The Armstrongs

Redeeming myself

2011-05-19T12:52:00.002-02:00

I'm giving this blogging thing one more try ... and in an effort to encourage myself to change, I'm starting over. You can find us here: Armstrong, Party of 5.

My baby boy ...

2009-12-20T15:57:00.002-02:00

... isn't a baby anymore. Today he's four. Happy Birthday, adorable, sweet, yet mischevious little devil of a child, Preston. We love and adore you more than you'll ever know.

Ten Years

2009-12-20T15:55:00.003-02:00

It's been 10 years since we said, "I do." Wow. It seems like yesterday. We were definitely made for each other as we are very different, but also very much alike. I couldn't imagine life without you.

Fall 2009 Soccer

2009-12-06T19:19:00.002-02:00

This fall we tried a new soccer league - a competitive soccer club. It was such a great learning experience for Kennedy. Most of the teams they played were much older and and the girls and boys (it is a co-ed league, though there are only girls on her team) were much taller and bigger. It was so fun to watch and we're looking forward to the spring session. Kennedy has also asked to play indoor soccer beginning in January, we're still undecided, but guess we'll need to make a decision soon.

Just wanted to say ...

2009-12-06T18:45:00.004-02:00

I know there's much catching up that needs to be done. I'm working on that, but before I do, I can't let today go by without sharing photos of my seven-year-old Kennedy with you. (Seven!!! How in the world did she get that old?!)

Happy birthday to the first of the two most wonderful gifts I've ever received ... sweet, beautiful Kennedy.

Caring. Affectionate. Considerate. Passionate. Responsible. Loving. Mature. Accepting. These are just a few of her wonderful traits. We are so thankful for her and all of the joy she brings to our lives.

It's been a while ...

2009-12-03T04:20:00.001-02:00

Yes, I know ... I'll be back soon ... hopefully ... until then, enjoy the new pictures of the kids in the header.

P's Big Day

2009-09-12T16:08:00.004-02:00

This past Wednesday, P. went to his first day of preschool at our church. He has been waiting for this day since last year, when K. began kindergarten. He was so excited and could hardly stop playing and talking with friends to tell me goodbye. He LOVES school and that makes me so happy.

My Angel

2009-08-08T18:48:00.005-02:00

It is very often that I call K. "angel" or "my angel." I do it so often that she believes she is a true angel sent to us from God. Who's going to argue with that? I can't say enough just how blessed I am to be K.'s mom. It is such a gift.

Recently she has become more aware of her cleft lip and palate, but only because other children (usually older children) have asked her about her scars (which truly are very minimal). In my explanations to her I tell her she was born with a broken lip that was shaped like a heart and that God gave us very special doctors to repair her lip to help her to eat, drink and speak more easily. She is completely satisfied with my response, which is the complete truth, and is so proud of her cleft. We tell her it only makes her more special.

At the end of her kindergarten school year, she met an adult at her school who was also born with cleft. She came home that day to tell me that she had met another special angel from God and she worked at her school. And added, "Can you believe it?" I was pretty close to tears.

This year she'll most likely have to deal with a lot more questions as she'll begin seeing an orthodontist soon and another surgery will be scheduled in the not-so-distant future (possibly within the next couple of years depending on growth, etc.) She has lost several "baby teeth" and her permanent teeth are arriving in all sorts of crazy directions.

I hope her confidence in herself only grows and that she'll be able to answer those tough questions like the angel she is. I couldn't be happier that she is proud of such a minor thing (her scars) that makes her different and that she is accepting of everyone and the things that make us all different. I wish more people could be just like her, including myself.

First Grade

2009-08-08T18:38:00.003-02:00

Our sweet girl is now in first grade. The first day of school was Aug. 6, which, in my opinion, is way too early. She had a great day and is so excited about what this year will bring. She is also very, very happy with her teacher, who was also my third grade teacher at a different school just a mere 23 years ago. I survived the day emotionally, but I'll admit - it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I had to fight very hard to hold back the tears. I can't stand that she is growing up so fast. P. starts preschool in Sept. He is more than ready to go. In fact, he tells me he wants to just go on to kindergarten. When that happens, be prepared - I'm going to be an emotional wreck!

Here's our girl on her first day:

At the beach with the Armstrongs

2009-08-08T18:17:00.003-02:00

In mid-July we took a nine-day trip to Florida. We spent the first four days in Seacreast by ourselves and spent the last five in Okaloosa Island with Mimi, Poppy, Aunt Les, Trey and Syd. We had so much fun and I have lots of pictures to prove it. The highlights included: getting caught in a storm on Seacrest Beach and having to wait for our "tram" (aka golf cart) in the pouring rain - it really was fun for all of us; watching the kids play in the fountains outside our condo; K. and P. perfecting their wave riding skills; Syd telling me to "c'mon, get in water, Brani!"; playing Rook and dominoes every night with Les and Trey; hunting for sand crabs with Poppy and the kids and their flashlights on the beach at night; taking the children out for their first putt putt golf game; and attempting the perfect beach photo of the entire family (see previous post).

Summer Vacation

2009-07-28T23:00:00.005-02:00

We're baaaack! Well, sort of. It's been a while, but for good reason ... we've been busy. Just when I thought things were going to slow down, it seems as if they've sped up. With two children, and yes I know people survive with many more, the days just aren't long enough. So far this summer we've enjoyed:

Picnics with friends

Birthdays (my nephew's, papaw's and R's birthdays)

Art Camp (K. only)
A trip to the beach for me with friends (and no children!)

New hair cuts (Preston got a mohawk that lasted a week - he wasn't a fan, but it was CUTE!)

Most weekends in the pool at Mimi's & Poppy's
Nine more days at the beach (five spent with the entire Armstrong family) - another post and 700 pictures more later, just kidding, I won't post all 700

Short trips to see friends
Vacation Bible School
Spending time as a family

Hope you too are having a great summer. Here we only have one more week until school begins for K. and another month until P. starts preschool (and I have an emotional breakdown). We plan to have as much fun as possible until then ...

Field Day

2009-05-22T13:24:00.003-02:00

Ahhh...the joys of school...one of those joys is Field Day. K. was so excited and talked for days about "that race, you know, the one where you put your feet in a bag?" The sack race. It was so fun to watch these adorable children participate in the events without an ounce of jealousy over who won and who lost. All participants were showered with applause after each event. I sure wish that would last...but I do know better than to believe it will. I am so thankful for K.'s school for allowing the parents to enjoy this day with our children. By the way, K. did win first place in "that race where you put your feet in a bag."

Violet, the newest family member

2009-05-22T12:53:00.004-02:00

Here she is...our sweet Violet.

Violet is a pure bred Brussels Griffon and came to us from our friends who have two of their own and then had four puppies. We were hesitant to get another puppy after our last experience (remember Rosie?), but did the research and chose a dog we thought would best fit our family. She's of the "toy" variety and is so darn cute. She is house broken already (we've had her for a week and she has had one accident) and will climb in her crate on her own for a nap and for the night. She loves to chew, but mostly she LOVES to curl up in someone's lap and be loved.

