Twas the Night Before Christmas...

We all know this famous story; Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even... oh what is that I hear above my head? David, nailing in boards up in the attic.

Yes, my wonderful husband is at it again! I thought that we were done with home projects for a while. Well, that lasted about a week or so...

David, feels that he need to have a "man cave", so off he went to Home Depot to buy 2X4 and started to pound away up stairs. He has been working every night this week until midnight or later, and then would start again at 5 am. Needless to say, I feel that I have had a constant headache for the past week.

Lets get back to the story, Twas the night before Christmas, when all throuh the house, the pipes for the heating and airconditioning were run. The sheet rock were hung by the window with care, in hopes that it would be done before Kristie pulled out all her hair.


Merry Christmas to all!

Down on the Farm

Cooper petting the little one!











Hunter and Sydnie "wishing" they could take them home...

As many have heard me talk about our next door neighbor’s goats who love to eat my magnolia tree and garden, well there are more!

I got a call earlier in the week from our neighbor, Natasha letting me know they had 5 baby goats, and wanted to have the kids come over to see the baby goats and feed them.

I wasn’t sure how the kids would take to them, since they are so scared of any little animal that comes within 5 feet of them.

David came home on Tuesday night and I gave him the task of taking all three of them to go see the baby goats.

They all really enjoyed getting to hold and feed the “kids”, even Cooper enjoyed it.

Now they all want goats for Christmas, I don't think Santa will have enough room in this toy bag!

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY SYDNIE

Sydnie waking up as a big 6 year old!

Sydnie's 6th Halloween Birthday Party!

This year Sydnie wanted to have a birthday with all her friends. So off I went to plan a Halloween Birthday Party, with the help of my Aunt Ann (she always has the coolest ideas)


I sent the invitations to all of Sydnie's class mates, a few of Hunter and Coopers friends planed all the activities: hay ride, pinata, outdoor games and lots of food! This year has been a very dry year, in the month of October I think it has rained twice and yes as you already guessed one of those days was the night of Sydnie's birthday party...


We had a great time, even though I had to stuff about 30 people in my home.

Sydnie's first field trip

Mr. Rust's Kindergarten Class

The Fruit and Berry Patch


Sydnie, Michelle and Jordan

This year is a first for a lot of things for Sydnie. Her first year in school with lots to learn, her first play date with her friends from school and best of all her first field trip.

All the kindergartens went to the Fruit and Berry Patch in Halls, TN (this is also the farm we get our fruit for canning). The owners do a great job for the local schools.

The kids got to go on a hay ride, minus the hay, go thru a corn maze, pick an apple from a apple tree, feed goats at the petting zoo, and last pick their own pumpkins.

Sydnie and her friends leading the way thru the corn maze

Sydnie had to find the just the right apple!

It's the great pumpkin Sydnie!

It was great to see how excited the kids were about this trip.

Mom and Sydnie

Picture Tag

For this tag you are supposed to go to your picture folders and go to the 4th folder over and pick the 4th picture out of it and post it.

Here is the picture.









Oops! Hunter has his eyes closed
This picture was taken at Custer State Park summer 2008

I tag Jennifer S, Melisa L, Michelle, and Maria C.

SHOPPING WITH IBU

The best gifts are the ones you get to pick out yourself.

Sydnie wanted a Hananna Montana Bear from Build a Bear Workshop for her birthday, so we set a shopping date with Ibu. At first my mom told Sydnie that I wasn't invited, that this day was just for her and Ibu and no one else (I was feeling a little left out) but Sydnie said that if I didn't go then she wasn't going (she is so true blue to me).

Our day started out with a Cinnamon roll and hot cocoa from Panera Bread, then off to the mall to pick out that special gift.

First Sydnie picked out the bear, the heart then the voice box to go inside the bear...

Then it was off to give the bear some stuffing, not before you make a wish and then put the heart in your bear.

Sydnie really enjoyed giving her bear a bath but could not wait to get her all dressed up!

As you can see Hannah got all the accessories she could possibly wear... Sydnie had a great time shopping with her Ibu!

