2011-07-31T17:35:00.000-07:00

Rhett, Nolan, & Layne

Justin, Brice, Rhett, & Nolan

Dylan, Aaron, Langdon, & Kain

Mason, Bradley, Charlie, & Layne

After winning their first All-Star game, we all went to Sir Dano's for a pizza party! The kids were so hyped up: lots of celebrating, caffeine, several trips to the toy vending machines for fake mustaches, and an occasional spit ball. ;)

9/10 All-Stars

2011-07-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

Rhett playing in the outfield.

Tony talking to the boys after the last game.

One last "bring it in"

Charlestown Little League

2011-07-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Warming up before the game.

Getting ready to pitch.

Here are a few pictures taken during the regular season of Little League in the spring. Rhett was on the Braves ...imagine that! Tony and our friends Ryan & Rex coached the team. Rhett played Short Stop, Pitcher, Catcher, and a little at 2nd Base. I didn't get a lot of good pictures. I'm hoping Randy's turned out better than mine. I think I spent just as much time in line at the concession stand with the girls as I did trying to watch the game! ;)

Weekend Getaway

2011-07-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

Rhett waiting to catch a ball during warm-ups.

Posing for a picture at the Creation Museum

Riding the triceratops!

I love this smile!

Practicing taking pictures using my new camera

Tony's been dropping little hints all summer that he'd like to go to Cincy when the Braves play the Reds. At first, it was just going to be a boys only trip (Rhett & Tony), but then he mentioned wanting to go the whole weekend and also taking the kids to the Creation Museum. So, we all went. The girls and I spent the day swimming at the hotel pool while the boys went to the baseball game. They were there when the gates opened and watched all the pre-game activities. They said it was very hot and they were in the direct sun, but they had awesome seats which made it worth it! They loaded up on plenty of water and ice to keep cool and hydrated. Today, we were off to the Creation Museum. Rhett and Micah had been there before, but if Blair did, she was too little to remember. They each bought a little souvenir at the gift shop (some colored quartz, polished stones, and arrowheads). Thanks to Shawn and April for letting us use your guest passes!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-07-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

That's been the theme of this summer. I had one week off, and then I spent the next 2 weeks taking classes. (I'm working on finishing my +30.) After that, it was a mini-vacation to Indy, Rhett's All-Stars, 4th of July, more All-Stars, and cheer practices twice a week. Add in dentist appointments, a doctor's visit, a couple of shopping trips, cleaning each closet and the basement, some sleepovers, and some pool time, and here we are. I can't believe it's already this late into July! Don't get me wrong, it's been a lot of fun, too! I love having my summers off and just hanging out with the kids. I remember several summers ago, worrying that I might get bored in the summers when my kids were a little bigger and I wouldn't have to do so much for them. Hahahaha! I guess it didn't occur to me at that time how busy I would be with their activities and their social lives!

CHARLESTOWN 9U BASEBALL TRYOUTS

2011-07-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

July 10, 2011 7:00 pm

@ Charlestown Little League Major Field

We are putting an independent 9U summer & fall baseball team together that will be based in the Charlestown and surrounding areas. We will be having a tryout July 10th at the Charlestown Little League Major baseball field at 7:00 pm. The 9U (nine and under) age group are boys who were 9 or under as of 4/30/11. If you turned 10 on or after 5/1/11, you are considered 9U for the remainder of summer ball. Our intent is to improve the skills and knowledge of the game of baseball for the players and to increase their team development for years to come. Also, we would like to add that Charlestown High School Assistant Baseball Coach Brian Hester will be helping with the development of the players.

We will be scrimmaging other local area teams and will possibly play in some local area (Paoli, Mitchell, etc….) tournaments from now until early August. If enough players are available we can play in a fall ball league, such as New Albany, starting late August. But this is not a requirement.

There will be an initial $40 fee for the players that make the team to cover shirts, hats, equipment, and team insurance. Tournaments are pay as you go and generally cost around $25 per player per tourney and scrimmage games are usually around $4 per player per game to pay for umpires. We will accept sponsorships and donations if they are available!!!

Note: We will be doing basic drills for tryouts...throwing, catching, fielding grounders, catching pop-flys, baserunning, and some hitting. Please bring at least cleats, glove, helmet, and bat.

For more information please contact Tony Kaelin at 502-594-0971 or send email to tkaelin@sbcglobal.net.

My First Weekend of Summer Break

2011-06-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I've blogged. I've been so busy, I actually forgot all about it.

Here's a recap of my first few days of summer break:

Friday I had to work a half day. I spent the afternoon cleaning Micah and Blair's closet and catching up on laundry. The kids went to Clayton & Trevor's to swim and then Rhett had his last baseball game that evening. He stayed all night with Gage and the girls stayed home.

Saturday my mom kept the kids so that Tony and I could go to a home show. We are getting ready to add-on to our house, so we wanted to get some ideas. Tony took the camera and took so many pictures, the battery ran out. Wow! Then I took Micah to a birthday party and then we met up with Tony at Sterling's graduation party. From there, Rhett went home with Brian Anthony and the girls went home with Desiree (&Olivia). Tony mowed the grass and I cleaned the house (it was quite messy after 4 ballgames in one week). Oh, and we watched the new True Grit (unlike a few weeks ago when I accidentally rented the 1960's version by mistake!)

Sunday we took Brian Anthony for the afternoon. After church, we ate at Texas Roadhouse and then played some wiffle ball as a family in the back yard. It was Micah and Me against Brian Anthony & Rhett. Tony was all-time pitcher in the first inning. I switched to all-time pitcher in the second inning because Micah's super-competitiveness wasn't happy that we were losing (and apparently I was to blame). Blair left for a little bit with a friend (Trevor) and then he came to our house for awhile. Rhett had baseball practice (All-Stars) Sunday night and then he spent the night with Justin, while Micah spent the night with Alyssa, and Katie spent the night at our house with Blair.

Monday, Tabby came and picked up the girls for some swim-time at her house. I ran some errands in Clarksville and then picked up Rhett and his friend Justin on my way back. I took the boys up to my mom's so they could fish and swim. Not much luck fishing. I think my dad was the only one who caught one. That evening, the girls had tumbling and Rhett had practice. After practice, Tony played wiffle ball with Rhett & Justin. Then I drove all the kids around on the golf-cart. We ended the night catching lightning bugs. My favorite was watching Blair run through the neighbor's field, tumble dive from a fall, and get back up, all while still clasping her hands together as not to let any lightning bugs escape.

Today Tabby and I took the kids to Atlantis Water Park (Rhett, Justin, Micah, Brian Anthony, Blair, Desiree, and Olivia). When we first got there it was cloudy, cool, and even sprinkled for a little bit, but then the sun came out, it got warmer, and it ended up being a pretty day. We dropped Justin off on our way home and Cindy came to get Brian Anthony soon after we got back. I fixed dinner and took Rhett to practice. The girls are playing in the basement with the neighbor, while I'm doing laundry and catching up on the world of blogging.

Wow! All of this and it's just Tuesday! ;) I LOVE Summer!!!

Spring Break in Gatlinburg

2011-03-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

Desiree & Isabella

Rhett & Olivia

Brian Anthony & Micah

At the entrance of Wonder Works

Micah laying on the Bed of Nails

Tony beating everyone in Putt-Putt

Micah striking a pose!

Rhett concentrating on the game!

Tuesday was "Hello Kitty Day"

Hanging out at the creek

Wading in the water

family pic

Blair taking time out for a smile

At the cabin

Here's a recap of our week in Gatlinburg:

Sunday: We left after church, stopped to eat at Wick's Pizza while Beth & Josh dropped off their dog, and then were on our way. It was about 7 or so when we got to our cabin. We unloaded everything, decided who would sleep in each room/area, and then Beth and I header to the grocery store while Tony and Josh stayed with our kids who spent most of the evening going back and forth between the hot tub and the theater room.