I do feel guilty for not rescuing a dog from the shelter, but at this time and without a huge yard in which a dog could run and play, choosing Violet was the best thing for us. By the way, Rosie now resides (as of last November) in Knoxville with a 12-year-old boy who has a big backyard in which she can go crazy (because that dog is CRAZY). Maybe I won't feel guilty afterall, I did rescue Rosie. Right?

Recital 2009

2009-05-22T12:35:00.003-02:00

K. beautifully danced with her friends and classmates at the Armfield Dance Academy's 2009 Recital last weekend. She takes both ballet and tap, but says her passion is hip hop (a class is offered by our good friend, but she is not yet old enough to enroll)...go figure. She loves to dance and we love watching her. I can't begin to tell you just how beautiful this child is both inside and out, but I will certainly show you just how beautiful she is on the outside...

Soccer, Grandmother and the Orange & White Game

2009-04-22T00:16:00.003-02:00

Random, I know, but all of these things filled our weekend. We were very excited to pick up Grandmother and enjoy time with her this past weekend. She was even able to watch Kennedy play soccer on a very beautiful day. I am very sorry that I did not get more pictures of her with the kids, but hopefully I will remember to do that next time. After K.'s soccer game we (just R., the kids and I) drove up for Fan Day at UT and the Orange & White game. We arrived too late for Fan Day, but ran into Smokey (actually two Smokies) as they were coming out the back gate of the practice field. This was the first trip to Neyland Stadium for both the kids (we like to enjoy the football games without having to worry about the kids being too hot, too tired, too cold or too bored). They had a great time and hopefully K. can make it back for a real game this fall. P. is still too impatient to sit through an entire game. He fell asleep in my lap after the first half of the game. It may be a couple more years before he attends a real game.

Junk

2009-04-21T23:56:00.004-02:00

We have too much junk, especially K. and P. A week ago I decided to clean out K.'s room and get rid of all of the unnecessary items and pack up the "heavy" winter clothes. I got in way over my head and ended up spending six hours in her room. I ended up with two storage containers of clothes (one to store for next year and one to pass along to our cousin), three trash bags of toys to donate, two bags of trash and a bag to send to the recycling center. I can't believe it was all in K.'s room, with the majority of it in her closet. Here's proof of the mess and the finished project. I didn't do before photos because I forgot, but as I stood trapped in the (empty) closet I yelled for K. to bring me the camera.

I did the same to P.'s room just a week before. I didn't take pictures while I was cleaning out his room, but I was able to donate five bags of toys to our church after I finished. It is so nice to declutter, yet K. and P. still have too much stuff for the spaces they have. Here's pictures of P.'s room. He has new bedding and will soon have a new bed (for now he is sleeping on K.'s trundle - I couldn't take the whole crib look anymore and the changing table, which was never used, was taking up space). I have also bought a few more organizational items that I need to put in there. I LOVE a clean and organized house.

Easter morning

2009-04-13T14:06:00.003-02:00

Everyone in our house rose early Easter morning to find goodies left behind by the Easter Bunny and then attend the early service at our church (the kids and I actually attended both services, but were working in the nursery - a.k.a. infant/toddler madhouse). After church we had an afternoon filled with food and family (and a much needed, long nap). Luckily, this year I was able to get pictures of the kids wearing their matching outfits (same ones as last year - did I mention that one of my New Year's resolutions was to spend less? Yeah, this made my husband EXTREMELY happy. We all have too much and take it all for granted, so I'm doing my best to simplify.) Since the outfits were a bit big in size last year and fit perfectly this year, there was no reason to spend another bizillion dollars for new ones. And did I mention that I LOVE them? (The kids and the outfits.)

Egg Hunting

2009-04-13T13:55:00.003-02:00

Each year our church hosts an Easter egg hunt at the home of the Mayfields. Last year we had great weather, but this year it was cool, windy and overcast. The kids still had fun. P. found one egg, that was enough for him, while K. found more than enough. When we got home she opened each plastic egg and would smell of the candy. K. told us that if it smelled like peanut butter she would eat it so brother couldn't eat it and get sick. Isn't she a great big sister?

Egg dying and tornado warnings

2009-04-13T13:18:00.003-02:00

On Good Friday we dyed eggs with our friends the McDonalds. The kids LOVED dying eggs, especially the girls. The boys don't have enough patience to sit through the dying of four dozen eggs. As we were wrapping up, the weather began to turn bad. We all ended up in the basement waiting out a tornado warning with no power. And just in time for the tornado warning, more friends arrived to wait it out with us. It was quite an adventure to be in such a small space with a three year old, a four year old and two dramatic six year olds, but we all survived, and fortunately we survived without any damage to our home or vehicles. Many people in our area could not say the same. A nearby house was damaged by a huge tree that fell through its roof. Please remember this family in your prayers as they will be out of their home for several months.

A new soccer season

2009-04-13T13:05:00.003-02:00

Soccer season began here a few weeks ago, but due to three cancellations, K.'s first game was last Thursday. The girls enjoyed themselves very much and each one of them did an excellent job. K. scored two goals. The first picture is P. giving her a good luck hug. Guess it worked. Their team won 4 -3.

Today - Remembering my mom

2009-03-16T12:31:00.008-02:00

Yes, I'm still here. And sorry, but this won't be your typical happy family post with lots of pictures of my beautiful children, but a way for me to share my thoughts of today. It's a tough day for me and for my brother, sister and anyone else who loved my mom.

Four years ago today my mother died. I was asleep in my sister's bed with K. and my niece L. It was a rough night and the girls weren't into sleeping, I was having a bit of trouble myself. Mom had been discharged from the hospital on Monday and was in the care of Hospice at my sister's house. Her dining room had been cleared to make way for the hospital bed and IVs that filled the small room.

That Monday, March 14, 2005, my mother was discharged from UT Medical Center and driven by ambulance to my sister's house. She was aware, awake and very quiet. She knew that death was near, but none of us expected just how soon it would come. She was told two-three weeks. That day I went home and looked forward to getting a good night's rest as I had spent every day and several nights at the hospital with her where neither of us slept. She had chosen to discontinue her dialysis treatments because the doctor had told her that she may die while in dialysis and she didn't want that, nor did we.

She was suffering from a complication from her diabetes - an infection that began as an abscess on her spinal cord and had spread throughout her body and into her brain. She had been in the hospital for a month in our hometown and due to the infection, was hallucinating and was unable to recognize any of us. We chose then to transfer her to UT Medical Center, where she could receive care from specialists. Once there the doctors were able find the source of the infection and put her on stronger antibiotics that helped to relieve some of the infection in her brain, but it was not able to heal her. After several days, my mom was back. She could carry on a normal conversation and knew everyone who visited. This was two weeks before her death. I thank God every day for those two weeks. If my mother had died unable to talk to us, it would have been much harder to cope with than it is now. We each had very meaningful conversations with mom during this time and she even helped us to plan for her funeral, a difficult task that was made much easier because of her planning.

