Noah is 12!

It's true! The last year before the teen years hit. We WILL be enjoying this! Noah had a great birthday. Even though it was in the middle of week, he still had a good time.

Noah wanted BLTs and corn on the cob for his birthday dinner and we can't forget the birthday cake! Granny, Pappy, and Brooke came over to help celebrate as well. Granny, Pappy, and Brooke wrote the funniest poem for Noah and got him a shirt and some money. We got him the coolest clock! It sets itself when you plug it in or after power outages. It projects the time on the ceiling and has the neatest alarm settings. It runs on this new-fangled (don't ask me...I am a dud when it comes to technology!) battery that doesn't need replaced for 10+ years PLUS it uses radio frequency so your time is always correct. It's really amazing. Now I want one!

The other part of his gift will happen soon. He wants to go out to eat and then go to see the new Indiana Jones movie. We will all have a blast!

Happy birthday to Noah. We sure do love you, buddy!

Our National Junior Honors Society Member

We are so proud of Elijah! He was asked to be in Delta's National Junior Honor Society. It's so exciting! On Wednesday, we went to the induction ceremony where he received his NJHS patch and certificated. What was really fun about this event was the fact that all of Elijah's closest friends were also inducted. This is truly and honor and is about more than just good grades. It's also about character and integrity. Honor Society members are required to do 15 or more hours of community service before they graduate 8th grade. He also has the opportunity to received scholarships and other rewards because of this. Elijah and his friends - Elijah, Aaron, Brendan, and David

What an awesome opportunity for Elijah to participate in. We are thrilled for him and so pleased at this exciting time this is in his life.
Elijah and his good buddy Aaron (p.s. Aaron is starting to disco in this picture!)

Carnival Time!

It's that time of year again!

CARNIVAL TIME! Whoo Hoo! All the students love the school carnival. I have to say, we do have a really good time. From facepainting to games to the hog roast dinner, we do have a blast!

Sydney invited her friend Megan to come along this year. Megan's mom was working late that evening so it worked out well that she was able to come and hang out with us. The girls got matching butterflies painted on their faces by our art teacher, Mrs. Stewart. They looked great! Noah, who was voted a couple weeks ago as having the most spirt in his class, opted for the traditional Delta Eagle, also painted by Mrs. Stewart. (Excellent job, Misty!)


We started out the evening by eating dinner in the cafeteria which was catered by Pete's Duck and was delicious! Afterwards, we made our way into the gym for lots and lots of games. The kids won lots of prizes including 2-liters of soda, ate cotton candy, and jumped inside giant inflatables! The evening was beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better. As we walked home, I thought about how especially grateful I am to be a part of such a wonderful community. We live in a great town and I enjoy so much being a part of the staff at the elementary.

It was a good evening!

Sydney is 10!

HOLY SMOKES! Sydney is 10!!!

I can't hardly believe it! All my kids are in double digits. There's no way to go back to those baby years or toddler years or first days of Kindergarten years. *sigh*

She had a good week. I say week because Syd's actual b-day was in the middle of the week so we did some partying on her day and then some more on the weekend. On her actual day, she took popsicles into school instead of the traditional cupcakes. It was a nice day weather-wise so the kids were thrilled with the treats. That evening she wanted a "breakfast for dinner" so her request was omlettes, french toast, and sausage. I have to admit, it was a very nice change of pace. Afterwards, Granny and Pappy came over for ice cream and cake.

Sydney has a fun relationship with her P.E. teacher, Mrs. Glaze. For some reason Sydney started this thing calling Mrs. Glaze her B.F.F. Mrs. Glaze thinks it's a stitch and calls her that right back. Sydney draws her pictures and she makes Mrs. Glaze laugh. It's so fun to watch them. Mrs. Glaze is one of my good buddies and we have a good time together so it's extra fun to watch her and Sydney cut up. Anyway, Mrs. Glaze (Sydney's B.F.F.) delivered a rose to school on Syd's birthday. I called her to the office during her lunch and showed her the delivery and she was speechless. She said "I've never gotten flowers before! Who are these from?" When she read the card and found out they were from her B.F.F. she was thrilled! It made her day! Thank you, Cindy for thinking of Sydney! You are a great friend to her!


