Bummer!

These pictures really are not the bummer part of this post.  I just decided to put them up because well I love pictures.  Can I really have so many stories to tell?

 This is Halle on the swing Kelton rigged up!  For some of you this may be hard to believe that he tied a jump rope from the top story hung it over the side and then tied a loop in the bottom so they could swing on it, but for anyone that knows him this is no surprise.  Every time I look at it I think should I be letting them do that, could they get hurt?   Brent came home one night while they were swinging on it and asked me is the knot tied good?  Well it's holding everyone up.  Kara and Hayden have been staying after school for a special program so I just have these two little mischievous kids for a couple hours before the others get home.  It's funny how easy they are, they just come home do there homework together and then run off and play!  They never even ask me for a snack!  I think when kids get older they just are a little more drama.

 The other day Halle and Kelton were out eating icee pops.  Halle got some on her and rushed in and changed her clothes.  I said, "Why don't you just stay in those clothes and we'll wash them at the end of the day?"  She said, "No mom I don't like to be dirty!"  Little did I know she was not even finished with her icee pop!  She went through two more shirts just finishing her Popsicle!  Little Turkey!

Kelton is so patient with Halle and so helpful!  She just loves him to death.  Who wouldn't love a brother that is so understanding, helpful, loving, and patient with you!

O.K. for the Bummer!  Brent said, "We should make Chili!"  Which translates into "You should make Chili!"  So I find a recipe.  Got a lot of Stars so I decided to make it.  Run to the store, get all the ingredients, stop and even by beer for it at the convienence store (I'm going all out as you can see), old friend calls on my way home, make 10 trips up my stairs carrying one bag of groceries at a time because I don't want to hang up with long lost friend and also I just read that you can burn an extra 300 calories a day going up 10 flights of stairs (a flight is approximately 15 stairs and we have 14 stairs up to our house), then keep talking while making my chili, cut up chilies which caused me to almost die because I guess you can't inhale them (another post),  O.K. now getting ready to put in cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp just like recipe calls for), wonder why is cayenne pepper open (I had just bought a giant container of it),  look over and see unopened chili powder, think why is chili powder not open?, I just put a 1/4 cup of chili powder into my chili, realize chili powder and cayenne pepper are in same container and are the same color, gasp!  So from that out of control run on sentence or as I would call it artistic writing you understand why I am bummed.  I've got enough of the spiciest chili on the planet to feed a football team.  I actually have not even tried it because I don't like the way it smells.  I've heard that is a bad sign.  If you don't like the way it smells it probably won't taste that good either!  So after spending 3 hrs making Chili that no one is going to want to eat even if I do try to tone it down with pineapple juice I still have about 100 pots to wash.  I kept having to get bigger pots!  I did not realize it was going to make so much.  Anyone want to come for Chili.  Really hot food speeds up your metabolism!!!

Where Does the Time Go?

I can't believe October is half way over!  I need the clock to stop for a little bit so I can breath a little!  Here is a quick little update.  I'm missing some of my pictures, but who knows where they went?  Actually they are probably on Brent's phone.

 These are Clams.  Brent's boss invited us to a Clam Dig at their home.  They live in our neighborhood.  It was a nice little party.  All the alcohol you can drink, lots of sea food, and music.  We just drank water so the clams did not taste very good to us.  Just kidding I did not even try one.  I've tried them before and I'm afraid salty buggers are only good if your drunk.  Purely my opinion.  

 Natalie sent this picture of the boys at the race track before we left.  I thought it was cute and since we learned how to do some google chatting with the boys this month I thought I'd add it.  Of course we are still missing our little friends a whole lot!!!  The kids are already planning their talents for the reunion next year.

 Halle at the park with a couple new friends.  I really did try to get a shot of the 3 of them, but Claudia would not look at the camera for anything!  Halle of course is sport'n some plaid shorts and a striped shirt.  No one can pull off an outfit quite like my girl Halle!  She changes her clothes at least 3 times a day!

 Halle's class went to the pumpkin patch!  This was my little group of kids to watch over!  They all chose a pumpkin to bring back to school to decorate!  Lots of fun except for the red ants.  They are like little bombs planted through out the yard!  We went as a family and picked pumpkins out too.  I took pictures, but they are some of the missing.

