On and on and......

Homeschooling Thoughts

2010-08-26T09:24:00.007-05:00

Sometimes, not very often actually, but sometimes,I wonder if homeschooling our boys was the best decision. Don't get me wrong, most days I love it. There are bad days, though. I'm sure there are bad classroom days at schools as well. But with the boys at home, we can just take a break. Knowing them as well as I do, I can tell when nothing will be learned and it will just be a constant struggle and we just take the day off. Thankfully, Trevor is a very eager learner with quite the teachable spirit and those days are few and far between. To be honest, sometimes I just need a break to get caught up around the house or to just have a relaxed day with my boys. Truth be told, we still school on those off days. There are teachable moments everywhere. And we are constantly on the lookout for them. Like I said before, I love it - I really do. There's nothing like watching your child learn and discover new things. Nothing like seeing them open their minds and hearts to God's wonders.

Anyway, back to the original reason for this blog post. (I've been writing this in my head for the past couple of days so you'll have to forgive the randomness and the length!) When I begin to wonder if I'm doing the best for my family by homeschooling, something like this usually happens:

My boys - having an impromptu "art lesson." They did this on their own. I was inside cooking supper and cleaning the kitchen. Of course I knew they were outside, but I had no idea they were doing this:

When I discovered them through the window, I picked up my camera and headed outdoors to capture this precious moment. And I just had to share it with you all.

Yep, I think we made the right decision to homeschool. What do you think?

Easter '09

2009-04-21T09:02:00.006-05:00

For Easter this year we went to South Carolina and boy did we have FUN!!!

We visited a park down the road from Grammy and Grampy's house a couple of times.

I thought this was a tractor but Travis quickly informed me it was a monstor truck. Silly me:)

Guess what Travis is doing here! Yep, you guessed it...pooping! He pooed both times we visited the park!

The Big Easter Egg Hunt: Off they go!!!

The cousins from left to right: Travis, Seth, Trevor, Sabrina and Haley.

Thanks, Grammy and Grampy for the cool Spiderman watch!

And thanks for the cool army "crops."

4 Wheeler Fix-up

2009-04-16T07:08:00.004-05:00

Recently, Gary found a wrecked

1998 Polaris 500 Sportsman in a local trade paper.

We picked it up a few Saturdays ago and here are

some before and after pictures.

All the other pieces.

TADA!!!!!
After a few purchases from Ebay and a local 4 wheeler salvage yard
we have our finished product!! And boy does it ride well!

The boys love it, too. ;)

Trevor Math

2009-04-08T09:58:00.004-05:00

Trevor is learning some math and right now we're focusing on subtraction. Anyway, the other day he woke up from his nap and told me the following "math" story:
"Mom, if you have 5 bad guys and 4 bombs then you will have 1 bad guy left." Brilliant.

*The pictures are from a while back when we were still learning letters. I don't have any recent pictures of school time. Guess I'll have to remedy that sometime soon!*

Mississippi Snow

2009-04-06T11:43:00.006-05:00

Did you know it snowed here March 1st? Well, here are some pics to prove it. Better late than never, I guess! Enjoy!

The best part: SNOW CREAM!!!

Breakfast

2009-03-19T08:11:00.002-05:00

This morning I fixed 6 pieces of cinnamon toast. No, not for me!!! Trevor ate 4 (with the crusts removed) and Travis ate 2. Anyway, it made me think about the probably hundreds of pieces of cinnamon toast my mom fixed Chris, Libby and me growing up. Sweet memories, Thanks Mom! I love you very much and appreciate the many sacrifices you made for us.

2009-03-16T09:49:00.005-05:00

Back in January, Trevor went to the dentist. Y'all, I am so proud of how well he does at the dentist!! This was his third visit and he never gives me any trouble. In fact, I think he may even like it a little.

Playing his Leapster while waiting.
Travis stayed with Aunt Kia but Grant went with us.

Before the festivities began.

See how excited he is?

Mrs. Nikki cleaning those pearly whites.

Using "Mr. Slurpy"

Dr. Porter checking out the teeth. Yes, he got a good report, of course!

4 Wheeler Ridin'

2009-03-11T09:27:00.007-05:00

A long time ago, back in November, Gary aka Pappaw bought a 4 wheeler. Of course, we had to try the thing out! Here are some pics from way back in November when we all went riding in the gravel pit.

The boys all ready to go.

There they go....

Through the brush?

Look at that Trevor go!!!

Daddy and Travis cruisin' along.

Here they come...

almost there....

yay...they made it.

Oh what fun we had that day!

Potty break

Who's that?

Daddy showin' off.

Of course the boys had to do some rock climbing.

Fun, fun, fun

Wheee!!!

