So much Better...

Jaron had a much better attitude today. He hasn't been whiny or anything! I am so thankful for the better attitude and the happiness he showed today.

Another helping of Super Crab

Jaron is again Super Crab...and I am exhausted.

I can't get him to understand that it isn't working...but I will say he is persistent.

If I'm totally gray in the next few weeks we will know why!

The Snorkel and Super Crab

Today was a long day at work and the kids were pretty wiped out as we heading home. I am working longer hours this week and the kids are not used to it. Plus having been off for a week they are trying to adjust to our regular schedule since we really got off of it last week. Today after work as we were headed home both kids fell asleep in the car! I stopped at the UPS store and had them bring me my mail and looked through it and called Dan too as they snoozed. I really needed to go to Walmart and so I stopped. I woke up both kids when we got there. Bad choice...Jaron wasn't ready to shop! We get the few things I really needed and as we were going he sees the snorkels...he really wants one and gets really upset when I tell him that the snorkel is not in the budget this week and that he will have to wait...not what he wants to here at all!

The whole way through the store, the whole way home, and for at least a half hour after that he tried everything to get me to get the snorkel. He tried manipulating, tantruming, and even threatening to get his way. All he got was a big handful of nothing and he has worn himself out even more...I think we all need to head to bed early tonight.

Butterfly Palace

Before heading home from Branson we made one last stop. We spent the morning at the Butterfly Palace. Very cool place, where they import different butterflies from around the world and you get to check them out in an indoor aviary! I particular was looking forward to the adventure. Once your done looking at the butterflies, you can go through the mirror maze and check out other rainforest creatures. There also is a climbing coconut tree that the kids climbed...here's a few of the many pictures I took of the Butterfly Palace~! Janea and Jaron ready to start our day!
Blue and Beautiful...So pretty!

The kids up close and personal with a butterfly!

Another gorgeous creation!

They were all around hiding and preening...so cool to watch..I could have spent hours...the rest of the family not so much but they had fun too!

Janea...my green eyed beauty next to a green and gorgeous butterfly!

Janea and Mom in the Butterfly Aviary!

Mom and both kids in the Butterfly Aviary!

They put out fresh fruit and other yummy's so the butterflies land!

You can really see all the wonderful details!

Janea and the Frog in the Rainforest Room!

Janea as a Tree Frog!

My Frog Prince!

Jaron dressed up as a tree frog!

Jaron getting in his harness to climb!

Janea gets into a harness!

Jaron getting the hang of climbing!

Janea is a good climber...it takes a lot of strength!

Jaron figuring out how to climb up the coconut tree.

All in all it was a wonderful vacation and we had a great time together as a family. I am so thankful that we were able to spend this quality time together and enjoy fun and different things. I am already looking forward to being able to get away from everything next year!

Silver Dollar City

On Tuesday and Wednesday we went to Silver Dollar City. The kids had a great time riding the rides and just hanging out with Dan and I! Here's a sampling of pictures from our days at Silver Dollar City!~ Dan and The Kids ride the Mighty Galleon...I chose not to ride...feeling a little sick!~

Dan and the Kids on the Tea Cups!

Dan and Jaron excited about the swings...Janea is praying hard! She really didn't like this ride...I rode it with her on Wednesday and she had a lot more fun...I hated it!

The kids and I on the Tea Cups...Dan proceeded to spin our cup so fast that I saw nothing but a blur and honestly thought I was going to vomit by the time we got off...I was dizzy afterwards for like 5 minutes!~

The kids and Dan after the American Plunge...Dan's pant is superwet from the onslaught of water as they were getting out of the boat...the kids really thought this ride was fun!

This is Dan and the kids on the American Plunge...they loved it!

Outside the Flooded Mine...Poor Dan!

Janea is ready for the lockup...watch out!

Jaron is a little too excited about being locked up...too short too!

Jaron is a little tired from all the walking...so Dan gives him some help!

