The Barnett Family

We have a blog?

2011-01-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

Where to begin???? I guess to say we've been a little busy is putting it mildly. We had a great first semester in school. Can't believe Avery half-way done with 5th grade (Jr. High is way too close!) and Wil is nearing 2nd grade. They both love there teachers this year and are doing great. Avery is enjoying Art Curator's Club, an academy where she gets to help Mrs. Carrington, the art teacher, every Wednesday and Thursday. She just started a Script Writing Academy and couldn't be more excited. Wil started his very first academy last week, Outside Games. He really enjoyed the first day, although he reported that his team didn't win. I hope he gets to go to his 2nd week,as I am typing this he is sick with strep throat. Poor bubby!

Avery was in her 2nd play at the Forum in December. She played one of the Martini children in "It's A Wonderful Life." She loves her drama! They just announced that VPA's spring musical will be "Alice In Wonderland" and she is already preparing for auditions!

Another Christmas treat was our trip to Six Flags Over Texas for Holiday in the Park. We left the day after Thanksgiving and got to enjoy a couple of days in Dallas, riding rides, looking at Christmas lights, enjoying the music and LOVING the food! Looks like another family tradition has been born!

2011 looks pretty good so far. We are praying that God has some wonderful things in store for us. I will be working toward finishing my National Board portifolios, which are due in March. Blake continues to work hard at Wells Fargo and we are so happy that he is not always on the road anymore! Blessings abound!

Summer Favorites

2010-06-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

I thought I would begin a list during our first week of summer break to keep up with all our favorites of the season....

1. Water balloons - specifically, water balloons from the $1 bin at Target! You get more than 100 balloons and loads of fun and giggles.

2. Sonic Jr. Candy Sundaes - another $1 favorite. The perfect size for mom and kids. Not as much guilt as a full size Blast!

May 2010

2010-05-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

What a busy month! We at the Barnett house are looking forward to next Wednesday, when school is officially out for summer! May has really flown by, thanks to all the activities. Avery was a servant in VPA's musical, "Annie Jr." on May 10-11. As always, she had the best time! She also enjoyed her spring Academy, "Designing Dudes and Divas", designing clothing for her stuffed animals. We were treated to a fashion show at the school last Thursday and all the girls did a wonderful job on their designs. Avery has told me that she has changed her mind about her career. Instead of being a fashion designers, she will be a costume designer for movies!

Wil graduated from Kindergarten on May 17. He did such a great job singing and walking across the stage to get his diploma. I was the most of proud of him on the morning of the 18th, when he went back to school without complaining! He is very excited to be joining Avery at VPA next year. Mommy and Daddy are very excited to be able to make one stop to drop off both kids!

Easter 2010

2010-04-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

Memories of Easter 2010:
1) Wil sporting a new red cast because he pulled the black one off at Kindergarten to impress someone.
2) Daddy making the trip to Wal-Mart to purchase elastic so a sick Mommy could finish Avery's dress.
3) Mommy making Avery's dress....Wasn't Avery the one who was going to do that? (In her defense, it was a hard pattern!)
4) 2 baskets overflowing with candy. Easter Bunny, what were you thinking???

Stitches - 7, Broken Bones - 1

2010-03-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

It was Avery who required the stitches at 18 months of age, when she feel on the tile floor and cut her chin. This week, Wil took the lead in the "kids with broken bones" category. He fell while running across the church parking lot and broke his wrist. The sad thing was, we didn't realize it was broken until after we sent him to school on Thursday (it honestly didn't start swelling until then)! Poor baby, he is doing well with his cast. He chose black, "becuase cool dudes wear black"!

Sugar Plum Banquet 2010

2010-02-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the second annual Southwest Sugar Plum Banquet. It is a very special night for girls in 1st-6th grade at our church. Each girl brings their dad or another special man in their life and the evening is spent celebrating these young ladies. It is a tradition that I am so thankful for!

Picture of the Artist (see previous post)

2010-02-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

Avery, the Artist

2010-02-27T15:32:00.000-08:00

Avery has definitely inherited the family's love of art. She is confident that her career path will be in this field (leaning toward fashion design at the moment). We were so thrilled to find out that she was a winner in this year's ASU Draw/Play Contest. The picture was actually drawn in the Spring of 2009, but awards were given during basketball season this year. We are so very proud of our artist!

