First Day of School

Here is my little cutie. When I went in her room this morning, she had half of her school clothes out on the floor - she must have known something was up. I couldn't resist buying her this adorable outfit, and the curly hair just makes it even more adorable!

Bailey has to sit on her bus driver's lap before she will get in her seat - everyone loves to spoil her.

Homemade Bubbles

I got this idea for a bubble blower from a magazine. It took about 2 minutes to make, and Beau played with it for hours! Priceless!!

Blessings

This morning I got a phone call from Clay's friend letting me know that he took Clay to the emergency room. He got really sick at work with severe stomach pains and throwing up. They did a CAT scan and then rushed him into surgery to remove his appendix. Within a half hour I had the kids packed and someone to take them today and tomorrow. The surgery went very well, they used a scope and laser, so he only had to be cut in three small places. The surgery went so well, they released him the same day - I really wasn't looking forward to sleeping on a crappy hospital bed. On the way home we were counting all our blessings:

*We have so many friends and family members to help out in a minutes notice
*Clay was near a hospital and got immediate attention
*Clay was working with a good friend, who happens to be an EMT
*We have insurance
*I have a good car to take me anywhere I need to go
*Jackson has a really great hospital with really great nurses/doctors
*Clay's boss is great to work with and will let him miss all the work he needs.

The list could go on and on. I think when emergencies come up like this, it really does help you get a perspective on life. I am very thankful for trials in my life and the opportunity to learn from them.

Lost Tooth

Bailey's tooth has been loose all weekend, so Dad finally got his vise-grips and pulled it out. She thought it was so funny, she grabbed his hand and wanted him to do it again :)

Happy Birthday Beau!

Okay, Beau's birthday was a week ago, but I have been too busy to post. Bailey has, yet again, took off half of the keys on the laptop, so I will keep this post mostly to pictures.

Here he is with his pirate cake. It didn't turn out quite the way I wanted, but after 3 hours, it was good enough!

He had to have a pinata - this sucker was indestructible! Bailey took one swing, then threw the bat and was done.

Of course he cleaned up on presents!

Here is the birthday crew. Of course Elle and Emma came, but this year their cousins were in town, so we had a fun party with all the kids!

I had to put this picture of cute little Brock on, Bailey thinks that every baby is named Brock now :)

This is just a cake that I made for Clay's Aunt this week - nothing to do with Beau's Birthday.

A little of everything

It has been a few weeks since I have posted, so this is what we have been up to.

Beau had his first swimming lessons. He is a very good swimmer - he was almost too advanced for level 1, which caused a few problems for him. He wanted to take off and do everything on his own, so when the teacher was working with someone else, he would get off the steps and practice his swimming. This resulted in many "time-out" session for him. Even though he had to sit out a few times, he had a great time and did very well.

Bailey has started hippo therapy. She loves "puppies" and would love to ride all day long. She has been pretty mello with all the people around, but has really enjoyed riding. This is just a pilot program, so it is only through the month of July. Hopefully more funding/facilities will become available so she can participate throughout the year.

Okay, so I am no "Cake Boss", but I had fun making this cake. I have been wanting to try working with fondant and have planned a cake for Beau's birthday. Instead of having my first attempt be on Beau's birthday cake, I decided to make a practice cake. This is what I came up with. It wasn't perfect, but I was happy with my first fondant cake - I even made my own fondant.

Beau has been learning to ride his bike without training wheels. It has been a big fight between he and his dad - a lot of tears and yelling, but he finally is getting the hang of it.

So far we have had a fun summer! We still have a lot of camping, boating, swimmingn and reunions yet to come. I will try to keep up on the posts.

Relay For Life

Another Relay is over! This was a busy, but fun year. I decided to get more involved this year, so I took over the publicity chair position. I also ended out being on a team, Cancer Creamers. So, the last few months have been extremely busy, but it was worth it!

The day started off with a lot of rain and a lot of set up. By the time we were ready to have our Survivor Reception and Opening Ceremonies, the sun was up, and the rain was gone. We had a really nice turn out. The only glitch in the day was when Clay got called to work (he was suppose to take care of the kids for the night). But my in-laws gladly took the kids for me.

My favorite part of the Relay is the Luminary Ceremony. If you haven't ever been to Relay, this is where thy light the luminaries that are around the track. The luminaries are all in honor of or in memory of someone who has had cancer. They then have a small ceremony where they read all the names. Here are the luminaries that I made this year.

These are the sacks I made for my mom last year and recycled them.



This is my mother-in-law who had thyroid cancer about 9 years ago.

This is Bailey's little friend who has a brain tumor. The tumor recently returned and she is currently going through chemo.

My team had a pie throwing contest this year. It was really messy and a lot of fun. We got the President of one of our local banks to volunteer to get a pie in the face, he was a great sport. We also got the Rodeo Princess up there.

I think the hardest part of the event is the survivor lap. I listen to all the names read and watch as they make their way around the track. All I can think is "I wish my mom was one of them." Even though I get emotional throughout the event, it is a great time for me to talk about my mom, all we went through, and remember what a wonderful person she is.

I love you mom!