School Spirit, Sickness & 100 Days Smarter!

Last week was basketball homecoming so the kids got to dress up to celebrate!

Monday was MLK Jr. Day, so there was no school, so they did not dress up that day.

Tuesday was hat day at Noahs school and PJ day at Ryans school - she insisted on wearing her Elsa hat also :)

Wednesday was hat day at Ryans school and Favorite Sports Team day at Noahs school Ryan wore her Minnie mouse hat and Noah loves the Razorbacks and the Panthers - but this Indians jersey was too cute not to wear :) He made a cute Wild Thing!

Thursday was Favorite Cartoon Character day at both kids schools. We had a little ninja turtle and Batman!

I could tell something was off with Noah when I picked him up from school Thursday. He just looked tired. He said his belly hurt a little, but nothing too bad. So, we did homework, got pizza for dinner (which he didn't want to eat - another sign of something being off) and got ready for his basketball game. I took his temperature and it was only 93 degrees (which is also not good). We went to his game and he was obviously not feeling well - he just looked pale and said his belly was hurting. Once the game was over he was begging for popcorn and said he felt better - so we got him some popcorn and headed home. I asked him about his belly several times on the way home and he was fine. Then, once we get home and he opens the door to get out of the car he got sick :( At least he waited until we got home - but I told him he owed me for cleaning up popcorn puke out of the window, door handle and window button of my car - ahhhhh the mom life! Thankfully, that made him feel a lot better and he did not get sick anymore!

When my kids get sick, I found it best to quarantine them until 24 hours after their symptoms are gone. It has really helped keep our entire house from all catching every bug that one of us gets. The kids usually get bored after a while and require a new movie or book to make it the whole 24 hours - which is a small price to pay in my opinion! So, I stayed home with Noah on Friday to make sure he didn't spread it to his class and Ryans daycare has a 48 hour symptom policy on the entire household, meaning she stayed home with us too. Ryan woke up with a terrible runny nose that day - so it was just a sick day all around.

Noah trying to keep from being bored during quarantine :)

Saturday Noah had another basketball game. He was just having a bad day. He said he wanted to get the ball from the other team, but couldn't, so that upset him. He was emotional and just not having fun like he normally does. Then Ryan was complaining of her ear hurting, and she was still snotty. So, after the game Nathan took Noah home and I took Ryan to the walk-in clinic. She had her first ear infection in a year :( So, we got medicine and went home. The kids played the rest of the day relaxed. Nathan and I were talking about how Rivertowne BBQ sounded good, so we jumped up and loaded the kids and took off.

Poor sick Ryan!

Sunday we went to church. Ryan has always very easily gagged when she cries, especially with a runny nose. It is a guarantee it will happen most times. So, when Nathan went to get her from her class she had gotten elbowed in the nose during a game and was crying, so of course, she then vomited all down the hallway and bathroom and all over Nathan. I am sure people thought it was a stomach bug since Noah had one 3 days prior - but thankfully it wasn't. So, we had to make a wardrobe change and scrub up before lunch. We have some pretty tough stomachs as parents :)

Monday was the 100th day of school! Noah was excited to go back and celebrate. He was supposed to take 100 items of some kind for show and tell. He chose 100 legos. I wrote a little thing for him to say during show and tell about how the little legos represent the little things he learned, and the big legos represent the big things he learned and when you put them together you can make or do anything! The kids also get to walk through a big 100 in the hallway - it was such a fun day for him :)

Since the kids didn't get to dress up on red/white/black day for homecoming last week I let them do it on Monday - now our homecoming memories are complete!

Now, we are hoping for a healthier week, then a nice little getaway for momma and daddy this weekend to visit our racing friends again while the kids make memories with their grandmas :)

While Daddy is Away, We Play!

Due to a lack of better judgment, Nathan decided to go play softball last weekend in Texas. It is cold and they were going about 5 hours away so I decided to sit this one out and just have a fun weekend with the kids. So, Friday night the kids and I got pizza and then watched the new Lion Guard episodes we had recorded that morning. My kids are obsessed with this show and they finally started new episodes so they were so excited to finally get to watch it again.

Saturday morning Noah had basketball pictures and then another game. He was once again hilarious! He just kind of wandered around and chased whoever had the ball. He then ran over to me and wiped his forehead to tell me "momma, I am really starting to sweat" :) He sure makes these games entertaining!

After the game the kids and I went to Cracker Barrel and to the movies to see Norm of the North. The kids were very good while we were eating and even better at the movies!

We then went home where they played and watched the Lion Guard again and I started sorting through their clothes for the upcoming consignment sale. I also went through some of the kids toys. Noah was not really wanting to get rid of anything because he "loves them all so much". Ryan on the other hand was handing me stuff left and right to sell. She was reluctant at first but I told her we would have more room for new stuff and she was all about it then :)

Lucky for us, Nathan's ball team was done playing Saturday night and he decided to to drive straight home to us and got back about 2:30 a.m. We missed him and were so glad to have him back!

Sunday we went to church and then had a birthday party for our friends son Mabry. It was at a Jump Place, which our kids have not been to in a while and they had so much fun!

I was off work Monday for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Noah was also out of school, but I asked him if he wanted to go to Ms. Lauries with Ryan for a little while and he was very excited to go with her! Ryan was excited too - she loves it when he comes with her. So, I was able to get 7 boxes of stuff ready for the Salvation Army and cleaned the entire house. It felt so good to get all that done!

