Our Speed Racer Birthday Party

This month, Jeffrey turned 6 and Sarah turned 13. They had a combined party at Grandmother and Grandfather's house. Jeffrey wanted a Speed racer Party, so Sarah decided that was what he should have.

First she organized decorations. She got out construction paper and had all the boys create cool cars for a centerpiece decoration. The was an apple car complete with lowly worm. There was a shark car, an elephant car, a hand car, an S car, a Christmas Tree car, a flying car, and of course, a Speed Racer car.

Jeffrey dressed like Speed, wearing a blue tee shirt with a red bandana at the neck. The other characters were Trey as Sparky, Bobby as Racer X, William as Spridle, and Rebekah as Chim-chim. John and I were Pop and Mom Racer.

Sarah made a race car cake that looked great! John helped her cut it out and then she decorated it. It even had cookie hubcaps!

Here are the gifts Jeffrey received:
Grandmother and Grandfather - a $25 Barnes and Noble Gift certificate
Grandmommy - two coloring books
Uncle Greg and Aunt Caroline - some Hot Wheels
Aunt Beth and Cousin Laura (for all the Mays) - a Hot Wheel
Mr. and Mrs. Blair - a check for $25 which Jeffrey spent mostly at Build-A-Bear
Sarah - a Speed racer Helmet

Here are the gifts Sarah received:
Grandmother and Grandfather - a $25 Barnes and Noble Gift certificate
Grandmommy - a $25 Barnes and Noble Gift certificate
Uncle Greg and Aunt Caroline - a book about sewing
Aunt Beth and Cousin Laura - a $10 Target Gift card
Mr. and Mrs. Blair - a check for $25 which Jeffrey spent mostly at Build-A-Bear

They also each got a free animal from Build-A-Bear just because they were born he same month as "Bearemy". Jeffrey got a puppy and named it Yo-Ho-Ho Jonny and Sarah got a panda and named it Lee Mae-Hah.

For His birthday dinner, Jeffrey had Stuffed Shells with ice cream with sprinkles and banana for dessert. Sarah had Fettuccine Alfredo for her dinner and Cherry Pie for dessert.

Sarah also got a silver bracelet from Heather, some Littlest Pets from Isabella, and a journal and book from Grace.

It was a nice birthday season! :-D

Sarah and Mommy's Trip to Atlanta

I took Sarah to Atlanta for an overnight trip. Sarah wanted to buy the new American Girl Doll, Ruthie (Kit's best friend) at the AG store. I thought it was a great excuse for us to have some time one-on-one.

The timing of the trip was decided by the release date of the doll. She was released June 1st to stir up interest in the new AG movie, "Kit Kittredge, an American Girl." Sarah had wanted to be there the first day she was released, but that wasn't possible. She said it would be okay to be there the first week instead.

Since John wasn't working Friday, we drove to Alpharetta, where the AG store is, that morning. We were baffled to find a long line outside the store. Boy, were we surprised to find out that Abigail Breslin, star of the new movie, was there signing autographs!

We didn't get her autograph, but here is a picture of her signing autographs:



And here she is walking through the store after she was done:



Here is Sarah sitting in the chair Miss Breslin sat in:



Here is Sarah in front of the American Girl Store with her new Ruthie doll:




Here they are having lunch at the American Girl Bistro:



Be sure to read the next post for the rest of our adventures!

Atlanta Trip, Part 2

After shopping, we checked into our hotel, the La Quinta next to mall where the AG store is. It was a wonderful hotel and I would recommend it to anyone traveling in the area. It was clean and quiet and the rooms are very large.

After unpacking , we drove into Atlanta and went to the Coca-Cola Museum. Three were fun movies to watch, including one that was 4-D. We got to taste Coke products from around the world, see how Coke is bottled, and learn about the history of Coke and how it has been marketed through the years. We even got to meet the Coke Polar Bear!




After the museum, we strolled through Centennial Olympic Park. One lady asked us if we were Irish. I guess it was the long, loose dresses and the headcoverings.  Three was also a man said, “Good evening, ladies.” Then he turned to Sarah and said, “Madam.” His friend said, “What did you say?” “I called her Madam. It’s a respect thing!” LOL I got the feeling the comments would have been very different if we were in jeans.

When we drove back from Atlanta to the hotel, we knew we needed to get some dinner, but weren’t sure where to go. The we saw Bahama Breezes. That sounded perfect for two hot and thristy ladies! We split a chicken dish and had Key Lime Pie for dessert. Delicious!