The Tuesday before she died, I went to work at 7 a.m. so I could leave at 3 p.m. I had practically no vacation days left as I had spent most of them in the hospital with mom fearing each day would be her last. As I left work to pick up K. from daycare and head to my sister's, my sister called. Hospice had visited and shared with her that mom did not have as long as we had hoped. I had to pull off the road and puke. I picked up K. and drove down hoping she would wake up. She had slept most of the day, but had been up all night Monday night eating her favorite meal that my sister had prepared and playing cards with my brother. I regret to this day that I was not there Monday night. Mom did not wake up again on Tuesday.

My mother had many faithful and wonderful friends, two of them came to sit with her Tuesday night so my sister and I could try to rest. They woke us up around 5 a.m. to tell us that she had her eyes open. We ran to the room and at that moment heard her speak, we told her we loved her and she drew her last breath.

Almost everything afterwards is blurry. I do remember Hospice arriving and the men from the funeral home. And then the trip to the nursing home to share the news with my grandmother. It didn't seem real. The funeral was Friday and the burial on Saturday - two of the most difficult days of my life.

I miss my mom every day. She was so much fun. She wasn't strict and always gave me the freedom to do as I wanted. She always told me she would trust me until I gave her a reason not to. I never did. I respected her and knew that it wasn't easy for her to raise my sister, brother and me by herself. My mother was far from perfect. She wasn't a good housekeeper, nor did she keep normal hours. Her day began around 3 p.m. and lasted into the night. She slept while we were at school. She talked a lot and loved to gossip and was a wonderful cook. All of these things made her "Judy," and before I met my husband and had my own children, I loved her more than anything in the world.

I long to call her and just talk about simple everyday tasks. I want to tell her about my children and how well K. is doing in school. And ask her what I did to deserve such a wild child as P. I want to go shopping with her, one of her least favorite things to do, but nonetheless, she made it fun. I want to learn from her...she would always share recipes with me and she was great at sewing.

I know my mom is in heaven and one day I will see her again, but being the human that I am, it's not easy living on earth without her. I hope that each of you, who still have your mother on earth, tell her how thankful you are for everything she has done and will do for you. Never take a moment for granted.

Thank you for reading this never-ending post. I haven't talked about my mother's death with many people, well, pretty much no one. I'm a talker, but I can't talk about my feelings or emotions with anyone. It's a weakness of mine. This has been therapeutic and saved me $65. I promise pictures of K. and P. soon.

Three years old

2008-12-20T14:30:00.003-02:00

Today our baby boy turns three years old. He is growing up so fast. I say it a lot, but time does fly, especially with the second child. P. is so sweet, yet so stubborn, and all boy. We are so thankful that God made us his parents.

This morning we celebrated with the traditional train cake, though this year's was chocolate instead of vanilla, and opened a few presents. The rest of the day will be planned by P. I have a feeling we'll be visiting a few trains and may see a movie.

What do you do...

2008-12-13T11:41:00.002-02:00

When your feet are cold while you are decorating the Christmas tree? Put on a couple of stockings, of course.

Happy Birthday to you...

2008-12-13T11:31:00.003-02:00

Happy Birthday to K, only a week late. Last Saturday she celebrated her SIXTH birthday. It's so hard to believe she is six so soon. This year we took the kids to Disney as their birthday gifts and celebrated every day while we were there, so we are not hosting the string of parties that typically fill our December. Instead, K. got to pick what she wanted to do for the day. She chose to take her best friend, Kee, with her for a manicure, lunch and a movie. I was very much looking forward to such a fun girls day, and then the stomach virus hit me and I had to miss it all and most of the following four days (it was a very bad virus!). So, K. had a great "girls day" with her daddy, who graciously took his princess, Kee and P. for a manicure and on to lunch and a movie. K. had a great time, but I was very sad to have missed out on such a special day for her. I was able to crawl out of bed Monday to pick up cupcakes (there was no way I was baking and spreading the germs) and that night we all sang and she made her birthday wish for the year. Let's hope next Saturday brings a less eventful birthday for P.

A Good Citizen

2008-12-13T11:28:00.001-02:00

K. received the good citizen award for her class at the PTO meeting last Thursday. We're so proud and so blessed to have such a caring child.

Our Magical Vacation

2008-11-29T13:23:00.003-02:00

We just returned from our vacation to Walt Disney World. It was more than wonderful. R and I enjoyed it just as much as the kids. I took 700 photos and don't think I'll be able to post them all here, but I've included a few. I highly recommend Disney for a family vacation - everyone there treats each guest as if he or she is the only person there. The food is wonderful (definitely purchase the dining plan) and is way more than any person should eat on a daily basis. K enjoyed riding her first roller coaster - space mountain, and can't stop talking about how the Tower of Terror took her breath away. The lines for rides weren't bad (less than 10 minutes) when we first arrived, but were pretty crowded on Monday and Tuesday (Soarin'- in my opinion, the best ride there, had a 110 minute wait, luckily we had fast passes and only waited 10 minutes). We did have to wait to see several popular characters (an hour for Ariel and over an hour for Tinker Bell), but it was worth the wait. The kids LOVED seeing all of the characters. I'm certain we'll be talking about this trip for a long time.

Trick-or-Treat, a little late

2008-11-29T13:07:00.003-02:00

I tried to post these pictures earlier, as in a month ago, but blogger wasn't cooperating, so I got busy and forgot. Here are pictures of our "ThatMan" and "Sharpay with a broken arm."

A song or three for you...

2008-11-06T13:19:00.001-02:00

Here's P. He loves to sing...and to sing to his own tune...

VOTE

2008-11-04T12:50:00.002-02:00

This weekend...

2008-10-26T16:55:00.007-02:00

We went out to eat and bowling to celebrate my birthday.

And visited the pumpkin patch with our friends and family.

Soccer

2008-10-18T15:58:00.002-02:00

K.'s soccer days are over for this season, but in the first three games she scored 17 goals - more than she scored in the first two seasons combined. She was doing very well this year and we're looking forward to the spring soccer season. These pictures are from her first game.

Finally fall

2008-10-18T15:01:00.005-02:00

It's finally fall here; thank goodness. After several days in the 90s, the high today is suppose to be 61. We're loving it, but loving it while we're indoors...

I haven't posted in a while as our busy-as-usual schedules have kept me a little less than eager to sit down and write. Then it was the normal virus passing that has kept us on our toes. K. has brought home two viruses from kindergarten and thankfully P. has managed to only get one of them. Now we're on to bigger things, which will slow down our lives considerably...K. has a broken arm. Ballet, tap and soccer will have to be put on hold for the next six weeks or so.

