Christmas was really good. I have been trying to get everything in it's place. We received so many things that it is hard to find somewhere to put it all. I stored several of Kendall's toys for later on. I think she got 6-8 baby dolls. I am trying to get caught up on laundry but that is a never ending job. I cleaned out the hamper in the bathroom yesterday and it was full again today after everyone had a bath.
Kendall actually tried to open the presents. She liked pulling the paper off. Chance and Corey liked what they got. Their rooms are just full and messy with things.
I have been housebound and bored today. Really no place to go or money to go. I am ready to get out tomorrow and do something. I don't think I can stand another day in the house all day.

It seems like forever since I have blogged. We have been so busy with "stuff." Chance has had a couple of eye doctor appointments and a trip to the dentist to fix a broken tooth, Corey has had an orthodontist appointment, and Kendall a couple of doctor appointments.
Yesterday, I had the boys to clean out their rooms so get ready for Christmas items. It is always a big undertaking when all of the Christmas stuff comes home. I don't know where I will put Kendall's items. She really needs her own room, but hopefully that will happen come Spring.

We had a great Thanksgiving. I ate too much, of course. We have been passing around the stomach virus here. Corey was sick on Monday, Kendall on Wednesday night, me on Friday, and Chance on Friday night and today. Chris is the only one who hasn't had it yet. I sure he will be next. I felt absolutely terrible yesterday. My legs and hips hurt worse than anything else even though I was throwing up. Who knows! I did manage to take Chance to the eye doctor. The school nurse said he was having trouble with his right eye. The doctor said he has astigmatism in that eye. So, he got contacts and glasses. He got a sample pair of contacts yesterday and we picked out his glasses. They should be in next week when he goes back. He was really against glasses. He said he wouldn't wear them but he just has to wear them at night. He can wear his contacts in the day and when he plays ball.

I went shopping on Wednesday, which was a great day to go. There were no lines to stand in or it wasn't very crowded. Most of the stores said that Friday's sale wouldn't be much better. In Sears, the lady said it would go from 40% off to 50%. 10% is not worth fighting the crowds and standing in line forever. Hopefully, we will have Wed. off again next year and I can do it again.

Thanksgiving Break!! Yeah!
Chance and Corey played their first basketball games last Sat. Chance's team won and he scored 20 points. Corey's team lost but he played well. I think he scored 16-20 points. I'm not for sure exactly how many. They both did really well. They both spent the night at my mom and dad's on Sat. They were expecting to go coon hunting with my dad but he wasn't feeling very well. They still had a good time.
Corey was sick Sunday night throwing up so he didn't go to school yesterday. I took Kendall to the doctor today. She has been fighting a cold for the past few days. I wanted to get it taken care of before the holiday break. He said she had bronchitis??.
On the other hand, I think Kendall is allergic to milk. After I started her on whole milk, her bottom broke out in a hive-like rash and she just wasn't happy. I called the doctor and he said to switch her to soy milk. She has done much better since. There are just so many food items with milk in them. I really have to watch. She had 2 pieces of cheese, which should have stopped her up, but no. She went 6 times the next day. I am going to limit how much she has. I hope mashed potatoes with a little milk wil be ok for her. I am planning on trying a few things that contain a little milk to see. It will be really hard to cut out all milk products. We will see how it goes.
She weighed 28 pounds today. She had gained about 2-3 pounds since her 9 month check up. She goes next Tuesday for her 1 year check up and next Wed. for her 1 year shots.
Chance had trouble seeing out of his right eye when the school nurse checked him. So, I made him an appointment on Friday to see what's going on. If it is bad enough, hopefully he will be able to get contacts. With all the sports, he would have a hard time with glasses. I hope he doesn't have to have any but with my eyes and Chris', it doesn't look good. Well, I have blabbed enough.
A big 'Shout Out' to Susan and Audra. Happy +1 Birthday!!!!! Ha!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY KENDALL!!

Kendall's birthday went great! I was very disappointed in her cake. I wanted it to be pink with brown polka dots and trim. When I picked it up, it was pink with tan. So I had to go to Wal-Mart and get some colored icing to try and fix it. It looked a little better but not much.

She received several things: lots of clothes, play dishes, a baby stroller, chair, and much more.