After dinner, we swam in hotel pool before retiring for the night.

The next day, after the complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we packed and checked out and headed for the Atlanta Zoo. Before going into the Zoo, we had a picnic snack of leftover pizza from the AG Bistro and complimentary Cokes from the Coke Museum.

Our favorites from the Zoo were the naked mole rats, the kangaroo with a joey in its pouch, the orangatangs playing computer games, and the giant Pandas. Here is a picture of the baby panda taking a nap in a tree:




Here is Sarah pretending to be a Giant Panda that is holding Ruthie:



Here is Sarah petting a goat at the petting zoo.



We had a wonderful time!

Contests for me and you!

One of the message boards I am on, Upstate Moms (for moms in Upstate SC), is always having contests. And I seem to win more than my fair share! When I first joined the board, I had no idea there was a contest going on. However, I won! The proze was 4 tickets to the American Idol Show at the Bi-Lo Center. We sold those tickets and bought groceries! LOL

Then earlier this year, they had a contest where the prize was a $50 Visa gift card. They give away about 30 of those and I won one. :-)

Their most recent contest was for First Mom. Anyone who wanted to could submit the name of another mom who posts. "The nominee should be someone whose posts you always want to read, who makes you laugh or cry or think, who is a vital part of our UpstateMoms community." Some very nice ladies nominated me and I won. I got a tote bag, a t-shirt, a mouse pad, and a few magnets, all with the Upstate Mom logo. They also took my picture with my chidlren and posted it on the website. Here is that picture:



Now I have read of another contest. A lady on the Yahoo Group, Patriarch's Wives, is having a contest on her blog. You can win a $25 gift certificate to Fruitful Vine Creations, a lovely business that does custom wall lettering and signs. You can have a plaque made with scriture on it! Here is their website: http://www.fruitfulvinecreations.com/

To enter the contest, go to this blog and read the contest rules: http://thereisaseason.blogspot.com/2008/04/for-another-contest.html

If I keep winning prizes at this rate, my taxes will be very complicated next year! LOL

We returned from Matthew and Emily's Wedding on Sunday. Monday evening, William came to me with the Mega MadLibs Book. I choose the MadLib while he took something to the kitchen for me. I thought it would be cute to do this one, as we had just returned from the wedding. In case you can't read it, here is what the MadLib ended up saying after I just asked him to tell me nouns, adjectives, etc. The words he thought up (not knowing what the story was about, mind you) and in bold.

DESCIPTION OF WEDDING

The gigantic wedding yesterday afternoon between big Emily and her groom, Matthew, was carried off beautifully. The bride wore a long huge room with teeny edging and a tiny neckline. At the end of the sweet ceremony, there wasn't a dry mailman in the place. Later, at the reception, the bride's mother said, "The groom is a cool man, just the type of Bloomington we wanted for our sour daughter." The wet couple left midst a flurry of hot congratulations, to spend a warm honeymoon visiting weddings in Baltimore. They are sure to live sweetly for many years.

Rebekah's Birthday Party

Rebekah turned one recently and today was her party. Sarah made this cake, by herself, using directions found in a book. She made the cake, cut it out, made it into a bear, made two kinds of frosting from scratch, and then frosted and decorated the cake. Not bad for a 12yo!!

Grandmother and Grandfather didn't feel well enough to come, but dropped off their gift earlier. It was a shopping cart cover (just what I asked for!). It has a beautiful pink pattern. I'm sure she will look adorable next time we go shopping.

Aunt Beth came and gave Rebekah the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar and a stuffed caterpillar. I think that was her favorite present!

Uncle Greg brought Grandmommy, but Aunt Caroline was unable to come. :-( She needed to stay in Sumter to supervise some workmen. We missed her and her dogs! Grandmommy and Uncle Greg both gave Rebekah some pajamas which she really needed. The ones she has are getting short in the toes - how does that happen???

I think everyone had a good time. Rebekah was very cute the whole time. Hard to imagine that next year, she will be walking and talking by this time!

My Birthday Celebration

I have spent most of the day in bed, which is nice as I have not been feeling well. My dd has begged me to not to go near the kitchen or her room. That leaves very little space for me to be!

Around 7:00pm, I was asked to come to the living room. When I walked out, the children all jumped out from hiding places and yelled, "Surprise!"

