February 28, 2018

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  • Everyone was awake this morning which was a good thing since it was Wednesday morning, and we had to move fairly quickly. I still had to make our lunch this morning so we left about 5 minutes later than usual. Not surprisingly, there was a wreck on the curve so we had to go the long way to Bible study. We still arrived in plenty of time, and thankfully it wasn't raining yet so we were able to walk, and not run, inside of the church house.
  • The rain however had begun when we did leave Bible study. We were able to hurry to the car without getting soaked. We drove to Rock Creek and thankfully, this week they were not cleaning the tubes. We had almost decided that they had begun cleaning on Wednesdays at lunch time because of us. It was crowded when we arrived so we all just ate outside of the tubes.
  • The little kids (just few of them now-7) played in the tubes while the big kids (6) played a dice game in front of the bathrooms. I think that everyone had fun, but I know that they all had fun when Robby met us, and we headed to Dairy Queen.
  • Everyone had their Blizzards. Most everyone chose mint oreo which was pretty good. I continued to marvel at the difference in size between the Dairy Queen mini and the Freddy's mini. I definitely would pick Freddy's mini size since it was larger. Actually, I could eat a pint or possibly a quart of ice cream at any given moment (seriously) so maybe a medium would make me happier.
  • After our ice cream, we headed home. The kids helped unload and did some "chores" before we read history. The word "chores" received quotation marks today because I am not sure at all if anything actually did any chores or just marked them off. Now Graham had already emptied all of the trash cans this morning.
  • By the time that I read their history and worked with Whitman on his school work, it was raining well, and I was pretty sure that it was naptime. I was able to snooze for a little bit before time to think about supper. Robby heated up minicotti. I know the kids are getting tired of it, but we aren't wasting it!
  • We fought the crazy rain to church. I had to run into the library to pick up a few books. When we made it to church, I dropped everyone off under the awning. Church was good and I didn't seem to lose my voice during games which was also good. 
  • When it was time to leave, my first instinct was to pick up the kids but the line was super long of people trying to get under the awning. So we just took off running. I have never had my books become wet in the rain but they did on the way to the car tonight.
  • Driving home, I hit pot hole after pot hole on the access road. It was raining so hard and water was everyone so that I couldn't see them. If we had small tires, I am sure that they would have burst. It took us a while longer to get home due to the rain, but when we arrive Robby had us ice cream sandwiches for dessert.
  • Everyone changed into the pjs and had a bit of downtime. Before bed, we watched a few videos about were Grannymom and Grandpa are right now. As we were watching the vidoes, Grandpa text Graham so we called them. When we finished talking to them, we watched a bit more of our videos, and then it was bedtime for the crew.

February 27, 2018

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  • Robby took Whitman to school this morning on his way to work. The rest of us opened the second box of doughnuts, and everyone dug in as we sat down for breakfast. I read at the breakfast table and then we moved on to our together work, which is basically more reading for me to do. Some days, I fell hoarse by the time that it is 9:30. I don't know how teachers do it.
  • School went pretty well this morning. Anderson still took a while but he surprised me by flying through some new math. This math is converting things in different metric system forms. This always confuses me. Reagan is doing the surface area of cubes and pyramids which is something I never knew how to do. Seriously, I am always learning something. Now Graham's math today was learning how to reduce fractions-that is math that I can do! It didn't take him any time to figure it out.
  • At 11, I jumped in the car to go and pick up Whitman. He had a good day at school and told me all about it on the way home. He can be hard to understand sometimes, but when he is in my car, he is at least 5 feet from me so I can barely hear him too which just makes understanding him worse.
  • I brought him home and finished up school with everyone. Then we all had lunch while I read a few books. I currently have 84 library books checked out, and I tried desperately at lunch to reduce that number. I have about 20ish to return tomorrow to the library but I also have 25 to pick up. So many books to read and just so little time.
  • After lunch, Whitman and I did his school work. Then I helped Reagan hollow out the inside of a book, helped Anderson with a few pieces of a puzzle, helped Keaton build a fort along with reading a book to Whitman and playing basketball with Graham. I was busy all afternoon but I guess that Campbell did get a bit left out since I didn't do anything with her. She will have to be first on the list tomorrow!
  • I was busy all afternoon and quite a bit of that time was spent on the treadmill and then on our basketball game. I ended up being on Graham's team, and we played against Campbell and Anderson. It is amazing that my boys can not foul at all while playing basketball, but playing in our driveway, the whole thing looks more like a football game.
  • I left around 5 for Bunko. Reagan and Whitman were inside but everyone else were outside playing with the neighbors. They stayed outside until the rain came and it was getting dark. Then it was time for showers and supper-breakfast for supper tonight.
  • They all stayed up until the Razorback game was over which was about the same time that I walked in the door. Keaton grabbed her clothes to lay them out for tomorrow before she went to bed. Reagan bought a sweater from Amazon and can't wait to wear it tomorrow.

February 26, 2018

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  • I should have climbed out of bed when my alarm clock went off this morning, but instead I stayed in bed continuing my crazy dream for another hour. I was vividly dreaming that it was church directory picture time and the kids were in tshirts and I had not even had a shower. Once we arrived, I turned around to run home and shower and grab shirts for the kids while everyone else had pizza. It took me days to return for our next picture appointment. I have no idea what that dream means so if you have an idea, please let me know.
  • Whitman was happy to go to school today. Everyone had to bring a box for their "X" week, his box had his name on it, Whitman's Candies. Also a Fed Ex pilot came and talked to them so he had a great day.
  • The rest of us muddled through our school work. It didn't make it any easier that today was Monday and the kids stayed up super late last night watching their movie. Reagan had a orthodontist appointment before lunch, and after driving there and waiting, they decided that needed to do something stronger on her tooth so this piece would stop falling off. This resulted in scheduling 2 more appointments.
  • She was still happy about her outing since it ended with a stop at Tropical Smoothie to spend some of her gift cards. Robby told her that she didn't deserve Tropical Smoothie since they didn't do anything to her teeth though. 
  • Back at home, everyone at their lunches while I worked on cleaning out a drawer. Then it was chore time for everyone. I had almost finished my chores when I had to wait around on my little vacuum cleaner. It was being used to prop up Campbell's ipad while they were taping yet another slime video. They deemed that today's slime was the best slime yet but I am not too sure of that. 
  • I was able to walk on the treadmill some before Whitman arrived home from Nonna and Pops' house. Once he was settled, I worked with him on his school work-I hope all of this extra work that we are doing now does indeed pay off and help me out next year. 
  • The kids migrated outside at some point, leaving only Whitman in the house. After they played a game or two of basketball, most of the neighbors came out to play. The kids were out until almost 8 so by the time supper rolled around Robby and I were starving. 
  • The kids had showers, and then we did all eat. Since it was a late night, the kids didn't have too long to play before it was bedtime. I think that they might have been a bit tired because it seems pretty quiet up there right now!

