Five Question Friday

This is my first time to participate in

Five Question Friday.

It is a weekly meme, with different questions each week!

1. Do you know what your REAL hair color is?

Yes, and unfortunately, since it has been way too long since I have had my highlights, everyone that sees me knows what my real hair color is too!  :)

2. Do you plan ahead for summer, or fly by the seat of your pants?

We usually plan some sort of family vacation,
and the older kids spend a week at a
Christian summer camp,
but other than that, we just kind of let things happen.

3. What is your favorite meal to cook?

I don't know that I have a specific single favorite meal,
but this potato cheese soup recipe
(linked to my recipe blog),
is one that is fast, easy, and delicious.
Everyone always likes it.  

4. Do you get offended by not receiving thank yous?

Thank you notes?
Not at all!
A verbal "thank you" when I give someone something is more than enough for me!

Save yourself some ink and a stamp when you come to my name on your thank you list!

Sorry Miss Manners...I've got bigger fish to fry than waiting by the mailbox for a thank you note!  :)

5. How did you meet your best friend?

I met my BFF, Teresa, in college at OBU in Arkadelphia! We were both in the same sorority (EEE). 

Right after Corey and I got married, I schemed with our other sweet friend Nancy, and we forcefully, I mean, thoughtfully set Teresa up on a blind date with Ky, Corey's best friend from high school. 

The rest is history!

5 kids, and almost 20 years later...
we still love to tell the story...and we are all still best buds!  :)

Here is a picture of me with Nancy (far left) and Teresa (far right) when we met for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe last year.

And here is a picture of Corey, me, Ky and Teresa with our youngest kiddos, Carson (the mystery man under the party hat), and Rachel as we celebrated New Years Eve a little over a year ago!

Love ya Teresa! 

A Great Save

We have had a busy weekend.  

Some good stuff.

Some bad stuff.

One of the not so good things, is that we realized the Little Rock 1/2 Marathon...
that Caylie has been dutifully training for months for...has filled up, and I did not register her in time!

I felt H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E.!

She and her sweet friend Carolyn were planning to run it together.

Ugh...

So...the wheels in my head started turning, and something good started to develop.

I told dad about it, and he helped me search online for some other fun 1/2 marathons.

We have decided on this one, and are going to turn the fun road trip into our family's

Spring Break! 

It is an area that will be new to us all...

Galveston, TX

...and we are getting pretty excited.

We are even planning for Carolyn to go with us so that they can run together!

We will get to go to the beach... 

and to Schlitterbahn Water Park...

and also plan to spend a day doing some fun things in Houston...just 30 minutes away! 

F.U.N.  

Have any of you been to Galveston or Houston?   We are on the hunt for fun things to do!

Are you making any plans for Spring Break?  

Writing the Waves,

Christi

Happy 2011!

Last night, as with last year, we rang in the new year with the Harrod crew, at their house.

Unfortunately, as often happens, I didn't have my camera, so maybe I will eventually post some of the pictures that Teresa took!  :)

Teresa and I had decided that we would wear our loungy clothes so that we would be comfortable all night, and then ready to plop into bed as soon as things wound up!  Loved that!

We made sure that there would be no lack of snacks for the night.  We had taco soup, chips, party sandwiches, sausage stuffed mushrooms, a fruit tray, cake balls, snack mix, and last but NOT least...Teresa had made me my own special treat.  She knows me, and how I love snacking on Goldfish, so she gave me a cute Christmas container that held 1/2 plain goldfish, and 1/2 goldfish that she had hand dipped in chocolate as a special treat for me!

Is that a sweet friend or what!?!  I love that girl!

We ate ourselves silly while we played games, and laughed.  At times, we had to yell to hear each other over the roar of  our kids, but that's the way it goes when you have 6 sons and 1 daughter doing their thing all around the house!

Caylie was at a 12 HOUR worship event at our church, or it would have been 2 daughters...but at 17, she's not too rowdy these days anyway!  (The youth group got together at 7pm, and had a prayer and worship time as they brought in the new year. They literally stayed awake, and did not wind things up until 7am!)

Carson and Rachel had a wonderful time playing together.  Carson popped the question to Rachel...and  Rachel said yes! Ha! We won't hold them to it since 4 is a little on the young side for life-long commitments, but it sure was precious!

We all counted down and cheered in the new year as we watched the celebration in New York City on TV, and then it was time to head home.

Drew came over and spent the night with Christian.

They still had enough energy left to start a movie, but the rest of us were just interested in crawling into our beds...even Carson!

Love our fun tradition with special friends!

Happy New Year!

