Disney Bound...

In case you didn't notice our new ticker at the bottom of the screen, we are heading to Disney! It is official & we are so excited over here. Our family, along with Aunt Becca's family, & Grandaddy & Grandma Tee will be departing for a LONG car ride on May 7th! We have lots to save between now & then, so we have gone ahead & gotten started....

Here's how....
I went to Michael's today & picked up a cute little tin & some Disney stickers (i can't take credit for this idea, it was Aunt Becca's idea, i just jumped on the bandwagon!)I decorated it & added "Disney Fund" stickers to it.

When the boys woke up from their naps today, i showed it to them. I asked Jackson what he thought this tin might be for & he immediately said, "Disney World!" I told him he was right, but then asked what we might need to put in there to get ready to go to Disney? He totally went blank! So i said, "What do we need to save so we can pay for our trip? Do you think it is free to go there?" He replied, "No, we need MONEY!" Yep! So i said, do you have any money we can put in there? You have a piggy bank. The whole time, Eli is nodding like he understands, too! So i went & got both their piggy banks & emptied them, counted their money, & told them how much they had if they wanted to put the money in. They both did, & we already have $66 & some change! Cha Ching! I wish i had a piggy bank full of money too!So after they put the money in, i let Jackson put the tin on the bookcase so it is front & center for us to all be reminded to contribute!! (Try not to judge me by the dust on this shelf! This photo was a wake up call! I almost didn't post it! Ha!)

What a New Year!

So far 2009 has been FAR less than exciting. New years eve, just moments (literally like 60 seconds) before Rebecca & Todd arrived for dinner, Eli threw up all over the kitchen floor. This began days & days of sickness that i am so ready to be over at this point! Eli went on to eat dinner & kept it down, slept great that night & was fine all day new years day. However, New years day, Jackson woke up with fever & kept it for 2 days. New Years night, Eli randomly threw up again just at dinner time (before eating really)! And then slept great all night, woke up FRiday, ate breakfast, then 45 minutes later threw up again. At that point, we were wondering what was going on. He was eating, sometimes keeping it down for a whole day & then randomly having vomiting spells. But so far we are 48 hours with no vomiting from Eli. However, after Jackson's 2 days of fever, one day of lethargy, he vomited at bedtime last night, then slept great, & has kept all food down today. WHAT IS GOING ON? There is no pattern here & it seems to me that in the previous years of tummy bugs, that they knock you off your feet for about 24 hours & then you are fine. So what do my kids have? Today, Eli has eaten everything in sight (literally sneaking food out of the fridge) but Jackson is still reserved about eating, only taking a few bites before being done. I tried Noodle Soup for lunch hoping that he would at least get some strength back since he has been laying all over the house still. And all this sickness & being couped up together is making me feel sick! I don't know if i have just sat around too long, or if i am getting something, but i slept terrible last night, with bouts of nausea, but never got sick (praise God for that!). But i just feel run down & worn out myself, when i haven't done a thing (except lots of puky laundry!) So i am hoping with the start of a new work week tomorrow, everyone will get back into the swing of things.

Here are the boys "drinking" their noodle soup with a straw! They thought this was funny!

More Random Pictures

So here are some pictures of our holidays that didn't fit anywhere into the previous posts, but i didn't want to leave them out.

This is what Santa left the boys. Jackson got the plane to his GeoTrax set & Eli got a little bike that he is totally UNINTERESTED in. Does santa do returns? Eli is content to play with the plane too!
So apparently there was ONE picture taken over with Randy's family (even though they aren't in the picture!) Eli was so tuckered out, that he slept through Christmas dinner in my lap!
Randy will KILL me for posting this one, but Christmas day, we had a late lunch at Rebecca's house & Jackson came downstairs like this. Keep in mind that he plays dress up a lot at home, with masculine clothes, but at Becca's house, there is only girly stuff. That doesn't stop him! But it might make us make him stop!

This was a picture we took of the kids in front of Nanny's tree before church the weekend before Christmas. We didn't plan for the boys to match the girls, but not unlike sisters, we think alike!
Just me & the sweet cheeks!
And here, Eli is taking in some man to man TV time with Uncle Todd. Seriously, he would sit with a gorilla if he were watching TV. He is so in love with the TV, we have to limit his time!

More Festivities!

So the night before Christmas Eve, we traveled to stay at Grandaddy & Grandma Tee's house. Kayla & Jonathon were in town from SC which was so exciting to get to spend time with them too. (We truly just don't get to see them nearly enough!). We had a pizza dinner & then opened more presents. Eli was hilarious this year opening presents. He got so excited over each one (& tried to open other's gifts too!).

Here, he is coloring with Kayla, using EMMA's new markers! Wasn't she a blessing to let him use them? I just had to take a picture of this tag! Kenneth wrote his own tags & i just loved that he wrote "ANT rachel!" So cute!
Jackson got an "air presser" as he calls it (air compressor)
Jackson got a Backyardigans guitar (which we already have the songs memorized!)
Jackson also got a dinosaur robe, which he loves to wear.
And Eli also got a scooter, which the boys continuously fight over! Jackson pops wheelies on the thing & Eli expects that it should go without him moving his legs!