Winter Fun Photos

2010-01-30T15:28:00.000-08:00

Winter Fun 2010

2010-01-30T15:21:00.000-08:00

Jonesboro (and most of Arkansas) was hit with the most snow we've seen in awhile yesterday. It was beautiful to watch it fall yesterday and we couldn't resist the urge to get out and play today. Blake grew up sledding on snow days and we recently got his old sleds from his parents,so we were excited to give it a try. Thankfully, we live in a neighborhood with lots of hills. We started out on the one closest to the house and ended up walking to try out some others. What fun!

My Christmas Cookie Party - Avery

2009-12-14T16:35:00.001-08:00

Last year I invited some friends over for a Christmas cookie party. This year it was even more fun. It was me , Mackenzie , Sarah Grace , Mary Beth , Laney, Jordyn , Betsy, and Victoria. So we were lucky and everyone arrived at about the same time. We did a lot making bracelets that turned out to be bookmarks , Cocoa making , cookie decorating , eating pizza , playing games , and finally a Christmas American Idol. Mary Beth , Mackenzie , and Victoria were judges. I played the guitar, Mackenzie used my guitar also, Sarah Grace announced , Mary Beth took pictures , taped , and judged , Laney sang and danced, Jordyn sang, Betsy sang and did a cheer, and Victoria judged. It was so much Fun!!!

Yes, We Celebrate Christmas

2009-12-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

Had to share another "Wil Story"...

Yesterday, I picked him up at Kindergarten and was met by one of the teacher's aides with a grim look on her face. "I need to ask you something", she said. "Is Wil allowed to watch Christmas movies?" I laughed and told her that we watch them nightly this time of year. Well, Wil had told them at indoor recess that he was not allowed to watch the Christmas movie they were showing! When we got to the car, I asked him why he said that he wasn't allowed to watch Christmas movies and this was his response...

"Well, that isn't exactly what I said. That movie was boring and I wanted to work on my roller coaster drawing, so I told her we didn't celebrate Christmas!"

My mouth hit the floor and I informed him that both Santa and God heard him say that! His reasoning turned out to be sound (in his eyes). Another little boy had told the teacher that and he got to do what he wanted. Granted, that little boy's family really might not have celebrated Christmas.... Never a dull moment with Wil!

Breakfast With Santa

2009-12-06T17:40:00.001-08:00

This was the 2nd year for our church to have "Breakfast With Santa" and we just couldn't wait to go! Unfortunately, Wil got sick on Friday and we told he had to stay home all weekend. Wil was very good about missing the event. He said that "after all, I saw Santa at the mall."

Avery and I attended the event on Saturday morning. We started with yummy pancakes and sausage and Avery enjoyed making various ornaments and decorating Christmas cookies. Thankfully, she was not too old too sit on Santa's lap. I was quite amused to hear her tell him that she wanted dolls for Christmas, since she told us that "all" she wanted was a Zune, cell phone and lap top!!!

Wil Words

2009-11-28T17:02:00.000-08:00

Tonight, Blake and Wil were watching a "World's Most Shocking Videos" show on Animal Planet. The second most shocking was about a python that was discovered in a neighborhood sporting suspicious bulge in its middle. Wil just couldn't wait to tell his sister about the story and what the "bulge" turned out to be. Went something like this...

Wil: Avery, you're not going to believe this!

Avery: What?

Wil: A hypothesis, that's a kind of snake, ate a cat!!!!

Avery: huh????

Background noise: Blake and I trying not to fall on the floor laughing!

Halloween

2009-11-08T14:17:00.001-08:00

Can't pass up posting a few pics of Dorothy and Power Ranger #5! We were so excited to have a real Halloween store in Jonesboro this year. Wil found his costume right away. Avery on the other hand had to search and search. She had wanted to be a gypsy, but that was about the only costume this store didn't have! She is also in that stage where many costumes were too baby-ish and many were too grown up! She finally decided to be Dorothy and I think she looked just beautiful! The only sad part of the whole holiday was Blake being sick with the flu. He wasn't able to attend Southwest's Fall Festival with us.

Welcome, Fall!

