Happy New Year!!

Well, Christmas has come and gone and tommorow will be a new year! It seems like the past year just flew by. We did not take any pictures on Christmas because I wanted to spend the time WITH the family instead of just taking pictures. I just got a new camera so there will be many pictures posted soon. We had a wonderful holiday. Santa was very good for all of us. The kids were bombarded with gifts from everyone and they were very happy. Thank you to all for the gifts. I will post more next week after I get some new pics to add. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Busy fall schedules!

Since school started, we have been soooo busy. Our week is so compact with things it is not even funny. Here is a breakdown for you..

Monday- Reagan- Dinner theater practice in the morning(she has the leading roll) and Piano lessons

Tuesday- Reagan- HOTS -Higher order thinking skills(she goes to another school for the day for gifted and talented) and Choir practice-Volleyball
Grayson- Soccer
Jackson- Soccer

Wednesday- Reagan's student counsel meeting and All three church choir(Reagan has the leading roll in this performance too! yikes).

Thursday- Reagan- Volleball
Grayson- Soccer
Jackson-Soccer

Friday- Day Off!! (Unless there is a Cub Scout meeting)

Saturday- Reagan- Volleyball game

Sunday- Church ( I teach Sunday School-so have to prepare for that)

Did I mention that I work part time during the day, volunteer to read for Grayson's and Jackson's class on Monday and Tuesday, and find time to shop and make costumes and keep the house tidy while trying to look beautiful and keep my sanity! lol

Well, here are some cute pictures of the kids. They are the real reason I do all this.

Soccer time!

Graysons team picture

Well, it is soccer time again. Grayson is doing really well and is playing on the big field now. He is learning positions and doing really good.
Score!
Going after the ball

Reagan's trip to Top Sail, NC

I forgot to post the pictures of Reagan's trip to the beach with her friend this summer. She was asked by our minister and his wife and daughter to go on vacation with them to Top Sail, North Carolina. I was a little hesitant, but let her go on this adventure. She spent most of the time at the beach, but she also went to the turtle hospital and while walking on the beach actually got to witness turtles hatching and helped them out to the waves by scooting them along and guiding them in the right directions. They were getting confused by the porch lights while trying to find the reflection of the moon in the water to guide them. That was a once in a lifetime opportunity!! But, I am not sure who was more homesick, Reagan or me. I missed her soooo much and we were happy to have her back home. She had a blast though and was grateful that she was invited.

The girls picked up some friendship bracelets to signify their bond.

This was the beach house that they stayed in.
Getting some surfin time in!
They had to work on their tans also!
At night, they worked on some crafts.
They even included Reagan in their family pictures! They were wonderful to her.

Back to School!

Well, it is that time of year again...back to school. I can't believe that I have a fifth grader, third grader, and now a kindergartener!! Jackson was very excited about starting kindergarten. He was happy to see some of his friends in his class.

Getting ready to start the first day of school!
On the way to school the first day
Reagan and Grayson started school a week before Jackson. They both love their new teachers.
Grayson, my big third grade boy! Grayson was happy to go to school. He is excited about third grade and all the friends that are in his class. His class has a reward system with play money and he gets the choice of prize for his earned bucks. This is very exciting for him and a great incentive for good work. He is starting soccer soon and is also in cub scouts this year. He will also be singing in the church children's choir. Reagan is starting out with a tough teacher, but she is up for the challenge. She is going to busy this year with a new gifted and talented pull out program called H.O.T.S (higher order thinking skills) where every Tuesday she goes to another school. She is also taking piano lessons, playing volleyball, joined two choirs, and student counsel. She decided not to be in girl scouts this year.
Jackson, my baby, is going to do great in kindergarten. He is so happy to be going to school like a big kid. He recently learned how to ride his bike without training wheels and is learning to tie his shoes. He is already an avid reader, but the social experience of kindergarten will be good.

Now with all the kids in school, I will be working. I have recently changed companies and now work for a company that only works for VA hospitals which makes my work that much more familiar and rewarding. I love it. I decided to only work part time so I can volunteer more at school and to keep my house running smoothly. So far, it has worked out great!

Reagan's New Haircut

Reagan decided to start the new school year off with a fresh new look. We both love her haircut. Everyone compliments her all the time. It was a great idea!

Can you tell how happy she is with it.

Summertime

We had a very busy summer this year and it went by too quick. Here are a few pictures that captured the fun.

One of the things we did this summer was attend the fourth and fifth grade lock-in at church. Reagan had a blast and stayed up until 4 am.