Monday: Beth took family pictures of everyone on the balcony before we left, and then we all headed up to the mountains for some sight-seeing adventures. We stopped several places for some pictures and to let the kids play. Then, we headed to the shops in Gatlinburg. Beth went on home to make sure her kids had naps and to get tickets to a show they were seeing that evening. We split up between the girls (Tabby, Cindy, Blair, Olivia, Desiree, and myself) and the boys (Danny, Johnny, Rhett, Tony, John, Devin, Brian Anthony, and Micah wanted to go with them). The only thing I bought was a small rolling suitcase for the Blair & Micah to store their American Girl clothes in. Desiree and Olivia had matching airbrush shirts made and I think Cindy bought a pair of flip-flops. That evening everyone else went to the Dixie Stampede and our family went to the Nascar race car track to let the kids ride the little cars, do some rock climbing, and ride some of the kiddie rides. We stopped and got ice cream on the way back to the cabin. Again, the evening consisted of the kids playing in the hot tub.

Tuesday: The guys (minus Brian Anthony) left fairly early to go white water rafting and the rest of us headed toward the outlet mall. Beth stayed back with Isabella and McKinley and just did some small shopping in Pigeon Forge. Micah, Blair, Isabella, and I all had Hello Kitty shirts, so we declared Tuesday to be "Hello Kitty Day." I didn't get a picture of Isabella with us, though. At the Disney Store, Micah bought 4 little Disney Princess dolls and Blair bought a crayon/marker set. I also bought them some flip-flops at Old Navy and some outfits at Gymboree. We met back up after shopping and ate at Olive Garden. We arrived back at the cabin just after the guys came back from their trip. We all just chilled most of the afternoon. Well, except for the fact that the kids decided to play tag through the 3 levels of the cabin. ;) That evening, each family did their own thing. Cindy's family joined us for some putt-putt and then dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Tuesday night was pretty rowdy at the cabin but definitely a good time hanging out!

Wednesday: Beth made plans for us all to eat breakfast together at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant and then we all headed to Wonder Works. The kids really liked it! The highlights were the mind game (I can't remember the name of the exhibit), the rock climbing, and laser tag. Each family went on their own when we left so Tabby's family and our family decided to go up to Ober Gatlinburg to do the Alpine Slide. However, due to the winds, it was closed for the day. So we decided just to go back to the cabins. Rhett was really tired and had a headache, so we took a nap. The girls played with Desiree and Olivia and Tony ended up taking his own nap in the theater room. When I woke up, I packed everything except for what we would need in the morning. That evening it was raining, so we all decided to go bowling. Beth found a place on-line and it was clean, cheap, and we had a lot of fun. Tony had a really good night, I can't say that for me. I think I had one strike and one spare all evening. After we left there, all of us headed back up to the shops in Gatlinburg to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. The food was great and our waiter was very entertaining. It was extremely late for my kids, and I was very proud of how well behaved they were because I knew that they were so tired! Micah and Blair actually fell asleep on the way home and Rhett went to sleep as soon as we got back to the cabin.

Thursday: Each family left on their own time. Some were headed straight home, and some wanted to do a little more sight seeing. We went to the Nike and Addidas store at the outlet mall, ate at Chick-Fil-A and headed home. I unpacked and got caught up on the laundry (I had try to do a few loads at the cabin, which helped a lot!) and Tony took Rhett to baseball practice. My mom was at our house to pick up the kids as soon as Tony and Rhett got home from practice. She missed them and wanted them to spend the night. Although we had a great vacation, it was nice to sleep in my own bed that night!

It was a fabulous trip with fabulous friends! I'm hoping that this will be the start of a new tradition!

United All Stars

2011-03-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

UAS Mini's Team

These two were at the beginning of the season, back in the Fall.

This weekend was the last competition and I realized that I haven't posted any pictures. If only the gym had wi-fi so that I could upload pictures and blog while they were practicing!! ;) It's been a great season. The girls have had a lot of fun and met a lot of new friends. I've really became close to the parents, too. I'm very proud of how much they've improved since the fall. It amazes me how fast they catch on and learn the routine!! Great job, Blair and Micah!!! We are very proud of you and all of your accomplishments this year!!! Way to go, UAS!

Bowling

2011-02-14T15:29:00.000-08:00

Blair took this of Tony and I ...she's actually getting pretty good!

Notice Rhett is keeping his eye on the score!

Desiree was a little bummed because she had to bowl as an "adult" (without bumbers).

Hanging out!

Old Wee Ones Pals!

On our last day off of school (I think it was the Tuesday after MLK Day) Tony and I took the kids bowling. Cindy was supposed to go with us, but Johnny ended up hurting his back so Tony and I just took everyone. He had taken that day off of work to spend the day with the kids. First we ate at Cheddar's and then headed on over to the bowling alley. When we walked in, we saw a couple of families from Charlestown and they kind of laughed at us when they saw how many kids we had with us (I think there were 7 total). Good times!

Girls' Night Out!!

2011-02-10T17:41:00.000-08:00

One of the things Micah wants to do for her birthday is have a real manicure and pedicure at a salon. Even though her birthday is still 2 weeks away, she really wanted to go tonight. She has 2 cheer competitions very close to her birthday and they can't wear fingernail polish on those days, so we decided to go ahead and have a girls' night out tonight!! Blair picked lime green for both her toes and her fingers. Micah chose hot pink for her toes and baby blue sparkles for her hands. They really wanted the airbrush designs on them, but they said their nails were too small! ;) So, we settled for a sticker on each thumb! It was so much fun getting pampered with my girls! Happy Birthday Micah and Blair! You'll soon be 7 and 4!!

JJ Pirate Basketball

2011-02-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever! So much to catch up on. Rhett made the JJ Basketball team! He seems so little compared to the 5th graders. He's getting a little playing time each game. They are 2-2 and they will wrap up their regular season games tomorrow against Utica. Then, they'll have a week off before tournament play. Some of the pictures were taken during his games and some were when they were recognized at the CHS game on Saturday. Rhett definitely has basketball fever! He dribbles and plays in the basement every night. I don't know when the last time he played the wii or his Nintendo DS! It's all about basketball these days!! Between JJ games, CHS, Kentucky, and yes, even a little Indiana, the boy has it bad! Like father, like son, I guess!! ;)

Lights Under Louisville

2010-12-30T05:18:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, we took the kids to the Louisville Mega Caverns to see the Lights Under Louisville display. The kids were just starting to recover from being sick, so we wanted to get everyone out of the house, but not expose them to anyone else. So we packed up some snacks and headed out! About halfway through Blair said, "How can this be about Christmas when we haven't even seen Baby Jesus?" Good point! Just a few minutes later, we saw the Nativity scene, and Blair asked me to take a picture.

Santa Visits

2010-12-29T12:48:00.000-08:00

We visited Santa on the Square in Charlestown a few times. We also saw Santa at the Bass Pro Shop twice. (I didn't have my camera with me.) As part of Micah's field trip, she got her picture taken with Santa at the Bass Pro Shop! Above, you can see her adding to her list of things she was asking for! I asked her what she was talking to Santa about, and she said she was describing a specific DS game that she wanted! ;)

Pirate Pride Basketball

2010-12-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

(He's #8 on the Gray "Ohio State" team...(yuck!)

While we were at the Wee One's Christmas Program, my dad was with Rhett at the CHS game. It was his team's turn to play during the JV & Varsity halftimes. As soon as the Christmas Program was over, we rushed to the High School just in time to watch him play during the Varsity halftime. He didn't feel well and ended up being out of school the rest of the week with a fever, but he still enjoyed playing in front of a crowd!

Blair's Wee Ones Christmas Program

2010-12-22T08:37:00.000-08:00

Micah handed out the programs!

Christmas at the Park

2010-12-21T14:36:00.000-08:00

The girls waiting to be escorted to the ball! ;)

Rhett warmed up with some hot chocolate while he waited.

Can you see one of Micah's front teeth starting to come in? Maybe she'll get both by Christmas!

Blair chose to snack on some popcorn while she waited.

Our "Princess" horse-drawn carriage! The girls LOVED it!

The Jesse Tree

2010-11-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

We each took turns reading the passages from the Bible
(tonight's was: Isaiah 11:1-10 and 1 Samuel 16:1-13).

We will take turns hanging the ornament on our tree!

