Hollingsworth's Happenings

The Fresh Prince Follows the Yellow Brick Road

2012-02-07T09:20:00.007-06:00

The weekend we have been anticipating finally arrived! Dance Competition Weekend! But first I made a little treat for the girls....

Dorothy's ruby red slippers. I was hoping they would bring some good luck to our girls.
We woke up at regular time on Friday, dropped Harrison off at school, finished packing the car, then took off for Montgomery. We got there at lunchtime, so we had lunch at one of our favorite spots...

Dreamland! It was delicious as usual. We were hoping this big lunch would tide Caitlin over through her dancing that night.

Of course we had to take our annual picture in front of the Renaissance fountain. Then it was off to get our dancing queen ready for her first dance.

Here she is ready to bust a move in her "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" hip hop dance. There were a few nervous trips to the bathroom, but she was ready to go!

Caitlin and her hip hop teacher, Ms. Kaityln (We've been confused many times already this year when we call her name!)

5 of the 6 hip hop girls ready to take the stage
Caitlin, Delaine, Megan, Alyssa, and Shanna

Before the competition started, we were treated to a performance by Twitch and Lil' C. They are both excellent dancers and were on "So You Think You Can Dance."

"Fresh Prince of Bel Air" dance
Caitlin is on the far left.

Their ending move--she is still on the far left.
The girls were disappointed after Awards because they didn't earn a medal--only a ribbon for Gold. And, of course, Caitlin was the most broken-hearted over it! However after watching 2 days of booty-shaking and pelvic thrusts, I would gladly trade that for their Gold ribbon any day! I sure don't want my eleven-year-old doing moves that would embarrass anyone! (One main reason we attend her dance studio is that they feel very strongly about modesty and teach it to the girls.)
So we spent some time with her friend, Shanna, and her family after the performance to cheer the girls. It was bedtime, then up again at 5:30 on Saturday to get ready for her next dance.

My Dorothy

Here is another reason we go to North Alabama Dance Center: the instructors pray with the girls before each performance. I cannot express in words how much this picture means to me. I love that my baby girl is learning that God is in everything you do (and not just at church!).

Opening pose of "Wizard of Oz" (or Boogie Shoes because that's the music they danced to)

They looked like they were having so much fun! Caitlin is the 2nd Dorothy from the right.

Shaking those Boogie Shoes! Caitlin is the 2nd Dorothy from the left.

She is the last Dorothy on the left here shaking her groove thing.

When it was all said and done, they won a High Gold Award, High Point for their category, AND....2nd Best Entertaining in the ENTIRE competition!!! That's one proud Daddy with her!

My cousin, Laci, drove over from Auburn to cheer her on. Caitlin had built up an appetite by this point, so we let her change clothes then went to eat.

Normally we eat lunch on Saturday at a little dive named Chris' which is right by the Capitol, but since Laci was with us we went a different route. We tried a new Mexican restaurant by the hotel. It was pretty good!

My "thinks he is so funny" husband and me
We sent Laci on her way back to Auburn, then watched the Teen Dances until dinner time. By that time Caitlin was begging for a Chris' hot dog because that's the only time she gets one, so we got take-out and ate at the hotel with her friend, Shanna, and her family. It was bedtime at this point because the girls had dance classes bright early on Sunday morning with the competition judges.

Two tired, but happy dancers at the end of the weekend!

It was a very busy weekend, but it was a lot of fun watching my baby girl and her awesome talent!

I Can Actually Do Something Right!!

2012-02-02T11:20:00.002-06:00

We are going through an extremely hard time at our house right now. It's called "I'm 11, but I Think I'm Old Enough to Know Everything!" We say prayers EVERY SINGLE MORNING AND NIGHT to survive this phase. And luckily, I do know it is just a phase. However, I am very, very worried how long this particular phase is going to last. I knew with her colic or 3-year-old stubborness or potty-training that it wouldn't last until she was in school, but this one may last entirely too long!

Well yesterday afternoon, she about made me wreck the car!! We were driving home from the grocery store and laughing about the crazy cheese lady who ran into our cart because she was in such a hurry to get to the cheese sale. (I thought of you, Allison!) When all of a sudden, she got quiet and says to me, "You know when I was home sick last week and you taught me how to figure out the circumference of a circle? Well, your way was sooooooo much easier than the way my teacher taught the rest of the kids." I am NOT kidding when I say that I almost drove off the side of the road! Lots of things ran through my head as to what to say to her, but I chose, "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

So maybe we've turned a corner and this phase is almost over! I'm not questioning it. I'm just relishing the fact that I actually remembered how to figure out the circumference of a circle and that my baby girl thinks I'm smart!

A "Blah" Day

2012-01-31T21:07:00.000-06:00

Today has been one of those days where I just wanted to go back to bed and start completely over!

First, no one wanted to get up this morning. Don't kids realize how hard that makes life for Mamas?

Then, I get to school and find out that our dear, sweet Mr. Cleveland who cleaned our school plus did hundreds of other wonderful things for us, died last night. I really think he died of a broken heart because his precious wife died a few years ago, and he never got over losing her! To let you know what a wonderful man he was--when I was pregnant with Harrison, I started having contractions at work one day. He put me into his truck and drove as fast as he could to Randy's school so I could get to the hospital. What custodian does that?!?

All that talk at school made me miss my Mama soooooooo much! It also made me realize that even if my Daddy says I am bugging him--I need to keep it up so he doesn't get as lonely as Mr. Cleveland.

But I made it through the day and had a great afternoon cuddling with 2 of my sweeties in my bed while Harrison read us 3 different Dr. Seuss books. Who doesn't love that? All I can say is...I love my family! (Even if they fuss at me to run my regular 4 miles because they know it makes me feel so much better!)

Dance, Dance, Dance (with a little sickness thrown in!)

2012-01-22T17:59:00.003-06:00

So I may have mentioned once or twice or a thousand times that we are in the midst of Dance Competition season. I love it, but it is wearing me out! It is so worth it, though, to see my baby girl doing something that she loves.
On Saturday, she had her dress rehearsal for Competition at Westminster. The only thing was...she went home sick from school on Friday with a 100 degree fever! Dum.Dum.Dum! So I wasn't sure if she would be feeling well enough to dance on Saturday afternoon. Was I wrong!! She couldn't wait to get all glitzed up and perform in front of all those people. You could tell she didn't feel like herself because in between her 2 dances, she just sat there. Not like the other girls who were running around. But she did her best and it showed!

Here she is with her Hip-Hop group before they went on. Of course she is the only one mugging for the camera! Their song is "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and it is so cute!

And this is their "Boogie Shoes" dance. Definitely NOT Wizard of Oz! (I was told that was just too babyish!) Caitlin is the second Dorothy from the left.

All the girls did a great job, but I can't wait to see her dances on stage with the lights hitting all those sparkles.

Now we are back on the couch with a fever again. I took her to the doctor this afternoon, and she has a major sinus infection! No school again tomorrow for my Dancing Girl!

Celebrating My Birthday

2012-01-19T09:20:00.005-06:00

So my birthday was last week. I was not looking forward to it AT ALL!! Not because of the number I was turning, but because my Mama was not going to be here to help me celebrate. No cake, no card signed by her, no phone call singing "Happy Birthday Dear Beth."
Randy knew it was going to be a hard one without her here this year, so he planned a special weekend full of fun activites.
My sweet family started my day off with breakfast from one of my favorite places--don't laugh--Bojangles. I absolutely LOVE their spicy chicken biscuits!!! And their Bo-berry biscuits are one of the sweetest things you will ever put in your mouth.

I even had candles to blow out! The flowers in the right-hand corner were sent to me at school on Friday from my sister. It was such a surprise, but she wanted to do something a little special for me too.

We then shipped our kids off to various friends' and grandparents' houses and took off for the big city of Nashville. We always have such a good time there!
Before we go anywhere, we always look on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" or "Best Thing I Ever Ate" to see if there is a local restaurant to visit. We found several for Nashville and picked 2 that sounded appetizing. The first place we tried was Martin's BBQ. Guy Fieri ate there, and it looked fabulous! I was really looking forward to this:

a Redneck Taco. It had a cornmeal cake on bottom, pulled pork, and their famous slaw and sauce on top. I just can't even describe how yummy this dish was!!

Of course, it helped that we were with these wonderful friends.

And their husbands too!
We all had rooms in Nashville where they gave me my presents and dolled me up so everyone would know what we were celebrating.

Here we are ready to hit the town!

We ended up eating supper at The Old Spaghetti Factory which was delicious. It was just a restaurant we stumbled across while walking downtown.
That's really all the pictures I have because I didn't want to have to keep up with my camera while out. but we had the greatest time together. I wish I had a picture of the restaurant we ate breakfast at. It was so good too! (Can you tell we didn't count calories this weekend?) I was sang to several times and got wished "Happy Birthday" by more people than I can count. It truly was one of the best birthdays I have ever had!! Thank you, Randy, for putting all of this together!

Happy Birthday Randy! (a little late)

2012-01-18T10:59:00.003-06:00

My dear sweet hubby, Randy, had a birthday last week. I won't say how old he is, but he is 2 years older than me:)
We started off his Birthday with presents first thing in the morning.

Can you guess whose present is the one wrapped in robot paper?!?

He had fun opening all of them while eating his request for breakfast: sausage and gravy biscuits.

And the cards were quite funny too!

The Birthday Boy with his 2 precious children
We then all went our separate ways to our different schools for the day.
We had quite the surprise that afternoon:

IT SNOWED!!!!

We only had a slight dusting, but it was still exciting!!
We then picked Caitlin up from Dance (January and February are exhausting Dance months because it's Competition season! I think we might just move her in to the studio next year to save on gas!!) and went to eat at Outback--another request from the Birthday Boy.
After that we came home and ate his very favorite dessert: O'Charley's caramel pie! I have tried making it at home, but he likes their version better. (One less thing I have to be responsible for)

They couldn't wait to dive in!

I hope he had a good birthday! I know I had fun shopping for just the right presents and making sure all his food requests from sunup to sundown were honored.

1st Tooth Gone! (And a Surprise)

2012-01-17T08:57:00.005-06:00

In anticipation of Harrison losing his baby teeth this winter, we had this cute pillow made by "Gram" back in October.
Some little boy has been waiting, and waiting, and waiting to use it!

We noticed right before Christmas that BOTH of his bottom teeth were loose. We wiggled and wiggled every day, but they just weren't coming out! That is, until last Saturday, January 7. I had taken Caitlin to her extra dance practice, gotten myself and Harrison dressed, and was upstairs ironing when I heard Harrison running up the stairs yelling, "Look Mommy!!" He had a blank space at the bottom of his mouth!!! I screamed and hugged him and asked him if I could see his tooth.
Harrison replied,"I don't have it."
To which I said, "What do you mean you don't have it?"
H: I spit it down the drain.
Me: What?!?
H: Well, I was brushing my teeth, and it came out so I spit it down the drain.
We rushed down the stairs as fast our feet could carry us to try to find that tooth! I was hoping that he hadn't had the water on while brushing, and the tooth was just in the sink. NO SUCH LUCK!
Daddy was in the shower, so he said that he would look for it after he got dressed. No big deal-we just took a few pictures.

My sweet toothless boy!

Daddy had to take apart the pipe underneath the sink to look for the tooth. After dumping out the contents, we sifted through the bucket, and found the tooth!!!! (Excuse the mess, but we had to completely clean out under the sink.)

And here he is with that 1st tooth putting it in his little tooth for the Tooth Fairy to pick up that night!

So after all that excitement, we picked up Caitlin from dance, and went to eat some lunch. We had a few more errands to run so we spent quite a bit of time in the car that day. As we were driving home, Harrison says, "Here's my other tooth!" He had pulled the other wiggly tooth out too!! I guess he couldn't stand the way it felt.

So here is my 2 toothless big boy as we drove into the driveway.

And here he is placing the 2nd tooth of the day into that little bitty tooth!

I tried to get a picture of him in bed with his Tooth Fairy pillow, but he wouldn't cooperate with the flash on. And this is what it looks like when my camera takes a picture without the flash. Oh well! We have the memory.
So we had a very tooth-filled eventful day the first Saturday in January!