 Halle got really sick at the beginning of the month too.  She was in soooo much pain as we waited for the doctor.  She had double ear infections and terrible chest congestion that lasted a couple of weeks.  She is all better now!  Thank goodness as Kelton would say.  Kelton is continuing his mission to save the world from breaking the 3rd commandment.  Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.  When ever a child in his class takes the Lord's name in vain he asks them to please say Oh my goodness or Oh my Gosh.  I asked him how this was going?  He said some of the kids are saying Oh my goodness or Oh my gosh, but some are not.  One little boy told him Oh my goodness is a bad word.  Kelton asked me if you stick your middle finger up in the air does that mean your saying all the bad words in the world?  Then he said, "It's O.K. mom I don't need to know because I am never going to stick my middle finger up in the air!"

 This is Halle's whole class at the pumpkin patch!

 One more of my little Pipi feeling very horrible in the Dr.'s office!  I was feeling horrible for her.  It was a very sad day for us!!

 Hayden always on the look out for lizards.  Catching lizards is a favorite pass time for the kids.  Kara and Halle and Kelton also like to try and catch the butterfly's too.  We have tons of butterfly's in our yard.  They always let them go after they catch them.  Sometimes they will put them in a jar for a few minutes, but they don't like to see anything die!  Kara has caught about 3 butterfly's which is pretty impressive as they move quickly.

 Yes Kelton is eating wearing his sunglasses!  We don't know why?  Just something fun to do.  We are all set for Halloween!  We found our new favorite store Hudson's/ Dirt Cheap!  When a store goes out of business they go in and pick up all their stuff.  Then they sell it for.... you guessed it DIRT CHEAP!  The costumes were brand new and only 3 dollars a piece!!!!!  Kelton got a battle ax to go with his costume for 25cents!!!  I was thinking of all my thrifty friends in Idaho and I seriously think this store would be out of business if it were in Idaho!  There would be nothing left on the shelves.  All those couponer's would have cleared the shelves every Monday( :

 The pool is still open and these kids never get bored of swimming!  Every day they want to go to the pool!

Here they all are ready to do Swan Dives into the pool!  Kara's little friend comes over on Friday's to play.  She is an only child so she loves the chaos that lots of kids brings.  I have a soft spot for only children.  It just seems like it would be so lonely with out another sibling, but then again how would I know?  There was 7 of us and never a dull moment!  Come to think of it there's still never a dull moment to keep life exciting!  I don't even have to go to the movies to feel happy, sad, depressed, excited.... I'm just so glad I had so many siblings to grow up with and old with.  Like Kelton always says, "FAMILIES ARE THE BEST!"

Well I guess I better get to everything that I don't want to do.  Our neighbor came by the other day with an opening for a nurse in their pre op department and so now I have to get serious.  Fill out my license change for Mississippi, stress about going to work, beef up my lame resume, etc., and then wonder why did I volunteer to be room mom for 3 different teachers?  I just told someone the other day that I was not Superwoman, even though I wish I was because then I would be able to do all the things I want to and never stress!

Tid Bits

I'm not posting any pictures write now but hopefully later I'll get some pictures of  out little family field trip to Stennis.  Well actually I think I'll just post one picture because I think it is beautiful!

You can't really see it here but the sun rays were coming down between the clouds and it just was amazing.  This is a picture off the Bridge.  While I was running these huge Pelicans were diving into the water.  I could not believe my eyes.  They would dive in and not come up for a couple of minutes it seemed like a life time, but than they'd shoot out of the water!

Anyways sometimes as you ponder your own existence and purpose you catch glimpses of the amazing creation of the world around you.