Hope you all enjoyed this flashback to last November. I found some more pics I meant to post but never got around to so look for another post soon. I promise to fulfill my blogging obligation this time, folks. And, no, the picture browser is still not cooperating. It will probably be next weekend before Brian and I can sit down together and figure it out. Until then.......have a happy day, folks!

So Sorry!

2009-02-18T09:29:00.002-06:00

OK, obviously the whole blog post marathon did not happen and I do apologize. I'm also still working on the lists and on getting my pictures in the right picture browser. It has been quite busy in the Manchester household the past couple of weeks and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. I will speak with my computer guy about the picture browser and try to light a fire under him to get it done, already!! Maybe a batch of brownies will do the trick! Anyway, I do have a funny Travis story. Yesterday, he was wearing some hand-me down comfy pants which Trevor had worn a lot and the elastic in the waist was not what it used to be. So, his pants kept inching down and he told me several times, with a very frustrated voice, "My pants are broken!" I thought that was cute. I love when they're learning to communicate like that. Needless to say, I changed his pants and trashed the others.
Also, Brian and I went to Tupelo with the kids and Ethan and his family last weekend and got a fab deal on a new swing set at Toys R Us. We paid less than half the original price! Now, is the fun part, though. I guess Daddy and Papaw will have great fun putting it together. Here is the link and yes, I will be taking pictures and maybe video of the construction for the blog. Have a great day everyone!

Cult

2009-02-05T14:36:00.002-06:00

So, I recently joined the Facebook cult and was tagged to do a list entitled 21 Random Facts About Me. It was quite fun but I can't help thinking doing a blog post on 21 Random Facts on Trevor and then another blog post on 21 Random Facts on Travis would be so much more fun!!! And, since I am their mommy, I can do more than 21 facts if I so choose. So, you know me, I must first pen said facts on paper because I think better on paper. I plan on being finished by this weekend (no, I have not started the lists, yet) and will post ASAP. I also have some pics that I took before the computer reload which led to a new mother board that I want to post. I know it will be hard and will feel like waiting on Christmas all over again when we just finished all that waiting but I promise it will be worth it when I finish my blog post marathon this weekend. Stay warm y'all.

Lunch

2009-01-21T10:26:00.004-06:00

Here's today's lunch conversation with Travis:

Around 10:00 Travis: "I want chocate nilk!"
Mom: "No, you already had 2 cups today. How about some juice or lemonade?"
Travis: "Okay, _____." (the blank was his version of lemonade which I can not spell out but it was sure cute).

A little later on Mom: "Travis, do you want a cheese quesadilla for lunch like Trevor?"
Travis: "No, chocate nilk."
Mom: "You can't have chocolate milk. Would you like a ham sandwich?"
Travis: no response
Mom: "Would you like a turkey sandwich?"
Travis: no response
Mom: "Would you like a bologna sandwich?"
Travis: "Ice cream sandwich!"
Of course, I told him he could have an ice cream sandwich after he ate some lunch but he just ran out of the kitchen to play. Oh my! I believe the boy inherited my sweet tooth! Off to fix lunch. I guess we'll work something out. He may just skip lunch. Wouldn't be the first time!
Hope you all have a fab lunch.

**Update: Travis had some cheese quesadilla and some ice cream sandwich for lunch.**

Just so you'll know...

2009-01-21T08:22:00.003-06:00

Brian is reloading our computer this week or weekend. He's trying to squeeze it in between family, work and church. So, in order to not lose any pictures I will wait until next week to do another blog post. Stay warm y'all!

Monster Trucks and Doughnuts

2009-01-15T18:51:00.010-06:00

So this past weekend we travelled over to Birmingham to see the monster trucks.

Here's Trevor and Ethan on our way to Birmingham.

Ethan at the show. Check out the ear plugs.

Here's the famous Alaina. We felt sorry for her and let her come with us.

Here's Tim. He had to take out his ear plugs before he'd let me take his picture.

Daddy enjoying some popcorn after he finally got to come in the arena and see the show. Trevor had a little problem with the noise and he and Daddy watched from the outside for the first half.

Pappaw to the rescue. He bought these fancy ear covers so Trevor could enjoy the show. Trevor also had his ear plugs in underneath the tires.

This is what Travis thought of the ear plugs. He pulled out and threw down 2 pair and ended up watching about the last third of the show without any ear protection.

The winner (surprise, surprise) was Grave Digger.

After the show we were headed to the mall but got side-tracked.

You understand, don't ya?

Yummy!

Big Bite!

Trevor wouldn't eat any doughnuts (crazy boy).

Travis had a few bites but he was just plain worn out.

Trevor and Ethan in front of the doughnut kitchen at Krispy Kreme.

After this we skipped the mall and headed to Tuscaloosa to eat at the Cracker Barrel. Over all it was fun but I don't think we'll travel all the way to Birmingham for monster trucks again. Not any time soon, anyway.