New Year's Eve 2011

2012-01-09T13:07:00.003-06:00

We had a fun date night for New Year's Eve. It's been so long since Randy and I had an actual date, not just one where we watched a movie together in our Movie Room after the kids went to bed, that we almost didn't know how to act!
We started our date off at Wentzell's where we met our friends, Todd and Laura.

We thought it would be fun to get all dressed up for once!

Me and one of my Best Friends in the Whole Entire World! People often ask us if we are sisters--do you think so?!?

We have a joke about our husbands and crab traps, so we thought it was funny that they decided to stand under a real, live crab trap at the restaurant!
After we finished our yummy meal of seafood gumbo and shrimp, we left and went to an actual party at our friend, Marcus's house. And we actually stayed up until midnight to see in the New Year!!

Me and my friend, Karen, that I don't get to see very much at all!

We had a great time on New Year's. Hopefully it won't be another horrible, awful year for 2012! We are hoping for a new year, new luck!!!

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-31T13:06:00.016-06:00

We were awakened bright and early on Christmas morning by these two sweet faces:

Thankfully they waited until at least 6:00 to wake us up. We have a strict rule in our house that the kids can't come downstairs on Christmas morning until Mommy and Daddy are up too. Caitlin calls my cell phone to let us know that they are up, and we meet them at the stairs.

They were so excited to see what Santa had brought them that they could barely wait for 2 pictures!!

WOW!!!! Look at all that!

Next came stockings.

Then it was on to the BIG stuff! We give the kids 3 presents each just like Jesus got 3 presents from the Wise Men.

Brady even got a small gift!

We surprised Caitlin with this purse she had only looked at once and never even asked for!

Caitlin gave Harrison his very own Angry Bird. Can you tell he was excited?!?

Daddy got custom floor mats for his car--he's been wanting them for over a year now.

And I got a big pile of neat stuff: a scarf I had been eyeing, a Vera Bradley lunchbox with a matching lanyard, and some cool running accessories. That was after I got to open my new pajamas on Christmas Eve. Randy didn't follow the 3 present rule for me!

Caitlin had to model her presents: new purse, Ugg boots, and Hollister jacket.

After opening all those presents, my Daddy picked me up and we rode to my sister, Dana's house. Together all 3 of us shared a special, but not so fun, time.

We visited my Mama to wish her a Merry Christmas. I sure didn't think I would be here last Christmas!

Daddy and I then came back home to finish preparing Christmas dinner.

Brady was really hoping for a bite or two to fall his way!

Grandmother and Grandaddy came over after their church service, and we got to open even more presents. They gave Harrison a new 3DS that he has been wanting.

And Caitlin got exactly what she wanted....money!
We then sat down and ate a delicious (if I do say so myself!) meal of turkey, dressing, macaroni and cheese, green beans, corn, rolls, deviled eggs, and I really don't remember what else was on the extremely full table! We were so stuffed, but we did have room for Caitlin's "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake that she always makes for us.
I am so happy that I got to celebrate Christmas with all my family even though it was bittersweet because all I really, really wanted for Christmas was to rewind time back to last year when my Mama was still with us.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-31T10:05:00.012-06:00

We had a very busy Christmas Eve. Caitlin, Harrison, and I started the day by baking our annual Santa cookies. We made so many that we shared some with our neighbors. Then I got busy cooking in the kitchen for our Christmas Eve dinner over at Pa-Pa's house. We took our yummy vegetable dishes over to his house, then made our way to church for the 4:00 Christmas Eve service. I was excited to go to that because it's my very favorite service of the entire year. This year was even more exciting because we got to experience the service in our Grace building. Last year was the first year the Grace building was open, and there was no 4:00 service held there. It was every bit as moving as I had hoped!
Then it was off to be with family.

Annual Christmas Eve picture of the cousins (plus Wally the dog!)

We started off opening stockings. These are so special because Ma-Ma sewed their names onto each one.

They found lots of goodies in them!
We then took a break and started eating. We had turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, green beans, corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, and I know there was more on the table that I am forgetting!
After stuffing ourselves, it was present time!!

Randy was more than pleased wtih the money he got!

Caitlin was super excited to get gift cards (which we have already spent!).

Daniel was happy with the Under Armour toboggan we got him. I like this picture because it shows that Uncle Scott was really there. (For some reason, he didn't make it into any other picture!)

Stephanie is such a crafty girl that she was more than happy to get a gift card to Michael's to buy craft supplies.

Can you tell Harrison loved his Big Al pillow pet?!? He has slept with it every night since he got it!

Pa-Pa suprised us with matching Bath & Body Works sets.

And here is my sweet Daddy and sister with me!
We reluctantly left my Daddy's house to go home to get ready for Santa.

After changing into pajamas, we left our cookies and milk out for Santa.

And my precious babies actually sat and posed for one more Christmas picture.
Then it was off to bed to wait for Santa!!

Confessions

2011-12-18T11:08:00.004-06:00

I have a confession to make....this year....I am a Scrooge!!

I do NOT feel like listening to Christmas carols. I do NOT feel like shopping for Christmas presents let alone wrapping them. I do NOT feel like baking Christmas goodies. And I do NOT feel like decorating for Christmas.

However I have this sweet class who is very much in the Christmas spirit....

And luckily they make me laugh each and every day with their silly antics.

I also have these two precious darlings who do deserve one of the holliest, jolliest Christmases ever thanks to our horribe, awful year...

So even though I feel like crying ALL.DAY.LONG most days while hiding in the bed, I don't! I get up and make each moment count.

Black Friday

2011-12-08T10:10:00.003-06:00

Or I should say...Marathon Shopping Experience that Started on Thanksgiving Night!

Randy and I continued our annual shopping tradition of heading out about 7:00 on Thanksgiving Night to do some Christmas shopping. In the past, we have gotten all of our kids' presents on this night/day. We came very close to matching that accomplishment this year, but there were some things on Caitlin's list that just couldn't be bought at our local stores.

After dropping off Caitlin and Harrison at their grandparents' house about 7:00, we headed to our first store...

Both Randy and I stood in line until 10:00 for different wish list items. While I was waiting in line (on the floor), I saw several people from church, our neighborhood, and Blogger friends (Hey Jennifer!). It was really fun! We left there and headed to..

for some great deals.Then it was off to...

Let me just say that on this crazy night of shopping, our local Wal-Mart was much more tolerable and more organized than this place! We were shocked!!
All that shopping and deal-stealing had made us more than a little hungry (We hadn't eaten since lunch.). So we made our usual pit-stop at...

And the omelettes were just as delicious as last year! Let me just say that this is the only time of the year that we eat at Waffle House. It is much too greasy for me, but I make the exception this one time!

We were energized at this point, so we headed to...

to get a few more things on Caitlin's list.

It was a whirlwind night, but I haven't been so happy to see my nice, warm, comfy bed in a long time! I'm glad it only comes around once a year because this old girl couldn't handle that marathon any more than that.

Happy Thanksgiving (a little late!)

2011-12-08T09:27:00.004-06:00

Yes, we did celebrate Thanksgiving in our family even though I haven't said anything about it!

We drove down to my cousin, Olivia's house in Helena with my Daddy riding shotgun. I knew if we didn't take him with us that he would end up only staying about an hour with us, and I just couldn't stand the thought of him home alone.

We got there about 11:00, and some of us immediately headed to the backyard to play in the treehouse while some of us helped finish up cooking. Since I was still a little under the weather from my day-surgery the week before, Randy ended up baking our contribution: a carrot cake. It was so delicious, and he got lots of compliments on it. Now I know to let him bake all our goodies!!

After we ate a HUGE meal with Olivia, her daughter, Laci, Aunt Bobbie, my sister and her family, and a close family friend, we decided to take a long walk to hopefully shed some of those thousands of calories. We then came back and finished watching the football game along with a good dose of chatting thrown in!
Our annual family Thanksgiving picture

And just us grown-up girls: Aunt Bobbie, Olivia, Laci, Dana, and Me

We really had a great time with our family! I just wish we could see them more often than holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve

2011-11-23T17:24:00.003-06:00

Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.
Exodus 23:25

I have clung to that Bible verse over the past week and a half. I found out on October 27 that the tumor on my carotid artery had grown back..QUICKLY! It was even bigger than when the doctor first took it out on July 27. So he needed to go back in to get it because he thought it might be malignant. Surgery was scheduled for Tuesday, November 15. I asked if we could do it later in the day so I wouldn't have to take off work, and they obliged scheduling it for 4:30 in the afternoon.
I was a nervous wreck when I left the doctor's office, but as soon as I found this verse in my Bible I calmed down. I really was not nervous AT ALL until the day of surgery. It didn't help that I couldn't eat All Day Long! Also I had my wonderful prayer warriors at my beck and call:)
The surgery went well, but the doctor wanted to wait until hearing the official results from the pathologist before telling me that we were out of the woods. I had to wait 6 long days until Monday, November 21 to hear if it was benign or not. Randy took me to my appointment where we heard the great, grand, and wonderful news that my spindle cell tumor that is almost always malignant was NOT!!!!
God is so good, and I have even more to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day Eve!!!!

Things I Shoot With My Phone

2011-11-13T13:01:00.011-06:00

As I was deleting some pictures from my phone, I came across some pictures that may or may not have made it to the blog.
Thought I would share them.

Last year in Kindergarten, Harrison made the "Platinum Math Club" at school. He and several others were recognized at a PTA Meeting. Here he is with his sweet Kindergarten Teacher and his certificate.

I had to take Harrison to the doctor back in the Spring, and he ended up having some blood drawn. Our family tradition is if you get stuck with a needle, then you automatically get a treat. He picked a Gigi's cupcake.

Self-portrait while bored in the car.

For Harrison's 6th birthday, he picked breakfast at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

Not sure of the date on this one, but it was sometime this summer. Too hot for errands, that's for sure!

Fishing out on the lake this summer.

Waiting for our table at Rosie's one night this summer.

What my family does on the Halloween aisle at Wal-Mart!

Shannon and me after the Liz Hurley Ribbon Run

How Will I Ever Pick?!?

2011-11-13T06:56:00.005-06:00

Last Sunday afternoon, November 6, Caitlin, Harrison, and I, along with my sister and her kids, met our friends, the Gjesvolds, at the little bitty town of Mooresville. I had asked them if they would shoot pictures of my kids in the beautiful fall colors. I asked them because they love to take pictures, and because of that, they have collected lots of great camera equipment. Let me just say....they did a fantastic job! Jason was the camera expert getting all the lighting just right, and Heather was the perfect photographer who posed them so. I am so thankful to them for doing this for us!

Look at that handsome face!

My beautiful girl!

Nothing like the love of a brother and sister.

And a fun one to end the shoot!

There are so many more great pics that I just don't know how I will pick the right one for our Christmas card this year!

Sad Saturday

2011-11-13T06:51:00.002-06:00

My mom's marker for her grave came in last week and was installed.

Harrison and I went one day to see it while Caitlin was in Dance.

Then on Saturday, I went with my Daddy, sister, Caitlin, and niece to place flowers on it.

It still doesn't seem real!

Race for Liz

2011-11-08T18:05:00.003-06:00

On Saturday, November 5, my best friend, Shannon, and I ran in the inaugural Liz Waggett Memorial 5k. It was to benefit the pancreatic cancer fund at Huntsville Hospital because that is what Mrs. Waggett died of. This cause is very special to both Shannon and me. My Daddy's brother, Uncle Tom, was diagnosed in October, 2004, with pancreatic cancer and died in March, 2005. Shannon's sweet Mom was diagnosed with the same horrible disease in May, 2004, and died in October, 2004. It is such a deadly form of cancer, and most people succumb to it within a year. When we heard about the race from one of Randy's co-workers, we both raced each other to see who could register for it first!

Here we are after the race (excuse the sweaty bodies!) in our bright purple running shirts to show our support.

We now have a new race tradition. Shannon's husband, Tim, had offered to cook brunch for us after the race. Sadly, he had to travel to Virginia the day before because his grandmother passed away. Guess who stepped up to the plate to cook for us?!? My dear, sweet hubby of course! We were completely stuffed after his yummy, yummy breakfast of eggs, hash browns, chorizo, bacon, and coffee. Made our race so worth it!