The next morning, Rebecca & I made breakfast for everyone (this is turning into a tradition also!) before hanging out & waiting for everyone from Grandma Tee's family to arrive for lunch. Can you tell we all like to eat? And if you can beleive it, i didn't take a single other picture on Christmas eve!! What was i thinking? Even after we left Wilmington & headed back to Raleigh to visit with Randy's family, i was so caught up with everything, that i didn't even think about the camera! I am so mad at myself over this! Grandad usually makes a CD of pics though, so maybe i can get some of them posted from that!

Another Hayride....

The boys got to enjoy another hayride a few days after the lights hayride when we went to Peto & Uncle Ed's house for Christmas with them & Nanny. Uncle Ed took us on a hayride driven by his VERY large horses. Since Eli LOVES horses, this was the ride for him!


Check out the size of these horses. My cousin, "little" Ed, we so affectionately call him, is on a "regular sized horse" on the left, so compare the size to the 2 black horses. GINORMOUS. Uncle Ed said they weigh about 2,000 lbs each! I believe it too! I think they are in the clydesdale family if i remember right.
Since Little Ed was training his horse, Tex, for roping, & getting him used to sounds & situations, he rode separately behind the hayride. Uncle Todd was nice enough to give Eli an up close & personal view, as Ed brought the horse to the back of the trailer for him to pet while we rode along.

A Visit with Nana & Papa Rock

Because our holidays get so hectic, we decided this year not to go to Lumberton (to see my grandparents) on Christmas morning for several reasons. One, we wanted our kids tradition to be home on Christmas day, and two, by the time Christmas morning comes, we are so worn out from traveling so many different places, that we are just fried!
But we didn't want to give up our visiting time with my grandparents, so we visited them the weekend before Christmas instead! It was a nice relaxed time & the boys got to play outside & eat a yummy fried chicken lunch.

The Christmas Whirlwind!

Well, i figured after almost 2 weeks, it was time to update posts on our Christmas holiday. We go to so many places for Christmas that i have been dreading updating this blog on it all! I just knew it would take FOREVER! So i will just split it up (& dramatically simplify!).

Our first stop on our christmas whirlwind was to Mike's Farm. We go here every year & it has become a tradition we love. They have a great family style restaurant with yummy country cooking. And they have a lighted hayride (which is why we really go!). Jackson loves this & this is the first year that Eli really got into it all. He talked throughout the entire LONG hayride, pointing & oohing & ahhing!

Grandaddy & Grandma Tee always go with us to Mike's Farm...
Can you just hear him aahing over the lights??
It took a little convincing, but Jackson sat with Santa....
I truly couldn't believe that Eli sat with Santa (in fact, he went BEFORE Jackson!)
Waiting on the hayride.....

The Greatest Gift!

I have turned into such a sap! I guess that is what happens when you become a mom! Every time i go to Jackson's preschool & he does something so simple (but so cute to me), like sing a song with his classmates, or play the handbells like in an earlier post, & i just tear up & cry! Just hearing his teacher say at the holiday party, "Thank you all so much for sharing your little ones with us, we have enjoyed them so much this year!" I cried. Seriously, i need to get a grip! (But she said it so sincerely!)

On to the point of this post.....

Today, the teachers presented a gift (from Jackson) to the parents. And let me tell you, i waited all of about 10 seconds after getting into the car before opening it, even though it was to both Mommy & Daddy! (Sorry, babe, it was to you too, but i just couldn't wait! And i knew if i called, you would say, "Go ahead, that's fine!") And you guessed it.... i teared up & cried! It was the sweetest little calendar & each month has my child's handprint making some sort of picture & they paired it with a scripture. So i took a picture of each month, just so i could share it all with YOU!

Here is the cover...

Here is January...

February...

March...

April...

May...

June...

July...

August...

September...

October...

November...

December...

Now, have you seen anything this cute, unique, or special in a long time? I certainly haven't!

Cookie Bliss

Last weekend, the boys were invited to a cookie decorating party! What a great idea my friend, Meredith had! She baked some cookies, laid out some colored icing, & some sprinkles, invited her little girl, Hailee's friends, & voila! You have lots of happy, sugared up kids! The boys were so excited that they were going to a party for the sole purpose of decorating cookies- because they KNEW that meant that i was going to let them eat them! Yes, i let them eat LOTS of cookies (i think 4 a peice to be exact (gasp!). Jackson took his time decorating each one differently....
But Eli was more interested in eating them as fast as possible (i guess before i changed my mind?!) He would spread some icing on, but didn't take too much time in getting down to business. Here is our littlest hostess, Hailee. She & Eli are 8 weeks apart in age (she is older). I have been such good friends with her Mommy, Meredith, since my years at Meredith College! Thanks so much for inviting us, girls!