2009-10-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year! I have loved the past few weeks with the cooler weather. I have my pumpkin spice candles out and apple cider in the fridge at all times. We are slowly making the transition from summer to fall clothing in the closets and drawers. Both kids had a growth spurt recently, so a shopping trip in going to be needed to round out the wardrobes (at least until Christmas).
This past weekend we got to go to one of our absolute favorite fall events....The Goat Roast! We have been going to this event, hosted by family friends, since before Blake and I were married. Now, the kids look forward to it year round. Saturday, we made the trip to Hardy and enjoyed time at the Young's home. They have the most beautiful setting. We were able to sit in the sun room and use binoculars to watch wild turkey cross the pasture below. The food, well it is simply the best! Just imagine the best church potluck you've ever been to! I don't think I need to eat a thing this week after what all we had Saturday! My favorite thing this year was watching my children interact with the older people there. There were several older ladies that adopted Avery as an extra grandchild! She spent the evening showing them her digital camera and all the pictures she was taking (will add those to the site soon!). She just talked and talked to them! Wil did his job entertaining. One lady told me that another couple was unable to attend this year and that they was sad to miss "the boy"! Everyone remembered that he had started Kindergarten and wanted to know how it was going. Wil's other favorite is the Young's spiral staircase and loft. He has come home before with carpet burn on his stomach from sliding down the stairs!
Hooray for fall! We are looking forward to all the fall festivals, our fall outing to Six Flags in Dallas, the Miley Cyrus concert, Thanksgiving and Christmas (which Avery told me tonight was only 72 days away!).

First Day of School Pictures

2009-09-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Another School Year Begins

2009-09-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

It's funny how the beginning of a school year can make you totally forget things (like having a blog!). The Barnett's have had quite an interesting first few weeks. One new and wonderful thing is that Daddy is taking the kids to school in the morning! My school starts earlier than theirs do, so it is nearly impossible for me to drop off in the mornings. They have figured out their plan for the morning and all is going smoothly. Blake is enjoying the time with them. I am so thankful that he is in Jonesboro full time now!

Wil is enjoying Jonesboro Kindergarten Center very much. He is in Mrs. Star Martin's class. He has been doing very well behavior wise. He still doesn't like to come home and tell me all about his day, but I have learned that if I wait, he will eventually tell me. I especially enjoyed hearing about the day that they had a substitute. He said, "Mommy, she was old and didn't know what to do or when to do it!". Wil loves routines and I guess it was frustrating to him to have someone there that didn't know their routine. I hope he wasn't rude to her!

Avery is ecstatic about being in 4th grade at Visual and Performing Arts. The first day, she was beaming with joy as she told me, "we get to dissect Owl throw up!" Yes, you read that correctly.... This is the first year that she gets to switch classes during the day. She has Mrs. Clines for math and science and Mrs. Farris for language arts and social studies. She is also thrilled that it is time for after school academies to begin. Her first choice of the year is to learn about making movies! We somehow forgot to take her picture on her first day of school, but I had her recreate her outfit so I could take it. I will post that and pics from Wil's first day when I find the cord that hooks the camera up to the computer!

My first days of school were some that I will NEVER forget! The teachers returned to school a week before the kids. I worked for two days and came down with what I thought was a stomach virus. It was awful! I stayed home for two days and then headed back to work. I noticed that I was not feeling 100%, but thought it would just take some time since I had been so sick. WELL, on the first day for students, it hit me again! I was there for 1 hour before getting dizzy and light headed. I somehow managed to stay, although everyone was telling me I looked like a ghost. By the time Blake got home, I was ready to go to Urgent Care. After 3 hours of tests, we found out that my gallbladder was to blame! So.....after additional tests, I go to the surgeon on Tuesday to see when I can have it removed!!!! I will be so glad for this to be over. Everyone tells me that it is the best medical procedure in the world and I won't believe the difference. I can't wait!

Silver Dollar City

2009-07-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

This year's Barnett family vacation was a trip to Branson and Silver Dollar City. We had not been there in about 5 years, so we had so much fun looking forward to this trip. Avery was 4 the last time we went, so only remembered what she saw in pictures. Wil, being 1 on the last trip remembered nothing. We drove up on Friday afternoon, so that we would be ready to hit the park Saturday morning. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day, but that didn't slow us down much. We started out by touring Marvel Cave. It is a 1 hour hike with about 600 stairs. I had not done a cave tour since we went to Blanchard Springs as a kid. Avery and I were a little slow to get going when we stepped into the HUGE Cathedral Room and saw how far down it went. After a few flights of stairs, we were loving it. Wil, on the other hand, had a great time. He decided that he was just like Indiana Jones!

