Thanksgiving 2010

We headed to South Carolina last Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with Carmel's parents. I do not have any pictures from that day because we were very lazy day and  stayed in our pajamas. That is......... until later that night when it was time to get ready for Black Friday or should I say Black Thursday. In years past I have gone to bed ready so all I have to do is brush my teeth and head on out at 3:30 in the morning. This year I was brave........I pulled an all nighter! My sister in law and I headed to Toys R Us at 9:00 pm to score some deals. They were very well prepared for the mass gaggle of people unlike the next store. I was planning to hit the hay once I returned back to the house but Carmel was going to Walmart for a 12:01 deal. Since we have never done a Black Friday together( He is more of a get in and get out kind of shopper. So not my style!), I decided to go with him. Just like last year( with Griffin) it is nice to take a male. They can stand in the long line while I shop! Soon after we arrived at Walmart, I realized I could have done without going there. I did not know every rude person in South Carolina would be at this particular Walmart. Needless to say, I joined Carmel's style of shopping here. After dropping off 2 shoppers, Griffin and I headed back out. I don't think Griffin was ready for the all night shopping extravaganza!  He passed out after Target. That was only our 3rd store. We still had 5 more to check off the list!

As you probably can guess, I came home and slept the rest of the day. After Auburn beat Alabama( War Eagle!), We went to see the Christmas lights at Saluda Shoal's Park.

The next day we headed to North Georgia for the big Parker Family Thanksgiving Reunion.

It was another wonderful Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanking God today and everyday for all my blessings!

Dribble,Dribble...Shoot,Shoot....

Take that ball to the hoop, hoop!

My how that chant takes me back in time that seems so long ago. No I am not talking about the 1 and half years I cheered but the time I spent playing basketball for ACA. I have so many wonderful memories of the sports I played throughout my school days. Now.... I am the parent who sits in the stands and cheers for my kids( No I am not as loud as my dad was but we have only had 1 game).

Griffin has played basketball before but never with his school. He had his first game last week.

I was so excited when I found out Laney wanted to play. She has not shown much interest  for sports. She tried t-ball.....played more with the sand than the ball. She loved gymnastics but it is just not convenient to start back up right now. We can now add basketball to the list. I don't think I have ever seen her so excited. I think she would wear her jersey everyday if they let her. 

She still has a lot to learn but definitely has the motivation factor!

The team is 3rd - 6th grade so she is the youngest. Many of the other girls already know the basics. Laney will have to learn that she can move away from the spot the coach put her.......

or when you get the ball to shoot quickly don't wait for the girl to get in your face and then decide.

Oh...There is rule #1 you have to dribble not carry the ball down the court.

Who knows with enough practice and playing time.......she may as good as her mother was!

Disney Princess On Ice

Last Saturday we went to Macon to watch Disney Princess On Ice. I have never taken the girls to anything like that because I thought it was always very pricey. I was so excited to find out that the military had a special for $12 a ticket. Here's a little tip: If you are close enough to buy your ticket from the box office, then do. We saved an additional $7 per person by not buying through ticketmaster.com or over the phone.  In the beginning, I thought I would take the girls out for mommy/daughter day but to my surprise their daddy wanted to go also. I tried to convince Griffin to go but he wanted no part of the whole princess adventure. 

All the princesses were there.......Jasmine, Mulan, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and for the grand finale Cinderella. 

During the second half they told the story of Cinderella finding her Prince and their wedding. All the other princesses and their beaus came to the wedding.

There were even a few other guests that made their appearance.

Laney must have seen a commercial about Toy Story 3 on ice because she kept asking when is Woody and Buzz coming out. 

It was a wonderful day except for the fact that Griffin was missing!

Just Dance!