Tonight was the first night for the Jesse Tree. I've heard about it for a few years, but we've never taken the time to do it ourselves. The first family that I saw had handcrafted all of these beautiful ornaments and I was a little intimidated by the time put into it. But, this year our church printed paper copies of the ornaments so it's a lot more practical for this working mom to do! ;)
The Jesse Tree is named from Isaiah 11:1: "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots." It's a way to encourage our family to focus on the true meaning of why we celebrate Christmas.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

Micah and Blair took turns taking some pictures at my Grandpa's house for Thanksgiving. I only remembered to bring my camera to my Grandpa Chandler's house. I had forgotten how much they like to take pictures. I should add a cheap digital camera to their Christmas lists!

Fall Break at the Zoo

2010-11-11T16:33:00.000-08:00

(Couldn't get Elizabeth to look up no matter how many times I tried!)

Halloween 2010 Pictures

2010-11-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

Micah took this of Tony and I before we left to go trick-or-treating.

Showing some attitude!

I can't believe how much he's grown!

A cute pose before we leave!

#12 Rhett Kaelin starting Runningback for the Colts!

Blair with her vampire teeth in!

My little Pumpkin Spice girl!

Costume Day at Wee Ones

Sellersburg Celebrates Princess Contest

2010-08-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

She received a huge trophy and $15!!

Micah with our neighbors Katie and Alyssa!

Micah placed 2nd Runner Up in the Sellersburg Celebrates Princess Contest last Saturday!!! She looked so adorable! We had went shopping and she picked out this really cute sequin/sparkly fancy dress that she wanted to wear. When I was double checking the time of the contest, I read that the contestants should wear "church attire" and "no glam or glitz" and that part of the judging was based on proper attire. I told her that what she picked out might be too dressy, so she ended up wearing an outfit we bought this past spring. However, she really liked the dress we had already bought, so I told her we might keep it and it can be one of her Christmas dresses. Plus, it came with a matching dress for an American Girl doll!

Micah's came a long way since her first Princess contest. (I had to hold her hand and walk across the stage with her.) She absolutely loves dressing up and all things "girly!"

First Day of School Pictures

2010-08-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

The beginning of the year is always stressful, but this year it has been even more difficult with all that we are going through. I didn't get to work in my room before school started and now I am feeling really behind and unorganized. My coworkers have been awesome, though! I LOVE my JJ Family!

Micah loves every minute of being an "all-day-er" as she calls it. Since she only went to Kindergarten half-day, she's been enjoying many firsts. Eating lunch, going to special area classes, recess, etc. She's begging to ride the school bus, too! Our Technology Coordinator said that when her class came to the computer lab for the first time, she told the boys and girls that they wouldn't be using their head sets that day. She said that Micah raised her hand and asked if she could just at least put them on. It's amazing the little things that she gets excited about!

Rhett is super-thrilled that one of his best friends is in his class with him (Seth) although he's also very disappointed that his other best friend (Gage) is in a different class. It cracks me up how social he has become.

Blair will start Wee Ones the Tuesday after Labor Day. SHE CAN'T WAIT!!!!

I'm enjoying my class and trying to get to know them better. I love how eager they are and I enjoy hearing their stories about what they did over the summer. It's full speed ahead! Pray for us, because it's always an adjustment when I have to go back to work!!

Chris Tomlin & Toby Mac Concert

2010-08-15T18:15:00.001-07:00

Toby Mac

Chris Tomlin

Johnny & Cindy

Me & Tony!

Self-Portrait

Wednesday we drove up to Indy for the Chris Tomlin & Toby Mac concert at the State Fair. It was an outside concert and was very hot at the beginning but cooled down after the sun went down. Awesome praise & worship with Chris Tomlin and a lot of fun with Toby Mac. I'm amazed at how physically fit those 2 have to be to perform the way they did that night. It was a great show and it was good to get away!

VBS 2010

2010-08-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

Alyssa, Kaylie, Micah, & Megan

Kaylie & Micah (she's one of Micah's friends from school ... couldn't they pass for twins??)

Logan, Rhett, & Preston

This year at VBS I was super busy and didn't have a lot of free time to take pictures. I did capture a couple of shots through the week. Tony was busy practicing the skits. I'm relying on everyone else to print doubles for me (hint, hint)! We had a lot of fun and brought MANY visitors throughout the week! Rhett won the prize for the most points overall! I loved hearing the kids share the highlights each night on the ride home!

American Girl Store Atlanta

2010-08-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

On our way home from Florida, we stopped in Atlanta to go to a Braves game, the American Girl Store, and to spend the day at Stone Mountain Park. The girls brought their dolls to the store and they bought a pair of doll Heely's and a Healthy Smile Set (braces and headgear for your doll).

Atlanta Braves Game

2010-08-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

This was Blair's reaction when she found out it was going into extra innings... again and again!

Florida Vacation

2010-08-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

Mamaw Laney & Rhett

Keegan & Blair

Blair looking for sea shells

Tony and Micah taking a break in the shade!

Rhett & Blair playing in the sand!

In July, we took my parents and went to Florida to visit my Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Roger. They live in Hernando. My kids had never seen the ocean before. When we first got to the beach, we saw dolphins swimming and jumping really close! The kids really liked the beach, but it was so hot! After a couple of hours, they were ready to go back to Charlotte's and swim! I would still love to plan a vacation where we actually stay on a beach. I think they would enjoy it! Where's your favorite beach vacation spot? Any suggestions?

Stone Mountain

2010-08-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

My mom & dad

Waiting for the Laser Light Show at Stone Mountain

2010-08-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

On our way to Florida, we stopped at a Chick-Fil-A in Georgia to eat. The local radio station was set up in the parking lot with special activities for families. Rhett & Micah took turns walking in the huge bubble ball and then we went inside an RV to play an X-Box Racing game (Rhett dominated the X-Box games!)

Waterfront Park

2010-08-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

United All-Star Mini's Sleepover

2010-08-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

4th of July at the River

2010-08-12T16:14:00.001-07:00

Brian Anthony

Olivia

I LOVE this face!

Dimples!

Sparklers!

Founder's Day Parade

2010-08-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

Blair was a camel on our Egypt Files VBS float! Micah was on the Prince/Princess Float! (Rhett had an All-Star game in New Albany that morning!)

United All Stars

2010-08-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

Micah doing a backbend kickover!

Blair doing a backbend kickover!

Micah and Blair
These were taken at the Indiana United Performance during Founder's Day.

2010-08-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday JoLynn watched the girls so Rhett and I could go school supply shopping. I always take each one individually and just spend the day with them. I had already taken Blair and Micah, but not Rhett. We bought a couple of pair of shoes, a backpack, and his school supplies. Thanks to JoLynn for helping out!

Today Marcye is picking them up and taking them to the free kids movie and then to her house to play. I'm spending the morning at my parents house.

Then tonight Tony and I are going to the Chris Tomlin/Toby Mac concert in Indy. Tony bought tickets over 6 months ago and we invited Johnny & Cindy to come with us. It will be good to get out! My mom really wants the kids to spend the night with them tonight. So Marcye said she would just drop them off at my mom's later this afternoon.

Please pray for a safe trip for us as we travel to Indy. The concert is at the IN State Fair. We're going to spend the night up there and drive home tomorrow. Also continue to lift up our families in prayer!

Memories

2010-08-09T20:24:00.001-07:00

Tony had a softball game tonight, so I was leading the devotion/prayer time alone. I decided that every once in a while we should take time to remember things about Damon, things he did, or things he always said. With my kids being little, I want them to keep those memories of him. Most of these are inside jokes. Here's a list of what we shared:

Rhett: K-A-E (pause) L-I-N (pause) What does that spell? (pause) Kaelin!
Me: (to my kids) Come here and give me a "new carpet hug"
Blair: bringing us a pack of sour patch kids when he came to visit
Micah: throwing us on the couch
Rhett: teaching me to ride my bike
Me: drawing a smiley face on his big toe and talking to Rhett (as a baby) with it
Blair: doing cheers with us
Micah: drawing a face on Blair's belly
Rhett: fish lips
Me: picking up Rhett and Micah after he and Lee had babysat, only to find Rhett wearing a bandana as a "lid"
Blair: taking me to the "recession" stand (concession stand)
Micah: sidewalk chalk on the driveway

A Poem to Damon

2010-08-08T04:45:00.000-07:00

This is a poem Robin Cross wrote to Damon and wanted to share it with my family.

