The Calm Before the Storm

Post number Four... all about a (soon-to-be) four-year-old!

Well, tomorrow is party day!! I figured I'd better take a few pictures of Allie and Wyatt in their Care Bear outfits before they get covered in cake, ice cream, candy, and all of the other messy stuff that is bound to wind up covering them tomorrow. So here's a peek at Allie's four year pictures and a few of the she and Wyatt together. Allie (of course) is 'Cheer Bear' and Wyatt... well, 'Grumpy Bear' just seems to fit him lately.

I intentionally waited until 10:00 at night to shoot these because I knew Allie would be happy as a clam and Wyatt would be reeeeeeallly ready for bed. I was hoping to get his grumpy scowl, but these will certainly work too.

Well, I'm off to finish up all of the last minute stuff. I'll post party pics tomorrow if I survive.

Caron reporting live from the LONGEST traffic light on the face of the earth!!

Three for Three! I'm on FIRE!

Here's a cute video I shot while at waiting at the longest frickin' traffic light ever! I was on the way to drop the kiddos off at my parent's house before the JBJ concert. Wyatt had had just about enough of being tied down in his car seat and Allie and I were were desperate for anything to keep him occupied....

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

'Calling Allie' has become a favorite past time of his. The funniest part about this whole thing was his reaction to seeing himself on the camera when I played it back for them. He LOVED IT!! I had to play the darn video about twenty times over and over for the remainder of the trip. I 'd hit play and set the camera screen facing the back seat for him to watch himself while I drove. Hey, it kept him happy and me sane. Man, I GOTTA get Dora's DVD player fixed!

Rich Girls

Two for two! Not a bad start!

I thought that in honor of Mother's Day this Sunday, I would devote a post entirely to my little Allie-Kat and I. Nothing against Wyatt... He'll have his turn in a bit. I just thought the Rich women could use a little post to ourselves.

Today was the annual 'Muffins With Mom' breakfast at Allie's preschool. (Doughnuts with Dad was last week, but naturally I have no pictures of that since men are far too macho to think of taking pictures on their own, but I digress...) Anyhoo... back to the muffins. Allie and I had a great time! It was fun to get to spend a little time together, just the two of us. We had mini blueberry muffins and a little OJ to chase it all down with. (Sorry Katie... no mimosas, I guess they were fresh out. And after spending some time with that many three and four year olds... I can see why!)

Allie and I...

Then it was present time! Allie gave me an adorable picture with her hand print and a mini basket filled with chocolate kisses. (which, BTW, she promptly took and ate herself. A gal after my own heart I tell you. She loves her some chocolate!) Here she is adding her name to her work of art...Now fast forward to Wednesday night. I realized that I haven't posted any Awana updates in awhile, so here's her current stats. Allie has now learned around 15 Bible verses and earned tons of Luv E. Lamb and Ernie Elephant patches to wear on her shirt! I am so proud of all she has done! Awards night is in a few weeks and she is right on track to get her first pin!

Here we are all dressed for Cubbies.

Mrs. Angie reading today's totally riveting and action packed Cubby story...

Here's one of Allie and one of her BFF's Georgia. I just thought it was too cute not to share...Well folks. That's all I have for now. I'll be back tomorrow for day three of my blog-a-thon. Y'all have a great night!

It's. My. Life.

'It's now or never... I ain't posted in forrr-evvvv-errrrr...'

Oh, blogger pals... it's been too long. Far, far too long. The last few weeks have been crazy-busy and we have had tons of things going on. Unfortunately the ole' blog had to take a back seat for awhile. Well... I finally got my priorities straight and I'M BACK, BABY!! Did you all miss me? Does anyone still read this? Hello?!? Anyone?!? Ah, c'mon... you all aren't fooling me. I know you have missed me because I did get a few e-mails asking if I was still alive. I knew you all loved me! Thanks for checking in. I am indeed alive and well. Stressed and tired, but well.

Anyhoo... I actually have tons of things to blog about, so my goal is to break it down in to several posts over the next few days. I'm trying to avoid writing a novel, so maybe this will help. And so... since my priorities are now 'in order', let's start with the most important event first...