On Saturday, I took Sydney to Indianapolis to Build-a-Bear. We had such a blast together! Sydney (after a long, arduous decision) chose a brown bear and named her Strawberry Kiss. She picked out a red w/white polka dotted shirt, white skirt, and red w/white polka dotted shoes. I have to admit, she is adorable! After the trip to Build-a-Bear, we stopped to eat some Chinese and then made our way home.

This was a difficult birthday for me. Sydney is ten! I can't quite wrap my mind around it for some reason. As I kissed her goodnight, tears welled up in my eyes as I thought about how precious these first ten years have been. Sydney is everything I thought having a daughter would be about. While she's far from perfect, she is the most fun and we laugh a lot. She confides in me and isn't afraid to tell me her concerns and her wants and needs. She still loves to crawl up on my lap and snuggle with me. She still kisses me and hugs me when she sees me. I just love this daughter of mine and I am so happy she's mine! I absolutely adore her and have loved every minute of these last ten years. I pray the next ten are just as fabulous!

Happy Birthday, Monkeybreath!

Oooooh! He's Magic!

When Chad and I were in Vegas, we went to this very cool shop while we were in New York New York called Houdini's Magic. They had all these awesome tricks that you could buy and magicians there doing tricks and slide of hand. It was so neat! We bought Noah a very cool levitating card trick. After we purchased the trick, the magician took us back in a secret room (behind a bookcase) and showed us how it was done so we could, in turn show Noah.

It has taken lots of practice but Noah has become pretty good and he does a pretty good job. His next feat after practicing and getting it as close to perfect as possible is to trick Granny. We're pretty sure this is one he'll be able to pull off with flying colors!

What kind of Shoe are You?

Okay, while I thought this was completely cute and mostly accurate, I want the world to know I do not "blow off" my responsibilities and I have never played hookey, not even when I was in school. I'm just putting this out there.... I'm not trying to be anal and weird... :)

You Are Flip Flops

You are laid back and very friendly. Cheery and sunny in disposition, you usually have something to smile about. Style is important to you, as long as you can stay casual. It takes a lot to get you to dress up! You are a loyal and true person, though you can be a bit of a flake. You tend to "play hooky" and blow off responsibilities a lot more than most people. You should live: By the beach You should work: At a casual up and coming company

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

Watch this dunk!

This is Patrick Ewing's son. This dunk is incredible!

The Highlight of the Trip

We decided before we left for Vegas to sink some money into a show. When I say sink some money...boy oh boy...believe it! Shows are astronomically priced! However, they are completely worth the money and so fantastic and over-the-top!

We decided to go to a Cirque de Soleil show called Ka. It was the most amazing, phenominal, unbelieveable production I've ever seen! The whole time you feel like you're a part of it.

This part of Vegas I would absolutely do again!

Chad's dad kept telling us to go see a show however sitting in front of our computer and seeing the extremely high ticket prices, we almost didn't feel like we could justify it. I mean that's like a month of groceries...however, we also thought that this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for the two of us and we were saving money in many other areas by going to all these free attractions so we decided to splurge!

Oh my goodness...I am SO glad we splurged. The show was so absolutely breath-taking! It takes place inside the MGM Grande. You literally line up inside the casino to get into the show. Once inside the venue, there were pillars with walkways and ledges and smoke and fire. We had incredible seats! We were so close to some of the performers we could literally reach out and touch them! (we didn't, just so you know...but we could if we wanted to!)



Lots of music, acrobatics, stunts, effects, and fire. The main stage is on hydrolics so it lifts and turns to make walls that performers climb up and on and use to do stunts and tricks. There were performers shooting firey arrows from their bows onto the stage, performers flying out and into the audience, and the show boasts of the indoor fireworks at the finale. It was so good, I didn't want it to end! We were on the edge of our seats the entire time. Of course they received a standing ovation for which was completely deserved.

This, my friends, is something I would highly reccommend if you're planning a trip to Vegas. It is worth it and something you will remember and think about for years and years to come. Absolute greatness! I am including the web address for anyone who wants to check out the video. You'll probably have to copy and paste the link but it's worth it!

http://www.lasvegas.com/video/shows/ka/full_page93184.html

So all in all, I think our Vegas trip was a success. It's very expensive there (bottles of water are $3 each..YIKES!) but we are very glad we went! Unbelieveable!

