Answered Prayer

As most of you know.....we have NOT enjoyed Florida.  Not one teeny tiny little bit.  We are very happy to announce that we are OUT OF HERE!  Chris has been offered a new job and we are moving to North Alabama.  My wonderful husband leaves for Alabama this week and the rest of us will follow at the end of May.  Our prayer is that we find the perfect rental house in the perfect neighborhood with the perfect schools.  We aren't asking much, are we?  God is good and has taken care of us up to this point and I know He will continue to do just that.  His plan is always the best plan.

Our very good friends The Morgan's planned a Spring Break vacation at Panama City Beach and invited us to meet them down there.  Chris and Shane both had to work and Tucker got invited to go to a hunting lease with one of his friends....so that left Mason and me.  We hijacked their vacationed and spent two great days hanging out with some of your favorite people.  I was with Kara and Dan when we got the call about Chris' job....yippee!

 The kids playing in the VERY chilly water

Snacking

Kara and Dan took Mason and me to eat at The Donut Hole in Destin.  It was crazy busy with a line out of the door.  We got some donuts and made sure we had enough to take home for Chris and Shane...who never turn down sweets.  I had a red velvet cake donut.....the BEST donut I have ever had.

After that we went to Seaside....the town where The Truman Show was filmed.  Everything in the town was very pretty just like in the movie.  Then Mason and I loaded up to drive back to our house.  Mason cried on the way home because he never knows how long it will be until he sees Cannon again.  :(

 Seaside

They ride bikes everywhere!

Mason got his Orange Belt!!!!  We are really proud of our Karate Kid.

 Showing us his moves

Getting his orange belt from Mr.K

Chris just happened to have the Oak Mountain 50k scheduled in Pelham,Alabama, so we decided to make it a family weekend and check out our new town which was just about an hour away!  The boys and I went and checked out the mall in town and then went to the state park where the race was to wait for Chris.  It was a long wait...we were there about 3 hours.....the boys were happy to run in the woods and play in the creek.

I knew they were over it when Tucker hit Mason with a rock and then Mason bit Tucker.  Precious.  I did get some good pictures!

 Tucker is my happiest, most drama free child.  He is also the one who lives to aggravate his brothers.....that is what makes him happiest.  

 Not the best lighting in this picture...but I wanted you to see boys being boys.

 Mason fell in the creek...and now everything is wet.

 It looks like Tucker is falling backwards but he is actually jumping forward...he just hasn't landed yet.

 He's not mad....he is just posing for the camera.

 Do you like Farrah's wings?

 Firepower!!!!

 The boys met Chris at the end.  It was a rough race and Chris wasn't happy with his time.

The first night in town we stayed in the nastiest motel.  I am way too old and spoiled for that and we were lucky enough to stay at the Marriott in Huntsville the next night.  It was SO much better.  I still checked for bedbugs, though...you just never know.  

The very first thing I do when we get to a hotel is read the entire "instruction" book cover to cover.  I am not sure I need to know how to make long distance calls or reach the concierge for more towels, but it's what I do.  My heart was warmed when after we got in the room I looked over and my precious child was doing the very same thing!  I am happy to know that someone has inherited my love of knowledge, although that is not exactly what Chris would call it.

 The boys riding the luggage dolly.

 Mason was supposed to sleep with Tucker and ended up sleeping curled up in a ball.  Tucker had just gotten out of the shower but Mason was convinced that Tucker smelled.  I smelled him myself and he smelled like soap.  Tucker was also hogging the bed...that part is true.  After awhile Mason woke up and crawled back in bed with his smelly brother. 

Last weekend, my wild Tucker, broke his hand.  All he and his friends do is wrestle and punch each other...yes, for fun....and he finally broke something.  That is the first broken bone in our family....EVER.  I am impressed that a family of 5 with 3 boys can make it 17 years without a broken bone.  I am sure that is in part due to my amazing parenting skills ;-)  In 4 weeks he gets the cast off.  That is a very long time for Tucker to not be able to run and jump and fight.  I can't get the picture to load...so you will just have to take my word for it.
Shane does seem a little absent from this post.....but he is alive and well!  Publix is keeping him very busy...he works about 25 hours a week.  That on top of school and he doesn't have too much time for anything else.  He still doesn't know I have a blog and I am trying to keep pics of him down to a minimum.  When he finds out he won't be thrilled.  He isn't as big a fan of my "witty banter" as I am!

