"bootzy" is officially back

Two weeks down and the hard cast is off. "Bootzy" is officially back. I never thought I'd be so excited to have that stinking boot back! Now I've got me a niiiice fat scar :) and a niiiice fat 2 1/2 inch screw in my heal to fix my deformity :)

Daelyn's Pre-K graduation

What? Really? My baby is about to start kindergarten... Doesn't seem right! She really loved her preschool, Lord of Life. She says she had the best teachers in the world... Ms. Courtney & Ms. Norma! They WERE awesome!

Surgery complete...

Ankle surgery has put me in the bed for 2 weeks and recovering for a minimum of 6 weeks... They fixed my ruptured tendon and put a 2 1/2 inch screw in my heal to eliminate future problems.


So, don't think I didn't make Jarod move my bed down into the family room... right in the middle of everything! Otherwise, I would go crazy by myself! No worries, I've got a huge list of projects to work on while I'm stuck in the bed :)

I am so grateful to all who have called, emailed, sent texts, brought food, flowers and watched my children. It's amazing the love I have felt! Thank you!

Florida trip...

now that I'm in the bed... hmmm... I can blog! but since nothing exciting happening now, I'll blog about presurgery fun :)

My mom & 3 sistas... Two are crazy preggo and Lorna & I are just sain (well, not exactly) :) We made our way down to FL for Lana's baby shower. It was a luau to go along with the surfer theme room Lana is doing for... "Easton"... I think that will be his name but not official.

This is Lana's first baby, Alexis 12, and thinks she is the mom! right Lexi? She definitely has her say so when it comes to baby Easton! Lexi plays softball (not on 1 team but 3) so Lana let her miss 2 games to be at her shower. Wahoo!

I didn't realize until we left the beach that my camera was on black and white. I was sick to my stomach :( These would have been so much cuter in color! My luck!

This is Adler in the "bathtub" daddy dug for them :)

2 Week Road Trip

We decided to take a road trip...since school is out, Daelyn starts kindergarten in the fall, nothing major happening in RS, I will be out for a couple months after surgery in June and mainly because Jarod will be traveling for work the next 2 weeks and we really want to see him :) WOW! I feel like I must justify myself...

Since I'm the worst blogger... here goes my attempt to play catch up. Although, I probably won't be able to post pics until we return... boring! oh well!!

We started off in Asheville. Jarod's aunt Gloria works at the Biltmore so they went for a tour & bike ride. We swam and had yummy Mexican for dinner. From there we headed to Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg TN. We took the kids on a monster truck ride (1st and last). WOW! interesting!

Then we went to the dinosaur museum and to Ripley's mirror maze. We ended up in Etowah TN at "The Little Children of the World" Headquarters for a weekend family reunion.

My grandparents, Dean & Peggy Houk (mom's parents), were celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary and this is what they wanted... so they hired cooks for all the meals. and we all had our own apartment with a mountain veiw.

Lots of beautiful scenery, mani, pedis, card playing, biking, and NO cable/cell service/Internet for 3 days (unheard of and yes I feel completely disconnected from the world). This was SERIOUS family time!! and believe it or not.... NO drama!! WOW!!

Then on to Macon... more pool time while Jarod works. Then to Savannah (our old stomping ground). I must say that it's much different on Riverstreet as a married parent of a 5, 4 & 2 yr old than a young single college student!! It was so fun. We had dinner at "Vics on the River" and then went to River Street Sweets for chocolate and pralines.

Next to Tallahassee FSU and finally end at my sister's house. We'll go to the beach a few days and then her baby shower is on Saturday. Tuesday I have my doctor's apt to schedule my ankle surgery. Recovery will be 6-8 weeks so I'm prepping myself all week that I will ask & accept help during those weeks of driveless recovery :)

The Dog Cake

Happy 4th Birthday Adler! Adler has a favorite stuffed dog named Oscar, so this is where the doggy party theme came from. It was so much fun planning and making his cake!

It's been a tradition since I was a kid that mom made all my birthday cakes and so I've continued that on with my kids. Just recently I've learned to make fondant thanks to my friend Lisa. I now call her my "supervisor" and she probably wishes she hadn't taught me as it is a very time consuming and I can't seem to pull any of it off without her!! She's actually the one who sent me a picture of a similar dog cake and told me "if I was a good mom, I'd make that one!" I really didn't even consider it until I searched and searched the internet for something easier and still cute. To my dissatisfaction, I found nothing comparable and decided to go for it. She actually carved his body because I was too sceeerrrddd!

The kids made dog tags, crawled around on the floor searching for all the hidden dog bones, ate out of dog bowls and went to dig all the balls out of the sandbox outside....

