Five on Friday

1. After a terrible 10 mile run Thursday Fred is looking forward to cooler weather over the next few days:

Fri 87°F | 56°F Sat 81°F | 53°F Sun 74°F | 50°F Mon 68°F | 49°F

2. When I was at the grocery this week I needed laundry detergent and fabric softener. I usually buy whatever it the best deal with the coupons I have. Not this week...I bought Tide detergent and Downy fabric softener. They make me smile. Why?? I guess I'm a laundry nerd. I'm okay with it.
3. Clayton has 32 AR points since the beginning of school. (Books are anywhere from 1/2 a point to 4 points. 4 point books are usually 150-200 pages.) We are so proud of him. He is devouring every book we put in his hands. I pray that he will always strive to use the talents and abilities God has given him.
4. My mom was in town to help last week. She took Jack to preschool and stayed for a while. When I asked her how it went she told me Jack had a great time watching everyone else participate. He is a mess.
5. Andrew loves the dishwasher. I mean, loves the dishwasher. When he hears someone open it he stops whatever he is doing and makes a bee-line for it. He pulls himself up and grins and grins. Then he begins to pull everything out of it. Needless to say loading the dishwasher is really a task these days.

Guess who's a big boy?!?

This guy...
Yes, that is whole milk in that cup. He likes it. Cry with me, won't you?!? Where has this year gone?!?

Five on Friday

1. It's that time again...Fall Cook-Out!! While we weren't in charge of the cook-out Fred still helped grill 1400 burgers today for Clayton's school.

2. Today was a big day at Rhea: cook-out, logo sales and book fair! Thanks to all of our volunteers who made these events a HUGE success!! We love our school!

3. When I picked up Clayton from his class today his teacher gave him a hug and said she was so glad he was in her class. When Clayton was 2 I never thought that would be said. Music to a my ears!

4. Jack had his first soccer game last week. I was getting him ready and he handed me his shin guards. He then asked me if I could put his "machine guards" on so he could go play his game.

5. We have an air vent in the kitchen that Andrew loves. He is constantly taking the cover off. This week I heard a commotion in the kitchen. Andrew had taken the cover from the vent and (while grinning) was trying to drop a car down the vent. Stinker.

L.O.V.E.S. a bath

Andrew loves a bath. He will not sit up. He goes on his belly and splashes and splashes. He puts his head under the faucet. He puts his face in the water. He screams when he has to get out. It is too cute. Excuse the "booty" shots. I was trying to show his feet kicking.

Let the Season Begin

For the next eight weeks we will be in town. We may not be home, but we'll be in town. If you need us please try the soccer or football field. That's where we'll be...for the next 18 years or so!!!

Five on Friday

Happy Friday everyone!

1. It is official. Fred is training for the St. Jude marathon in December. 26.2 miles...

2. I was helping Clayton write a paragraph for school and trying not to write it myself. (It would have been quicker!) I laughed to myself as I remembered my first year of teaching. One of my students wrote a summary of a chapter we had read. His sentence read exactly like this (I'll never forget it!):
"The Derwoods fate was not made manifest until the end of the chapter."
I found out later that his grandmother was an English teacher and she helped him with his homework...imagine that!!

3. Clayton is very excited because he is the fastest runner in his class--very exciting news for this house.

4. Jack will play his first soccer game Saturday. It should be interesting and exciting!

5. Andrew grabbed for Fred's phone this week and Fred told him no, no, no. Andrew looked at Fred, grinned big and said right back--no, no, no. We all laughed. Maybe we are teaching him a bad habit!?!

Jack's first day of Joyland

Jack woke up this morning VERY excited! Today was his first day of preschool. Can you tell he was excited?!?
On the way to preschool he opened his lunch box and found a sippee cup. He said (very aggravated), "Awww, a sippie cup! Mom, I didn't want a sippee cup!!" He was very disappointed. His teachers said not to send too much snack since they typically don't eat that much. I sent a package of 6 peaunt butter crackers and a granola bar. He returned only wrappers. So much for sending a "light snack" for Jack...


When I picked Jack up and asked him how his day was he said it was good and that he only got in trouble once, but he didn't want to talk about it. I'm still digging for information.

All in all I think he had a great day! We are so blessed to have Joyland Christian Preschool!

Blog Question

I don't usually post things that require comments, but this morning I was reading Beth Moore's blog and she asked what three dreams do you have if you weren't limited by time, money, etc.? I thought it was an interesting question. I've had fun thinking about it.

Here are my three:

If I could I would…

1. Be able to play the piano and sing. You know, just sit down and play–All the while making it look effortless. My mother always said I should learn to play. She was right! I should have listened.

2. Travel to Central Asia with my entire (in-law) family to see my brother and sister-in-law who are serving as missionaries. I just miss all of us getting to hang out.

3. Cure cancer.

What would your three be? When you get a moment post your three dreams as a comment.

Five on Friday

1. Fred is going to Elizabethtown, Kentucky today to (hopefully) buy us a car to replace the van.

2. Before we had children I have wanted a Volvo V70. Fred said it was ridiculous to drive a station wagon with no children.My how the times have changed. If all goes well today (see #1) I should have it by tonight. It's silver and used.


3. Clayton had three teeth pulled Tuesday. School pictures were Thursday. We practiced his smile before he left for school. I have a feeling this school picture will be the one to beat all.

4. Jack visited his preschool yesterday. He was beyond excited! He will start Tuesday. I still don't feel like it's real. I can't believe we are here!

5. Andrew has the sweetest, softest hair. I rub my face against it all the time. When he wakes up and still has sleepy eyes he has the most precious bed head you have ever seen. We have tried to take pictures, but it never seems to capture the full look. Note the side of his hair...

Look who lost more teeth

Did I say "lost" teeth?? I meant to say look who had three teeth pulled at the dentist...yes, pulled at the dentist for $45 a tooth. Well, since this makes five teeth pulled at the dentist they gave us one for free. (Clayton would not call it free!) One might ask...how many teeth does a kiddo lose? I'm not sure and I don't want to know. I can do math too quickly. I'd rather be in the dark. He sure is sweet though. Despite lots of money spent at the dentist I think he's worth it!! Besides, I'm sure he'll have braces later. Pulling teeth is just the tip of the ice berg.