Vacation Day One

So we left for vacation on Monday! I hadn't quite finished all our packing the night before and since Dan was still in the process of changing from his nightshift hours to the kids and my daytime hours we weren't planning on leaving very early in the morning. I got up, packed a bunch of the car stuff, played on the computer and got dressed for the day. A little later I decided I needed to go to the bank to make a deposit and I thought of just going by myself since it's frankly easier...while I was gone...Janea decided to wake up her dad! So Dan was up by 11:00 and getting ready. I think we had everything packed up and ready to go by 11:45...so away we went.
Our printer hasn't been working and so when I mapquested the directions I wrote them down...guess I wrote them down wrong or I misunderstood what I wrote because the way we went to get to Branson was the LONG way...we went on all these hills and ups and downs and crazy two lane roads in the middle of Missouri. Our 3 and a half to 4 hour trip took like 5 and a half hours! Janea and I both suffer from mild car sickness and we were both feeling it as we took some beautifully scenic but very winding roads. One wrong direction on the highway and we finally got on the road to Branson. All in all I have never been so happy to get somewhere! The whole ride as Jaron is getting annoying asking how much longer, Dan and I were grateful that we had nixed going to North Carolina. 20 hours one way in the car would have been madness! 3-4 is our limit right now!

We got to Branson and checked into our motel. We stayed away from the strip in a little motel on the same road as Silver Dollar City. It wasn't the fanciest hotel but it was clean, had a game room and pool and continental breakfast and met our needs. The nice thing was it was very quiet and peaceful with a nice view off the deck of gorgeous trees and hills. Just what this momma needed! I love the woods and the feeling of being near the woods. We took some fun shots of the family that day before heading out to get dinner...after dinner we just chilled and I took the kiddos swimming in the pool and we just hung out as a family! It was a good first day. Here are some of our pictures:

Janea and Mom take a picture together and Daddy jumps in!

Whole family caught in the mirror...one way to get a picture of all of us!

This is me and the kids with the beautiful hills behind us....we forgot to change to backlight so you can't really see us...but we are smiling!~

Janea relaxing on the deck outside our room at the hotel.

Jaron needed to be in a picture too!

Janea and Daddy at McFarlains restaurant...good food...good family time!

We ordered the Fried Green tomatoes and Sweet Potato Fries...the sauces were yummy and we enjoyed eating something we don't normally eat!

Home

We're back from our trip. We had a great time! I have a lot of pictures and stories...and a lot of laundry and cleaning, and grocery shopping...so the posts about what we did will be coming...later!

I forgot to clean out the refrigerator before we left so I need to get that accomplished and then head out to the store...by the time I'm done I may need another vacation!

Making my List

Checking it twice...getting ready to leave tomorrow on vacation...I have so much to do but I am so excited. So if I don't post anything until we get back...that's why...I'll be back on the 3rd of July with tons of pictures to post! We are looking forward to a great time of being together as a family.

On a sidenote...HUGE THANKYOU! THANKYOU! THANKYOU!!! to Grandma and Grandpa Spry for watching the kiddos so we could celebrate our anniversary together! It was so nice to just spend quality one on one time together!

10 Years

Yesterday was our 10 year anniversary! Wow! Time flies! Dan and I have had our share of ups and downs, ins and outs and all manner of craziness. I know he has my back and I know that we are a team. We are thankful for each other and the life that we have. It's been a good 10 years and I am looking forward to the next 10!

Family Fun Night--Bowling Edition

Dan started his vacation today. He's taking 4 days off of work and gets a total of 11 consecutive days in a row off from work. We've all been looking forward to spending more time with him and having a lot of good quality family time. Janea got to go bowling with the Truth and Training group from church in April and she has been wanting to go again. She asked her dad if we could all go one day and he said during vacation would be a great time. We picked today to be the day to go bowling...as a precursor to our vacation. We had a lot of fun hanging out(we were the only bowlers there) and while we are not good bowlers it's the fun that counts.

The scores from Game 2--Janea and Dan tied for first place!

Scores from Game 1--Jaron was the clear winner...he got spare after spare, gotta love the bumper lanes!
Janea really gets into her bowling!

Jaron was so excited and had so much fun bowling. He would kinda launch the ball then put his hands up over his head as he watched it roll down the lane!

See Dan is having fun too!

All in all it was a great start to our family vacation this summer. Tomorrow Dan and I will celebrate our anniversary and the kids will go to Grandma and Grandpa's! Then we leave Monday for Branson and lots of family togetherness time! I'm so excited!

