Where's Elizabeth

No wordless Wednesday post this week. I haven't had time to take many pictures so you will probably get to see those on Friday. Anyway, it's been a busy week already. Abby started Pre-K on Monday and Elizabeth started today. Both girls were very excited about going to school. Mommy was excited because that meant a little time to herself. I spent today discussing the Preschool's Fall Festival, which I am chairing, with the Fall Festival committee. Afterwards I had just enough time to meet Matt for an impromptu early lunch. Once we parked Matt opened the back door to get Elizabeth only to realize she was at school. We relished the fact that we able to have a meal together without kids and without having to hire a babysitter. It was nice to be able to talk to one another without all the kids distractions. I am hoping that we will be able to do this on a semi regular basis. My plans for Thursday when all the kids are at school is to clean the house from top to bottom without having to pick up kid messes inbetween. That will be heaven to me. I hope you have a great week too.

Potty Training Elizabeth

Abby is having more success in potty training Elizabeth right now than I am. Today Abby took Elizabeth to the bathroom and Elizabeth peed and pooped in the potty. I take her and she either does nothing, stands up and pees on the floor or gets her pull up on and pees. Elizabeth is really ready to learn to go on the potty. She lets me know when her diaper is wet or dirty and is trying to take it on and off herdelf. It would be fantastic to have no children with diapers any more. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Thanks Tank Thursday

Well, time got away from me yesterday and last night with all the preparations for the girls' open house. I was involved because I was on the committee to help out and I also had to make sure copies of the Fall Festival Flyer and the Scrips Order forms were ready to be handed out since I am chairing both of those committees. Matt keeps telling me I take on too much and he is right. I just have a hard time saying No when I know that people are needing help or that no one else is stepping up. Anyway, here is my thankful list for this week.

Open House: The girls had a great time last night at open house. They loved seeing old friends and meeting their new teachers. Both seem to be excited to go to school, especially Abby who insisted that school started today and that she wouldn't have to wait until Monday.

School Starting: I am thankful that school will be starting next week. I am looking forward to being able to get the house clean without turning around and seeing I have another mess to clean up.

Ballet: This week Abby started Ballet. She has been asking to take Ballet since the beginning of the summer. Most classes were on break for the summer so we waited until this week. Did you know that little girls are extremely narcissistic. Abby favorite part about dance was the full length mirror in which she could watch her every move.

Football: My men are so looking forward to the football season starting and I so enjoy their excitement. Gabriel has even started counting down the days until Tennessee football starts. (Sorry Jane Anne I hope Seth doesn't torture you too much with those UT clothes.) ;)

Biking: I am thankful that we decided to go ahead and purchase our bikes. Matt rode his to class last night and we ride ours to school every morning and afternoon. And when time allows in the evenings we ride on the people trails. I have been thinking that I may even try to figure out a safe route to the girls' preschool. I have rediscovered an old love.

Playing Chase: I love it when Elizabeth starts a game of chase with me. She will give me an squinty eyed grin and then take a couple of steps away and then come back until I chase her. Then she lets me catch her so I can tickle her. It really makes for a good time.

Watching my children grow and learn. I have noticed so many changes in the kids lately. Gabriel is more independent and is loving school, even if I have to force him to do his homework. Abby is so excited to be learning all the things her brother has learned. Her hand writing is improving and she surprises me everyday with the things she has picked up on.

Elizabeth's vocabulary just keeps growing. And even though it can be frustrating her "Me do it!!" attitude is fun to watch because most of the time she can do it.

Monday Morning Mirth

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed: 'Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through. So, please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen!'
God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish.
The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids, set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches, drove them to school, came home and picked up the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners and stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, paid the bills and balanced the check book. He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog. Then, it was already 01P.M. And he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, Dust, And sweep and mop the kitchen floor. Ran to the school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home. Set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their homework. Then, set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing. At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad, breaded the chops and snapped fresh beans for supper. After supper, He cleaned the kitchen, Ran the dishwasher, Folded laundry, Bathed the kids, And put them to bed. At 09 P.M . He was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint.
The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said: 'Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, oh! Oh! Please, let us trade back. Amen!' The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied: 'My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were. You'll just have to wait nine months, though. You got pregnant last night.'

Exercise For the Family

We are within walking distance to Gabriel's school. In fact the buses won't even run through our neighborhood because we are so close. That's not a big deal. I have actually enjoyed walking with him to school even though it is sometimes quicker overall to drive. While my mom was here Gabriel finally really took off on riding his bike without training wheels. Now he is wanting to ride his bike everywhere. We let him ride his bike around the block since he won't be crossing over any streets that way and he still gets to go a fairly decent distance by himself. Anyway, last week he wanted to ride his bike to school. I let him but found myself having to run to keep up with him and I am not a runner. I came home and told Matt we really needed to purchase those bikes we had been talking about. So this weekend we bought two bikes and a trailer for the girls. We are considering buying a tandem bike for Abby to use when Matt is riding with us later. This has been a great purchase for us. Everytime we had any down time this weekend the kids or Matt and I said let's go for a ride. Yesterday we took a ride to the local playground and let the kids play before dinner. Today we took two 4 mile trips and boy are our rears hurting. I will be grateful if I can walk tomorrow. Not only did I move my weight around on the bike but I also pulled about 80 more pounds around behind me. It was good exercise and we all have really enjoyed it. I just hope that we continue these rides and that the kids continue to enjoy them.