We are busy planning our big move right now. Shane and I are going to have to share the car for the next two months.  Chris gets to live in nice corporate housing with "housekeeping".  I am so jealous....I want a housekeeper!
Fortunately, our neighbors are proud members of the NRA, so we feel pretty safe.  

We will keep the updates coming!  Love you all!

Cat Scratch Fever

There has a been a stray cat in the neighborhood and Mason and his friends have been playing with this cat without an address.  Like any good mother I have told him half a trillion times not to touch or play with strange animals.  And like any 8 year old boy he doesn't listen unless the mood strikes him, which rarely happens.  Sunday afternoon he comes in with a big scratch on his arm.  Since I use scare tactics to parent my children, I say "I told you not to play with that cat, now you are gonna get cat scratch fever!"  He immediately starts crying and saying he doesn't want to die.  Here we go.  I calmly explain that he is not going to die that he just needs to stay away from strange animals.  Although, at this point the cat isn't necessarily strange, he has been hanging out in the neighborhood for a couple of months.  The rest of the night and the next morning he is his usual sweet self.
At about 10 am I get a call at work from his school nurse.  Mason is in the clinic and he says he doesn't feel good and that he has cat scratch fever.  Uh-oh.  The nurse was laughing and said she took his temperature and he doesn't have one.  I told her the story and all about what an awesome mom I am and she's still laughing.   After talking for a minute we agree that he is fine and she sends him back to class.
It's noon and Mason's teacher calls on my cell.  She said Mason was not happy, is convinced he has a fever and that it is cat scratch fever.  Fortunately, Ms. Wells has a very good sense of humor and says that she did notice some whiskers growing :)  Then Mason gets on the phone and I tell him that he is fine, the nurse said he doesn't have a fever and he can relax.  He says his body feels warm and he doesn't feel good.  Hearing how dramatic he was on the phone, and imagining how crazy he must be driving Ms. Wells, I tell him that I will be there to get him when I get off work....which was in an hour and a half.
When I picked him up from school early, he came home and willingly laid on the couch and watched movies all day.  When his friends came over to ask him to play, he told them "I can't.  I have cat scratch fever."  This kid is too much!

A New Plan

Blogging once a month does not seem to be working for me.  By the time the month is over I don't remember what we did all month!  So, I will have to update this blog more often.

Most of February was all about Basketball.  Tucker finished up his rec league and was picked for the All-Star Team and we also began his travel team.  The travel team will mostly just "travel" to Pensacola and maybe as far as Mobile, Alabama (just an hour away).  Tucker was very excited to be picked for All-Star's.  Mason does not enjoy going to the games and watching for hours.  At the playoffs he told us that he wanted Tucker to lose so we wouldn't have to stay for the next game.  There is nothing quite like brotherly love!

Shane started his new job and he works about 25 hours a week.  Most of the time he is a bagger and brings the grocery carts in from the parking lot.  Some days he gets the joy of cleaning the store....he is pretty horrified at having to clean all of the bathrooms.  After the first week he came and told me that there was "no way" I could do his job.  Uh, right...because I've never had to clean up after anyone gross before.  He is staying so busy with work and school.  Chris, the boys and I have gone up to Publix to see him at work....and as you can imagine he was very excited to see us (not).   He doesn't have a car yet, so it has been a challenge making sure everyone gets where they need to be on time.  Most importantly, he looks so cute in his uniform!  He would die if he ever found a picture of himself in it on here....so, I will refrain.

Mason is still keeping us laughing.  I am not sure where he has gotten all of this sarcasm from....hmmmm?   He and Shane were arguing about something the other day and Mason said  "Shane is mean....like a democrat".  We have trained our little republican very well.  Mason has had walking pneumonia 3 times this school year.  Neither Shane or Tucker has ever had breathing treatments so this was our first experience.  We were told that Albuterol might totally change his personality and make him feel angry.  We got lucky, the only thing that happened was he got hyper.  He was actually in a really good mood.  It would have been nice if we could have kept him on it a little bit longer...lol.

