Holiday Hoopla

I gotta say that I love the holidays, but boy do I love when they are over!  Talk about stress...  This year, we said that we weren't going anywhere for the holidays.  We planned to stay home and enjoy our time here.  Well, that didn't happen.  We ended up visiting 5 different places.  We had a great time though.  Here is our holiday in a nutshell...plus a few extra bits of info.

1 very EARLY visit from Santa...Gracie decided she couldn't sleep any longer at 4:30 AM Christmas Day.
4 is the number of people it took to put Gracie's new art desk together.
6+ hours it took us to get to my grandmother's house through the blizzard like conditions Saturday night.
3 nights we spent in Alabama traveling around to all the families houses.
1 1/2 hours spent opening the presents bought over the last two months.
3 very happy people living under our roof!

And last, but not least, one very surprised and excited girl when she found the cell phone in her stocking Christmas morning!  :)

Holiday Happenings

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."  Not only do we finally have the tree up and the house decorated, but we have also had snow for the past 3 days.  It is not enough to make a difference, but it is snow.  It has been bitterly cold here since Saturday, and the weather people say it will be cold for awhile now.  We have been busy since Thanksgiving getting everything ready for the holidays.  Here's whats happening at our place:

*Daddy and John put new windows into Gracie's bedroom...PTL!  They were MUCH needed.

*We have the guest bedroom cleaned out and ready to become an art studio / playroom.

*John is still taking boxing classes and doing well.

*Gracie is working on her speech for 4-H.  I think she is writing about soccer, but the topic changes often.  :)

*Gracie will compete in the county spelling bee next week, and she is performing in "I'll Be Home for Christmas" town celebration this weekend at the city library.   

*I have completed 9 Christmas ornaments and tote bags for the Girl Scouts.  I am now working on a scrap book for Gracie.

Kansas and football

I have become a slacker in the blogging world.  I just haven't had time lately to sit down and write out what's up with us.  Well, here is the quick "Cristy Notes" on what's been going on.

*Gracie WON her school spelling bee the Friday before Thanksgiving.  She will compete in the county bee in December.

*Gracie created a poster for 4-H, and her poster was chosen as one of the top 3 in her class.  Her poster will be taken to the county competition.

*We celebrated Thanksgiving Thursday with my mom, Nanie, and Aunt Linda at mom's house.  Nothing too fancy this year.

*We have been in Kansas since Thursday hanging out with John's sister, her husband, and two boys.  We went to see Justin play in the Border Showdown earlier today in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium.  It was his last game as a college football player.  :(  I will post pics soon.

Other than that, we sign Gracie up for winter soccer next week.  John is still working on  his doctorate, and he started boxing classes a few weeks back.  I took my first Zumba class last week, and I hope to continue.  Last, but certainly not least, AUBURN BEAT ALABAMA yesterday!  WOOOHOOO!!  War Eagle!

Girl Scouts

Well, it is official.  I am a troop leader once again.  I signed Gracie up for Girl Scouts in the spring with the intention of having someone else lead her troop; however, it came to my attention last week that no one was available for the task.  So, once again, I will lead the girl's to greatness!  I really don't mind leading the troop, but it really is a lot of work.  I didn't realize how much time and effort went into it until last year.  Hopefully, this year I will have a little help.  So look for updates on Troop 2900 coming soon.  Who knows what craziness we will get into this year.  :)

Football pics

As promised, here are the pics of Gracie and Jeremy.  The first one is from last year's game, and the next one is from this year.  My how she's grown...  :)

~Halloween~

This week I thought I would post a few pre-Halloween pics.  Gracie attended a Halloween party this weekend, and we took a few cute pics to share.  Enjoy!

Cranky pants and football

Saturday, we drove down to Birmingham, AL to watch Jeremy play football for UTEP against UAB Birmingham.  Several of John's family members also attended, so it was a sort-of a mini family reunion.  It was amazing to see the difference between Gracie this year vs. last year about this time.  Last year, Jeremy had to pick her up for the pictures, but this year, she stood right beside him.  He noticed her growth immediately...which made her feel good.  I was very proud to have a nephew who is kind-hearted enough to notice.  Like the quote says...it is the small things that make a huge difference.  We hope to see Justin play next month in Missouri.  If all goes well, we will see Jeremy, Kim (John's sister), and Donald (brother-in-law) at the game as well.  It would be great too.  We haven't seen Kim in years, and we haven't seen the boys at the same time since they were 8!  Game pics to come soon!