February 25, 2018

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  • We had our own little Sunday morning miracle here; as I went upstairs to wake up my sleeping girls, Keaton and Reagan, I ran smack into Reagan in her room. She was awake, dressed, ready and in a good mood! I surely couldn't believe it.
  • After waking up Keaton, I went to wake up Cash who was still cuddled up in Whitman's bed. Whitman was actually still cuddled up in our bed which is where he spent most of the night. I tell you, I knew that I shouldn't have even made him a pallet on the floor since he was going to climb in our bed. I am just not awake enough in the middle of the night to protest him climbing in bed with us, now was I awake enough to move him to the middle which works best for all of the sleepers in our bed.
  • The kids had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and soon it was time for us to leave for church. Since Grannymom and Grandpa were out of town, Keaton had to sit up with us instead of her normal spot in the old folk section. Cash was also with us and Kennedy sat with us since her family wasn't there yet. So our row was quite wonderfully full.
  • My girls still have their gift cards for the coffee shop at church. They debated buying a cookie today along with their drink, but both opted for just a coke again. Now, Keaton did buy a small drink today. They were really thinking about how to make their gift cards last the longest which is wonderful.
  • After church, we all went to Nonna and Pops' house for lunch. Nonna had roast and all of the fixings along with some apple crisp and cookies. The apple crisp had some sea salt on top of it and it was really good. The kids went outside to play a game of kickball but I think that they were just exploring the wet yard since Whitman came back in with his pants wet from the knees down.
  • We then ran Cash home before stopping at Lowe's. Robby had to replace the light fixture in the kids' hallway. He also bought another fixture for his office but might have possibly talked himself out of doing that. We also ran by Walmart to but a few more necessities for tonight's supper and then used a coupon at Krispy Kreme.
  • Once at home, Robby worked on his light fixture while I helped the kids do our laundry and made my lists for the week. Then it was time for a little bit of shut eye! The Wilson's came over for supper so just before they arrived, we jumped up and started warming up our leftovers.
  • W had the same menu tonight-manicotti, green beans, bread, salad, a bit of blueberry cobbler, a bit of apple crisp and sundaes for the kids. I still have about a 9x13 full of leftover manicotti. I guess we know what we will have for supper tomorrow night! (Except Robby and I are going to "get healthy" starting tomorrow so maybe we will just eat the leftover salad.)
  • The Wilson's didn't stay too long since tomorrow is a school day. Once they left, we picked up and then against our better judgement we let the kids start a movie. We had a Redbox movie so instead of paying for another night, we watched it tonight! I guess this is still technically "no spend month" but this is the first frugal (yet, very unwise) thing we have done.
  • It was 10:30 when the kids were tucked into bed tonight. That means that they have been awake until after 11 every single night this weekend. That does not bode well for their teacher in the morning! Maybe I should go to bed right now as well. Hopefully, a bit of extra sleep will make me extra patient in the morning!

February 24, 2018

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  • Robby and I slept as late as we could and were only interrupted once with someone asking how many leftover doughnuts each person could eat. Nothing like doing math problems at the crack of dawn. In case you were wondering, the answer was 1 and a half doughnuts and one doughnut hole. 
  • The first project this morning was changing out my silverware. We first really noticed the problem at Thanksgiving, where we were practically having to share silverware during the meals since we had so many folks here. However, if we eat two meals at the house during one day, we will not have enough silverware for everyone. Robby had had enough and ordered 2 large boxes of silverware. We unpacked one of those last night, but I put Keaton, Campbell and Whitman to work unpacking and unwrapping the next set of silverware while I organized my drawer.
  • Now, organizing the silverware drawer led to me having to organize the drawers that we had just moved into the kitchen. There were full of puzzles and I wanted room for kitchen things in those drawers, so I had to enlists Graham and Anderson to work a few of the little puzzles so I could be sure that I had all of the pieces.
  • Robby and the big boys went to pick up Cash after lunch. The girls, Whitman and I went to work on cleaning the house. I sent Reagan to the bonus room to work while the rest of us worked downstairs. She came down later and said, "Sorry, I got distracted with Anderson's puzzle." She had worked quite a few pieces the other day, and it sucked her in again this afternoon. She almost finished it, and later in the day, I went upstairs and put in all but three pieces.
  • It didn't take too long to straighten the house. The girls also helped get ready for tonight-Keaton made lemonade, Campbell made the beans and Reagan made the salad. I had already made the manicotti, the apple crisp was in the freezer and I made the blueberry cobbler as the basketball game was finishing up.
  • The boys came home just before the rain hit. I think that the kids may be a bit stir crazy because I found them and Cash cleaning their school desks-scrubbing stickers off of the top. Seriously, the school room hasn't looked that good in a very, very long time. 
  • The Penningtons and McGuires showed up, and we all watched the end of the Razorback game. Then it was time to eat. My kids were starving probably since they may or may not had lunch. I am not really sure. We did tell them to make their own lunches, but I am not really sure who did.
  • Everyone ate, and then we pulled out the desserts and ice cream along with a few toppings for the kids. They enjoyed all of the toppings and we enjoyed our desserts-Robby loves the blueberry cobbler and I love the apple crisp. 
  • The kids played until it was time for everyone to head home. The kiddos had pretty much picked up everything before I could ask them to which was really nice. Then everyone had showers while Robby and I worked on the kitchens. Cash is in Whitman's bed while Whitman is cozied up next to our bed. I bet he won't last too long on the floor tonight!

