Drive By November update

Click on photo to enlarge.

Here are some photos of the events that kept us busy in the month of November.

Macy, Molly and I attending a Girl Scout Hoppin' Boppin' Lockin . It was a 50's themed event and the girls had to dress the part. At the Lock in they were taught several things like 50's dance moves, and how to play marbles and jacks .

Logan's football team took part in the St. Clair County's Homecoming activities. He was riding in the parade with his teammates but was on the other side of the float and not visible in the picture. Also, November wrapped up our first football season. The coaches had alot of nice things to say about Logan and his dedication to the team. In the picture you see "Private Psycho Pile" (his nickname given to him by the coaches) holding his trophy .

November 11th Molly turned 7. Molly , Macy and 3 friends celebrated her birthday at Libby Lu's. They were treated to a makeover, hairdo of their choice and some sparkly clothes. The little Diva's then did a dance in front of the shop and sang Happy Birthday to Molly. They had a BALL ! We celebrated her actual birthday with our best friends Doron, Steven and Nathan.

Collin started walking in November just as I was getting worried he would never walk.He was my latest walker, all the others walked by their birthdays. And lastly Collin and Sadie (my niece) on Thanksgiving with their matching bibs before diving into the Turkey dinner.

* For the record Collin is usually not running around the house in a diaper and socks . The picture was taken as we were undressing him for a bath. :)

Catch Up Post- Halloween '06

It was brought to my attention that Moonmania is several BIG events behind. We will do a quick update to catch ya'll up. Halloween was a treat for the kids but Mom was the one who got the trick. Thanks to Burger King chicken sandwich I was very ill with food posioning but managed to get the goblins ready while Brian did the door to door stuff. After working for a month to get all their costumes ready I wasn't about to miss it. The kids came back an hour later with buckets overflowing with candy and they were thrilled.

This years costumes were. Logan and Parker as the Mario Brothers, Molly as a frilly Black Cat, Macy a Fall Princess but was often told what a great Mother Nature she was , and Collin was Macy's Frog Prince . So Molly would have buddy too I was a black cat.

Collin turned 1

Collin had a blast at his 1st birthday party. He loved the cake and ate pretty much the whole thing. Here are some pictures of him enjoying his day.

Parker hard at work

While Parker was doing his homework the other day he was doing this cute little thing with his tongue. Of course I had to take a picture of my only left handed kiddo.

Parker is doing so well in school. I am amazed how fast he is learning. Being he is a young kindergartner just turning 5 in July and how he never went to preschool. So far he has learned his vowels, to recognize letter and numbers, learned the days of the week and months of the year . He has gotten a sticker for good conduct everyday which in and of itself is a shocker.

Everyday he comes home and fills me in on all the important events of the day. These details include who got in trouble, what he had for lunch, who was the teacher helper and if he went to sleep at nap time. Surprising he is loving school and his only gripe is how early he has to get up.

Blue eyed boy

Just thought I would share a pic of my 11 month old blue eyed boy. He is an eating machine throwing back 1 tall jar of meat & veggie baby food and one cup of fruit 2 times a day and whinning for more till we give him some bits of whatever we have too. He can now eat without choking the puffed fruit cereal wheels that dissolve in his mouth . So he thinks those things are just dandy while drinking cuppy of watered down apple juice and watching some Nick jr. show from his confined "safe playground aka baby jail" down stairs (I will post a pic of this soon).

NEWS FLASH

Collin has a TOOTH! It is just barely has broken through the gum. So I guess he will play teething catch up so he can have several by his birthday. Oh fun fun!

Readyyy .. Settt....

This is Logan all decked out in his practice uniform for football. Logan seems to LOVE football and when my kids happy I am happy. It is awesome to see him find something that he loves. He is excited everyday for practice , you can just tell that this is his passion. Fingers crossed he won't get too hurt!

The school year has started!

First day of school was today! Here is a picture of my Middle schooler Logan 5th grade, Macy in 4th, Molly a 1st grader and Parker in kindergarten.

They were happy to get up and out this morning. Everyone was excited about their new shoes and backpacks. Hopefully Logan was able to open his locker and Macy and Molly made some friends. Parker only had a 1/2 day till Monday so when I picked him up he said school was great and the bus is cool but it smells bad.