Happy (late) Halloween!

2011-11-07T20:30:00.007-06:00

We rushed home from school on Halloween so that we could get dressed in costumes and head out for...CANDY!!!
Harrison has been watching lots of Looney Tunes and other older cartoons on Boomerang lately, so it was no surprise to us when he decided to go as...

Popeye. He even had the facial expressions down pat!

Caitlin had been eyeing her costume since last Halloween. Since she loves Alice in Wonderland so much, she picked...

the Mad Hatter. A very fashionable Mad Hatter that is!

We started off our Halloween adventure at Pa-Pa's house. Anybody home?!?

Luckily for them, he had several candy bars just for them.

And we got him to pose in one picture too!
Then it was off to Grandmother and Grandaddy's house.

Grandmother was excited to see her Sweeties all dressed up.

We then picked up some Burger King to eat quick, quick, quick before our friends came over to go trick-or-treating with us.

Jenny and Annie came over right as we were finishing up our supper. We headed out into our neighborhood to see how much candy we could actually get. Both Caitlin and Harrison ended up dumping their buckets into our bigger bags to make room for more candy! They had a huge haul of candy that has not gone down very much at all over the past week no matter how many Kit Kats I eat!

Back in Time

2011-11-07T20:24:00.002-06:00

Monday, October 31 was the 50th day of school, so the First Grade Teachers (along with lots of others at my school) dressed the part...

Back Row: Mary Beth, Debbie, Beth, and Mary
Front Row: Thea and Me

We had such a good time teaching the kids about the 50's, but the most fun was listening to the fun music! I hope we did a good job because none of us were around back then!

Say Good-bye to Soccer

2011-11-05T21:29:00.009-05:00

Saturday, October 29 started out as a cold, cold day, but we still had to bundle up and cheer Harrison on in his last soccer game of the season.

He is in the middle with long sleeves and a hat on to keep him warm. No time to get sick in our household!

Way to go after that ball, Harrison!

Look who came to cheer--PaPa! We were all so happy to see him out and about.

After the game, all the players and parents met up at Pizza Hut here in Madison for the team party.

The young soccer stars had built up quite an appetite!

Coach Matt with his Green Scorpions team: Bryce, Nathan, Kelly, Camille, Harrison, Logan, and Joshua.

Coach Matt and Harrison

We were very lucky to get such a good soccer coach! He took the time to interact with each player after the games to tell them at least one thing they had done well. I really appreciate how patient he was with the kids each week during practice and games.
Harrison really liked his first season of soccer. He said it was even more fun than T-ball! I think he liked it because he was never bored plus he got to eat snacks when he was sitting out. We'll see if he decides to play another season next year.

Field Trip Friday

2011-11-05T20:41:00.009-05:00

On Friday, October 28, my 1st grade class went on a field trip to...

Early Works Children's Museum in downtown Huntsville. The presentations we saw and experienced there started our study we do during the month of November about the pioneers, the Pilgrims, and the Indians. We saw lots of cool things, and had the greatest tour guide. In fact, she was the grandmother of one of my former students who is now a Junior at Grissom High School! One of the perks of me being a teacher is that my own children sometimes get to tag along on Field Trips. Today was one of those days. I took Harrison out of school, and he got to accompany us to EarlyWorks. It worked out well because he was in Kindergarten with these same kids.

One of the first things we got to experience was the Talking Tree. The kids absolutely LOVED it! We listened to a cool story then the kids got to feel the tree.

We then got to walk on the boat, and the kids got to change the sails so the boat would sail better.

You can't tell, but this is Harrison trying on one of the Indian masks.

Then it was time to play pioneer dress-up. Doesn't he look cute dressed like Davey Crockett?!?

Here is my sweet class ready to go live with Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I'm so happy my precious baby boy went with us! We had a great time, and he loved seeing his Kindergarten friends from last year.

Why Did I Run?

2011-11-05T20:33:00.004-05:00

So on Saturday, October 15, even though I was still racked with grief, I ran the Liz Hurley Ribbon Run with my best friend, Shannon. I got asked many times why I was there that day by people who knew just what I had been through the past week. Well...I ran because of my precious Granny who died of breast cancer in 1998. I ran because of the treatments my Aunt Bobbie had to endure to rid her body of this horrible disease. And lastly, I ran because one of my sweet friends, Heather, was just starting her battle with breast cancer. Plus I got some uninterrupted time with Shannon (unless you count the other 5,000 women who ran with us!).

Fun Friday in Atlanta

2011-10-22T18:23:00.019-05:00

Since we have had some depressing days lately, Randy and I decided to surprise the kids with a quick trip to Atlanta to have some fun. We checked them out of school on Thursday and headed East to the big city. They were soooooo excited!!! (don't know if it was missing school or going on a trip that made their day!)
We checked into our hotel, did a little swimming in their indoor pool, then headed to eat. After a good night's sleep in our comfy beds, we made our way to....

the Georgia Aquarium. We have never been, so we were all a little bit excited.

We got there right in time to watch the scuba diver feed the fish in the first big tank.

My cute kids

Then we (they) petted the sting rays. I'm just not big on putting my hand into smelly water!

Me and my sweet kiddos on our way into the River exhibit.

We then found our seats for the Dolphin Show. It was awesome--almost better than the one at SeaWorld!

Next up: the Penguins

There was a tube to crawl through where the penguins actually swam all around you and

you ended up popping up in the penguin habitat. How cool!

The river otters were next on our list. They were so cute playing around.

My precious hubby and me in the big tank. Didn't Caitlin take a good picture of us?

Caitlin and Harrison on the moving sidewalk

This was the view up above us as we rode on the sidewalk.

And we saw this big guy in there too! Good thing my kids haven't seen Jaws!

Watching all the cool fish swim by. It was so calming!

Outside the Aquarium they have these dolphin statues that different businesses have painted. Caitlin thought this one was too cool.

Of course Randy and I had to have our picture made with the Atlanta Falcons dolphin. Can't go anywhere without thinking football!
After that, we walked down the hill to the...

World of Coca-Cola. We've always wanted to come here too.

There was lots of cool memorabilia in the lobby.

And a very friendly polar bear that we got to meet.

We also met a new character that Coke is introducing in its most recent campaign.

There was lots of neat stuff to see..like this Coca-Cola couch that was on American Idol.

There was also a 4-D theater where we got to wear these cool glasses!

Caitlin got her a glass of Coke from this very old soda fountain.

Harrison loved this old soda delivery truck.

And they got to hold actual Olympic torches that came through Atlanta.

Next came the taste testing. There were 64 different kinds of Coke from all around the world. Some were great, and others made you want to spit them out! It was neat to see all the different flavors that Coke comes in.

Caitlin and I were just happy to get some good, old-fashioned Coke from the United States!

All in all, we had a really fun day in Atlanta. I am so glad that we got to spend some good, quality family time together. We haven't had a chance to do that lately.

Madison Street Festival 2011

2011-10-22T12:47:00.004-05:00

On the first Saturday in October, our small city has their annual Street Festival. This year it was on Saturday, October 1. We started our day watching Harrison play in a soccer game, then we made our way to the Street Festival for some hometown fun. There are lots of things to see and do at the Street Festival like face painting, riding the little train, browsing the craft booths, and meeting up with friends.

The first people we ran into were Darth Vader with his Stormtroopers. Harrison was beyond excited!

Next, as we were walking around looking in all the booths, we ran into Po from Kung Fu Panda.

We spent about an hour walking around and probably would have stayed longer, however a small bee changed our plans. Caitlin was waiting in line for some food when this little bitty bee decided she looked very, very sweet and stung her! Needless to say, we immediately left.

Harrison's legs were tired from all the running and kicking at his soccer game, so Daddy had to provide transportation as we were walking back to the car.
We had a good time while we were there, but we didn't get to spend as much time as we usually do there or do half the fun things we normally find to do. Oh well...thank goodness there's next year to look forward to!

Soccer Star

2011-10-22T09:04:00.009-05:00

So....I am way, way, way behind on blogging. To catch you up a little bit, we have enjoyed watching Harrison play soccer each Saturday morning. He seems to really enjoy soccer more than T-ball. Maybe it's the non-stop action or maybe he's just better at this sport. Whatever the case, it's been fun watching him play.

Kicking off the game

Throw-in time! Daddy just can't resist adding a little coaching in there. (See his hand?)

Way to go, Harrison!

Look at that smile!

GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!

Posing with Daddy after the big win!

Scary!

2011-10-19T19:48:00.002-05:00

On one of the most horrible, awful days last week, my entire family plus my Daddy were all in the car together. We ended up driving past this really scary haunted house that our city has during the month of October. Randy started talking about how scary that place probably is, and Harrison chimed in with, "Yeah, that place would scare the Ba-Jingles out of me!!"

Happy Birthday Mama!

2011-10-14T09:16:00.003-05:00

I know you are having the best birthday party EVER today, but we sure miss celebrating with you!

Note to Business Owners

2011-10-14T09:10:00.002-05:00

Dear Friendly Neighborhood Clerk,

No, I promise I am not a freak as I stand here crying in your store. It's just that the pumpkins remind me of my Mama and her October birthday. Or maybe it's the display of Danielle Steele books that I saw and reminded me of all the ones she has. Or it could be that I am just missing my Mama and need a good cry. Whatever the reason, please just ignore me because if you ask what is wrong like the sweet girl at Books-a-Million then you might get a shoulder full of tears.
Also please disregard the girl having the panic attack in the parking lot as she will soon realize that her car was not stolen, but that she is actually driving her husband's car.

Thank you and Good Day!

Dear Mama

2011-10-09T21:54:00.003-05:00

Dear Mama,
You have been the best mother that anyone could have ever asked for. It's as if God took all the goodness in the world and poured it into you. You have taught me so much in the short amount of time that you were my mother, and I can only hope that I am at least half as good a mother to my two sweet children.

You taught me to love life and sometimes just laugh even when things are going crazy all around you because that may be the only thing that gets you through it.

You and Daddy provided a wonderful example of love having celebrated 52 years of marriage together.

You taught me family is the most important thing and to always try to support each other in everything they do.

You taught me to study hard and my dreams will come true.

But most of all, you loved me and Dana through everything we put you through as we were growing up. You showed us how to be kind, caring, and thoughtful--the very things that made you such a wonderful person. You took us to church every Sunday so that we would learn about Jesus and the Bible. Little did I know at the time that I was living with one of Jesus' beautiful angels that He put on Earth. I am so sad that my own personal angel has left me, but I know that you have found your way to the most glorious home ever.

Thank you for everything you taught me. I only wish I would have paid more attention at times!

I love you, Mama, and will miss you every day of my life!

My Life....

2011-09-29T20:02:00.002-05:00

STINKS!!!

I know I have so much to be thankful for, like my husband who has become a single parent lately and has done it without any arguing or negativity. Or for my precious children who just come to give me hugs and kisses "just cause!" Or for my sweet friends who keep praying for me and my mom.

But there are dark, dark times (like right now!) when I just want to kick and scream and let all my frustrations out!

*Sorry to be a Negative Nelly, but I need to tell somebody how I feel and the computer won't talk back!

Maverick Mile

2011-09-23T13:55:00.015-05:00

Today, even though we had cloudy skies and a few sprinkles, Mill Creek Elementary School held their Fun Run named the Maverick Mile. I was worried they would cancel it when I was driving to the school and had a few raindrops hit my windshield, but they carried on even in the cool wind. The kids didn't seem to notice at all!

The Bob Jones football team lent the school their inflatable tunnel that the football players run through to get to the field each week. It made it a little bit more special for the kids.

Caitlin's 6th grade run was the first of the day. Here she is after running through the tunnel.

Running laps with her Science teacher, Mrs. Betts. We know Mrs. Betts from Monrovia because her husband used to teach there, and her boys still attend Monrovia.

Me and my sweet girl! I love that she is still excited for her Mama to be there at school for the special events.