Days go by and things unfold, no one knows what tomorrow holds.
Day by day we live our lives, all the while we wonder why.
We live our days busy like any other, without ever stopping to acknowledge one another.
Work, school, ball games, home life, and such, who ever realized it’s all those things that mean so much.
So often those moments ...are taken for granted, just because it’s always what’s wanted.
We often lose sight of what matters most, in the daily rituals to which we boast.
Days like these are when it seems to sink in, when in fact it is where we should always begin.
We only get one life to so called “blaze a trail”, who ever realized it could be so frail.
So take your morning, noon, and nights, and hold on to each precious memory with all your might.
Make sure you tell the ones you love, just how much, for that could very well be your last touch.

Damon

2010-08-04T13:21:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and kind words. Anyone who knew Damon knows that he never met a stranger. He knew more people than anyone I know. It was nothing for him to stop by to visit you, eat your leftovers, crash at your house for the night, push his opinions/views on you, etc.! But that was Damon and we loved him for that. He was the best uncle in the world. We will miss him! Please continue to remember my family, especially my mom, dad, and Lee. Also, please pray for Derek and Tonya Hebner and their families as well.

Funeral Arrangements for Damon are: Visitation Friday 2-8; Funeral Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at Grayson's Funeral home in Charlestown

John 3:17

Allergies

2010-07-10T18:32:00.001-07:00

Blair informed me today that she is "allergic" to 3 things:

poison ivy
bug bites
cleaning the basement

Oh my! Where does she come up with these things???

Fun In the Sun

2010-07-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Pajamas & Baby Dolls

2010-07-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

If you look in the lower right corner, you can see some of Rhett's lego creations parked! ;)

One picture where she's not smiling!

matching pj's

This Is What We Do For Fun

2010-07-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

Well, actually, we have to take turns! ;) We can't all ride at once!! We're saving for a backseat!!

Kindergarten Celebration

2010-07-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

Blair, Kendra, Micah, & Alyssa

Ms. Tina, Micah, & Ms. Harbin

Kindergarten Graduation at CIC (with Jak & Brian Anthony)

Wow! Where did the time go? I can't believe how big Micah is getting and how fast this school year went. Micah had an excellent year. I'm so proud of her. I'm actually at a loss for words. I thought if I waited a couple of weeks, I would have a better blog entry, but I'm still a little emotional.
I'm so proud of her academically, socially, and especially spiritually. Micah made a profession of faith and was recently baptized. She's a really good reader, she loves school, and she loves to write in her journals. She's made a lot of new friends and is starting to not be so shy. She's grown so much in all areas. She's doing great at tumbling and has just started the cheer squad.

I love that she is so girly, loves dressing up, playing with baby dolls, and is a mommy's girl. She loves clothes, shoes, hair bows, purses, and accessories. She loves to color, draw, and to read books and be read to.

I love Micah's beautiful hair, green eyes, and freckles on her nose. I love that she's dainty and I LOVE her toothless grin! I love you, Micah!!! Mommy and Daddy are so proud!

New Babies!

2010-06-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

Here's one of the triplets.

Rhett and Blair petting "Linda" (she's the only one who will get close enough to pet).

As many of you know, my parents have a deer farm. They have a special license to raise deer. This past spring, one of the does had twins and another had triplets. I think of the 5, 2 are male and 3 are female. My dad checks on them several times a day, sometimes finding them, and sometimes not. Their mothers hide them often. It's amazing how close you can be to one and not even see it!
I haven't walked down there for a few weeks. I'm sure they are much bigger now! They are just absolutely adorable!!
My favorite time to watch the deer is just as it starting to rain. They just run and jump like they are so excited. They love playing in the rain!!

2nd Runner Up!!!

2010-06-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

My princesses!

Daddy's Girls!

Anna with the girls

Blair was so excited for Micah!

Aunt Donna with the girls

Anna and Micah

Micah was 2nd Runner Up!!!!

Micah with the 1st & 3rd Runner Ups!

Micah with one of her Wee Ones friends, Sadie (she was the 2009 Founder's Day Princess)!

Founder's Day Princess Contest

2010-06-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

Micah will be in the Charlestown Founder's Day Princess Contest today at 2:00! The event will be streamed live over the internet and you can see it using the following link:

2010 Founders Day Prince & Princess Pageant

Or by pasting the following url in your browser

http://www.ezstream.com/play/index.cfm?id=1825423628

I'll post pictures soon!

Spending the Night

2010-05-28T14:23:00.001-07:00

Blair: Do you know why I'm spending the night with Tabby tonight?

Me: Why?

Blair: Because I was invited.

Well, there you have it! She cracks me up! Tabby invited the girls to spend the night and she's taking them to the New Washington Cheer-a-thon event. They are super excited! Rhett invited a friend over. He's also very excited because, apparently, this is the first time he's had a friend over without Micah and Blair being here. Our plan was to take them to the batting cage in Georgetown, but right now they are saying they just want to stay here and play all evening. Maybe when Tony comes home, he'll be able to talk them into it. Plus, I think he was wanting to go more than they were wanting to go! (He just started a softball league.)

Pitcher

2010-05-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first Little League game (7/8 year olds) where they used a player to pitch. The first half of the season, a pitching machine was used. Now it's time to transition them to get them ready for the 9/10 year old league.

Rhett started as pitcher and did a really nice job, considering it was his first time! I was very proud! The game ran very slow, though. At one point, Blair asked (loudly), "Why don't they get that spinning thing that throws the balls back out?" Everyone in our bleachers laughed.

I'm not sure the details of the transition. I just know that the pitcher would pitch 3, and then there were 2 officials that would pitch a couple as well. Rhett pitched the 1st 2 innings and then switched positions with the catcher during the 3rd inning. The game was called due to rain/lightning??? so they didn't finish. We'll be back tonight. He's been so excited all day! If you aren't doing anything and you would like to come watch, he plays tonight at 7:00 and this Friday at 7:00 as well (minor league field). Maybe we'll see you there!
***Tony just informed me that since Rhett pitched more than 40 pitches, he can't pitch tonight. I guess I need to update myself on the rules of baseball! ;)

A Conversation About Church (in the eyes of a 6 Year Old)

2010-05-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Micah and Megan (neighbor) were having a snack this afternoon talking about church:

Micah: God is in charge of our church. Pastor Brian is in charge of the preaching. Mom is in charge of the babies and the computers. Dad is in charge of the guitars. The Big Cheese is in charge of AWANA. Ms. Deanna is in charge of Kids for Christ. etc.
Sulayne: Well, I guess you could say that. But, Dad's not really in charge of the guitars, he just plays music. I guess if he's in charge of anything it would be helping to decide how we spend the money.
Megan: My cousin's uncle is in charge of the money at our church. And my Granny is in charge of the kids sometimes.
Micah: You know my Grandma Sharon?
Megan: Yeah.
Micah: Well my Papaw Herb is the pastor at his church. So he's in charge of the preaching there and Grandma Sharon is the audience.

I love overhearing her conversations. They always make me laugh! She just cracks me up!

We're Beating Dad Up

2010-05-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

Tony and I drove separate to McAllister's today after church because Micah and Blair had cheer tryouts in Sellersburg this afternoon. When I turned into the parking lot, here's the conversation that was going on:
Sulayne: I don't see dad behind us.
Rhett: We must be beating him.
Blair: We're beating dad up.
Micah: Blair, don't say that. That means that your body gets ripped apart and it kills you.
Rhett: Micah, no it doesn't. Tell her mom.
Sulayne: I guess if someone beat you up it could kill you. But we just meant that we are going to get there first. Blair, no one is getting beat up.
Blair: I know ...I was just teasing.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T16:21:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful for my family and feel so blessed each day. I've had another wonderful Mother's Day! I opened the gifts my kids made me this morning. Blair drew some "scribbles" on a sheet of paper and added some stickers to it. Micah gave me a coupon book that I can use to cash in on chores and special treats, colored a Mother's Day book, and made me art work (a flower-handprints for flowers, footprints for leaves, and fingers for the grass). Rhett gave me a candle, wrote me a poem, and gave me a card.