This past Wednesday our sitter called me at work. She had just picked up K. from school and they were playing on the school's playground - just like they normally do when the weather is great and time allows. In the background I hear K. screaming. She fell off of the jungle gym and caught herself with her left arm. I immediately left work and met them there. Luckily - this was seriously a gift from God-the kids' pediatrician was there and called the hospital to let them know we would be there for Xrays. There was no waiting and we knew it was broken in less than 2o minutes. A radiologist and an orthopedic surgeon viewed the films and sent her to the local Children's Hospital (an hour north). We got there and did not have to wait (thanks again to the pediatrician for calling ahead for us). She had more Xrays and then was splinted and sent upstairs to her room. Thursday evening she had surgery to insert two pins to hold the bone in place and next Friday she'll have her pins Xrayed again and she'll get a cast (a pink one, she says). Two weeks after that the pins will be removed and she'll be put into another cast that she will wear for two to three more weeks. She has done very well, but is in pain. She's not quite use to the sling or the cast or having to maneuver with one arm. She will return to school Monday, but with activity restrictions - no gym or recess.

We are very lucky to have such awesome friends and family who have already done so much for K. and the rest of us. Thanks to all of you for gifts, balloons and food. This was K.'s eighth surgery, and I must say, it doesn't get any easier with the eighth than it was with the first, at least not for me. She did great and yelled, "I love you, Mom!" as they wheeled her off to surgery. I'm sure she knew I needed that.

Here are a few pictures of our sweet baby girl and her surprisingly super sweet brother (he has been so well behaved that we think he must be under a spell or something).

By the way, K. wants to go back to the hospital to stay. She says they have the most "comfy beds ever."

Craziness at the pump

2008-09-12T14:15:00.004-02:00

Last night, after we left Open House at K's school (which went very well, as expected), we stopped at the gas station and there were cars lined up four cars deep at each pump. Apparently everyone got the message that gas prices were expected to soar at midnight. So we got in line. We were the third vehicle in line going one direction and there was another car going the opposite direction. The car filling up finishes and the two cars in front of us waiting pull forward at the same time. They meet in the middle and neither can make the pump reach their respective tanks. So the car with the teenagers (the one going the wrong direction in the first place) backs up and makes room for the oversized truck, but the girl from the car gets out and waits by the pump, as to stake her place in line. We are still waiting. Approximately 10 minutes have passed since we first arrived and the truck is finished filling up and I need to pull forward to make room for another oversized farm truck to get out without hitting my car. As I begin to pull forward the teenage girl jumps in front of my BIG SUV and throws her arms out. Can you believe this? I'm not even close to pulling up to the pump, nor did I have any intentions of doing so...I'm fair when it comes to waiting in lines and believe everyone should receive service on a first-come-first-serve basis. I proceed to roll my window down to tell the girl to move because I'm about to get hit and she lets me know that she has been waiting for over an hour. I would have liked to have said more, but I bit my tongue and got out of the way of the huge truck. I thought gas station drama like this only happened in big cities, but I was wrong...it also happens right here in rural, small town Tennessee. I think next time I'll just pay the extra $$ per gallon and go the next day. Ridiculous.

The pictures are from the gas station where we waited. Most of the cars are going the opposite direction and are lined up on the highway shoulder. A couple of stations in town ran out of gas and one raised prices to $4.79/gallon ($1.10 more per gallon than all other stations). I wish I had taken a picture of the girl with her arms out (and her boyfriend who was about to blow the place up as he smoked his cigarette near the pump), but you can see her sitting by the pump waiting her turn.

We're counting down...

2008-09-01T19:18:00.002-02:00

Only 2 hours and 40 minutes until kick-off...

By the way, K. wanted to know if we were going to the game tonight and has been very disappointed ever since I told her no. She has asked everyone we have seen today, "how far is California?"

Go Vols!

The ankle bracelet

2008-09-01T11:00:00.004-02:00

This summer while attending Bible School at our church, K. made an ankle bracelet. She wore it for a couple of days, but it broke after a full day of swimming. To say the least, she was upset. I tried to re-string it to no avail. She talked about wanting another one, but I wasn't sure about what beads went where and we lost a few to the pool.

So, a couple of weeks ago her Sunday School teacher (who was also the VBS art teacher) had the supplies and made her another one. She was so excited; she'd have her bracelet for the first day of school. K. has worn it every day and has refused to take it off, even when dressing for ballet and having to wear tights, which can be difficult with a chunky bracelet on your ankle.

The other night I suggested we take it off and she looked at me very seriously and said, "please no." I asked her why that bracelet meant so much to her and she proceeded to tell me that when she wears it she is reminded that Jesus loves her and that He helped others and He wants her to help others, too. I sat there with tears in my eyes and my mouth open. I had no idea that she had made any sort of connection with her bracelet, I thought it was a fashion statement. Do I even have to tell you how this made me feel? K. is so special and to know that she wants to live for God and show others his love at age 5...well, what more could a mother ask for?

By the way, she'll be wearing that bracelet for as long as she likes. I'll even add length to it as needed. :-)

My favorite boy...

2008-08-31T10:19:00.002-02:00

is a superhero...

with great fashion sense.

Breakfast of champions...

2008-08-30T10:55:00.002-02:00

Spicy Italian thin crust pizza from Papa John's. Just proof that I really am a good mother. And here's P's reaction: "Delicious, Mom! I love it." K is at a friend's house. She would never approve.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

2008-08-29T14:34:00.003-02:00

I ran across this site today and thought it would be fun to try it out...it turned out pretty funny. It told me that I also favored two men - Jon Bon Jovi and the cute gardener guy from Desperate Housewives.

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Roots - Descendents

It's back...

2008-08-16T15:18:00.002-02:00

the side ponytail. Isn't it just as lovely as it was in the '80s?

Have you seen these?

2008-08-15T15:52:00.004-02:00

Photo from www.allthingscupcake.com

Check them out here at All Things Cupcake. (Check this site for other cool cupcake ideas, too.) I've got to make them, but I may have to try something other than peanut butter buttercream. Even though it makes my mouth water, peanut butter makes my head and stomach hurt even worse (darn allergies!). And we'll not even go into what it does to P.- poor guy will never be able to enjoy the goodness of peanut butter.

The third day of school...

2008-08-15T15:00:00.003-02:00

Apparently I could only hold in the sobbing for so long, and today after I dropped K. off at the door of her school (they requested we not walk them to the classroom after Wednesday) I started. I cried all the way home. It's so hard to let go. And for those of you who are not there yet...just wait. K. has attended day care or preschool since she was an infant, but this is different. In kindergarten there's a little less protection, and independence is a requirement. And while K. is full of independence, I still have a hard time thinking of her having to take care of her own lunch needs (opening the thermos, making her own decisions of what to eat first - by the way, the fruit snacks are the only items entirely eaten each day - etc.)and finding her own way down that long hallway to her classroom, alone.

When I pick her up, well, that's another story. It's almost as if I can't get enough of what she has to tell me. I get so excited just to see her. Man, she really is the best thing (besides her brother, whom I love just as much)in the whole world.

In case you're wondering why it's only her third day of school, her class is split by last name and they only attend every other day until next Friday when she will begin full days of class every day. Yeah, I'll probably cry that day, too.