Feeling Blah

I'm really tired today...just feeling blah!

Heat index of over 100...makes you just feel blah!

Not enough sleep last night...super blah!

I think there is an animal trapped under our house...working on getting rid of it...that's a big blah!

What a week to try and cut back on caffiene...failing...feeling blah!

My good friend Katy isn't working with me after next week...makes my mood about work lousy.....blah!

Going to bed, sleeping all night gonna get rid of these blahs!

Top 5 today!

1. Only 4 more days of work then I am off for a week!

2. Swimming pool in the neighborhood, on a hot day it felt really good to swim and hang out with my kids!

3. Volleyball with 3 friends...we played in the very hot and had a good time!

4. Tropical Sno....Hawaiian Shaved Ice...the perfect end to a hot volleyball match!

5. Long showers after getting hot sweaty and dirty! Love to be clean...then crawl in bed!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my loving husband and my kids dad. We love you very much!

We spent the evening flying kites and making memories as a family! All in all a very fun day!

Changing

I am addicted to caffiene...if you know me you know that...enough said.

I am not giving up caffiene, I am not giving up pop...enough said.

I am trying to wean myself off my dependence on pop and caffiene. I am trying to add more water to my diet, I am trying to make myself adopt a healthier lifestyle including drinking lots of water and eating more fruits and vegetables. I am 32 years old and I need to have better habits.

I will still drink Dr. Pepper, just in more moderation. I was up to a 2 liter a day...not good. So I am trying for one glass in the morning and one in the afternoon. I'm also trying to start enjoying iced tea it's hard but I am trying...we'll see how it goes.

Week in Review

Wow...I am so tired! This week was super full and exhausting.

Monday: Kick off of VBS at the church where I work...I had no clue what to expect and it was chaotic and I didn't really have much fun. I tried to but between all the hassles I was more burned out than anything. I had thought ahead and made Pot Roast and Potatoes in the crockpot before I left so lunch and dinner for Dan was super easy. I also took the kids to the pool, I didn't get wet but had fun reading and soaking up some rays! Monday nights are my favorite! We play volleyball...didn't win but had a good time playing with the other team from my church!

Tuesday: The church where I work has a rather elaborate check in system for the kids and since I have 37 kids enrolled for Summer Camp check in can take up to a half an hour. I had arranged with the church staff to get the codes for VBS and I started checking the kids in when I arrived at work at 7:30. It worked well but took a while. I tried to seperate all the kids into classroom groups to make pickup easier but it still was a bit of a hassle and needed refining. After I got off work I made porkchops and mashed potatoes for dinner and packed Dan's lunch. The kids and I again headed to the pool since the weather was quite warm. All in all a decent day! First night we had not had thunderstorms so I got a decent nights sleep too!

Wednesday: Again I checked all the kids in early, I also refined my system for pickup by combining all the kids from each class together into easier more manageable ways. I also made arrangements with the classroom teachers to not have to worry about picking up stuff but having them save it all for Friday! Made for not as much stuff for me to carry. It was super hot today so I again to the kids to the pool. This time I got in the water...bad thing I forgot to apply sunscreen for myself and burned my chest and shoulders. We were so tired after all the swimming I decided to treat the kids to Taco Bueno since they have 99 cent kids meals on Wednesday. We enjoyed the food...didn't make it to church since we were all super exhausted! I had made a yummy Fettucine Alfredo kit for lunch and Dan got to enjoy some of that and leftovers for dinner at work.

Thursday: I finally found a pick up system that worked! HOORAY for me! I ended up helping in another class since the helpers for that room just decided not to come. It was insane...32 preschool kids in a classroom that is hardly big enough for 25....made for a day full of counting and making sure we had them all. I hate not knowing all the kids names and since half had their nametags on their backs and half had them on their fronts it was a challenge. I made 2 kids cry when I called them different names! I was really tired after work and so was Dan so I ran out to Mr. Goodcents for lunch. I got their 5 dollar footlongs and we had yummy sandwiches for lunch. I packed up the remaining left overs for Dan for lunch that night and the kids and I went to the pool for a little while. Again I swam with them...Jaron is really becoming a little fish and it was fun! I got to play volleyball too!