Shane had to work :( but the rest of us got to go see the Harlem Globetrotters when they came to Pensacola. They were awesome!  The boys really had no idea who they were and were not looking forward to going but they loved them by the time it was over.  Weirdest thing happened when we were at the show.  I know about 10 people in the Florida panhandle.  Max.  Guess who was sitting next to me?  My boss!  Of all the people who were at the game the person who sits next to me is someone I know.  So weird!

The last weekend in February, Chris was running a trail race in Asheville, NC.  The boys and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go visit everyone in Maryville.  Yippee.  We didn't get to see everyone we wanted to see on this visit.  We took it easy this time and ran around a little less than our last few trips.  The first two nights we stayed with the Morgan's and the third, and last, night we stayed with the Dennis'.  After living there for 10 years it is just home to us....and because we didn't have any family that lived very close to us our friends there became our family.  It was a great visit all around.

Could not live without these 3 girls...and I'm glad I don't have to.  Tracy is missing...but she needed some "alone time" with her husband :)

After this picture was taken, Mason had a scooter accident.  He was going to fast down a hill and got scared and jumped off.  Now, before you wonder where the parents were....we were inside because my friend, Kara's daughter, Ellie, had been pushed off the trampoline and she had ice on her jaw.  Mason came in crying and showed me his elbow.  Before we got that cleaned up we lifted up his shirt and he had a big, very deep scrape on his side near his hipbone.  Shelly, Kara and I were trying very hard not to totally freak out.  It truly looked like a hole.  Shelly ran to the store to get band aids and neosporin.  Kara continued to nurse Ellie.  And I stood there like I didn't know what to do.  I would be a horrible nurse!  Mason was crying that he didn't want to die and I tried to assure him that he would live to own a cell phone one day.  Kara's husband came home and helped us all.  The next morning Mason wanted to know if he ate would food come out of his side.  A week later we are still bandaging it and putting medicine on every day.  He has missed a couple of days of P.E. and couldn't go to karate class all week.


Chris ran his race in Asheville.  It was 26 miles up Black Mountain.  Yup...you read it right....26 miles up a mountain.  It took him 5 hours and 53 minutes.  He's insane but we love him anyway.

The last day, we had lunch with everyone at the Little's farm.  After church, Tracy and Shelly distracted me by driving us to both of their houses to pretend we were looking for things(those two are tricky).  When we got to the Little's farm I opened the front door and they yelled "Surprise".  I still didn't get it....I wasn't sure whose birthday it was.  Mine was in June, so it couldn't have been mine.  Well, I was wrong.  They threw me a surprise 40th birthday party 8 months and 6 days after my birthday and it was the BEST!  So, now I don't have to turn 41 for another year.  Is that how it works?  I think so.  We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our friends....and couldn't be any more blessed.  Well, maybe if money fell from the sky into our laps.

Sweet Shannon!

 With Shelly

 The "Grandmom" coffee cup from Leann.  

 The girls!

The boys!

A New Year

This year started off with a bang!  Literally.  Our new driver had his first car accident.  He was sufficiently freaked out and has a new appreciation for "the road".  Both Shane and the car are fine.  From what we have pieced together it was the other driver's fault.  We are just waiting on the official word (and a check) from our insurance company.

This is ME!  A girl I work with did our winter bulletin board at school and I am officially a snow woman.  I wish I had those eyelashes.

Mason has been really busy with karate, school and his friends.  He plays outside non-stop.  He and his neighborhood friends have been little entrepreneurs all month.  One weekend they sold kool-aid and snacks, the next weekend they were dog walkers, and they have been "finger" knitting scarves.  To be 8 again and excited to work for a dollar.

Shane brought a girl home!  Sort of.  He has a friend in Florida whose mom is a hairdresser (or are they stylists, now?).  The mom let Shane "borrow" the head she uses to practice hairstyles.  He has been very entertaining (and scared Mason half to death).  He put it at the table (see picture above) and when Mason got up for breakfast he flipped out a little.  She was very life like.....a little too life like for out tastes.  It was a little like being in the movie "Mannequin".  Chris got in to bed one night and she was laying on my pillow.  We went to get in our car and she was sitting in the passenger seat.  Tucker's friend had a mini heart attack when he came over and she was laying fully clothed in the living room.  I think we are all glad she has gone home.