Then we were off to church. Maria met us at the check-in counter and took our picture. My mom met us there which was a nice surprise! Church is always a little crazy during the month of May because there's no jr. church for the kids. That's a long time to keep still and quiet when you're 3! I always feel like I miss out on a month of sermons!! ;) What I did hear of the sermon was wonderful, as always, and of course, the CIC ladies did an excellent job pampering all of the moms with a gift!

After church, we met Sharon and Herb, Tabby, Danny, Devin, and Desiree at Cheddar's for lunch. Tony's mom is also very wonderful! She's great with the kids and helps us out more than she will ever know! It was nice to spend some time with her today, too! Next stop was Target. I needed to get a few things and we glanced at some cameras and camcorders. We haven't done any research and really don't even know what we want, so we were just "window shopping." Plus, I don't think spending that much on a Mother's Day gift was what Tony had in mind. I'll settle for a day of labor instead- (re-doing the mulch around the house or planting a weeping willow tree or hanging the 14 circle mirrors I bought myself for Christmas or ... well, you get the picture!)

We came home and Blair and I took a nap. I awoke to all of the laundry folded and put away! (Have I mentioned how awesome my husband is???) I took a movie back to Blockbuster and got a few groceries. Rhett and Tony are turkey hunting and the neighbor girls are here playing with my boxes of Cabbage Patch Kids from when I was a little girl.

We didn't have church tonight so it feels very strange to have all of this free time! I've swept the floors, stocked the pantry, changed the cat litter, the laundry is caught up, and I've actually blogged a couple of times this weekend. Wow! I could get used to this!

One of My Favorite Children's Books (since I've been a mom!)

2010-05-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

Someday
By Alison Meghee and Peter H. Reynolds

One day I counted your fingers and kissed each one.
One day the first snowflakes fell, and I held you up and watched them melt on your baby skin.
One day we crossed the street, and you held my hand tight.
Then, you were my baby, and now you are my child.
Sometimes, when you sleep, I watch you dream, and I dream too...
That someday you will dive into the cool, clear water of a lake.
Someday you will walk into a deep wood.
Someday your eyes will be filled with a joy so deep that they shine.
Someday you will run so fast and so far your heart will feel like fire.
Someday you will swing high- so high, higher than you ever dared to swing.
Someday you will hear something so sad that you will fold up with sorrow.
Someday you will call a song to the wind, and the wind will carry your song away.
Someday I will stand on this porch and watch your arms waving to me until I no longer see you. Someday you will look at this house and wonder how something that feels so big can look so small.
Someday you will feel a small weight against your strong back.
Someday I will watch you brushing your child's hair.
Someday, a long time from now, your own hair will grow silver in the sun.
And when that day comes, love, you will remember me.

Mother's Day With My Mom

2010-05-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

We treated my mom and dad to lunch at Olive Garden today. It's my mom's favorite restaurant and through past experiences we've learned that it's much less crowded the day before Mother's Day! ;) It was nice to hang out with my mom and dad while Tony was with me! I see my mom almost every day during the week, but we rarely get to hang out on the weekends! The food was great and our kids were so well-behaved. Then, mom and dad headed to Wal-Mart and we went to Lowe's and Dick's. I had to get new knobs for the bathroom drawers and Rhett wanted to look at air-soft guns.

Then we came home to take a nap! Tony and Rhett had got up early (5:00 a.m.) to go turkey hunting and Micah woke Blair and I up at 7:30! The kids have been playing dress-up and made a fort in the basement as their play house.

Tonight we are going to a wedding. I guess I better go upstairs and figure out what we are all going to wear. The temperature change has me second guessing what I laid out to wear!

My Life According to Pictures!

2010-05-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

Warning: A Lot of Pictures Ahead!! The next several posts are of pictures that I hadn't been able to post since our computer was down so much. It feels so good to get caught up! Well, except for Tony's turkey hunting pictures, but I'll let him post those himself! Speaking of pictures, I've mentioned before that Micah has taken an interest in photography. The good news is she loves taking pictures and is actually getting creative at posing objects and wanting to take some nature shots. The bad news is that she's using my camera and has dropped it accidentally on occasion. The camera is a few years old, anyway. We are starting to notice it doesn't zoom like it used to and sometimes the picture seems a little dark. Plus, I'd love to have one a little smaller that I could just carry in my purse all the time. If anyone talks to Tony and he's looking for a good Mother's Day gift, please drop him a hint! ;)

My Little Yellow Ducks!

2010-05-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

I took this one Sunday morning before leaving for church. A couple of people who saw us get out of the car and walk through the parking lot said that they looked like little yellow ducks! Too cute!

Boy Scout's Awards Night

2010-05-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

These are of Rhett receiving his Wolf Badge (I think???). Boy Scouts is something that Rhett and Tony do, so I'm not very familiar with it. They had a lot of fun and enjoyed spending some time together!

AWANA Awards Night

2010-05-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

These 2 are "Honorary Cubbies" and will be official Cubbies in the fall! ;)

Blogger Party

2010-05-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

I know most people have seen this on Facebook, but I loved it so much, I wanted to put it on the blog, too! It's just hilarious! Of course, Micah is wearing a tiara! ;) We had such a good time that night ... makes me want to have more get-togethers with friends!

Easter 2010

2010-05-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

Easter outfits

Easter at Aunt Bea's!

Blair won this bike at the Charlestown City Easter Egg Hunt!!!Wow!

I'm not sure what Micah and Isabella are looking at, but you can always count on Blair to be smiling for the camera!

Indianapolis Family Fun Package

2010-05-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Rhett posing in an Indy car!

Micah brushing a Barbie mannequin's hair at the Indianapolis Children's Museum.

Posing for a picture while playing Barbie receptionist!

One of Micah's hobbies is photography. Here's one she took of Tony!

Hanging out at the Indianapolis Zoo!

Rhett and Tony petting the sharks!

Combined Birthday Party

2010-05-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

The Entertainment

Blair's cake!

Micah's Cake!

Rhett's Cake!

So, after much debate, I decided to do a combined birthday party again this year. Since we have 3 birthdays in 15 days to celebrate, it's just easier that way. We tried hard to make it very simple and invited only family and just a few friends. Next year, I think I'll just do something individual with each of them. I may have to space it out a little, though. Caylin made the cakes ...aren't they awesome??? She's so talented. They were absolutely delicious, too! Micah and Blair wanted purse cakes and Rhett wanted a light saber.

Rhett's Birthday Pictures

2010-05-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Rhett opening his Lego MP-3 Player.

We bought Rhett and Ant Farm! It's been exciting to see the ants dig tunnels!

Blair's Birthday Pictures

2010-05-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Caylin made Brooklyn and Blair a little cake for their birthday and gave it to them in Sunday School!

Tony brought this home for Blair for her birthday! Too cute!

Blair asked for an American Girl doll with red hair like her mommy!

She wanted to open her presents in the morning before we left for school!

Micah's Birthday Pictures

2010-05-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

Micah with Lanie (her American Girl doll)

On Micah's birthday, Tony brought this little doggy cupcake home for her! Isn't he the best?

Micah opening up her birthday gift ... Lanie, the 2010 American Girl Doll of the Year.

Rhett's Baptism

2010-05-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

During our Revival a few months ago, Rhett made a profession of faith. He then asked to be baptized. It was even more special to have Tony help! I was so nervous for him. I thought his shyness would be too much. But actually, he didn't get scared at all! I was so proud of him! This was the day that Blair and Brooklyn informed me that they would get "appatized" when they got bigger! Too cute!