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Ups and Downs of Life

Last weekend, we headed to Fayetteville to enjoy some fun time together.

When we arrived on Saturday, Caylie and I dropped the boys off at the U of A campus, where they mingled with the enthusiastic Razorback fans for a little while. Carson was sooo excited about getting to be a part of the Razorback scene! We came back before game started, and picked up Carson so that Corey and Christian could have some good "guy time" while watching the game.

After eating a delicious, gluten-free dinner at Carino's, Caylie, Carson, and I headed to our hotel to relax. Carson went to bed, and then we watched "Legally Blonde", while playing Speed Scrabble during the commercials! It was fun, and laid back...just what we were in the mood for!

We woke up the next morning, and went to a REALLY cool place called "Fast Lanes". It had bowling, go-carts, an arcade, putt-putt, laser tag, and a little restaurant! We chose to do glow in the dark bowling, and had a great time! It was lots of fun to watch Carson get so excited when he, or anyone else, knocked down some pins!

When we left Fast Lanes, the guys gave Caylie and me some "girl time". They dropped us off at a really nice outdoor shopping center, where we chilled out in the book store, ate at PF Chang's, and then did a little bit of shopping. I love hanging out with Caylie!

The guys picked us up after a few hours, and we all went to see, "Ramona and Beezus". It was a really cute movie that we could all enjoy. Carson is still talking about Ramona, and the mischievous adventures that she got into!

Next stop, the park. We found a nice little park, where Carson could run and play. It was pleasant weather, and so we just hung out for a while.

When we got back into the car to head back to the hotel, we started getting word from people at church, that the leader of our preschool ministry at church, had suffered sudden heart failure, and fallen off of a ladder, while painting a room at the church, was not breathing, and was being rushed to the hospital. We stopped and prayed for her right then, but quickly learned that she had passed away.

This was traumatic news for our family. Carson loved Ms. Mary dearly, and always ran to her for a hug when he saw her in the hall at church. We loved her for the wonderful way she reached out to him, and us, when we started attending our church!

Ms. Mary had her hands in so many things! She was also one of the leaders of the homeschool organization that covers Central Arkansas. If you wanted to know anything about homeschooling, you talked to Mary! She was one of the first people that I talked to after we decided to homeschool.

She leaves behind her husband, and 3 children, the youngest is her sweet 16 year old daughter that is in Caylie's grade. Mary has always homeschooled her children.

The news about Mary knocked us off of our feet, and we went back to the hotel to process through the loss of this special friend.

Mary's memorial service was this morning. It was a beautiful celebration of her remarkable life, with more people attending, than could be seated in the sanctuary.

Corey wrote the following poem, as a tribute to Ms. Mary, and her precious ministry to children. The poem was read at the service.

A Tribute to Ms. Mary (By Carson dad...Mr. Corey)

A Voice For The Children

She touched so many, who can't understand,

The ones on her hip, the ones on her hand.

They called her Ms. Mary, but just those who could talk,

They all felt her love, before they could walk.

She led a small army, a commander of love,

hundreds of soldiers, guided from above.

They all felt her care, and knew it was real,

They all knew her love, so warm you could feel.

Many are now older, and mourn on this day,

this love for Ms. Mary, it won't go away.

The ones that are little, the ones in her class,

they can't understand, and the questions they'll ask.

The parents, we grieve, we know what a loss,

we answer their questions, in bed we all toss.

In time we'll all know, why it happened this way,

it's all in His plan, we'll continue to pray.

The children she touched, her legacy alone,

Her passion unmatched, they'll feel when they're grown.

Ms. Mary they cherished, she helped them to see,

God's love for children, for you, and for me.

A woman of mercy, a gift from above,

I speak for the babies, an army of love.

Her time has slipped by, so precious it seems,

The children they sleep, Ms. Mary in their dreams.

But the children in Heaven, they rejoice on this day,

With arms raised to Ms. Mary, "Please hold me, come play!"

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Homeschool Homecoming Banquet

This evening was the homecoming banquet for the high schoolers. Caylie invited some of her friends over so that they could all get ready together.

Here is a picture of Caylie with her friends Lexi, and Kaitlyn...before they get started.

They took over my bathroom, and the magic began...

Carson thought that he needed to get in on the action...Lexi was being a good sport!

Here, Emily joined the group...

Dresses are on now...but the girls are still not finished!

Ok! There's my girl! All ready for the banquet...

Don't they all look beautiful?!

Ready for a fun evening...

The banquet started off with a nice meal of lasagna with bread, veggies and a salad. A fancy night means your little finger must be raised! Right?!