We spent all of Saturday and Sunday at SDC. The rides, shows and food were great! Avery really enjoyed all the water rides and both kids loved walking through Grandfather's Mansion, which made me incredibly dizzy! Monday morning, we did a little back to school shopping and then headed home. It was a nice getaway!

CRYC 2009

2009-07-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

For 5 years now, Avery has enjoyed spending a week at Crowley's Ridge Youth Camp each summer. It is the camp that Blake attended and served as a counselor at when he was growing up. One of Avery's ambitions is to be a counselor at CRYC when she is a teenager. This is her last year to attend day camp. Next year, we will drop her off and not see her for a week. I am sure she will handle that better than I will!

Birthday Party!

2009-07-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

Avery turned 9 on June 27th. Wil's 6th birthday is July 2, so we had a joint party at Pump It Up. The kids (and a few adults!) had a great time jumping and sliding. Since it was Avery's actual birthday, she got to choose where we ate all day long. After the party, we headed to Wendy's for lunch and then to Target and Wal-Mart for the kids to spend the small fortune that was gifted to them. It is so funny to me that Avery had planned to spend any birthday money to help pay for a camp that she wanted to attend, UNTIL she saw the money! All of the sudden, she didn't want to go that badly! After the shopping trip, we came home for a few hours to open toys and eat a piece of leftover cake and then headed to Mazzio's for dinner. A wonderful day. Wil gets to pick where we eat tomorrow since it is his day. Needless to say, I have gained back the three pounds that I had managed to lose!!!

My Summer So Far - By Avery

2009-06-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

So far this summer I got my hair cut the shortest it has ever been. It is right above my shoulder blade. I 've started guitar lessons at Back Beat. I got an acoustic Hannah Montana guitar. Sunday night my friend Mary Beth called. She said she wanted to have a sleep over. I was so exited. We went on her trampoline , played Nintendo and all sorts of stuff. Her older sister and her friends ran in the kitchen doing a race to get on the computer. In the morning We made play-doe. Once on the Trampoline, Mary Beth was on her club house that was a stack of bricks and I was on the trampoline, I tried to throw my shoes on the clubhouse. The first try it landed on the grass and her Golden Retriever hid it in the bushes and Mary Beth Had to crawl through and get it. In her basement ,on her radio we were singing and dancing to Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus CDs. We took very funny pictures on her camera. I am looking forward to the rest of summer.

Wil Goes For A Swim

2009-06-17T08:23:00.001-07:00

Wil took swimming lessons for the first time this summer. We decided he would do best with private lessons. He took lessons at the YMCA with Ms. Katie. I wish I could say that the lessons were a huge success and we will be headed to the Olympics one day, but I am afraid that is not the case! He did really well the first couple of days and then we had a weekend break. When we returned on Monday, fear had set in. The last three lessons were mostly spent trying to talk him into doing things! Even though it wasn't the huge success I was hoping for, it did get us up and out early (his lessons were at 8:45 a.m.!) and gave him a little experience!

Last week of school

2009-06-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

The last week of school was quite busy for the youngest Barnetts. Wil enjoyed several days of playing at Pre-K. One day was outdoor fun and it actually looked like they had brought Pump It Up to the Pre-K Center! Avery's last week was a flurry of activity. On Tuesday, they had an awards ceremony for P.E. Olympics, Mrs. Waddell's class won the Tug Of War award and they were the 3rd grade over all winners. Wednesday and Thursday, Mrs. Waddell let everyone bring board games. Avery was excited to take Mystery Date to enjoy with her friends. Thursday was also the Academic Awards. Avery got an award for the "A Team" for the Spring Semester (All A's) and a certificate for being on the A and B honor roll all year long. Friday was Fun Day at VPA. All students took a snack lunch and got to play outside, learn a dance or two, see a talent show put on by the teachers and listen to the Blue's Lady in concert. Avery was quite sad for 3rd grade to end. She had a wonderful year. We were very blessed for both our children to have the greatest teachers this year! Included in this post are a couple of pictures from the awards ceremony of Avery and her friends, Mary Beth and Mackenzie.