Last year, I was selected by house party.com to host The Jenny McCarthy workout/Jello Mousse party. When I received the package, inside was a game called Just Dance. I had not seen or heard of it until then.  I popped it into the Wii and never had so much fun exercising. Before I go any further, I have to confess......I LOVE TO DANCE! I don't mean going to a club/party and dancing. I am talking about the kind when you are at home with the music cranked up and cleaning. Cleaning is so much more fun when you swing your hips while scrubbing the toilet. My best moves were creating then! Hehe! Okay....enough about my busting a move. When houseparty.com selected me to host the Just Dance 2 party I was ecstatic! First of all, it meant I was going to get it for free. Secondly, I couldn't wait to see what was on the second version. When I got my box in the mail, not only did I get Just Dance 2 but they sent Just Dance Kids as well.

These are so much fun! Just Dance 2 has twice as many songs as the first one. The kids version has some for the younger kids like ABC song, The Wheels on the Bus and Pop Goes the Weasel. Then, there are songs for the older kids like Naturally, Celebration and Funkytown. 

Here are the kids enjoying Just Dance Kids.

The bigger kids enjoying Just Dance 2.

Some were a little more competitive than others!

My sister went out and bought the game early so she could  practice hours upon hours. She did not enjoy being the LOSER last time!

Some were in concentration mode.

 

Others were hitting every move with accuracy! 

If  you like to dance but not big on excercising, I would highly recommend any of the Just Dance games. My legs were sore the next day........and still are! It is a fun way to get in shape. 

Ladies.....your  husband would definitely approve of you getting this game.  Buy it and have him sit right behind you!

Girls and their accessories...

A couple of weeks ago, I ran through the Christmas in the South.  First, let me explain what Christmas in the South is. It is a huge event where people can shop. You will see anything from jewelry to porch swings. Normally, you are suppose to gradually make your way down each aisle, gazing at all the things you wish you had. I tend to walk around telling myself.....I could so make that! So now let me  explain why I put the word ran in my first  sentence. We had a fall festival that same day and  I had to be there early which  left me  with  2 hours and 5 minutes to make  mental notes of my most favorite ideas. Along the way, I saw this hair bow and loved it. When I was a sahm, I would have attempted to make this but now some things are just easier to buy.

Ella loves her new accessory!

Our Veterans Day

First of all, I think we must have been the only school  who did not have this day as a holiday. Personally, I needed it but I am sure somewhere along the way we get a day that no one else does. We were asked for Veterans Day to bring in items to send to the troops. Here is another way why stockpiling and using coupons comes in handy. I could have gone to the store,  bought 1 razor and spent $10. Since I could go into my storage room and shop, I was able to let all three of my children take a bag filled with items to send.

As you can see from the picture, they could wear red, white, blue or a military uniform.

 One of the teachers arranged for someone to bring an Army truck for all the kids to see.

Towards the end they were taking the children for a ride.

It turned out to be a great day after all.

Announcing the newest Beta Club member!

Griffin is staying very busy these days. He was invited to join the Beta Club, he was voted President for the Student Council and is playing basketball.

We are so proud of him!

Boo! And you thought Halloween was over.

I figured I better go ahead and do a post on Halloween before Thanksgiving arrived. A few weeks ago our church had a Trunk or Treat.

Ella was a Fairy Princess.

Ella and her friend Allyson.

Griffin and his friends......too cool to dress up.

Laney and her friend Kaylee. Laney wanted to dress up like a party girl. I didn't think she really needed to dress up for that since she is one big PARTY!

Nothing like a little mattress surfing at  trunk or treat.

Every year I come up with this elaborate way to decorate our vehicle but something always hinders me from doing it.....usually time and energy. This year I took the easy route and went with a fall theme. Mainly because it  was the stuff closest to the ladder in the attic. 

Halloween night we were invited over to a coworker/friend of Carmel's for supper and trick or treating.

Ella dressed up as a princess, Laney dressed up as a pajama girl( that is what she called herself) and Griffin.....well, he decided not to dress up........

Oh wait.....that's a picture of Carmel after Griffin drove.

The couple that hosted made tombstones for all the guys that came.

It was another year of Halloween fun!