About Gracie...WOW!  She is definitely turning into a "MOODY teenager"!  She is only 9, but my gosh at the mood swings.  She goes from happy and content to hateful and teary in no time flat.  It is just amazing to watch.  I feel like I am caught in a jar of bouncing balls sometimes.  I never know if I am going to get slammed by a super hard ball or slightly brushed by a squishy one.  I hope this phase of life passes quickly!!

On another quick note...John made a comment yesterday about my constant and effortless use of analogies and other literary techniques.  I simply said, "what else do you expect from a language arts teacher?"  Nice to know I am still on top of my game...even though I am currently out of the classroom.

Sundays and calendars

Who knew that I would come to love Sundays because of what I can accomplish?!  Sundays are set aside for me to clean the house, create a weekly (or longer) menu, make a shopping list, grocery shop, clip coupons, and organize everything for the week ahead.  If a Sunday comes and goes and these things don't occur, I feel completely out-of-whack.  My week generally doesn't go well either. 

I am definitely a type A person.  I like to have everything organized, ready to go, and in order.  I am a planner.  I do not do much that isn't written in my calendar.  Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am LOST without my calendar.  It is like a life-line.  I have actually had John bring it to me at work when I have forgotten it.  (Yes, I know...I need to cut the strings here.  I just can't!)  Everyone has their "thing(s)" in life.  Living with the calendar is my "thing". 

So...back on track...  Some people laugh about how I organize, but it works for me.  John and Gracie know that I have a plan for just about everything.  It makes our life go about a little easier.  They know that if something is happening it better be on the calendar.  Gracie has learned to put all invitations, papers, and any other time sensitive materials on my computer if I am not at home at the time she gets them.  This way she is sure I see them, and they find their way to the infamous calendar.  :)

So, today is Sunday.  I have completed several of my Sunday tasks, and I feel very happy that this week will go according to plan...or should I say according to calendar?!  ;)   

F...A...L...L...!

I SOOOO love fall weather!  One of the big pulls for us moving to Tennessee several years back was the wonderful fall weather.  I felt like I missed out the first two years here...when the fall weather was almost non-existent.  This year makes up for all those others though.  It is October 3, and the weather is FaNtAsTiC! 

Here is a picture of Gracie from soccer this season.  Just another great reason to love fall!

I really love fall clothing too.  We bought Gracie's fall wardrobe on Friday, and it was very difficult to limit our purchase.  Everything was just so darn cute!  We bought 2 pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of fleece pants, 4 long sleeve shirts, and a coat complete with matching scarf, gloves, and ear cover (not really sure what the correct name for that headband thing is).  You can see Gracie's new coat (her's is actually brown with pink inside) and matching scarf below.  Old Navy is the BEST place to buy clothing for kids.  The prices are great, and the clothes fit and last.
    
 

Now we just have to buy a few things for John and myself, and we are set for another fall/winter.  Up next....Christmas shoppping!  I cannot believe it is only 3 months away.  Crazy how fast time goes!!

Only Gracie!

Do you ever have those moments when you think, "OMG!  My child is just like me!"  I had one of those moments this weekend.  I was sitting at the table eating breakfast with John, my mom, and Gracie.  Like usual, Gracie was asking if she could do something.  I said to her, "Did you win the lottery?"  Of course, I was implying that I am not made of money.  She instantly replies, "I can't buy a ticket.  I'm not old enough."  Well, hmmmm!  What could I say to that?  My child is MUCH smarter than I am.  I guess I should just be thankful that I didn't end up with a face full of chewed food because my mom and John nearly died from laughing so hard. 

I just love Gracie...smart comments and all.  She is generally very kind to others, thoughtful, and smarter than any one person should be.  While I realize she comes by the smart mouth very honestly, I have to say that there are times I am thrilled she has it.  While there is always the opportunity to be nice, sometimes life just requires a little sarcasm and snap!  I am one of those people who generally does not do well with sugar sweet people.  There is just something fake about them in my opinion.  I want someone around who is just going to give it to me like it is...no sugar coating!  This is definitely the type of person I am.  My motto in life has always been..."be sure you want to know the REAL answer BEFORE you ask me!"  John says I lack a filter and am brutally honest.  I just believe honesty is the best policy, and sometimes the truth hurts!

Enough of that...here is an update on happenings at our house.