Notice his new shirt that uncle Joshie & aunt Sonia gave him from San Fran. He's hasn't taken it off yet except for a bath. This will replace the brown Australia one they gave him for Christmas that too small but he still wears everyday. These Lego's are his special gift from mamaw & Grandpa in Indiana.


These Lego's are his gift from mamaw and grandpa in Indiana. He got to pick them out individually when we were at Lego Land at Disney! He had a blast and has been building 24/7 now!! Thought mamaw & grandpa would enjoy the pics... What a special birthday!

Happy Easter!

I'm super proud of the girls and their Easter dresses! These are the 4th set of matching pillowcase dresses I've made. It has been really fun learning to sew!

Girls being sweet to their brother!

Bad Storms Brought Good Times

Bad storms brought good times!! We were thrilled to have the Klueppleberg family stop in as they were traveling back to Nashville. Once it started hailing, Jeff & Jarod turned into the two college boys they once were! It was a serious blast from the past watching those two. They began running around the garage, yelling, picking up anything and everything to protect Suzanne's mini-van. They threw blankets and sheets and then pizza boxes.... and yes, then they starting throwing trash bags up there. They managed to protect the mini van but the other

car... not so much...

"Subway Jared" spoke to my Jarod

This picture is of the one and only Jared from Subway and Jarod's sister, Rachelle, that lives in Indiana. This is the email she sent me today...

"Mike (her husband) and I went to the Pacer's game this past Saturday. It was a great game Pacers vs Detroit Pistons, although we only got to see the first quarter... Mike got to socializing at dinner in the Locker Room and out of it he talked to Jared the guy from Subway Ad, well one thing led to another and before you know it I was getting a pic with him and Mike called my bother Jarod and he talked to Jared(Subway). Pretty cool if I do say so. Here is a picture for you to view. Oh, and Jared (Subway) also signed my Pacer's ticket to my brother. Hope you like it Jarod!!!!!!!!!!!!! L, Shel"

and yes, Mike did call us and put my Jarod on the phone with Subway Jared! Too funny! So, I thought it was appropriate to add this picture from a Daelyn's 1st Halloween. :)

Playdates

Two of my best friends from GSU, Jamie & Jean, brought their kiddo's over for a playdate. We all had so much fun!! Wish they lived even closer...

Anna & Addi giving Brinsley kisses! How funny... the twins arrived matching Brin & Daelyn's outfits! What are the odds of that? That IS something Jean and I have been known to plan, but I promise... not this time! I love this picture and have been having fun editing on this program I just downloaded. Photography is going to be an obsession of mine for a while! I mean at least 5 minutes anyway....




Ashlyn, Daelyn & Libby playing princess dress up!!

Disney

Jarod had to work down in Orlando so I decided to pack up the kiddo's and tag along. What a perfect opportunity to go to Disney. right? When we would have hotel, gas & food paid for. I'm all about recruiting others, so I recruited my mom & Byron to come with us... and then we flew in my niece, Alexis (12), so she could join us too. We had so much fun! Boot and all :) Although, I must say, I was starting to wonder if I made an incredibly huge mistake the first day there... with my boot, double stroller, 3 kids, no husband or parents (for the first 2 days). However, I had already spent my life savings on tickets so was NOT about to leave...


Most of the time, the treats, were all they cared about!



My little snuggle bug...




Daddy rides Dumbo!


Brinsley and the "horsey"



This was the highlight of the trip for Jarod and Adler! They couldn't get enough!!


Priceless! Daelyn's favorite Disney princess. We had to visit her everyday we were there!


Alexis (cousin) and Daelyn


Breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Castle...

Grandma & PAPA had fun too... PAPA took Daelyn on Splash Mountain and she thought that was so cool! They came off soaking wet...

3D...


My boot and my buddy...

Mater & McQueen


The food is really all Jarod & I care about too! This is the best pizza in America... Giordano's Chicago Style... Stuffed...



Yes, this is my 3 year old son standing at the 44" marker just AFTER riding Space Mountain. His face says it all! What was I thinking? I didn't realize exactly what we were getting into until it was too late to get off and that is when my panic attack began. The 3 minute ride seemed days and I really thought he was going to die or be severely damaged for life. I can laugh about it now, but if you could have just seen me... trying to reach forward and over his seat to hold and brace his head from what I was envisioning being detached from his neck! Now, I laugh hysterically at how terrified I was on that ride. Not for myself but terrified for him... In that moment, I had an outer body experience trying to protect him from the torture I myself was exposing him too... What kind of mom would do that? We'll never forget that one!!!