Okay, I think I'm caught up now. I do have some pics from around the house I've taken over the last few days, but I'll wait until next week to add those.

Have a good weekend everyone and stay warm:)

Kansas

2009-01-14T11:23:00.030-06:00

Here's a recap of our week in Kansas:

When we arrived on Monday the boys were ready to try on their snow boots. We purchased the snow boots somewhere in Missouri because, for some strange reason, there were no snow boots in the Columbus Wal-Mart. Imagine that!

I tell you what...these stairs were great entertainment the entire week. I think we should add on a basement just for the stairs.

After playing in the snow Tuesday morning, we headed to Chuck E. Cheese's for lunch.

The boys loved the idea of the monster truck but were none too thrilled when it started moving.

Travis' favorite thing.

The air hockey was too irresistible for Travis.

See?

The monster truck wasn't any more fun by himself, apparently. I went to rescue the poor child and the thing yelled for me to "move away from the ride."

Now this is fun...swatting flies?!?

After the monster truck incident, we decided to leave the tokens out of this ride and just sit and use our wonderful imaginations. Things went much smoother. Well, after they finished fussing about who would be in front, that is. Travis got there first; sorry big brother.

The roller coaster ride finished off our big day at the Chuck E. Cheese's.

On Wednesday we went to Union Station in Kansas City. They had a huge miniature train display that both boys liked but Travis loved. I can't tell you how many times he said "I see choo-choo trains." It was pretty amazing.

This tree was set up where they usually have concerts. The whole place was beautiful.

All the Manchester boys/men.

After the train station we went to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. The experience was awesome. Anyone with kids should eat here at least once. Every 30 minutes there is a thunder storm (without the rain) and every 15 minutes a different set of animals move and talk. It was neat-o.

The Jaguar which Travis absolutely loved. Usually Travis is a pill to take out to eat but this place pretty much kept him entertained.

The huge water fountain inside the restaurant. Sorry but I forgot what it reads.

Christmas day. Don't you love this picture? I have a picture frame with a little poem about brothers and I think I'll put this picture in there. What do you think? Is it okay to have them in their PJ? That's the only thing holding me back.

The day after Christmas we decided to leave ahead of the bad weather predicted for Saturday.

Dave and Sandy went to Kansas City with us and we stopped in at Cabela's and hung out for a while. The boys were restless and this was the only fun they had. The place was absolutely packed. Therefore we didn't get to look much because we had to keep a close eye on the boys. I didn't take a picture of it, but Travis almost jumped in a small pond display in the middle of the store. Boy was he mad at me for not letting him play in the water. Both boys were tired and ill.

The Manchester boys/men in front of some bears.

This picture pretty much sums up the entire Cabela's experience. Daddy holding the boys down and putting on a happy face.

This picture was taken in front of one of the many deer displays in a large room dedicated to deer. Now, supposedly there were differences in the deer in each display but I only noticed the differences in each of the scenes of the displays. Whoop-dee-do. The boys, needless to say, were not too impressed. They did like the Safari display on the other side of the store. But it was the last thing we looked at and I was too frustrated to get out the camera. You'll just have to visit there one day to see all the awesome displays of hunt-able animals

After finishing at Cabela's we stopped in at the Dino Cafe to eat. It was even more awesome than the Rainforest Cafe. But my camera was in the car so you'll just have to take my word for it or go visit one yourself.

We enjoyed our visit to Kansas and was glad to see Dave was doing as well as he said he was on the phone. The most memorable moments were definitely our time in the snow. To see more about that you'll have to scroll down a few posts ago.

Love you all!

Christmas at Nana and Pappaw's

2009-01-13T13:04:00.006-06:00

We had Christmas at Gary and Beverly's the Saturday before we left for Kansas.

I guess I didn't take many pictures but here are the best of the few I have.

I guess this picture should have been first so you could see all the gifts under the tree. In case you don't know, that is Brian's sister Kim sitting by the tree. She usually passes out the gifts and does an excellent job of it, too. The boys received a bunch of neat things but I think their favorites were the guns you saw them shooting each other with. Boy are those things noisy!!!

Snowman

2008-12-31T08:26:00.003-06:00

Okay, on Thursday the weather (finally) warmed up a bit and melted and packed the snow. Therefore, it was a perfect time to build a snowman. Travis and I were taking a nap so there are only finished product pictures here.

Brian said Trevor wanted to immediately crush the snowman after building it so he had to convince him not to by rolling up another big ball of snow and crushing it.

Can you believe we did not see any other snowmen?!?

Happy new year, everyone. May we all be blessed and privileged to get to know our God more intimately in 2009. In the words of Beth Moore, let's make it a Jesus-year!

Hebrews 12:2 (New International Version)
2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God

SNOW!!!!!!!