It's been a while since I have blogged last. I took a personal day yesterday and went shopping. Kendall's birthday is Saturday and I didn't have her anything yet. So, Mom, her friend Gina, and I went to Lexington. I really loved a store called Gordman's. I spent over $100 there. I just need to pick up a few little things for the party and I am done. I can't decide what to give her for her birthday and what to save for Christmas. I did purchase her a little plush daisy chair. She seems to really like it.
Last Sat. was the end to football. We spent the entire day in Taylor Co. We left home at 7:30 and returned at 8:00 that night. Thankfully, Mom kept Kendall for me. It was just too cold for her to be out. Corey had his first basketball practice Mon. night and Chance has his tonight. Chris is helping to coach Chance's team.
This is Kendall's last week of formula. I hope she transitions to regular milk well. She is already without a bottle. We are not strictly using sippy cups. That part went fine, I hope the rest will also.

My grandpa got to come home, which is great! He was let out on Sat. I went to see him today and stayed from after church until about 5:00. I really needed to be doing things at home but I helped them out instead. I won't always have them so I feel like I need to do what I can now.
Kendall was so cute for Halloween. She was a fairy princess. I made her tutu for her. I took her to Columbia and walked around the square. She seemed to like it, but of course, she didn't really know. She didn't want anyone to get her bucket though. She held onto it with a tight grip. On another note, Kendall has learned to get on and off her riding toy. She tickles me when she does it.
Chance and Corey had a football tournament on Saturday. We left home at 8:15 and got back home at 6:30. It was a long day. Chance's team won the tournament for the 5th and 6th grade. He played really well. I think he scored 2 touchdowns the first game and 3 the last. Corey's team got beat in the first game. He played really well at his quarterback spot. His passes were dead accurate. I was really proud of both of them. They both made the All Star team for their grade. They will practice 3 times this coming week and play in a bowl on Sat. at Campbellsville. The basketball board is picking teams for basketball today and tomorrow. So, I am sure we will be getting a call about practice for that. It looks like life is going to get even more hectic. Oh, and Chris is gone until Wed. night. At least I am off on Tuesday. YEAH!

GREAT NEWS!!!
My grandpa had his surgery and is doing ok. He had a pocket of infection pressing against the right side of his heart causing it to not work properly. That was what was causing the chest pains. He is still in ICU in Louisville, but my grandma said he is sitting up eating and didn't realize he had had the surgery. The doctors are still keeping him sedated. I am just so thankful. Prayers have definitely been answered.

Well, what a week! Yesterday was very eventful. I totally forgot that Corey had an orthodontist appointment. Had he not remembered, we wouldn't have made it. He will get 2 more backets on next time. After football practice that same night, he broke his wire again. I will try to take him early next week.
My grandpa was taken to the emergency room. They thought he might have pneumonia but it turned out to be a pocket of fluid under his heart. They sent him on to Audubon Hospital in Louisville. Then more bad news. The doctor said it could be one of three things: infection, a leaking aeorta(I don't think I spelled that correctly), or blood. They won't know for sure unless they do surgery. The doctor was not very hopeful about surgery. He said if he did the surgery there was a great chance that he wouldn't make it off the table. But without the surgery the prognosis is not good either. So, he has a decision to make. He said if something happened he was ready to go but he didn't want to leave the little ones. That just kills me. I want to cry every time I think of that. He is supposed to decide by tomorrow. If he chooses surgery, it is supposed to be on Monday. Either choice doesn't look good, but anything can happen with God involved.
Tomorrow is Chance's 11th birthday. I have ordered a cake and he is having a couple of friends over.

Kendall has not taken a nap all day long. She is still going strong and it is 4:10. Ms. Lynda said she was good even though she hadn't slept which I was thankful for. She has now learned the sound of the back door closing. She knows someone is coming in or going out. And if they are going out, she wants to go. She is also telling everyone Bye, Bye.
My student teacher is doing good. She has really been helping me out by grading papers. I think she is going to start teaching one class next week. Yeah!
I have Kendall's Halloween costume ready. She is going to be a fairy princess. I made her a tutu which is adorable. I can't wait. Chance and Corey are still undecided to whether they are dressing up.

Friday night Chance, Corey, and I stayed all night at school for a testing reward. We took the kids bowling from 11-1. They also played several games, ate pizza, and had a good time. I managed to get about 1 1/2 to 2 hours of sleep that night. Corey played ball the next day but he did well. He scored one touchdown and completed several passes. It really hit me about 2:30 yesterday afternoon. I was driving home and the sun was shining in. I finally got to nap at around 5:00 for about 1 1/2 hours.
Chris has only been home 2 nights for the past week. He went to Mountaineer on Sun. then back home Wed. and Thurs. He left to go back again on Fri. and should be home tonight within the hour. I'll be glad!
Kendall is growing. She now almost has 5 teeth in. She likes to eat just about anything. Any type of bread seems to be her favorite.
Corey made straight A's on his report card and Chance made all A's except for one B in Reading. I was proud of them both.
My student teacher comes tomorrow. It will be nice to have an extra set of hands to help out. I know I have a small class(12) but it is always nice for someone else to help you.