February 23, 2018

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  • I didn't wake up quite as early today as I did the day before, but that was fine. Whitman slept with me, and he was even awake before I was. We still made 3 batches of muffins and did our daily reading and memory work before 9:30. So that was pretty good for us on a rainy Friday morning.
  • School went really smoothly for us today. Whitman spent most of his day on his ipad and doing his own school work. I think that everyone was finished before noon. Just like most of our evening last night was spent waiting on Robby to call, most of our mid morning was spent waiting on and trying to call Grannymom and Grandpa. They called us after 12, and everyone enjoyed talking to them about their trip.
  • We had made our lunch, and I read as everyone ate. Then we all ran around doing some chores before everyone had some free time. I worked on school for next week and even some school for next year (eeek!) 
  • We didn't really do a whole much this whole day, and it was pretty wonderful. As I struggled to figure out what we were going to eat for supper, I just decided to take a nap. Seriously, the kids seem to eat all of the time-breakfast, lunch and supper, every single day! 
  • I finally figured our what we could eat. The kids put on their pjs, helped me clean and then everyone helped us made supper. Since I have over 100 library books checked out, I feel the need to read as many as I can. So I again read during our meal. 
  • After supper, we straightened up again and settled in for a long night of waiting for Robby to come home. The kids had already made and hung their Welcome Home Dad signs. We watched the Bates tv show and another one and another one while we waited. 
  • The longer we waited, the more delirious with tiredness my people became. It all started with watching the speed skaters during the Olympics. I pointed out their uniforms which caused everyone to break out into giggles. Anderson suggested that the skaters should have blurs over their uniforms. Keaton even commented on their uniforms and said, "you can see where they pee." Yes, indeed you could. We had our anatomy lesson for the day!
  • We tracked Robby's flight and then we tracked Robby driving home. He turned off his location thing on his phone, and I quickly figured what he was doing. The kids were thrilled to not only see him but to also see his doughnuts that he brought home for them.
  • Robby told about his day as everyone ate their doughnuts. Then, we settled around the tv to watch a short clip about Grannymom's day at Mt. Carmel. Whitman and Keaton fell asleep during the video, and soon everyone was in bed for the night.

February 22, 2018

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  • I was up a bit earlier than usual this morning. Keaton and Reagan were the only ones still sleeping, and everyone else was working on their school work. Well, kind of working on their school work! They didn't have as much motivation to get it all finished as I had hoped.
  • Whitman woke up at Nonna's house and was soon taken to school for the morning. Back at the house, we had our breakfasts while I read. Then we started on school. I thought I was moving quickly enough but we still had to scramble the last few minutes.
  • Anderson and Reagan were the only ones who were not yet finished with their school. Now, we did have an hour less time to work on school since we had to leave early to pick up our Whitman.
  • As we picked up Whitman, I could see him talking to Ms. Jennifer. She was saying, "that's your mom" and he was saying "no, that's not my mom." I am not sure if he was trying to tease her, if he didn't know who I was, or maybe he is just as special as we think that he is!
  • From there, we headed to Nonna's house for a bit of lunch. She had quesadillas and grilled cheese sandwiches already made when we pulled up. We ate quickly, and then loaded up with Nonna to head to the capitol.
  • I was lucky and found a parking spot in the front of the building, and we walked to the front steps where I took a picture. As soon as I snapped my picture, I heard a man talking to us. He said, "hey, I saw a camera. I'm a politician and have to be in all pictures!" I took the kids picture with the man as he introduced himself. It was the Treasurer of Arkansas Dennis Milligan. We told him to we were going to see our Pops, and he knew just who he was since Pops had worked for him for a bit.
  • Pops is a Sargent at Arms for the State of House of Representatives. After going through one set of metal detectors, we ran into a man, who gave the kids copies of the U.S. Constitution. They weren't real sure about this whole event since it only took a few minutes, and we had already had two strangers talking to us!
  • The session was really neat. I hated that I couldn't explain things as well as I wanted. The speaker opened with banging the gavel, they prayed and said the pledge. They voted on a lot of different bills which was neat watching their screens turn to green. It was only about 20 minutes today so we stayed for the entire thing.
  • When we left, it was already starting to rain but it was just a fine mist so we were able to hustle to the car. From there, it was a short drive to the Museum of Discovery. On the way, the kids discussed what they want to be when the grow up. Reagan said she wanted to be a lawyer or a person on the radio. Graham wants to be an architect. Campbell wants to be a veterinarian. And we are super proud of the next three: Keaton wants to work the cash register at the grocery store, Whitman wants to be a magician and Anderson quickly announced that he wanted to be a stay at home dad!
  • The Museum of Discovery was fun today. The Powells were there so the kids had someone to walk around with for a bit. They could have stayed forever today when last time we went it seemed that everyone was quickly bored. I guess that we will have to go back sooner rather than later. 
  • This time on our walk back to the car, the rain was much heavier, but I was still close enough to walk so we did. Then we drove on to Dairy Queen for our weekly Blizzards. I think that all of the people know who we are there. Everyone did stay in the car this time because it was pouring! Reagan and I ran in to pick up our blizzards, and it did take quite a long time.
  • On the way back to Nonna's house, it rained and rained and rained. The interstate was a mess, and I wondered if we could make it home through the flooded roads. We did run into Nonna's house for a bit (and a cookie).
  • The rain had slacked up on our way home. When we came home, we started on our school work that was left over. I finished working with Whitman on his school around 6. He loves doing school and could work for hours. On the other hand, I can not!
  • The kids cycled through the showers and then we had some supper-ravioli and a stir fry meal. The ravioli was a bigger hit than the stir fry meal and I wasn't surprised at all about that. After we ate, Whitman had his shower while the rest of us cleaned up the house.
  • Once things were straightened again, we all gathered in the school room and watched a few videos. Robby went on a tour to see elephant seals today so we watched a video about that. Then we watched two short movies about Jaffa which is where Grannymom and Grandpa are today. 
  • Afterwards, the kids had some downtime before bed. They waited anxiously to hear from Robby, but he was eating at a restaurant with no cell service. I read a few books at bedtime, and they even convinced me to let them stay up a few minutes later hoping that Robby could call. They were a bit sour but were relieved to hear that I would let them stay up until he gets home tomorrow night. I looked at his flight and say that it was after 9 that he arrives which means it will be after 10 when he makes it home and wondered if I spoke to quickly!
  • Robby did call around 10 so I ran upstairs so he could talk to the kids. I had to wake up Keaton and Campbell and poor Whitman never stirred even though we were all sitting beside his bed talking into the phone telling Robby about our day.