2008-12-30T07:59:00.011-06:00

So, we went to Kansas for Christmas and there was snow on the ground when we got there and it snowed the second night (while we were sleeping). The boys were so very excited and played in it every day they could. The snow melted completely the day after Christmas (and boy was it messy). Here are (a lot) of my fave pictures. Yes, I was behind the camera and I was also off limits for snow balls.

"Now, where did that Trevor run off to?"

The biggest snowball ever!!!

Attack!!!

Much to our surprise, Travis really enjoyed playing in the snow. He usually does not like to be cold, but the wind was not blowing so I guess it did not bother him too much.

Sliding on the ice. Of course big brother got in on the action after this but I didn't get his picture for some reason.

Trevor said they were being snow monsters in this picture (stomp, stomp).

I meant for this to be the last picture, but I still haven't figured out in what order blogger downloads these things!

Watch out!!!

We had a good time and we are so thankful for safe trips to and from Kansas. Look for more posts later this week. Lots of pics to go through from Christmas.

Cookies

2008-12-17T09:08:00.007-06:00

Okay, the kids are watching Max & Ruby and Grant is still snoozing. I uploaded these pics earlier this AM (and it took forever). During the week of Thanksgiving my brother and his family and Mom and Bobby (I first typed Booby ha-ha) were here and on Tuesday we made cookies. Lots of fun, but, again, I am so like my mother and too impatient. I'm afraid to pray for patience because I just might get what I prayed for! But I guess I'm getting it anyway with 3 little kids at my house all day! Just a note: Aunt Melissa made the dough Monday so we did not have to suffer through that (Thank you, Aunt Melissa:)!

First, rolling out the dough and cutting out the cookies:

Okay, I promise it wasn't scary and I wasn't getting too impatient at this point. Just liked this pic; Trevor is such a poser.

This is Aunt Melissa with Travis; now she has patience.

Ain't that the sweetest face!?! I think this one deserves a spot on the fridge;)

Grammie and Jonathan; Grammie has much more patience with her grandkids!!

This is Beth; she's 10 and can do her own dough (yeah!).

Second, decorating the cookies:

Oh, boy.

Trevor loved drawing with the icing but did not like to eat it.

Third, the finished product:

Fourth, eating the cookies:

Yum, Yum!

I love this picture of Booby, I mean, Grampie!

Hope you all enjoyed this culinary display of rolling, cutting, decorating and eating sugar cookies. We sure enjoyed making them and I did not get impatient this time. I guess it helps to have good helpers like Aunt Melissa and Grammie around. One more thing, I didn't take a picture but graceful Rachel spilled about 2.5 pounds of Gold Medal all-purpose flour all over the table, rug and a few unbaked, cut-out but not decorated cookies. Maybe that's why I have such little patience for these kinds of things! Oh, well! Thank You, Lord for inventing the vacuum cleaner!

Gingerbread House

2008-12-16T09:32:00.005-06:00

Okay, folks! We are here! No time for catch-up today; maybe next week while Daddy's off work. Yesterday, the boys and I finally made our gingerbread house. Now, before you scroll over the pictures, just remember there were 2 young boys and a somewhat impatient mommy working on this house. Hence only the roof and "lawn" are decorated. Boy, was I glad when this was over! I think we'll take Grammie's advice and try those gingerbread trees next year! Don't let me fool you, though; all in all we had much fun.

I was proud of the boys for not eating any of the candy. The icing was another story, though. I guess they just couldn't resist.

The finished product. Not so bad, I guess; and we used all of the candy, too!

The following pictures were taken Sunday before church. The boys looked so handsome in their sweaters and I just couldn't resist since we had not taken any pics by the Christmas tree. These were the best 2 out of about 10. Lately, Travis is not very cooperative in front of the camera. Last weekend we took pictures for the church directory. It was quite an experience. Oh, well. At least Trevor never gives any trouble with pictures. He's always up to cheezin' in front of the camera!

What do ya think? Christmas card material?

I really hope to catch up on the blog next week some. I have lots of pictures and a few stories to tell. It just takes so long and as I was posting this entry I put Trevor in time out 2 times and have had to stop and discipline both boys at least 10 times! So frustrating! Oh well, at least I have 2 healthy, very active, wonderful boys to discipline. We are truly blessed.

Love you all!

The Boy was Hungry

2008-11-14T11:11:00.003-06:00

The other day it took a little longer to make supper than what I had planned and Travis was tired of waiting.

After getting caught with the graham crackers and having them taken away, Travis waited until we were once again occupied with supper to go back into the pantry, close the door and partake of the dog food. Again. It is a reoccurring problem with him. Oh, well. At least it's the Lamb and Rice formula with Omega-6 Fatty Acids and Vitamin E for healthy skin and shiny coat. Also, it is 100% complete and balanced nutrition for all breeds. No wonder he has such great skin, huh! What can I say? The boy likes crunchy snacks. Have a great day everyone!