*Gracie met her AR goal for the 9 weeks during the 3rd week of school!  She is such a great reader!!
*She LoVeS her new teacher, and we are very pleased with her as well.
*Gracie has a new bow, and she has been practicing as often as possible.  She really wants to make the school's archery team this year.  Try-outs are next month!
*John finished another course in the process to obtaining his doctorate! 
*We still have soccer every weekend.  The Lunachicks are currently 2nd in their age group!  
*Jersey is currently 40lbs. and growing rapidly.  :)
   

New beginnings...

Well, after only 3 1/2 weeks of school...Gracie now has a new teacher.  When school began, I was a little concerned about the class she was placed in.  The teacher did not seem very happy to have us there, and on more than one occassion, actually told us we were not to come to the classroom.  With all that (plus a few things I will leave out), it became apparent that Gracie needed a new setting.  Today, Gracie had her first day with the new teacher.  Boy what a difference a day makes!!!  Gracie got in the car at pick-up, and she said she had a great day!  I cannot remember one time in the last 3 1/2 weeks that she has said that.  So, John and I are keeping our fingers crossed that this is the best decision for Gracie.

As far as John and I go, tomorrow (Sept. 2) we will celebrate our 10th!!!! anniversary.  It has been a long time coming.  Marriage is definitely NOT easy...no matter what the circumstances.  There is always give and take on both sides.  While we have been through some really rough spots, we have managed to come out on the better side of things.  Even though we often joke around, there is no denying that John is my best friend.  It is so cliche' to say that, but it is absolutely true in my case.  John and I were friends before husband and wife, and we are still friends today.  I cannot imagine living my life without him in it.  So, here's to hoping for many more 10 year anniversarys to come... :)

Back to the grind

Gracie has officially completed her first two weeks of school.  I must say that this has NOT been the easiest back-to-school for us.  We have had a few teachery-type issues, and I have already had to meet with the teacher this year because of them.  Gracie seems to be handling things fairly well now.  She had homework every night last week (which she thought was awful), but it wasn't anything she couldn't accomplish within 20 minutes or so.

Thankfully, going back-to-school puts everyone back on a regular rhythym.  We get up around 6:30 and get ready.  I generally make breakfast of some sort for everyone and pack Gracie's lunch.  We sit down for breakfast, and then we are out the door for school.  John and I have been dropping Gracie off around 7:35, and then we go over the civic center and walk on the trail.  I pick Gracie up at 2:45, and if it is a regular day she comes home where she has a snack, practices guitar, and then completes homework.  On Monday's, she has guitar lessons right after school, so that takes the place of practicing.  On a good day, Gracie is done with all practice / homework by 4:00, and she gets to spend an hour or so playing or just relaxing before dinner.  We also have soccer practice on Mondays and Thursdays, so the relaxing time is limited.  I generally cook dinner while Gracie is doing her homework, but it just depends on how long it takes to cook.  We try to eat around 5:00 every night.  Gracie's bedtime is 8:30 this year, but she is required to be in bed for reading time @ 8:00. 

I will be honest...it does seem like Gracie's life is very scheduled.  For the most part, this is correct, but I don't know how to operate any other way.  My parents will tell you that I scheduled my own life from the time I started school.  It is just how I work.  I know from experience that letting Gracie make her own schedule does not work.  When we allow her to deviate from the plan, she becomes irritable and hard to deal with.  (This doesn't mean we never allow her to deviate, we try to stick to our structure as best as we can.)  As a teacher and parent, I know what benefits scheduling provides, and I also know what happens when there is absolutey no structure.  From my experience, scheduling is a much better option.  Gracie knows what to expect.  No child will ever say...please organize and schedule my life, but you will see happier, healthier children if you take the time to do it.   Off the soap box now...


       

Birthday continued...

We finally completed a week long birthday celebration for Gracie.  She turned 9 on Friday, August 6.  We spent the whole day doing what Gracie wanted.  We went to lunch at a local Mexican restaurant, where Gracie opened her gifts from us.  She got the Bitty Baby doll from American Girl she was just dying to have and some books and a DS game.  After lunch, my mom and I took her to see Ramona and Beezus.  It was such a cute movie.  Gracie had soccer camp all last week, so she had to finish that up Friday night.

Saturday some friends came by and played with Gracie for awhile.  After they left, Gracie and I made her birthday cake.  She chose french vanilla cake with cherry icing and a WHOLE LOT of sprinkles.  It turned out great! 

Sunday, we had a surprise lunch for Gracie.  Several family and friends came over to eat spaghetti (Gracie's favorite) with us.  She had no idea either.  We all ate and played awhile.  The biggest surprise of the whole week was that Gracie's grandma drove up from Georgia to spend the weekend with her.  We didn't tell Gracie she was coming, so it was BIG surprise.  Gracie loved it! 