February 21, 2018

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  • I woke up quickly at 5:30 this morning when a flash flood alert blurted from my phone. I quickly turned it off and counted how many more hours I had until I had to wake up and get out of bed. The weather would have been perfect to stay in bed all day, but this is our busy day.
  • The kids were up and moving around this morning. It is hard for me to tell if Graham and often Campbell have on real clothes or pajamas these days since they seem to sleep in clothes. So possibly someone could have worn pjs to church this morning. Nah, I am sure that the did not because of all of the days of the week, more thought is put into their clothes than any other day.
  • I had time to toast my bagel as we headed out of the house. Everyone told Robby bye since he was headed to San Francisco for a few days for work. He flew to Dallas, and there he was able to see Grannymom and Grandpa before they boarded their plane towards Israel.
  • It was a wet and nasty morning this morning. The stream beside the road on the way to Bible study was a raging river which was quite entertaining for the kids. All I could think about was, "it it keeps raining like this, will this go over the road? how will we get home?" Thankfully, the next time I drove that way, it looked a bit lower despite the constant rain.
  • Bible study was good. On the way home, I asked them questions and they all seemed to listen. Our lesson today was from Acts and talked about sorcery. Someone mentioned Horoscopes in my class, and my first thought was "I have never told the big kids about them." I can remember my momma telling me that horoscopes were bad, and I spent the rest of the class thinking that I had failed my kids. So on the way home, Graham said that there was something in the paper that told the future. He had listened and his teachers had talked about horoscopes. So I certainly used that segway to discuss them further. 
  • After Bible study, I dropped the kids off at Rock Creek in the pouring rain. Then I walked to the door to be met with them telling me that the tubes were closed. Candice and I decided to head to our house for a bit of playtime. The kids were good, and after they played some I used the opportunity to try to get rid of some of our Dairy Queen cake. I didn't cut the slices big enough so I still have some left in my freezer.
  • When the buddies left, my crew cleaned up and then sat down to do some history. We are half way through the book and have about 8 weeks of school left this year, so we better get to town. Afterwards, I cut fingernails while the kids put away their laundry.
  • On the way to church, we ran by the library. I had hoped that church might just be cancelled tonight due to the rain but no such luck! After church, Whitman went to stay at Nonna's house for the night. They will take him to school in the morning to help me out. When he walked into our door, his first words were "it's bath time!"
  • As we pulled into our garage tonight, the garage light came on. I thought nothing of this because the kids often jump out of the car and turn it on. They quickly noticed that the light popped on, and no one got out of the car. I told them that it was probably Daddy. He was mid-flight at the time but had been texting. I then assured them at a burglar wouldn't turn the lights on for us.
  • Everyone put on their pjs and then we made cookies while tracking Robby and Grannymom and Grandpa's flights. We tried to Facetime Robby but it didn't work well while he was flying. I read a few stories after everyone ate their cookies, and then it was time for bed for my crew!

February 20, 2018

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  • Whitman and Campbell were the first ones awake this morning, or so they thought. Graham was already upstairs in the bonus room getting his morning fix on the xbox. The first thing that Whitman asked me this morning was to go and help him wake up his brothers and sisters. After putting his clothes on him, I did go upstairs to wake up Keaton and Reagan, who could both sleep for hours. Anderson had already sleepily stumbled down the steps.
  • Whitman headed off to school, and the rest of us headed off to the kitchen to start on our breakfast and then school work. As I had imagined, the morning did start off pretty rocky. Rocky enough for me to take away screens for the rest of the day, though I did give them the chance to earn their screen time back.
  • The possibility of earning screen time back did help tremendously with the behavior. Anderson and Reagan still had work to do after lunch, but I was also running behind and had to work with people after lunch. Reagan does not want to do any work at all after lunch, and I am afraid that next year, her work load will increase by a great deal, and she may have to finish after lunch which is completely fine (and normal) but it is sure not fine with her.
  • Campbell and Keaton spent the afternoon making slime. This weekend we finally made it to Walmart and let them spend some money on glue and shaving cream. Of course, their slime making had to be videoed so Anderson and Graham were their videographers.
  • After 3, we loaded up and headed to Grannymom's house to pick up Whitman. Whitman had a good day at school, and before we left everyone hugged Grannymom and Grandpa bye before their trip. The library was having a snack making class so we then headed there to try it out.
  • I walked into the room and probably laughed out loud when I saw the lettuce, onions, garlic and carrots sitting on the table. I had already warned the kids that the snack would probably be healthy, but I didn't know that it would be that healthy. 
  • There weren't a ton of kids there (us and maybe 6 more). The leader was a young man, and he really did great making sure that everyone had a job. They weren't making salad as I had originally thought but were making P.F. Chang Lettuce Wraps. 
  • Whitman helped tear lettuce, the girls chopped veggies and the boys browned the chicken. Everyone moved from job to job until the snack was finished. Now, I was sure that no one was going to eat anything but gracious me, they did eat it. Graham even went to get seconds. I rolled one lettuce filled leaf and gave it to Whitman; the boy ate every single bit of it. He even gave it a thumbs up! I was beyond shocked!
  • From there, we met up with Robby. Reagan stayed with me and the others went to Grannymom's to eat a quick bite of supper that Robby had picked up. When they left, the again hugged Grannymom and Grandpa bye before their trip. Robby then took everyone to the movies. Reagan had stayed with me because she just saw the movie last week.
  • Reagan and I ran to Toys R Us since I had a gift card that I wanted to spend before they closed. Then we went to Target because Reagan was in search of a grey cardigan. We didn't have any luck there, but consoled ourselves with supper and a smoothie from Tropical Smoothie.
  • Then we ran through the grocery store picking up a few things. We did even look for a sweater there, and had decent luck but it was just too expensive. Maybe it will be on sale soon. We hurried home trying to beat the rain. 
  • Once at home, Reagan and I unloaded the groceries. She had her shower while I put everything up and then organized my desk area.
  • Meanwhile, back at the movies everyone else was chowing down on popcorn. To the whole theater, Whitman did exclaim, "is he dead?" Robby said that everyone enjoyed the movie, but even more so, they loved running to the car afterwards.
  • It was pouring! Everyone's clothes were soaking wet. I am not sure what all they did in the rain but gracious. Once they came home, everyone took their showers. We then let the kids stay up until the end of the Razorback game before sending everyone to bed!