Week In Pictures

The first set of pictures are from Gabriel's first flag football game. At least during the game he didn't try to tackle anyone. He also had a great time. It was a very relaxed game that is geared toward teaching the kids the game of football. The coaches were the refs and this set was layed back and let each team score pretty evenly. So it made it fun. From what I understand about next year it won't be as laid back and they will be playing tackle. I guess we shall wait and see if this is something he wants to do next year as well.

This set is from one of our local playgrounds. It was finished last Fall and it is loved by the kids. It is also close enough for us to walk to from our house. We took a trip here on Sunday afternoon with Mimi and had a blast.

This last slide is Abby before and after surgery. She was a brave little girl and woke up after surgery smiling at the nurses. She was ready to go home once she got back with us so she ate her popcicle and drank her juice and we were gone shortly after that. She only took two doeses of her pain medicine and was running around the house, much to Matt's dismay, that afternoon. She has barely stopped and wants to do everything even with the stitches on her thumbs. She can't wait until Wednesday when she can start doing her noraml things and can get her hands wet again.

Thanks Tank Thursday

Another week is winding down and it is time once again to think about all that I am thankful for in this life. And boy there are so many. If you stop and think I am sure you can come up with several off the top of your head without even having to think too hard about it. I hope that you do too. This always seems to bring peace and joy to my heart even when it's been one of those weeks.

1. First Day of School: Gabriel had his first day of school today and boy was he excited. We walked to school which I hope we can do most everyday. He told me as we got to the door that I didn't need to walk in with him he knew the way. My boy sure is growing up. He is disappointed that he won't be riding the bus home this year but we live to close to the school so we will get to walk or ride our bikes instead.

2. First football game: Gabriel had his first football game last weekend and did really well. Score wasn't kept since it's considered a learning league, which I personally like, but they had a lot of fun.

3. Hand Srgery Going Well: Abby's hand surgery went very well on Monday. She cried as she left us but was happy soon after she arried in surgery. We were told that when she woke up after surgery she gave the nurses one of her killer smiles.

4. Organization: I am so gald that I have learned, for the most part, how to keep my life organized. I would miss mnay meetings and activities if I didn't keep things organized like I do.

5. Clean Kids Rooms: Today I really cleaned the kids rooms. Most of the time the kids just pic up their rooms and I vaccum and clean as needed. Today I went through and organized, went through both toys and clothes and cleaned. It feels really good to have that done. I feel really accomplished with that one.

6. Watching The Kids Greet Their Dad: I love watching the kids' faces light up and them running to greet their dad and give him big hugs. This is one of the great things about being a parent.

7. My Mom: My mom was such a huge help this week when Abby had her hand surgery. It helped all of us to have her here and for us to relax knowing that the other two kids were safe and sound. I was also able to attend a preschool board meeting the Tuesday after the surgery because she was there.

8. My brother and sister-in-law who called and said they were praying for Abby during her surgery and then called to check in on her afterwards. It was a very kind and thoughtful thing to do.

9. Fresh Bell Peppers: The kids have developed a love for red bell peppers. Since one red bell pepper cost around two dollars here we decided to grow some of our own. This last week they started getting ripe enough for us to eat and we are loving it. I just hope they keep this love for fresh vegetables. Matt and I are planning on building and planting our our vegetable garden for next year.

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Morning Mirth

GOD CREATED CHILDREN (AND IN THE PROCESS GRANDCHILDREN)

To those of us who have children in our lives, whether they are our own, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students... here is something to make you chuckle. Whenever your children are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence did not extend to His own children. After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing he said was 'DON'T!' 'Don 't what?' Adam replied. 'Don't eat the forbidden fruit. "God said. 'Forbidden fruit? We have forbidden fruit? Hey Eve..we have forbidden fruit! 'No Way!' 'Yes was!' 'Do NOT eat the fruit!' said God. 'Why ? ' 'Because I am your Father and I said so ! ' God replied, wondering why He hadn't stopped creation after making the elephants.
A few minutes later, God saw His children having an apple break and He was ticked ! 'Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit ? ' God asked. 'Uh huh,' Adam replied. 'Then why did you ? ' said the Father. 'I don't know,' said Eve. 'She started it! ' Adam said. 'Did not ! ' 'Did too ! ' 'DID NOT ! ' Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.
If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be hard on yourself. If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you ?