**I thought I would do something a little different for awhile.  I changed our web picture to a great card we sent out for Gracie's birthday.  A friend of mine designed it, and we thought it turned out fanstastic! 

Life in the ATL

As part of a week long birthday celebration, we took Gracie and her friend, Hunter, to Atlanta this past weekend.  We went to the World of Coke, Georgia Aquarium, and Atlanta Zoo.  We also went to Ikea, but it wasn't an official birthday stop.  ;) 

The World of Coke was quite interesting.  We watched a short film about what goes into Coca-Cola in 4D.  We were sprayed with water repeatedly, poked in the back, jerked around, and the blown in the face with what felt like a supersonic hair dryer.  The kids LOVED it!  We also got to taste different types of Coke products from around the globe.  They have one that tastes like cough syrup...it is just awful!  I am curious how those people stand it.  At the end, Gracie and Hunter spent some of their hard-saved cash in the gift shop before venturing to the aquarium.

The Georgia Aquarium was nice.  I expected a lot better from all the hype though.  There were some very good things about the place.  John, Gracie, and Hunter were fascinated by the Whale Shark.  It was quite LARGE!!  The penguins weren't very interested in entertaining people on Saturday, but the Belgua Whales made up for it.  They kept swimming right in front of the glass.  They are amazing.  

After the aquarium, we took the kids to the Varsity to eat dinner.  We were all quite hungry after such a long day of gawking and drinking sugar-loaded sodas.  Hunter has never been to the Varsity, so it was a new experience for him.  We love the place, and we go everytime we are in Atlanta.  They have some of the best hot dogs!  Yummm!

Sunday, we went to the Atlanta Zoo.  We got there as soon as they opened, so we wouldn't melt away in the heat.  It was still miserably hot and humid!  I remember why I don't like Georgia now!!  Most of the animals were out (even in the heat), and the kids took a million pictures of them.  They were really interested in the gorillas.  Gracie asked about a million questions about Willie B.  He was the gorilla Atl. Zoo had long ago.  He died a few years back, and Gracie never got to see him.  I remember going to the zoo many times when I was growing up, and we were always interested in Willie B.  It actually made the news when he died.  He was quite old though.  (The new pic is of Gracie and Willie B.) 

So, after what seemed like the longest weekend ever...we are back home and running as usual.  Gracie had guitar lessons and soccer camp today, so she will be exhausted later.  She starts school Monday, and I am not quite sure that has sunk in yet.  She will also be 9 on Friday.  That is what she is looking forward to the most!!!   

Summer endings

Wow! The summer has FLOWN by. Gracie will be back in school in just 3 weeks. It seems like summer just began.

We have been busy lately getting everything ready for back to school. I bought school supplies this week, and Gracie already has her school clothes. We ordered her new backpack yesterday, and it should be in next week.

Backpacks are really a pain! Gracie is small, and we have always had her use the LL Bean Jr Backpack. It is the perfect size for her, and she can put most of her school things in there. This year, she has to have a bigger bag. She will be carrying more books and binders than before. Her binder won't even fit in her current bag. Needless to say, we spent a good portion of yesterday morning searching LL Bean for a bag that she could carry and that would hold her stuff. We think we found one, so we are keeping our fingers crossed it works.

Gracie is still reading a lot. We visit the library at least once per week to get new books. She decided to try the Hardy Boys series this week. My daddy told her that he used to read them when he was a boy, and now she wants to try them out too. She picked up the first book yesterday. We will see how that goes. It would be wonderful if she enjoyed them and read them all. We have tried Nancy Drew before, but she didn't seem that interested.

I changed our website picture to Gracie's muddy feet. She is definitely adapting to life in a small, country town. She even asked for a four-wheeler for her birthday!!!

Summer happenings

Summer is here, and boy is it HOT outside! Gracie is still enjoying herself even with the heat. She spent the last two weeks in soccer camp during the mornings. She finished today, and she really had a good time.

Gracie is also participating in a summer reading program at the local library. She began the program the first week of June. She loves reading, and this is the perfect thing for her! The program ends next week with an awards presentation. We will just have to wait and see how many books she finishes by then.

Gracie also participated in VBS at the local Baptist Church this week. Since we moved, we haven't found a church we are interested in joining yet, but we like to try different ones out in hopes of finding the right one for us.