It is Fall Break. It is now almost over. We have enjoyed every minute of it but it seems to have flown by. The boys have been off from football all week also which was an added bonus. My brother and his fiance were home last weekend. We did a few things together. We all took a trip to Lake Cumberland State Park. My brother has a set of disc golf so he took my boys and they played. They all seemed to enjoy it.
Patrick, Chris' cousin, took the boys to play real golf on Wed. They really liked it. They are begging to go again. Kendall and I have just hung out at home, took a couple of trips to Wal-Mart, and not much else. She is cutting two upper teeth at one time. Oooowww!
I did a little crafting this week. I made some hairbows and Kendall a tutu for her Halloween costume. I made the hairbows and a few more tutus to sell in my mom's booth at Downtown Days today. I sold almost $20.00 worth of hairbows but no tutus. I think I will take them to school, maybe someone will want them for their daughters or granddaughters. If not, Kendall will have several to play dress up in later on.

SORRY, SORRY, SORRY

I'm sorry. I know it has been forever since I last posted. Life is hectic right now. The boys are playing or practicing football 2-4 nights a week. Everyone is doing great. Kendall is growing and walking. I took off work today to take her to the doctor. She has been running a temperature and crying some. He said she had a mouth ulcer in the back of her throat, not strep though. She also has what I thought was another tooth coming in on top but it is actually a pocket of infection.
Tomorrow night I shall make my debut as "Junie B. Jones." We are having a family literacy night at school and I am dressing up. I will have to post a picture. I hope all goes well.

First chance to blog since last week.
I guess I will repeat myself again, another busy week. Corey had his first football game today. He is the quarterback for his team. He completed 2 passes, one for a touchdown. He also made several tackles on defense. I was really proud of him. My dad also came to support him.
Kendall cheered for Corey. I bought her an Adair Co. t-shirt then made a hairbow to match. She looked cute.
Chance went with Chris' mom to Glasgow to her company picnic and I took Corey after his game. They haven't made it home yet. I think they were going to watch their cousin play in the band competition.
Chance plays his first game on Monday night.

Another busy week. I haven't had any time to post anything for a while. The boys have started tackling at football practice. They had a couple of friends to stay all night on Sunday. They did really good. I got out the air mattress and put it in the living room for them.
Kendall is taking a few steps now. She is still having some balancing issues though. She is jabbering and jabbering.

I thought last week was busy, but it didn't hold a candle to this week. I have been out of pocket all week at school. Training on Monday and Tuesday followed by using what I learned to help test kids in the entire school. It has been a task. I have came home with a headache both days. I am glad it is over. The boys had football practice on M, T, and Th. I had a meeting at Lindsey Wilson College on Thursday night for my student teacher that is coming in Oct.
I am looking forward to the long weekend. I have to tackle the huge task of laundry again. Fun, Fun! I am soooo excited about that!!
Kendall is trying to walk. She is taking a few steps when she turns loose. She is still a little off balance. It won't be much longer though.

Chris won with Broken Apple but Mr. Friendly Man ran 5th. The kids and I went to church this morning and then came back home. Not anything big going on around here. Tomorrow and Tuesday I won't be at school because I have a training to attend. The boys have football Mon., Tues., and Thurs. this week. I have a student teacher dinner at LWC on Thursday night. It is going to be another busy week.

This week is finally over. It has been a long one. I had breakfast duty which made it even longer. My house has seen better days. I definitely must get it cleaned up and the laundry done today and tomorrow. Chris is gone again this weekend to the races in Mountaineer, West Virginia. He is racing Broken Apple and Mr. Friendly Man.
I picked up Kendall's shirt. It is really cute. I think the outfit will be cute for the football games. Not much else going on.

This week has been busy thus far. On Monday and Tuesday, the boys had football practice from about 5:00-6:30. Today, I had to leave school early and take Kendall to the doctor for her 9 month old check up. She weighed 24 lbs. 4 oz. and was 31 inches long. He said she was healthy. Tomorrow evening the boys have football practice and I have a Site Base and PTO meeting. Chris is taking the boys to practice while I go to the meetings. I will just take Kendall with me.
I have to run to Russell Springs tomorrow before 5:00 and pick up a shirt I had embroidered (I guess that's how you spell it. I checked spell check and it said it was ok.). I bought a white long sleeve shirt and a pair of brown pants with polka dots to go with it. I am having a football with Lil' Sis put on it. I hope it turns out. I am anxious to see it.
I think Chris is leaving out for Mountaineer either Friday or Saturday to run two horses.