There were 16 kids and they had alot of fun.
We also went camping over labor day weekend at a christian family camp and got to see "One Time Blind" and they were really awesome. This is an overview picture of one part of the campers. There were basketball tournaments, volleyball, carpet ball, and swimming and boating. We all had a fun time.
We had the privelage of being invited with a friend and they had about 30 family members there and they welcomed us as part of their family and were really great. We shared food, campfire stories, and the kids met some new friends.

The girls also did face painting.

Here is a picture of some kids playing carpet ball. It is a fun game where you roll billiard balls down the board to knock your opponents into the trench.

Daisy had fun with the kids through the summer.
Jackson -5 years
Reagan-10 years old
Reagan and Daisy

This is the group shot of church camp for the kids. Reagan is straight up from the S in Christian in the grey sweatshirt. Grayson is the top right boy sitting next to the girl standing on the end in the pink. You can barely see his head.

The group of girls at the beginning of church camp that Reagan, her friend, and Grayson went to. It was at the same place the family camp was held. To see some pictures go to
Jenna and Reagan on their way to church camp
We also babysat the class turtle over the summer. His name was scrambles and we actually liked having a turtle as a pet. It was fun to feed him worms.

We also did alot of swimming. Here is a picture of Jackson with his friend at the pool.

The kids sang with the church choir for Relay For Life for the American Cancer Society.

I would have had more pictures, but we were too busy having fun!!

Great Wolf Lodge Vacation!

On Memorial Day weekend, we went up to Mason, Ohio to The Great Wolf Lodge. It is an indoor water park with an arcade and is completely meant for kids and families. We had so much fun~ but it was exhausting!

One of the first things we did was play a game that they have in the hotel called "Magi Quest". You buy a wand and throughout the hotel are animated screens with instructions on the game and you are on a scavenger hunt to find all the things to earn certain stones. It was so fun.

First you have to start at the trees where the wizard gives you information about your quest.

You then walk down the halls of the hotel to find the clues which are in paintings, on the ceilings, in objects, and in treasure chests. You have to point your wand at it and that will activate a voice telling you if you are at the correct thing and it collects your points.


When you find the treasure, you get gold which you will give to the Pixies later on.

This is the man in the tree that tells you how many objects you have found so far.

Here is the Pixie treehouse where the pixie completes your reward for that particular quest.

We decided to take a break from Magi Quest and relax in the room.
Then Reagan and I went down to the spa for some mother-daughter time. We both got pedicures!

Reagan was proud of her red nail polish!
She got to go to the Scoops kids spa and her feet were lavished with icecream and chocolate scented soaps and lotions


In the hotel room, the kids had their own "tent" and this was Jackson's favorite painting.
There were many cute paintings.. Grayson liked the map.
Reagan thought the binocular painting was cool!
And I loved the little squirrels.
Their "tent" had bunk beds, a table, and their own TV.

Then it was onto the water park!! This was Jackson's favorite water slide. You can see Jackson's and Reagan's heads on the slides. They were having a race.
This was a giant bucket of water that filled up and then dumped on the kids who were standing underneath.
Chad, Reagan, and Grayson coming down from the Water Rollercoaster! It was awesome.
Grayson and Chad..you can barely see Grayson lying back.
Reagan

They love swimming! Grayson's eyes were so red from swimming that I made him wear his goggles.
Reagan
Jackson and his blue lips. The temperature was 85 degrees and he still had blue lips~ lol.
Reagan sitting on top of a floating mushroom
This is the treehouse ..the waterslides for Jackson are to the left of where this picture was taken. So much for him to do.

We decided to check out the outside pool but quickly went back into the warm pool. Still a slight breeze and freezing water.
Grayson on the snake in the pool. They spent a lot of "down" time here.

We also went to the arcade. The kids loved this roller coaster ride.

Of course I had to play Deal or No Deal and I WON!! I won 400 tickets because I got the biggest case and chanced it all to the very end!!
One side of the water park. Taken near the wave pool.
Grayson also liked the lazy river.

On Saturday, there was a magic show. They also had baby wolf pups for the kids to pet and a Wolf Walk where they played games as they toured the hotel.

This was the parents side of the hotel room
Kids tent
Grayson kept telling me this was the best place he had ever been.
Every evening, there was an animated storytime. It was in the lobby.

A view of the water park from the second floor of the hotel.

Jackson
Reagan
Grayson

This was one of the restaraunts in the hotel. We got to eat in a tent. The food was awesome!
We finally finished up our Magi Quest before we left the hotel. This is the dragon's lair with all the gold.
There was a certain pattern and timing to be able to beat the dragon and after about 45 minutes of all of us trying, we gave up. LOL
Can you see the exhaustion on our faces~! lol

All in all, it is the best place to take a mini vacation with your children! I highly recommend it