And you thought I would start with the kids... silly you! Some mom I am, right? Don't worry, I'll get to the kids soon enough. Now where was I? Ah yes, Bon Jovi!! Oh, it was a great, great, GREAT concert indeed!! We went with a huge group of our friends and had a total blast! Chris Daughtry (from American Idol) opened and they were really good. We only caught the last few songs, but we got to hear the ones we recognized, so it was cool.

Here's a few of Daughtry...

And now, here's a few for Chris! Our seats were behind the stage but our I thought our they were awesome! We got the bird's eye view and the huge screens moved all over so we didn't miss a thing!

The special effects were great! Here his video image is shown on the stage. I thought it was awesome!JBJ and Daughtry together singing Blaze of Glory. Incredible! It's hard to believe how amazing Daughtry sounded. He had some big shoes to fill but I was totally impressed!!A blogger hook-up! Chris and I got to say a quick 'hi' after the concert. Here we are... two happy gals after an AWESOME night out!
Unfortunately they don't allow professional cameras in, so I had to take my little point and shoot instead. Bummer. I was even more bummed when I realized that I had grabbed my small memory card instead of my big one, so I was totally limited all night. I had to shoot and delete when I would run out of room. No fun. Oh well, at least I got a few. After accidentally deleting the video of Bed of Roses ($%#@) I did manage to get another short video before running out of space...

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Yes, It was an awesome night! I even refrained from flashing 'the twins' at everyone which is more than I can say for the girl who sat a few rows behind us... and let me tell ya... she was no featherweight. Ughhh!! That was more flesh than I cared to see. It was great for laughs though. Oh well... I still consider myself a fan even though I choose to keep the gals covered. I'm already looking forward to the next concert already!

I'll end the post with these two pictures.

Since we're on the subject...this is Allie's tribute to the big hair of the 80's... a.k.a. 'trampoline hair'. It does this whenever she jumps.

Well, one post down... tons to go. 'Muffins with Mom' is tomorrow (ooohhhh... I know you're totally jonesin' for pictures of that action!!) and Allie's birthday party is this Saturday, so keep checkin' in! I'm setting myself a blogging goal. A 'quota,' if you will. I am going to try to post for the next five days straight, and I need your help to hold me to it. It might be something quick and simple or it might be something totally thought-provoking and profound (ummmmm...yeah. lmao). Who knows. All I know is I have some SERIOUS catching up to do and I'm ready to face my inadequacies and try to become a better blogger. I guess that would mean I'm joining "BB" instead of "AA" HA! Oh, it's tooooo late and I'm toooo sleep deprived. Obviously!

...so with that 'I say... Have A Nice Day'!

Easter In a Nutshell (or should I say 'Eggshell'?)

Well, I'll spare you form starting this post like I have the last one or two (or six) posts... with 'sorry it's been awhile, things have been crazy, yadda, yadda, yadda...' Anyway... I'm here now, and that's what matters, right? Right!

Anyway... I'm glad to see that everyone had a great Easter! I have read all of your posts, but I have not gotten to comment yet. I figured I better catch up with my posting while I had a few minutes on my own to think straight. ('cuz y'all know that doesn't happen often...)

Let's start with Easter! We had a busy morning as usual which consisted of me dashing around frantically to get everything ready for the day. (All this after going to bed at 4:45 the night...err... morning before, but I'll get to that in a second...) I had to get everyone dressed and ready, teach my Sunday School class, and then play hand bells during the 11:00 service. We did manage to get the morning off to a good start. First thing's first...

Easter Baskets!! The Easter Bunny came by and brought some good stuff for the kiddos...

We decided to do things a little different this year. We usually go to Michael's grandmothers house or to my parent's house, or struggle to do both. Well, this year we decided to let them come to us. We invited my family up for lunch at our house and it was AWESOME! We actually got to enjoy the day since we weren't rushing from one place to the next. Mom, Dad, and my brother Tim even came up for church, but Tim decided to rest at the house instead. He was diagnosed with Mono last week, so I'll cut him some slack... but just this once. Chris and Pam came up right before lunch, so we all got to spend the day together.

After church, we all went outside to take pictures by the cross. The cross is put up in the courtyard and everyone brings fresh flowers from home to hang on it. By the end of the morning it is covered with all different kinds and colors. It is amazing to see in person. We have taken a picture by it each year and it is a great way to see how the kids have grown.

Here we are...