Caylie and Brittany...

Caylie and Lauren...

After dinner, it was time for the dance!

Y.M.C.A....still just as much fun as it used to be! Notice how the heels came off!
Someone got a train going...

Good friends...great fun!

Still going strong!

Finally...on the way home...for a sleepover!

It was a really fun night for the girls. They had a great time!

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Love My Friends!

This morning, I got to have breakfast with my good friend Teresa, and our sweet college friend Nancy, that we had not seen in years.

Both Teresa and I had roomed with Nancy in college, and we were all in the same sorority. Nancy used to live here in town, but about seven years ago she and her family moved to Tennessee, and I had not seen her since she left. They recently moved back to Arkansas, and I was so excited about our little reunion this morning! She lives in a different area of the state, but hopefully we will get to see more of each other now that she is a little closer!

We met at Mimi's Cafe, and had a delicious breakfast. We visited just like we had not missed a beat. We had all been great friends in college, and we slipped right back into that mode. We visited from 9:30 until 12:15, and could have kept going even longer!

Teresa and I agreed that we would ask our husbands to give us a weekend get-away for Mothers Day this year, and let us go see Nancy for the weekend! Hopefully that will work out!

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Happy New Year!

Last night, we went to Ky and Teresa's house to celebrate New Years Eve. We have known the Harrod's since before we were married, and love getting together with them whenever we can! Some other friends of the Harrod's, Matt and Teresa, were also there with their two children, so we got to make some new friends too!

Since we all pitched in, there was a ridiculous amount of food! Yum! We stuffed ourselves!

Carson, and Rachel had a blast! Here they are jamming on their guitars and putting on a show for all of us!

While the kids (11 in all...ages 3-16) played and hung out all over the house, we learned a new card game that I enjoyed...until I started hopelessly losing!

Hate it when that happens!

Caylie's sweet friend Elizabeth had come with us since there were no other teen girls. Teresa told them that they could have the master suite to themselves for the night, so they bedded down, watched chic flicks, and snacked.

Christian and Drew spent some time playing on the computer.

After the card game, we all settled into the den to visit and watch the scene in New York. A little later, Matt and Teresa decided that they needed to head home since one of their boys was getting really tired. They took their two boys, and Ky and Teresa's son Tyler home with them for the night.

Carson and Rachel were like Energizer bunnies...they never even slowed down! Here they are geared up, and happily waiting for midnight to strike!

Caylie and Elizabeth during the count-down...

Happy New Year everyone!

I can't remember exactly how Ky described this...his chicken dance I think?!? Regardless, I made him do it again, so I could get a picture! Never a dull moment with this guy!

Caylie got this picture of the adults and the little ones. Nice shot of Carson...well, of Carson's hat, huh? :)

Ky and Teresa had gotten some poppers for the kids to play with after midnight, so we headed outside, and had a great (and loud!) time setting off the poppers! :)

Christian was invited to spend the night, so we packed up the rest of the crew and headed home around 12:30.

It was a very fun night, and a great way to ring in 2010!

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Knocking It Out!

We have been getting quite a bit accomplished around here!

For the last few days, we have been tackling some little projects that seem to get lost in the shuffle at other times.

We learned this season that we will NOT be going the route of the "real" Christmas tree again. While we savored the experience of going to the Christmas tree farm, selecting, and then cutting down our own tree, boy, did it turn into a mess! By the time Christmas rolled around, despite regular watering, it seemed that more needles had fallen off of the tree, than remained on it! So, we broke a record this year by having our tree, as well as all of our other decorations taken down and packed away by the 27th! That freed up my mind to focus on some other things that needed to be done.

I have organized Carson's "preschool cabinet", so that it is now much more functional than it was before. This is an area where I keep his letter and number magnets, flashcards, educational games, puzzles, etc.. It is easier for me to locate what I am looking for now, and it will help me to make sure that we are using most all of the items on a regular basis.

Today, I asked Caylie to clean out the coat closet while I was getting some other things done. This hard-working area has a tendency to collect too many coats, backpacks, purses, etc., and so it doesn't take long for things to start getting way too crowded in there. Now, it is cleaned out, and ready for business again.

Also, I was sick for a couple of days on either side of Christmas this year, so although I had already purchased most of the necessary ingredients, we didn't get the baking done for our neighbors that we usually do. Today Caylie, her friend Elizabeth and I all had fun while spending several hours in the kitchen preparing some treats that we will deliver to our neighbors tomorrow.