Friday: Can I say tired....and I woke up with the theme song for VBS in my head. After struggling to get out the door I treated the kids to a morning treat at Quik Trip and headed to work. The computer decided it didn't like me and it took me longer to get the nametags this morning....so glad I don't have to do that anymore...and dropped off all the kids...pick up took a while today and it was just a long day....so happy no more VBS. When I got home, Dan is off today so I didn't have to immediately make food I just laid down on our bed and took a nap...I slept for only an hour and I think I am more tired now than I was before...we just hung out at home and played UNO with the kids. We decided to order pizza for dinner and just hang out at home tonight...so thankful for delivery.

So that's a rundown of life this week...only 3 more work days for Dan before vacation and 5 more for me. School should run smoother next week and I am looking forward to going to Branson for a few days! Jaron is getting very excited for our trip! It should be a lot of fun!

Okay, I get it already

Dear Dan,

Yes dear I know i leave my shoes in places that drive you crazy....I'm sorry! I honestly am not thinking how this may cause you stress when I take them off. I prefer to be barefoot. I come home and just want to not wear shoes. I hope that you can understand that.

On a side note...I don't like finding the shoes I leave in your way in weird places, like the pot I use to make spaghetti on the stove when I am getting ready for work in the mornings. On the frustration scale this drives me as crazy as you finding my shoes in weird places. I will try to do better, and can you please stop too.

I love you,
Erin

Summer Fun...

This week we have gone swimming every single day! FUN FUN FUN!

This week Janea has really enjoyed VBS at First Family Church and Jaron has tolerated it!

This week I am red and sore...too much sun and not enough sunscreen!

This week I have really needed to play volleyball and I am so thankful I get to tonight!

This week has been a challenge and a blessing...all wrapped up in one!

This week is almost over and tomorrow is FRIDAY!

Today we have 11 days until we leave for our vacation! WAHOO! We are actually going somewhere this year! Tickets are bought, and I am getting ready to go!

Failure to Communicate

All day long I have had that movie quote..."What we have hear is a failure to communicate" going through my head.

Today was the first day of VBS at the church where I work. It was very well attended...I heard someone say that there were close to 600 kids there today. Every knook and kranny of the church was being used. Well, that includes the space that the ACADEMY uses. So we are sharing...adapting, and needing to communicate.

The church told us very little of what we as teachers needed to do for them. They gave us very little help in getting our kids ready for the week. Basically we are supposed to do everything that they need us to do, ask no questions and go with the flow...which on one hand is fine...but I do have 24 kids whose parents have entrusted me with their care, have questions and concerns and are looking to me for answers...makes for chaos, makes for stress, makes me want to scream.

We made it through day one...I have a plan in place for tomorrow and it will be better, I will be honest and say that I honestly am not looking forward to it though, this is the week where I will say "Lord how can I be a servant, how can I help the body?" and I will smile, and chant and pray that the week goes by very swiftly!

Fun and Games

Today was a typical Saturday with house cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and the stuff we do most Saturdays. Since it's also Summer Vacation we did some things we don't normally do...like make popscicles and playing games as a family.

Step One: Fill Popscicle holder with Red Cherry Kool-aid!

Step Two: Put the Popscicles in the Freezer!

Step 3: Wait a minimum of 3 hours....so popscicles can harden into ice!

Step 4: Enjoy the yummy goodness you helped to make!
This evening we had fun as a family playing games in the living room. We played the new Monopoly Deal game! Much faster than traditional Monopoly and everyone had a good time. Dan, Janea and I were the champions of Monopoly tonight!

After playing Monopoly we played Aggravation. It was a lot of fun! I came out as the ultimate winner of Aggravation!

All in all a very fun day full of laughter, yummy goodies and fun!

Friday, Friday, Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Friday...and I'm home for the weekend! It's wonderful...it's great...it's time for a nap I think!

I think that God decided to laugh at me this week. This week at school it was Explorers Camp. I had planned lots of activities outside, hikes, map-making and stuff like that...well it rained buckets 3 days this week making the ground yucky and muddy and terrible. So we were stuck inside for the week. I plan on making up some of our activites in the next two weeks or so.

Good news too...only 2 more weeks and then we have vacation! Wahoo for vacation!