An Unexpected (yet priceless) Gift

This year I received many presents from my little 1st Graders. I opened most of them in front of the group (which I will never do again to avoid hurt feelings!!). They were all very sweet and nice - ornaments, mugs, a book, bath and body products, a pen, a candle, etc. I "oohed and aahhed" over them all and let them know how special they all were to me.




The very next day a little boy comes up to me with great big eyes. He had a "surprise" for me! He even wrapped it himself and it took him ALL morning!!! As you can see he has it labeled, "Mis Mrin". ;)
It was so precious, I just didn't think I could tear it open!

He was watching me every second as I opened this layering of paper. He just couldn't WAIT until I saw what was in the package for me!! I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw this treasure. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I saw this half eaten, fuzzy and sticky candy cane stick. But I kept it together and just went on and on at how great it was.

But wait...that's not all!!!!

He wanted me to have my very own gingerbread man. He drew one for me and included the directions....1. color(colr), 2. cut (cott).

:)

There was another picture he drew for me too. He colored that one so all I had to do was "cut" that one.

He was tickled and proud of himself over this gift.

Yes, the candles, jewelry, candy, mugs, pens and ornaments were great but this gift......

Well, this is one gift I will not ever forget!

It's definitely not the most glamourous or traditional gift a teacher could receive but this one came straight from the heart of a sweet little 7 year old that wanted to get something special for his teacher. This is what it's all about!

Merry Christmas!

(Don't be too shocked over my posting Melissa! I have a few days off from work!! haha)
We have had a wonderful Christmas!! The joy and anticipation you see in the eyes of your children is such a blessing. I try not to think about how different Christmas will be when the kids are older teenagers and we have to drag them out of bed to see what Santa has left or when they are grown and gone. I am thinking it won't be nearly as exciting! I am trying to savor and treasure every moment (crazy or not) with these little ones!
Our Christmas morning started with Blake "quietly" (uh huh, right!) coming into our room at 6:30am and asking if he can sleep with me. I said sure. Josh turned on the bedside light and Blake started shouting, "Santa brought me my training bike!!!" We all had to get up after that and witness Blake's Christmas miracle.
We cover everything with a sheet so the kids don't get carried away and start running from one thing to another. Everyone has a designated sheet that has all their Santa goodies under it and we start with a family prayer. Then the youngest child "unveils" their Santa gifts. We get to marvel and "ooh and aah" over each one.
Here is Blake with his training bike.....

After we saw what Santa brought, Josh and I went back to bed for about an hour. When I got up again, Blake was still riding his bike around the house. I think he rode for a total of 4 hours!!!! IN LOVE with his bike!!! Tyler got a light up wheel and spark throwing scooter. You'll see this fun gift a little later.
Here he is with Dad - they are both sporting their Philadelphia Eagles paraphernalia. He also got a green nerf football that he can't wait to throw around with the neighborhood boys. Football is definitely his thing right now.

And Madison's thing is Barbies and baby dolls. I love that although she is almost 9 years old, she still asks for toys for Christmas! I LOVE it!!! Please don't grow up too soon!!! She got this totally cool Barbie furniture set along with some Barbies. She also got a Twinn doll baby with several sets of clothes. She is in the playroom now playing with those Barbies. We had to compensate for the Barbie house that she asked for!!! I pulled my 30 year old Barbie house from the attic about a month ago to show her she didn't really need a new house. It is a little yellow and rustic but she was really happy with it. Now she has rocking furniture to dress it up!

Does this look like a Tween's Christmas or what!!! Money, clothes, jewelry, light make-up, fluffy pillow and an Ipod Nano is what brought a smile to this sweet girl's face.

On a side note, Jamie turned 12 a couple of weeks ago. She had a fun sleepover birthday party. She started Young Women's and now she is just totally a pre-teen! She got braces about a month ago. She is doing pretty well with that. The first few days were torture and she was on a yogurt and applesauce diet but she lived through that. She even made it through a bracket popping off and getting it repaired. Now she has a major sore in her mouth and is learning that wax is her new best friend.

The boys got a fun electric race car track. This takes me back in time to watching my brothers play their "Dukes of Hazard" race track. Oh yeah. Bo and Luke.

Josh did a great job stringing the lights up on the house. This is new this year. We were getting tired of the same old decorations. We were going to put up the wreaths too but never got around to it. Maybe next year!!!

You can also see Josh's big Christmas present sitting in the driveway. 2010 Toyota Tacoma 4-dr, long bed truck. Merry Christmas Baby!