Where have you been?

2008-11-12T23:03:00.006-06:00

In election land with a little side trip to bailout island! What happened to us!?! I thought only old people watched the news all the time.

Anyway, I'll try to tear myself from Fox news and post some pics over the next few days.

Here are some from a few weeks ago when the boys decided to play in the mud:

Look at those hands!
What a pose!
A not-so-shiny hiney.

That took some soakin' to get out!

Trevor dodged in the house and cleaned his face before I could get a picture of it covered in mud. I also have a good close-up of Travis' mouth but there's a big booger hanging out of his nose so I couldn't bring myself to put it out there for the whole world to see. Besides, it would drive me bonkers not being able to get it out of there! He had mud all around his mouth from eating it, YUCK!

Tannehill Water Pictures

2008-10-24T10:00:00.003-05:00

For some reason I left these out of the previous Tannehill post. Oh, well, at least it gave me something to put on the blog today!

Have a great weekend everyone:)

Interview with (5-year old) Trevor

2008-10-23T09:27:00.003-05:00

Date of interview: 10-11-08

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: A army

Q: What's your favorite place in the whole wide world?

A: That place where we went on our trip. [Hotel in Birmingham]

Q: What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?

A: Play checkers

Q: What's your favorite thing to do with Mommy?

A: Put clothes in the dryer [I can't remember the last time he did that!]

Pick flowers for me

Cook with me

Q: What are your favorite books?

A: I don't know... none.

Q: What are your favorite toys?

A: Train toy - Toby

Playing on traintrack

Transformer

Q: What is your favorite thing to do outside?

A: Ride bike and play superheroes.

Q: What's your favorite song?

A: "This no last hoorah?" ["Time is Ticking Away" by DC Talk]

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: Thomas movie "Calling All Engines," "Toy Story," Veggie Tales movie "Where's God When I'm Scared," and Backyardigans movies

Q: What is your favorite t.v. show?

A: Backyardigans (Tower of Power episode)

Q: What do you know about God?

A: He's strong and powerful.

Trevor then asked, "Can God do anything, Mom?" and I answered, "Yes." And as I was analyzing this answer in my mind (because we all know God can not lie or hate anyone), Trevor said, "That's enough writing down." Interview over.

Pumpkins

2008-10-15T21:34:00.005-05:00

Last night we carved pumpkins. And when I say "we" I mean Daddy. It took a long time but the kids really enjoyed it and Brian did a fabulous job. For before picture see previous post. I did not get any during pictures because the camera battery was dead. So sorry:( Maybe next year we'll remember to take pictures of the work in progress.

Our Pumpkin Family

Daddy's pumpkin

Mommy's pumpkin

Trevor's pumpkin

Travis' pumpkin

Finally, I tried to roast the pumpkin seeds but they didn't turn out quite right. I think there were too many on the pan on the left which resulted in them not being completely dried out the next morning. Also, neither pan cooked evenly. I know the potential, though, so we'll definitely be trying this again next year.

Fun in the Tub

2008-10-14T13:23:00.002-05:00

These pictrues were taken a couple of months ago. Thought they'd make you all smile. Trevor will soon be too old to take pictures in the tub and Travis will soon be too old to fit in that bucket! We have some pictures of Trevor in the bucket, too... somewhere.

The Country Pumpkins

2008-10-11T13:26:00.008-05:00

Today we visited a farm in Caledonia. The signs leading us to this wonderful place was called The Country Pumpkins. I'm not real sure that is the "official" name of the place, though. Anyway...aren't y'all so proud I am posting pictures the same day they were taken!?! We really did have lots of fun and might even go back next weekend with Nana and Papaw. We'll just have to wait and see.

These are the pumpkins and squash we picked out. I meant for this to be the last picture but things just didn't work out that way!

Now, before you scroll through all these, I know I'm not the best photographer in the world, but the boys were in no mood to be still and take pictures today. So, please keep that in mind while perusing through.

Just imagine Travis saying: "heaby."Again imagine Travis saying: "puush."Okay, I know you can't see anybody's face in this picture.

I just thought the fact that it looks like Travis has a bunny tail was funny:)There were lots of different types and colors of pumpkins and squash and Trevor wanted some of each different kind. He liked this one because of the long stem.Afterwards Travis was pretty tired and they both were hungry.
The boys thoroughly enjoyed the corn kernel sand boxes and the wagon full of cotton but their favorite was the hay maze. They must have gone in that thing 20 times. The pictures of them coming out were blurry and the one on here was taken hurriedly because they just wanted to get back in the thing! Good times were had for sure. There is one fairly good picture taken on the back of the truck with which I'm going to Wal-Mart or Walgreens.com and make fall cards.