February 19, 2018

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  • Robby and I were waking up when the boys burst in our room to ask how many doughnuts they could have. I asked how many their were. 3! They had to ask to figure out how many they could have when they were the only 3 boys there. Now, Whitman was still asleep so I am sure that my big boys were hoping that I would tell them that they could eat his doughnut. I did not!
  • Soon I snatched Whitman out of bed and put him in our bed for a little bit. He was excited about his "playdate" at Nonna's house today. I had packed his bears, ipad, books and homework. He had a blast all day and even came home with some playdough that he made with Nonna.
  • Robby and I headed to IKEA for my birthday present today so the kids were at Nonna's house and Grannymom's house. Jason came over to Nonna's house, and all of the boys played most of the day long-watching tv, building legos and taking a walk.
  • The girls had spent the night at Grannymom's house. My Campbell and Keaton were up bright and early (way too early) and then Reagan, my only child with good sense, slept much, much later than her sisters.
  • The girls did a lot of eating ice cream, taking walks, ipad playing and hanging with their cousins. I know that they had a great time because when we picked them up, they were exhausted!
  • Robby and I dropped off the boys this morning and then zoomed on to Ikea. We found drawers for the girls' closet, scissors, pillows, storage boxes, a cabinet for the school room, a toothbrush holder, kitchen scrub brushes, a little Christmas present, and some cinnamon rolls. I probably left something out, but we also left with a good list of things we didn't find (or couldn't afford!)
  • Now we did take a break from our shopping to do some eating. I had also received a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory for my birthday. Gracious, it is a pricey little place. We had the gift card plus two free cheesecakes. I won't even waste time with telling you about our food, which was very good, but our cheesecakes were divine. I had peanut butter and chocolate and Robby had snickers. Now, unfortunately, we were so full from our meal that we couldn't finish all of them. We did eat most and didn't leave enough to take home.
  • From there, we headed back to Ikea and filled up the car with our purchases. Then it was home to Little Rock to pick up the kids. They were all tired, and I think that we were a bit tired as well.
  • Once at home, we emptied the car of the light stuff while the kids showered. Everyone did have half of a cinnamon roll before they went to bed. Tomorrow will be a rough day around here-a full day of school after the weekend and a day of being spoiled by grandparents!

February 18, 2018

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  • The girls were the first ones we saw this morning as they put their pajamas into our room. They seem to move slow on most mornings except for Sundays and Wednesdays. Now Whitman was not too happy about having to put on church clothes and then when he found out that it was "Big Church Day." So as I was getting him dressed, I told him all about people in China being scared to go to church and worship God. This conversation didn't change his dislike any for having to go to church.
  • We headed to church without Reagan, who was already there. She had spent all weekend at the middle school retreat. Our service was great with a full choir of regular folks and young people. After church, we found Reagan and then had to go and retrieve her bags.
  • Next up, was lunch at Dana's house to celebrate Grannymom's birthday. Dana had Mexican and all the fixings. After we ate, everyone sang Happy Birthday to Grannymom before having cupcakes and ice cream sundaes. She opened her presents, and then the kids all played outside until we headed home.
  • Once at home, I started to work on the laundry while everyone else unloaded the car and straightened a bit. Grannymom and Grandpa came over to help work on our ceiling fan in our room. It seemed to be an easy fix for Grandpa and Robby. The girls packed their bags and headed on home with Grannymom when they left.
  • We didn't do much at all for the rest of the afternoon. The boys spent a good deal of time watching Minecraft videos. Since the girls were gone, Whitman didn't have his usual buddies so he hung with his brothers like glue. He must think he is as old as they are.
  • The boys grabbed themselves supper, and we all ate different things while sitting in the kitchen. Then we all watched a movie about Jackie Robinson until bedtime. We let the boys finish the movie so they were up until almost 10. It was a pretty interesting movie but we did have to have a conversation about all of the words that they heard! Hope Whitman wasn't listening!

February 17, 2018

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  • Robby and I took full advantage of our Saturday morning. At one time, he wondered if we were bad parents for letting our kids fend for themselves all morning long. However, I suggested that we were fostering independence and self-sufficiency. Even though we were in bed longer than we should have, we were awake most of the time since Campbell, Keaton and Whitman were in the school room chatting away.
  • After we finally got out of bed, we worked on a few things around the house. It is amazing what you can find to do when you feel like being productive. I reorganized all of the hats that were downstairs and even made a spreadsheet of our gift cards. Those aren't things that you plan on doing!
  • We really didn't do a whole lot this morning, and the kids didn't either. There were some slime watching videos and lots of xbox playing. Graham was fine without Anderson but Campbell and Keaton were a bit lonely without Reagan so they spent a lot of time following me around.
  • We ran to pick up Anderson from Nonna and Pops' house. He could have stayed over there all weekend and wasn't in too much of a hurry to head home. Then we went to Grannymom's house for Robby to do some work on their computer. The kids played on their ipads, I read Whitman some books, the boys played outside, and we even watched some of the Hogs play.
  • Robby, Campbell, Keaton, Whitman and I ran to Walmart for look for a few things. Whitman needed a new cup along with some pants that I couldn't find. Campbell needed a pair of leggings which we also didn't find, but she did find herself a gallon of glue. We will soon be making slime all day every day around here. Keaton went in half with Campbell and her glue-those girls are still trying to spend their Christmas money. We even bought a few things for next weeks supper.
  • We then ran back to Grannymom's house to pick up Anderson and Graham. Then it was on to Chuys to eat supper. I went to town on the jalepeno dip which I thought was wonderful. Everyone had plenty to eat, and our waitress was exceptionally great. The kids even received Popsicles after our meal from the waitress.
  • On the way home, we drove by the new cinnamon roll place. We knew that they would be closed but we wanted to double check the hours. A worker man, actually the owner, opened the door to talk to us. We were just barely parked trying to read the sign when he saw us. Robby hollered that we were just trying to check on the hours. He offered for us to come in so Robby hopped out of the car! 
  • The kids and I were thrilled with this since cinnamon rolls sounded a lot better for our evening snack than the slice and bake cookies that we had earlier talked about. Robby said the man gave him a deal, and they even chatted for a good bit before Robby finally came back to the car. He bought 8 cinnamon rolls and the man gave him 2 apple muffin somethings as well.
  • Once at home, the kids showered and everyone waited not so patiently to eat their cinnamon rolls. We watched a bit of the Olympics, and then finally opened up our cinnamon roll boxes. The kids just had half of one, and Robby and I waited until the kids were in bed before we dug into ours. Robby said that he could have had another one which I talked him out of. He did say that the leftovers were going to set on his nightstand tonight!

