67th post...

My "high school friend" that is linked on the left over there just posted her 600th post! I cannot imagine....but I have posted a lot this week, so maybe I will hit the 100 before I hit a year of blogging ha ha!

I am writing to say that I just can't get over how well Katie is reading! She is awesome! And it has been so fast!!!! She reads EVERYTHING now...which is good....and can be annoying as well. It is much more difficult to read a book to her now...especially a certain series that we have. Katie LOVES these books we have about teaching them how to behave. The series is called "Teach me to be good" (I think,) the author is Joy Berry, I know that for sure. Anyway, the titles of the books are things like "Let's Talk About Teasing" or "Being Helpful" or "Let's Talk About Interrupting." They are okay books, but Katie just loves to read them, Noah too actually. They always pick one when we are sitting down to read together. To be honest, they are kind of repetitive (they all follow a similar pattern of writing of course) and well....boring. But they teach a good message and believe it or not they really stick with them! The problem is, that I have always read them to them and have kind of "paraphrased" what a page might say (they can get a little drawn out sometimes). Also, on each page there is a cartoon with speech bubbles making funny commentary on the subject. Sometimes I would skip some of the speech bubbles because sometimes they make jokes that my kids just aren't old enough to get yet.
WELL...the days of shortening these books are GONE!!!!! LONG AND DRAWN OUT AND BORING we have to read EVERY SINGLE WORD because Katie "notices" if I try to skip or paraphrase....."That's not what it says" she says. She also notices when I "edit" the books. Sometimes they will say "dumb" or "stupid" (old books) and I would change it to "silly" or something.....No longer can I get by with silly.
Oh, when things were simpler...ha ha! It is truly a life changing experience to now live with a child who is a reader. She now actually calls things by their true name. For example, instead of wanting to watch "the Bible songs show" as a non-reading child would have called the singing DVD we have, she will request, "When we get home can we watch the Bible Toons DVD (it's official cover name)?"
It just sounds older....she is older....5 1/2 now!
Right now they are playing Wii. Noah is the contoller operator and Katie is the reading navigator. To think of what they can now accomplish with their forces combined! ha ha!
Oh What Fun!
And for more fun, check out the poll that I posted today concerning reading to children. I will be interested in the results. (you can choose more than one answer, but don't be annoying and choose all of them)

New Favorite Song

I added a new song to my playlist...it is incredible! If it isn't playing when you came here, then go over to the playlist and click on it to listen....you won't be sorry!

For the Glory of Your Name

- Michelle Tumes

God, You keep us without failing

As You watch us from above

In our comings and our goings

Sheltered by Your precious love

In the pouring rain of mercy

Comes the grace by which we're saved

For the glory of Your Name

For the glory of Your Name

You have touched our lives forever

Can we be the same again?

May our hearts be ever faithful

Ever faithful as a friend

Let us live that we may serve You

Overflowing with Your praise

For the glory of Your name

For the glory of Your name

We behold the Man of Sorrows

Hanging there upon a cross

Where we wounded One so holy

Yet these wounds are life to us

For the blood You shed was perfect

And You finished work we made

For the glory of Your name

For the glory of Your name

My Birthday....

My actual birthday was yesterday. It was a good day....

By last night though, I was beginning to think that I had lived my last day on the earth, and I will tell you why. It seemed like people just came out of the woodwork to wish me Happy Birthday! When we came upstairs after having school, I had two messages on my answering machine wishing me happy birthday. One from a salesperson at the car dealership where we bought my car, and another from a friend. Later, after we went to eat there were TWO MORE messages wishing me happy birthday!!!! AND, that doesn't count all the well wishes I got on my facebook page...I have never in my entire life had so many "happy birthdays" said to me on my birthday! I really and truly was thinking, "Is this gonna be my last birthday, so many people are acknowledging me today!" ha ha! I know, facebook puts little notifications when your friends are having a birthday, so that wasn't too wierd...but all the phone calls....wierd!
I am not complaining though, and I did wake up this morning...I made it through the night! ha ha! I am thankful to have so many great friends and relatives who sent birthday greetings my way.
We went to Provino's for my FREE birthday meal....and came home afterward for cake and ice cream. Katie said on the way home that I could wait out on the porch while they put up all the decorations! ha ha! She didn't understand why I wasn't getting the house all decked out like I do for their birthdays. I have a feeling when she gets old enough to decorate all by herself, we will be having more elaborate birthdays for the grown ups! And, I can't remember which one, but one of the kids asked what kind of plates we were going to eat the cake on. So funny! For the record, we ate off.....our regular plates!
And, I got my gift from Corey in the mail today!!! It is a gift certificate for a spa package from Greenleaf Day Spa in Cartersville! I have never had a massage before and I am GREATLY looking forward to it....an hour massage and a facial! AHHH!!! It is my combo birthday/mother's day gift....JUST CAN'T WAIT!
Had a great birthday! Number 27 for me....