Caitlin and her Reading teacher, Mrs. Armstrong

And Caitlin with her favorite teacher, Mr. Thaxton. She is so lucky to have him for her homeroom teacher! He is a strong Christian which is very evident in the way he treats his students. All of her teachers have been such a blessing to us especially with Caitlin transferring schools this year.

Caitlin and several friends from her class after the Run.

I left after Caitlin's Run and went to sit with my Mom for awhile until I had to be back at the school for Harrison's turn.

Look how happy he was to see me! It definitely made my day!

Harrison with his very sweet teacher, Mrs. Large. They were both pretty excited--can you tell?

Getting marked for running one of his laps

Harrison and our next-door neighbor, Jack

The school mascot, Mickey Maverick, was there and ran with the first graders. Harrison was thrilled to get his picture made with him.

Me and my baby boy--he doesn't look too happy does he? He was tired and the sun was in his eyes. At least I have proof that I was there with him even if the picture turned out blurry.

Harrison's first grade class with some really silly faces!

I had a great time with my two sweet children today! I am so happy that I was able to join them on such a fun day.

First Soccer Game

2011-09-11T21:45:00.006-05:00

Harrison decided he wanted to try a different sport this fall, and he picked soccer. We are pros at being soccer parents as Caitlin played for 2 seasons when she was younger. She quit because she she didn't like being all hot and sweaty--that's my girly girl!
So Saturday was the day Harrison has been looking forward to since the end of July when we signed him up for soccer--the first game!

Here he is ready to go with his new uniform on!
We drove to the YMCA, met his coach and the rest of the team, and started warming up. He was so happy because he got to play in the first quarter!

There he is on the field.

He even got to throw the ball in once which thrilled him to no end!

Resting with Mommy during the 2nd quarter.

After a little more instruction from Coach Matt, he was back and ready to play.
They ended up scoring 3 goals to the other team's 1 goal, so they unofficially won this first game! He was super excited about that.

Showing off their good sportsmanship by waiting in line to shake hands with the other team and congratulate them on a job well done. The parents also formed a tunnel for them to run through which he loved.

Afterwards he told us that he loved playing soccer today and thanked us for letting him play. AWWWWW! Made me feel so proud to be his Mama!
The only thing that would have made the beautiful day even better was to have my parents there to cheer him on with us.

Lately...

2011-08-25T07:09:00.003-05:00

I have been spending all my time here...

to take care of my sweet Mama.

Last Thursday I met my dad at the ER because we thought my Mama had had a stroke. After performing some tests, they diagnosed her with brain cancer. The outlook is not so good. She has about 4-6 weeks to live. We have had to move her to a nursing home because she needs constant care and supervision.

I still can't comprehend it all!!

Please pray for my family.

What Happened at Our House Last Night

2011-08-15T19:46:00.003-05:00

We had finished supper last night, and I was cleaning the kitchen when I heard a terrible, horrible, awful sound from our closet.
Look what I found....

Yes, that is the long clothes rack that fell off the wall. And yes, those are all my clothes now in a huge heap on the closet floor on top of my shoes. And yes, my dear, sweet husband is back at Lowe's for a second time tonight getting parts to fix it.
And no, our life is NeVer dull around here!

Harrison Said

2011-08-11T11:15:00.004-05:00

There are a few things Harrison has said this first week of First Grade that I really, really want to remember!

When we got to his classroom on Monday morning, and he sat down in his desk, we realized it was a little bit wobbly. Harrison said to me, "Mommy this desk wobbles. Will you bring me a new one from your class?"

After he came running down the bus steps on the first day of school, I was asking all the typical questions then I asked him to rank his first day. He said, "Well at first it was a 10, but then I got in trouble for talking in the bathroom, so it's a 9!"

Monday night his big sister, Caitlin, was telling us that they didn't get to Science on the first day because they had so much to go over like the rules and such. Harrison said, "Well we didn't get to nap today. Can you believe it?"

His teacher is named Mrs. Large, and he thought that was hilarious the first time he heard her name. He then asked me, "Is there a Mrs. Small too?"

I am so very thankful that we have had such a great beginning to our new school year! I only hope the rest of the year runs this smoothly!!

Currently I Am...

2011-08-09T20:33:00.002-05:00

listening to: one little boy snoring soundly in his bed

loving: my nice, clean, organized classroom

thinking: that I have to stop by Lowe's tomorrow to pick up supplies for a project

wanting: 2 more weeks of summer vacation!

needing: to start cutting out today's laminating and make lunches for tomorrow

stalking: firstgradefactory.blogspot.com
flipflopteacher.blogspot.com
various friends' blogs

Happy First Day of School!

2011-08-08T07:57:00.008-05:00

When I got up bright and early this morning, I jumped in the shower eager to start Caitlin and Harrison's first day of school at their new school! After much prayer, we transferred them to our neighborhood school from them going to school with us where we teach. It was a big decision which did not come lightly AT ALL!
Well all summer long, they have been super excited about going. Especially when buying school supplies and new school clothes!

I packed their backpacks and lunchboxes for them and placed them by the front door so they would see them as they came down the stairs.
Little did I know that as I proceeded to wake up both kids what I would find!
Harrison pretty much jumped out of bed ready to go, but Caitlin was a total different story. First she had set her alarm clock wrong and woke up an hour early. So she met me at the top of the stairs after she had gotten out of the shower. Unfortunately that gave her ample time for the nerves to settle into her stomach! She stayed in the bathroom for about 30 minutes, ate 4 Tums, and swore that she was going to throw up. (Luckily she didn't!) After rubbing her back and trying my best to calm her down, she was FiNaLlY and reluctantly ready to go.

But she was not near as excited as her little brother! He said he couldn't wait to meet some new friends.

This is the best picture I got of her with her new backpack and lunchbox. See the forced smile? She had already told her Daddy and me that she did NOT want us to walk her to her new 6th grade classroom. She only wanted us to walk her up the stairs. That quickly changed as we entered the school building, and she realized that the other Sixth Graders were walking by themselves WITHOUT parents! So she turned around to us at the staircase and said "Good-bye. You can go now." Talk about tears for this Mama!!!!

But not Harrison! He kept asking if both Mommy and Daddy were going to walk him to his classroom. He was soooooo excited!!!!

We walked into Mrs. Large's classroom, and...

he found his seat immediately and said "I'm good. Love you. Good-bye." Tears again! (But these tears were happy tears because he is so well-adjusted and absolutely loves school. For this, I am one happy Mama.)
So Daddy and I left that school to go to our own In-Service for the day. I got home in time to meet the bus carrying my sweet babies.

And these are my two drenched babies with smiles on their faces! (A thunderstorm came up about 5 minutes before they were dropped off--just great!)
After they told me ALL about their day at school, I asked what they would rank their day if 10 was the absolute best and 0 was the absolute worst. They both shocked me with their answer---9!

So even though Caitlin had all kinds of butterflies in her stomach this morning, her day ended up being great. And I was pleasantly surprised that Harrison's was the same. And they both met new friends just like Harrison wanted!

A great beginning to our school year!

Bookworm

2011-07-30T20:47:00.004-05:00

Ever since my mom started taking me and my sister to the library when we were little, I have been a HUGE reader! I always have a book started although it is hard to get more than one or two read during the school year. I live for summer when I can read to my heart's content. This summer has been no different. I have read:

The Postcard Killers by James Patterson

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

Kindred Spirits by Sarah Strohmeyer

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

Faking It by Elisa Lorello

Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

Baby Proof by Emily Giffin

Lifeguard by James Patterson

Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Worst Case by James Patterson

Hide in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott

I didn't realize I had read that many books this summer until I started typing them out!!

My Favorite Things Today

2011-07-29T11:27:00.002-05:00

My super-soft pillows on my bed,

gauze bandages,

some good painkillers,

and my 2 sweet children who are being extremely helpful.

These are my favorite things today!

I had to have 2 places removed yesterday: a cyst on my neck and a mole on my leg. So I am resting comfortably (I guess!) as my favorite people wait on me. The best thing is, whenever they come in to bring me something or check on me I get lots of hugs and kisses!

Lake Martin Trip

2011-07-26T10:05:00.016-05:00

Last week we got to enjoy one last family trip together of our fun summer. We drove down to my aunt's lakehouse at Lake Martin. Her lakehouse is in the Elmore County part of the lake. It was such a great week to be down there. We had great weather (even if it was extremely hot!) and made lots of memories together. We were a little delayed in leaving because of a problem with one of the tires on our boat trailer. We were packed and ready to go after church on Sunday, but God made sure that we were home when the tire decided to go haywire and not on the Interstate! So we didn't leave until Monday morning when the wonderful mechanics were able to get the parts and fix our trailer.
As soon as we got to the lake, Caitlin, Harrison, and Brady got their swimsuits and life jackets on.

They were so excited and ran way ahead of me!
The first thing we did was take the boat out on the lake.

There weren't many boats out since it was a Monday, so we were able to anchor our boat and have lots of swimming races.

Brady preferred to just watch. This is the first time we have taken him out on the boat, so we didn't really know how he would do. He was a great rider, but he did NOT like jumping in!

He did much better swimming right beside the dock in the shallow water.

Caitlin and Harrison had the job of catching minnows for their Daddy.

They must have done a good job because this is just one of the many catfish he caught! We are so lucky to have a fisherman in the family who also knows how to clean them and cook them.

We ate lots of ice cream and fudge bars to cool ourselves off.

And we had fun just relaxing after the sun went down each day.

We also had fun in the water especially when it got hot, hot, hot!

One of their favorite things to do was jumping in the lake off the dock.

Harrsion couldn't let his big sister outdo him!

The last day we were there (Friday), Daddy loaded up all his fishing gear....

for a fun boat ride. The plan was to anchor down somewhere so he could fish for a little bit and then go tubing for a little bit.

Things went a little awry when we stopped to put the tube in. Daddy and Caitlin immediately jumped in the water to wait for me to drop the tube. As I was climbing on the back of the boat, my foot and one of the fishing lures met and it was NOT pretty!! I screamed, Randy and Caitlin jumped back in the boat, and I realized that I am still Randy's best catch. Haha! We rushed back to the lakehouse so Randy could pull the hook out of my foot. We soon realized how foolish that idea was because that hook was stuck way down deep in my foot. We had to get dressed and drive to Tallassee Community Hospital for the hook removal. After some absolutely wonderful treatment by their friendly staff, I got a new doctor:

He and the doctor thought it would be funny to let him play doctor with my injured foot! I hobbled out of the hospital, and we realized that we were super hungry since we had never eaten lunch with all the excitement. Since we were in "town", we had to go eat at my Daddy's absolute favorite restaurant in the whole entire world....Cotton's BBQ.

This is the building they used to be in since they opened way back in the 20's. This is the one I remember coming to when I was little and visiting my grandparents.

Luckily for us, they have refurbished it right across the road.

And this is some of the most delicious barbecue you will ever taste! We also got a to-go cup of their campstew to bring back to my Daddy since he doesn't get it too often.
So.....even though the last day of our trip ended in a minor emergency, it was a fun week spent with my favorite people at a beautiful place!

Artists in the House

2011-07-18T09:29:00.003-05:00

There is a place in Huntsville called My Spirited Art that I have heard a LOT about from friends. You go online to their website and sign up for a painting that you would like to paint. That night you show up with your friends (and wine if that suits you!) and paint according to the directions given out by the instructor. Everyone ends up painting the same picture, but they all turn out different.
I went with a group of teachers from my school last Friday night and had a BlAsT!!! We painted an iron cross, and they all turned out beautiful.

Here is the BiG class that was there that night.

Then on Sunday afternoon, Caitlin went to a birthday party for a dance friend at the same place. Kayla picked a cute, cute picture for the girls to paint.

Caitlin is on the back row to the far right. She is such a perfectionist and keeps telling me that she messed up on one of her flowers. I think it's perfect!

I am so glad that we both got to go to this neat place! Now we have new, original artwork for our walls.

Swim Lessons 3.0

2011-07-16T07:32:00.004-05:00

Harrison just completed his third year of Swim Lessons this week. He had a great time and learned a lot!
I think he was a little cold!

His swim teacher, Ms. Brenda, expanded on the basics and then taught them the proper diving form.

Over he goes!

Here he is trying it off the side of the pool.

Up and over!

