How to Make a Mummy

Just in case you were wondering how to make a mummy....here you go! This is a Science Fair Project on the "Exploration of Mummification". Do you think it is too graphic for elementary school?...it's a bit of a dilemma!

Happy Birthday, Hailey Bug!!

Each of my children are such a blessing to me, and Hailey is no exception! She just celebrated her 11th birthday on November 27, and I cannot believe how the time has flown! I think that our oldest children are the ones that bring us, most often, to the stark reality that they are growing up...and fast! She is such a go getter and is not afraid of wanting first place in everything...she loves a good challenge and has become a fearless leader! She is an amazing girl and so full of talent and love. I have loved being her Mom! Happy Birthday, Hailey!!

Nothing's fair in FIRST grade.

We all know how fun it is to have a first grader, as they are in an age of discovery. As they are continuing to learn to read and to write I love to sit back and watch their progression and how their learning evolves and blossoms. Yet I find that having two first graders is even more fun than one...especially today!
Our sweet little twins were engaged in quite a heated discussion on the proper way to spell the word "okay"...Alyssa came to me and asked me the right way and so I told her "O-K-A-Y". She said, "I just knew it, Aubrey thinks...blah blah blah (Lyssa explaining to me why it was silly the way that her sister was spelling the word 'okay'!"

So now to the funny part....I went downstairs and found this note written to Aubrey!

Literally:

"Aubrey this is haw okay you sled it rog."

Translation:

"Aubrey this is how 'okay'. You spelled it wrong." :):):):):):):) hee hee I just love my cute girls!

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

We thought we'd share a little bit of our Tom Sawyer production with all of you! It was seriously one of the funnest things that I have ever been a part of! I couldn't have painted a more ideal picture. Here we sat at the amphitheatre on the banks of the Cape Fear River watching The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It was picturesque...the sound of the water rushing by, the sound of the cicadas (they aren't much to look at but they sound pretty cool) and during the production we had little lizards crawling across the wooden seating in front of our picnic blanket and large frogs jumped around in the grass and below the stage (I'm ignoring the fact that there were probably plenty of snakes too). Once the sun went down and the gnats stopped sticking to our faces and the sweat dwindled from the 100+ degree weather and High humidity the nights were flawless and the skies were speckled with fireflies. The production was put on by Snyder Memorial Baptist church and the 3 lead rolls (Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher and Huck Finn) were all members of the LDS church as well as the composer, Charis Duke. Hailey was Becky Thatcher and Hannah was a Robber. They performed August 7-9, 2009 at the Sol Rose amphitheatre in Fayetteville NC.

I wish I could put up more but oh well! I am pleased to announce that I was able to finish editing the complete show and that was quite an undertaking...but it's done and in the memory books!! Hope you all like it!

I think I'm in Love...

I seriously used to hear people talk about "Mama's boys" and I thought...okay, whatever...until now! I absolutely, seriously, deeply love this kid! We have literally been inseparable over the past two years and I think he's the most fabulous little boy! Well he just celebrated his 2 birthday and they were seriously the quickest 2 years of my entire life!

I took Josh to meet his sisters for lunch on the Friday before his birthday and they were all so tickled to see him and to eat lunch with him! He thinks his sisters are the greatest creation...next to Mater of course! ...And they absolutely love their little brother...they adore him! A day doesn't go by when one of them doesn't tell me how much they love him and how great they think he is! We had a great lunch together!

...and on his birthday here he is coming downstairs to see the decorations and start the day! The first thing that he did when he saw the balloons was...he ran to the drawer and pulled out a pencil and seriously popped every balloon that was on the floor! He is such a boy!!!

We went to Hardees and here he is with Mater and Doc in tow!!

...and of course a yummy cinnamon raisin biscuit!!

He wanted a Cars cake...here is our attemp!!

It suited him just fine!! After the Happy Birthday song (which he was a large contributor to) he blew out the candles and took one LARGE bite out of this yummy cake...right out of the middle!!

How could you not absolutely LOVE this handsome kid?!!

My favorite things that Joshua does:

Says "Hello gorgeous!"

Prays that the "dinosaurs won't get him"

Says, "you don't smell Santa, you smell Beef n Cheese" "You don't smell like Santa. You smell like Beef and Cheese"

The position that he sleeps in to fall asleep

When it rains he always asks to play in the rain (and of course we always do)

Watches for the school bus to see the girls

Loves to sing "Popular, Happy Birthday, Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, Heavenly Father loves me, I am a child of God, Popcorn popping on the Apricot Tree, and Miley Cyrus' The Climb...did I mention that he REALLY sings them!

He always shouts before he jumps off of a couch or something, "Fly away Stanley, BE FREE"

He always wants to "Play cars"

When Mommy says, "I love you Joshua" He says, "No I love you!"

I love that he will talk to people on the phone and says, "I love you the most, Grandma!"

When we go to the store he always says "Fhank you" to the cashiers

I love when he says, "Shake your booty" haha

AND I'M GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP ADDING TO THIS LIST!!!!

Some anxiously awaited photos...finally here!

We have a very sweet lady in our Stake that needed some little girls to model some dresses for her and she asked us if we would help. Here are a few of the pics that she shared with us! I wish that I could share them all with you! They are seriously priceless!! Thanks, Melanie!

Long lived the Three Headed Monster!!

Just a little shout out to a couple buddies back home! We miss all of our fun times together and eating chocolate chip cookies, games and just plain old hanging out!

A couple of months back, Jill and Shauna sent me a Recipe Book called "Tried and True Recipes from The Three Headed Monster" that they had put together for each of us...It was seriously the coolest gift! It has all of our favorite recipes in it!! I love it! I am so lucky to have such great friends!

(This is our one and only picture that we had of all of us together and of course we are saying goodbye!)

You guys are the best!

(Of course I had to include the picture of the Giant Potty!!)

We miss you guys and love you! (not pictured on the giant potty are Joshua, Dylan and Tyler and of course Braedon (who happened to be "baking in the oven"))!

Evidently a girls only "potty"! Love you guys!!!