Gingerbread House/ The 19mth old Beekeeper

Every year the girls and I make a gingerbread house. This year Derreck was fortunate enough to be here to enjoy! They had a ball! As of today, though, the roof and decorative sugar wreath are missing (mmm.... wonder where that went girls)!

Ian tends to get bored when I cook. He will rumage through cabinets finding things to amuse himself and his sisters. Take a look at the latest!

Soon after, Ian (aka The Beekeeper) convinced the girls to join in the fun!

Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Emma's First Field Trip

Emma went on her first field trip today to Gentry Farm in Franklin. Derreck was off today because it was Columbus Day so I had asked Emma if she wanted Derreck to go with her on the field trip. She said, "NO, I can do it by myself!" I explained how a field trip works and that there would be chaperones. She then readily agreed to Derreck's going. He said they had a big time and that Emma almost cried when he had to leave. He said she held his hand almost the whole time (oh how I wish she wouldn't outgrow that)!

Ian-Putting on the Ritz---Backpack, Backpack (for you Diego fans)

Here is a video of Ian with his prized Ritz! He ran away from me, box clutched tightly, to his favorite chair where he likes to "read" and peruse his various treasures!

The girls thought it would be funny to let Ian wear his Elmo backpack last night.

This backpack was given to us by Uncle Lance and Aunt Mary. We typically use it as Ian's diaper bag when we go places but he really seemed to enjoy wearing it on his own. The girls then had the absolutely brillant idea of letting Ian wear it to the bus stop this morning. Follow the trail of pictures (while keeping in mind that Ian wore this backpack from 7:45 am -9:15 am this morning, when I refused to let him nap with it--crazy!)

The backpack is on!

The walk to the bus stop!

Hanging out at the bus stop!

Wait--I am going too! (He did this on his own) He found the only other boy (our neighbor, Kevin) and got in line with him! We all were cracking up!

Ian Speaks!

The blog has so far contained many videos of the girls but few of Ian. I decided to attempt a video with Ian today, consisting of the few words he can say. He spent the majority of the time tyring to grab the camera and stuff a miniature Stanley Cup into his mouth. Enjoy!

Emma's Double Life

Many of you have the privilege of knowing Emma personally. She is a bright, vivacious, clever, witty and extremely outspoken 5 year old. While all these are positive characteristics, they can cause trembling and fear in her parents. For these reasons, I was fearful about attending Emma's first conference at school. I had all the kids with me. Abby and Emma sat in the hallway outside the classroom and colored, drew, etc. while Ian went into the classroom with me (on a side note, whoever invented gummie snacks should be praised---they work brilliantly in keeping a 16 mth old completely occupied while a parent is involved in a conference). As I sit across the table from her teacher I prepare myself to hear any number of revelations. "Emma borders on disrespectful. Emma is very bright but we must learn to harness her energy for good and not evil." and so on. Here is the conversation:

Mrs. C: Can I just tell you how much I love Emma? She is the sweetest, kindest, most polite child I have. I wish all my kids were like her. I wish I could clone her.


Me: SERIOUSLY??? (and yes I did actually say this out loud)

Mrs. C: (looking surprised and a bit confused) Really? Does this surprise you?

Me: Actually , yes. Very much. We are talking about Emma Bentley, right?

Please know I am in no way bragging or trying to claim pride in the good work that Emma is doing in her classroom. This is a clear example of God's grace at work and has absolutely nothing to do with me and/or my parenting skills. I tell the story just to share my surprise and utter shock with you.

Anyway, back to the story. I found out that Emma is doing great, has many friends, works independently and has never shown any sign of disrespect. I relay several Emma stories to Mrs. C to explain my shock at her report and she insures me that no such behavior has reared its ugly head. Even the Emma stories from her class have not caused concern.

Conference ends. I tell Emma about all the praise she has received. She is beaming!

We arrive home. Derreck comes home shortly after us. I tell him the news. He too, responds with , "Are you kidding me?" Please know it is not that we don't have faith in our child; we just know what we see at home.

A discussion with my Mom, who is a fourth grade teacher, sheds a little light on the subject. "Oh, she is one of those kids..perfect angel at school and holy terror at home. I have seen many of those and the shocked parents when I tell them how well behaved their child is at school" Now I wouldn't go that far in describing Emma as a holy terror at home....just a challenge, strong willed. So my child is basically living a double life-- good school girl by day......outspoken political crazy girl at night. That takes a lot of work! You gotta respect her for that!