Birthday Party '08

2008-10-10T14:05:00.005-05:00

Date: Saturday, 09-20-08

Time: 10am-12noon

Location: T and T's house

Theme: WALL-E
No disasters or anything real significant that happened to share. The boys had a blast and I'm pretty sure the guests had fun, too. The only thing different we did was not to have a cake because Trevor never eats any cake. So, I tried baking a big cookie which was not done completely in the middle but the outside tasted great! Thankfully, Trevor was not disappointed and there were enough adults there who liked their cookies gooey to finish it off. I also made buttermilk cupcakes with butter cream icing which were fab-u-lous. Travis had a good time with his cupcake as you can see from the pictures. Also, as you can see from the pictures, Brian did a wonderful job icing the cupcakes. They were so purty!

Cowboy Poses

2008-10-09T09:25:00.004-05:00

Ain't they cute!?!

Weekend Trip

2008-10-08T09:33:00.010-05:00

Okay, so I know it's been forever since I posted anything. Sorry! I guess the newness has worn off. And we've been busy and sick, too. Anyhow! I have not gotten permission from everyone at the party to post pictures yet but I will by this weekend and will post birthday party pictures Sunday night, hopefully.

Until then here are some pictures from our weekend trip to Birmingham this past weekend (October 3, 4 and 5th):

Trevor riding the train at Tannehill.
Travis and Mommy riding the choo-choo train.
The train and conductor.
Sunday night Phillip and Paul David came to see us

(and their parents Joe and Kimberly).
Oh, and we bought a Wii on the way home. It is tons of fun...I highly recommend getting one for your family.
At the playground at Tannehill (maybe he has to go poop?).
Crossing the whatever this is; Trevor was a little scared at first but conquered his fear and had much fun.
The boys with cousin Alaina and Daddy.
Aaawww.... This was my favorite picture.
(Grandparents, you know you want one. I'll send one to Walgreens for you to pick up if you just let me know).
Everyone waiting for the train ride to begin.
(Well, everyone except Mommy and Alaina)
Trevor walking at Tannehill.
Alaina and Travis; Travis loves to walk with a stick!
What an action shot!
Another fun thing on the playground.
Ride that squirrel, Travis.

We had a great time this weekend. It was a much needed getaway. We stayed at a hotel with an indoor pool and the boys went swimming Saturday evening after an afternoon of shopping. They also rode the merry-go-round at the mall and had lots of fun. Tannehill Park was beautiful and reminded us of the mountains which made us want to go see the Smokies real bad since we have not been this year. But we hope to go back to Tannehill for a day trip again sometime. There was much more to do and see than we could ever get to Saturday morning. And of course the boys loved being outside; especially since the weather has cooled down. Don'tcha just love fall? Well, I hope you all enjoy these pictures. I have some really cute and funny cowboy poses of Trevor I will post later (hopefully tomorrow). Enjoy and we love you all!

Happy Birthday, Travis!

2008-09-22T06:25:00.002-05:00

Travis turns 2 today. WOW!!!

We love you, Travis!

Trevor Poses (and a brief update)

2008-09-17T09:29:00.005-05:00

Thought I needed some Trevor poses since Travis already had his pose entry. These are Trevor's favorite poses when taking pictures. He's such a clown!!

Trevor's Pirate Pose (aaarrgh!)
Wow! I caught Trevor being nice to the kitty (what a rarity).

Don't know exactly what to name this pose, but it is the one most frequently taken.
See my teeth? Are any loose yet?
Cheese!!!
???
Trevor was pretending to be a gorilla (I think).

The birthday party is this weekend and we are very excited. Can't wait to post pictures of that. The boys are looking forward to having all their friends over to play at the house. And, of course, Trevor is looking forward to all the presents, too. It's hard to believe it's time for another birthday party around here. They are growing so fast!! Trevor is still obsessed with who is stronger and whom he can beat up. Travis is talking up a storm. He's really into repeating things you say to him and it is very cute. Well, sometimes Trevor gets annoyed with it, but what can you expect from a big brother? Trevor is doing a little school work every other day and Monday we tried writing numbers but he was NOT interested. Such a struggle. Today we did some matching, circling and comparing. He did have to try to write the numbers 1, 2 and 3, though. I helped him since it was the last thing we did and I did not want to end on a sour note.....again. Nothing much more going on around here. We started back with preschool choir last Wednesday. If I remember my camera tonight, I'll take pictures and post them if and when I get permission from the parents.

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone and leave a comment so I'll know you're looking!

Happy Birthday, Trevor!

2008-09-11T06:50:00.002-05:00

Trevor turns 5 today. Can you believe it?

We love you, Trevor!

Checkers with Daddy

2008-09-10T10:03:00.002-05:00

The other night, after Travis had gone to bed, Brian and Trevor had a friendly game of checkers. (And it only took 30 minutes to play the entire game.)

Trevor won. (Don't tell anyone, but I think the game was fixed).