I will report on the other kids later.

Boys love Dirt!

Collin found his big sister's seeds they had planted on a Girl Scout outting .The seeds were sprouting so nicely in the little dixie cups in the kitchen window until Collin discovered them. You know how it is when they are too quiet you know something is up. This is how we found Collin with his fist full of dirt and a big mess on the floor. I think he had alot of fun getting dirty for the first time.

Yes, We're still alive!

I know , I know it has been well over a month since I have posted. Life has been in the fast lane lately. Just to give a summary of what has been keeping us so busy.
*Trip to Virginia with Maw and Grand daddy
*Girl Scout Camp
*Brian and I celebrated our 11th Anniversary
*Macy and Parker's Birthdays
*Juvenile Arthritis Conference
*Keeping Sadie for a few weeks
*A bunch of Dr. appointments
*And alot of swimming

Posted is a picture of my kids and Randys kids at Macy and Parker's birthday and Collin swimming. School starts next week so I SHOULD have more free time.

9 Things About my 9 mth old

1. Collin has the biggest blue eyes and everyone comments on them.

2. Collin can crawl and pull up on things and is beginning to cruise furniture.

3. This kiddo loves to growl, we call it his monster voice.

4. Collin eats everything. Any baby food he gobbles up totalling 4 -5 jars a day.

5. Da Da is his favorite word. He can say Bub ba and Ni Ni too. But refuses to say Momma .

6. He is crazy for his siblings, but his sisters baby him the most.

7. Collin loves his feet and is even known to suck his big toe.

8. Today he weighed 17 pounds 2 oz and was 26 inches long.

9. And lastly Collin is such a good baby and we feel so very blessed.

Sweet Brother Moment

Anyone who has been around Parker long knows he has a very colorful imagination and he can talk your ear off. He was entertaining Collin this morning while the girls and I were folding laundry. Parker was making up a story to go along with the pictures in the book. I guess Collin thought it was a bedtime story. Hehehe!

First Grade her she comes!!!

Molly had her graduation from Kindergarten last week. She held the letter P up during one of the songs and she also held a rainbow at the beginning but I wasn't able to get a picture. After the preformance we went back to her classroom to get her certificate and take a picture with her teacher. All the parents gasp and got alittle teary eyed when Mrs.Bailey the Principal had the children stand and she introduced them as the future Class of 2018! YIKES!

Caught Red Handed!

Last Thursday I entered Collin's room to get him up from his nap. He wasn't crying he was just in there talking away and blowing raspberries. But much to my surprise when I opened the door there he STOOD in his bed. I am pretty sure this was a first for him. Oh man did he think he was cute! I guess he wanted to have a new trick to start off the 8 month of his life.

Meet Spike

Parker is now sporting a new spikey hair do that he demanded he really needed. Parker's new spunky look fits his unique personality well. And it definitely gave him something to tell everyone about, and trust me he's told anyone who will listen.

Other PJ news is we registered for Kindergarten last week and he was so very excited. They tested his sight and hearing while I filled out the paperwork. He left out of the school proud as a peacock with 2 big stickers on his shirt and some coloring sheets. He will be going to Kindergarten Kamp in July to ease him into entering big school. I know he will do great!

Puppy Love

Collin recently has discovered Patty. Patty is our 7 year old Dachshund, she has survived living with 2 other babies that grew into toddlers that loved to chase after her. Collin likes to watch Patty,reach out and gently pat her then laugh. Once he can crawl she better watch out but I can see his favorite past time being pestering her.

Double Digits

Logan turned 10 years old on April 26th and here are some pictures for his Birthday. Brian and I bought him a new bike. Logan got his last bike for his 4th birthday, of course it was WAY to big for him to ride at 4 so he had years to grew into it. Since recently taking interest in bike riding we upgraded him to a "cooler" bike built for a 10 year old.

Maw and Das took Logan out for Japanese. There is a picture of Logan using chopsticks and digging into some sushi. His dinner was complete with a birthday song by the staff and a special dessert.

Lastly, there is pictures of his party and his cake. He had a great birthday, getting a new skateboard and giftcards and money. What more could a 10 year old want!