Kendall went to the hearing doctor yesterday and they said everything seemed to be perfect. Praise the Lord! That makes me feel so much better. I then took straight to the pediatrician. She had a runny nose and was coughing. He gave her an antibiotic and something for her nose. He didn't want it to go to her chest.
I went to check on carpet for our living room today. We decided that we would like to get some so it wouldn't be so cold and hard on Kendall. Of course, most of you know that we have laminate all through the house. I don't want to mess up it incase I ever want to go back to it. So, there only fix to not hurting it is to bind the edges of the carpet and just roll it out like an area rug. Well, Chris is not real excited about that idea. I'm not for sure what we will do. We will see.
As of this morning, Chuckie Stuart is no longer with us. He was found stiff. He had plenty of food and water but apparently something went wrong.
My dad took the boys to the creek today. They were on a mission for Ms. Audra. She has a pet turtle in her room at school and wanted a crayfish to go with it. So, they have caught several for her. Hopefully, they will make it or at least a couple. They also came home with about 8-10 small frogs, several minnows, and a couple of tadpoles. Nature boys, I guess.
Chris is gone again. He left this afternoon for Ellis Park. He has taken 4 horses there to work them. He will be back tomorrow afternoon.

The first football practice is officially here. The boys had it last night. It was from 5:15-7:00. Chance's team only has about 20 kids now and Corey's has about 50.
Chris had 2 horses win yesterday. Fleeting Frolic at Mountaineer Park and She's a TenPoint O at River Downs. He was pretty excited about that. Also, the man in charge of inspecting training centers came yesterday and told him that his facility was in the top 10% in the state. He is now able to publish his own workouts for the horses. This will save him lots of time and money. He was having to take the horses to a track to do this. He was extremely excited about that.
School is still going well. We were notified of a change in our schedule. That has made things more difficult especially to get things covered. I guess I have to go with the flow.

It has been a while but finally I got a chance to write, type, or whatever. The first three days of school were really good. I am enjoying only having 12 kids. This week will be the real test of what it will be like for a while. Chance and Corey start football practice this week also and Chris is going to be gone most of the week. BACK TO REALITY for me.
I have not done much of anything this weekend. I cleaned the house some and made Kendall some more hairbows. (She really needed some more! Ha!) Chance and Kendall both have doctors appointments on Friday afternoon at the same time. Chris will have to help out if he is in town, if not, I will probably cancel Chance's and reschedule for next week.
The new time change for school is good in the morning but it kind of hurts me in the afternoons. I could usually get to Columbia by 3:10 if needed but not now. The last bus is not there until about that time. I will have to ask my fellow teachers to help me out sometimes. I better go and cook supper then start preparing for a busy week.

One down, one hundred sixty-nine to go! The first day of school went extremely well. I feel like it is going to be a great year. With only a few kids in my class, hopefully I will be able to give them a lot of extra attention. Corey has come home, ate a bowl of cereal, and now is asleep. Apparently, he is really tired. He is not used to getting up so early. He likes to sleep in when he can.
It seems as if both my boys are pulling teeth right and left. Chance pulled a tooth last night because another tooth was coming in over the top of it. He has another one doing the same thing on the other side. Corey pulled a tooth this afternoon beside his front teeth. It is one of the teeth the orthodontist wanted pulled so that is great. I don't have to pay the dentist to pull it. He needs to get the other one out also.
Chris was totally worn out last night. He hauled in about 500 bales of hay yesterday. He could barely move this morning. I don't know how he stood being out in that heat for so long.

Tomorrow is the first day of school dor kids. I went Monday night for Open House and today for opening day for teachers. I will only have 12 kids this year and 10 of them showed up for Open House which was good. I am excited about this year but also a little anxious. We received test scores today for the areas I teach and they were great! I am really relieved and excited about that. Now, I have the task of keeping the scores up there.
Chance broke part of his front tooth off again. I had to take him to the dentist and get it built back up. So, that was $60 for a little piece of nothing.
Kendall got her first riding toy today at Wal-Mart with the money her great grandmother gave her. She really enjoyed it as you can probably tell by the picture.
Chucky Stuart (the new hamster) is an escape artist. He has gotten out twice and been missing for about 2 days each time. I went to K-Mart and bought a bigger bin to put him in. He hasn't gotten out of it YET.