Dinner was on the table. My 12yog had made corkscrew pasta and tomato sauce (by herself!) with salad on the side. There were placecards at each place (including on the highchair!). In the middle of the table were a collection of books about the ocean and seashore - they all know I love the beach - a scattering of seashells, my sunglasses, and a beach sandal (used and very dirty ).

After dinner, most of the children gave me cards they had made by themselves. My oldest son used many rebuses - pictures in place of words - so I had to puzzle it out. Then they brought out the cake. My dd made a cake and then cut it up to make it into the shape of a sailboat. She iced the sails, leaving a small strip in the center un-iced tot be the mast. The boat part was un-iced, but had three peppermint Lifesavers across the side. A paper anchor at one end and a small flag on a toothpick at the other finished the look. The picture doesn't show all the detail.

Tomorrow night, my in laws are going to baby-sit while dh takes me out to dinner.

It was a nice birthday!

A few new pictures of Rebekah Rose

A sleepy, two day old Rebekah Rose

being held by Uncle Greg

Three month old Rebekah Rose

being baptized.

Later that day

at a party in her honor,

again with Uncle Greg.

Last August,

being held by Grandmommy,

with Sarah

Being held by Grandmommy

in early December.

10 months old,

at the zoo with Mommy.

Another Birthday Party

Last Saturday, we had a birthday party for Trey and William. Per Trey's request, we had carrot cake and cream cheese icing. The next day, on William's birthday, we had chocolate cake and cram cheese icing. His other choice was carrot cake with chocolate icing, but I vetoed that.

Trey's birthday dinner was hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, and corn. Sarah made brownies for dessert that night. For William's birthdya dinner, we had stuffed shells and salad. I wanted ot make bread, but we didn't have enough salt.

Here are the gifts Trey received:
Uncle Greg and Aunt Caroline - Star Wars figures (R2D2 and Darth Vader) and a Star Wars coin collector
Grandmommy - More Star Wars figures (Emporior Papatine and a sand trooper)
Aunt Beth (with Laura and Prescott) - GI Joe plane kit.
Grandmother and Grandfather - Model Airplane and a book on Flight.
Mr. and Mrs. Blair - $25

One of Trey's favorite presents was just something Unlcle Greg brought to give him. It is a calendar about unmanned vehicles. It went up on his wall right away. :-)

Here is what William received:
Uncle Greg and Aunt Caroline - A remote control race car
Grandmommy - Another RC race car
Aunt Beth (with Laura and Prescott) - A Spiderman action figure
Grandmother and Grandfather - Jonah book and mittens and army men
Mr. and Mrs. Blair - $25

The Animal Walk

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus has come to town. They arrived this morning by train. We can'ty afford to go to the circus, but we did go downtown this morning to see them walk the elephants and horses from the train station to the arena.

We were planning to leave at 8:30a to give us plenty of time to find a parking spot and a good place to watch before the 9:30a parade. At 8:00, I checked the local tv station website for local news and their site said the parade was at 9:00a! YIKES!!!!

I rushed the children through breakfast and got everyone dressed warmly and jumped in the van. We rushed downtown (me praying that the road I think is Washington really is - it was! PTL!) and parked in the lot across from the Presbyterian Church. There was NOTHING going on at 8:50am. We strolled downtown, wandered around a bit, wandered back down Washington. We ended up waiting an hour! *LOL* Try to keep 6 excited children behaving for an hour.

But it was worth it! The elephants were so cute, wrapping their trunks around the one in front of them's tail. How cute! And then the horse were great. My boys were even thrilled when one pooped in front of us and thought it great that there was truck following behind cleaning up the poop! They asked how much that guy got paid and I said, "Not enough!" LOL

I thought of hanging out downtown for while afterwards, but in our rush to get out of the house, not everyone had visited the potty before we left the house. Also, the 11mo was exhausted. We decided to come home and spend the rest of the day catching up on chores and watching videos. I hope to get them outside this afternoon. We have an experiment to do about rainbows that needs sunshine. :D

Does God care if you use a chemical birth control method?

If you believe that life begins at conception and that abortion is murder, then please read this!

Can some types of birth control cause early abortions?