My little philosopher Kelton asked me the other day,  "Why is it always the men who choose to do bad things?"  Another question or actually observation by Kelton, "Mom our school believes in being respectful and always using manners, but it just doesn't go along with them always saying "Oh my ---!  I really wish they wouldn't say that all the time."  Later that night I was putting him to bed and he was saying his own prayers.  He was giving a really heart felt prayer and he said "heavenly father please bless us to be good so we can come to heaven and live with you."  I then was kissing his sweet little cheeks and tucking him into bed when he looked up at me and said, "mom are you going to be my mom in heaven?"  I said, "Of course!"  He looked at me and said, "good!"  I love this kid!  We started a chore chart and this little guy has been going to town.  He helps Halle too because she can't read very well yet.  He wants everyone to get the treat at the end of the week so he is always helping them remember to check off their charts.

We were rushing around this morning and Hayden had saved all of his homework for this morning.  It was definitely a crazy morning of throwing lunches together, quizzing the kids, and feeding everyone.  Hayden barely made it.  He likes to do everything by the skin of his teeth, but nothing seems to ruffle him.  I do know however that things do ruffle him.  He had noticed these dents in his fingernails.  Big dents.  We were a little concerned and so I began researching it.  It said that when you endure something very stressful in your life your fingernails sometimes stop growing.  While they are not growing these dents occur.  When they begin to grow you see the dents. The dents I guess eventually just grow out and your fingernails go back to normal, but it does look pretty bad.  It looks to me like his fingernails stopped growing right while we were moving.  The only reason I'm guessing this is because fingernails grow 1mm per week or something like that.

Today Kara is trying out for honors choir.  She said there are only 2 spots left.  She really wants to make it.  The song she is singing is The path to the Moon.  She has a new friend that she really likes.  She lives in the neighborhood and they have played a few times now.  Her parents seem nice her Dad is a Sea Bee??  I think that is what they call you when your in the Navy.  Anyway they moved here from Tennessee about when we moved here.

Halle is still having a little bit of a hard time with school, and so am I, but I think we are doing a little better.  Halle said the other day, "Do you know why I don't like school?  It is because I miss going to the store with you and when you would invite my friends over to play."  I miss that too!  We are keeping busy with all the work.  They test the kindergartners as hard as they test everyone else so it can be trying at times.  A five year old can only study for so long before they melt down, well at least this 5 year old!


So I wrote the above a couple days ago, but for some reason every time I try to post it doesn't post.  I hope that doesn't mean anything.   Anyways today I went to my orientation on how to be a room mom.  Only here do they have to Orient you.  This is the first time ever they are allowing parents into the school.  I know weird.  This is like the Stepford school.  I mean seriously sometimes I feel like I am in the twilight Zone!

I know I keep quoting Kelton lately, but I can't help it.  So my mom (Grandma Karalee as Brody would say)  gave us this fun jar of questions for dinner time.  So the question was if you could add anything to your yard and money was no object, what would you add?  Well this led us to designing the most exquisite of homes.  So Kelton is telling us all about his home.  I ask him, "Is your home on stilts?"  He says "No, its not in Mississippi!"  I say "Oh where is it?"  He says, "I don't know but it's not in Mississippi!"  He loves Missippi!

Yesterday afternoon there was a waterspout that formed right off the Bay Bridge .  The picture at the top of the page!  The Siren's went off at the school while Kara was trying out for choir.  She said they announced this is not a drill.  She was very scared and started to cry.  Tons of branches broke from our trees and it got super windy in a matter of seconds here at the house.  It was weird one moment it was completely nice and sunny and then all of the sudden it was the crazies storm!  FUN , FUN FUN!  Gotta run!

Destin Florida

Well one good reason to live in Mississippi is your right next to some of the most beautiful places on earth!  Brent's boss in trying to entice us to move to Mississippi kept sending pictures of Destin, Florida, so we decided to leave for the weekend and check it out.  It takes between 2-3 hrs to get there from our home.  Actually we live really close to both the Louisiana border and the Alabama border.  Louisiana is 40 miles to the West of us and Alabama is 40 miles to the East of us.  The ocean waters seem to get nice and clear once you pass into Alabama.

Don't you love a nice tripod picture.  My big lens is the only one that works on my camera, but it's worth it because it takes way better pictures than my phone.  It's hard to not look like you just ran a mile to get into the picture though!

This is just a picture I took down the beach!  Hayden said, "I thought the beaches were nice in Mississippi until I came here."  Life, it's all about perspective!