I also got my driver's liscense renewed today. The last time I had it renewed it was in April before Noah was born in June....not a pretty picture! So, I got a great picture this time and I am good...the kids thought it was a lot of fun seeing me get my picture made. I tried to go on Saturday but the place was closed for CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY! Who knew!? Never heard of it.... So, that means my liscense was actually expired today when I went, but oh well....a lady complimented me on my haircut which made me happy :)

That's all about birthdays for now....Corey's will be in a couple of weeks...on Mother's Day actually...he was born on Mother's Day, 28 years ago. I will have to steal some of the ideas my friend used on her blog to commemorate her husband's birthday...they were all really cute!

Happy Birthday To Me!

What a night! My feet are aching....truly aching!
Tonight some friends and I went out to celebrate my birthday-early. It was SO MUCH FUN! It was my friends, Bethany, Wendy, Chris, Shannon, and Hannah (in no particular order! ha ha!) On the way to our delicious dinner at Sweet Tomatoes, we played a game in the car. Corey prepared a playlist for us that he and I had worked on the night before, we had a song from the year each person with us was born and we guessed who went with each song. Then we also had a song from the year each person was 18! It was hilarious, but they were all too good, so they got to split the "prize" which was a pack of cute post-its. I KNOW! Cute post-its? YES, they were cute post-its!
So we had a GREAT and filling dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. We also all wore leis as our "party garb" which was a good idea because people asked what we were out celebrating and the people at Sweet Tomatoes gave me a free bag of cookies! Woo hoo!
All the oldies in the group learned some new cool slang from Hannah (the baby in the group), so now instead of calling the old guy in the corner "creepy" we know to call him "sketch." Sketch: questionable, sketchy, etc.
SO.....after that we debated over whether to go ice skating or not. Bethany was concerned that we might not get our money's worth by going an hour before they closed, but everyone ended up indulging me and Chris, Bethany, Shannon and I skated. Wendy opted out but played the part of photographer for the fun. I had never been ice skating before....I had always wanted to but never got the chance. I am proud to say that I did not fall...actually none of us fell. BUT MY FEET HURT SO BAD!!!!! I had to keep taking breaks to get the feeling back in my toes. Apparently I have some kind of disability where I turn my ankles in....it was killing my feet! But, it was fun and I am so glad I finally got to try something I have never done and that my friends were there to hold my hand and make me go around "one more time!"
We had a great time and I am so happy they all got to come! We decided to try to make it a seasonal event: the "girl's night out"
Oh, I forgot to say that I got a very cute "friends" frame (from Chris and Wendy) which will hold a picture from tonight when I get one. Thanks girls! Thanks for the cards and the fun!
Thanks to my husband for having a night out with the kids while I had a night out with the girls, and for preparing our playlist for us!
Thanks Bethany, for the meal :)
Thanks Hannah for the card and the vocabulary lesson.
Now as I sit here, my legs are beginning to ache! ha ha! What a workout!

Katie and Noah, April 2008

I read something cute a friend (highschool friend on my blogroll) had posted on her blog, updating info about her kids, so I decided to copy her and do it too! So here you go: The Latest and Greatest about Katie and Noah



Katie Grace Thompson, born October 28, 2002 (aka: "sister" "Katie-did")






Highlights: 5 years old, kindergarten homeschooler, extremely talented at reading, attends ballet at Steps of Faith, wonderful and sweet and a true princess!


Big Fan of: reading, playing games on the computer (http://www.strawberryshortcake.com/ ) watching for bugs, dancing, singing, playing with her little dolls.

Not so much a Fan of: rushing, going to sleep


Favorite Colors: pink and purple

Favorite foods: EVERYTHING! ha ha! especially fruit, pasta, tacos, chicken and dumplings, vegetables, black olives, beets


Favorite things to watch: Nick Jr., Strawberry Shortcake


Favorite Music: David Crowder Band, Johnny Cash



Noah Carter Thompson, born June 23, 2004 (aka Noah Noah bo Boah)






Highlights: almost 4 years old, pre-k homeschooler, very talented in his Tumbling class, brave, cute, funny, learning his letters and sounds:)


Big Fan of: Being outside, riding his bicycle, running, jumping, playing with cars, playing on the computer (www.playhousedisney.com )


Not so much a fan of: going to bed, eating, getting his hair washed


Favorite Colors: blue and black (hmmmm...coincidence?)


Favorite Foods: Kix and Cheerios mixed up (Kix on the bottom, Cheerios on top!), yogurt, chips and cheese, macaroni and cheese....I think that names everything he eats! ha ha!


Favorite things to watch: Chip and Dale, Nick Jr., Toy Story movies


Favorite Music: "We will Rock you!" Backyardigans CD

Very Hungry Caterpillars....