Thankful Thursday on Wednesday

2009-05-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

These days I never know what I will be doing. I have time to record my thankfulness today, so here goes:
1. I am thankful for the new bunk beds for the kids. They love them!
2. I am thankful that the new bunk beds are forcing me to clean and rearrange the upstairs. It needed to be done.
3. I am thankful the plumber was able to come today and fix the sink. Note to all reading this: Drano can eat through pipes!
4. I am thankful we are eating out tonight, because there are no clean dishes. (See #3)
5. I am thankful for Clorox wipes. They really are my cleaning tool of choice!
6. I am thankful Avery is old enough to help around the house and she normally does it with little complaining.
7. I am thankful for the wonderful school year both children have had. We have been truly blessed.
8. I am thankful for the school year I have had (for the most part!) and for getting to co-teach with my sweet friend, Ronda, for two years. I am so happy she is getting to be our counselor next year!
9. I am thankful for the chance to go to church tonight.
10. This is a given, I am SO THANKFUL that we have only 2 days of school left!

Pre-K Graduation

2009-05-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

Wil graduated from Pre-K yesterday! What an event! It took place in the cafeteria at the Kindergarten Center with 100 graduates. They marched in, through the crowd, to "Pomp and Circumstance" and Wil waved the whole way. Once on the stage, he did very well. He appeared to be a little sleepy. He would sing for a while, then yawn for a while. After a few songs, we went back to the classroom where Mrs. Christi handed out certificates and we enjoyed cookies. It has been a wonderful year. We are so happy with our decision to keep him in Pre-K another year, it has made a huge difference and I know he is excited for next year.

Mother's Day at Six Flags

2009-05-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day, Blake and the kids took me to St. Louis to visit Six Flags and one of our favorite hotels. We had a great time! Some of MY favorites from the trip were stopping at Dairy Queen on the way down Friday night for dinner and ice cream, riding Avery's favorite ride (the Colossus, a giant ferris wheel) , eating funnel cake, and Wil seeing his favorite character, Hawk Girl. Wil thought she would remember him from our last trip and he went up and said, "It's me, Wil Barnett, do you remember me?"!!! It was precious! We had a great weekend with great weather. It couldn't have been more perfect (unless you could remove the horrible allergy attack I had on Saturday!).

Miracle Worker

2009-04-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

I guess you could say that Avery is now a community theater veteran. She just completed her first play at the Forum. She played the part of a blind student in "The Miracle Worker". I can't begin to tell you what a positive experience it was! She truly loves theater! Last week was nothing but practice and performances and I don't remember a single complaint! All the older kids and adults in the play were so sweet to her and such good role models. The students weren't on stage much, so in between their part and curtain call, a couple of the older "students" spent time curling her hair and putting extra make up on her. I think she was like a real live doll to them! We are sad that it is over, but looking forward to what is to come. The next show up is "Beauty and the Beast." While it doesn't have parts for girls under age 15, we are looking forward to going to watch some of our new friends. Next school year, they will do "Snow White" and Avery is already planning for what she would like to be!!!!

Wil's Spring Musical

2009-04-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

Jonesboro Pre-K had their Spring Musicals last week. I got to go see Wil perform on Wednesday. It was so cute! They entered the room all wearing penguin hats. Wil wore his for all of 2 seconds and took it off. I was glad to see they were only wearing them for one song anyway. I, as always, picked the wrong seat, so the pictures aren't terrific. There are a couple from after the show that are cute. His favorite song from the performance seems to be the one titled, "The Mud Puddle Jumped On Me!" Ask him to sing it for you sometime!

Happy Easter

2009-04-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

Needles and Thread

2009-03-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

For several years now, Avery has said that her ambition is to be a fashion designer. During Spring Break, we finally got a chance to have our first sewing lesson. I will post pictures later, but she did a great job! She started by cutting out the pattern and fabric to make a pair of pants. She cuts straighter than I do! We then learned to load a bobbin and thread the needle. She did most of the sewing on her pants. I only helped with the "curvy parts". When all was done, she said that she, "mostly loved sewing although she was afraid at first that she was going to stick herself with a needle, but she didn't." Maybe we will all be wearing her creations one day! She tells me that if she is a designer, all her clothes will be stretchy!!!!

Wil Words

2009-03-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

We have been noticing lately that when Wil brushes his teeth by himself that his breath doesn't smell much better when he is done than when he started....anyone else ever have this experience? Well, last week Blake had had enough. He went in at bedtime to help Wil brush. Wil didn't exactly appreciate the help and wiggled the whole time Blake was brushing, which made it all the more uncomfortable. When he was done I went in to smooth things over with a whining boy and here is the conversation that followed:

Me: Wil, daddy just wants to teach you the right way to brush your teeth.