February 16, 2018

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  • Everyone slept well around here last night, and I slept so well that I was still in bed after everyone else was awake. That was fine since we still managed to cook breakfast (4 people ate eggs) and do our together work before 9:20. 
  • Some days school works pretty well and some days it doesn't. You can never really tell which way the day is going to go in the morning. Thankfully, today went smoothly, and people finished their work early. Even Anderson finished early which is a bit my fault. One day he has to parse 10 sentences (write what parts of speech each word is) and then the next day he has to diagram those sentences. I don't do it often but occasionally, his work from the first day isn't saved but put in the trash pile by me. Yesterday, I must have gotten rid of his work so today, he was given a pass! 
  • Everyone had finished my noon, and I even had time to pull out Reagan, Anderson and Graham's work for next week. Nonna and Pops then came to pick up Anderson for his night at their house. He was anxious to leave which was obvious because he had packed as soon he had the chance.
  • After they left, we made lunches and everyone ate just where ever they wanted. I worked on pulling out Keaton and then Campbell's school for the next month. It just looks like I will only have to do that one more time before we start wrapping school up for the year. I can't believe it. The kids are already finishing things each week-most everyone has finished handwriting and there are only a few spelling lessons left in our books. 
  • The kids spent some time outside shooting hoops and even found the neighbors to play with for a bit. Reagan spent her afternoon packing because around 5, we left. We picked up supper for the rest of us and then dropped Reagan off at church. This is the middle school spring retreat weekend so Reagan will be gone all weekend long.
  • Once at home, we ate our supper and then settled in to watch some Olympics until bedtime. The girls have watched too much ice skating and spent most of the evening dancing, spinning and flipping behind my chair. I think that they did finally exhaust themselves because they did sit down quietly for a few minutes before we did send everyone to bed.

February 15, 2018

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  • I was up early this morning, but Robby dressed Whitman for school. Whitman wore a pair of pants that had a huge in the backside. In Robby's defense, the only other pair in the drawer did have large metal snaps on the backside, and Robby was worried about how he would be able to set on those all day long. All of the boys other pairs of pants were in the clean laundry basket. 
  • Whitman didn't mind because he was headed to school. Everyone had a light day of school which made things a little easier for everyone. When we do light days of school, I often think that our light days are probable still enough school work for everyone. They all had review math pages which was wonderful-especially when Graham worked everyone one of his fraction problems correct.
  • We had our lunch and afterwards, the kids worked on their chores, and I decided to snooze until Whitman came home. It was nearly 3 when he finally showed up. When he came home, Whitman was happy to cuddle up beside Anderson and watch him play his ipad for a bit. I eventually grabbed him and we did his reading book.
  • The kids played some basketball this afternoon. It was pretty perfect weather, and they enjoyed playing. I eventually started working on supper-manicotti. Campbell and Graham did help for a bit stuffing the shells, but it proved to be a bit difficult for their hands. (They both headed outside instead.) 
  • We ate around 6, and manicotti is a hit around here. Whitman even ate his plateful. Now, he probably would have given it a thumbs down if we would have asked, but we don't care if he likes it or not. Everyone else did eat it up and finding a meal around here that everyone likes can sometimes be challenging. 
  • After supper, we all sat around in the living room. Most everyone had a device in their hands (Robby and I included) and were all watching the Olympics. A few folks were working on their school work during all of this too. We laughed about having a house with plenty of space but everyone was still crammed in one tiny space, which couldn't be any more perfect!

February 14, 2018-Happy Valentine's Day!

