fitness night

by teresa
Fitness night at Nick's school was cool. They had many stations set up in the gym. The rock climbing wall, basketball, weights, jump ropes, scooter boards and many other activities. The kids had fun and enjoyed the hotdog dinners that the school provided. I enjoyed the book fair that was set up in the library. I can't wait until the one at Ben's school. they go all out. Line dancing, aerobics, film strips, guest speakers and much more.

family fun night

by teresa
Tonight is the family fun and fitness night at Nick's school. Nick says we will be able to climb on the newly installed rock wall. Yeah...I'm thinking I'll pass on that. They will be providing hotdogs, chips, dessert and drinks for the kids. With Chris working late, this means I don't have to cook dinner. Yeah! The school is also having the bookfair tonight. You can really get some great deals at these book fairs. I'm excited about going. Lauren has to cheer for a volleyball game...so it will be just me and the boys.

good grief

by teresa
Just took my car up to auto sound and security(greenbrier collision made the appt. for me) and they informed me that they can not fix my car. I would have to take it back to greenbrier collision for the repairs to the dash lights. According to the man...they (auto sound and security)didn't do it. It is not the fuses or connections....it is with the light motor or something like that. Anyway....he can't do it. So now I have called greenbrier collision and left a message for my contact person. I'm sure she will be thrilled to hear from me again. I'm sick of this!

Hola Miriam

by teresa
We are excited at the prospect of hosting a teenager from Guatemala the week of thanksgiving. She is coming to sharpen her English skills. She wants to be a Spanish/English translator some day. She is coming with Lendahand missions for 3 weeks. She will stay a week with another girl, a week with us and a week with the Hoyle family. The only snag is getting approved for her to shadow Lauren at school. We have sent a letter to the principal and are awaiting the ok. It will only need to be for a couple of days because Lauren is out of school Wed-Fri. for the thanksgiving holidays. Keep your fingers crossed.

BUSTED

by teresa
Last night as we were going to bed Chris went to make sure my alarm was set correctly (the morning before something happened and it didn't go off). When he checked ....it was set for 2:00pm. Why is the alarm set for 2:00pm? He asked. Ummmmmm. Then he realized what I had done. Ben's bus arrives at 2:20pm everyday. So I had layed across the bed for a few minutes and set the alarm in case I fell asleep. He busted me! Did you take a nap today? Yeah....I said. But I just layed across the bed. In my family we don't take naps....we lay across the bed. That means lay on top of the covers (with the fan on of course), and everyone knows it is not a nap if you don't get under the covers. It's just resting.

My car

by teresa
This morning before working at Ben's school I have to take my car in AGAIN! When they fixed my automatic door locks...they disconnected my dashboard lights. So you can't see how fast you are going at night. Or how much gas you have. These people need to get it right this time. I'm over it! The accident happened on September 1st. And here it is October 25th, and things are still not straight. Don't you think that's a little ridiculous?

in the dark

by teresa
It was pitch dark taking Ben out to the bus this morning. Raining, freezing and dark. We go out to the corner at 6:55am (his bus comes at around 7:04am). When is daylight savings time over? It is so hard getting the boys up in the dark.

BRAT!

by teresa
I had to stop by food lion today for a few things. I sweet older lady(maybe 60) was in front of me with her grand daughter. When I got in line behind them I could hear the girl(8yrs old) talking loudly to her grandmother. This irritated me from the start. Well....the ladies cart was full of honey buns, popsicles, lucky charms, cookies, chips, etc. The lady had a 2 liter of caffiene free coke in the cart also. This was what the girl was fussing about. She wanted regular coke. The grandmother politely told her that caffiene gives the girl headaches, and her mother doesn't allow her to drink it. She was only to have caffeine free. The girl snatched the coke out of the ladies hands and took it back to the shelf and grabbed a regular coke and replaced it in the cart. The grandmother whined (sweetly)....but honey you can't have that. She took the coke...put it back....and got the caffeine free again. The whole time this is going on the girl is yelling at the grandmother. YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO......I LIKE MY OTHER GRANDMOTHER BETTER....SHE GIVES ME WHAT I WANT.....MY MOM IS PAYING FOR ALL OF THIS, SO I CAN GET WHAT I WANT! The girl then PUSHES the old lady, snatches the caffeine free out of her hands and gets a regular one. The whole time the grandmother never raises her voice. Now Myself and the lady in front of her were giving each other looks of fire. I seriously almost grabbed her by the arm when she kept attacking her grandmother. The lady in front of us was trying to talkto the girl. You are lucky to have a grandmother who will take you shopping like this.....If I ever talked to my grandmother like this, I would be on restriction.....you need to show more respect to your grandmother......to which the girl kept replying....whatever! And, I don't have to listen to you! BRAT!!!!!!!! Then she goes and gets some more cookies of a shelf and tries to put them in the cart(looking at all of us the whole time like...see, I get what I want!) The nanny said...I don't have enough money for that honey....the girl pushes her again throws the cookies on the shelf. Then she notices that the caffeine free coke has once again replaced the regular coke in the cart. She stomps over to the shelf....grabs a regular coke.....and walks past me to get to her grandmothers cart. At which time I could take this no more! I snatched the coke from the girls hands(everyone looked like they were going to applaud) and said......Addie(the grandmother had said her name a thousand times already), you will not touch this coke again! Go stand by your grandmother's cart and shut your mouth! My grandmother was nice like yours and now I would give anything to spend time with her and I can't. You better start appreciating her! To which she stomped off and waited for her grandma by the door. She didn't care what I said(and I didn't expect her to), but it needed to be said anyway. For me...the grandmother...and all the food lion patrons and workers who had to endure those 10 minutes of hell! The grandmother then tried to tell us all how Addies mother doesn't discipline her and her father is not in the picture and blah blah blah. All I know is Addie and her grandmother are going to be in my prayers tonight and I would hope you put them on your list too. It pains me that a child can be like this already at 8 years old. Sad!