More Vegas

Okay! So there is LOTS of walking in Vegas. Lots and lots and lots. On the upside, there is so much to see! Every hotel you can walk in and look around and see and do all kinds of stuff. I do have a few favorites. I loved the Wynn. It is just beautiful. In a way, I kind of felt like Dorothy when she opens her door and steps into Munchkinland. It was unbeliveable! Lots of lights and beautifully tiled floors and these gorgeous spinning lights. I know my pics hardly do the Wynn justice but here are a couple pics.




I also loved walking through the conservatory at the Bellagio. It was gorgeous! It was so enchanting. The garden's display includes these 16-foot-tall poppies in bright red, yellow and orange hues, oversized ladybugs made from carnations, snails made from roses, tulips, hyacinths and oversized watering cans. There was even an English greenhouse where you could observe all these amazing types of gorgeous butterflies. It was amazing!





My other favorite hotel was the Venetian. It was across the street from our hotel and we went there our first night in Vegas and was blown away! Gorgeous detail everywhere you look, lots of amazing statues, street performers, indoor and outdoor gondola rides, amazing paintings, cobblestone streets inside the hotel and beautifully intricate fountains. The ceilings were painted with ornated portraits and store fronts boasted extremely beautiful and expensive goods. Unbelieveable!





I wasn't thrilled with New York New York. Talk about a gigantic hotel that is completely confusing! Whoa! But it was spectacular to look at from the outside. We sat under some trees and watched the roller coaster which winds its way around the outside of the hotel. The Statue of Liberty which stands outside was pretty impressive as well.



Everything was lovely but expensive. We had such a wonderful time together. It wasn't a very relaxing vacation but fun regardless! I don't know if Vegas is something we'll ever do again but to have done and experienced it together was something I'll always remember!

The Big Winners are Back!

We survived our trip to Vegas! We had a great time. Chad and I were so excited about our trip and we had spent months planning and researching and deciding what to do and on what days we would do it. I have to say, we did a pretty good job sticking with "the plan" and most of what we read about and decided upon, we did.

We stayed at Treasure Island and it was such a fun hotel. It has a great layout so you don't get lost by the "bigness" of it. I picked this hotel (it was between that and the MGM...and I'm SO glad we went with Treasure Island!) because after reading the reviews, I saw that nearly everyone talked about how comfortable the beds were and how great the location was. I have to say it...the beds were out of this world comfortable. I am so picky about my bed. I have never been able to sleep in cars on long trips or on couches for afternoon siestas. I don't sleep well in hotels or on vacations away. There's just something about my bed I love. HOWEVER, I slept unbelieveably well in Vegas. I'm calling the hotel this weekend to find out what kind of mattresses they use. ANYWAY...

The location was perfect. Even though it was at the end of strip, it was very close to great attractions (like the Venetian and the Mirage) and it was easy to get to everything from it. They have a free show outside the hotel called the Sirens of TI. It's pretty great from boats in the water, dancing, to explosions and fireworks.

We ate some great food. We went to a restaurant called Khahunaville which was a place in our hotel that had a Haawian/outdoorsy theme. The food and drinks were kind of pricey but the atmosphere and the service was outstanding. It was so fun! We also ate the hotel's buffet every morning which filled us up so we didn't have to eat again until dinnertime.

As far as gambling went, Chad won big the second day. I don't know exactly how he won anything according to the picture I took of his winning slot but he won nontheless. Unfortunately, the prices in Vegas are extremely high and his winnings only bought us two bottles of water but at least he won something!

Chad is 40!

Chad turned forty on Friday. I can't believe I'm married to such an old, old man! HA! Just kidding. He's probably having a mini-stroke after reading that one! HA! Again...I crack myself up!

Ahem....sorry. I'll behave. We did have a mini-celebration before our big trip to Vegas. Chad requested one of his favorite meals (meatloaf and half-baked potatoes) and then we bought a big cake for him. He wouldn't allow the boys to put on 40 candles but did agree to 4 (one for each decade, you see!) It was a good day.

Even though he hates aging, I think he would agree that life is pretty sweet and we are very blessed (P.S. don't mind the paint on the shirt...we are finishing the upstairs!) Thanks to Noah for taking this awesome action shot!

Happy birthday, Chad!

New Nails

On Thursday before we left for Vegas, I went to get a manicure and decided to have Sydney's nails done too. We had fun together getting our nails painted and prettied up. Here is Sydney's end result. Adorable!