Wait till she starts dating or is even interested in boys at school....which Emma will she be? Oh that poor boy!

School

(Abby typing)
At school we are learning about habitats. My teacher thought that we needed to know it a little better so she ordered frogs,crabs,and millipedes. There are African dwarf frogs,fiddler crabs,and regular millipedes.We have to take care of them for a couple weeks. After that we get to take them home if your parents let you.I asked them and they said yes!So I am getting a fiddler crab!I might name it Crabby or Chopper.I can't wait!

Musical Talents???

I am attaching videos of some recent musical talent that has appeared in our family. Abby told me that she and three other girls at her school have formed a band. They just sing (no one knows how to play an instrument). Abby and her friend Ashlyn are the lead singers and Lillian and Kelsey are the back up singers. They call themselves....The Weirdos! They wear matching outfits on certain days. I was unaware of this until Abby told me last Wed that she had to wear a green shirt and jeans(at least the girls are working with clothes they have)! They write their own songs. Three to be exact....called Kansas, Hot Salsa and Piggy Went to Town. You heard it here first....Kansas. ENJOY!

Of course, Emma could not be outdone. She shared a song they are learning in her Kindergarten class. She is not a member of a band as of today but I am sure this will change since Abby is doing it!

Emma's Big Decision

Before I began the story I have to give you a little background. Emma and I have had numerous discussions about asking Jesus into your heart and becoming a Christian. The last one we had was about a month ago. Emma asked about how you get to heaven. I told her you have to have Jesus in your heart. She then asked what heaven was like. I told her that I didn't know but from what the Bible says it is a wonderful place. Emma immediately asks if there will be free ice cream there. I said I didn't know but it sounds good. Emma ends the conversation with, "If there is free ice cream there then I want to go!"

Fast forward to last night at dinner. The kids and I are around the table eating (Derreck was working late) and I notice that Emma has her head down and her eyes closed. This is the conversation:

Me: Emma, are you okay?

Emma: Yes. Guess what Mom? I just asked Jesus into my heart.

Me: Really? Emma, that is awesome!

Abby: Well, now that means you have to be a good girl you know?

Me: Well, Emma, God knows you can't do that alone so that is why having Jesus in your heart will help you want to do good things.

Abby: Wait a minute. Emma, why did you ask Jesus into your heart?

Emma: Because I love Him!

Abby: Ok, then. I thought you were going to say it was because you wanted the free ice cream!

People, I can't make this up!!

Oh, the Mind of a 5 Yr Old

If you have noticed lately Emma has given me tons of good material to blog. And today is no exception. After arriving home from school, I took Emma's lunch box out of her backpack, unzipped it to find everything I had packed this morning. And I mean everything...completely untouched.

Me: Emma, why didn't you eat your lunch today?

Emma: What? I did eat lunch.

Me: Then how come everything is still in your lunchbox?

Emma: I had a lunchbox today? I just bought my lunch.

Me: How did you buy it if you didn't have any lunch money?

Emma: I just went through the lunch line, picked what I wanted and sat down and ate.

Me: And nobody said anything to you about it?

Emma: Nope.

Oh my. Don't worry folks... I am not going to let Emma think this is okay. For those of you who remember, we had this same problem with Abby. At the end of her Kindergarten year, I receive a bill from the cafeteria for about $8. Abby just kept going up to the ice cream cooler and picking out ice cream whenever she wanted it( at that time ice cream was $.50). So we explained the cafeteria is not a place where you just take what you want; you have to pay first. Looks like I will be having this discussion again. And Emma will bring the money for today in to school tomorrow.

More Emma Sayings

Back by popular demand these are the latest musings by Emma

Emma was telling me about one of her new best friends, Teah. Emma tells me that Teah rides the same bus that Emma and Abby ride. Here is the conversation:

Emma: Did you know that Teah has two brothers that ride the bus with us?

Me: No I didn't know that.

Emma: Well, their names are Ian and Duckling.

Me: Wait, she has a brother named Duckling?

Emma: Yeah.

Me: Are you sure? That is a weird name for a kid---that is a name for a baby duck.

Emma: I AM SURE MOM--STOP ASKING!


I go into Emma's room this morning because I know her alarm has gone off and she hasn't gotten out of bed. I walk in and here is the conversation:

Me: Emma, it's almost 7:30. You have got to get up!

Emma: No, I don't.

Me: Didn't your alarm go off?

Emma: Yes, but it is my 2 day break so I went back to sleep.