Whew!!! What a week! It has been really busy. Kendall got her tubes put in yesterday. She did good. She was a little fussy about 30-45 minutes right before going back and then after she was really scared. Once she was home, she was fine.
Yes, Brianna, Corey is disliking his braces. They are irritating his jaw in the back. I guess you have to put up with it for straight and beautiful teeth! Ha!
Mom and I had a yard sale today. We had it in town this year and did much better. Chance and Corey liked it also . They sold several of their things and made over $70 each. I guess they will be ready for a trip to spend it.
Chris raced last night at Mountaineer and won with Impressible. He was happy about that. Then he raced today in a Stakes race with Peace Warrior and placed 4th. He was especially tickled with that. He didn't think he could do any better than 5th if he even got that.
I had a training yesterday and then one on Monday. Teacher start school on Tuesday and the kids on Wednesday so my summer vacation if OVER!

It has been a busy week and I have just now gotten a quick moment to type. On Tuesday, I had to take Corey to the orthodontist. He got 4 braces put on. It is to help pull his front 2 teeth together. The boys bought a new hamster while we were in Somerset.
On Wednesday, I went to school to work on my classroom. I was preparing for 24 students but my principal decided to split the 3rd grade into two classes so now I only have 12. I had to back track and remove some names and things like that. I think I am pretty much ready for Open House on Monday night.
Today I had a training at Jamestown Christian Church over the writing alignment across the county. It was pretty good. Some of the things didn't really pretain to me now but maybe in the future. The kids stayed with my mom and dad for the day. I think they all enjoyed it. Chris' dad was able to come home from the hospital today. I think the boys are going to stay with him tonight incase he needs anything. Chris' mom works at night.
Tomorrow Kendall will get tubes put in her ears. We have to be in C-ville at 5:00. They talk like the procedure is really simple and won't take very long to do. The worst part is that she cannot eat after 12:00 tonight. She is a big eater and this will be hard on us both. Then I have to go to a training from 12:30-3:30 tomorrow. Busy week so far!

The kids and I ventured to Somerset yesterday to see Chris' dad in the hospital. He had reconstructive surgery on his foot. He was in good spirits while we were there. I guess partly because of the medicine he is on and because the kids were there. We took Chris' mom out with us to eat at Golden Corral. The boys love to eat there and of course, I do too!
Chris will be back home today. He won both races but the first one they took down and gave him 6th. They said his horse cut into the paths of other horses. He was really upset about it. Chris said the video couldn't prove that his horse did anything to the other horses so it shouldn't have been put back. That was about $5,000 down the drain. The other horse did great. It won by about 9 links.
Well, my summer vacation is ending. I only have 2 free days from now until school starts. I'm feeling a little blaaaa about it. I went to school and worked the other day getting prepared for my 24 kids and now the 3rd grade is going to be split into 2 classes. I have to go back and take down the charts and things with those kids' names that I don't have. I am glad it is split but I wish I would have known sooner. I feel like I did a lot of work for nothing. I guess Ms. Audra (the other 3rd grade teacher) will benefit. She can have all the things I've done if she wants them.

Yesterday, I took the boys school shopping in E-town. Kendall went to the babysitters. The boys did really well shopping. They had their own money that we kept separate. They both came away with several pairs of shorts and t-shirts. Corey bought 2 pairs of tennis shoes and Chance 1 pair of tennis shoes and 1 pair of flip flops. He then saved some money to order a pair of tennis shoes on ebay (which we did today). I was only able to purchase 4 items while shopping with them so I stopped in C-ville today.
I took Kendall to Dr. Ewing (the ear doctor). She still had fluid on her ears so he suggested putting tubes in her ears. The fluid has been there since March and not gotten any better. He said it could affect her hearing and speech or possibly her balance if it is not taken care of. So, she will have tubes put in on Friday, August 1st. They said the procedure is really simple. She won't even have to have an IV. They will just give her some gas. The procedure will only take around 10-15 minutes to do. I hope everything is as simple as they say. The worst part is that she cannot have anything to eat or drink after midnight. Kendall likes to eat and usually has a bottle or two in the early morning hours. We have to be in C-ville at 5:00 so maybe it won't be too bad on her.
Chris is leaving again tomorrow for the races to Mountaineer Park in West Virginia. He won't be back home until Sunday. He is running Fleeting Frolic on Friday night and Julesnomenclator on Sat. night.
Chris' dad is having surgery tomorrow in Somerset. He is having his other foot worked on. They will basically break it in several places and then rework it so it is straighter. I hope everything goes well for him. He will have a long recovery time which he isn't looking forward to.
The boys were unsure to whether they wanted to play football or not. The sign-ups were last night and they both decided to play. I knew they would. They have enjoyed not having to go to practice all summer but I think they have missed seeing their friends. It was a good break for us all though. I guess I have blabbed enough!