Yesterday we went by Corey's parents house so that Katie and Noah could water the plants they helped Nanna plant while they were with her this weekend.

While we were there, they found a caterpillar....and the rest is history.

Our caterpillar, named "Hungry Hungry" by Katie and Noah, spent his first night in a pint sized Mason jar, with some leaves that were growing on a vine in Nanna's yard. Then, this morning, I got some leaves from a bush in our front yard.

Then I got on the computer to do research about caterpillars. Some of it was kind of disturbing, actually.....like....sometimes other bugs will lay eggs inside them and they will hatch and eat them from the inside out!!!! ?!?!?!?EWWWWWW?!?!?!?!?!?!

And, many butterfly caterpillars are very picky eaters. Turns out they will only eat leaves that come from the plant or tree that you found it on. They will STARVE TO DEATH before eating an unfamiliar leaf....sounds like they would fit in with a certain member of OUR family! :)

Our little caterpillar had been very still.....I had to poke him a couple of times to see if he was still alive. Side note....you can't really tell if its a "him or her" until after it transforms, so I guess we will never know on that point. Since our's had been so sedentary, I decided we might should find it some appropriate food. This afternoon we went out to Wal-Mart to pick up a little habitat for it. Got a pretty good deal, $4 for a mesh bug house and a little set of tools, a flashlight, tweezers, and a magnifying glass. Then, on the way home we stopped by to get some "native" leaves for him. While there, I noticed another caterpillar on the tree, so Nanna threw him in the habitat for good measure (in case of a casualty while we were out)

So....now we have two caterpillars. All snug in their nice bug house, with a little branch of leaves. They have both been crawling around and eating like crazy, so this makes me hopeful that the picky eating means they are butterfly caterpillars and won't just turn out to be ugly moths.

The two caterpillars have been renamed: One is Hungry (but called Queen) and the other is also named Hungry (but called King).

Hopefully they won't die and maybe we will have pictures of a transformation going on in the next few weeks...(I have no idea how long it takes)

Wedding Pictures

Here are some pictures of Corey's brother's wedding last weekend. Not many of the personal camera pictures turned out, so these are a little blurry.
Katie and Noah looked ADORABLE in their flower girl and ring bearer outfits. Noah carried a Bible down the aisle, actually. Katie was so good while she stood up next to the maid of honor. Ben (Corey's brother) cried during the entire ceremony, which upset Katie a little. While they were lighting the unity candle, she said, "But that's MY uncle!" But when she learned that Kilie would now be her aunt she was happy. She LOVED seeing the wedding dress, and talked about it for days afterward. I am pretty sure it was the most fun day of her life so far...getting her hair curled, wearing the pretty white dress and flowers in her hair, dropping rose petals. It was a storybook day for her. Noah didn't care for his suit quite as much, but he looked really cool ,especially in the pictures we got of him wearing his sunglasses with his suit! I don't have any of those to post, but maybe I will soon. I am sad that the pictures of us as a family didn't turn out...hopefully SOMEONE will have some!

A Day in the Life: of Noah

Today after ballet the kids and I stopped by Zaxby's for a quick bite before heading to Walmart and Kroger. So, as always, I ask each of them which kid's meal they want (although it is always the same: Kiddie Fingerz for Katie and Kiddie Cheese for Noah). After placing our order, being charged too much a second time at the same location, and sitting down, Noah turns and says to me: "Do Cats really eat this cheese?" pointing to the cheese coming out of the side of his grilled cheese sandwich.
"I don't know, maybe" I said....not really getting the line of questioning, which happens pretty often actually.
It took me a few times of him asking this before I actually understood what he was saying.

Kiddie Cheese = Kitty Cheese. Pronounced the same here in GA, and pretty much everywhere else I think.

I don't know if I was ever really able to adequately explain the play on words, about "kiddie" meaning "kid" "kids eat it" therefore the word "kiddie." To him, a kitty is a cat!

He cracks me up! On a similar note, he was staying with my mom Saturday while Corey, Katie, and I went early to Corey's brother's wedding. (pics to come later, Katie and Noah and Corey all dressed up was SO CUTE!) Anyway, Noah requested to go down to their pond and see the catfish. He said "the fish that eat with their bottoms." ?!?!?!?!?

After experiencing similar confusion my mom put it together with the fact that my dad had told Noah about catfish being "bottom feeders" and that they "eat off the bottom of the pond."

You just never know what a child has pictured in their minds when you explain something to them, or say a word, like "bottom-feeder" or "kiddie cheese."

Hilarious!

Personal Training

I got a really great workout video last week. It is Women's Health 10 Minute Workout. Sounded great I thought...a COMPLETE workout in 10 minutes! Too good to be true! ha ha!
Well....turns out it is FIVE 10 minute sessions so you can choose how long your workout will be...