Here is Blake sporting his new bike. Yeah, it's calling for snow tonight and yeah, Blake is riding barefoot. Don't judge. It was only for a minute. Really.

I love that little grin!!!!

You can see the sparkly wheels a little bit but he is doing a great job throwing those sparks! He rode his fun scooter most of the day. My bet is that those fun sparks will be gone by Monday!!!

One of my favorite gifts came from Jamie. She had Carla help her get pictures of my children and print them off to put in frames. This just melted my heart and I cried!!!! Now I know how special those sweet gifts are to moms and grandmas that come from their daughters. :)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I love this time with my family and close loved ones. I am truly grateful for our Savior and his birth. He is the greatest and only gift that we truly need.

Halloween 2010

I know, I know, I know!!!!
It has taken me forever to blog!!!
I am lucky to brush my hair and teeth these days!!
Back in September I started working again after staying home for 8 years.
I am teaching 1st grade and I do love it. Blake is going to his "school" at a near by daycare. He seems to be enjoying it. I can't really tell these days because he is now 3. Every other minute he is having a serious meltdown. We are taking this day and cuddling on the couch though. Madison and Tyler are sick today. So if I am only able to blog on sick days, that is just how it will have to be!!!
Let's enjoy this moment....

Here is our little Bella. She was an injured cheerleader. The injured part was not planned. The cheerleader was last minute idea (and not a very good one due to the injured part). We just wanted to have fun with our little Bella Boo. I was going to take her with us to the church's Trunk or Treat but she wasn't feeling so well and I kind of just forgot. I was busy getting the kids and candy out the door. When we got home, she was crying. I hurt her ear putting all the cute little hairbows on her. So sorry Bella! She was okay after a little while. Next year I will stick with a "Boo" t-shirt from Target!!! The Miller/Martin's Halloween pose....
Blake was a pirate - aarrrrggghhh!!
Tyler was Mario (Madio).
The girls were characters from Alice in Wonderland.
Jamie - Mad Hatter
Madison Martin - Cheshire Cat
Madison Miller - Alice
Anna Miller - Red Queen
Gabbie Miller - White Queen


This is the Bat Wagon. :) Scary, right???

Alice in Wonderland Crew - Carla and I were Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

Guess which one I was????

We won the costume contest at the Trunk or Treat! (the whole Miller/Martin clan)

AND Troy won the chilli contest! We took home all prizes that night. (thanks to the help of Madison Miller voting 12 times for her Dad!! haha)

One of the highlights of Halloween this year was a story I read to my 1st graders "Junie B. First Grader, Boo and I Mean It!"

Junie B is scared of Halloween because of the 5 secrets that Paulie Allen Puffer told her.

1. Real witches and monsters go trick or treating on Halloween. Only they don't even wear costumes. On account of everybody thinks they're already dressed up. BUT THEY'RE NOT! THEY'RE WEARING THEIR REAL ACTUAL FACE AND CLOTHES! 2. Don't carve pointy sharp teeth in your pumpkin. Or else it will roll into your room while you're sleeping and eat your feet! 3. Bat's like to land on your head and live in your hair. 4. Black witch cats can claw you into shreddle. 5. Candy corn isn't really corn.

And if Junie B. told anyone these secrets, a witch would turn her head into a wart.

Can I tell you that when I was reading this book out loud to my 1st graders, I had to stop and laugh and laugh and laugh!!!! We were all hysterical. I especially love the point teeth in your pumpkin!!! hahaha

My kids thought that was funny too but not as funny as I thought it was!!!

Happy (Late) Halloween!!!!!

A Trip to Caswell

This past weekend was spent in Caswell County, NC. It is where I grew up and where generations upon generations of my family is from and a lot still live there.
We went to see our family and to celebrate my neice's baptism.
Here are some of the fun things we did (unfortunately, not in order but oh well!)...

My kids think they have done it all now! They got to spend an afternoon with Aunt Angela cruising on the mini bike and 4 wheeler. We don't have any motorized ride-on toys so this was an extra special treat. They all think we should buy something fun like that. No thanks. We'll just borrow the fun from Uncle Danny and Aunt Angela and their 12 acres of adventure!!!
Tyler decided after riding the mini bike (with a little help) that he was going to be a BMX star one day. The dreams of youth... (I think he meant motor cross???) Jamie got a wish come true. Not only did I let her ride a 4 wheeler, but she even got to drive it. It must have been her lucky day!!! Here she is with her cousin Ashton and friend Makenzie.

Even though Lanie is only 8 years old, she drives my kind of speed - grandma style. She drove Madison and Kaden around.

