Five on Friday

1.  Since Fred and I started participating in races (minus my very first race) we have been saving our race t-shirts.  For Christmas we gave each other a quilt made out of our shirts.  It came in this week.  We were both really pleased.  There are a lot of really special memories in that quilt. 

2.  I love a coupon.  Last February I had a ridiculous amount of shampoo that I had accumulated from coupon shopping.  Fred and I made a deal that I would not buy any more shampoo as of February 2010.  I am embarrassed proud to report I still have 10 bottles of shampoo left.  Yes, ten.

Also, my "secret sibling" gave me a $10 gift card to Kroger and some Goldfish crackers...two of my favorites!  I thought about taking the crackers and eating them at Kroger while I used my gift card, but the flu is going around.  I think I'll eat my crackers at home after washing my hands...I digress...I have held on to my card because I just can't  decide what I want to buy.  I'm thinking Starbucks coffee...what a treat!  But first I must find a coupon.  Thanks to my secret sibling! ("Secret siblings" is a new venture on the Shackelford side of the family to help all the Shackelford siblings and their spouses stay connected. At our request, Fred and Renee drew names at Christmas, and assigned each of us a "secret sibling" for the whole year. It's fun.)

3.  Clayton is reading Little House of the Prairie at school.  He is loving it. 

4.  Fred and Renee gave us Netflix for Christmas.  Jack loves it, because we can get movies through the Wii.  This week while the other boys and I were gone Fred and Jack watched a Spider Man movie. Jack loved it.  Fred said it was awesome. 

5.  Andrew is all over the place and continues to L.O.V.E. the slide.  If you haven't seen the video see below.  It is titled "Sliding".  It shouldn't be too hard to find.  :-)  Fred came in from the gym this week.  Andrew toddled over to him and said, "Da", sweetly hugged him around the legs and held up his arms for Fred to pick him up.  I'm pretty sure Fred was a little misty.

Sliding

This slide has been in the corner of our living room since before Andrew was born.  He has never paid it much attention...until today.  We had several friends over from school.  When I looked up Andrew was right in the middle of all of them taking his turn sliding down.  He even climbed up by himself.  I can't watch.  It makes me too nervous!

Walking

Andrew has been walking now for about a month, but he has really taken off in the last week or so.  He's not really a performer so whenever I get my camera out to capture him walking he slowly drops to the floor.  It is so fun to see these firsts again.  I don't think he could possibly get any sweeter. 

Five on Friday

1.  Fred had a great meeting with Baptist pastors and worship leaders from across our state in Brentwood yesterday. We're very thankful for Paul Clark and our Tennessee Baptist Convention for their leadership in developing strategies for educating present and future generations of worship leaders.
2.  I made homemade whole wheat oat pancakes with homemade chocolate syrup for breakfast this morning.  It was delicious.  Whole wheat pancakes cancel out chocolate syrup, right?!?
3.  Clayton is out of school today.  He is pretty excited.
4.  Jack asked me to marry him this week.  I said yes. 
5.  Andrew is walking everywhere.  He started several weeks ago, but he is all over the place now. I will try to post a video later.  It is too cute.

Jack, the funny man

Jack is pretty shy around people he doesn't know, but around us he is a trip.  Here are a few things from this last week:
Sunday night at church I sat in the back because our third verbal child was making too much noise.  Jack followed me not too much later.  Once he got to me he lifted his shirt sleeve on his right arm and this was our converstaion--
Jack:  Mom, I wrote on my arm.  Is that okay?
Me:  Sure.
Jack:  You sure it's okay?
Me: Yes, it's fine. 
Jack: (Rolling up his other sleeve.)  Good, cause I wrote on my other arm. 

In the mornings Jack and Clayton usually get up about the same time.  (They sleep together.  Did I say together?  I meant glued to each other.)  This morning Clayton got up about an hour before Jack.  When Jack got up he said, "Mom, I was gonna get up with Cwayton, but my eyes were too tired!" 


Jack loves to work in the kitchen with me.  The other day we were working and he was about five feet from me.  He told me to come close to him, which I did.  When I got next to him I asked him what he wanted.  He wrapped his arms around my legs as tight as they would go, looked up at me and said, "I wuv you mom!"  Makes my throat tight just thinking about it. 

Cub Scout Indoor Campout

Yes, you read correctly an indoor camp out!  My kind of camp out!  We left Paris and headed to Nashville to the Adventure Science Museum Friday around 2:00.  After a brief dinner with my grandmother in Franklin we headed to the museum.  All the boys were so excited!  Once we got inside they were almost shaking from excitement.  None of them knew which way to run first! 
Around 9:30 the girls that were in charge of our camp in announced plans to have a egg drop.  They gave each team an egg, a styrofoam cup, a balloon, bubble wrap, newspaper and a few other items.  They were to package their egg the best they could and then drop it from the second story. 

Clayton has been blessed this year with an amazing group of friends in his class.  Here they all are devising a plan. 

 Jack and Fred were a team.  They both had a lot of fun. 

Here they all are lined up ready to drop their eggs. 

 Checking to see if their egg survived...

 It did!  Total excitement!!  (On a side note...Jack and Fred's egg did not meet the same fate.)

 By 11:30 p.m. we were all pretty tired...mainly me, but the boys reluctantly went to sleep.  Fred and I slept on cots.  It was definitely an adventure!! 

After we got home Clayton has a basketball game so we headed to that.  Mawmaw and Pawpaw met us at the game and then we went to a late lunch.  Jack was so tired he could barely hold his head up.  He fell asleep in the car.  I carried him in and he roused ever so slightly.  He kept telling me he wasn't tired.  He would not get in his bed because he was not tired.  So he slept on the floor...for 2 hours...and woke up to tell us he was not tired!

Five on Friday

1.  Fred has been working on his library now for a year and a half.  He just finished getting all his books labeled with the Library of Congress number.  He is giddy over this.  It's a little nerdy, but we're okay with it. 
2.  I made homemade chocolate pudding a couple of weeks ago.  You know, hot pudding without a box.  I am addicted.  I sit around thinking about it.  I even made fresh whipped cream to top it off.  Hot chocolate pudding with cool whipped cream...oh, I need some!  If you need some click here for the recipe.  (Please note I did not cool the pudding.)
3.  Clayton has been out of school for three days.  Yes, three days.
4. Jack has a terrible cough.  I asked him if anything else was hurting and he said his stomach and arm pits were hurting. Maybe we should have those arm pits checked out?!?
5.  The big boys, Fred and I are doing a little indoor camp-out this weekend.  Andrew got the opportunity to stay in Jackson with Mun and Janice.  I'm sure he is having the time of his life!  We miss him.

Christmas with Mun and Janice

Mun and Janice came to Paris to celebrate Christmas a little late.  The boys were so excited to get presents even after Christmas was over.     

 As you can see Jack was VERY excited!

 Clayton was excited as well!

 Andrew was very content after opening some Gerber Puffs from Uncle Gene and Aunt Leeta.  He just sat and watched the big boys open their gifts (and his) after receiving the Puffs. 

Air Hockey with Mun

As documented in my Christmas post we got an air hockey table for Christmas.  Mun and Janice came for a visit.  Jack challenged Mun to a game and she did not back down.  It was quite the game.  Toward the end of the game Jack "gave" Mun a few mercy shots...priceless!  In the end Mun was victorious.  Jack was so proud of her for winning.