Wil: I don't want to be teached. I just want to be a normal kid! First school and now this!

What would be the fun in raising normal kids????

Six Flags 2009

2009-03-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well, as most of you know, we Barnetts love us a theme park. We have been getting season passes for Six Flags for most of Wil's life and go to DisneyWorld as often as possible. Last weekend was our first trip to 6 Flags of the year. Since we first purchased our passes at Six Flags Over Texas, this has to be our first destination year to pick up coupon books and all that great stuff. Normally, we try to make the pilgrimage to Dallas on a long weekend, but no time for that this year. We headed out at about 4:45 last Friday, stopped in Searcy to eat at Wendy's (mistakenly took the Race Street exit, which added many minutes to the trip!) and then arrived in Dallas a little after midnight. We spent the whole day in the park on Saturday with wonderful weather, just a little windy. Then woke up on Sunday, ate breakfast and headed home. On the way back I mentioned to Blake that it would be interesting to hear the kids talk about such trips when they are older. They will either think that we did some of the coolest stuff or that their parents completely lost their minds when they thought that Jonesboro to Dallas was a weekend trip! It is always so nice to just get out of town, away from all the obligations and enjoy being together. Many good memories from this trip, including Wil hitting on Hawk Girl ("You're Pretty!"), the kids pigging out on Dippin' Dots and Daddy creating a makeshift bench from the coffee table in our room so that we could all fit around the little table to enjoy sandwiches from the Subway next door to the hotel. Can't wait until our trip. I think they're taking me to Six Flags - St. Louis for Mother's Day.

Heard at school

2009-03-05T04:54:00.000-08:00

My children love the rare days when they get to come back to Annie Camp with me after school and play while I do work. Yesterday was one of those days. Avery loves to "play school" while we are there. That means Wil is her pupil. I sat down at my computer and she gathered books and got the board ready for school. She had Wil pick a seat and then started reading "Pink and Say" to him. She read a page or two and then asked, "Class, what does marauders mean?" Wil, answered, "Uh, I think it is a fancy word for head..." Of course, this was not correct and she told him in that sweet way that only a sister can, "Uh, NO!" Wil looked at me and said, "This school is NOT fun!" He then "dropped out" of school and proceeded to make a rocket out of my eraser and tops to Magic Markers.

"Well, at least it snowed"

2009-03-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it's good to be back. I have been meaning to work on the blog, but the last few weeks have been tough.

The Barnett Family has been pretty busy. Wil remains busy with school and building towers and other such things that a 5 year old would be concerned with. He keeps telling me that he is going to college when he is 15, to be an astronaut. I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

Avery has been really busy. She auditioned for "Miracle Worker" at the Forum on Friday night and found out today that she will be one of the students at the school. She is so excited. Nothing can put a bigger smile on her face than being in a production. She and Blake also got the chance to enjoy the Sugar Plum Banquet at church on Saturday evening. She had a wonderful time dressing up. They were introduced upon arrival with a "spotlight and everything!" She received a flower from daddy and he said some sweet words to her. I think she thought the words were embarrassing,but I have a feeling she will always remember what he said!

We topped off the weekend by spending March 1st in the snow! I think Blake and I were complaining a little too much about the road conditions on the way to church and we heard Wil from the backseat say "Well, at least it snowed." Yes, it did and there was enough to play in! We came straight in from church and built a snowman. It didn't quite take shape like we had hoped. It went from being a snowman to an igloo, then a mountain and finally, a robot, fireman snowman. Avery wouldn't let Wil and I go in until it was "perfect". She is the designer in the family! What a great weekend (oh, and we also got to spend time with Tennyson, Brody and our precious new cousin Wyatt!).

Pictures of playing in the snow are at the bottom of the page. Would love to add them right under this post, but don't know how! Help!

Ten Things Tuesday (Winter Blast 2009 Edition)

2009-02-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

A few things we are extra thankful for following a LONG week...
1. heat
2. satellite/cable (ok, we were always thankful for those..)
3. Mimi's house. She had 6-8 extra people sleeping over for an entire week! The kids are ready to go back.
4. Aunt Lisa, those of you who know us, know what I mean.
5. hot showers
6. cell phones
7. battery powered video games (for kids, not Blake)
8. people who get trees off of houses (we are also thankful that "Scyamore", our beloved Bradford Pear tree, survived the storm. Don't ask me why we name our trees, we just do!)
9. light! (Blake says he now understands why they were always outside on "Little House on the Prarie!"
10. Out of ideas, so I'll end with a quote from one of Wil's prayers that says it all (well almost) "God,I'm thankful for everybody and everything...Jesus' Name IS Amen."