Me: What are you talking about? You have to go to school today.

Emma: No, you and Abby told me I get a 2 day break every week.

Me: Emma, that is on Saturday and Sunday. Today is Tuesday. You don't just get to pick the days you want to take a break from school.

Emma: Oh....well you guys lied!

Recent Conversations of Abby and Emma

This conversation was overheard a couple of weeks ago:

Abby: You know what, Emma? I figured out how I can get the dog I want that mom won't let us have.

Emma: How?

Abby: When a guy asks me to marry him, I am going to tell him yes but only if he buys me a dog!

Emma: That is a GREAT idea! I am going to do that too!



This week Emma came downstairs for breakfast and the Today show was on the TV. This is the conversation:

Emma: Mom, do you know the brown man on TV?

Mom: No, who?

Emma: BARACK OBAMA, mom!

Mom: Oh, yes. I know who he is. Why?

Emma: I think he would make a great president!

Mom: Why is that?

Emma: Well, he looks like a great president and he has hair like Daddy but no cavities like Daddy!


Emma gets off the bus yesterday and tells me about school. She says that the teacher gives out 3 cards each day to the kids who acted the best. The kids then use these cards to purchase treasures (pencils, pens, notepads, etc) from the treasure chest. Emma received a card earlier this week and got a pencil. Here is the conversation:

Emma: Mrs Clayton gave out cards today but I didn't get one.

Mom: Really?

Emma: Yeah. She called out Tristan's name and I said, " Tristan, REALLY? He gets a card!"

Mom: Emma, did you say that out loud?

Emma: Yes. Mrs. Clayton said, "Who said that?"

Mom: Did you tell the truth?

Emma: Yes. I told her I did.

Mom: What did she say?

Emma: That wasn't very nice!

Here Comes The Bus

Emma had her first full day of Kindergarten yesterday. She has patiently waited for two years to be able to ride the bus to school. She did just that Monday morning. Abby filled her in on all the necessary rules (don't stand up, etc) while Emma absorbed all the info like a sponge. As they got on the bus, Abby had made me promise that I wouldn't cry. But as they got on the bus, Abby sweetly made sure that Emma had a window seat. Emma sat on the side of the bus where I was and waved to me with the biggest grin I had ever seen on her face. My eyes swelled up with tears as I saw how happy she was. Ian and I turned quickly so they wouldn't see me crying, hopped in the truck, and raced off to Publix to take my mind off the day.

That afternoon the rain poured down. The girls were supposed to get off the bus at 4 pm. Emma has said that I had her permission to take a picture of them getting off the bus but not getting on that morning; in her words, "That would be too embarrassing Mom!" So I grabbed my umbrella and shot this video of Abby and Emma getting off the bus. Sorry I don't have zoom but you get the gist of it. Notice how Abby is holding an umbrella over them both!

As the girls began to fill me in on their day, Abby shares some funny stuff about the afternoon boarding the bus at school. Abby had walked Emma to class that morning and was very concerned about Emma getting on the right bus that afternoon. I told Abby that the Kindergarten teachers were making some kind of headband that would give the bus number that the kiddo is supposed to take home. Abby felt better about this but began to explain to me how dismissal played out. Abby raced to the bus from her classroom nervously looking for Emma in the crowd of kids. She didn't see Emma anywhere but then suddenly she thought she might already be on the bus. Abby climbs the bus steps and there in the first seat is Emma. Emma is wildly waving her arms in the air with mouth open and eyes huge (those of you who know Emma know this look well). Oh I forgot to mention that while she is waving like a mad woman, Emma is also sporting an enormous sentence strip (the kind the teachers use) stapled around her head with her name, bus number and a cut out of a big red bus on it. Abby, who before had been so concerned about Emma's whereabouts, sits quickly down beside Emma and tells her in a loud whisper, " Get that thing off you head...you look like a dufus!" Emma immediately complies! Oh the joys of sisterhood!

Emma's First Day of Kindergarten

Wednesday was Emma's official first day with her teacher Mrs. Clayton (who could pass for a sister of my good friend Jen). Emma loves her teacher and the feeling seems to be mutual. Wed. only half the class was there so Mrs. Clayton said it would be a great time to let your child practice buying their lunch since she would eat with them and help them. Emma did just that. Mrs. Clayton told me that Emma chose nachos and got them with every possible topping imaginable. Mrs. Clayton sat next to Emma during lunch and told me that after every bite Emma would say, "This food is delicious...this food is so good." Keep in mind this is the child's first experience with school cafeteria food! She goes again for a 1/2 day tomorrow and then full days starting Monday. She wants to ride the bus with Abby......oh that is going to be hard for me!