Dad & Mom

D-Daddy, Moo-Moo, & Allie
(Wyatt is coming down with an ear infection (ughhhh), so he was not feeling too cooperative at the time)Wyatt...
Allie...Allie and Sarah. The two have known each other their whole life are absolutely joined at the hip. I was devastated this week when I found out her family is moving to Columbus this summer. I haven't had the heart to tell Allie yet. I'm waiting to tell her so the thought isn't hanging over her head for the next few months. I dread that task... it's going to break her heart.

Next stop... FOOD! I made everything myself, which I must say was totally delicious to spite the fact I usually hate to cook. I actually had a lot of fun making it all though! Maybe I don't hate it so much after all. I cooked all of my favorites... a spiral glazed ham, homemade baked macaroni and cheese, sweet potato souffle, green bean casserole, rolls, and made a whirlwind cake and icing. (I did stay up until 4:45 am the night before, but it was totally worth it!) It was all so good! I totally had to talk a day off the ole' diet to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I didn't go overboard, but man... it was good!

We all got to spend the day together as a family and it was great to have everyone up for a visit. I really hope that one day we can get all of the family to come to our house for holidays. We really missed being with Larry and Nancy and the rest of the family, but we're glad they got to continue the tradition of Easter at MeMe's.

Now, let's rewind to Saturday. Our church had a huge Easter Egg hunt for all the kids. It was a gorgeous day and they all had a blast.

Allie and (of course) Sarah... before the huntAnd they're off! While it looks like Allie is dodging a pile of dog poop, she is actually stopping short to grab a egg she almost missed out on. I could have had some fun in Photoshop with that one... Showing Wyatt her loot...

Score!

Ah, Sam! The apple of Allie's eye. This kid is such a doll!!
Showing off the eggs he found...Wyatt enjoying his one and only egg. He actually found two, but as he ate the one shown here some kid actually robbed his basket of the other egg. Nice huh?!? Wyatt didn't seem to care much though.

Sam, Wyatt, and Bonnie Greer emptying all their eggs so they can be used again next year...The hunt was so much fun. They had all kinds of activities for the kids before and after the hunt. One of which was bubbles. This picture might look like no big deal to the average parent... but to me it means progress. Allie has never been able to blow out her candles or blow bubbles on her own. It's all related somehow to her speech issues. We've been working hard, and she can now do it all by herself!! I am so proud of her!!

And finally, here's their official Easter picture...

Well, that about covers it. We have been working hard lately to paint and redecorate the house, so hopefully I will have some pictures to show for it soon. We got a new table, new curtains, and I framed tons of pictures of the kids for the shelves. I think it's going to look good when we finish... but finding the time to to it is the trick. I'm just ready for a change! Well, y'all have a great week!!!

Sickness, BE GONE WITH YOU!!!

What's up everyone?!? No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth, and yes, I did survive the 80+ hours I volunteered at the Kidsignments sale! I know some of you who went and experienced the chaos first hand probably wondered...

1) Is Caron completely crazy for voluntarily subjecting herself to this?
2) What time will these people get to go home tonight?
and
3) Will the line ever make it to under4 hours long?

Well...

1) I don't think so... but I'll let you judge for yourself
2) 3:12 a.m. was the latest we got out
and
3) Yes! it took some doing, but we didn't stop 'till the last tag was cut!

So was it worth it? Heck yeah, baby!! I got tons of great deals and lots of adorable things for the kids. Plus, it's always awesome to get to hang out with all my friends I work with twice a year. It was also great to see Andrea and Lara, and finally meet Chris and Tara in person!! I wish I could have seen y'all more... we'll just have to plan it better next sale!!

Unfortunately, working the sale has been the about the most exciting thing that's happened around here lately. It seems that 2008 is turning out to be 'the year of the antibiotic' for us. This is way out of character because generally speaking, we rarely get sick! I don't know... it's like there's some kind of beacon light flashing above our house, just begging the viruses and crap to 'STOP HERE!' Or maybe 2008 just happens to be the year the stars and the planets align just right creating some kind of weird gravitational pull that automatically sucks germs and funky illness towards the kids. I mean really... we have never had as many issues around here as we have had lately.