The first day of school

2008-08-11T12:17:00.006-02:00

Today our baby started kindergarten. She was so excited that I think she told me she was excited at least 10 times this morning. She was great when I dropped her off and I did better than I expected. (There were tears in my eyes, but there was no loud sobbing.) Here are a few pictures from this morning. She asked me not to take any, but I couldn't help it. How could I not take pictures of her first day of school? By the way, P. is walking around saying, "When are we going to get sissy? I want sissy to come home." He's going to miss her while she's in school.

School supplies

2008-08-11T12:10:00.002-02:00

Isn't shopping for clothes and supplies one of the best things about starting school?

Playing with Cousin Syd

2008-07-24T19:33:00.002-02:00

Cousin Syd came over for an hour this afternoon and the kids all had such a good time. Syd didn't want to leave, and honestly, we didn't want her to either.

Earrings

2008-07-24T19:30:00.001-02:00

Today K. got her ears pierced without even a whimper about the pain. She's so proud and has shown everyone we have ran into today.

Your turn...

2008-07-22T21:17:00.004-02:00

P. is obsessed with these goggles/mask that R. used to go four-wheeling (more appropriately called 4-wheelin' where we live) last Saturday. He wants me to wear whichever one he isn't wearing at the moment. And K. was excited to use my camera to take our photo (at P.'s request). Yeah, I know I look like a weirdo, but anything for the kids, right?

In training...

2008-07-22T21:05:00.004-02:00

This weekend, amidst the chaos of everything else going on, P. decides he wants to start potty training. We've tried it before now, but he wasn't ready and I'm not into pushing him. He's doing great - only two accidents today. He's loving his Cars pull-ups and we're going to start with underwear on Thursday when I'm off from work for an extra long weekend. Wish us luck.

My camera obsession...

2008-07-22T20:44:00.005-02:00

Sometimes I can't help but take 100s of photos in a teeny-tiny amount of time. My children grow a little tired of it, but to me these are memories of their current ages and stages of their lives. I love unposed, in the moment photos. Here's a few I took Sunday.

Raising a boy...

2008-07-22T19:44:00.004-02:00

is so very different from raising a girl. I am learning the many differences daily. For example, notice anything different here?

Surprise!

2008-07-21T19:24:00.004-02:00

As you can see, we couldn't wait to cut into the cookie cake. We all had a slice Friday night. ;-)

Our Saturday night plans were all a hoax (as most of you know) - R.'s parents and I hosted a surprise party for him instead of the "family meal" we were trying to pass off. I think we did OK, but he was certainly suspicious. I didn't get a ton of great pictures because I was a little busy running around, so I'll post more when others email them to me.

Hope you had a great birthday, R. We love you.

In the strangest places...

2008-07-18T22:49:00.004-02:00

It seems I often find my children in strange places within our house. The other night I walked into K.'s room after I had put away the laundry and found them here:

They were watching a movie while sitting in the laundry baskets. P. said he was pretending to be a puppy in his puppy bed. K. said this was her new bed. I hope the economy doesn't get that bad.

Getting ready for the big 3-0...

2008-07-18T22:31:00.003-02:00

Tonight I've been baking for our little family celebration that will take place tomorrow. Saturday night we'll join R.'s parents and our good friends Chris and Sara and their baby R. to celebrate R.'s turning 30. This year I couldn't just make him one cake; I had to make two. I hope we can make it until tomorrow before we cut into them...

This is the cake I saw here and couldn't wait to make.

This is a giant chocolate chip cookie cake found here. I made it last year and it was a huge hit.

Another first...

2008-07-06T22:23:00.003-02:00

Tonight K. lost her first tooth. We're all so excited, especially K., who is eagerly awaiting the Tooth Fairy's arrival.

Baking

2008-06-19T23:37:00.006-02:00

I love to bake. It's my creative outlet. Lately, I've been visiting this blog and was inspired to make these:

They're cake balls. I made them with strawberry cake and icing, then dipped the balls in white chocolate. I ran out of the white chocolate, but I don't think that will stop my family from finishing them off. I can't wait to try more of the recipes on the Bakerella site. I have my eye on a cake recipe for R.'s birthday... and I've already began brainstorming new cake ball flavors - German Chocolate sounds pretty tempting.

Swimming

2008-06-19T23:29:00.002-02:00

I'm trying hard to not post as many pictures of the kids in the pool as I did last year, and as a result, I don't think I've posted any. So here you go...pictures of my beautiful children in the pool. K. is swimming sans floaties this year and is doing a great job. P. is still floating and splashing along.

Then...

2008-06-12T19:43:00.002-02:00

I made two more dresses with the same pattern. After that, I used the last pillowcase to make these adorable pajama pants. I'm now addicted to sewing.

And sew it begins...

2008-06-12T16:06:00.002-02:00

Today I completed my first project with my hand-me-down machine (a big thanks to my cousin and aunt for the sewing machine). I wanted to start simple, so here's K. modeling her new dress and matching purse.

BBQ

2008-06-06T10:41:00.005-02:00

R. and I hosted a cookout the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend (I'm a bit behind, can you tell?). We had a ton of people over and even more food. We had a great time visiting with friends we haven't seen in a while and getting to see their children. There were a lot of children - they almost outnumbered the adults. Thank goodness for our babysitters, who played with the kids and provided us with the opportunity talk about old times.

Creative

2008-06-06T10:33:00.003-02:00

K. is very much into dressing up and has been for a while. A few weeks ago she was watching a program on TLC about brides and was inspired to dress like one. Don't you love her veil? She placed the paper towel, I mean veil, on her head with bobby pins. R. and I couldn't stop laughing, especially when she began posing for the pictures.

Rainbow Island Dancer

2008-06-06T10:21:00.002-02:00

K. had a dance recital a couple of weeks ago. She looked adorable and did an awesome job. She really gets into her dancing - she's very energetic and even sings along as she dances. She's hilarious.

P. and Rosie

2008-05-23T18:56:00.005-02:00

Today as I was baking for some friends, the house was eerily quiet. When P.'s not napping the house is never quiet. So I began looking for him; he was suppose to be downstairs playing with his sister. Here's where I found him:

Sitting under the dining room table. Rosie was with him. The quiet of my house didn't last long after I found him. They went right back to playing. P. is crazy about her and often carries her like a baby, telling her, "It's alright baby dog." What a sweetie.

The new look

2008-05-22T19:08:00.003-02:00

P. has a new look...I had his hair cut shorter for summer and he looks so much older now than he did before he climbed in that big chair for the cut. The stylist threatened me and told me that if I was going to cry I had to go home. I made it without shedding even one tear.

These pictures were taken at home after his bath. K. and I were experimenting with the styles.

We're going to Disney World!

2008-05-22T19:05:00.002-02:00

Not yet, but in 183 days. We're all so excited. I think I'm more excited than everyone else. I'm 29 and I've never been. The Disney sales rep. was laughing at my excitement as I booked the trip. I couldn't stop with the shrieks of excitement. Hope you guys are as excited about your upcoming vacations.

A new cousin

2008-05-19T12:50:00.001-02:00

We have a new cousin, Clara Ruth, born May 15. Click here to see sweet pictures of her and her brother, John. We can't wait to meet you, Clara!