Not a dive in any form or fashion....just a fun jump off the diving board!

But yay!!!! He swam the entire length of the pool after that crazy jump!

It helped him to have 2 friends in his class with him: Saige and Alex. Also, he absolutely adores Ms. Brenda so he did everything she asked!

So proud of him!

Happy Anniversary Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa!

2011-07-12T20:24:00.003-05:00

I am so very blessed to have parents that are celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary today!! Things I love about their marriage:

They still kiss each other good night.

His license plate is WNM for "Willie and Martha"

He still gives her 1 dozen red roses each July 12.

He opens her door for her everywhere they go.

Sometimes he orders for her in a restaurant.

He carries her purse for her if she asks.

They go EvErYwHeRe together.

They say "I love you" to each other all the time!

What a wonderful example I have!

Awesome Way to Spend a Summer Saturday

2011-07-12T19:52:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, we spent the day out on Guntersville Lake with our friends, the Aronsons. We had such a GrEaT time!! We had sunny skies, cool water, good food, and the fun and laughs that go along with being with great friends.
Luckily Randy bought a new tube because it got a LOT of use!

Caitlin and Taylor jumped at the chance to be the first riders of the day.

While Alex and Harrison decided it was snack time.

Then it was mine and Randy's turn. We have never gotten to ride together, so that was fun!

Trying to get Alex and Caitlin situated for their turn.

Caitlin then rode with Todd.

FiNaLlY...the 2 little boys got their chance to ride. They were a little scared, so they took a slow ride around the lake.

My future model!

We finally got Laura in the tube.

After all that riding and tubing on the lake, we were STARVING!!!!

So we docked next to Todd and Laura's campsite for a delicious meal of hot dogs and hamburgers. Todd did a wonderful job with the grilling, or we were just really, really hungry because they were wonderful!
All in all, it was an awesome way to spend a Summer Saturday!

Braves Win! Braves Win!

2011-07-11T15:12:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite summertime memories from growing up is my Daddy taking us to see the Atlanta Braves at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta. Randy and I used to go to games about once a summer BK (before kids) including the 1991 National League Clincher Game. It has been harder for us to go lately especially since both of our kids are old enough to be involved in things and have their own schedules. But one of the reasons for our Atlanta Road Trip was to take the kids to a Braves game.

The front entrance is so pretty.

Posing in front of one of the many BIG baseballs at the park

We got to the park early enough to see Batting Practice.

And in case you don't know...this is Terry Pendleton who is now a coach for the Braves but used to be one of my favorite players when he played 3rd base for the Braves.

Two of their great pitchers warming up.

One of the players, Jonny Venters, even came over and autographed Harrison's T-ball game ball!

He was soooooo excited!

We actually got another pitcher, Brandon Beachy, to come over to the fence and autograph his ball as well. However, my camera's batteries picked that exact moment to quit working! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!! But we have our memories to remember that fun day at the Braves game. Just know we had a lot of fun...hot fun...but lots of fun!

The Best Thing We Ever Ate~Atlanta

2011-07-09T12:11:00.003-05:00

I don't know if you've ever seen this show on Food Network:

but we watch it ALL. THE. TIME!!!
The celebrity chefs tell what their favorite food is at different restaurants. They put the food in categories such as barbecue, desserts, chocolate, chicken, etc.
Well, one day about 8 month ago, Caitlin and I were sitting on the couch watching this favorite show of ours when the category was barbecue. We were excited because who doesn't love some good barbecue?!? One of the restaurants happened to be in Atlanta and looked soooooooo very good! Caitlin wrote the name of the restaurant down (Daddy D'z Barbecue Joynt) and put it on our refrigerator to remember for our next trip to Atlanta. She would point to it about once a month and say, "When are we gonna go to Atlanta and go to that restaurant?" So we knew once we planned a road trip to Atlanta this summer that we needed and wanted to visit this restaurant.
We put the adddress in our GPS, and found it very easily. And let me tell you....it did not disappoint!!! It was the best pulled pork and ribs we have ever eaten!

Look at the evidence!
We told our waitress about seeing their restaurant on the Food Network and Caitlin writing the name of it down, and she was so impressed that she got the owner out of the back to come see us. He was so nice and gave Caitlin...

a big, huge cookie! (She's getting to the point where I embarrass her with all the pictures I take!)

It was such a fun experience, and I would definitely recommend Daddy D'z Barbecue Joynt if you are ever in downtown Atlanta!

20 Years of Six Flags

2011-07-09T09:12:00.002-05:00

A few months after Randy and I started dating (October, 1991), some friends asked us if we wanted to go to Six Flags for the day while they were still open for the season. We, of course, jumped at the chance for a fun-filled day with friends, and off we went. While there, we took turns in the Photo Booth so I have photographic evidence of our time there together.

Don't we look young?!?
Fast forward 10 years to June, 2001 when we took our first little road trip after Caitlin was born.

We had to find that same photo booth to recreate our first picture.

Then....fast forward to July, 2011 to our latest little road trip to Six Flags.

We couldn't find a photo booth anywhere, and after asking around, imagine our surprise when we were told they don't have them anymore!!! So we had to settle with this picture.

It's hard to believe that I have been with Randy for 20 whole years, but I wouldn't change a thing about any of them!!!

Six Flags Family Fun

2011-07-09T08:13:00.006-05:00

On Wednesday, we got up very, very early and jumped in the car for a little road trip to Atlanta. We got there in time to open the doors of Six Flags, one of mine and Randy's favorite places to have fun.
We just walked through the gates and are looking forward to all the roller coasters we are going to ride. No, wait...that's only Randy who's doing that!

Caitlin and Harrison got to meet Daffy Duck. Thanks to DirecTV, these two have been introduced to all the old Looney Tunes cartoons we used to watch when we were growing up.

Our first ride...Monster Plantation. Harrison was scared the entire time. Can you tell?!?

Then we let the kids ride some rides in Bug Bunny World while Randy was off to ride things like Goliath, Dare Devil Dive, and Batman. Don't those sound tame?

These pirate ship swings were a big hit! Harrison must have ridden them 5 times.

He also loved the airplanes.

And the Rockin' Tug Boat was fun for both of them.

Look!! I now have Superman and Wonder Woman inhabiting my house!

Had to get a picture with Speedy Gonzalez.

We were a little hot after all this fun, so we stepped into the Crystal Pistol Palace to catch a show.

It was right up Caitlin's alley with all the singing and dancing they did. Her dream is to become a professional dancer, so we wanted to show her that she could get a dancing job at an amusement park during college to help build her resume.

Caitlin abolutely LoVeD the swings! I have never been a big fan of them because I am scared of heights, so I was a little nervous when she rode them over and over and over again.

We then all rode the Log Flumes which was a great way to cool off!

Harrison and I made our way to the Kids' Play Area while Caitlin and Daddy rode Thunder River. While there, Mr. Magic set up his cart and performed a show called "The Magic of Science." Harrison even volunteered for the magnet demonstration.

And finally, the three of us rode the Wile E. Coyote roller coaster which was a lot of fun!

So even though it was a hot day, we had a blast! I'm so glad we can show our kids the fun things we used to do when we were young.

Fun on the Fourth!

2011-07-05T20:35:00.008-05:00

For our 4th of July celebration, we went to...
Bridge Street. They put on a fantastic fireworks show each year, and it gets better each year that we go.
Before the fireworks started, we spent some time in the Kids Area so that Caitlin and Harrison could play to burn off some of their energy. As we were waiting in the lines for the kids to be able to play, we ran into some of our friends who were also there: the Gjesvolds, the Owens, and the Schmitts.

There were several inflatables like this obstacle course that they had fun on.

There was also a big slide that they had a good time going on. Too bad this picture is so blurry, but they were moving so very fast for my little camera!

We then found a good spot to watch the fireworks.

My 2 Boys

Me and my sweet girl
We sat and waited on our friends, the Waggoners, to finish eating and come join us on the grass.

The kids were having a good time together. I like this picture of all of them, but I love this next picture even more...

Look at that silly face Grayson has!! Can you tell how much fun they have together?

Me and my Sweetie 20 years later after our First Date on July 4, 1991!
Then it was time for the show!!!!

They were so pretty.

Do you see the red heart? It amazes me how they can make shapes and pictures with the fireworks!

And finally...me and Meredith as we were getting ready to wait in the long line of traffic to exit Bridge Street.

It was a fun 4th of July, and I am so thankful that we can celebrate our country's birthday with friends and fireworks.

Happy Birthday Aunt Dana!

2011-07-05T20:27:00.003-05:00

My sister (Aunt Dana) had another birthday over the holiday weekend. To celebrate, we took her out to eat and gave her presents. We always have fun when we're together and share a lot of laughs.

The Birthday Girl with her sweet daughter after we finished eating.

The cousins altogether

Happy ??? Birthday Dana!!

I {Heart} CVS!!

2011-07-04T11:23:00.003-05:00

I walked into CVS this morning with a $20.00 bill and lots of coupons (including Extra Care Bucks). I walked out with these:

and $15.51 in change!!!! That means I only spent $4.49 for it all!

It has taken me some time to get this "couponing" thing down pat, but I am finally making some progress!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

2011-07-04T07:47:00.004-05:00

have a lemonade stand!!
On Saturday, Caitlin and Harrison made plans with the Waggoner kids next door to have a lemonade stand in their driveway to make a little spending money. Caitlin and Harrison sold water bottles and popsicles while Rush, Grayson, and Shelby sold lemonade and cookies.

They were making a nice little profit, when who should stop by?!?

Our local heroes from Fire Station #1!!

It was so exciting for them to drive up in their great, big fire truck!

And the firemen were very generous. They also gave the kids junior fire department stickers.

It was the highlight of the kids' day!

A Long, Long Time Ago

2011-06-28T20:33:00.003-05:00

20 years ago today, I had the most life-changing night of my life--although I didn't know it at the time.
20 years ago today, I met the love of my life.
*This was us a few days later on a group date to the bowling alley.*

I had been home from a trip out West for about a week when my friend, Kim, decided that I absolutely, positively had to meet these new guys she had met while I was out of town. I told her no, I just didn't feel like doing anything that night. Well luckily for me, she came over to my house, picked out clothes for me to wear, and dragged me out the door to have a good time. We drove to UAH to hear a band play, and as we were walking up to the building she saw them getting out of their car. She introduced me to Joe, Marcus, Calvin, and most importantly, Randy. I thought it was going to be extremely awkward meeting these new guys, but it wasn't AT ALL! Randy and I hit it off immediately and talked and laughed instead of listening to the band. We ended up going to his friend, Marcus' house to play pool and continued our conversation there. From that night on, we were inseparable.

I am so very thankful to Kim for dragging me out of the house that summer night! But I really cannot believe that it has been 20 whole years since that fateful night!!

VBS FUN!

2011-06-24T17:00:00.002-05:00

We have been enjoying Vacation Bible School this week at our church, or should I say that 2 of us have been enjoying it?!?

Actually she was annoyed with me for wanting to take "another" picture of them. She has been the first one ready to go each morning to get to Summer Explosion. (The 5th-8th graders get to experience a different VBS than the standard one consisting of crafts, snacks, games, etc. They worship together, then break off into their small groups for a devotion, then go to their activity. There are lots of activities to choose from including dance, board games, art, photography, golf, soccer, capture the flag, and cake decorating. Caitlin chose cake decorating this year and came home with a full-size cake today decorated by her!)

I was honored to be Harrison's Crew Leader this week which has been a lot of fun. We have learned a lot about the "Big Jungle" this week, and I have received lots and lots of hugs and kisses from my favorite boy!

I love VBS week and volunteering for it each year, but I am so happy it is over so that we don't have to get up quite so early each day next week!

Summer Fun!!

2011-06-24T06:22:00.004-05:00

We invited two of Caitlin's best friends over on Thursday and decided to take them out on the boat at the last minute. We weren't sure the weather would cooperate, but the sun started shining about noon so off we went!

Caitlin, Sarah, and Madelyn
They have all been friends since they were just tiny babies.

My funny boy had to make sure his picture was taken too. He had as much fun as the girls playing in the water.

Daddy did a little fishing, but since there were 3 screamers with us it was hard to find anything else in the water!