I went to school today and worked for a while. Chance and Kendall went with me. Chance really helped me. He hot glued my material and border on my door that was coming off, stapled basketballs on my bulletin board, sorted the AR books into levels, and helped to watch Kendall. Corey was with Chris today.
I helped Ms. Audra put material on her other classroom door and laminated some ants for her. I really accomplished a lot today. I feel much better about school starting. I don't think I will have to do too much more. Of course, there are always things I forget about. I brought several things home that I laminated and have already cut all of them out.
My grandpa had his surgery to remove the knot under his arm. The doctor said it looked good from what he saw but they would know for sure in about a week.

I took my grandpa to the doctor in E-town. He has a knot under his right arm that they were concerned about. He received good news on it. The doctor said the Pet Scan came back and the area did not show up black. He said 90% of the time it will show up black if it is cancer and his did not. He still has to have it removed on Tuesday. Hopefully, the biopsy will come back fine also.
Chris will finally be back today. He was home on Wednesday night then left again on Thursday morning. He has been gone most of the week. Hopefully, he will be home for a while.

I added a video of Corey bungee jumping while we were on vacation. It took it a minute to come up for me. I recorded it length wise so that is why it is sideways. I hope it works for you.

Corey Bungee Jumping in Gatlinburg, TN

Today was a productive day for me. I pressure washed our house. It was a job. Actually, I only did the front and back. The sides were not bad. I was completely worn out by the time I got finished. I also did some laundry, of course.
Yesterday I met with Mrs. Susan and Ms. Audra at school. We were hoping to get a lot accomplished but without our principal there, we were at a stand-still. It looks as though we will all be teaching 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades next year or shall I say this year. It is soon to come. I cannot believe it is so close. I have several things that I need to get done in my classroom. I have worked on a few things at home that need to be laminated when I go to school.
Hopefully, we can do a little something else before school starts. Maybe a trip to the lake or camping or something.
Kendall is now squealing when Chance and Corey leave her sight. It is funny. They just went outside while I was typing and she squealed for them. Hilarious!
Chris is gone to Mountaineer Park in West Virginia. He ran a horse yesterday that got 3rd and he has one in tonight. He will be home sometime tomorrow.

Gatlinburg to Columbia

We're back in Columbia. We had a great trip. Even though the boys and I went earlier, we still had a good time. There were several other things to do instead of the same. The boys have lots of firsts on this trip. First time......riding the airway tram, ice skating, riding down the alpine slide, bungee jumping, sky flying, white water rafting, riding the sky lift, going to the aquarium, staying in a cabin, and doing the moving theater. I think they will be talking about this trip for a while. (Ms. Susan, I think I am feeling a personal narrative coming from this trip. Ha!) I am glad to be back home, even though I have a mountain of laundry ahead of me.
Kendall News
She is cutting her first teeth! She has two coming in on the bottom. She has been a little more fussy but not bad. The trip was pretty good for her also. It wasn't too long of a ride. She and Kara (her cousin) slept for almost 2 hours on the way home, so that helped.

Today has been so-so. I cleaned out Chance's and Corey's closets today. What a mess! I have always saved Chance's jeans when he out-grows them for Corey, but Corey is really picky about his jeans. He will not wear any of the jeans I have saved. Some are a little out of style now because Corey is about 2-3 years behind Chance in jeans. I have 2 large black garbage bags full of jeans and jean shorts. I hope I can find someone to buy them. I have so much more yard sale items to get rid of.
Chance, Corey, Kendall, and I took a trip to Campbellsville today. I bought the boys a couple of new shirts and Kendall an outfit for late fall. Then we went to Super Wal-Mart to get groceries. The boys wanted to stop at the spillway to show me what it is like. It was neat. They were really excited to see the fish. We saw several catfish and a huge carp.
I am trying to get things in order for out trip next week. I think I just need to rent a U-Haul for all the things we need to take with us. Ha! I am getting excited even though we just went a few weeks ago. It will be fun. At least I know my way around better and hopefully can guide us from place to place with ease. We'll see.

Today was an uneventful day. I didn't do much. Corey has gone to spend the night at a friend's house. Chance and Kendall are home with me. We did go to Wal-Mart for a little while after we dropped Corey off. Our central air at home is not working correctly. It is freezing up outside. I think it is low on free-on. I guess we will have to get it checked out on Monday. Chance seems to be some better with his shoulder. It doesn't seem to be hurting him as much. He isn't taking his pain medicine as often.
I was just thinking today that the summer is slipping away quickly. My July is full of things to do. We are going on vacation the 8th -11th. Chance has another doctor's appointment, Corey and Chance both have an orthodotist appt., and Kendall goes back to the hearing doctor again. I also have 3 professional developments at the end of July and the first of August. Then school starts on the 6th. I am a little overwhelmed to think of all that. I'm sure everything will get done and work out one way or the other.