Dirt Cake Recipe

2010-04-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

After a Blog-friends get together this weekend, I promised I would share this recipe:

Dirt Cake

1 large package Oreo cookies, crushed
1 cup sugar
1 stick margarine
3 cups milk
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large container whipped cream
2 3-ounce boxes instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon vanilla

Spread half of the cookie crumbs into a 13"x9"x2" pan, reserving the other half for topping. Combine cream cheese, sugar, whipped cream, and margarine until smooth. Set aside. Combine pudding mix, milk, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Add cream cheese mixture to pudding mixture and pour over cookie crumbs. top with remaining cookie crumbs. (Add gummy worms candy to cake for decoration.) Serves 12.

Spring Break 2010

2010-03-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday: (Mini-vacation with the family) Drove to Indy and went to the Indianapolis Zoo. Stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Indy so the kids could swim.

Sunday: Swam one more time in the morning at the hotel. Then we went to the Indianapolis Children's Museum. Rhett loved the Star Wars exhibits. Micah loved the Barbie exhibits. Blair loved the sand table. Came back Sunday evening.

Monday: Took all 3 kids and met my friend Ashley and her son Dante at the movie theaters to see "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." LOVED it! I had read the book to my kids at school and Rhett is reading the rest of the series. Dante came home with us for a couple of hours. Monday evening, I took Blair, Micah, and Brian Anthony to spend the night at Grandma Sharon's. Rhett rented Star Wars Episode II & III to have some father and son bonding time with Tony. ;) I stayed up late and finished reading Breaking Dawn the 4th book in the Twilight series. I started the first one on March 1st and finished the 4th one over Spring Break- averaging about a book a week. I haven't read that much in such a short amount of time since I don't know when!

Tuesday: Rhett and I spent the day shopping and hanging out. He helped me pick out some clothes (have I mentioned how picky he is?). I picked up the girls from Cindy's (she had picked them up from Sharon's) and Rhett stayed to play with Olivia. The girls had a friend spend the night Tuesday evening.

Wednesday: Went to the Louisville Zoo with Cindy, Olivia, Brian Anthony, John, Carol, Maria, Brooklyn, and Elizabeth. We had a great time, but didn't enjoy the traffic jam on the way home.

Thursday: Olivia and Brian Anthony came over for a couple of hours to play with the kids. When they left, my kids went to my mom's so that I could do some Easter shopping. I met Tony for a quick dinner at Q'doba and then we spent the evening playing with the kids.

Friday: Mom had a playdate scheduled with her friend Joyce and her grandkids. So I went to the outlet malls in Edinburgh by myself! It was great to have some alone time and shop just for me! Friday night we watched the ball games and I rented movies for the kids.

Saturday: We went to the city park for the Easter Egg Hunt. Blair only got 2 eggs. It took her a little bit to figure out what everyone was doing. I guess I should have given her some strategies! ;) Tony met up with us after music practice at the church in time to see Micah and Rhett hunt eggs. They were much more successful and ended up with several eggs. Blair won a bike, so she was super excited!! Then we ate at Chick-Fil-A (or "Chick-uh-lay" as Blair pronounces it) and then went to Perrin Park for pictures with Megan and Chris. Next, we dropped Rhett off at Sharon's (she was having the older 3-Desiree, Olivia, and Rhett spend the night) and headed to Louisville to the malls to do an exchange and some super fast shopping. Tony was in a hurry to get back home to watch the ballgames.

Sunday: After church, we ate at McAllister's (no surprise there) and then came home. I straightened up the house, Tony took a nap, and Blair watched a movie. Rhett was still at Sharon's and Micah had went home with Brian Anthony. Then we dropped off Blair with Sharon and Tony and I went to Winter Jam 2010. (Third Day, News Boys, New Song, Fire Flight, Tenth Avenue North, etc.)

Wow! I didn't realize how busy I was!! I had so much fun hanging out with the kids and they enjoyed some extra time with grandparents and cousins, too!

Happy Birthday Rhett!

2010-03-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

Rhett turned 8 on Fri., Mar. 11th. We were so busy with birthdays, parties, and life that I haven't had time to blog. Plus, our computer crashed and we had to send it off to get fixed. I know I'll have a ton of pictures to upload and post. Speaking of pictures, I get a little bit of anxiety just mentioning it. Ms. Organization has really started slacking! I usually am so on top of getting pictures developed, into photo albums, with labels, and all scrapbooked up (I don't even think that's a word). Well, Tony's procrastination is rubbing off on me. I haven't developed pictures since BEFORE Halloween! Yikes! My bill will be in the hundreds of dollars, I'm sure! That was on my Spring Break To-Do List, but it didn't get accomplished. As soon as I have a couple of hours (since there's so many) to devote to downloading them, I will get around to it. Promise.

Happy Birthday Blair!

2010-03-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

Blair turned 3 on Friday, Mar. 5th. I'll post pictures soon...

(Jennifer-I thought you'd like this short blog entry)

Happy Birthday, Micah!

2010-02-25T19:10:00.000-08:00

Micah turned 6 on Wednesday! I'll post pictures of her soon.

Highlights of My Dad's Babysitting Experience

2010-02-24T14:15:00.000-08:00

On Monday morning, my dad was babysitting Blair while my mom went to the doctor. They were sitting in his recliner watching cartoons. This was their conversation:

Blair: What's that smell?
Papaw: I don't know.
Blair: (a short pause) Probably your breath!

Hilarious! Have I mentioned she's only 2????

Playing School

2010-02-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

I just overheard the girls playing school. Micah (the teacher) just informed her class (Blair and a combination of baby dolls & stuffed animals) to "hide because I just heard thunder" and then proceeded to show Blair how to sit against the wall and protect her classmates. Must be practicing a disaster drill????

Snow Girl

2010-02-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

This was how we spent one of our snow days last week. We made it on the side of our house to block the wind from us while we were out there. Plus, we can look out our basement window and see this smiling snowgirl! The snow was a little powdery, so we weren't able to shape it into 3 balls, but we did the best we could! Rhett found 2 rocks within the mulch for the eyes, Blair gathered the scarf and hat. I stuck the limbs in the side for arms, and Micah found a branch that was shaped in a smile to use for the mouth!

Pine Car Derby

2010-02-16T09:31:00.000-08:00

The Boy Scout's Pine Car Derby was a few weeks ago. Rhett's car came in 3rd place for his age level and 12th overall!!! Tony and Rhett had a lot of fun building and designing his car. This is Rhett's first year in Boy Scouts and he loves it. We are so proud of him!

Curly Q's

2010-02-16T08:10:00.000-08:00

A couple of days this month, the girls have slept in rollers to make their hair curly. When I first take out the rollers, their hair is SUPER curly. It takes several hours to loosen up and start to relax. These were taken in the morning. Next time, I'll try to take some pictures later in the day. Blair told everyone she looked like Shirley Temple. Oh, how I love being a mom to these 2 cutie pies!

Holding Down the Fort

2010-02-10T14:14:00.000-08:00

One of Rhett's favorite things to do is to build a fort. This is just one of the many forts that he has made this winter. They look at books, eat snacks, and just hang out in it. He created this one all by himself!!

Mother-Daughter Time???

2010-02-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

Every time I try to sneak in a little "me" time, here comes someone to join me. Tony captured these the other night when I was trying to exercise. After their bath, Tony had taken everyone downstairs to play, and slowly, Blair and Micah made their way back upstairs to see what I was doing. Not the greatest pictures, but it was so funny watching Blair and Micah doing The Shred video.

A Dedicated Father

2010-02-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

Tony deserves father of the year for this one! The kids asked for steak for dinner, so Tony bundled up and headed outside to light up the grill. When he went to light the grill, we were out of propane. So, he had to go to the store and get a new tank. He was a little embarrassed to admit he was grilling in the freezing cold! But it was so worth it! The steak was delicious!! Way to go, Tony!

Sledding

2010-02-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

Olivia, Blair, Johnny, & Hope
John & Bailey

Olivia & Blair

Rhett & Brian Anthony

Johnny & Blair

We (Danny, Johnny, & I) took all of the kids sledding down the Library hill. (Tony couldn't get off of work, so I went.) Again, Tabby's family avoided the pictures. I think I must have taken these when Desiree was taking a break after a nose bleed. Johnny helped out with Blair who absolutely LOVED it! We stayed almost 2 hours. She would have stayed a couple of more hours if we would have let her. Did I mention that this was a day that the high was about 18 degrees?

