This & That

I took this last week but didn't get the chance to post it. The leaves were just starting to turn, but they look even prettier now.

Danielle brought home her school pictures last week. They include a photo id card to record your child's height, weight, etc. I keep them on the refrigerator and stopped to compare them when I added her new pic this year. I know the kids are growing up, but the changes seem so subtle until you look back like this. She looks so old.

Danielle and her friend have discovered they can talk to each other through the upstairs windows. I don't know why, but I find this quite amusing.

Tyler got a new Lego set the other day. It was a combination birthday present from Mamaw & Papaw, his birthday money, and a little help from us. It is for ages 14+ and has over 2000 pieces. He zipped right through it without any problems at all. I seem to be incapable of taking a decent cell phone pic, but it's a pretty cool set.

And congrats to my brother who placed 3rd in his age division in the Cat Caper 5k today!

Our Woot! Deal

We still haven't secured the elusive "bag of crap", but we did score a couple Meon Bike Writer Triple Packs this week. I looked them up first to be sure I was getting a deal and found that the Woot! price was 1/4 of the regular price! They were worth every discounted penny; they are fun and the kids love them. The packs included a wheel writer, a gyro-flasher, and a light striper.

Work Perks

Ron was at a conference in Orlando this week. He had a rough start to his trip. He flew into Miami and caught a connecting flight to Orlando. His flight was delayed over 3 hours, though, so he didn't get into Orlando until 3am. It was close to 4am by the time he got to his hotel room. When he got to his hotel, Ron was talking with the receptionist while she was checking him in. He told her all the trouble he had had getting there and laughingly said, "At least I have that king size bed to look forward to!" The receptionist frowned and explained that she had to give away his room since he was so late. He was disappointed but joked around with the receptionist about finding him a closet or something to sleep in. We all know Ron just has a way with people. She finally found him a room. When she handed him the key, she said "I think you'll really like this one." He thought she was just joking around with him...until he got to his room and realized that it was one of their executive presidential suites. Check out these pictures:



This is the hallway INSIDE his room.



The guest bath



We thought it was kind of funny that he was there without kids but still watching Spongebob!

When I looked it up online, room prices for the executive suites starts at $650/night and can be as much as $2700/night! I'd say he got pretty lucky. And this, kids, is why it pays to be nice!

One evening after their conference they went to Universal Studios. Ron ate at the Three Broomsticks and tried butterbeer. He also brought home chocolate frogs for the kids. (Excuse the crappy cell phone pics.) The kids thought they were pretty cool. Tyler got Rowena Ravenclaw's card, and Danielle got Albus Dumbledore's.

Our Little Visitor's Siblings

Yesterday afternoon I watched a momma squirrel scurry down the tree in our backyard. She was closely followed by 2 smaller squirrels who stopped about half way down and chased each other around the tree trunk. I guess at least one of the squirrel nests in our trees was indeed being used! I think these are our little visitor's siblings. Normally I encourage the dog to chase away the squirrels when they visit, but these little guys are so cute and fun to watch. I think maybe I'll pick up an ear of corn for them to enjoy. Maybe they'll leave the bird seed alone that way.

Here are a few pictures. I know the one to the left and on the bottom branch is a baby. I'm not sure about the other one because it stayed scrunched up while I was outside and I couldn't see its full body. Its tail looks a little thicker and it wasn't as flighty, so I'm thinking maybe this is the mom. If so, the other baby must have been taking a nap.

As far as the little guy we found last month, we still haven't heard anything about his outcome. They did warn me that they were really far behind in their phone calls, so I'm still holding out hope that he made it.

Life Lesson

This picture was being passed around on Facebook last week and it made me look twice. I saw a very good life lesson for my kids, especially Tyler, in this cartoon.

He isn't big and showy, and most people probably don't see it, but there is so much going on under the surface. When he compares himself to other kids, he isn't always seeing his "big carrot", just their showy carrot top. But I know that some day he will be a great, Godly man and he will do great things.

And Danielle, who is the only person I know who really cares about other people's feelings, even the smelly boy in class that everyone makes fun of. That may sound insignificant to others, but it's not. And she's only 9. Some day she will be a great, Godly woman and she will do great things.

If only I can help them remember this as they survive school and the input of others who don't always have their best interest in mind!

More Volleyball

Danielle and I went to watch the jr. high teams play volleyball one day last week. I thought she might enjoy watching an actual game so she would better understand how to play. We had a very nice time together, and I do think it helped her some. Of course, she always puts her all into whatever she does, so it's always fun to watch her play.

The Mustangs

Happy Birthday to Tyler!

Yesterday was Tyler's 11th birthday. I made camouflage cupcakes for him to share with his class. I couldn't get the icing to cooperate, so I improvised and ended up with these. Tyler was very happy with how they turned out, so that was good enough for me. He said they were a big hit, too. Ron had the day off, so he picked Tyler up from school early and took him to a movie. I can't remember the last time the boys had a day out together, and they had a really good afternoon.

Tyler picked to have his birthday dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It's always yummy. Do you think they sanitize that hat between birthday guests?!

We returned home for cake and presents, and then rented a movie until bedtime. Tyler decided the morning of his birthday that he wanted a bakery cake, so we had to go with what was available at the grocery store. He liked the relighting candles, but, note to cake decorators: putting ribbons on a cake - that will eventually have fire on it - is not the best idea! We survived, though.

Later in the evening Tyler thanked me for everything I did to make his birthday special. I thought that was pretty thoughtful and just one more sign that he's growing up. I miss the simple days when he was little and all mine, but I am so impressed with the person he is becoming. Slowly but surely he is maturing, and he is so stinking smart. Like every mom, I worry about what his future holds, but I'm also kind of excited to see the great things he will do. There's so much potential behind those beautiful brown eyes.

Happy Birthday to Tyler!

How did we go from this...



...to this so quickly?!

I can't believe he's 11. I didn't have a problem turning 40, but my son turning 11 is bothering me a bit! Our children are little for such a short time. (And yes, I sold out and went with a bakery cake this year. It's what he requested.)


I think he had a good day. I'll post more birthday pictures tomorrow.

Time for Volleyball

Danielle had her first volleyball game today. The 3rd graders play in an instructional league, so they don't really keep track of a team's overall wins and losses. They play as many games as they can in an hour. The first team to 25 wins, and a point is scored for one team or the other with each serve. Since all the girls are learning, most of them can't get their serve over the net if they stand back all the way, so they allow the girls to move forward a little. Danielle had to move up a little, but not as much as some. She did really well and scored several points with her serves. She managed to volley a couple back, too. I don't know how she manages to do it, but she makes it fun to watch every sport she plays. None of the girls are good yet - it's like watching those first tball games - but Danielle definitely has potential, and she had a good time.

I think she had an assist from her cheek on this one.

Sadly, it won't be long before the hummingbirds migrate south for the winter. Here are a few more pictures of our young male hummer. Wish I could tag him so I can see if he comes back next spring.

Photo Sundries

Cabbage white

Viceroy

Common watersnake

Common watersnake swimming the opposite direction!!