More cute kids!

by teresa

Am I a meanie?

by teresa
Before I begin...I would like to state that Mondays are very busy days for me! I do all my housework and laundry by Friday so that I have the entire weekend free of it. So...on Mondays...after all five of us have been in this house for 2 straight days...it is messy and the hampers are full. So I use Mondays to catch back up. With that said...this morning after I took the kids to school, Chris announced that if I wanted...he would stay home and work from here today. Does that sound good to you honey....he asked. Ummmmmm What? Don't you want me to stay home with you today? Ummmmmmm Well...it's MY day! I said. I have lots to do....and you will distract me. So he put his tail between his legs...got dressed....and went to work. I did make him breakfast and pack him a lunck though! Was I so wrong?

Lauren driving

by teresa
Last night our 16+ years of parenting finally paid off. Lauren drove the boys to church for play practice and then took them to McDonalds for dinner before returning home. Chris and I had an entire 3 hours together...alone! And you know what that means........reading the paper and watching football! That's how we roll! Seriously..it was neat to be able to trust her with her brothers. She is so responsible and we are grateful for that!

Cheer competition

by teresa
Saturday night was Lauren's cheering competition at Oscar Smith high school. All the schools in chesapeake and suffolk participated. It was very exciting and entertaining. Unfortunatly only the top 4 squads move on to the regionals and Laurens squad didn't make it. Eventhough...it was really cool to see our baby out there in front of all those people and judges. She was great! We were truly proud! Nanny Jackie and Katy even came to see her compete.

Cute kids!

by teresa

car wreck

by teresa
On the way home from the picnic on Saturday we passed this car accident. If you look closely behind the fire truck you will see that the minivan is on it's back! How in the world did that happen? Someone was surely driving like a fool! I hope no one was hurt.

church picnic

by teresa
Today was the church picnic at Northwest River park. Our whole family went and we all had a blast. Eventhough the park ranger came by and said we couldn't ride our bikes down the big hill. The food was excellent and so was the company! The Mayhue family is really outstanding for organizing the entire thing. Ricky even cooks the meat you bring. It's great. I just wish more people would have shown up. It was in the bulletin and everything. But there were still only about 40 people(if that) that showed up. That really says alot! Here are some shots of us enjoying ourselves.

Indian River vs. Lakeland

by teresa
Tonights football game was against Lakeland high school in suffolk. It was away, but we decided to go anyway. The boys didn't want to go so they went out to eat with Jackie and George and then went over their house for a movie. So it was a date. A date to the football game. Well....do any of you know where Lakeland high school is? It is forever away! It took so long to get there...that we didn't arrive until the 2nd quarter. We were alreay up 20 to nothing by the time we parked ( a mile away) and paid to get in. Then 10 minutes after we sat down it started to rain. Not too bad...but a little sprinkle. How fun! We had left our umbrellas in the car ( a mile away). We stayed until the end of the 3rd quarter and went to Ruby tuesdays for dinner. It just wasn't fun sitting there in the rain while we were creaming the other team. also...it was Lakeland's homecoming night...so that just made it even worse. Their homecoming parade consisted of 4 camaros, 2 tractors and a pickup truck....seriously! Oh yeah...and there was a horse too. Next weeks game will be much more exciting. It's against Western Branch (they are good). and it's at home.

