Bullets

• Have you ever been to Wal*Mart @ 7am on a Saturday morning.....It Is Heaven!! (at least in our small town). I went before Joe and the kids woke on Saturday and I think I only saw two other shoppers...had the grocery aisles all to myself.
• Jasmine is doing better behavior wise in school, but we still covet your prayers over this. I requested a Parent-Teacher conference to hash out what steps we can take to keep her moving in the right direction.
• I'm an over planner-barely leaving myself time to just chill *me time*. I received a gift certificate for my birthday (October) for a massage, pedicure etc. I FINALLY scheduled the massage for last Friday. That morning I was volunteering at Jas's school and set the appointment for the afternoon....wouldn't you know it, the massues had to cancel.
• I love to clean with the radio blaring--sometimes it's my favorite radio station and sometimes it's my favorite CD's currently (ThirdDay, Jeremy Camp), but sometimes it is my Billboard Number One's CD from 1979--Pina Colada Song, I Will Survive, YMCA--oh yeah, that's some good cleaning music there!!!
• After school yesterday Jasmine told Joe that her teacher said watching TV was a bad choice. Joe responded with sometimes he just likes to relax after work, Jasmine's response, 'Well, my teacher is smart and taller than you are. So she is right!' (her teacher is very tall and very skinny).
• Jasmine's best friend/cousin moved to California a little over a month ago and Jasmine misses her TERRIBLY. Last weekend we called and they talked on the phone for probably 45 minutes. Have you ever heard a 5 year old and not quite 5 year old phone conversation...priceless!
• I have flash cards with numbers, colors, shapes etc. for the kids. Cash will sit with the one's with colors on them and go through them 100 times. He loves those things.
• Speaking of Cash....he recently learned how to open the refridgerator. When he was young we had to get one of the childproof devices cause he was so stinkin strong, he'd fling the door open, get what he wanted and walk off. At that point the dog would make himself at home digging out of the fridge whatever he wanted. While cooking dinner the other night he opened the door and I said 'How did you learn to open that door?' Jasmine pipes up, 'Um, I guess I taught him'. So far it has not been an issue, he'll grab a snack and shut the door, but one day I came out of my bedroom and he was carrying a hunk of velveeta.....
• I'm wearing my glasses today because my eyes were very scratchy yesterday and I felt they needed to rest. I hate wearing my glasses. It takes away my peripherial vision and I feel like I have the blinders on that horses wear so they can only see what is in front of them.
• Joe was sick over the weekend and I sneezed all day yesterday....within the last hour my nose has started to stop up....yuk!
• That's all for today, I think I need to go find some medication :)

I Am Loved....(I'm guessing here)

My kids just crack me up. Here are just a couple funnies from the last few days:

Conversation with Jasmine while driving home yesterday:
Jasmine: Momma, I am going to do everything just like you when I grow up.
Me: Awww, that makes me happy Jasmine. You think I'm a good mommy.
Jasmine: Yeah, cause I like the way you cook.

Snuggling with Cash last week:
Me: (I whisper in his little ear) I love you soo much.
Cash: (whispers) You know what?
Me: What?
Cash: Chicken butt (big laugh)

Can't you just feel the love!!!!

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

I'm At A Loss

Jasmine is having a rough time at school again here recently. She was doing great just before the holiday break, lots of green and yellows. Since returning she has only gotten a couple greens and yellows, mostly orange and red. I received a note from the teacher today saying she is continually doing something immediately after being corrected and if she doesn't start to demonstrate more mature behavior it is a possibility she will have to repeat Kindergarten. I just don't know what is going on in that little head of hers. Also, she has always looked forward to going to school, not recently. Each night when going to bed she will say something about not wanting to go to school. And Monday night when sitting down for dinner I asked her how her day at school was and she replied, 'terrible' when I asked her what happened to make her day so terrible she replied, 'I don't want to talk about it.'

My question is this, how do you get a Kindergartener to express what is going on to cause such changes in behavior?? Do they even know what is going on and how to tell me about it?? We haven't had any changes occur in the home, which leads me to wonder if something happened at school. But then again, if it did, she is not sharing.

It just makes my heart ache watching her struggle in school - not that she feels she is struggling, she thinks she is great at everything she does. It's just when you have kids you want them to be the best most perfect children to ever walk the face of the earth, and then someone comes along and burst your delusional bubble. Not nice! I know in the grand scheme of things not doing well in Kindergarten isn't the end all be all, but I still want everything to be daisies and butterflies - everyday!

Anyways, please keep Jasmine in your prayers as she is struggling this week.

There's A Storm A Coming

Sunday night at AWANA's was Texas Snowstorm night. Each child brought a roll of toilet paper with the promise they would get to make 'snowmen'. Well guess who were the dummies for the snowmen, the TEACHERS. We bought the cheap stuff from the dollar store and it came in a 6 pack. Jasmine was so precious, before the toilet paper started flying she made sure and passed out all of our extras to the kid's who didn't bring a roll. She is so generous, warms my heart.

Here I am being wrapped up, I came out pretty good. The other teacher on our team had her whole head covered from the get go. Luckily I only had to endure that extent of coverage for a couple minutes.

After time was up and every piece of toilet paper was off it's roll, they had a 'snow' fight.

We had sooo much fun.

Friday evening Joe and I had the privilege of attending a 25th wedding anniversary party where the couple renewed their vows. It was an amazing event, very heart touching.

**and someone made the mistake of asking Joe to help video during the vow renewing ceremony. There was a brief time while waiting on the woman of honor to come down the staircase where music was playing, Joe took this opportunity to sing into the video camera's remote wand. He was quite entertaining**

Skating Anyone

Last night was Jasmine's AWANA skate party. We had such a good time. Jasmine skated the whole two hours, Cash went back and forth between skates on and off and I think Joe had the most fun of all!

*side note* - - Cash has some HUGE feet. Jasmine took a 12 in skates, Cash an 11...

Already???

Anyone want to guess what the kid's are looking at/waiting for???



While ya'll are mulling over that picture, here is a cute one of Jas last night holding the AWANA flag for the AWANA pledge. She was soo excited. They are having a skating party tomorrow night that should be a lot of fun.





OK, back to the first picture....here it is.

Our neighbors have three boys. Anytime they are outside Jasmine will run in, (usually) change clothes and put on cute shoes before she runs to the barb wire fence and yells to the boys to come talk to her. They always do and they always get in trouble for crossing the first fence (there are two fences between our properties). Every time she runs out the door, yelling the neighbors are outside Joe looks at me with that protective/petrified father look and will usually go sit on the porch the whole time they are talking (until one of the boy's parents stick their head out the door and start yelling at them for crossing the fence). I'm pretty calm about it and tell Joe not to worry, they are too young to start freaking out....now in a few years I will most likely be singing a different song.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We had a fun New Year's Eve. Pulled out the sleeping bags, put on PJ's, popped some popcorn and watched movies until about 10p. Then we grabbed our horns and yelled Happy New Year before the kid's went to bed. They really thought they were doing something special, staying up later than usual. Great Memories!!

And Dally had to get in on the action too, while we were blowing our horns he was howling.

Love it!

Praying each of you has a Blessed New Year!!