Thursday, June26

Oh, me! We had an unexpected trip to the emergency room late yesterday evening. Chance and Corey went over to swim in the pool and in a few minutes they come back through the door Corey saying, "Mom, Chance got hurt." Chance was holding his right arm close to his body. My mind went back to when he broke his left arm. Apparently, Chance had climbed the ladder and was getting ready to jump in when he slipped. He fell on the handle part of the ladder and it broke with him causing him to hit the ground. He said he landed directly on the back side of the shoulder.
It was his collar bone that he hurt. There was already a small egg-sized knot popped up when he came into the house. So, I took him to the ER. They did x-rays but the doctor didn't see anything broken. They put his arm in a sling, gave him some pain medicine, and sent him home. We went to the orthopedic doctor (Dr. Lessenberry) today to make sure. He did another x-ray because he could not tell on the other ones that were taken. He said he thought Chance had possibly fractured the end of his collar bone where it connects to the shoulder. He said he could not tell for sure but the sling would be the treatment for it. He is still in some pain and taking Tylenol 3 which is knocking him out. Here goes another cautious summer for Chance. It was 2 years ago when he broke his arm. He is a little down in the dumps about it. He commented, "Why do things always happen to me?"
The boys both had an orthodotist appointment today but Chance didn't make his. My mom took Corey. Dr. Clinard said he would need 4 brackets on his top teeth to close the space but his bottom teeth looked good. I guess we will get the ball rolling with them and hopefully have them before school starts.
Kendall has learned to patty cake and shake her head No. I took a video of her on my digital camera but I could figure out how to put it on here.
Yesterday, Kendall went to the babysitters and I worked on painting posts for Chris' racetrack. He is getting certified to turn in workout times from his farm so he needed a 1/4, 1/2, 3/8, and finish poles to put around the track. I bought those post toppers with the plates and knobs to go on top. They turned out really neat.

Monday, June 23

We are back from Gatlinburg. We had a good trip. Splash Country wasn't worth the money but it was an experience. They had several things to do but the lines were really long. We went and rode go carts on Fri. and Sat. The boys really enjoyed the arcade. Of course, the prizes were just junk but they like doing it. We played Laser tag on Saturday night. It was pretty neat. The boys had fun. Kendall did really well. She was a little fussy on the way down but thanks to Puffs we made it. The trip back seemed to take forever. I guess I was ready to get back home.

Thursday, June 20

Today I had to run some errands for Chris. He is on his way home from the horse sale in Florida. He bought 5 horses.
I have been looking at pillowcase dresses on ebay so I took a wild hair and decided to make Kendall one myself. As you can see in the picture, she can wear it. It wasn't as hard to make as I thought. I guess I will have to attempt another one later on. We will see what happens when I wash first. It may come a part. Ha!
I have decided to go with the boys and Chris' mom to Gatlinburg this weekend. Chris' dad didn't want to go so I decided to go. Kendall is going too. I have been busy trying to make sure I have everything that we need. We are leaving early in the morning and will be back sometime Sunday.

Monday, June16th

Saturday was a long day. It was the boys baseball tournament. They played at 8:00 in the morning. They won the first two games but lost the last game. So they came in 2nd place in the tournament. Kendall stayed with me for the first two games then I took her to mom and dad's for the last game. It was at 2:00 so I knew she would be hot and irratable. She seemed to have a good time there. She is almost crawling. She does an army crawl but she is going forward now. She is also starting to sit alone better.
We are not letting the boys play All-Star baseball this year. We are taking the summer off and doing things we want to do. The boys are needing a break so this is the perfect time.
Chris left for Florida yesterday to go to the horse sale again. The boys, Kendall, and I went to church then came home.
Chance and Corey decided to help their Papa separate some calves. He wanted the smaller ones to stay in the corral and the larger ones to go into the field. I laughed.......they were so funny. They were both a little scared when the calves started coming at them. They would fuss at each other. They did get the job done.
Chris' mom is taking the boys to Gatlinburg this weekend. They are planning on going to the waterpark, Splash Country. The boys are excited. They love to swim and things so it will be great for them.

Friday, June 13

I took Kendall to the ear doctor yesterday. He said that she still had fluid on her right ear. It has been like that every time I have taken her. It isn't causing her a lot of trouble though. He said that it was hard to say what to do at this time since she wasn't having continual ear infections or it wasn't causing her not to hear. He said he was on the fence about what to do. He brought up putting tubes in but he said he thinks we should wait and see. So we go back in 6 weeks to check it again.
Chris, Chance, Corey, Kendall, and I went to the Russell Co. Fair last night. We watched some of the cage fighting then I took the kids to the carnival. My brother and his daughter were there also. Kendall was amazed at the carnival. She just looked around the entire time at all the flashing lights. She never fussed while we were in the carnival.