After Jamie got comfy with the 4 wheeler, she decided to fly solo on the mini bike. She did really good. I think she is one of the few people that has not wrecked it!!!! Madison gave it a try too!!! She did really good also!

We decided to tame it down a bit and hit Grandma's farm on the golf cart. LOVE the golf cart. That is the best thing Grandma and Grandpa have gotten for their farm!! True, it doesn't till the ground or water the plants but it can haul 8 people around the corn field!!!!

Here we are making our way up the hill back to Grandma's....

And here is our little 11 year old professional driver at the wheel again!!!

Don't worry, Jack's gun isn't loaded. He was just getting prepared in case we ran into any more skunks in the garden!!!!

We got to go with the cousins to see the fireworks at the Burlington Park. That made me a nervous wreck!!! It was fun once we got there and sat down but Mom and I had 6 little kids walking amongst thousands of people. I was so afraid of losing someone!!!!

We sat right in front of the band that played patriotic music during the fireworks show.

Here is Tyler at the show.

Another great thing about the 4th of July show was that it really wasn't too hot!!

Usually we are sweating through the whole thing but this year it was a treat to have cooler weather!!

Jamie, Ashton and Jack getting ready for the show...

On Saturday, we went to Lanie's 8th birthday party. All the cousins were there. Uncle Danny and Aunt Angela had set up a nice big slip and slide....

This is Grace. She is a smart girl. This is where I would have been had I gotten on the slip and slide - at the bottom soaking up the water trickling down!!! What a cutie!!!

I was shocked that Blake would go down the slip and slide. I didn't even put his swimsuit on when we got there because he has never liked sprinklers. He was all about this slip and slide!!!! We threw a little baby oil on for just a little more fun!!!!

I think Danny and Angela really did a great job rigging up this giant slip and slide!!!!
Here comes Tyler doing the "penguin" slide (hands to his side and head first).

He did that all afternoon until he hit a nail that gashed open his knee. Ouch. He was a trooper though. I really thought he would freak out way more than he did with all that blood. 5 days later and we are still going through tons of band-aids but hey, I am still impressed!!!

Here is a pile of cousins at the bottom (or somewhere in the middle??) of the slip and slide!!

And here is Lanie who turned 8 and was baptized this weekend!!!

She and Madison have always been great friends.

I didn't get any copies of the baptism pictures but they were very sweet. Madison let Lanie borrow her white CTR towel that she got at her own baptism. She was very sweet waiting for Lanie in the bathroom ready to help her dry off.

Congratulations Lanie!!

On the final day of our visit in Caswell, we went to our cousins' pool. The kids have been asking for a long time to go swimming there. They have a fun slide!

It only took minutes for Blake to go down.

The following pictures Blake has on water wings but he has decided that he doesn't really need them anymore at the pool. He swam most of the day with no water wings. He is a really good swimmer!!!

Madison and her fancy jump!!!

Blake usually yells, "cannonball" when he jumps.

Here is Tyler coming off the slide. He spent most of the day reenacting one of our favorite shows - Wipe Out.

Here is a nice jump from Jamie...

It was a great trip and we were so glad to spend time with our family in Caswell.

It was a fun mini vacation!!!

Take Me Out to the Baga....

Did you see that America's Funniest Video where the kid is singing (at the top of his lungs), "Take me out to the baga, take me out to the game"???
We saw that years ago and we still can't hear that song and not sing it like the 3 year old!
So FRC-East (Josh's official place of employment or is it the dept. of the navy, or is it the Federal Government....I don't know???!!!)
Anyway, FRC-East had a family night at the Kinston Indians ballgame.
It is tradition for us to go every year.
This year we got a special treat and got to hang out with Iron Man for a little while. Yep, Josh's friend, Aaron went with us to the ballgame. And while he really is an iron man :), we also got to see a man in an Iron Man costume. Blake couldn't tell if this was a good thing or not.... We were also quite entertained with Scout - the mascot. We love watching for him and watching him do crazy things.

Madison actually wanted a hug from "Scott" this year and wasn't scared out of her mind!!!

Age 5 - Madison wants to go to Chuck E Cheese for her birthday and ends up hiding under a table with her hands over her head because Chuck E came out to greet her! Something about those big costumes.....

Age 8 - she is okay with it!
By the 2nd inning, the kids wanted to know if it was almost over. We had already eaten the hot dogs, chips and most of the drinks. They want more.

Tyler spots a giant hand/finger thing and is begging for one of those.

The girls spot Dippin' Dots and want that.

So decisions have to be made and the choices are either the giant hand/finger thing or Dippin'Dots (since they were both the same price - $5).