As usual, Gracie is a busy kid! We are taking some time this weekend to go to the zoo in Knoxville. We haven't been before, and we thought it would be fun for a day. My parents are going with us, and we hope it won't be to terribly hot.

The new house is coming along. Everything is out of boxes, but it seems to have multiplied during the move. We are having a yard sale tomorrow to clean out some things. We decided to wait until October to have a house warming party. By then, the weather will be cooler (hopefully), and we should have everything sorted and settled. Our schedule is already filling up for the fall...I was kind of hoping for a slower, more laid back atmosphere. Oh well, maybe next year!

New family member...

We have added a new member to our family. His name is Jersey, and we are already completely in love with him.

Stellar Seller

Gracie's first award ceremony was Sunday afternoon at the Girl Scouts Building here in Nashville. Gracie recevied a medal and certificate for selling 1000 boxes of cookies. After the ceremony, she received her new Ipod and patch. She also got a cupcake and cookies...what every girl needs!

We are still working on the new house. We now have a new fridge and bedroom furniture. We will begin moving Gracie's furniture in the next couple of weeks. We are finishing the trim and kitchen cabinets, and then the painting will be completed for awhile. We are very excited about living there. We are also very tired from going back and forth. It is beginning to take its toll on all of us. Hopefully, the next few weeks will fly by.

Finally...

It's official. We are homeowners again. We closed on our new house last week. We immediately began working on the house. We spent Thursday through Monday painting, having carpets cleaned, and doing other "homeowner" tasks. We started with Gracie's new room. It took two full days of work to get it done, but it is finally complete. It looks fabulous..if I do say so. We have lots of big plans for the new place, but our main concern is getting everything in and settled. We will be completely moved by the end of May.

BEFORE

AFTER

Gracie will have her first Stellar Seller award event this coming weekend. She is so excited. She has been really stressed over testing at school, so I am glad that there are some really great things to look forward to for her.

Some things change...

Wow...it has been awhile since I posted anything on here. That should be a very clear indication of how busy our lives have been. Since my last post, things have changed quite a bit.

*Gracie finished selling cookies for Girl Scouts. She was the top seller for her troop, and she met her goal of 1000 boxes. She is a STELLAR SELLER! We are quite proud of her!

*Soccer season has begun again. We had our first game last weekend, and the SWAT team won. They are such a great team to watch. Most of the kids have been playing together for several seasons now.

*Gracie still has Girl Scouts and guitar lessons regularly.

*The biggest change is that we will be moving soon. We are moving to a smaller town southeast of Nashville closer to my parents. We are buying a house there, and we will close in the next few weeks. We are excited for the change.

*School is coming to a close fast, and I can say that I couldn't be happier. This has been a really hard year for all of us. We are looking forward to the time off and relaxing!

Cookies here, cookies there, cookies cookies everywhere...

We are very happy to report that we are swimming in cookies this week! Gracie has sold right at 500 boxes (yes boxes) of Girl Scout Cookies. She has worked her little behind off, and she is still going strong. She is definitely a very motivated girl! She got her first prize today for selling more than 100 boxes the first week. Her ultimate goal is 1000 boxes, and we are very hopeful that she will make it! Not too shabby for her first time out...

As far as everything else around here...it is NUTS! We have soccer starting very soon, school is bonkers, John is in graduate school, and between lessons and meetings...we have little time for anything else. I guess the saying "I'll sleep when I'm dead" truly applies to me right now!

Oh well...I am off to sort cookies. I have 76 cases taking over our hall and guest room. :)

Girl Scouts Galore...

Wow! We have kicked the New Year off with a cookie selling spree. Gracie decided to be a Girl Scout Brownie this year, and it is cookie selling time. She has worked really hard the last few days selling her cookies. (If you would like some, let me know. You can mail us a check, and we will mail you some cookies!) She has made a few phone calls and knocked on many doors with her daddy. They nearly froze early today, but they were not discouraged! She is coming to the school Tuesday when she gets out to see the teachers, and she is going to her daddy's work on Thursday. She is very dedicated and convincing!! We are very proud of her.

Gracie has been reading a lot lately, but she seems interested in the Charlie Bone series. These books are a little longer, and they take her longer to read than books in the past. She is still working toward her goal of a brick in the wall. She only needs about 50 more points! We are very excited about it!

Other than Girl Scouts and reading, not much is happening around here right now. We will jump full force into soccer next month, but right now we are taking easy. We will celebrate John's 33rd birthday this Friday too! I guess that will be enough excitement for one month.