So, that's okay I guess....the first 10 minutes is cardio. So last week I did the cardio and barely survived. I mean, this video is very fast paced, and as the instructor points out, you only have 10 minutes so you have to fit a lot in! The other sessions inlude upper body strength, lower body strength, flexibility and stability, and a BONUS core strength exercise with a stability ball (so I can FINALLY use that stability ball I bought, when was that Bethany?!)

Anyway....today I was brave and decided to give each section the old college try!
I guess I averaged about 7 minutes per section! ha ha! I really felt close to puking several times and to be honest I felt like I might have been getting pneumonia for about 3 hours after I was done. Yeah...I am SO out of shape.

Katie and Noah were ADORABLE trying to keep up with the exercises with me. They even went to their room to get toys to use as "weights" during the strength building sections.

And...I discovered I have my own, FREE, motivating personal trainer!

Toward the end during the stability ball exercises Katie went to the kitchen and brought back a baggie of cookies.

"Here, mommy, these are for you if you don't skip any parts." she announced as she plopped the cookies down in front of me.

Was I really stopping THAT much?!?!?

*sigh*

Good video though. I have done several (Denise Austin, Billy Banks, etc) and I have to say this one is good. No matter what you are doing you know it is going to be over in less than 10 minutes!

Reading and Peeling....

The other night I made a VERY good baked chicken recipe. It was basted with a butter, thyme, garlic, and parsley mixture and baked over sliced potatoes and onions. It was good...though a little on the greasy side. We also had corn casserole, peas, and Noah requested biscuits. So....I knew better than to expect Noah to actually eat the baked chicken so I made him some chicken nuggets to eat instead.

WELL......low and behold he declares that he doesn't like those kind of chicken nuggets.

WHATEVER! He has eaten them as a meal alternative forever it seems. They are just basic Tyson chicken nuggets from the freezer. Nothing "fancy" about them (like the honey battered ones I bought once...major rejection!).

After telling him that he couldn't have another bite of his biscuit until he ate a few bites of chicken, he decides that it is actually the outside he doesn't like, he will eat the inside. So, he proceeds to "peel" the outside from the nugget, quite unsuccessfully. He may have gotten a miniscule pinch of meat, but he did leave lots of crust on his plate. I figure I could do a better job and actually give him a sizeable chunk of meat, so I peeled the outside off the nugget. It was pretty easy, and I showed Corey what a good job I had done with there being a VERY good size portion of the plain white meat left. I pick up another nugget then STOP.

WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!.................................................

I am sitting here, PEELING A CHICKEN NUGGET!?!!!?!??

What is WRONG with me?! It isn't enough that I prepared a different kind of meat knowing that he wouldn't touch the "green basted" chicken, but now have reduced myself to peeling nuggets?

Never again, I assure you. He did eat the chicken, though.

On a completely different subject:

I have read 10 books since Easter Sunday. No wonder I have spent the entire day cleaning our house!!!!!!!!

They have been really good books! :) Thanks Bethany...I will be ready to switch when you come back in a couple of weeks!

School Days....

I am posting a couple of things we have done at school lately. The first thing is a couple of pictures we drew after reading Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog. It is a really cute and funny book about guess what? Katie and Noah loved it....here is a link to a page with games and stuff you can do to go along with the book, click on it really quickly to see what the original pigeon looks like. On the page is a printout you can use to learn how to draw the pigeon. I demonstrated each step on our whiteboard and Katie and Noah each did their own drawing. They did SO well!!!!! I had to post their drawings. Then, the next picture is a writing prompt, along with the story that Katie and Noah each "wrote" (dictated to me) about the picture. They are so funny!!!!

Katie's Pigeon Picture:

Noah's Pigeon Picture:

Katie and Noah both added the duckling from the story (with my demo) and a hot dog.

They really enjoyed doing it.

Now, here is the picture from the writing project. They each came up with their own story, while the other one was at the computer with headphones on. I did not prompt them in any way whatsoever...which should be obvious! Enjoy!

Katie's Story:

Once upon a time Katie, who was picking flowers for her mom, was looking at her pet bee and she looked behind her and there was a bear. And she wanted to keep it. And she asked her mom and she said, "okay." And she looked behind her up in teh sky and she believed God was there. And Katie had braids in her hair and she looked beside her pet bear and it spelled her name, her name was Katie and the two Katies came back and played hide and seek. And I picked some flowers and I thought Katie was under there.

The End.

Noah's Story:

Once upon a time, Noah was picking flowers for Katie and Mommy and then Katie sneaked dressing up as a bear and she scared me and she took it off and I didn't know that. And I went home and telled Mommy and I bought some trees and some honey and I went to the grocery store to buy some apples and some grapes and some tomatoes. First I got three apples then I got six apples now seven apples. And then I got a lot of pears.

The End.