Poor Halle! Ever since we got to Mississippi her teeth just haven't been the same!
Kara took this picture! Halle's trying to fit in! Most kids want fancy clothes to fit in, but not down here. You need fancy teeth if you want to fit in!
Halle got a phone call from Payten. She's pretty good at multitasking.
Our neighbor brought us some Tuna fresh out of the Gulf! Brent wanted me to take a picture of it! It was really good. The house didn't even smell fishy! Our neighbor also told me how to cook it and brought me some Blackened Seasoning. I guess everyone uses Blackened Seasoning down here. We have really nice neighbors. The neighbor said, "you can't live down here and not become a fisher!" Hayden is dieing to get out and fish!
Lifeguard Kelton! If you have an older brother than you've probably experienced something like this. Kelton decides he wants to be a lifeguard and sit in the lifeguard chair. Hayden decides it would be more fun to dress Kelton up like this and take pictures of him!
The mosquito's are horrible right now! We went out to the pool the other day and I was thinking about just watching the kids instead of getting in. Kara told me to wear my swim suit just in case I decided I wanted to get in (great advice from a child that can't resist the water). I chose the pool over getting eaten alive by attack mesquiters! So of course we all had a few bites on our heads because we couldn't hold our breath the entire time we were there. When it was time to leave I had to make the kids stay in the pool and I jumped out and grabbed all the stuff and towels and made the maddest craziest dash to the car! Imagine a grown women soaking wet with a hundred things in her hand, dancing around swatting at the air like a crazy person, yep that was me! So then I get to the car and yell Kara run! Then Kelton Run! Then Halle Run! We all made it to the car safely with minor Casualties. I had escaped with only 9 bites. And each of the kids got 2 bites (not counting the ones on their heads). Hayden and Brent had gone skiing and wake boarding with the Youth. Hayden arrived home with only 20 bites on his legs. Oh how I love BUGS (NOT)! You know you have big bugs when you actually think about stopping your car to let them cross the street! I find myself actually thinking about swerving or putting on my break for a bug! Seriously, I must be losing it!
Well a little update on the school! I decided I could no longer stay quiet! I know I said, "I was just going to keep quiet and try to be nice." Unfortunately I couldn't do it. When my kindergartner was excluded from a celebration because she did not identify the shape Hexagon correctly well I lost it! My blood had begun boiling quite a while ago, but this was the straw that broke the camels back (of course I am the camel). Actually I kept it together during the celebration they had asked me to help at. Kara and Kelton were there and I didn't want them to see their mother hand cuffed and sent to jail. I decided I would do more harm than good if I blew up right there in the courtyard. I did address the situation after I regained some control and then set up a meeting with the principal and assistant Principal, and so begins my journey! I'm calling myself the child advocate! My goal to make the school a happier place to be. I start by ruining their awful lunch time! I'm eating lunch there every day and am on a mission to get every parent to eat lunch with their child. Soon we will all be sitting at the visitors table. I've talked to quite a few parents, and I think we have quite a group of parents that do not agree with the way things are being handled. Here is the problem. They have always done things this way in Mississippi, so they don't know that it can be different and better! Most of the mom's I've talked to have lived in the West or North and know that this kind of discipline is not the best way to handle children or anyone for that matter! I mean do you really want kids to only behave out of fear? Isn't it much better to have them do it out of love and respect? Why did I decided not to bury my head in the sand? Well I thought to myself what am I teaching my children? We had talked about the abuse that was occurring and they were willing to endure it and try to not let it affect them, maybe even learn something from it! Then I began to think about any kind of change for good that has occurred in our Nation and I thought if you want change you have to stand up for what you believe in. I thought about all the children at the school eating lunch in silence, walking the line during their recess, being screamed at in their faces if they answer a question wrong, being told they are the worst class the teacher has ever had, having books thrown at them, and I thought can you really feel good about burying your head in the sand? No I cannot, and I don't want my children to either. I'd rather die trying than never try at all. My children had stopped coming home with ugly stories. Not because there were not any ugly stories to tell, but because they decided what is the point, nothing is going to happen. When I was allowed to sit at the table with the children they told me story after story and I always asked did you tell your mom and what did she say? Every mom had an excuse for the behavior, but I guarantee if they had really investigated they would not have been making excuses! I truly believe most people are good so when I see 3 out of 4 lunch tables of 4th graders that are in trouble I really think there is a problem. Well enough of my soap box! I've got to get ready for lunch. We do have a woman on our side. Her husband is a pediatric neurologist and they already have a Lawyer, so I think there is a could chance for some positive change. The school has a great curriculum and so if they can just learn the simple concept of treat others as you would like to be treated, it really could be a great school!
