Here come the questions...

Luke: "We don't have a chimney, Mama"
Me: "That's because it's too hot to build a fire down here in FL"
Luke: "Well, How will Santa get in the house?"
Me: "ummmmmm..... He's magic!"

Oh boy, here come the questions. Be back soon.

I am thankful Santa is still able to come to our house whether we have a chimney or not.

Halloween 2010

Hope y'all had a great Halloween!!! I know we did. I love Halloween and everything that goes along with it. Luke and Ashley really got into it this year. They loved making caramel apples, picking out their costumes and decorating the house. I found these mice this year and absolutely love them!
How cool are they???

The witches cackle every time you make a loud noise. (OK, don't love these as much, and Brent really HATES them, especially when he's watching football)but the twins liked them.
The weekend started out with a Halloween party at preschool. It was really funny. The kids sang and danced. Luke got really shy the second I walked into the room and covered his face for the first few minutes. Ashley was having a great time. They did this song, where the kids act like they're sleeping on Halloween night and Ashley refused to lie down on the floor. She was the only one standing. Then in the song, they sing about how it's time to wake up. What does Ashley do? She starts nudging the kids with her foot to "wake them up". Ugh.... That girl. The parents of course laughed.

We then went to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. Down here, you can't carve them until the day before Halloween because the heat and humidity make them rot. (see previous Halloween post)

On Halloween evening, we went to a friend's house for a party and trick or treating. Luke and Ashley dressed up as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, they were the hit of the neighborhood!
Ashley was tired and ready to go back to the party after about 15 minutes.

Luke didn't want to stop. He loved every second of it. But by the end of the night, he was pretty exhausted too.

Overall, they had lots of fun and got a ton of candy. Not sure what to do with all of it, anyone have a suggestion??

It's hard to believe another Halloween has come and gone. Now on to Thanksgiving and Christmas! I am so excited! This is such a fun time of year, and I love being a parent through it all. I am very thankful to have Luke and Ashley in my life.

Football in the South

Exhausted, that's how I'm feeling. Several weekends of traveling to football games, tailgating with friends and not getting much sleep will wear you out, but I wouldn't change A THING!

Living down here in South Florida, Brent and I have to fly to get to our alma maters. (Auburn and Alabama). We get a lot of questions and statements from people down here who don't follow college football. "Why do you go to so many games?" "Why don't you just watch it on TV?" "I would never spend a weekend traveling just to go to a game" and my all time favorite is "Don't you cheer for each other's teams?" ummmm. Noooo........

Before we had the twins, Brent and I would fly into Birmingham on a Friday night. We would rent cars, he would go to Tuscaloosa and I would go to Auburn. We would meet back up at the Airport Sunday morning to fly home. Now this baffled people the most. "Why in the world, would you spend your weekends apart?" ummmmmm..... This is football in the South.

I am sure, because I've been to football games in places other than the south, that others love the game and tailgate too, it's just very different. So to explain this to our friends down here who have been asking us every year, "Why?" here is a list of a few samples.


In the South, RVs roll onto campus 3 days before the game and start up the smokers and grills.
In the South, there are incredible pregame shows with flying eagles, fireworks, and fighter jets flying above.
In the South, you start tailgating as soon as you open your eyes on Saturday morning, unless you got there Wednesday with the RV. In that case, tailgating started on Wednesday.
In the South, there are large flat screen TVs set up at all tailgates to watch other games while waiting on your own to start.
In the South, tailgating doesn't end after the game is over. Immediately after the game, more ribs, chicken and boston butts are thrown in the smoker.
In the South, YOU DO NOT CHEER FOR ANOTHER TEAM, unless you are betting on them.
In the South, you will hear a mother explaining the sport to her 5 year old son.
In the South, you do whatever it takes to get back to your alma mater to cheer for your team, even if that means flying and lack of sleep.

This past weekend Auburn played LSU, which is my favorite game to go to every year. (No it's not the Alabama game, mostly because my husband went there, and it brings on too much tension in the house....) We asked our friends, Andrew and Gina, who live down here to come with us this year. Brent was able to come as well, since Alabama was playing away. We had a great time. The trip started off a little rocky, but ended up perfect with an Auburn win 24-17 and landing us in 1st place in the BCS. Not too sure how I feel about that, 1st place seems to be cursed this year.....

Here are some pictures taken with my phone to document our trip:

Nothing like starting the trip out by cleaning up a half eaten fish a bird dropped on the roof. I thought for sure this was an omen and not to go to the game.


After arriving at the airport, we were told our flight was delayed 2 1/2 hours, and it got worse from there, more and more delays. Again.... another omen... After having a drink at the bar, Brent and Andrew decided to check a different airline to see if there were any open seats.

There were, but we had to change all plans and fly to Atlanta and not Birmingham. This would mean cancel all Birmingham reservations (car, hotel, dinner) and make new in Atlanta. We had to rush to go back out through security, print new boarding passes and get to the other gate before that plane took off. By the time we reached the gate, Brent and Andrew's seats were upgraded to first class. Being the gentlemen that they are, they went to the counter and got the new tickets and gave them to Gina and me. Woo hoo! Bring on the lobster and champagne! No more omens here!