Eaton Elementary Rocket Romp

Sydnie's school holds one fundraiser each year call the "Rocket Romp"

I really like this fund raiser, for the fact that the kids have to be involved not just the parents going to everyone they know to buy stuff they really do not want or need. The best thing about this is that 100% of the money goes directly to the school.

The Rocket Romp is an 3K event where the students collect donations for their participation. All the students will walk/run around the track and we had a DJ on the field playing music to motivate the students. (I sure could use the DJ every morning at 5am when I am walking my 3 miles)

The ROMP as two goals: to raise much needed money for the school, and to promote physical fitness.

I went this year with Sydnie's class and had a great time. Sydnie even ran two laps and walked 5 more with me... she may pass PE after all!

Home and Family Personal Enrichment Ideas

I am not sure if I am living right or not...

With that said, I have been asked to be the Second Counselor in Relief Society. I was the First Counselor, which I loved. I had great teachers and I didn't have to do a lot. I guess you could say I might have gotten a little too lay back.

So now with my new calling, I sure could use some great ideas. If you have any that you would be willing to share with me I sure could use them!

Our latest project

I thought that summer was coming to an end, and that meant no more yard work... boy was I wrong.

When David and I bought our 5 acres a few years ago, I thought we bought it for the plush trees.

David grew up in Idaho, where nothing grows for years, and now that we live in a state where everything grows like weeds, he wants to cut it down . As you can see in the pictures he has cleared a lot of trees off our land. I guess you could say I have my own personal "Paul Bunyan"

We have been working on our landscaping, and I thought it would be a great idea to plant a perennial garden in between two walkways down to the play area or aka "The Cziep Park" But as always I took more than I could chew. I am still working on my perennial garden, but it became a lot bigger project, and I never knew there were so many types of plants, it is hard to choose.
I guess when you own a home the work is never done!

Not on my list of things to do

For those that do not know me that well, my famous last words to my children "be careful, going to the emergency room today is not on my list of things to do." I always tell them this when we are getting ready to do things around the yard.

Well, like any other Saturday, David had a long list of things to do outside in the yard. For those that know my kids, know that Hunter and Cooper love to be outside, however, Sydnie our "drama queen" loves to stay inside with her cool glass of water and her TV remote on the couch. When she has to go outside to help, it last no more than five minutes and she starts to cry that she has a "heat rash" and that it is just to hot to be outside. So, of course she bats her big blue eyes at her daddy and he then tells her to go inside to cool down.

However, this past Saturday the humidity was low and it was a beautiful day, and Sydnie was having a great time outside, until she tripped over a tree stump and fell down on a tree branch that pierced her right thigh.

Pictures are worth a thousand words...

I was on my way to Home Depot to pick up more bushes, when I got a call to come back home to pick up Sydnie to take her to the emergency room. When I got back to the house Sydnie was crying and saying "my beautiful skin" and "I told you daddy that being outside wasn't a good idea." I asked David what happened, he said she is fine, but she will need to go to the emergency room, and don't look at her leg. I just grabbed Sydnie and drove off.

It wasn't until we got into the emergency room that I finally looked at her leg with the nurse, Sydnie had ever right to be upset, she had a gaping hole in her thigh.

After 8 stitches, and lots of hugs from mom, she was good as new.

I am not sure if her daddy will ever get her to go outside to work now...

Need your input

I need your input... does anyone have or know anyone that has used a Cricut Machine or the QuicKuts Silhouette? I would like to know what your thoughts are on these two machines.

Thank you for any input you may have to offer.

Memorial Day Camping Trip

We just back from our weekend camping trip, at Canney Creek RV Center in Harriman, TN (for those not around East TN it was only 20 miles away) We didn't get to far from home due to Hunter had a football game on Saturday.

We went with another family and had a great time. The kids love to be able to ride their bikes and go swimming (our pool in our back yard isn't good enough for them)

Our family has really enjoyed our camper, it is a great way to get away so David can kick back and relax and not worry about the yard or the business.

Sydnie's first day of kindergarten

I am a little late getting these on my blog, I had a problem with my camera, I deleted by pictures, Oops!