Here are Tyler and Blake with the decision they made....

Yah big hand/finger things!!!!

Madison's choice - Dippin'Dots.

Jamie and Josh's choice - Dippin'Dots. Hmmmmm.....

My choice was the Maola cookies and cream ice cream. (fyi - much better price for anyone going to the ballgame this summer!!! $2 a cup vs. $5 for Dippin'Dots)

It was a fun family night. Would have been even better if we had not sat in front of drunk and loud engineers!! AND if I had not sweated from 7-10pm. I am not a big fan of gettin' all shweaty!!

The best part of the night (and this tells you how hot it really was) - we are walking to the car and Blake says, "I have water in my butt." This translates to "it is HOT and there is sweat running down my butt!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! That is pretty bad for a kid that has on super absorbent diapers!!!

Dads' Tent Creations for the Kids

Maybe you should check out the other blog of the kids' creation first....
The kids had so much fun last week creating a tent house that they decided to do it again. Oh well, I never did repair the linen closet from the 1st attack.
Josh (our favorite engineer) decided to help them with their tent house today. It came equipped with hallways and rooms for every kid.
I especially love the "entrance" sign on the big red hand that is pointing to the entrance. Here is Madison close to her room. She loves her room because she was lucky enough to get the a/c vent!!! Oh yeah!
Yep, that is a mattress above her head.

I was even able to squeeze my big ole butt through the "hallway" and into the tent house. I am requesting a "reading room" next time. Of course it needs an MP3 player, little fridge and a Keep Out sign. :)

At first Bella was not allowed in to the tent house because she didn't read the signs but then Tyler grabbed her and let her come in for a while. (Maybe he read the signs to her???)

Look at those long skinny legs on that dog!!!! She got a good shave this week to keep her cool.

Here is the tent house architect.....

JOSH!!! Thanks for making the best tent house EVER!!!!

And on another side note, look at Madison's front teeth growing in!!!! I thought she would never get those teeth back. They were gone for some of 1st grade and all of 2nd grade!!!!

Welcome teeth (please behave and don't require braces!!!).

After 3 hours of the tent house, the kids are still in the playroom hanging out.

Josh and I are sitting in the quiet living room enjoying QUIETNESS.

Yep, life is good!

Kids' Tent Creations

There was one day that we didn't go anywhere (at least not until 5pm that night) and I thought the kids were going to lose their minds. They actually had to get creative and come up with some of their own entertainment (thank goodness they put away the remote and video games!!!).
This is Tyler's blanket house....
Doesn't that look fun and bring back memories of the "good ole days"???And don't be judging that poor little plant in the background. Can I just tell you how much I love that plant and I just CAN'T throw it out even though it looks so pathetic. This is the peace lily that Josh brought up to the hospital when I had Blake. I just don't know what to do for that poor little thing. Any suggestions??? I tried a bigger pot, fertilizer, different room for different lighting...??? Help!!!


And this is a picture of Tyler with a paper that says "I made this". Just in case there were any questions!!!!

Jamie and Gabbie (with Tyler's help) made this house. It was equipped with everyone's own room. There was even a room for Tyler and Blake.

This took a LOT of chairs, blankets, sheets and pillows. I had to give in to my OCD ways and let them pull everything out. There is still a closet in my house that is in desperate repair of refolding sheets. Oh well - it was worth a great afternoon of imaginative fun!!

Brittany

Sorry about the sideways photo but............ We have a new little friend. Her name is Brittany. :)
Jamie and Madison love to dance with her and dress her up.
Look at those leg and arm extensions.....Wow! I'm impressed.


Wait a minute..... She kind of looks like my girls!!! What's going on here????

I know those eyes!!!! And that face is constantly yelling at me to fix some chocolate milk!!!!

OOOOHHHHH - it's our Blake!!!

Blake wakes up in the morning begging to "play Brittany". So the girls put him in a leotard and fix up his hair that would make Grandma Deanna proud. Then they crank up some tunes and get their groove on.

It'll be so funny to see his reaction when he is about 12 and he sees these pictures.

This really takes me down memory lane because when I was Madison's age, I would put bonnets and hairbows in my brothers' hair and make them put on a show. We do have pictures for proof!!!! (and to clarify - it was my younger brothers - Keith would NEVER let me do such a thing)

Don't let his "Brittany" act fool you. Blake is really ALL boy - cannonballs in the pool, making any and every item in the house a gun for shooting, stomping in the puddles, constantly driving little cars and planes around the house - ALL BOY! :)

Just don't tell Josh about this - oh never mind, he is the one who took the pictures!!!!! HAHA!