Harrison made a few jumps off the boat.

And so did the girls!

Madelyn said they were enjoying their "Spa Day" here.

Look at that cutie!

The girls tried to ride on the tube (Doesn't Caitlin look so excited?!?). Unfortunately it didn't work so well on this trip. The red cover has gotten a hole in it, so as the boat was pulling it along water started rushing into the bottom of the tube. The girls got facefuls of water, and then the water pushed the tube out!

We still had fun playing on the tube though. And we had a great time with friends!

Father's Day Celebration

2011-06-24T05:35:00.003-05:00

We had a terrific Father's Day! We started our day by presenting Daddy with his presents and a small breakfast. Then it was off to church.
My wonderful husband who is such a great Daddy to these two precious children! I am very, very blessed to have him.
After church we grilled out for our Father's Day lunch. Randy's parents (Grandmother and Grandaddy) joined us so we could celebrate with them.

Caitlin and Harrison set the table, and Harrison made place cards for everyone.

3 Generations of Hollingsworths: Grandaddy, Daddy, and Harrison

We rested for awhile, then ran some necessary errands together. And miracle of all miracles...there was absolutely NO fighting from the backseat!! Randy said that was the best present we could have given him!

We met my family for dinner after that, but I have no pictures because my camera somehow got left at home. It could be "someone" planned that because he does not like having his picture taken. Hmmmmmm......
It was great getting to celebrate all the fathers in my life--my Daddy, my Father-in-law, and the very best husband who is Daddy to my sweet children--all on the same day! We are extremely lucky to be so close to them.

One Last Birthday Celebration

2011-06-22T15:20:00.006-05:00

On Saturday, we had our last birthday celebration of 2011 at Jump-To-It here in Madison. It's new, and we've never been there. But as soon as Harrison toured the place a few weeks ago, he just knew he wanted his party there. It's a building filled with 4-5 inflatables and a party room. They also have a Parent Room with recliners, a big screen TV, and computers so the parents can chill out while the kids run around like crazy--and that is exactly what Harrison and his party guests did!

He was saying, "I'm the king of the world!"

Here he and Alex are playing inflatable Skee-ball.

Daddy tried his hand at it too.

Dylan and Bryce got in the boxing ring together. This is so funny to me because these guys are neighbors and friends!

Of course, Caitlin and Taylor had to get a few rounds in also! Randy said he and I needed to get in there to get some tension out (more about that later!).

Harrison and his buddy from school, Casey.

Harrison, Alex, and Evan loved hitting the ball off the tee to see where the ball would hit in the inflatable. This was perfect since Harrison had a lot of his T-ball friends at his party.

Harrison and his oldest friend, Alex

One hot and sweaty boy!!

CJ and Harrison took a time-out at the end of the obstacle course.

After all that playing, it was time to sit down for the rest of the birthday celebration.

First came pizza and drinks.

Most of the party guests--Bryce, Dylan, Evan, Casey, Harrison, CJ, Erin, Calli, and Kylie. Alex, Taylor, and Caitlin didn't make it into the picture.

Then it was cake time!

I can now tell a funny story about this cake, however it wasn't too funny when it happened. When Harrison told me he wanted a Lego Indiana Jones birthday party, I researched cakes online. I found this cute cupcake one and got up early Saturday morning to make it. Well as I was holding it in my lap on the way to the party, we turned out of our subdivision and 7 of the cupcakes fell off the tray right into my lap and the floorboard of the car!! I screamed at Randy (because I thought he turned way too fast!), and we turned around to go back home so I could change shirts and fix the cupcakes. Luckily I made extras! So that is why Randy said we needed to get out some tension in the boxing ring.

Happy Birthday Harrison!

Next it was Present Time!

And he got lots of Legos plus a rubber snake just like in the Indiana Jones game!

Look who came to the party--Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa!
We had a great time at Harrison's party, and I'm so happy his friends got to come play and celebrate Harrison's birthday with him.

Harrison's Birthday Celebration

2011-06-17T07:45:00.005-05:00

We celebrated Harrison's 6th Birthday on Thursday, June 16 doing all the things he wanted to do. When he woke up Thursday morning, he told us he wanted to go see this movie...

Thankfully it was at the Dollar Movie Theatre. Caitlin wasn't too thrilled with that movie choice, so she picked...

for the 2 girls. I don't think I can tell you how much I LoVeD this movie!! It was clean (no cuss words or intimate scenes) and had such an inspirational theme throughout. This is one movie we will definitely buy when it is released!
So then Harrison told us he wanted to go out for breakfast. Because of that, we went ahead and let him open his presents from us before we left the house.

He was so excited to see what was in those packages!

And lo and behold...he got the exact DS video game he has been asking for--Lego Star Wars III!

He also got a wand from Universal Studios from his sister. He wanted one just like her, so this made his day!
We then all got dressed, and guess where we went?!?

Krispy Kreme!! (My kids love doughnuts, can you tell? Or maybe it's that we don't get them that often.) The sweet lady working the counter gave Harrison a hat, balloon, and a free chocolate sprinkled doughnut because it was his birthday. He was beyond excited!

Then we got a visit from Grandmother and Grandaddy who came over to spread some more birthday cheer.

They also brought presents--clothes and $50! He's thinking about what to spend that money on.
We then went to the Dollar Movies and enjoyed our popcorn and Cokes. When we got home, we changed clothes and went to celebrate some more at Bridge Street. While there, I snapped some pictures of my sweet birthday children.

Happy Birthday Harrison! I hope you enjoyed your day as much as I did!

Caitlin's Birthday Celebration

2011-06-17T07:18:00.003-05:00

Caitlin celebrated her 11th birthday on Wednesday, June 15 ALL. DAY. LONG! It was a fun day, though, that I am so grateful I get to share with her.

We started the morning off with a birthday doughnut from Donut Palace. That is her favorite place to get doughnuts, so off Daddy went bright and early to get her requests.

We sang "Happy Birthday" to her and watched her blow out her doughnut candle.

Then it was on to the presents!

Have I mentioned that the Reading Bug has bitten Caitlin? Well she has been asking for the book, Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo, for a few weeks now, so I grabbed it up in our church's bookstore for her. She has already read about half of it and loves the story. I can't wait to read it when she's done!

She loved her present from her little brother--a cupcake charm for her Brighton bracelet.

Her Daddy and I also added some charms to her collection as well--a dangly "C" and 2 daisy spacers. Just what she wanted!!

Our annual picture of us with the Birthday Girl

(Too bad our photographer was on a sugar-high from his doughnut and couldn't keep the camera still!)

That night we met up with my family for her birthday dinner at Bonefish Grill (my girl has some good taste in food!). Even though we were stuffed from so much delicious seafood, the waitress still presented her with...

a birthday ice cream brownie! It was so big that all the kids got to sample it.

Everyone who was there except Scott (he had already left for work at FedEx) and me (I was taking the picture).
Front Row: Daniel, Stephanie, Caitlin, Harrison
Back Row: Pa-Pa, Dana, Ma-Ma, Randy

And, of course, we had to walk down to...

Yogurt Twist to get a little frozen yogurt. Thank goodness this place is way on the other side of town! Otherwise we would be paying them lots of visits this summer.

So, as you can see, we had a fun but busy birthday with Caitlin!

Some Boat Fun!

2011-06-17T07:07:00.003-05:00

On Monday of this week (before all the birthday celebrations), we headed out on our boat for a little family fun. It was so hot that we had to cool off somehow! Here are a few snapshots of what we did on our fun afternoon together.

Caitlin right before she and I hopped in the tube and went for a wild ride!

Swimming with my then five-year-old

Apparently the Reading Bug has bit Caitlin, and she can't put her books away, even on the boat!

A little fishing was done while the kids swam.

And he caught a little one!

Even though I was not a supporter of the whole "boat-buying" thing, I am so happy we now have it so we can spend some good family time together.

Wow! My Baby Boy is 6 Today!

2011-06-16T07:59:00.003-05:00

Happy 6th Birthday Harrison!
I am amazed that you are this old already! It seems like just yesterday I was holding this baby in my arms:

Or playing with this sweet little thing:

You are truly a blessing to our family, and I have loved watching every minute of your 6 years. You are the sweetest little boy ever, and sometimes I could just eat you up! I love that you love everyone around you so much, and that you so easily give out hugs and kisses. I love your energy and happiness, and I hope you stay this way as you continue to grow throughout your life.
Have a happy birthday, Harrison!

I love you more than chocolate,

Mommy

My Baby Girl is Turning 11!

2011-06-15T07:16:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Caitlin!
You are such a sweet and caring girl who has such compassion in your heart for everyone. Your Daddy and I are so incredibly proud of you and of who you are becoming. Enjoy this year--your last elementary school year--and all it has to offer. I just can't believe you have grown into such a beautiful young lady and that it is your 11th birthday! All I can think of is how much you enjoyed your 1st birthday...

Look how cute you were!

And look how simple your toys were--Winnie the Pooh blocks, puzzles, stuffed animals, dolls, and a few clothes thrown into the mix--and you were set. Now we're buying mostly clothes, charms for your Brighton bracelet, iTunes gift cards, books, and just plain ole money. But I sure wouldn't change a thing! I have absolutely loved sharing this growing-up journey with you, and I am super excited to watch you finish maturing into the lovely Christian lady I know you will be!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday!!

Love,

Mom

Boogie Shoes

2011-06-12T16:37:00.004-05:00

We had Caitlin's 11th Birthday Party on Friday night here at home. (I can't believe I just typed the number 11!) She asked several months ago if she could have a Disco Dance Party, and since that is right up her Daddy's alley, we of course said yes. We spent most of the week hanging disco balls, streamers, and speakers. Her Daddy made this great playlist of "groovy" 70's dance songs along with popular songs that the girls would know and could dance to.

The fabulous birthday girl herself!

This is what my upstairs bonus room looked like.

And these were the dancing girls. I think they had a good time because they were tired when their parents picked them up!

After working up an appetite with all that dancing, the girls came downstairs to munch on some snacks and eat birthday cake.

We found the design online, and Caitlin fell in love with it! Thankfully, after she and I made the cake and covered it with fondant, we had it decorated by...

Daddy! He spent a lot of time getting it to look "just right."

Then it was present time!

She got lots of girly presents like nail polish and...

gift cards! That way she gets to go shopping!!

Her sweet friends who came to the party: Madelyn, Taylor, Stephanie, Caitlin, Shanna, Rebekah, Marcha, Kayla, Sarah, and Kailee.

And they had to do a "silly" picture too!

One of My Favorite Places on Earth

2011-06-05T20:10:00.004-05:00

We got back Saturday night from one of the greatest places on Earth--the beach! We left last Friday afternoon just as soon as I signed out at school and could hurry home. Randy already had the car packed (thank goodness!), so we hopped in and drove off into the sunset. Well, just to Montgomery. Then on Saturday morning we headed to the beach...

with these two lovely ladies (Shannon and Laura) and their families. We quickly changed into swimsuits and literally ran onto the sand! We've been looking forward to this vacation since the cold, cold snow fell in January, so we were more than ready for those blue skies, sugar-white sand, and cold, salty water.

Randy waded out to stick his fishing pole in the sea and look what he caught! We got so spoiled by getting to eat fresh Gulf seafood!

Me and my sweetie as he took a break from all that fishing

We always have so much fun with our friends, and this trip was no different. We declared the 2nd night there to be "Redneck Night."

Thus the cowboy hats, tank tops, and jean shorts were broken out! Plus we grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and listened to country music all night. Fun times!

I absolutely loved spending time with my beautiful baby girl and

my handsome baby boy.

We had to take a trip to the "Shark Store" and take the kids' annual picture in front of the shark.
Luckily for us, we had noticed this the day we arrived:

a sea turtle nest, because our 4th day down there one of the fisherman caught this:

an endangered Kemps-Ridley sea turtle.

None of the fisherman could get the hook out without endangering their fingers in that powerful snout, so we called the Sea Turtle Rescue Organization. They told us to cover the turtle with a towel to keep it cool until they could get out there. It took about 20 minutes for a Sea Turtle expert to arrive, and I got to hold the sea turtle the entire time we were waiting! It was so cool!! "Mr. Sea Turtle" scanned him for a tag, told us what kind he was and how old, then took him off to the Gulfarium to get that hook removed. It was very exciting and educational to boot!