Saturday morning, we arrived bright and early at the tailgate. Allen started the jambalaya in a vat....

He makes enough to feed an army, this is just the andouille and chicken!

The metal tigers went up on the tailgate

And the girls (and Joel) got our picture taken

I got those funny glasses Sherri and I are wearing from the Wine and Food Festival last year. Perfect for the game!

Time for the game, apply sunblock!

Game was awesome. Couldn't get a picture of the scoreboard though, but it did say, 24-17!

We had a great time, now heading back to the tailgate for more food and football.

Since Halloween is around the corner, Sherri and I had to put on our wigs. We couldn't get Brent to dress up as Mango or Matt as the Energizer Bunny again, they were too busy watching the Alabama game.....

Soon after, we left Auburn and headed back to Birmingham for our early flight home. We were all exhausted, but I think Andrew and Gina now see why Brent and I do this so often. If I could just bring everyone else with us to understand why we go through what we do to go to a game, I would. Anyone is welcome next year, as long as you don't wear a canary shirt..........

I am thankful to have gone to such a fabulous college. It is great to be an Auburn Tiger, and great to enjoy football in the south.

A lot of firsts.

Sorry, I've been M.I.A! We've been really busy. I just haven't found the time to write on the blog. We are settling into our new routine of preschool. I thought I would have more "free" time, but it turns out, I hardly have any. I spend it running errands and going to appointments. There are days I don't get back home until after I pick them up in the afternoon. However, I must say, it is much easier to run simple errands without having to get two kids in and out of car seats. I'm noticing things in Publix that I never noticed before, because I now have the time to look. I'm not stressed out when the lady in front of me in line at the grocery store waits to hear her total BEFORE searching through her purse for her checkbook . (my soapbox: OK, I don't get stressed out because my kids aren't with me; therefore, I'm not worried they're about to have a meltdown while waiting, but this type of lady still really REALLY bugs me. Why can't she find her checkbook and start filling out the check while she's waiting on the total?) I need to do a post on just pet peeves. I have MANY.

This past weekend, we took Luke and Ashley on a little trip. We flew into Atlanta on Thursday night and took the twins to The Varsity for the first time. In case you have never heard of The Varsity, it is the world's largest "Drive In" restaurant. It has been a famous establishment in Atlanta since 1928. We thought this would be a fun place to take the kids for dinner. (That and it is very kid friendly.....) They had a great time and enjoyed their dinner too.

After that, we went back to our hotel. Only there was a "little" problem. We were supposed to have a room with 2 double beds. Instead, they gave us 1 king. The twins thought it was the coolest bed in the world, and immediately started jumping on it.
Yes, we are those people who stay in a nice hotel and our kids think it's OK to go crazy.
Even the next morning wearing her Varsity hat, jumping, jumping, jumping.
On Friday morning, we went to yet another famous establishment for the first time, WAFFLE HOUSE!!! Brent and I love Waffle House. I know a lot of people think we are crazy, but we have a lot of funny, funny FUNNY memories there. Usually with our friends at 2:00 in the morning, but we love it. We don't have any Waffle Houses near us down here, so the twins have never gone. Well they got their first taste! Ashley LOVED it! Her favorite was the hash browns, scattered, smothered, covered! That's my girl! Luke, well, he's not much of a breakfast eater. He ate about 3 bites of a waffle and about a lb. of bacon. (my kind of boy too :)


After Waffle House, we went to the Atlanta Aquarium. It was magnificent. I know, I know, leave South Florida to go to Atlanta to see fish, right? Well, let me just tell you, this aquarium is incredible. If you haven't been, you must. Luke and Ashley liked it, but were ready to leave after about an hour. Luckily they had a kids section with a huge slide. (I think that was their favorite part) That and when the Beluga Whale smiled at Luke....

I really love this picture. Don't know why, it would be a professional photographer's nightmare, but I love it.
Looking at a whale shark

And of course the slide...

Good thing he didn't get stuck in there.

We then drove over to Birmingham for the night. The next morning, I left early to meet up with one of my best friends, Sherri to go to the Auburn/Arkansas game. Brent's original plan was to take the twins and his parents to the Alabama homecoming game, but the game time was too late. So he just took them over to Tuscaloosa for the day to enjoy the homecoming festivities, like the parade and bounce houses. Which turns out good, now I can be with them for their first college football experience. They seemed to have a good time, however, I'm not sure I'll let them go over there with out me again. Luke came home saying, "go pigs", hmmmmm... Sherri and I had a blast too! It's so much fun to get out of "Mom mode" and hang out with a good friend. I'm looking forward to hanging out again next weekend, when Brent and I head back to Auburn for the LSU game.

When I arrived back at the hotel Saturday night, I was greeted by my daughter not feeling well. She woke up the next morning with a horrible cold and a fever. Luke now has it as well. What a great way to end a family vacation, right? (At least they didn't get sick until the end.) I am keeping them home from preschool for the first time today. Ashley is not happy about this. She loves school, but I want them to rest and get over this cold before my mom gets here to watch them this weekend, while Brent and I go to Auburn. We'll see....