The year started off with your classic 'mini-flu', which is every bit as bad as the regular flu, but just doesn't last as long. Then came Mr. Cold, which naturally brought his good friends Cough and Wheeze. Ear Infection stopped by for awhile. Even Fever who we rarely see has made a few appearances here lately. Needless to say Sleep took off as soon as he saw those guys coming. Finally Penicillin and Albuterol laid down the law and things quited down. Peace was in sight. That is, until the One Year Molar Twins showed up and interjected their own bit of chaos in to the mix.

So, is it over??? Are we finally getting a break form prescriptions, and Kleenex, and nebulizers? Ummmmm, that would be a big, fat NEGATORY. (sorry, I just had to reference that... the definition #3 was just hilarious!) So where was I?? Ah, yes... so today ole' Stomach Virus found out that he'd been missing out heck of a party at 'Casa De Rich' and was slightly peeved that he hadn't been a part the preceding festivities. So he decided to drop by today and went straight for first victim... Wyatt. Of course Michael was at work, so I had the joy of cleaning up the aftermath all by my lonesome. His crib resembled a scene from the Exorcist. I had no idea one kid could possibly puke that much. And to top it off, Wyatt has recently invented a new game called 'Lets pull the crib sheet off the mattress so mommy has to put it back on'. This great game is played daily now, not just at night, but at naps as well. Well, needless to say the game was over and the sheet had been successfully removed leaving the bare mattress to catch the brunt of it. All in all, I had to wash the mattress, the sheets, the bumper pads, the crib skirt, and scrub the carpet. All of this, of course after I bathed Wyatt. I had to put him in the tub fully clothed and still holding his blanket. After I got him cleaned and dressed, I had to clean the tub, start the nasty load of laundry, and scrub the affected pacifier. I finished all this... washed my hands, and turned around just in time to see round two hit. This time... kitchen floor. At least this was easier to clean.

Fortunately it was gorgeous today so we played on the porch a lot. The warm weather couldn't have come at a better time because Allie got to run around while Wyatt took it easy and enjoyed the fresh air. It took his mind off of how bad he felt. And don't think that I hadn't thought about the fact that you can simply hose off a deck when something nasty happens. Carpet... not so much!! Anyway, after four or five more episodes and a few changes of clothes... I think we are past the worst of it. I am sooooo praying that Allie dodges the barf bullet. (But seeing as how we just aren't that lucky... I must confess that I completely lined the carpet in her bedroom with towels in case we get any action tonight. 'Cuz hey, if there's one thing I hate more than scrubbing barf off a carpet, it's scrubbing barf off a carpet at 3:00 in the morning... ya feel me?!?!

Anyway... sorry to gripe so much! A lot of this 'blog update' (O.K., 'vent'...whatever...) stems off my sheer frustration towards parents who insist on sending their kids to school or church or any place when they know they're sick. I mean, I know we're all bound to get sick sometimes... but if Little Sally has a fever and strep throat, PLEASE... for the love of God, don't take her to the McDonald's playground to 'cheer her up' until she is totally well. (Yes, I actually encountered this last week. And yes, I did refrain from informing that mother that she in fact, was a 'effing idiot who showed blatant disregarded for the health and well being of other people's offspring. Yep, I kept my mouth shut alright. Oh ALRIGHT!! Who am I kidding... y'all know me too well. The fact of the matter is I'm a total wimp who avoids confrontation like the plague. If I had any kahunas at all that day, I would have explained to that dumb woman that she was now responsible for the four insurance co-pays we'd have to fork out at $40 a pop, plus another $20 each for medicine. I would have then handed her a calculator, seeing as how as she probably would have needed one to do the simple addition necessary to calculate how much she owed me for her stupidity. I would have then quickly yanked the calculator back, telling her to allow me being that she was probably not intelligent enough to figure the math out on her own. Because after all... if she had any speck of intelligence or common sense about her she would have NEVER MADE THE DUMB ASS DECISION TO BRING A SICK AND CONTAGIOUS CHILD TO PLAY WITH OTHER KIDS!! Sheesh... I told you I had some frustration. Anyway... it's the same kind of thing at school and church... kids barely get over a virus and boom... parent's bring 'em anyway. I hate to be so grumpy, but sickness has already taken a huge chunk out of our year and I am ready to move on with it!

Anyway, I promise to be back in a better mood and with any luck, some better things to blog about. Until then, here are some of the shots from Wyatt's one year pictures. Naturally, Allie wanted to be in on it too, so I took a few with her.




I hope you all are doing well! I'm off to check in on every one's blog!