Now we are ready for another crazy week of dressing up for homecoming spirit week, basketball practice, basketball game, homework, volunteering, and maybe some winter weather!

Dates, Basketball and a Birthday!

Friday night was date night! But, not a typical date night. Daddy went on a Man Date with his friend Robert and the kids and I went on a Pasta Date! I am not a fan of Quentin Tarantino movies - they are just not my thing. However, they are my husbands favorite movies. So, when his friend told him a few weeks ago to keep the date open to go watch the newest Tarantino movie Hateful Eight (which is 3 hours long I might add) - I was more than happy to stay home with the kids :) So, the kids and I love pasta so we went out for dinner. The kids have been exceptionally rowdy in restaurants lately, not too bad, but more than Nathan and I feel comfortable with. So, I was a little hesitant about taking them out - but they were good as gold! No issues whatsoever! They sat in their seats, ate most of their food, and were nice and quiet! I told Nathan I think he just brings out the wild in them :)

Saturday morning was Noah's first basketball game! Per the usual with Noah, I had no idea what to expect! It was, by far, the most fun thing I have watched in a while! He had so much fun! He played little to no actual basketball but he had the biggest smile on his face! He ran up to the players after they would dribble or shoot it and give them two thumbs up right in their face and say "way to go!" or "good job!" :) He literally skipped and danced down the court each time. He had to slap the wall under the goal every time. He dodged out of the way when a rebound came his way. He killed all the imaginary bad guys out on the court. When I yelled at him to "run!" he yelled back "momma, I am really starting to sweat!" and wiped his forehead! He even pretended to cut his own throat and die. He also did a whole booty-shaking dance on the bench. He is just too much! He did fall a few times and cried once when he fell - but we are working on him being more tough next time ;) I had so many people tell me how much they enjoyed watching him! It was a great start to the season!

After the game we went out to lunch and then to our friend Trinity's birthday party. She is our sitter's daughter and had the cutest zebra party!

The rest of the weekend I caught the cleaning bug and cleaned all the kitchen cabinets out. I got rid of a trash bag of old food and a big box of cookware that we never use or is scratched up. It feels so good to open up organized cabinets. Next is the kids clothes since it is time to get ready for the spring Rhea Lana sale. Then me and Nathan's clothes to donate. Since Monday is a holiday, I am hoping to still be in the cleaning mood and plan to take a bunch of stuff to the Salvation Army! I really get a lot done when the mood strikes!

Now, on to more dates with the kids and more cleaning!

Firsts: Birthdays, Basketball and Bowling

We always celebrate our January birthdays on New Years Day with a birthday party and black eyed peas :) My brother Eli was born on New Years day, my grandma on the 4th, and my mom and grandma on the 9th. I try to host this party so my mom doesn't have to host her own birthday party. So, I got all the Christmas put away and the house all cleaned up and organized just in time for the party :)

I rarely get any pictures when I host a party - there is just a lot going on. Our house is not small, but it is not set up very well for hosting (it was built by a bachelor so there is no dining room and the rooms are kind-of sized strange). We had 20 people at our house so we just all squeezed together and shared the love :)

The next day we watch the Razorbacks win the Liberty Bowl (Woo Pig Sooie!) and then we decided to take the kids on a date. We went to Cracker Barrel and took the kids bowling for the first time. To say they loved it would be an understatement! They were immediately so excited when we walked in the door. We had to wait about 15 minutes for a lane to open up and they both kept sitting there saying things like "I just can't wait", "this is going to be so much fun", "I cannot believe we are doing this" :)

Ryans face of choice when I told her to say cheese - she kills me!

They jumped up and down after every bowl and were constantly wanting to know if it was their turn again :) As we were changing shoes to go Noah asked me "Momma, what day is it?" I told him it was Saturday and he said "Can we do this every Saturday?" and Ryan chimed in "Yeah, this is amazing". Perfect way to start my year right there :) So much fun and memories made right there!

Momma won by 1 point!

Noah recently started basketball. This was such a hard decision for us. First he said he wanted to play. So, we got him a ball and a goal and started practicing. He literally cried through every practice we had with him because he "isn't any good".  This is where it got hard. He is 5 so I am not wanting to force any sports on him. However, I don't want him to want to do something and then quit as soon as it gets "hard" or before he works hard and practices at something. So, I literally went back and forth (even after signing him up) every day on whether or not to let him play. Then, I decided to just go for it and see what happens. I was so happy we got a coach we knew - both coaches are friends of ours and we know several kids on his team. I was prepared for the worst at his first practice - just because I knew he would be nervous. He got out there, but cried when he was unable to make any baskets. Some of the other kids could make it, but a lot more couldn't like him. I was so happy there were some kids on his skill level on his team. By the end of practice he was playing and having fun and said he couldn't wait for his next practice. That was a total relief! I was hoping once he got out there with his team he would loosen up and have fun and that is just what he did! His coaches are so patient with him and his skill level. He has one more practice this week and games start Saturday! They don't keep score at his games, so hopefully by the end of the season he will be more confident in his skills and have learned a lot about the game! Another bonus is my dad has been helping at practice - I have always wanted my dad to coach my kids. However, he is old and pretty faithful to Lamar schools and their sports. But, it looks like Noah has pulled him back out on the court to help out some at practice and it it good for so many reasons.