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT !

1. You spend the first two years of their life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.
2. Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.
3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.
4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said
5. The main purpose of holding children's parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own
6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.

ADVICE FOR THE DAY:

Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home one day
AND FINALLY: IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF TENSION AND YOU GET A HEADACHE, DO WHAT IT SAYS ON THE ASPIRIN BOTTLE: 'TAKE TWO ASPIRIN' AND 'KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN'!!!!!

Thanks Tank Thursday

Hello to everyone! What a week we have had in the Collier Household. Since we came back from Florida it seems like we haven't stopped. So another week has flown by and it's time to do my weekly Thanks Tank Thursday list. This has been such a wonderful thing for me because it has helped me to focus on all the positive blessings in my life. So here goes and I hope you take the time to be thankful as well. We should always remembr to give our thanks to God. Take Care.

1. Healthy Kids: Even though Abby is having surgery on Monday I am so thankful that she is so healthy. As I talked to the pre-register nurse and she asekd her list of questions I was able to say no to almost everything and I felt this was such a blessing. The only trouble Abby has is trigger thumb and a quick snip of the tendon and a week in bandages will take care of the problem. But there are so many kids who are not that lucky.

2. Extra Activities for the kids: Right now Gabriel is playing flag football. It is so much fun to see him enjoying himself on the field. I don't think he will ever be super good. But having fun is really all that matters. The only thing that he needs to learn is not to tackle and trip. He's watched way too much football with his dad.

3. Reconnections: Thanks to my brother-in-law and some friend from Oregon we have become members of facebook. IT has been so much fun to reconnect with friends we haven't talked to since college or in some cases even longer. I am so thankfu for these reconnections.

4. BUNCO: Last night I hosted our MOPS Bunco night at our house. Though we had to move the party inside we still had a wonderful time. I am so thankful for this group of ladies who have blessed me with their friendships. If I hadn't found this group of women I don't know that I would have been as happy here.

5. Good Choices: I know that some of the choices I have made were the right ones. And knowing this is a huge blessing to me.

6. Attentive Siblings: Both Gabriel and Abby are so attentive to Elizabeth. It's funny to watch them as they try to mother her. And most of the time she dosn't want anything to do with it. I love the fact that they love her and want to spend time with her. That is unless they are trying to clean their rooms and then she is a whirl wind of mess and they want her out. But it is a blessing that they are so good with her. I'm not sure how she is going to handle both of them being gone during school this year.

7. My Mother: I am so thankful that my mother is coming to watch Gabe and Elizabeth while we take Abby to Riley on Monday. Without her help we would have had to divide forces. This way we can both go with her.

8. My Plants: I have really been enjoying my plants this week, except for skimming them off the top of the pool. They are just beautiful and relaxing to me.

9. Fresh Fruits and Veggies: We have begun to really eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables in the last couple of months. The kids and I and I think even Matt have enjoyed having the variety. We are even thinking about starting a raised vegetable bed for next year. The kids have also enjoyed being able to pick a new fruit or vegetable at the grocery store and then help me prepare it. They always manage to eat it that way too.

Wordless Wednesday

Facebook

Thanks to my brother-in-law I am now a member of facebook. In some ways I would like to say thank you to him in other ways I would like to curse his name. I have been spending too much time on facebook tracking down people I have not spoken to or seen in a number of years. A lot of the people are people who I have thought about and wondered what they were up to. It's been nice to get back in touch with many of them and see what has been happening in their lives. So for that I say thank you Danny! Now I also have to curse you because of all the different groups and applications I have joined and just can't stop doing. Mob Wars is just one of those and even though it's stupid I find myself sitting at the computer way to often to play it. So curse you Danny. And I have to say JA and Seth for bringing me to the dark side. Have a wonderful day.

Really, it's more thank you!!

The Ball is Rolling Now!!!

On Friday the contractor finally came to look at the basement, nearly two months after the flood. Anyway, they will be starting outside this week to try and correct the drainage problem around the windows. They will then move inside to install new carpet and flooring to the rest of the basement, fix the elecrtical; something that has needed to be done, and then if needed to replace the windows. If we have money left in our budget then we will see about having dry wall put up on the foundation walls, but we don't expect that we will be able to afford that at this time. I also plan on painting the basement soon but need to wait until school starts so that I can do it without child interruptions. We also need to replace some of the ballasts in the light fixtures so that we can see in the basement without all the dark spots. So we should be getting our basment back within the next several of weeks.

Monday Morning Mirth

The other day we were driving aroun town in the car when Gabriel and Abby started telling each other jokes. At this point they still pretty much make up nonsense jokes and then laugh at them. Thie is the joke Gabriel told that Matt and I had to chuckles at.

Gabriel: "Why did the chiken cross the road."
Matt: "To get run over by a truck."
Gabriel: "No, to eat the chicken nuggets and fries."

My response to Matt was, "Cannibal."