Many women today choose the convenience of chemical birth controls - either birth control pills, shots, or IUD's. But how do they work? The best way to find out is to read the Full Prescribing Information provided by the manufacturer. These can be obtained by looking on-line, checking Physicians' Desk Reference, or by asking your pharmacist. Once you have this, look under the heading "Clinical Pharmacology". This is where the manufacturer tells how the birth control works. Most chemical birth control methods have three mechanisms. Although the primary mechanism is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus, which increase the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus, and changes in the endometrium which reduce the likelihood of implantation.[1]It's that last phrase which should concern Christians. This means that a fertilized egg would be unlikely to be able to implant in the uterus. If life begins at conception, then this is an abortion.
[1]Physicians' Desk Reference (Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics, 1998)

What does the Bible say about children?
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;" Jeremiah 1:5a

Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the LORD. May the LORD bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Psalm 128

May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. Gen. 28:3

My Christmas Letter 2007

Has anyone else started to notice that time is going by much quicker as we get older? Thank goodness I have the children to help me keep track of everything.

As I write, the children are all outside playing together. The weather is unusually warm, although it is predicted to be in the 40’s this weekend.

Sarah (12) and Trey (almost 11) are keeping an eye on everyone while still having some fun themselves. Bobby (9) is playing keep-away with William (almost 7) and Jeffrey (5). I think they are trying to keep Jeffrey’s whistle away from him which I’m sure will please the neighbors!

Rebekah (9 months) is sitting in her stroller watching all the fun. Though she is quiet now, she does like to comment when things get quiet. That usually means she is blowing raspberries during the sermon on Sunday morning!

John will be home soon from his job doing remodeling work for Magnolia Construction. He still enjoys building things and likes the challenge of each project being different from the last. Unfortunately, his knee that he injured in high school is not doing well under the strain of being on his feet every day. Since we have no insurance to cover knee replacement surgery, we are praying that God will provide a new career for John to support the family while being off his feet. The good news is his knee has not kept him from playing the drums in our church praise band.

Some of our favorite moments from the past year – For me, it was when the doctor said, "It’s a girl!" Jeffrey says it was staying at the Blairs’ house while I was in the hospital having Rebekah. For Trey, it was riding Acrophobia at Six Flags over Georgia while Bobby’s favorite ride was Mindbender, even though he kept his eyes closed most of the ride. William enjoyed chasing the seagulls when we went for a day trip to Folly Beach, near Charleston. Sarah’s favorite moment was the first time she held Rebekah in the hospital.

I pray your year was filled with precious memories and your Christmas is filled with the joy of knowing that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

12 of the Joys of our Great, Big Family

1. Mom: Here are the joys of our great big family:
Youngest: They each and everyone love me!


2. Here are the joys of our great big family:
Always kids to play with,
And they each and everyone love me.

3. Here are the joys of our great big family:
Lots of hand-me-downs,
Always kids to play with,
And they each and everyone love me.

4. Here are the joys of our great big family:
Help with my schoolwork,
Lots of hand-me-downs,
Always kids to play with,
And they each and everyone love me.

5. Here are the joys of our great big family:
Lining up for the loo,
Help with my schoolwork,
Lots of hand-me-downs,
Always kids to play with,
And they each and everyone love me.

6. Here are the joys of our great big family:
Keeping track of socks,
Waiting for the loo,
Help with my schoolwork,
Lots of hand-me-downs,
Always kids to play with,
And they each and everyone love me.

7. Here are the joys of our great big family:
Rocking the new baby
I can’t find my socks.
Still waiting for the loo!
Help with my schoolwork,
Lots of hand-me-downs,
Always kids to play with,
And they each and everyone love me.

8. Here are the joys of our great, big family:
Never peace and quiet
Rocking the new baby
Have you seen my socks?
I still need the loo!
Help with my schoolwork,
Lots of hand-me-downs,
Always kids to play with,
And they each and everyone love me.

9. Here are the joys of our great, big family:
Who ate all the food?
Never peace and quiet
Rocking the new baby
Aren’t those my socks?
Hurry up in the loo!
Help with my schoolwork,
Lots of hand-me-downs,
Always kids to play with,
And they each and everyone love me.

10. Here are the joys of our great, big family:
Sharing my toys,
Who ate all the food?
Never peace and quiet
Rocking the new baby
Does anyone have socks?
Did you fall in the loo?
Help with my schoolwork,
Lots of hand-me-downs,
Always kids to play with,
And they each and everyone love me.