Teacher Appreciation

2009-01-24T07:22:00.000-08:00

I know it is true that we appreciate our parents more when we become parents, but it can also be said that those of us who are teachers appreciate our teachers more, the longer we teach. (One a side note, I probably punctuated that sentence incorrectly, but I'm not working today so I don't care!)

This time of year is when I really start to appreciate Mrs. Bell. She was my yearbook sponsor. We had a wonderful time working on our yearbook pages and somehow, they magically became a beautiful keepsake for all students. Well, let me tell you, there is A LOT of work that goes into yearbooks! I am currently counting Who's Who votes. Remember Who's Who? That activity where you get to vote for Best Dressed, Most Athletic and so on... Counting those votes is no easy task! Especially when some of the 600+ students in your school think that you know who they mean when they put down "Katie" for Class Favorite, nevermind if there are 6 Katies in their grade! Sure would be helpful to have the super power of mind reading at times like these! Then there is the endless quest for pictures. You hate to leave anyone out, but I have found the collection of these priceless items to be hard to come by. Last, but certainly not least, we have to SELL the yearbooks! As kids we didn't care how many others bought one as long as we got ours and had something for people to sign on that glorious day in May. Little did we know that you have to sell a certain amount in order to get them at a good price. Factor in forgetfulness of kids and the economy, WOW! How nice that there was an adult to handle all those details. I just wish I had known that I was going to be the adult handling those details one day!

So as I endeavor to make sure that my kiddos have a yearbook worth keeping up with for the years to come...thank you Mrs. Bell and all the other sponsors who took care of the "details" so we could just enjoy!

Ten Things Tuesday

2009-01-20T17:40:00.000-08:00

Our family was blessed with a chance to go out of town for the weekend. Here are a few of the things we found to be thankful for on our trip to Branson.....
1. T.V.'s in the van.
2. The van. I never knew travel could be so nice!
3. Time for an adult conversation! Kids were distracted by #1.
4. Coats...it was cold!
5. Everyone agreeing on where to eat! This doesn't happen much!
6. An awesome breakfast at the hotel each morning.
7. Hotel for Dogs...one of two kid friendly movies playing.
8. Ride Makers - the boy equivalent to Build A Bear. Wil had the best time making a car and playing with it (with Daddy's help) in the hotel parking lot.
9. Time off at the same time.
10. Being back home!

Thankfulness

2009-01-13T13:54:00.001-08:00

I know that most of you call this "Ten Things Tuesday" and tell things that you are thankful for. I decided that I really needed to take part in this, especially considering my sarcasm laced previous post! (I should say "I'm Sorry" to my children who made read it in later years. Mommy is SO not perfect).

I am thankful for:
1. My husband's new job and how much he likes it.
2. Wil's hugs.
3. Avery's bedtime kisses.
4. My school....it is not a chore to go there everyday.
5. Crock pots. They are the only way I can get dinner on the table some nights.
6. Caffiene - enough said!
7. The devotional book that I friend gave me for Christmas. It gets me into God's Word everyday.
8. The biggest loser contest we are having at work. It is great motivation!
9. Avery's love of art and history.
10. Six Flags season passes.

Do You Ever?

2009-01-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have a day that makes you long for your childhood? You know, the days when all you had to do was play and eat and go to bed early? Sometimes I miss those days......getting up early because I want to watch cartoons, playing Barbies, coloring, bed by 8:30 (although I didn't like that at the time!)....those were good days.

Back to School????

2009-01-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

Ah, Arkansas weather....gotta love it. Wasn't it just a few days ago that we were able to be out without a coat? I do prefer it to be cold during winter, and this 70 degrees one day and freezing rain two days later is killing me!

We made it pretty well this morning. As predicted, I woke up to look at the clock starting at 2:30 and finally got up at 5:20. I held to my decision to exercise and did that by constantly moving while I watched an episode of "Wings". I am SO glad that there is a sitcom on at 5:30 in the morning! Everyone awoke with minor grumbling and, thanks to advanced planning, got dressed with no tears! Wil and I were out of the house by 7:05 (I have duty on Mondays this semester).