Biscuits with Mommy

2008-09-08T09:28:00.004-05:00

Labor day morning the boys and I made biscuits. It was great fun, a great mess and the biscuits were pretty good! I think I'll keep trying to perfect them, though.

Sorry! No picture of the finished product. We were so hungry we didn't even think to take a picture! I'm sure we'll be making biscuits again and I'll try to remember to take a picture then. (Don't worry, these biscuits weren't very pretty anyway.)

Playtime

2008-09-07T19:54:00.006-05:00

Hello, all! The past couple of weeks have been kinda hectic so I haven't posted anything, but I have been taking pictures. Here are a few playtime poses:

Those boys can have more fun with clothes baskets!!!

Fun in the playroom. Hey! We're actually playing with toys this time!

Ride 'em cowboy!

Fave Pose

2008-08-27T09:22:00.004-05:00

This is everyone's favorite pose of Travis, so I just had to post it on the blog.

I'm sure I'll catch him with his hands behind his back again and post it many more times in the future. It's even cuter when he's looking over something and really concentrating.

Watch This!

2008-08-26T17:01:00.005-05:00

The other day, Brian and I were in the kitchen and we heard Travis say, "Watch this!'' (in his cute little almost 2 year old voice). Of course, Trevor had to get in on the action, too.

Look for future episodes of "Watch This!"

Painting

2008-08-25T19:54:00.006-05:00

Today, the boys did some painting:

And that's all I have to say about that.

BONK!

2008-08-20T20:23:00.007-05:00

Monday night, well, actually early Tuesday morning (2:00), Travis started crying a little. I was going to let him cry himself back to sleep until we heard a big THUD and him SCREAMING HIS HEAD OFF BECAUSE HE CLIMBED OVER AND OUT THE END OF THE CRIB!!! Today, I noticed this and just had to show you all:

Mr. Climber in all his glory. Maybe we shouldn't wait until Christmas to give him a big boy bed!

Volcano

2008-08-19T18:30:00.007-05:00

At the gift store at the Pink Palace Museum, I told Trevor he could have one thing to take home. What did he pick? A volcano kit, of course. Here's how it turned out:

WOW!!!

And here's the major motion picture based on the actual events...
(pause the music at the bottom of the page for full effect)

Saying Goodbye

2008-08-18T19:37:00.008-05:00

Saturday morning we got together and ate breakfast before everyone else headed back home. It was much fun and I'm glad the kids had a place to play. Everyone should be back for Thanksgiving and I'm sure it'll be great!

What A Week!

2008-08-17T15:40:00.012-05:00

This week Grammy and Grampy and Beth and Jonathan spent the week with us and, boy, did we have fun!! It was quite an eventful week and here are some pics to prove it!

Travis really enjoyed his chocolate chip cookie.

Travis beside the cannon at the Pink Palace.

This was at the Piggly Wiggly display at the Pink Palace in Memphis, TN. Travis LOVED running up and down the (three) aisles!

The boys watching t.v.

On Friday it was finally sunny and warm enough to play with the water guns Grammy and Grampy bought everyone.

In front of a treasure map at the Pink Palace.

Boy, that was good timing with the camera!

Grammy helped keep the guns filled with water, but "I'm not playing!"

Swimming diapers, what a wonderful invention! Why didn't I think of that!?!

It rained practically all day Tuesday....we just had to go out in it and have some fun!

Beth found a pretty purple rock while mining for fool's gold at the Pink Palace.

Watch out, Trevor!!!

Umm, there's a big polar bear behind you, Travis and Grampy!!!

Fun with moon sand. Thanks Grammy and Grampy:)

Brian was only home Monday and Friday nights. This was Monday playing with Lincoln Logs.

Travis wasn't too keen on being out in the rain, so he stayed under the porch riding his "cycle." This is the fish face "stinky feet" pose. Isn't he cute!?!

Sorry about the randomness of the pictures!! I didn't upload them in the right order and it took too long to redo! I'll do better in the future. Remember, I'm new at this!! More to come tomorrow.

Fun with Neighbors

2008-08-09T21:45:00.009-05:00

This evening our neighbors invited us over for hamburgers, etc. They also had a bonfire after supper. It was much fun and the food was great! Brian and I were tired after a long, frustrating day putting in our new door. More on that tomorrow. BTW, the camera did not come in time for pictures of door install, but I will put a picture of the new door later. The trim is not around the inside, yet, so I'll wait until then. For now, here are some pictures from our evening with the neighbors. Thanks, neighbors:)

Travis in the dog house.
(First picture taken on our new camera.)

Trevor and Travis gathering sticks for the bonfire.
That Travis loves picking up sticks!

The bonfire (with our old door on top).

Trevor at home after the festivities.