11. Here are the joys of our great, big family:
Driving the big van,
Sharing my toys,
Who ate all the food?
Can I please have peace and quiet!
(very quietly!)Rocking the new baby
( Muttering)What’s up with the socks?
(To the person next to them)But I really need the loo!
(Rest, same as usual) Help with my schoolwork,
Lots of hand-me-downs,
Always kids to play with,
And they each and everyone love me.

12. Here are the joys of our great, big family:
Kissing good-night,
Driving the big van,
Sharing my toys,
Who ate all the food?
Never peace and quiet
Rocking the new baby
I’ll go without socks,
Finally getting in the loo!
Help with my schoolwork,
Lots of hand-me-downs,
Always kids to play with,
And they each and everyone love me.

More tricks from Rebekah

Well, less than one month ago, we were thrilled that Rebekah had finally learned to sit up on her own. Since then, she seems to be progressing quickly through the milestones. She can now pull herself to standing, wave bye-bye, and clap her hands. I wish I had a digital video camera to capture her antics. :-)

Rebekah Rose sitting up by herself

This picture was taken by Bobby.

Apple Orchard Field Trip

Today, we went to Nivens Apple Farm. It was only about a 30 minute drive, maybe less. Trey was my navigator and he did a great job, even figuring out how to reverse the directions for the ride home. We all had our orange shirts on - even Rebekah had an orange onesie on! I wore her in the front pack and she seemed to love it. She even kept a hat on the whole time.

We were the only family there, although some older couples did come and go while we were there. First we went into the shop and looked around. The most intersting thing in the shop was the baby chicks with an animatronic rooster on top that had a motion sensor. He would pipe up every time someone walked by to tell about the chicks. Cute one time, annoying the thirtieth!

We went out the side door and found a porch with picnic tables on one side and rockers on the other. One of the tables had a large checkers game on it, but the children were more interested in the playground. They scampered off to crawl through some long black tubes suspended off the ground. Then they bounced on the inner tubes. Trey and Bobby both bounced very high.

Also in that area were a Little Tykes house and a teepee. They seemed to have seen better days and had many flies buzzing around them. They were from the animals that were close by. We saw a cow, a pig, some chickens, goats, and a donkey. There was a sign about a peacock, but we didn't see it.

They had some large cardboard pieces where you stick your head through to get your picture taken. The first one was farm animals with five holes. Perfect for our five big kids. The other one was a school bus with 6 holes, so I had Sarah hold Rebekah's head through one and got all the children in a picture.

They had a large wooden board cut and painted to look like an apple. It had some fold up flaps with questions about apples and the answers underneath. We learned that it takes about 36 apples to make a gallon of cider. They had another with facts about pumpkins and we learned that pumpkins can be orange, tan, yellow, and even blue!

We saw pumpkins growing in the pumpkin patch. Some were small yet ripe and some were huge and not ripe yet.

After touring the pumpkin patch, we headed back into the store. We bought Gala Apples for eating and Winesap Apples for baking plus a gallon of Apple Cider. The lady behind the counter was very freindly after we started picking out apples. She gave all the children 2 samples of cider. She also turned on the train for them to watch. We were very interested to learn that the metal buckets hanging from the ceiling were actually concealing the speakers for the sound system!

We had a fiunt time and we hope to go back next year.

Beach Day!

We went to the beach last Saturday. I have not been to the sea in a few years, so I really enjoyed this.

We left around 7:30am for Folly Beach. We stopped at one rest stop on the way down and arrived at the Folly Beach County Park at around 11:30am. They had changing rooms so we could all change into our suits. We did this a few at a time, but I think we could all change at the same time if they are not too crowded.

Rebekah spent most of her time in the stroller under the umbrella, but I did take in the water for a short while. She seemed to like it, but prefers the pool.

My favorite part of the day was bouncing in the waves with Sarah and, for a short time, Bobby. Bobby had skinned his legs early in the day and the salt water irritated it, so he didn't stay in with us very long. Trey didn't like the waves splashing in his face, so he stayed in the shallows. The little boys had a blast just playing in the shallow waves and the sand.

Nice note - I mixed up some baby cereal for Rebekah with bottled water but she doesn't like it cold. There was a spot selling snacks and the guy there heated it up in the microwave for me. :)

After showering off the sand and getting changed, we headed into Charleston to drive around. We found White Point Gardens and got out to wander around. We went on the wall (The Battery?) and looked out at Fort Sumter, which is on our "To Do" List for another trip. We also had fun looking at (and climbing on) the cannons in the garden.