Beach/Mobile Trip

Last weekend we headed down south for a long weekend. We hit the zoo ,beach,Battleship and attended a banquet for the Battleship. The kids loved dancing and the older folks got a kick out of watching them.

The kids enjoyed the beach but Collin was not really impressed with the sand. He immediately got a handful of sand and put it right in his mouth which he did not like. We did get a few cute pictures of his first beach trip.

We had a fun relaxing weekend and look forward to doing it again.

(Yes I know the slideshow is alittle grainy, I am still learning so bear with me)

Hippity Hoppity Easter 2006

Just making a drive-by post to put up some Easter pictures. We had an nice day but a long day. It included Easter baskets, church,a yummy meal,hiding plastic eggs and hanging out with family around the pool. Here are a few snap shots for you to enjoy.

Happy Birthday Brian!

It takes a special man to lower himself to grill in the rain covering himself with a pink Barbie umbrella! That's just how dedicated Brian is to our family. I am so very lucky to share my life with him and I look forward to the many years ahead. Happy Birthday Honey!

Sit Boy, Sit !

We have been working on Collin's sitting skills lately. He has it pretty well mastered but taking these picture reminded me of the dog training Mom would do with her dogs. Much like training a dog you get them to sit and you step away only to see them get up or in Collin's case fall over. Maybe I should try bribing him with little treats from my pocket, hey it worked for the dogs!

So I guess our next big milestone is crawling. I will enjoy him not being mobile as long as it will last! Once he can crawl life around here will have to change. No more open stairways or small toys laying around , and poor Patty will be harassed by yet another baby. The interesting thing will be will Collin crawl the Army man belly crawl like Logan or will he take to the stairs on his belly like Parker? Molly was the crawler who would find every spec on the floor and put it in her mouth and Macy was just the typical crawler. Stay tuned in the coming months to find out!

Finally we have a piano player!

I finally have someone interested in playing piano and he's a child prodigy. Notice in the first picture Collin not only plays piano but sings too! He might just be the next Phil Collins, they do have a very similar hairstyle. He poured all his energy into practicing and fell asleep with his hands still on the keys. Let's see how long this dedication last!

Life is Fabulous at Four

How does life get much better than wearing your favorite pair of jeans and t-shirt a Hulk one that Mom refuses to let me wear anywhere but at home and some cowboy boots. I love being outside on a sunny afternoon and riding my big wheel down the driveway 100 times. If you look really close you will see purple marker on my nose where I was drawing earlier and must have missed the paper, Oops.

My favorite things are Pop tarts, cartoons, and giving everyone bunny ears. I have a great memory but I will deny ever taking cookies from the pantry even when I have cookie around my mouth. When in trouble use the puppy dog eyes to make everyone forgive you. Trust me it works!

Being four rocks!

Good Eats!

Collin has now started solids daily. He has already figured out when we sit down to eat a meal he should be digging in to something too. So for now he is eating baby food with rice cereal or oatmeal twice a day. He loves apples,bananas, the best with peaches and pears being his second choices. I have given him squash and corn which he tolerated. But the 2 times I have tried green bean with potatoes he spits and sputters and makes himself sick. I will lay off that for awhile he might be like his Mimi and not care for green beans. Tonight when I tried to trick him masking the green beans with applesauce he was pretty dead set not to open his mouth again not even for just the apples. He didn't fall for that trick but once, pretty smart baby if you ask me.

Spring Break trip to Gatlinburg

What a fun time we had! Here are a sampling of the thing we did on our few days away. The kids played 36 holes of mini golf, visted the Boyds Bear Factory and made their own bears and we took a drive through Cade's Cove where we could see the snow capped mountains and wildlife, they also loved swimming in the indoor pool. Collin was along for the trip but seemed to have escaped most of the pictures because of being either asleep or in the stroller. Doron and I didn't have any major Lucy & Ethel moments to report. It was a nice trip and we hope to go back soon.

*these pictures were taken with the old camera, pictures from here on out should look much better.

Flipping Out!

Tyler doing a back flip on the trampoline.

Logan and I were left home while everyone else went to Gatlinburg for 3 days. We invited Tyler over to hang out while they were gone. At the same time, I received my new Pentax *ist DL. So, together, we had fun testing the new camera out.