We are planning to get together with our friends, the Harrod's for New Year's Eve, so tonight we also baked some sugar cookies to take to their house. The girls used icing to frost, and write "2010" on the cookies. We used regular icing, and I sooo wish that we had used royal icing, that would harden, and not be so messy, but we were already into it before I came to that conclusion...oh well. I guess I'll just have to find an excuse to make some more soon!

Tomorrow afternoon, we will prepare some "party sandwiches", as well as some hot spinach dip with crackers to take along as well. Both are new recipes that I have found online. Hopefully they will turn out well!

Writing the Waves,
Christi

Carson's 3rd Birthday Party

Carson is 3!

Earlier in the week, we celebrated Carson's 3rd birthday with his 3 little buddies. Addie, Rachel and Will. They have been fun little playmates that he has really enjoyed spending time with, and their families are all friends of ours.

Mom came over and helped me quickly pull things together for his little buddies and their families to come hang out in the front yard, and have a very casual (but fun!) Sesame Street birthday party. It was a very laid back party. The adults sat around and visited, and the kids ran around and played in the yard. The main attraction was the Slip and Slide that Corey and Christian had set up!

Carson liked his fun Sesame Street birthday cake from Mickey's cake shop! Mickey's has done our family birthday cakes for years and years. There have been a very few exceptions here and there, when I have tried my hand at cake decorating, but I must say, Mickey's has me beat!

Here he is just checking it out!

Ready to dig in!

Here is the birthday boy sporting some cool shades and his whistle necklace hanging down over that cute little poochy belly. Talk about handsome! That's my little stud muffin!

While the Slip and Slide was lots of fun, the pinata was a pretty big hit too!
It was quite a battle for the kids to get it to break apart, but after many, many hits...

Christian swung the final blow, and the candy came pouring out!

Caylie did some of her photo editing on this picture of Christian breaking open the pinata!

Daddy wouldn't let a perfectly good pinata hat go to waste now, would he?

As we were winding things up, the kids played "Pin The Nose On Elmo"...some were much more accurate than others!

Our wet little birthday boy enjoyed opening up the nice cards and gifts that he was given before his friends headed home.

It was a fun evening, and when it was over, Carson was worn out from running around and playing so much!

We are so glad that you had a happy birthday sweet little Carson! You have added so much joy to our family for the last 3 years! We can't begin to imagine our family without you. You have brought many smiles, many laughs, and lots and lots of sweet cuddles and kisses! We all hate seeing the time fly by, and often talk about wanting to freeze or rewind the clock so that we can keep enjoying "Baby Carson", but at the same time, we sure love the fun little guy that you are becoming! We enjoy you so much! The next year will bring so many changes! You will be so different by the time we celebrate your 4th birthday. So here we go...it's going be a fun ride!

Writing the Waves,

Christi

4th of July Fun

Last night, we celebrated the 4th with our awesome friends Ky and Teresa and their 5 kids. We had a great time!

We gathered for the fireworks near the new home that they will be moving into in a couple of weeks. It was the perfect spot! We had a great view of the fireworks, and had our own little area, completely removed from the crowds!

Caylie wasn't with us. She had been invited to her friend's river house for the weekend, so we were missing our girl! :)

Below are Ky and Teresa, and their oldest son Josh, along with Corey, just enjoying the night.

The younger kids hung out a lot in the back of our truck. It was GREAT for keeping the toddlers corralled!

Ky's dad joined us and served up some delicious homemade strawberry ice cream! Yum!

Carson hung out in Teresa's lap while he ate (and dripped) his ice cream.

When the fireworks started, Carson tried to reach out and touch them! He really enjoyed it, and wasn't afraid at all!

Carson went back and forth from our laps to the truck. Below, he is hanging out with Christian and Drew (one of Ky and Teresa's 4 fun boys). Check out the ice cream spots all over the front of his shirt!

Christian and Drew have been buddies for a long time. I was going through some old photo albums this weekend, and found pictures of the two of them at Christian's 4th birthday party...they were so cute! :)

Drew spent a night with us this weekend, and he and Christian spent HOURS playing monopoly!

Here they are watching the fireworks from the top of the truck.

Take a look at these two cuties below...

This is Carson with Ky and Teresa's little precious, Rachel.

What do ya think of arranged marriages?

I'm thinking that these two would make a great couple!

S.W.E.E.T.!!!

We begged them to give each other a kiss, and they did...once. With my camera being sooo slow, I missed it, and Carson just couldn't handle the pressure, and wouldn't do it again!

Oh well, maybe next time!

It was a relaxing, fun night, and we can't wait to do it again next year! :)

Writing the Waves,

Christi