I went down a couple of times, but I'm always scared that I won't stop myself in time and I'll end up in the creek! Blair went down several times with Desiree, Olivia, and Johnny. Brian Anthony and Micah buddied up most of the afternoon and Rhett hung out with Hope and Caleb.

Christmas at the Beck's

2010-02-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

Waiting...

and waiting...

and waiting for the presents!!!

Johnny's family & Bailey

Micah just didn't want to get her picture taken.

We had our Kaelin Christmas the second weekend in January. I'm not sure why I didn't get pictures of anyone else???? Each family took their turn standing for a family potrait. My kids must have distracted me. If anyone has pictures of Carolyn & David, Sharon & Jim, Randy & Sean and Sterling, and Tabby's family please e-mail them to me!

Computer Problems

2010-02-04T16:15:00.000-08:00

The newest reason that I haven't blogged lately: our computer has a virus. It's currently working, but there are still some things that Tony needs to do to it to get it back to normal. Thankfully, he had just backed up all of my pictures to a cd!!

Rhett's First Black Eye

2010-01-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

It happened Christmas Eve. All the kids were playing when another Micah (Tony's cousin's little boy) and Rhett bumped heads. This was taken a couple of days later. At the time, we didn't think it was that bad. But by the time we got home it was a little swollen and then on Christmas morning, you could tell that it was going to be a black eye! Poor thing! It's almost gone now.

Christmas

2010-01-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

Grandma Sharon bought Rhett a cool Lego set with Darth Vader!
Grandma Sharon made a whole bunch of clothes for Micah's American Girl doll!! They are absolutely adorable!

Grandma Sharon also made clothes for Blair's Bitty Twins... she's so talented!

Testing out a new game for the Wii on Christmas morning.

My parents bought Micah and Blair a pink retro kitchen set.

My parents bought Rhett lights for his golf-cart and some games for the Wii.

I had already bought their Christmas dresses when Beth sent me a site that had these pillowcase dresses. I fell in love and had to order them! I usually have 2 outfits for them anyway, since we go to so many places over the holidays. I bought these a little big in hopes that they can wear them next year, too!

Blair and Micah with their American Girl dolls!

Rhett's big gifts were: a rip-stik (skateboard), a tv, some lego sets, some Wii and DS games, and lights for his golf cart.

Micah's big gifts were: an American Girl Just Like You doll, a tv, a bunkbed for her dolls, a kitchen set (to share with Blair), and clothes/accessories for her American Girl doll.

Blair's big gifts were: American Girl Bitty Baby Twins, a stroller for her twins, a (used) Nintendo DS, a kitchen set (to share with Micah), and clothes/accessories for her Bitty Twins.

Coomers' Christmas Eve

2010-01-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

Blair in one of her Christmas dresses.
Olivia and Rhett hanging out.

John and Rhett

Devin entertaining Brian Anthony and Micah.

I have no idea why I don't have a picture of Desiree! This year we had Christmas at Donna's new house. It was absolutely beautiful! My favorite was her white tree in the basement that she had made into Frosty the snowman. I'm not sure why I didn't get a picture of it! It was such a creative idea! As always, the food was delicious and we had a great time! The night went by too fast and I didn't get to catch up with everyone. From there, we went to the church to read the Christmas story, have communion, and pray together as a family. I love this tradition! It's so nice to slow down and remember why we celebrate Christmas!

Making a Gingerbread House

2010-01-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

Micah did this side.

Rhett decorated this side.

Rhett did this side, too! Everyone helped with the roof. Blair did the side that is shown on the picture below:After decorating, everyone wanted to eat what was left of the icing!

This was a gift from the twins in my classroom. It was a great family time activity! I did most of the structure and they did all of the decorating. I was pretty impressed with their creativity! We had a lot of fun with this and I'm sure this will be a tradition we will continue each year. It lasted through the afternoon until Tony got home from work and then they started eating on it. It was just too much of a temptation for them to wait any longer! ha! ha!

CIC's Children's Christmas Production

2010-01-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

Not the best picture of Rhett, I guess this is an action shot!
I'm not sure what the glowing thing on his shirt is????

Micah absolutely loved having the opportunity to do the sticks...

as you can see, so did Blair!!

Midway through the song, Micah handed her bell to Blair to have a turn (they were a couple short). Blair was supposed to ring it a few times and then hand it back. This was Micah after realizing that Blair wasn't going to give it back to her.

Blair and Brooklyn jingling their bells!

The CIC Children's Christmas production was so good! It took many people and many practices to put it together, but it was so worth it! They did such a great job! I video taped it, but didn't get any short videos with my camera. There were a couple of times I almost laughed out loud at Brooklyn and Blair. You never know what a 2 year old is going to do on stage in front of all those people! If you are reading this and helped with the Kids for Christ on Wednesday nights, thank you! Your time and dedication are appreciated!!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2010-01-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

Micah, Blair, and some of their friends
The Cinderella Horse Carriage

Visiting Santa and Mrs. Claus in the house on the Square

Rudolf and Frosty stopped by for a visit!

Self-portrait during a carriage ride (we didn't get Blair in the picture)

Micah and Rhett during a carriage ride

Visiting Santa and Mrs. Claus on another trip to the Square!

I'm hoping that most of you were able to stop by Charlestown and see the beautiful lights on display throughout the holiday season! It was just breathtaking! We made several trips around the square and through the park, stopping to visit Santa, Rudolf, & Frosty, taking a carriage ride, drinking some hot chocolate, and eating at the Charlestown Pizza Company, too! It was kind of sad to drive by today and realize that the Christmas season is officially over and that today is the last day for the lights! ;(

Christmas Card Pictures

2010-01-03T11:43:00.001-08:00

These are the 3 pictures I used for my Christmas cards this year. I added the "silly" picture because I love the look on Micah's face! The pictures are compliments of Beth ... doesn't she do such a fantastic job? She's so talented!

Halloween 2009

2010-01-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

Rhett turned to the dark side as Darth Vader.
At the last minute, Blair decided to be a cheerleader wearing Micah's Pirate cheer uniform.

Micah is Rapunzel, complete with wig and a hoop dress.

Every year, we have always taken the kids to the Charlestown Square for Trunk-or-Treat and then to First Baptist church for their Trunk-or-Treat. This year, we decided to go to Grandma Sharon's neighborhood for real door-to-door trick-or-treating. The kids absolutely LOVED it!! In their words, "We didn't get as much candy, but we had more fun. Oh, and we got better candy, too!" (Meaning they got a lot more chocolate and variety and less suckers and smarties, I guess.)

Since Rhett was going as Darth Vader, Blair insisted she wanted to be Yoda for Halloween. However, she didn't want to be a "boy." I had even bought the Yoda costume. I tried to get Micah to be Princess Leia and have a whole Star Wars theme going on, but it didn't happen. Blair looked cute in her Yoda costume, but it just didn't fit her bubbly personality. At the last minute, with the persuasion of Olivia, Desiree, and some teenagers at church, she changed her mind and went as a cheerleader. The next day, she said that she would be Yoda next year. And if you ask her today, she'll tell you the same thing. (Parent tip to myself: Just let them pick and don't choose for them! ;)

Micah also decided that her costume wasn't very practical. She took the wig off at about the 3rd house (it was itchy) and she kept stepping on her hoop dress on every incline which caused her to fall down about 15 times (at least) that night. Oh well, live and learn, I guess!

Blair's First Haircut

2010-01-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

Blair got her first haircut back in September. She was super excited! She did such a good job and loved every minute of her "big girl" experience! My beautician, Amy, also curled Micah's hair, too! Both girls loved being pampered!!

Disney Vacation

2010-01-02T19:54:00.001-08:00

Riding the race cars with Dad!

(The sun is in Rhett's eyes!)

Soaking up some Florida sunshine!

The whole time we were there, all the staff commented that Micah was "Princess Arielle"!

Cinderella was both Micah and Blair's favorite!