Above are pictures of Michael Jordan.....don't let the size of this boy fool you :)  My camera was freaking out, so, please excuse the quality of these pictures. I think this boy has played better basketball this season then any season before.  I love watching him....and as most of you know I couldn't care less about sports. Tucker just moves so fast and is all over the court.  He is fun to watch!  This past weekend his team won the 48-45 and the kids on the other team were GIANTS!  The championship game is this weekend and even I'm excited.

Our real estate office called on Friday.  The owner of the house we are renting in Florida is going to put the house up for sale.  They are going to honor the lease and it is up on May 31st.  We are tired of paying for the electricity and water for this pool.  We won't miss that.  But, this is a great neighborhood and we will miss it.  We will especially miss our favorite neighbors.  And not just because they send cake over all the time :)
January is going out with AWESOME news......Shane got a job.  He is going to be a bagger at Publix.  He starts orientation this weekend.
In February we get to go to Tennessee for a visit!

Our Terrific Kid!

Mason got a TERRIFIC KID award this week at school.  We already knew he was terrific, but now it's official.

     Mimi gave Mason a Star Wars Dictionary for Christmas.  This book is big and heavy...it looks like a coffee table book.  My little boy, who has a serious Star Wars obsession, takes this book to school with him every single day.  He says it makes him "famous" at school because everyone wants to know where he got it.  Sometimes when I pick him up from school he gets in the car, puts his seatbelt on and opens the book and reads it the whole way home.  I am not allowed to turn the radio on because it "distracts" Mason from his book.

Adios 2010....Don't Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out.

I will just warn you that his post is obnoxiously long!  You may die of boredom or fall asleep while reading.  If you are on FB then you already know most of it.

2010 is not a year I am going to miss.  I think all five us will be glad to see it go.  Although, our move from Tennessee to Florida was technically at the end of 2009.....reality didn't hit until the boys had to start school.  It has been a very hard adjustment for the whole family and we aren't sure how long we will be here.

Here are some highlights from the year (we are just going to ignore the lows).....

 I got to see some of my friends from high school at a mini-reunion.

This is me with Ami and Jenn.

Chris ran a road race in Tennessee in February and he dropped us off "at home" in Maryville so we could hang out with some of the people we love!

 Mason and his best friend Caleb.   They really missed each other!

 This is Tucker with Asher Morgan.  Asher and Tuck were buddies when we lived in Tennessee.  I think they missed each other:)

Mason and his best friend, Cannon.  Doing what boys love best....video games!

 We got together to give Shannon a little surprise 40th birthday celebration.  I am happy to report that she was truly surprised.  Shannon is so special to me......she is one of the people I know will love me no matter what.  I would not be who I am if God had not put her in my life.

 The girls...well, most of them.  In order...Madeline, Angie, Me, Shelly, Chelsey, and in front....Shannon, and Tracy.

 Shane with Drew and Matthew....probably prank calling some innocent people.

 Tucker's very first year playing baseball.  He did an amazing job.  

 The Leonard cousins playing in the park on our Easter trip to Texas.  We just went for the weekend...so it was a quick trip. 

My wild niece, Rebecca!

 Easter at the Saltgrass Steakhouse.  Yum!

 We are not big fans of Florida...but we could not have moved to a better street.  We have wonderful neighbors.  This is Mason and Jace sword fighting.  I am sure adding 3 boys to the street has added to the noise!

 Tucker, Chris and Mason ran a 5k and Mason came in 3rd in his age division.  Those long legs are serving him well.

 Stretching.  Shane and I watched from the sidelines.  We do our best work there.

 Mason's first grade play.  He was a very manly ladybug.

 Me with Alma (or as Shane used to call her, Elmo).  She and Mark finally got married.  Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez!

 We have spent a lot of time at the Pensacola Beach this year.  This is Shane and Chris hanging out in our spot.

 My teenager.

 Mason has turned into quite the little fish.

 Tuck-man

 We drove to Long Island for the 4th of July.  We do that every other year.  Most of my cousin's and my favorite Aunt and Uncle live there.  Chris brother, Dan, and his family moved there a few years ago.

 The Chris and Dan Redman boys.

 And....Chris and Dan Redman

 My cousin, Kate, and my aunt and uncle got me a 40th birthday cake!  It made me feel so much better about being 40:)  It was Carvel.....I am pretty sure it has been many years since I have had one.

 We got to see Aunt Pat and Uncle George on our visit.  The last time we saw them was at my dad's funeral....so it was really good to get to see them again.  Uncle George is my dad's brother.  There is 14 years(I think) difference between them and they didn't live in the same house long....but my uncle reminds me of my dad.