P.P.O.P.G.

2008-05-18T21:49:00.004-02:00

As of Friday, we're "Proud Parents of a Preschool Graduate." K.'s big day at preschool was so sweet. The entire class sang songs and then each child was awarded a diploma. We had a little celebration lunch following the big event. I still don't think she understands that she's completely finished with preschool. She just told me that she was going to look for ladybugs on the playground tomorrow.

This is a blurry picture of P. yelling, "that my sissy!" He was so proud.

This is K. and her best friend, Kee.

Catching up...

2008-05-18T21:05:00.005-02:00

It's been a while since our last post. Sorry. It's been a little crazy. It's that time of year where work, dance rehearsal/photos/recitals, soccer games/practice, etc. consume every moment of our time. It's fun, but we can't wait for summer when we take a break from it all.

So, here's what has been going on...

K. went to the dentist for the first time and had an excellent report. She did great and loved wearing the sunglasses provided by the hygienist during her cleaning. The dentist commented that she acted as if she had never seen her own teeth before (as she was gazing into the mirror admiring how "sparkly" her teeth were). I told him that she's just like that.

P. had his first visit with the dermatologist and, WOW, was it a trip. He got car sick on the way up and we were less than a block from the doctor's office when his entire breakfast filled the car seat. And being the good, prepared mom that I am, I had no spare set of clothes. I took him in stripped him down and cleaned him up. The receptionist gave me a gown for him, but he refused to wear it and it was a nice 40 degrees that day. The nurse treated me as if I was a horrible person. I wanted to ask her to take a look in the trash bag I was toting around, you know, so she could have as good a day as I was having. As we were leaving (after I used every baby wipe in the car to clean out his car seat) K. said, "hey, can we stop at Chick-fil-A?" My response was, "Can you honestly eat with that smell in here?" She did and so did P. I don't think I ate for two days. By the way, he has some new meds and they are working for now, but we've been down this road before...steroids, creams, etc. work on the eczema for about 3 - 6 weeks and then it's back to the awful break outs.

K. is registered for kindergarten and I survived it. I held back the tears and made it through the hour-long process without embarrassing her. As we were walking out of her soon-to-be school, she said, "Mom, why are there so many big kids here? When will I be big?" That's when the tears began to fill my eyes, and I said, "Oh, honey, you are big. This will be your school in just four short months." Begin praying now for my mental health in August...

I survived another wild weekend at work - commencement weekend, which is followed by our biggest fund-raising event, a golf tournament.

K. is wrapping up dance and soccer. She had her first dance event this year and did a great job. It was the same evening as her last soccer game. (She's getting pretty good at getting dressed in the car.) At the final game she scored two goals and afterwards the entire team received medals.

Rosebud, now called Rosie for short, has sprouted and is growing like a weed. So is her personality. She's a bit feisty. I think she gets it from her Momma K.
R. is working like crazy and we haven't seen very much of him lately.

The Price family visited for a weekend and we had a great time as usual.

K. and P. are fighting more. Yeah, this is fun. K. has posted a sign on her bedroom door that reads, "No Boys Allowed." I thought this would happen a few years down the road, but not at age five.

I know I'm leaving out lots of things, but I'm sure you're tired of reading by now...so, here's a few pictures.

Meet Rosebud

2008-04-24T23:58:00.003-02:00

Here's the newest member of the Armstrong family: Rosebud (aka Rosebutt to P.). She's about 4" tall and less than 9" long, solid white with a tiny tan-colored spot on the top of her head. She has bright blue eyes and a playful spirit. We're very excited to have her.

K. and I adopted Rosebud from the shelter this week, so we have no idea of her breed. She had a brother and sister, who were equally adorable, but we knew R. would not be happy with us if we brought home all three puppies. We can't wait for you all to meet her face-to-face.

Fancy

2008-04-24T23:56:00.001-02:00

...even on the soccer field.

How we spent the weekend

2008-04-13T22:07:00.008-02:00

::Baking ::Spending time with new friends ::Cheering for K. at her soccer game ::Shopping ::Playing in the backyard ::Treating boo-boos ::Learning to swing properly ::Hanging out with Mimi & Poppy ::Going to church ::Visiting with old friends {Thanks for stopping by Tommy & Sara!}

BubbleShare: Share photos - Find great Clip Art Images.

K. the Author

2008-04-13T21:41:00.004-02:00

K.'s latest obsession is writing short stories, mostly about brides, grooms, wives, husbands and babies. She does her own illustrations while I serve as typist/writer/editor (I find myself taking out a lot of "and." If I didn't, it would be one giant run-on sentence). I also spend a lot of time spelling words for her to write on her own, which is always fun. {Mom, how do you spell...happily ever after? husband? Marabelle?}

R. and I almost laughed out loud today during church as she was drawing what we thought was Frankenstein and his bride (by the way, it wasn't Frankenstein, she named the groom after her father).

Here's her latest for your enjoyment:

This girl loves a husband. She loves adventures and she likes singing. Her husband's name is Vin. Her name is Vavelle. {don't ask me where she gets these names...the girl has an imagination.} She is singing her lovely song, "I Believe in You." She loves her husband. She's going to have a baby after a long time and she's going to live happily ever after. Her husband says on her wedding day, "would you be my wife?" She says, "Yes, would you be my husband?" They live happily ever after. The end.

More Soccer

2008-03-29T15:00:00.003-02:00

Today K. played her first game of the spring season. She played very well and even scored a GOAL! She was so excited (see picture of her jumping up and down). The Tornadoes, as the team is named, is such a small team, but they really did a great job today against a team of very tall 4-6 year olds.

Sweet Sixteen

2008-03-28T23:59:00.004-02:00

The Vols made it to the Sweet Sixteen and so did we. We drove to Charlotte Thursday with a couple of friends and stayed up very late to watch the Vols play the University of Louisville. The Vols, well, you could say they didn't have their best game. And even though it was a wild day (five+ hour drive with pretty bad traffic due to construction, hour wait to get our food at the restaurant that made us miss half of the UNC vs. Washington game, etc.) and didn't end so well for us Vol fans, we still managed to have a good time.

Easter morning

2008-03-24T10:40:00.006-02:00

I hope you all had a great Easter. We certainly did. P. was up bright and early because he didn't have a pacifier (see previous post). He remembered where he left them and ran straight to his basket. He dumped everything out, including the "grass," and was quite upset when he realized they were gone. He later got over it and was excited about his chocolate bunny, but I don't think that happened until after church or maybe this morning...

Luckily, K. was a little more excited about the contents of her basket. She has now asked to eat the chocolate bunny at least 100 times, including just a few minutes ago when she asked if she could eat it for breakfast. I had to laugh. Who does she think I am? Aunt Brooke?

And here we are in our Easter attire. Cooperation is not a part of my children's vocabulary, so this is as good as it gets.

A gift for E.B.