Oh My! When I went to download Christmas pictures, I realized I hadn't even blogged about our Disney trip, Halloween, Blair's first haircut, etc. With 3 kids, life sure is busy! To make a long story short, Tony surprised me by calling me at work the Friday before Fall break to say, "Go home and pack your bags ... we're going to Disney World tomorrow!! Well, actually, we have been saving to go for awhile, had tossed the idea around that Wednesday evening, started considering it more seriously on Thursday evening. You get the picture. It was actually quite refreshing to be in such a rush ... no time to second guess what you've packed. Just pack and go! ;) We left on Saturday, Oct. 17th, our 11 year anniversary!! (We had went to Disney World on our honeymoon.)

Rhett's Letter to Santa

2009-12-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,
Hi! How are you and your wife doing? The things I really want is a rip-stick and a TV! I want lots of Lego sets and Star Wars movies, and Indiana Jones movies, too. I want a brother and a puppy.

Love,
Rhett Kaelin

Sulayne's Christmas

2009-12-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

This was on Megan's blog, so I thought I would share my answers, too.

Sulayne's Christmas:

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate. But my favorite is hot Apple Cider! Mmm! It's so cold outside tonight, I could use a warm cup right now!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Just sits them out. At our house, each kid has a spot where Santa tries to organize their presents into piles.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Definitely COLORED lights!!!! I'm known for my green and red porch/garage lights, too! I am such a kid at heart!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.

5. When do you put your decorations up? The day before Thanksgiving since I'm off work that day. That way, I can shop Black Friday!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Homemade Chex Mix! It's my weakness every holiday season.

7. Favorite Holiday memories as a child? baking cookies with my mom, setting the alarm for 12:30 just to "check" if Santa had came yet, playing Rook with my family, going to my grandma's house, eating chex mix, begging my dad to ask Santa if he could bring just one present early, the excitement of waking up to see what Santa had brought, riding around town with my family to look at Christmas lights

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember exactly when. I do remember kids on the bus telling me that Santa wasn't real. When I was in 5th grade, I remember still getting several Cabbage Patch kids that year for Christmas. I'm not sure if I complained, but after that, there were no more presents, just money.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We go to the Coomer family on Christmas Eve and the kids open a present. We also do a gift exchange for the adults. I let my kids open their pajamas on Christmas Eve, too.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Tony puts up the tree, shapes it, tests the lights, and does the garland. I put on the ornaments. The past 2 years, the kids have helped me. We have a tall (10 foot), skinny tree, so I leave Tony a small pile of ornaments to hang on the top, since we can't reach. We play Christmas music and drink apple cider while we decorate. Then, we hang garland down the staircase and across the fireplace mantel. The kids have a small tree in their bedrooms that they decorate themselves.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it! (I hate the cold and hate when it gets dark so early, but I love when it snows and I LOVE LOVE snow days!!! Again, I'm a kid at heart.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes ... Tony and I had went ice skating with friends from CIC the night we met! Well, I should rephrase that yes to yes I can ice skate, but it may not be pretty.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I remember getting a juke box style record player, a KISS guitar, and as a family we got an Oddysey (kind of like an Atari). But my ultimate favorite was my first Cabbage Patch kid. Her name was Hillary Ferdinand and I still have her! She had red hair like me and I took her with me everywhere I went for what seems like several years.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Baby Jesus ... that's easy!

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I'm not a huge dessert fan, see #6. If I had to pick something, it might be peppermint bark.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? A couple of years ago, Rhett and Micah asked if we could buy a birthday cake to celebrate Jesus's birth. I also love baking cookies for Santa with my own kids.

17. What tops your tree? Nothing at the moment. Our star was ruined when our basement flooded, and I haven't bought a new one yet. When Tony and I first got married until just a few years ago, we had a Marvin the Martian tree topper.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Neither, just because I don't think I'm good at picking out gifts for others and like I said in #8, I stopped receiving gifts when I was in 6th grade.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Little Drummer Boy is my favorite (especially Fred's version). I also like Away in a Manger, Christmas Like a Child and many "specials" that people sing at church. When I was a little kid, it was all of the Alvin and the Chipmunks songs and the Red Baron and Snoopy Christmas song (I'm not sure the real name of it).

20. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? Yum!

21 Favorite Christmas Show? A Charlie Brown Christmas

22. Saddest Christmas Song? Since I've been a mom, I'd have to say Mary, Did You Know? I'm also very melancholy and like a lot of sad songs.

Cute Quotes

2009-12-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

I need to start carrying a pad of paper with me to jot down the funny/cute things my kids say. Here are a few that I wanted to share:

Blair: After pointing out the dusting of snow to her the other morning, she just stared with this puzzled look on her face. Then said, "Who did that?"

Micah: While eating a snack of nacho cheese and chips, she said, "Mom, I didn't know that the raisin girls made these chips!" Confused, I went to the table where she pointed to the picture of the girl on the Santitos chip bag (she looks very similar to the girl on the package of raisins).

I've been thinking all week that I need to blog that, and I need to blog this. Of course, now that I'm sitting in front of the computer, I can't think of anything else that they've said. But, hey, at least I've updated! ;)

New Carpet ... Finally!

2009-11-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

Our new carpet was installed yesterday! Our basement flooded in September and the carpet has been on back order. It was supposed to take about 5 days and it ended up taking over a month... ugh! But no complaints. It could have been a lot worse.

The kids have enjoyed the open space in the basement! Although Rhett is looking forward to being able to play the Wii soon! (All of our furniture, etc. has been in storage/unfinished part.) Now all that's left is to arrange the furniture. I'm wanting to do something different, to make better use of the space. I'm hoping that Cindy and Tabby can help me with that. For those of you that have been in my basement, I'm open to suggestions!

I've survived ...

2009-11-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

the 1st 9 weeks! The first 9 weeks of school are always the hardest for me. When mom goes back to work is a big adjustment to the whole family to say the least! There's always so much paper work, testing, analyzing data, getting to know the students, parent conferences, etc. Plus, everything that needs to be done at home, too! This year is even more busier because I'm taking a literacy training course and I'm now the Team Leader again (I took several years off). Shew! I've been pressured by several blog readers to update, so I thought I would start by letting everyone know why I haven't had time to post lately! ;)

A LOT has happened in Sept. & Oct. so stay tuned for more updates!!

Sellersburg Celebrates Princess Contest

2009-09-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Isn't she just adorable? We were so proud of her for participating and not being too shy this year! She picked out her dress ... which was much fancier than any dress I would have chosen. It's funny because I realize that our tastes our different. I need to start taking her with me when I go shopping for dresses. Don't get me wrong, I think her dress is absolutely adorable, I just tend to buy more simpler styles. By the way, she also picked out her shoes, which have little clear heals that don't really show up in these pictures. Micah is definitely a shoe girl! It's so much fun having a little girl to play dress up with! Micah is so much of a girly-girl! Speaking of that, I'm off to read another Fancy Nancy book to my little girls right now!

1st Day of School Pictures

2009-09-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe that Micah is in Kindergarten! Here are some pictures of the first day of school:

Rhett with his teacher! ;)

Micah with her teacher, Ms. Harbin

Rambling

2009-09-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

I've forgotten how crazy-busy the beginning of the school year is! I'm exhausted. Rhett is in my class this year ... what a blessing. He's doing really well and I'm so excited that we will have this special time together!

I wanted to tell everyone that my mom got her CA-125 bloodwork back and her number went down from 28 to 18!!! (That's good news!) The radiation is working. She meets with the radiologist in a couple of weeks so I'll give another update at that time. She's feeling pretty good, but a little tired now that she is back to babysitting. Tony's mom has graciously offered to help out by babysitting one day a week to give mom some much needed rest time! Thanks Sharon!!

Micah was in the Sellersburg Celebrates Princess Contest a couple of weeks ago. She did a fabulous job! We were so proud of her! She wasn't shy and I didn't even have to go on stage with her this year! lol! Cindy came over and fixed her hair ... she looked so cute. I will post pictures this weekend.

Blair's funny saying for today: She constantly is telling everyone that she is "a big kid now" and thinks that she should be able to do everything that Micah does. Well, today when it was clean up time, all of a sudden, she said, "I can't know how to clean up. I too little."