The birds enjoying the beach!  A lady next to us decided she would lay Cheetos all around this guys head (he was buried in the sand) so that the birds would come!  Not such a great idea!  Poop on my towel!  Gross!  She decided not to do that again!

So here are about a million pictures of us on the beach!  I always like to take pictures of us trying to get a family picture.  It reminds me how fun it was to actually get that one picture that everyone is actually looking at the camera.

I know there are sharks in the Florida water, but I have to say the water is so nice it's hard not to get in even if you ate scared of sharks!  I don't know there is something to be said about being able to see the shark about to attack you!

A nice fellow watching us take pictures suggested we try one in the grass and gave us a few pointers on lighting.  I guess he takes pictures for a living.  We must have looked like amateurs.  

So I went a little crazy taking pictures of my fair skinned girl, but don't you always go a little crazy with the youngest?  Plus she was always just right in front of me.  The other kids were off exploring to far for even my zoom lens.

My cute girls!

More Picture taking!

My cute Boys!!!

Hayden was a little to brave for me!  He was out looking for  creatures to catch!

Kelton found a 20 dollar bill and Hayden found a 5 dollar bill out in the ocean while they were searching for animal life!

Hayden  managed to catch a jelly fish!

Jelly fish up close!

Kara way out in the ocean!  Come back!!!!

Someone built a huge Sponge Bob!  The kids thought it was really cool.  Kelton did not want anyone to ruin it.  After about an hour a crazy family with bratty kids came and sat behind us.  The first thing their 3 children did was go and jump on and destroy Sponge Bob.  I know it is mean for me to call them bratty, but seriously if you would have seen them you would have said bratty too.  The parents just watched.  I'm actually surprised they did not join in.  

Kelton was hard at work building his own creation!

All finished A BIG SMILEY FACE!  That's my Kelton!  Kara pitched in too!

These kids love water!  Everyone was amazed by Halle's swimming.  I think she was a dolphin before she came to earth( :

We then went to this little place called Fudpuckers!  I should have gotten a good picture of the outside!  They have Alligators under the restaurant!  They do free shows, have a playground, music, and the restaurant is really cool looking.  They serve lots of local food like hush puppies (fried corn bread), crab balls, gator tail al la fud, calamari, fried dill pickles, basically anything fried and then just some crazy name for it.  For example down here they call snow cones, SNOW BALLS!  There are lots of Snow Ball shops around it is more like shaved ice we had in Idaho.  It was really fun and the kids loved learning about Alligators.

The outdoor mall we stopped at really quickly!

These pictures are not the greatest and the ones of the kids holding the Alligators came out sideways.  I tried and tried to flip them, but alas I gave up!  I 'm not very good with electronic devices.

I am less afraid of Alligators now.  Crocodiles are the animal to be afraid of and they do not have Crocodiles here.  They are only found in the most Southern part of Florida and then only in other countries.  Alligators are smaller and would not just attack you unless you were to close to their nest.  On the other hand Crocodiles do actually hunt people!  When crocodiles close their mouths you can see both their upper and lower teeth.  When an Alligator closes its mouth you can only see their bottom teeth.  Just a little Alligator trivia!

So here are my sideways kids!

Hayden loves adventure and new things!  This was his favorite part of the trip!  It was lots of fun!  Of course I kept thinking how much fun all the cousins would have together on the beach and how much fun I would have taking pictures of them.  I love taking pictures on the beach because it is just so beautiful.  I do love seeing all the beautiful things around the world.  I think that would be a fun job.  Taking pictures of all the beautiful creations around the world.  Every time I see something beautiful I wish I had my Camera with me. I promised not to talk about school stuff on our little trip to Florida!  We were trying not to think about school at all( :

Small school update!  I talked again with the principle and vice principle.  They talked with Kara's teachers and Kara said her homeroom teacher has stopped yelling.  I also printed off some statistics and information on why yelling is not an effective way of disciplining.  I'll have to send them to everyone.  I gave these to the school too.  The progress is slow, but I do believe there is progress.  I've met a few more people that feel as I do and encouraged two more ladies to attend lunch.  For the first time ever they are letting parent volunteers into the school (this was not because of me).