Logan on the trampoline

I like the camera and I think we will get some great pics of the kids. Our old camera has had too much abuse and was older technology. I recommend a good camera for anyone that wants to capture memories of their kids growing up.

Full Size Tyler Image (1.9MB)
Full Size Logan Image (2.1MB)

Where has time gone?

While looking through pictures tonight I had a little trip down memory lane. I kept thinking, where did time go?? And when did my kids get so big?? This picture was almost 4 years ago. Alot has happen since then, we have moved twice and added another member to our family .

During the day to day grind it's hard to remember these times are fleeting moments in ours lives . I can get so wrapped up in making sure teeth are brushed, homework is done and bellies are full that I often don't make sure I savor the moments that are passing so fast.

This picture was taken before we had such things entered our lives like loose teeth ,training bras, playstation, and the need to have several copies of the same cd so everyone has a copy . Once life slows down enough to soak it all in they will be leaving the nest. I guess I better just keep snapping pictures so I can reminisce from time to time.

Collin's Surgery

Isn't he just the cutest little patient ever in his hospital gown? Collin had his tubes done on Friday. We had to be there before the crack of dawn. Poor baby couldn't eat after midnight and was very unhappy about it. But the surgery went super fast basically 10 minutes in the OR and 2o minutes in recovery where they let him have a bottle I took for him. The doctor reassured us we made the right decision. His left ear had alot of infection behind the eardrum, the surgeon commented that ear couldn't have gotten any worse and the right ear had alot of clear fluid. Collin seems to already hear and feel better . So do I dare think we are on the road to recovery now ? I hope so!

Molly's Attempted Day Off

This is a picture from earlier today as we were getting ready to go vist Sadie at the hospital. Parker holds Collin while I wash him , it works pretty well . Now rest assured Parker is never left alone holding him I am always right there.

This morning the girls were slow going getting ready for school. But we managed to get both of them showered, dressed and hair fixed in enough time to make the bus. They both went downstairs I soon called down to say it was time to go out for the bus. I heard the front door open and close, I heard the bus arrive outside just like always. So after Collin was done eating I drifted back off to sleep. Oh I guess about 30 minutes passed and Brian gets up because he hears sniffling. I hear him say Molly, what are you doing? And she explains she was messing with her backpack and missed the bus. Why it took her 30 minutes to tell us is beyond me. And why didn't Logan and Macy come back to look for her ???? But Molly arrived at school on time, her Daddy drove her in. We made it over 7 months and this has never happen,but you bet I will be looking out the window counting heads at the bus stop for awhile.

Welcome to the world Sadie!

Today baby Whoozits identity was revealed! Sadie Michelle was born to my brother Randy and his wife Kristi. Sadie evened out the grandchild count for Mimi and Popi 4 girls and 4 boys and not an ugly one in the bunch.

Kristi was a trooper having to hold out for over an hour waiting for the Epi man to make his appearance and she still managed a 4 1/2 hour labor. Sadie weighed in at 6 lbs 3ozs and is a very pretty little one. Holding her compared to Collin is like swaddling a feather. Here is a picture of the newest princess decked out in her hot pink gown and hat. She's got style already, just like her Aunt! But hot Pink is our signature color, ya know.

Happy 1/2 Birthday to You!

Monday , March 13th was Collin's 6 month milestone. The kids and I sang to him while he wore his 1/2 B'day hat . We bought a little cake and a Wiggle and Giggle Piggie toy to celebrate his day. He was so not impressed with any of it especially the hat. We did get a good laugh when the hat slipped down and Collin turned into a unicorn.

It's amazing how fast 6 months can zip by but remembering life without him is hard too. Collin has been battling sickness since December mostly colds/cough and ear infections. We are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel since he will be getting tubes placed on Friday.

Collin has brought our family even closer and it is such a joy to see his interaction with his brothers and sisters. They are always willing to try a get a smile or giggle out of him. Happy half birthday to our angel baby from all of us!

Welcome to the Moonmania blog

I am proud to announce our newest home on the web. I decided to join the new craze and begin blogging. I have been inspired by several very snazzy Mommy blogs and I will do my best to keep you update with all the latest happenings in the Moon house. So hang on to your hats because this will be an adventure.