The next day, Harrison and I decided to dig a hole and bury treasure in it for the girls to find.
That night we went out to eat at Gulf Shores Steamer restaurant--one of our favorites down there!

I love these people!

And I'm pretty fond of this family as well!
The next day we were visited by this guy:

a heron. We all thought he was pretty cool, especially...

Harrison who chased him every time he would get out of the water. It was really funny to watch!

But there was more playing in the water than anything else.

As for Shannon and me...we just hung out like the beach bums we wish we were!

My sweet family had the greatest time at the beach, and

we left our mark until we return next year!

We're Back!

2011-06-05T10:02:00.002-05:00

We just got back last night from one of the most wonderful places on Earth...

Gulf Shores, Alabama!!! Actually we stayed in Fort Morgan which is just down the road from Gulf Shores and had the BEST time. I'll post more pics later just to show you how much fun we had!

Field Day Fun

2011-05-26T04:36:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday, Harrison had Field Day at his school. It was cloudy in the morning, but then it turned sunny for the afternoon activities. It ended up being a perfect day for Field Day because it wasn't too hot or too cold. He got to participate in so many fun activities.

Here he is demonstrating the right way to throw a rubber chicken.

Then came the Moon Walkers relay.

Here he is with his friend, Evan. They are two silly boys!

He did great in the egg relay.

Inflatable fun was next! I don't know where the socks went!!

Going down the smaller slide with his friend, Dylan.

They then got to go into the gym to cool off, get a drink, and do the robot to some cool music. Or was that only my son that did the robot?!?

He and Evan played a game of Scoops together.

I didn't get pictures of the 100 yard dash or sack race, but just know that he finished DEAD LAST!!!! But he pushed through and finished both races which made me very proud. I asked him later if it bothered him that he finished after everybody else, and he said, "No." He is my non-competitive child. All he wants is to have fun while participating with everyone.

T-Ball Party

2011-05-26T04:00:00.002-05:00

Harrison has only 1 game left in the T-ball season, so we went ahead and had their Team Party on Wednesday night. It also worked out to have it then since some of us are headed out on vacation next week for Memorial Day. We met the team at a local Wendy's. The staff was super nice and even cheered after the team got their trophies.

Coach Bro was awesome and said some of the best things about each player as he presented their trophy to them. He said that Harrison had a lot of heart and played with a lot of determination.

Proud ballplayer with his trophy

"Look, Caitlin!"

Harrison and his great coach. Coach Bro and his wife, Kim, even made a slideshow of the season's highlights and gave each boy a copy of it. We were very lucky to get on a team with such a wonderful coach!

I'm so proud of you, Harrison. I love to watch you play ball!

My 5th Grade Graduate

2011-05-26T03:37:00.004-05:00

One of the happiest, but saddest days happened for our family on Monday. Caitlin graduated from 5th grade!! I am torn over whether to be so extremely proud of my baby girl and being so sad that she is getting so grown. She is growing up into a beautiful young lady, and it makes me wonder where the time has gone between praying for a baby in 1999 and watching that baby walk across a stage to receive her 5th grade diploma.

Waiting in line to walk across the stage to get one of her many awards. She received awards for: Student Council, Art, A/B Honor Roll, and Journalism.

One of her many awards

Getting her Student Council medal

This is what one little monkey looked like during most of the ceremony. He was very well-behaved and cheered for his sister.

Sitting with her friend, Hannah, in the bleachers

Yay! Got her diploma!

Caitlin and her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Reasner

My sweet family

Caitlin,

I am so very proud of all your accomplishments and cannot wait to see what you're going to do in the future. You are such a smart girl who is so caring. You have overcome a lot to get where you are right now, and I am beyond blessed to have you as my daughter.

Congratulations Caitlin!!!

Love,

Mom

Happy Birthday Shannon!

2011-05-23T20:37:00.002-05:00

You know how you have one special friend who will do absolutely anything for you? And you would do the same for her? Well I have a friend like that, and today is her birthday!! I'm not going to say numbers, but it's a big one for her, and she is older than me!!!

Happy Birthday Shannon!

Dance, Dance, Dance

2011-05-23T06:03:00.009-05:00

On Saturday, after Harrison's T-ball game, we had another important event to attend: Caitlin's dance recital--"Movie Night." We have all been looking forward to watching her dance, dance, dance on that big stage at the Von Braun Center. This year was a little bit different because she was in both shows: the Matinee and the Evening. And she had so many supporters there to cheer her on.

One of her best friends, Taylor, was there.

Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa came to the Matinee show. Caitlin was so excited to see them there. I then had to run her backstage to get her ready for the show.

Caitlin and her dance friend, Kayla, dressed and ready to dance in "Shrek." All the fairy tale characters were in this one. Caitlin was Grumpy the Dwarf, and Kayla was the Queen of Hearts.

Here they are in the middle of the dance.

Next up was "Star Wars." They were dressed as stormtroopers and danced to the Darth Vader theme.

Then came their ballet dance, "Oklahoma."

Last, was their competition dance, "Hammertime." They performed this one as flawlessly as ever.

And then Caitlin was eligible to perform in the Finale. The girls have to maintain perfect attendance in order to dance in this one. There were 5 additional movies featured in the Finale. Caitlin danced in "Risky Business: Ol Time Rock 'n Roll."

We were so very proud of our star dancer! Her Daddy and I presented her with a charm bracelet that had a ballet slipper already on it. She loved it!

Her beautiful flowers were courtesy of Grandmother and Grandaddy.

We couldn't believe that Ms. Blackwood (a 2nd grade teacher at my school who came to visit us in the hospital when Caitlin was born and has kept up with Caitlin since) came to the recital! She got to see several young ladies perform that she taught or just knew.

Auntie Laura had to come see her "other" daughter on her big night.

After the Matinee show when all of our family and friends had gone home, Caitlin and I sat down for a picnic supper with our friends, Kayla and her mom, Rhonda.

Two pretty dancers just relaxing before the next big show. Thankfully the weather was nice so that we could eat our picnic outside.

Me and my beautiful girl.

I am so proud of her!! She amazes me with her talent!

We then went back inside the VBC to get her ready for the Evening Show. After touching up her makeup and hair, she got redressed in her first costume, "Shrek." We walked back out to the Concert Hall and guess who we saw??

Mrs. Weaver, Mrs. Mitchell, and Ms. Kirkland (her First Grade Aunts that I teach with)

She was super excited that they came to watch her dance!

I absolutely LoVed both shows and just can't believe the incredible talent my little girl possesses!

Game Ball

2011-05-23T05:39:00.007-05:00

Harrison had one of his last T-ball games on Saturday. They played the Marlins and did a great job of batting, fielding, and scoring runs.

When Harrison was on the pitcher's mound, he made a terrific play of stopping the ball and throwing it to first base.

At their team meeting after the game, they awarded the game ball to...

Harrison for his great play at the pitcher's mound!!

He was super excited! (Guess those Snickers bars he eats before each game finally paid off!)

Super star ballplayer with his game ball

I am so proud of my baby boy! Even though he doesn't always show it, he loves playing T-ball and looks forward to it all year long. Maybe we have a future professional athlete in our midst!

Kindergarten Graduate

2011-05-21T10:51:00.004-05:00

What a bittersweet day we had on Thursday!! Harrison graduated from Kindergarten! He is now on his way to being a big First Grader. I just can't believe it!! How we got to this point in time so fast, I will never know.

They started their program with a few songs.

Then they recited a poem about Kindergarten. He and his friend, Makayla, had the first "r" in Kindergarten that said, "R is for reading books all day long." They did such a great job!

"First Grade here we come!"

A disco song about Kindergarten

Then they sang "One Small Voice" which made this Mama cry buckets. It was so sweet, and at the end they linked arms. Precious!

Getting his diploma from his teacher, Mrs. Terrell.

The proud graduate!

Our happy family afterwards

When I was little and complaining about how long it took for my birthday to get here, my mom always told me to wait until I was grown and then time would speed by. Boy, was she right!!!

Always on my Mind

2011-05-16T21:21:00.003-05:00

May is one of our super-busy months at the Hollingsworth House. It seems as if every.single.night we have something to do whether it be Dance, T-ball, spring football, PTA meeting, church, etc. However through all of the "busyness" this year, I have had something on my mind that I just can't shake: the tornado damage. But this is what I see as I drive to school each and every morning...

and along with seeing this damage plus more each day, I have a sweet little girl in my care who lost her house and most of her possessions. Granted, she is not worried about the baby pictures and handprinted coffee mugs and wedding mementos that were lost, but she misses her favorite teddy bear and her class t-shirt. I am trying to do all I can just to make sure she has one stable place in her life.
So even though I have so much to worry about in my own life right now, I just can't stop crying and praying for all the people whose lives were torn apart on Wednesday, April 27.

Randy's Take on Mother's Day

2011-05-09T18:55:00.002-05:00

I can't believe my wife said nothing about her wonderful husband. Next time it's going to be a used paperback with a flashlight. And the next time she makes me go out on that boat....

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T19:58:00.004-05:00

I have had the best Mother's Day yet!! My two blessings have been so sweet today. They even let me dress them alike for church today--that in itself was a present! So besides being dressed so cute today, they...

served me breakfast in bed this morning. The menu was chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and coffee. Can you guess who came up with that menu?!?

And my present was a Kindle--something I have wanted for awhile but have not been willing to purchase for myself because it was a little bit extravagant. I have already downloaded 2 books and started reading the first!
We then went to church (dressed in our finest!) and enjoyed some good company in our Sunday School class. And afterwards...

we took our boat out on the river. I told them I just wanted to spend some time together as a family, and that was the best place I knew to get them away from everything!

We had a picnic lunch right there on the boat together.

And had fun being together--even though the water was cold, cold, cold!!
After that we cleaned up and went over to Grandmother's to give her a Mother's Day present.

She loved her present, but she loved seeing her 2 sweet grandbabies even more!

Randy and his Mom
We then met my family for a Mother's Day supper so that we could celebrate with Ma-Ma. She liked her presents and the company.

Daniel, Harrison, Ma-Ma, Stephanie, and Caitlin posing after we ate. But to get that cute picture, we had to endure this:

I love seeing their unique personalities!

Dana, my Mom, and me

So it has been a very busy Mother's Day, but I got to spend it with my favorite people in the world!!!

A Heavy Heart

2011-05-02T08:40:00.002-05:00

Well, we came home this morning to a house with power. I am so very thankful to have this luxury when so many near us are suffering. We have visited several areas that were hit by Wednesday's tornado, and there are no words to describe the images. Several of the teachers at my school had damage at their houses including one who lost her house and both cars. Plus my heart just aches for my students--former and present--who lost everything. There are so many stories I could tell, way too many stories that I wish had not happened. We are in a holding pattern with going back to school but today is going to be a hard day helping those who are trying to clean up their lives.

Please pray for North Alabama!!!

Play Ball!

2011-04-27T15:54:00.004-05:00

T-ball season has already started at our house! Harrison has played in 2 games so far. And with the help of Snickers, Diet Coke, and Skittles, he is playing much better than last year! (Running was not his strong suit last year. In fact, "Molasses" was his nickname.)
They had team pictures before their game on Monday night.

2011 T-ball Reds

These 4 boys--Bryce, Harrison, Carter, and Dylan--are all Cornerstone Boys. All of their parents are in our Cornerstone Sunday School class. Kinda neat how they ended up on the same team!

Crossing Home Plate

He ran into the dugout after this and said, "Now that's what I call REAL baseball!!"

After his big power hit

Pure joy and excitement (I love this picture!)

A Happy Easter

2011-04-24T16:25:00.004-05:00

Happy Easter!!!

"He has risen!" Luke 6:24 NIV
We started our Easter morning hunting for Easter baskets, then off to church we went. Randy and I led the Preschool Worship Hour which led the children from Creation all the way through the Resurrection in the Big God Story. Whew! It was fabulous and so exciting to hear the sweet Preschoolers call out answers to our questions about the Bible. It seems most of them know the real reason we celebrate Easter.