2008-03-24T10:35:00.002-02:00

P. has made a big step toward becoming a "bigger boy." For Easter he left the Easter Bunny a gift...his "doo-doos" (pacifiers) to give to babies who need them. He has done well, but naptime was hard yesterday. He did great last night and we're looking forward to even better nights and naptimes ahead.

The Great Hunt

2008-03-22T17:32:00.004-02:00

Today we took the babes to our church Easter egg hunt at the Mayfield's. They had an awesome time and I was very happy to get several great pictures. The highlight: ice cream from Mr. Mayfield.

And I need to do a little bragging on K., you know, because that's what parents do. There was a little boy there crying because he only found one egg. Without any urging or being told to do so, K. went up to him and put four of her eggs in his basket and said, "there you go." We were so proud of her for being so unselfish and giving.

Eggs

2008-03-22T17:26:00.002-02:00

Last night I had the pleasure of dying eggs alone. K. dyed eggs last week with Miss C. and then picked out glitter eggs to dye for today's big hunt. Unfortunately, after the babes were in bed I realized there would not be enough time to dye them and dry them before we had to drop them off this morning, so I decided to do some quick dying myself. This first egg is my favorite. After I dropped it in the glitter mix and pulled it out, it appeared fuzzy because it took all of the glitter. There was hardly any left for the others.

Happy egg dying, hiding and hunting.

Family lunch

2008-03-18T13:25:00.003-02:00

Sunday we had the pleasure of eating lunch with Nana/Grandmother, Mimi, Aunt Jeannie, Uncle James, Aunt Les and Cousin Syd. We had a great time and enjoyed spending time with the family. P. and Syd had a little too much fun during lunch and passed out on the way home. Thanks guys for meeting us for lunch!

Favorite shoes

2008-03-09T15:30:00.002-02:00

P. is into making fashion statements. We can't go anywhere without him wearing these shoes.

This morning...

2008-03-08T19:12:00.003-02:00

We woke up to snow. It was beautiful. We went to a birthday party at 11 a.m. and everything around us was white. By 1 p.m. it was gone. We thought the kids would actually get to sled for the first time...not a chance.

Our babes enjoying the snowfall.

This is our front yard at 9 a.m. There was much more snow in the backyard.

This is our front yard at 4 p.m. today. Bummer.

Soccer and the new "do"

2008-03-07T10:24:00.003-02:00

Yesterday K. had her first soccer practice for the Spring season and P. received a shorter hair cut. I couldn't help but share these cute pictures.

"Vee-got!"

2008-03-05T23:11:00.002-02:00

Here's a conversation that just took place between K. and me:

K.: Momma! Momma! I just heard my song from dance class on a commercial. They said, "Aaahh, Vee-got!"

Me: Um, K., could they have been singing, "Aaahh, freak out!"

K.: No, it was "Vee-got!" I heard it.

Proof that she's her father's child. Yes, even the music whiz himself has been a little confused with lyrics. I'll never let him forget, "hold me close I'm tired of dancing." (R.'s lyrics to "Tiny Dancer.")

Cookie Monster

2008-03-05T22:32:00.003-02:00

Seems we have our very own Cookie Monster in the house. Two nights ago I caught him red-handed and full-mouthed stealing raw Pillsbury sugar cookies from a baking sheet. Luckily my camera was handy and I was able to snap a few pictures for evidence. Can you believe the expression on his face? I don't know if they are expressions of "I didn't do it!" or "I'm busted!" And the last, well, I was laughing too hard for him to think he was in trouble so he continued to eat his third raw cookie.

More Birthdays

2008-03-05T22:25:00.006-02:00

In addition to the millions of birthdays celebrated in December, we celebrate four more immediate-family birthdays in February and March. First up is Mamaw Gail, followed by Cousin Lil, next is Aunt Leslie and finishing up the streak is Aunt Brooke. Unfortunately, Cousin Lil is the only one still celebrating like a child (she's 5 and everyone else, well, let's just say that mid-20s are a thing of the past). These are a few pictures from Lil's big bash.

Decorating cookies.

Thanks, Papaw, for the spoonful of icing.

This is Brooke. Not me. Isn't it scary how much we look alike?

The birthday girl.

That was good.

Snow

2008-02-27T12:15:00.004-02:00

This morning it is flurrying at our house. After catching a glimpse of the snow through the kitchen window, K. got very excited and started yelling, "Momma, I knew it would snow! I dreamed about it last night!" I didn't even mention the possibility of snow to her last night because I didn't want to get her hopes up. There's barely a dusting on the ground, but as she was standing at the window, she said, "God, please let the snow stay on the ground. I have never built a snowman before." She makes my heart melt. And unfortunately, the sun is making an appearance and melting the snow. I don't think there will be any snowmen built at our house tonight.

"Tagged"

2008-02-15T14:07:00.003-02:00

Lori tagged me, B., to list six of my "quirks/random habits." Here they are:

1. I'm a neat freak, to the point where I drive my family crazy and my husband says, "please tell me you're not in that mood." Meaning: please don't go all psycho on us about cleaning up our messes. I'm forever picking up things and putting things away, to the point that some days I can't even sit down and relax. I'm working on this...today would be a good example of my trying to improve. The house is a wreck and I'm on the computer.

2. I bite my nails. It's disgusting, I know. And I'm such a freak about germs, yet I can't stop. Oh, and it absolutely disgusts me to see others bite their nails. I gave up biting my nails for Lent, it's one of the hardest things for me, in hopes of stopping for good. I've tried this before; it didn't work.

3. I love to read blogs. All sorts, but especially cooking and home improvement ones. I stay up at night reading them. Am I a weirdo?

4. To go along with the home improvement blogs, I often visit Lowe's and pick out paint colors and new counters for my kitchen and bathrooms, even though I have no intentions of painting or replacing the counters. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to do those things, but with little time or extra money to put towards most of those projects, I don't. So I just spend a lot of wasted time thinking about it. ;-)

5. Back to the germ thing...I wash my hands at least 10 times while preparing supper, in addition to the 1,000 other times a day that I'm washing or using hand sanitizer. My skin is often flaking off, cracking and peeling from my excessive handwashing and from over use of hand sanitizer. I even buy expensive, so-called "healing" lotions, but I tend to wash them off before they have time to work.

6. I don't like to talk on the phone, but I call Lori almost every Friday and talk (or listen to John) for at least 45 minutes. And in this time period I'll say "I'm going to let you go" at least three times, but I continue to talk. Lori is a good listener, guess she'd have to be to be my friend (as most of you know, I'm chatty, to say the least).

Hope you guys don't think I'm too strange...

All by myself

2008-02-07T00:09:00.000-02:00

Tonight P. put on his coat all by himself. Didn't he do a good job? He's also wearing his basketball jersey. He insisted on wearing it to church tonight. When K. was trying to tell him that there was a "T" on his shirt for Tennessee, he got mad and yelled, "This my basketball shirt. Go Vols!" We can always count on P. for a good laugh.