So, basically, over the past several days, Luke and Ashley experienced a lot of firsts. Some good, some bad, but overall, we had a great time. I am thankful we are able to take trips like this with our children. Although my husband works hard and travels a ton, I am grateful.

Candy Sushi

It must be great fun being a grandparent. They get to spoil their grandkids rotten, and not have to worry about it. It is up to me as a mother to teach my children that "yes" is not always the answer in life. Sometimes, it's a hard lesson, especially in the grocery store, going down the candy isle....

I don't know what it is, but whenever my mom takes the twins to the grocery store, Ashley always comes home with a bag of marshmallows. I guess she's a creature of habit. Well, both my kids are, but when it comes to picking out something sweet at the store, Luke gets something different every time. But with Ashley, it's marshmallows. And they take up A LOT of room. So I decided to use them up. I thought, well.... I could make Rice Krispie Treats. I could make s'mores. I could make fudge. I could make Candy Sushi!

Brent and I eat sushi a lot. Well, I do, Brent will only eat the cooked stuff, like California Rolls. Not sure if that's REALLY considered sushi, but the kids know what it is anyway. So when I told them we were making sushi, they got excited. Little did they know it was going to be candy sushi. Here's how we did it.

First, you have to make Rice Krispie Treats. We started out by counting the marshmallows. (I used 48)
And of course got to eat a few.


I followed the recipe on the box. I added a few extra marshmallows to the recipe to ensure that they wouldn't be crunchy (that and I had SO MANY!!!). After they cooled, I cut them into neat rectangles to make them easier to roll, and placed them on parchment paper.

Once cut, I arranged the candy (twizzlers and gummy worms) on the edge of the rectangle and rolled, tightly, one complete turn.


Cut off the excess. Be sure not to roll too much or it will be too thick.

Tighten the roll, then wrap with a fruit roll-up and squeeze. I couldn't find green fruit roll-ups, which would have looked better, so I used the multi-colored ones. Guess I could have made green, I just didn't have the time. They were still just as cute.

Cut into bite size sushi rolls. Use the extra pieces of Rice Krispie trimmings to make Nigiri style sushi. Here I used Swedish fish and strips of fruit roll-ups.
If you want your kids to REALLY get geeked up on sugar, melt a little chocolate to look like wasabi and soy sauce. ha!
Then eat and enjoy. I didn't try them, they looked WAY TOO SWEET for me. But Luke and Ashley loved them! They're already asking to make more.


I am thankful for teaching moments like these. I'd much rather teach them counting and cooking then "no".

Cousins

Cousins, is there anything really like them? I have 25 first cousins. If you think of some of your best memories growing up, did they include your cousins? Mine did. There is just something special about them, they are your blood. I can not imagine my life without my cousins, I am very grateful to have them in my life.

This past weekend, we took Luke and Ashley up to my parents house in Nashville. They got to spend the entire weekend with their cousins, and I got to spend some time with my brother and sister. It was so fun to watch how they played together, laughing, running, hiding, laughing some more. It reminded me of the times we all played at my Grandparent's house. My ears were ringing by the time we left, but I would much rather hear the sound of children running, laughing and screaming over crying any day. 5 kids sure can make a lot of noise. (4 of which were under the age of 5). But, boy did they have fun. None of them wanted to leave, and there were even tears when they said their goodbyes. I remember that feeling of sadness saying goodbye to my cousins when we would leave to go back home to TN.

One of my favorite memories as a child was taking a bath with my cousins in my Aunt Mary's GINORMOUS bathtub. I swear they had a Jacuzzi in there bathroom. Well, the little kids got to do that this weekend. Although my parent's bathtub isn't as big as the one I remember in Aunt Mary's house, this one did just fine for the kids. The only problem was (well for the adults at least), I put in too much "no more tears" into a jetted tub. Whoops.....

NOT SURE WHO THIS IS.......
Next time, I'll only put in a drop...

Early in the morning, it was cold! So, Jacob would lead all the little kids in a morning warm up routine. The funniest part was the music. The CD my mom happened to have in the CD player was the "Mama Mia" soundtrack, from when She, Beth and I went to the play. So here are 5 kids dancing, screaming and running to songs by ABBA out on the deck. Hysterical. (Good thing the neighbors were out of town! It would not have been pleasant to wake up to "Mama Mia, here I go again, My My, how can I resist you?" Or "Dancing Queen".)


of course the workout included a little musical chairs...



And with Labor Day weekend, comes College Football!!!!! WAR EAGLE! We all got dressed in our Auburn clothes, well except for Luke, he's into that other school for the time being..... And went for a walk on the trails behind my parents house. It was so beautiful and peaceful out there.



We tried getting their picture, but it was just too hard to get all of them to look at the lens at the same time. We tried everything, even bribing them with lollipops. I think this was the quietest they were all weekend!



All in all, it was a great weekend. I enjoyed my time with my family. It stinks that we all live so far apart. I wish I could have spent some time with my cousins as well. Seeing my kids play with their's makes me really miss mine. Luckily, I got to hang out with my brother and sister.



I am thankful to have wonderful cousins and even more thankful that my kids get to experience the bond that cousins share.