My two Blessings in their Easter finest

We then came home and put the finishing touches on our Easter celebration lunch with all of our family.

The Grandkids--Daniel, Harrison, Stephanie, and Caitlin--with their Easter baskets from Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa.

And look who even made a surprise visit to see all of us! My Daddy drove my Mom over, gave the grandkids their baskets, then left to go home and rest. He's still not feeling the greatest after his treatments, but it's so wonderful to see him start to get back to himself.

While waiting for all the delicious dishes to be finished, my usually, ultra-conservative, CPA sister broke out in song with Caitlin's Paper Jamz guitar. It was hilarious!

We cleaned our plates of all the delicious food so fast that I didn't even get a picture of Randy's beautiful turkey!

We were all so stuffed by this point, but it was egg hunting time!

Daniel and Stephanie zooming around the backyard looking for eggs.

Brady tries to help Caitlin find a few eggs.

Harrison was given a 10 second head-start which the others screamed "UNFAIR!"

Randy and his parents, Grandmother and Grandaddy

Me and my beautiful Mom and sister

We had a great Easter Sunday celebrating Jesus!

Good Friday Business

2011-04-24T15:59:00.005-05:00

On Friday, my First Grade class took a field trip to the Strawberry Patch. We had never been before, so we didn't know what to expect. Well, there were LOTS of big, beautiful, ripe strawberries!

They were the reddest strawberries I have ever seen!

Me and my prize student, Alex. He was a little scared of the bugs plus his mom was on a field trip to Montgomery with his sister, so he was my right-hand man for the day.

Walking through the patch looking for just the right strawberries.

My wonderful First Grade class with their buckets of strawberries

Also on Friday, Harrison had his Easter Egg Hunt with his Kindergarten class. Luckily we were just stepping off the bus at school as they started their hunt on the playground so I got to run out there and snap some pictures.

Look what I found, Mommy!

On the hunt for more eggs

With his sweet, sweet teacher, Mrs. Terrell

She had such a great idea for the Easter Egg Hunt. She labeled the eggs with a sticker with a sight word written on it. Each child was given a sight word, and those were the eggs they had to find. Harrison's word was "are", and he had a great time looking for just those eggs.

I even got to have my picture taken with the star egg-hunter!

What a Good Friday!

Spring Break Days 5 & 6

2011-04-23T17:29:00.006-05:00

Day 5 of our fabulous Spring Break was spent at another water park: Wet 'n Wild. It was so much fun, but very, very tiring. And yet again I didn't take any swimsuit shots!
Day 6 was spent with our best friends, the Aronsons, at SeaWorld.

Opening shot taken by the park staff. Couldn't resist buying this shot of Harrison and Alex holding Baby Shamu.
SeaWorld is one of our favorite parks because of all the water animals, but now they have the Manta roller coaster.

Insane, isn't it?!?

This was Randy and Todd's first ride on it. Randy is on the very left with Todd next to him. The next time I rode it with them. It was crazy, crazy, crazy, and I regretted getting on it the minute the little guy buckled me in! I am proud I rode it even though I was dizzy for about an hour afterwards!
The first show we went to was the sea lion and otter show. We got there a little bit early for it and were entertained by this funny pirate.

This picture was taken right before he kissed Laura!

It was a funny and cute show.

Next we saw the dolphin show.

They were jumping so high and so fast, I could barely get a picture of them.

Next we went to see Shamu. Here's Taylor and Caitlin waiting for the show to start. They were sitting with the Daddies in the "Soak Zone." The Mommies and Alex sat a few rows back so as not to get too wet. Thank goodness we did!

It was really cool to see Shamu doing all his tricks.

Look at the difference in their clothes. Harrison was in the "Soak Zone" while Alex was not!

We then went to the Kids' Area for some rides.

Harrison, Taylor, and Caitlin on the jellyfish ride. Alex was hot and tired by this point and didn't want to ride.
We got some lunch, then went to an indoor pet show to cool off.

Crazy kids waiting for the show to begin

The parents waiting a little bit more patiently for the show.

We had a great day watching all the animals and being with our best friends!

This was our last hurrah because we had to go back to our condo and pack up so we could head home the next morning. We had so much fun and can't wait to go back!

Spring Break Day 4

2011-04-23T11:18:00.003-05:00

The next day of Spring Break Orlando was spent exploring the parts of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure that we had not gotten to on Day 2. We went to the Toon Lagoon and saw...

Harrison's favorite crimefighter! He looks so serious. I guess because fighting crime is a serious job.

We decided the family that fights evil together stays together!
From that part of the park we went to...

the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Caitlin has read the first 3 books in the series as well as watched those movies, so she was excited to get to see it in real life.

It was so cool to see snow on all the English buildings especially when it was 85 degrees out!

We walked back to Seuss Landing because that was mine and Harrison's favorite!

And this time we met Thing 1 and Thing 2 from The Cat in the Hat.

The cat couldn't be outdone!

There were lots of cool rides at Universal Studios.

Harrison and Daddy were waiting as Caitlin and I rode on Twister.
We then walked back through...

because it was so beautiful with all the greenery and flowers.

However, Caitlin encountered a dinosaur!

Then some of us were very, very hot at this point and decided to ride...

at the Toon Lagoon.

Look at all that water! They were soaked when they got off. Glad I didn't ride it because I sure don't like walking around in wet shoes!
And we had to take a turn on the...

Caro-Seuss-al.

It wasn't just regular horses to ride. They were made-up characters from the Dr. Seuss books.
By this point we were tired and hungry. They have a City Walk at Universal which offers a lot of different restaurants to eat at. We chose Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.

After our yummy meal of cheeseburgers in paradise and grilled shrimp, we got to relax in these cool beach chairs!
It was a fun, but tiring day! Only 2 more days left!!

What a Glorious Day!

2011-04-19T04:43:00.003-05:00

I had to interrupt the Spring Break pictures with a post about the most glorious day we had at our house on Sunday!

Caitlin was confirmed at our church! While I was so very, very proud of my baby girl and her huge decision, I was also so very, very emotional. This means that she really is growing up! There's no turning back now. But I am so happy that we will be reunited in Heaven one day!

The entire group of Confirmands after the beautiful service. Look at that big smile on my baby girl's face! She's in the front row wearing a white dress with a pink sweater.

She looks so happy here!

Our happy family
The service was held in our church's Grace building and was attended by all 4 of our ministers. I told them afterwards that it meant a lot to me that all four of them were there. It showed me how important they take Confirmation!

Grandmother and Grandaddy (Randy's parents) came to witness this very important milestone which made Caitlin's day! Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa (my parents) couldn't come because my dad is still recovering from his radiation treatments and feels just AWFUL! But they were there in spirit.

Caitlin,

I am so proud of your decision. I thank God each day for entrusting you to me for your earthly care. It's days like this that make me step back and realize that maybe I really am doing a good job as your Mom. I love you more than I can ever say, and I know you won't realize just how much that is until you have children of your own. You are so precious to me and your Daddy, and I can't wait to share more glorious days with you. Good job, Cait-Cait!!!

I love you to the moon and back,

Mom

Spring Break Day 3

2011-04-17T17:59:00.003-05:00

On the third day of Spring Break, we visited SeaWorld's water park, Aquatica. I had never heard of it before we started investigating Orlando's attractions, but it was one of our best days! There were so many different types of water slides that we all went down a few during the day. There was also a fabulous kids' area that Harrison could have stayed at for days! Caitlin and Harrison posed for me before we left the condo.

And this is the standard picture the theme park people take of you as you are walking in the front gate. Since I didn't take my camera in for fear of getting it wet, we decided to buy it. And who really wants to see me in a swimsuit?!?

Spring Break Day 2

2011-04-17T11:42:00.007-05:00

I'm just going to apologize up front and tell you that this is the longest blog post I think I have ever done! But I want to put most of my pictures up since I print out my blog into a book form. Day 2 of Spring Break was spent at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in Orlando. We had a Flex Ticket where we could go back and forth between the two parks. We also got to visit SeaWorld, Aquatica Water Park, and Wet n Wild with our tickets. It was a great deal! Me and my sweetie in front of the Universal globe Caitlin and Harrison also had their turn in front of the globe.

They got to meet Shrek and Princess and Fiona after we rode Shrek 4-D.

They also posed with Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat. Harrison was so excited to meet George because he collects stuffed monkeys.

The Penguins of Madagascar and Alex the Lion were also there.

Scooby and Shaggy were fun to meet!

In the Kids' section, there was a Woody Woodpecker roller coaster that both my kids thoroughly enjoyed!

E.B. and the chicks from "Hop" were even there! (We haven't seen that movie, so I don't think this meant a lot to them.)

After all that walking around, we were getting a little hungry so we stopped to eat at...

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. It was delicious!

Then I got a picture of my 2 expert surfers before we headed to...

Yes, an entire area dedicated to Dr. Seuss!!! I was beyond excited!

And I think this was my favorite ride of the 2 parks!

Here are Caitlin and Daddy as they get ready to spin through the house.

Me and my little guy got to sit up front for this one.

Then Caitlin, Harrison, and I rode "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" together.

Then we got to meet the Cat in the Hat!

I actually got to dance with him!! Can't wait to put that picture up in my classroom!

And then we ran into the Grinch!!

After all that sweetness and fun, we made our way to...

They have a "River Adventure" ride that takes you through the park in a boat. At the end of the ride, you go down a huge hill and...

get really, really wet!!

We had to pose outside the ride with the beautiful scenery.

There is also a Comic Strip alley that we only walked through on this day. We did, however, find this funny sign...

After all that fun, it was definitely time to go back to our condo and clean up because we had another fun-filled day on the agenda for tomorrow!

Thank Goodness for Spring Break

2011-04-16T18:28:00.002-05:00

or 2 teachers I know would have gone CrAzY!!! Seriously...it has been a LOOOOOOONG time since Christmas vacation, and we both needed a break. So we hopped in our car after school on Friday, April 8 and headed to Orlando! With kids, of course. We broke the trip into 2 days and spent Friday night in Macon, GA. Doesn't everyone love staying in a hotel?? After we got to Orlando on Saturday afternoon, we checked into our condo, changed clothes, got a bite to eat, and headed to.... Downtown Disney, here we come!

Who doesn't try on the silly hats?!?

We went to the Lego store, and Caitlin and Harrison got to pose with a Lego Woody.

They also got to see a Lego dragon in the lake.

And I had to get my picture with my princess. We have had our picture taken in front of Aurora each time we've been to Disney, and it's fun to see how Caitlin has grown from year to year.

We then headed to Wal-Mart for some necessary supplies like milk and bread and then went to bed for our big Day #2!

Dance, Dance, Dance and an Explanation

2011-04-16T16:26:00.004-05:00

Well, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. We had Spring Break last week, so we loaded up and visited Orlando! We had such a great time, but more on that later. The week before we left was spent washing clothes, packing suitcases, getting oil changed in the car, etc., etc., etc. Loads of fun, I tell you! But we had to stop all the excitement of getting ready for our trip to visit Caitlin's Dance classes for Visitor's Week. On Tuesday, we got to visit her Jazz class. *Uh-oh!! Out of order picture! This is actually Caitlin showing off for us in her Ballet class. Can you believe the leap she has?!?

Such a pretty dancer!

There are lots of stretches and fancy footwork in Jazz that I mostly got blurry images, but I did get this cute one of her.

This the ending pose of their Fairy Tale dance. She is Grumpy, one of the Seven Dwarfs. I can't wait to see this at recital with all the cute characters!

On Thursday, we got to visit her Ballet Class.

They start off so elegantly! I love watching her perform all the beautiful moves.

I am so proud of my sweet dancer! It's amazing to see what all she has learned through her years at Dance!

Memory Verse #7

2011-04-02T10:47:00.002-05:00

It's already time for Siesta Scripture Memory Verse #7!! "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6

Update

2011-03-31T04:47:00.003-05:00

I went to see the neurologist on Monday afternoon. After performing several "sobriety" tests--never had to do those before and glad I will never have to!--he declared that I only had a concussion and would be just fine!! WOO-HOO!!!