18

2008-08-08T11:16:00.002-05:00

So, I'm in the kitchen cooking lunch and the boys are watching tv. I hear commercials in the background and then Trevor asks, "Mom, am I 18?" Wonder what the commercial was for, huh? I reply, "No, not yet." Trevor says, "Oh, right, I'm 4." Oh, the power of commercials. Too bad "you must be 18 to call." No tellin' what we'd get in the mail!
Hopefully our camera will be coming today or tomorrow. Brian and Papaw are going to put on our new door tomorrow and I want to post pics. Also, GRAMMY AND GRAMPY ARE COMING THIS WEEKEND, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! We'll definitely want pics from that visit, especially since there will also be some wonderful cousins involved.
Stay tuned!!

Hot Days and Toy Guns

2008-08-03T06:39:00.006-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, around 1:30, we were leaving Nana and Papaw's house to take the boys home for a nap and it was HOT. As Brian was buckling Travis in his car seat, Travis said, "Oh boy! It's hot!" Isn't that the cutest?!? He's really putting words together.

Friday, the boys and I went to a friend's house for a play date and Trevor and his friend E. played with (toy) guns the entire time. Well, when we left, E. let Trevor "borrow" his cowboy cap pistol until we see him again at church Sunday. Well, it has hardly left Trevor's side the whole weekend. Both boys love guns, but especially Trevor right now. I think we might be requesting some (toy) guns for birthday gifts this September:)

Speaking of September.........Can you believe it's August already!!!! What happens to time as you get older!?! I remember thinking it was FOREVER between Christmases when I was a kid and now I feel like we just had Christmas! Oh well, I guess the saying "time flies when you're having fun" is true because, for the most part, we're having a blast at our house.

Things To Remember

2008-07-30T21:30:00.007-05:00

Right now Trevor, who will be 5 in September, is big into what he and his dad can beat up. Now, he's not actually going out and beating things up but everyday we are reminded of what he can beat up and the fact that his dad is stronger than him. It's quite funny at times. We'll be having a discussion and all of the sudden Trevor will say " I can beat up a dog." Or, "My dad can beat up a goblin, dog, lion, etc." However, beating up a goblin is no big deal because even Travis (his younger brother) can beat up a goblin. Also, we are often reminded of how strong Samson is/was. But, "my dad can beat up Samson." He's so sweet.
As for Travis, he will be 2 in September and is at my absolute favorite age. He is really starting to communicate and is even putting words together.
Some of his fave phrases are: "Nilk, more nilk."
"Ride lawnmower."
"Ride truck."
He's also learning to put the -ing on words and it is so sweet. For example, this afternoon it was raining and he heard us talking about it and he said "Raining now." I just wish you could hear his sweet, little voice. Brian and I are getting a new camera this weekend and hopefully there will be pictures and videos on this blog before too long!
I just love seeing him get all excited about new things. I also love this age because they smile so much. All I have to do is smile at Travis and he smiles back. And they get excited over the smallest of things. It's great.
Both boys love music and the favorite songs right now are:

"We Won't Be Quiet" David Crowder Band
"Divin' In" Steven Curtis Chapman
"Free At Last" DC Talk
"Jesus Is Just Alright" DC Talk
"Enough" Barlow Girl

I am so grateful all these songs are about Jesus. I pray they will always prefer music that honors and worships the one, true God. I'm also grateful Trevor's standard for human strength is Samson. I've been in church since I was a baby and it was one of the greatest gifts my mother ever gave me (Thanks, Mom :)). God has always had His Hand on me and I pray my boys will realize He's also got His hand on them. It took me a while to realize this and accepting it has changed my life.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD." Jeremiah 29:11-14a NIV

And He made from one [origin, one source, one blood] all nations of men to settle on the face of the earth, having definitely determined [their] allotted periods of time and the fixed boundaries of their habitation (their settlements, lands, and abodes), So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each one of us.
For in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your [own] poets have said, For we are also His offspring. Acts 17:26-28 Amplified

The Story Behind the Blog Name

2008-07-28T11:38:00.005-05:00

Well, here we go.....

I have been debating on starting a blog for some time and have decided to just jump right in. The main purpose of this blog is to post pictures and stories about my boys so our family and friends scattered about the good ol' US of A can see how they're growing.

The story behind the blog name:

The Christmas after Trevor turned 2, we visited Brian's dad and stepmom in Kansas for the holiday. Well, it was a long ride and we were listening to lots of music. At the time we were listening to Mercy Me a lot and there was a song on the spoken for cd Trevor particularly liked. On the way to Kansas he asked us several times to "play on and on and." Well, we had no idea what he was talking about! Finally, on the way home we figured it out when the song "His Glory Goes On" played and Trevor got all excited. It was great. If it is legal and I ever figure it out, I'll try to get the song playing in the background of the blog.

I hope this turns out to be a great way to keep all the family updated on us and to stay in touch with each other. I'll post more about us on the next post.