A good report

2008-02-05T14:08:00.000-02:00

Yesterday we drove to Nashville and back (maybe I shouldn't say we, R. drove the entire trip) so K. could see Dr. Kelly (her plastic surgeon) for her annual check-up. He gave us great news --
she will not have a surgery this year! We couldn't be happier. He said that she is progressing wonderfully and her next surgery may not be until she is 7 years old (he gave us the range of 7 - 14 years old to repair her gumline - they take bone from her hip to replace the split in her gumline). We will return in Febuary 2009 for another check-up.

The perfect date...according to K. ...

2008-02-01T21:48:00.000-02:00

The perfect dress. {It matches her blue eyes.}

The perfect daughter.

The perfect daddy. {With the perfect dress-matching shirt - good job, Mom.}

The perfect flowers. {Thanks, Mimi.}

The perfect date.

It's a very special night as K. and R. are off to the 2008 Daddy-Daughter Dance. They're meeting up with another daddy-daughter couple for dinner and then heading to the local high school to dance the night away. I can't wait to hear all about it. I'm so lucky to have a husband that adores his children as much as R. does. And as they say about daddy's and their little girls, K. has him completely wrapped around her little finger.

Just like sissy...

2008-01-30T16:13:00.000-02:00

K. is such a good example for P., we're truly blessed that she is such a well behaved child. P. wants to be like K. in every way. He wants to do the things she is doing, eat the things she's eating, etc. But this has recently taken a new twist...P. has an obsession with K.'s headbands. She loves them and now he does, too. It's pretty funny. Don't you love how he wears them?

Growing up...

2008-01-23T13:39:00.000-02:00

K. and P. had well visits this week. Luckily we have had no major illnesses nor minor ones so far this winter and we hope it lasts.

Here's the latest...
K.: 41" tall, 39 lbs.; 25th percentile for height and 50th for weight. K. also had a vision exam and she has 20/20 vision. She also passed her hearing exam, which is always a concern for us with the number of ear infections she has had.

P.: 34.25" tall, 26.8 lbs.; 25-50th percentile for height and weight (he has finally moved out of the 10th percentile, yea!)

I'm in love...

2008-01-10T13:11:00.001-02:00

I'm so in love with my children...and right now, these pictures. Can't you just see the innocence beaming from their faces? It's so hard knowing they'll grow up and their innocence fades...if I could only protect them forever...I know I'll try.

Trip to Tallahassee

2008-01-10T12:56:00.000-02:00

After Christmas we drove to Florida to visit with Aunt J., Uncle C. and Grandmother (aka Nana and "granmudder"). The 10-hour trip (yes, 10, we had to stop in what seemed like every county between here and there for multiple reasons) down and back in the car definitely wasn't the highlight, but spending time with family was. Here are a few pictures from our trip:

Uncle C. knows the best parks in Tallahassee... K. on the monkey bars

at one of the three parks we visited.

This seems to be the favorite spot of all of Nana's great grandchildren.
P. kept saying, "push me 'round granmudder!"

Leaving the park...P had to be "captured" to get him to leave.

Standing on the choo-choo and right below this is a sign that reads "Keep off Train." I was planning to claim illiteracy. R. and C. were on their own.

I love it when they are actually nice to one another - a rare occurrence.

K. and P. loved the dogs!

I don't think K. wanted to leave. She loved everything about being in Florida.

K. climbing at the park.

Saturday night dancing...

K. never misses an opportunity to dress up and pose.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T13:47:00.001-02:00

We're home and I'm back to work after my almost-three-week break (it's just for two days, then I'm off tomorrow as usual). Hope you all had a Merry Christmas. I'll have pictures from our trip to Florida to share soon. I forgot my camera, so I have to download from Mimi's albums. Thanks Nana (granmudder), Aunt J. and Uncle C. for a great time. Hope to see you again soon.

Christmas Day

2007-12-26T13:11:00.001-02:00

Happy Birthday, Jesus! Happy Birthday, world's greatest Poppy!

Christmas Day at our house was so much fun. The kids received way too many presents from Santa (so many that they almost didn't fit in our living room). We spent the morning opening gifts and playing with the new dollhouse and new "choo-choo nain." Then the kids and R. watched all of the new movies everyone received and set-up more of the giant train track P. received while I cooked. Later in the afternoon the Stillwells and Mimi and Poppy joined us for dinner. Afterwards we put a candle in Poppy's pie and sang "Happy Birthday." Earlier in the day we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. K. reminded me that we shouldn't forget that Christmas is Jesus' birthday.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas! We're off to Florida celebrate with Nana and Uncle C. and Aunt J. Can't wait...

Christmas Eve

2007-12-26T13:00:00.001-02:00

Christmas eve is always spent with the Armstrongs... We had a great meal and everyone opened a ton of gifts - we all had a great time. Then, once we returned home it was time for everyone to get their PJs on, read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and sprinkle K.'s magical reindeer food on the lawn. I love traditions...

Happy Birthday to you... (party #4)

2007-12-20T22:37:00.000-02:00

Today P. celebrates the big "2." And tonight P. had an ice cream sandwich with two candles (my cake making abilities are worn out as we near the end of this month). We sang "Happy Birthday" to him six times. Every time we finished he wanted me to relight the candles and "Happy Birthday to you, again...sing it momma!" Once he was dangerously close to touching the flame of a candle. He thought it was hilarious. K. and I almost had heart attacks. It's so hard to believe our little guy is two. Time certainly flies...

December Party #3

2007-12-16T23:38:00.000-02:00

Saturday we celebrated K.'s and P.'s birthdays with family and friends at our house. The kids had a great time and I've pretty much perfected my cupcake making abilities, even though I took the easy way out on P.'s cake this year. Last year and this year I made the Williams-Sonoma Vanilla Train Cake for P. (Thanks Nell and Lori for the W-S train cake pan.) Last year's was decorated complete with a Christmas scene (see picture), not this year. This year's was sprinkled with "snow" - at least that's what I told him. He didn't mind. As soon as the song was over and the candles were out, he had a "choo-choo cake" in hand.

Thanks to everyone who came and made it such a special day for my children.

December Party #2

2007-12-13T01:08:00.001-02:00

Last Saturday K. celebrated her birthday with a few friends from preschool. They decorated cookies and ate until their sugar levels were off the charts. I think they all had a great time. I know K. did. And she received a ton of great presents. After celebrating K.'s birthday, we headed off to two more parties...Happy Birthday Will and Sydnee!

"Daddy got ran over by a reindeer?"

2007-12-13T01:00:00.000-02:00

This is the question K. asked me after I ended a call with R. tonight. I guess the multiple "are you OK?" questions with the occassional "deer" thrown in concerned K. And yes, R. did hit a deer on his way home from work. As soon as he walked in the door K. asked again. Luckily, R. is OK. As you can see, the car did suffer some damage...what a great time of year to hit a deer. Off to the shop we go...

December Party #1

2007-12-07T19:41:00.001-02:00

Here are a few pictures from K.'s first of three birthday parties this month. All day she kept saying, "I'm turning 5 today!" We're celebrating with her friends tomorrow. More pictures to come...

BubbleShare: Share photos - Delicious Christmas Recipes.