After driving around some more, we went over to Mount Pleasant to look at Patriot's Point. When we first saw the planes at the Patriot's Point Museum, Trey started screaming "Thank you! Thank you!" It broke my heart to have to tell him we weren't going there this trip, but it was at the top of the list for next time.

We had seen signs about the Hunley so we followed them to a museum. It is in a very scary part of town and the admittance price seems very high ($12 per person), so I don't think we will return there.

We stopped briefly at a LaQuinta Motel before heading home. I just wanted to see the rooms, which were very nice, for future reference.

I hope we can return to Charleston soon!

Jeffrey's Best Birthday Ever!

Jeffrey was 5 on August 12, 2007. We had his party that day after church. It was also Sarah's 12 birthday party. :-)

We had the party at Grandmother's house, as our guest bathroom is still in the middle of a remodel. At the party was Grandmother, Grandfather, Aunt Beth, Uncle Scott, Cousin Laura, Grandmommy, Uncle Greg, Aunt Caroline, Mr. and Mrs. Blair, and all of us. We had carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

Here are the gifts he received:

Grandmother and Grandfather - Spiderman Backpack
Aunt Beth et al. - GI Joe Sigma Six toy
Grandmommy - Playmobile Pirate toys
Uncle Greg and Aunt Caroline - Cowboy Hat
Mr. and Mrs. Blair - $25

For his birthday dinner after we got home, we had spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce. At that point, we told him that his gift from us was $15 to spend at Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Last night we all went to Build-A=Bear to spend his money. He picked out a dark brown bear. One of the staff helped him stuff it. After he had picked out a heart and placed it in the bear, she laced it up tight and tied the laces. Then Jeffrey had to take it over to the wash station to give it an air wash and brush out his fur. Then we picked out a shirt for him - Jeffrey choose a pirate shirt that came with a bandana to go over his ears. Arrrr! Then we registered him on their kid-friendly computer (so we can get lots of junk mail!), we paid for him. At that point they gave us the bear's birth certificate (Pirate Blackbeard) and put him in his carrier so he wouldn't bite us on the way home.

Next, we went to Toys-R-Us so he could spend his money form the Blairs. He picked out a Playmobile Pirate Treasure Chest to go along with his other toys. Today, he is dressed in his pirate shirt and playing pirates with all his siblings (except Baby Rebekah!).

He has declared more than once that this was his best birthday ever!

What actually happened for Mother's Day Weekend

We got on the road Thursday as planned, but later than hoped for. This wasn't a big deal, however, as the Microcar Museum was closed for construction. We did detour very briefly through Athens to see the only double-barrel cannon known to exist.

Over the course of the weekend, I found I had forgotten the following:
plates, plastic ware, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, milk, can opener, charcoal, lighter fluid, a belt for dh's shorts, most of the sleeping bags, and the bedding for my bed. We went to Wal-Mart to replace most of the forgotten items and used packing blankets for sleeping blankets.

Friday, we went to Six Flags as planned. John and I decided to dress the dc in swimwear since they wanted to play at Skull Island. Unfortunately, Skull Island and most of the water rides were closed. The one running had an extremely long ride so we avoided it. Everyone but the baby went on at least one roller coaster and the children all had fun in the Bugs Bunny area.

Saturday started nice, although it got hot quickly. Trey had gotten Jeffrey's cold (from before we left) and started vomiting. We kept hoping he would get better under John's ministrations. Meanwhile, I took the other dc to the lake for swimming which they really enjoyed. When we got back to the campground, I planned to take a quick shower before John took them back to the beach. On the way back from the shower, it started to sprinkle. Since we could no longer swim, and Trey was still vomiting, we decided to go home. As John and I started packing up, the rain started to pour down. We put the dc in the car and packed as quickly as we could. We still got soaked!

he ride home was quick and uneventful. Once we got home, William found a tick on him. John tried to remove, but the mouth broke off inside him. They ended up going to the ER for 3 hours, where they dug the mouth parts out with tweezers. [b]Ouch! [/b] By grace, when John got home he was finally able to get Trey to stop vomiting without a trip to the ER for him (the usual result).

So, I spent Mother's Day washing everything we brought with us. At least I didn't have to cook as I had made lots of food before we left.

I think next year I will plan a brunch on my behalf. :-)

Trying to add a picture

Here is a picture of Sarah and Rebekah.