Wednesday, June 11

It's been a busy week. I tried to type the other day and had a huge paragraph typed but for some reason it wouldn't save. Oh, well. My brother, his girlfriend, and his daughter came in to visit on Sat. We have been doing some things together. We went to the Somer Splash waterpark today in Somerset. We really enjoyed it. The kids had a great time. They didn't have to wait in any lines or anything. I think we will for sure go back. Kendall went to daycare today so it was a good day to go. We got lots of sun.
Kendall goes back to the hearing doctor tomorrow. I just pray that we get another good report. She had to get shots on Monday. She screamed and was MAD. She grouchy and touchy the rest of the day.

Sunday, June 8

It has been a busy few days. On Thursday, Kendall went to daycare and Chance and Corey went to a friend's house to swim and play. So, I had part of the day without any children. I decided to relax and lay out in the sun for a little.

The boys played their last regular season ball game on Friday night. They lost but it was a good game. Kendall went to the doctor earlier on Friday. It was her 6 month checkup but actually she was 6 1/2 months. She weighed 21 lbs. 14 oz. She was 28 inches long. I asked the doctor if she was too heavy and he said no because she is tall.

Wednesday, June 4

I finally had time to blog again. I've taken the boys to basketball camp for the last 3 mornings. On Monday, Kendall and I went to Russell County to K-Mart, Kroger, and the Mighty Dollar while Chance and Corey were in camp. Then Tuesday, Kendall and I went to Campbellsville to Super Wal-Mart. I bought her a new pink car seat. She had outgrown her other one. Her feet were hanging off the end. Then this morning, Kendall and I went to Chris's barn to kill some time until they got finished. She played and liked watching the baby kittens. Corey won an award at camp for having the most lay-ups in the lay-up drill. Go Corey!
After picking up the boys, we had to make a special trip back to the barn to get 1 baby kitten to take home, I thought. But we came home with 2. Corey didn't want the same one as Chance wanted so we brought them both home. Then a stop by the Dollar Store for cat food and toys. We now have Ralph and Rex. The boys named them themselves.
I am really excited. We have booked a cabin in Gatlinburg for July 8-11. I am anxious to go. Finally, VACATION!!! Hopefully, we will also go somewhere else this year also. The ocean has been calling my name for about 3 years now, but something always seems to come up.

Sunday, June 1

Today was a busy day. We went to church this morning, stopped by Wal-Mart and the Dollar Store, and then came home for about 2 hours. Then it was time to get ready for another baseball game. The boys played at 3:00. They lost by 1 run. It was a good game though. Chance scored an in the park home run and Corey got a couple of hits also. We went to the grocery after the game to gear up for this week at home. It takes much more food trying to feed two hungry boys.
I am getting Chris packed to go to West Virginia to Mountaineer Park to race tomorrow. The boys ar doing a basketball camp for the next 3 days from 8-12. That will be good for them.

Kendall has learned something new. She will make a noise and I will pat her mouth so she makes an indian sound. It's funny. She started doing it at the ball game. She would grab my hand and want me to do it again. She is trying to crawl but hasn't been successful yet. She just rolls around about anywhere she wants. The picture shows her when she rolled, she rolled herself up in the blanket. I put blankets down to help keep her knees from hurting because of the laminate flooring.

Saturday, May 31

Last night was a nail biter. The boys pulled out the win in their ball game. It went to an extra inning. Chance made a huge diving catch after a foul ball. Corey had an awesome hit out into center field to make a grand slam but all the runs didn't count because of the 5 run rule per inning. Corey also came in to pitch in the extra inning with 2 players on base. There were no outs and the score was 10 to 5. He walked a few letting them score 4 runs and he struck out 2 players. It was the last batter. The smallest kid on the team which makes the strike zone almost nonexistant. He got a full count, 3 balls and 2 strikes. It was all riding on this last pitch, we either win or go into another inning. Corey threw the ball and ........Strike!! They won! It was 10:00 by the time we left the ball game but I still treated them to ice cream at Dairy Queen. Kendall took a nap at the ball game for about 45 minutes. She was up the rest of the time. We all got in bed at around 11:00.

Friday, May 30th

Hello, this is my first time blogging. I am excited. Hopefully I will have time to do this. I am going to give a try.
It is such a beautiful day here. The boys have been helping out by mowing the yard and weed eating. Kendall has played in her stroller for a while.
The boys have a baseball game tonight at 7:30 and then another on Sunday afternoon at 3:00.