Notice in the pictures that Emma has lost her two bottom front teeth! She is very proud of this!

Great News!

Abby is done with her cardiac catheterization! Everything went great and her heart looks wonderful! I am home with Emma and Derreck is with Abby while she is in recovery. She must lie still for 6 hours and then hopefully she can come home tonight. God is so good! Funny story... Abby got to drink some "happy juice" before they took her to surgery. This was to relax her. It worked in about 5 minutes. She was laughing uncontrollably and then she pretended her bed was a race car as she moved her body back and forth and made vroom sounds. She told Derreck and me that she came in second place. When the nurses came to get her to take her to the operation room, she kept staring at the mirrored domes on the ceiling with her mouth opened. As they wheeled her to surgery, Derreck and I said bye. Abby shot up her hand and waved bye. She was feeling very loopy!! I will post more updates later.

First Day of School

Last Year

Abby started fourth grade today. Take a look at last year's first day of school picture compared to this year's. Now I know why I got a little misty taking Abby to school today. Ian had spent the night with Grandmommie

(thanks G'mom!) so this morning went very smoothly. That is until Abby's water bottle leaked in her backpack right before we walked out the door! Abby was a little freaked out but we managed to salvage the backpack and her outfit.

Emma went for Kindergarten testing today and had a blast. She start tomorrow with a 1/2 day. I am not worried about her at all--she is super excited. I, on the other hand, will not fare as well.

Enjoy the pictures of Abby, Emma, Ava and Isaac (my niece and nephew) from Granddaddy's wedding this weekend. The kids were in the wedding and did great!!

Extreme Makeover---Ian Edition

Well the day had finally come. Derreck had been wanting to cut Ian's hair for awhile and I just kept resisting. I couldn't bear to part with the curls. But when I began to realize that my child was bearing a strong resemble to Krusty the Clown, I had to give in to the cut. Derreck did a fabulous job and Abby and Emma kept Ian entertained the whole time by feeding him strawberry Nerds. Check out the before and after.


Abby and Emma start school Monday. Yikes!

Check out my Slide Show!

Check out my Slide Show!

Back From the Beach

We returned from Destin this past Saturday. We all had a wonderful time! Ian loved the ocean and the pool. Emma wanted to move there until it was time to go home---then she changed her mind. The video shows Emma's take on her day at the pool. I have included all our photos in the slide show as well. The photos of all the boats in the water were taken on July 4th as everyone prepared for the fireworks show. Ian watched the fireworks with mouth open and a few oohs and ahhs. He even applauded a few times!

Heart Trouble

(Abby typing)

Yeah, summer is here!I signed up for swim lessons.It is going well but when we practice outside it is hard on me.Why, cause at the middle of practice my heart starts to hurt.I told my parents about this they were worried! So they called the Children's Hospital they said to not go to practice and come there.So that Thursday morning we went there.We had to wait a long time

because they were super busy.Then my doctor came .First she measured and weighed me.

After that she took me into this room.I changed my shirt and then she put me on this treadmill

After 9 minutes I was done but my heart hurt again.What I liked most was her taking my arm pressure like 11 times!But my heart is OK!But on the treadmill they had to put these plugs on me but like I said I am OK!

Ian is Now One!

Saturday May 24 we celebrated Ian's first birthday with family! He loved the cake and dug right in. However the cake did not love him! He broke out in hives on his arms and got to take a dose of Benadryl for his birthday. ( He is going to an allergist in June to be tested for allergies to certain foods). The weather was beautiful and Ian received some wonderful gifts! Thanks to everyone who came and to those who wished Ian a happy birthday!

Pre K Graduation

Emma graduated from Pre K on May 20th. It was a very emotional day for me but Emma had a ball. She was a little shy about the ceremony but as you can see by the picture, she came alive at the end. Pomp and Circumstance played as the kids came down the aisle in their caps. Tears began to flow from me and continued as Emma and the others sang songs and recited scripture. As they called each child for their diploma, the director of the school told what the kids each wanted to be when they grew up. There were 2 spies, a dentist and a female baseball player in the bunch. Emma wants to help dogs when she grows up. After the ceremony, there were cupcakes and lemonade. Emma asked why I kept crying. Her teacher told her that I was crying happy tears. I am going to be a basket case when the kids graduate high school!