The morning went so well. I have new students this semester and enjoyed getting to know them. I asked each one to write a paragraph or two about goals that they have set for themselves either for this semester or for life in general. Some of them have some very interesting plans! I didn't even know it was raining when I heard that some schools were dismissing at 11:30! What a shock! We stuck it out until 1:30. I am guessing and hoping that we did this to avoid having to make up the day. Of course, this being my duty day, I had to stay until nearly 2:00 waiting for people to be picked up . Friends....if school is dismissed early, have someone pick up your kids and DO NOT allow them to stand on the steps of the school talking to friends while you wait in the car and teachers are turning blue and feeling guilty that their children are the last ones left at their own schools. Sorry for the rant, I know you are all responsible adults and don't need my reminders, but my feet are still frozen! We are all home now, wondering what tomorrow will bring. If schools are closed, do we sleep in or get up to stay with our routine? Decisions, decisions.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

Wow! 2009.....At our house, we're kind of glad to see it. Last year was a challenge at times. Let's reminisce, shall we? I started the year off laid up with a broken ankle. All is well now, but I have a pin, a plate and 6 screws left as an achy reminder on cold and rainy days, not to mention the 15 pounds I gained eating all the yummy food that my sweet friends brought! Then there was job change. Never a fun thing, especially when you aren't expecting it. We made it through and saw God at work in our lives. He has never failed us.

Enough of that! There were many wonderful memories in 2008! We took a trip to Disney World in March. It was Wil's first trip and we all had a blast. We are looking forward to our next opportunity to return. Avery continued her acting "career" as a cricket in Jonesboro High School's production of "Children of Eden" and as part of the elephant troop in Visual and Performing Arts' production of Disney's "Jungle Book Kids." She loves art and drama. VPA seems like a school that was made for her. I loved the day when she said, "I want to go to VPA every year, but they only have 2 things there that don't really go with the arts.....P.E. and math!" Yes, that's my daughter! We talked about how P.E. helps actors and dancers stay in shape and how math helps artists know how much to charge for their artwork and that made it okay.

Wil has had a great school year! Mrs. Christi and Mr. Brandon are the best! He has improved in so many areas where he once struggled. He is a local celebrity now! Well, at least to us. He had his picture in the Jonesboro Sun, building a spaceship in his classroom and he was on the 6 o'clock news as part of Pre-K's Community Helpers Parade. We also found out that he loves music. He has been taking Kindermusik and would love to learn to play the guitar. He is the funniest kid I think I've ever seen. I am trying my best to write down all the funny things he says. He is counting the days until he can learn to fly and be an astronaut!

With the new year, I have been thinking about resolutions. Of course, there's the all present lose weight and get in shape thing. I think what I would most like to do is pray more, worry less, smile more, and be a good example to my children of what it is to be a Christian wife and mother.....

Christmas

2008-12-27T16:34:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Christmas has come and gone! I hope everyone had a blessed holiday. This Christmas was way better than last year, no broken bones to report this Christmas! Some of the highlights of the season were Avery's first annual Christmas Cookie Party and Wil's singing. Avery hosted a party on the 19th and it was, without a doubt, the loudest thing I have ever experienced. Seven third grade girls squealed their way through ornament painting, cookie decorating and eating pizza. They had a wonderful time and we are already making plans to do it again next year. Wil loves music and his song of choice this year was "Deck the Halls." We had many sing-a-longs in the car and were so pleased that we managed to capture his singing on tape on Christmas Day.

Santa brought way too much as usual, but the kids are loving it. Avery added to her collection of Barbies and received a Hannah Montana acoustic guitar. Wil got lots of Transformers, a Space Mission set and a Nerf blaster that is as tall as he is. Mommy and Daddy are just wondering where we are going to put it all.

It's About Time

2008-12-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

We are finally entering the world of blogging. For over a year I have enjoyed keeping up with friends and family through many wonderful blogs. Friends have urged me many times to join in and I never quite talked myself into it. Well, that all changed a week or so ago when Avery saw me looking at the Barrett Family blog. She thought it was the neatest thing ever and wanted us to do one right away! She has reminded me daily for over a week now, so here we are! I will not promise weekly updates (especially when school is in session), but will do my best to share our family experiences.