So I finally got her to stand still long enough to take these. She really loves school and is doing well, but she does not like GYM or Recces. I keep telling David she is not my child, those where my to favorite subjects! LeAnn, I think she is more and more like you! :)

Your it!

Rules: list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current goals, 3 current obsessions, and 3 random facts about your self. Then tag at least 5 people at the end.

3 Joys:
1) family
2) friends
3) a good book

3 Fears:
1) spiders
2) loosing my sight
3) not being able to do for myself

3 Current goals:
1) to follow thru with losing 10 pounds
2) to get my kids on a schedule after school
3) to walk 3 miles a day

3 current obsessions:
1) cleaning
2) reading, have to find a new book - any good ideas?
3) cereal

3 random facts about myself:
1) I love camping (who ever thought I would love the outdoors?)
2) I have lived in 11 states
3) I love chewing gum

I tag, Jennifer, LeAnn, Michelle, Janet and Maria

Influence of mothers

Sydnie didn't see the humor in this, but I really had a great laugh at the situation, after she left the room.
Have you ever really sat down to think how much of an influence we are as mothers to our children... Yesterday I went to get my hair cut, I usually do not take any of my children with me, to me this is my time to get pampered after I have pampered everyone else. This time I had to take Sydnie with me, since she will not be in school for a couple more days. While getting my hair done I also got my eye brows waxed, and little miss "I don't miss a thing" must have been
watching very close.
Today she thought she would give herself a eyebrow wax with her Barbie band aids... she came down the stairs crying in despair... it hurts mommy please take them off! This was a picture moment that I could not pass up, so after a quick hug, I told her she would be OK and to just smile for me... I can't believe she was patience enough for me to get my camera.
I know that after this ordeal she will wait a long time to wax her eyebrows...
.

Fun in the sun

Cooper's First Day of Pre-school

Cooper had his first day at his new pre-school Camp Central at one of the local United Method's churches. As you can see he was all smiles, and ready for his big day.


Cooper 3 years old


His backpack is bigger than he is :)

Rewind back to summer

Where has the time gone, the kids just got out of school in May and now we are already into our third week of school.



I thought I would rewind the clock and look back at our fun summer... so if you would please stroll down memory lane with me.



Destin Florida ~ our family trip with my parents and my sister and her family

Hunter's 1st Day of 6th Grade

Well it is officially, I have a 6th grader, that wears a size 7 1/2 men's shoe. Where has all the time gone. In most school systems 6th grade is the beginning of middle school, but in our backwoods part of the South we start them early in 5th grade. With this being said, Hunter thinks he is just like all the older kids, COOL... until I kiss him on the cheek and tell him good by in front of all his friends, the joys of being a mother!

Sydnie will be starting kindergarten this year, but they will not start until next week, so stay tuned for her first day.

Football Time in Tenneessee

It is football time again, it seems like we just had the playoffs. Hunter is in his 4th year of playing, and getting better and better ever year.

Between now and November we do not have a life, football is 3 nights a week for 2 hours and all day on Saturday. We just make it a family thing and we all get into it. Sydnie and Cooper are great sideline cheerleaders for Hunter, they are always there to tell him great job and go get 'em!

Getting Ready for the Winter

We decided to try our hand at canning this year. In June I got this crazy idea that I would do some freezer jam, but as always got a little over excited this year and over did it with the strawberries. I bought 3 flats and by the time I got into my second flat I was so over strawberries, I did not want to see another one ever! My family laughed and wanted to know what we were going to do with all that freezer jam... they sure haven't had a hard time eating the jam :)

Last week David went to one of the local farms and got corn and peaches. The kids thought is was fun to shuck the corn, but they sure didn't like the mess they had to clean up afterwards. My dad helped by watching the corn on the stove, needless to say we picked a very hot day to do so... he is just a great sport about our wild ideas. David and I peeled peaches until we couldn't peel any more. I think we may have eaten as many peaches as we canned. Needless to say our tummy's were a little upset a few days later. They sure were really good peaches.