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  • Everyone was awake early this morning. My girls had made their beds, put on their red shirts and were eating breakfast pretty early. My boys on the other hand had found themselves breakfast, put on their clothes and hadn't even thought about Valentine's Day or the 21 kiddos that would be at the house this afternoon. My Anderson didn't even know that we were having a Valentine's/100 Days of School party at the house this afternoon.
  • Once everyone was brought up to speed, we passed out Valentine presents. Everyone had a new shirt along with a box of Laffy Taffy and a box of sweethearts. The boys shirts were all Star Wars shirts. Anderson opened his and said. "this is the shirt I wanted." Campbell was pleased to have a Valentine's shirt since she had earlier said that she did not have one. I also think I might have found one that Reagan liked since I bought one just like one that she had bought before from Old Navy except in another color.
  • Before we started a last minute pick up around the house, Robby gave me my Valentine's present: a calendar filled with pictures from this last year. He has been giving me these calendars for probably a decade so not only do I love them but I also desperately need a new one come March. He also gave me the warmest and most snuggliest blanket ever. I think that it actually looks like a Star Wars Wookie. 
  • We left for Bible study, and my Reagan and Campbell were pretty excited about going. Campbell had made her class decorated sugar cookies which her cookies said were the prettiest they had ever seen. Reagan had angel food cake drizzled with pink icing and strawberries for her class' snack. All of the kids left with some candy, and by this point in the day, they had already had a great Valentine's Day.
  • When we made it home, some of the girls were already there. We had our homeschool get together this afternoon and threw a huge 100 Days of School along with a Valentine's party. It was so much fun (and work!) I had divided the kids into 2 groups and each group had 9 different activities to complete.
  • The big kids made a snack with 100 items, licked a lollipop 100 times, built a tower with 100 cup, built a tower with 100 index cards, worked a 100 piece puzzle, timed what all they could do in 100 seconds, put 100 drops of water in a cup, made a tower with 100 marshmallows and toothpicks and made a boat to hold 100 pennies. They worked so well together. It took them quite a while to complete all of these activities. I really couldn't believe how well they all did. 
  • The little kids also made a snack mix with 100 items, licked a lollipop 100 times, and made a cup tower like the big kids but they also stacked 100 pennies, wrote their names in 100 boxes, did 100 exercises, rolled a dice to 100, guessed which jar filled with Legos had 100 in it, and counted a 100 cans of food. Everyone brought cans of food to count, and then tonight donated it to church for Feed the Need. The little kids (first graders on down) did so well too. Their stations didn't take quite as long as the big kids but they did so great. Each group had a grown up with them, and they all had such a good time. 
  • When everyone finished with their stations, it was finally time to pass out the Valentines. The kids had been waiting not so patiently for hours. Everyone was so proud of their Valentines and could not wait to fill their boxes. And fill their boxes they did. When the Valentines were all passed out, we shooed the kids outside and passed out Traci's cupcakes. The kids then ate and played outside until church time which wasn't too much longer. 
  • The moms all helped me clean up the house since it was quite a disaster. Everyone started leaving to head to church, and the kids grabbed a bite of supper and picked up some. We left for church tonight exhausted but with a semi straightened house.
  • We drug in our canned food for the donation boxes along with Keaton's cards for Grannymom and Nonna and Valentine's cookies for Grannymom. It was then time for our classes. I know that Whitman and Keaton's classes had cupcakes tonight since I passed them out. I am sure that the big kids had some treat as well. I do know that after a week of eating pizza and even pizza for lunch, all of my kids grabbed a slice as it lay out on the tables as we were leaving church.
  • Once at home, we had a drink and the kids cycled through the showers. We had a bit of downtime before bed. I know all of my people are exhausted, but Robby just said that he heard the boys still going strong.

February 13, 2018

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  • At 7:05, Graham came in our bedroom and laid down for a bit with us. He then looked around and said, "where is Whitman?" We told him that he wasn't in our room, and that he was probably still in his bed. Graham said that he wasn't but that he would go and check again. 
  • This normally would concern me enough to get up and look myself, but then we remembered hearing some footsteps and doors closing last night. We just thought someone had gone to the bathroom at 10, but when we thought about it, it could have been Whitman running to the girls room.
  • A bit later, I met him on the stairs and asked where he had spent the night. He grinned and said, "In Reagan's bed." I asked her how she slept and she replied that she didn't sleep well at all. She told me that she had told him yesterday that her bed was monster proof. They said that he opened the door and then ran straight towards Reagan's bed and jumped in.
  • Robby took Whitman to school while the rest of us started on our school work. I wasn't around too long because I was soon headed to Whitman's school for his Valentine's party. He was pretty pleased to see me and thrilled to pass out his Valentine's to his friends.
  • We then ran to the library, and he picked out a few books to read at Granymom's house. Robby and I met for lunch at La Madeleines. They gave me the wrong thing. I had taken a bite of it before I realized but after I received what I had really ordered, I just wished that I would have kept the mistake. Their tomato soup was really good but other than that, I don't have to go back there for a while.
  • Back at home, I kicked it in high gear catching up on everyone's math. I tell you, there is nothing I hate more than coming home and having to grade everyone's math. Reagan might be getting to the age where she could honestly mark what she missed, and then see if she could fix it. I can see why my friends are moving to a math program that the kids do online.
  • The kids had already finished their chores when I arrived back home along with make a few last cards and Reagan finishing her Valentine's. I did help her decorating her angel food cake for tomorrow's snack. Alyssa Kate soon arrived for a bit.
  • Robby, Reagan and AK went to run an errand or two and pick up Kennedy. As soon as they drove in the driveway, I was in the car waiting. From there we picked up Camryn, Emma, Cate and Kaleigh. It was a van full!
  • Reagan had received a gift card for the movies for her and her friends and tonight was the night that she spent it. The movie was Peter Rabbit, and it was pretty cute. I am not sure if they girls could even watch the movies since they were so busy eating-popcorn, cokes, candy. 
  • Everyone at home, played outside for a bit, had showers and had supper. They did all settle down in time to watch some of the Hogs play. Everyone was awake when we finally dropped off all of the girls.
  • Reagan jumped in the shower and Campbell and Keaton helped me set up a few things for tomorrow. Once everyone was in bed, I grabbed the kids Valentine's from the attic and then finally sat down for a few minutes!