 Getting some of the little ones ready for the pool.

 My mom went too!  This is my mom, Aunt Geri, Uncle Ron and my cousin, Ken.

 This is a picture of all of the girl cousins and aunts who could make it.  And Danny, Ed's son, in the front.

 My Uncle Ron, who is also my godfather, and me.

 I got to ride a Harley!  My first time since I was about 9.  I was scared but I loved it!

 Ken taking Shane for a ride.  He took Mason, too...but I didn't get a picture of that.  Ken wins coolest cousin award...hands down!

 Tucker, Chris Sparacino, and my Chris playing football in the pool.

 Mason and his cousin, Danny.  Ken gave them doo-rags...and they think they are biker's now:)

 This is not all of the cousin's but it was all of the cousin's I could get together at that moment.  Why do I always wait until the end of the night to do stuff like that?  It was Paige's 7th birthday and she is ready to party!

 Kelly, Sami and Shane.  My kids LOVE going to Long Island because all three of them have someone their age to hang out with.  That doesn't happen anywhere else we go.

 We hung out with Abe in Gettysburg on the way home from NY.

 So many cool things to look at.

 Jonathon and Zach with Mason at his 8th birthday party.

 We got to go on a Cruise with Dan and Kara.  That is the very first time we have left the boys for longer than a weekend...or gone farther than a couple of hours away.  It was much needed.  With four kids at home I am pretty sure that Kara and Dan needed it as much as we did.

 Chris and Dan diving into water that they were only supposed to be knee deep in.  Rebels.

 The guys got to drive a jeep in Mexico!  It was awesome and I got sunburned.  Chris wants a jeep now.

 Chris trying on some shells.

 The people who were at our table.

 At the ruins in Progresso.  After we got back I heard that Progresso is very dangerous.  Good to know.

 Hanging out at a bar with Kara...drinking SODA.  Yes, for real!  I would not have made it through the last couple of years without her.  I miss her:(

 My awesome family kept the boys while we were on the cruise.  We are so blessed to have a family that we can always count on to have our backs.  After the cruise I drove to Texas to get the boys.  This is me with sweet Mia.

 Taylor and her blankie.

 Shane.....enough said.

 Taylor and Shane

 The girls are trying to steal my cellphone.  They are so cute I just give up and give it to them.

 As always, we went to Sheryle's.  Hito grilled fajita's and Sheryle made all the fixin's.  THEY WERE SO DELICIOUS.  This is a pic of all of the boys.

 Jolie.....truly the definition of cute and sassy.

 Tucker playing football in Florida for the first time.  It was SO hot.  I don't know how he did it with all of that equipment on.  I could barely sit in the bleacher's in a tank top and shorts.

 #44...he calls himself  "the beast".  He has never had a problem with confidence.

In October, some of our best friends in Tennessee came to visit.  It was quite literally a gift from God.  We had all been feeling so sad and really missing Maryville and they showed up.  I can't begin to tell you how much we needed it.

 Hunter and Tucker.  One of Tuck's very first best friends in Maryville.

 Sweet Olivia Kelly

All of the kids....have a great time.  It was the most beautiful day.

 Mattie and Mason.  Mason has wanted to marry her since he was born.  Thankfully, he does have a few other prospects.....because Mattie isn't so sure.

 LOVE YOU, Tracy and Shelly!  You guys coming here was exactly what we needed.  So, come again soon!  The beach is calling your names.

Shane and Olivia

 Two weeks later the boys and I went to Tennessee (Chris couldn't get off work).  We got to go to the Maryville Rebels game with the Morgan's.

 The boys got to hang out with their friends....and I got to hang out with mine.

 Tucker and one of his best friends, Daniel.  We went to eat at Pancho's with some of our friends from Dotson Memorial Baptist Church.

Last, but not least.  This is a picture of Mason and his teacher at the class Halloween party.  Mason dressed up like a storm trooper.

We didn't do much the rest of the year.....and I am trying to slow down a little on the picture taking.   Staying in Florida for Thanksgiving wasn't our first choice but we had traveled too much.  And because I was too chicken to take on cooking for the holiday...we went to Cracker Barrel.  I have to say it was pretty good.

Happy New Year!