February 12, 2018

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  • I had big plans for this morning, and those big plans involved me waking up when at least one of my alarms rang. I did wake up when those alarms rang, but I never got out of bed until the very last minute.
  • That might have had something to do with my snuggly buddy in the bed beside me. No, not Robby, but Whitman. Whitman stormed into our room around 4 this morning like someone was chasing him. I always wonder how the kids are so brave to come all the way down the hall, down the stairs, through the kitchen and then down my hall at night. I barely would ever cross the hallway to get to my parents room without running. 
  • Usually everyone just casually walked into our room, even Whitman. Not last night thought. He then laid in my bed telling me about his dream that a dog, possibly a robot dog, was chasing people and him. I laughed about this way more than I should have in the middle of the night.
  • Once we finally sent him off to school this morning, we started on our school work here. We usually do our together work for about an hour finishing around 9:20. If I go much past that time, the kids start getting antsy to start on their real school.
  • School did go well this morning until Graham had himself a meltdown. His math, which was not new, stumped him today. That is fine but he became so hysterical that no matter how many different ways I tried to explain it, he couldn't understand. This eventually let to him getting in some big trouble and a text was sent to his dad.
  • There are days that Reagan misses every single one of her math problems. That doesn't bother me at all (well, it does some) but his attitude was horrendous. Once he figured out that he was going to be in serious trouble unless he settled down and fixed his attitude, he went on upstairs, fixed many of his math problems and most importantly fixed that attitude.
  • Next up was lunch and reading a few books. The kids then worked on their chores and soon the girls and I were working on our Valentine's day cookies. 
  • Bless Campbell's heart, she got her hair tangled in the mixer again. This time was worse than last, I had to have someone get Robby who was able to cut her hair out. Last time I barely had to cut any of her hair but this time, she was close to have to go see Tammy. Thankfully, you can't tell when her hair is in a pony tail or even down. 
  • She was hysterical and covered in icing, Robby was cleaning the mixer and mess, Reagan was having her own crisis working on her Valentines, everyone else was just standing in the hallway staring at us. I do believe that this day took years off of my life! 
  • I calmed Campbell down and  helped her get a shower. Robby cleaned up the mixer, and I soon had another batch of icing made. I offered to let Campbell help, and she declined and said that she wasn't going to use the mixer again. I know that won't last, but everyone will have to wear their hair in a ponytail from now on when I get my mixer out. It could have been really bad and once again we were lucky. 
  • This probably did add an hour to our cookie making but my girls were troopers and worked together really, really well. After I had made the cookies, which they had cut out, they happily iced them working as quickly as they could. 
  • Reagan wanted to make cookie dough hearts covered in chocolate. She made the cookie dough easily and was even able to make them in hearts. We put them in the fridge but when it was time to put chocolate on them, it just didn't work out too well. They were salvageable, but I know that she isn't completely satisfied. They will still be delicious though!
  • We quickly cleaned the kitchen and loaded up for Nonna's house. Since we missed Sunday lunch over there, she fed us tonight. We brought Campbell and Keaton's cakes to eat along with Nonna's cupcakes for dessert. Their cakes were really, really yummy. 
  • Whitman had spent the day over there after school. Nonna said that after hearing one and a half books, he was sound asleep and had a really good nap. I guess him being up in the middle of the night last night caught up with him. (Right now, it sounds quiet upstairs so maybe his nap hasn't affected him going to sleep tonight.)
  • Once we made it home, everyone put on their pjs and we had a few minutes of downtime before bed. The Olympics were on, as they were all day long. Campbell watched a slime video-no surprise there. Whitman and I did some of his school. Keaton, Campbell and Reagan worked on their tomorrow's school. 

February 11, 2018

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  • I woke up in plenty of time this morning but then I went right on back to sleep. Most everyone else was already awake and ready. Reagan was awake since her mission today has been to finish her pillowcase. I did have to wake Keaton up. She wanted me to pick out her clothes which I did quickly because I still had to haul sleeping Whitman downstairs and get myself ready. I threw Whitman in bed with Robby and Campbell and jumped in the shower myself.
  • Surprisingly, we made it in time to still see all of the grannies. Church was good and the girls have been singing a song from big church all afternoon long. When Sunday school was over, Campbell's class along with another class had a lunch.
  • They had pizza but then they also had lots of little games for the kids to play. Reagan worked a station and Graham and Anderson also worked some before taking off to play the games themselves. Whitman completed all of the stations and was so proud of himself when he received a medal. 
  • On the way home, we stopped by Dairy Queen for our weekly Blizzard. We did it earlier in the week since we knew that this week will be a bit busy. The kids enjoyed their treats, and soon we were on our way home.
  • Robby cut the boys' hair while I tried to straighten some and wrap the kids' Valentine's day goodies. I set out my eggs and butter to warm up a bit before making cookies with the girls. I needed something to do for about an hour while I waited on the eggs and butter so I took a nap.
  • At 5, Campbell, Keaton, Whitman and I made two batches of cookies. That was pretty easy since when it was done, we put it in the fridge to work on tomorrow. 
  • I cleaned out the fridge for supper. Everyone had a pretty decent meal and then we topped it off with some cake. We all set around watching the Olympics. There are lots of sports that I just know nothing about but when the kids are not singing the Canadian national anthem, they are rooting for any non-American to fall.

February 10, 2018

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  • 7:15 this morning and Keaton and Campbell were downstairs, in our room and completely dressed. They knew that this day was Woven and could not wait. Soon I rolled out of bed and had to wake Reagan up. She was just as excited about Woven as Campbell and Keaton, but she still wanted her sleep. 
  • Soon I was ready and we headed to pick up Nonna for the morning. The church always does such a wonderful job with Woven. It is one of the best events that they put on. During the introduction, Reagan made it to the stage to play a game. She was close but didn't win a prize.
  • Then we headed off to our different crafts. Nonna, Keaton and Campbell did the cake decorating class. Even though they had an hour, Nonna said that they barely had enough time. They all came home with icing, 2 tips along with a cake that they had decorated. Nonna didn't have time to do much of her cake since she was helping Keaton and Campbell.
  • Reagan and I were on the other side of the building scurrying around working on our sewing craft. I knew I wouldn't have time to do my pillowcase, so I just brought it home. Instead of just one letter or initials, Reagan wanted to do her name. It took us the entire time to cut out her letters and get them ironed on her pillowcase, but hers was the cutest one there. We still had to leave without top stitching her letters on, but we were super pleased with what we had gotten done.
  • Reagan and I missed Campbell having her turn on the stage and not winning a game. We did grab our lunch and devoured it. We were full but still brought home some chips, cupcakes (Campbell and Keaton didn't like theirs) and jelly beans. After it was over, we ran by the library for me to pick up some books before we dropped Nonna off.
  • I met Robby on the road as he was going to pick up Graham from Grannymom. They were out for a bit. The boys grabbed lunch, including those cupcakes that I brought home. The girls worked on decorating their cakes a bit more. 
  • When Robby returned home, I jumped in the car and left. I picked up a few Valentine presents at Pennys, and then bought string for Reagan's pillowcase. They had plenty there today and urged us to take it home to finish, but Reagan wanted gold. Thankfully, Walmart had some gold.
  • I wasn't home for too long because we were soon loading up to go back to the church house. Tonight they had date night and child care. The buildings were full of kiddos and my kids had a blast. The highlights were Whitman and Keaton decorating cookies, Campbell's group made slime which couldn't have been more perfect for Campbell, Anderson and Graham loved playing games and Reagan just loved being with Kaleigh.
  • Robby and I went to eat at Saddle Creek, ran to Old Navy, Kroger and even the Nike store before heading back to church. The sign at the front door said that kids who were picked up late would be sent home with a puppy. Keaton seriously asked me as I picked her up if we got a puppy.
  • Once at home, everyone had showers and then we watched the last bit of the Hogs and one figure skater before everyone headed on to bed.