soccer game

by teresa
The soccer game went really well tonight. Katy and I held down the fort pretty good. The game was 0 to 0 until the last minute. Then the other team scored on us. The kids played very good and we were proud of them. One kid didn't show up and two were late....so the line up that Chris had made up for me was totally blown! I hope we start to win. The kids are so good.....there are so many ALMOSTS. They steal it from the other team, dribble it down the field....and then shoot a foot off to the left of the goal. Everytime! Arrrggh!

bye bye birdie

by teresa
Just went in the garage to find my tennis shoes and a bird flew at me. Yikes! I am not freaked about birds like some people...but when one flies into your hair out of nowhere...it stops your heart! I can't get it to leave. Even when I opened the garage door, it just hides up in the corner. I think Shorty scared it and now it's all traumatized. I'll wait till dad gets home and he will get it out. Look at this picture...can you see it hiding under Nick's remote control truck?

game tonight

by teresa
Tonight we have a make up soccer game from when it rained a few weekends ago. Chris is in Atlanta, so Katy and I will be running the show. I can't wait! Of course I made him create the lineup last night before he went to bed. There's too much math involved. With how many kids can play how many times and in this quarter but not that quarter and not too much and not too little and not in this position but that position and not these two kids together. Blah! Too confusing! I'll let ya'll know how it goes.

stupid pizza

by teresa
I got a call last night from one of the lady's on the PTA comittee at Nick's school. She informed me that my name had been chosen in a drawing they had. Cool...I thought. I wonder what I won. Then she told me.....a family of 4 pack to CiCis pizza buffet. Great.....just what I needed! I'm pretty sure a pizza buffet doesn't fit into our low carb diet. I told the boys and they said....that's ok mom.....you can just take us twice. What's even funnier, is that I also won a family of 5 pass to the roller skating rink from Ben's school pta. It includeds skate rental a pizza and drinks. Maybe it's a sign....that I am supposed to eat some pizza. What do you think?

Allen's Plumbing Services

by teresa
Realized today that the cabinet under my sink in the kitchen was wet. Luckily...I store my big Christmas bowl under there....so the bowl was full and the wood was dry! Thank you Lord!! Anyway....I cleaned out underneath the sink and got down on my hands and knees to check out what need to be done. Once I looked I saw immediatly what the solution was...............call daddy! I walked next door into my parents back yard.....daddy....I called. Whaaaaat.....he hollered. I need you.....my sink is leaking. He turned, grabbed a wrench, and followed me into my house. It took about 5 minutes for hime to disassemble the pipe with the hole in it and he sent me up to the hardware store with it. 5 minutes later I was back with 2 new pieces....and 15 minutes later it was installed. Now that's service! And all it cost me is a "thank you daddy"...and a plate of food next time I make one of his favorites. Look at this picture....he's busy sawing the new pipe to fit.

Just another Tuesday

by teresa
I wasn't quite as tired as I have been when I got up this morning. I only asked Chris to push the snooze button once. I Got the kids ready. We were so busy last night with karate and Kristian's cake party that I didn't have time to read two books to Ben before bed. So, I read him two books while we were waiting for the bus. Then I took Nick and Lauren to school. Lauren will be there until 8:00pm again tonight practicing for this weekends competition. It's 7:00pm Saturday night, at Oscar Smith high school. I can't wait to see them perform. We also have a soccer game and a church picnic that day. Anyway....I came home....made the beds, unloaded -loaded and ran the dishwasher, folded a tub of clothes, sorted laundry and washed another tub, put away the four tubs I washed yesterday, fed the dog, took out the trash, went to wash my hands in the kitchen and realized the sink was leaking underneath(GREAT!), took a shower, got dressed, took video back to movie gallery(sisterhood of the traveling pants...REALLY GOOD), picked up prescription from Irwins pharmacy, went to the thrift store(didn't find much today), and went to Ben's school to volunteer. This was all by 10:00am.

Kristians 7th bday

by teresa
Saturday we all attended Kristian's birthday party. Katy had it at the bowling alley. Lots of kids....some family...some friends from soccer....some your fathers girlfriends kids :) and lots of adults. It was very eclectic mix of people. To say it was uncomfortable would be an understatement. Katy...her friend Kyle (we love him!), all five of our family, Chris' parents, my mom and dad, and then Keith(aka butthead), his parents, his brothers and their wives and kids, his aunt and uncle, and the women he left Katy and the kids for and her two children, and then throw in some soccer parents and their kids and you are one slap away from a Jerry Springer episode. I'm just kidding...everyone was civil. We all love Kristian and that's what the day was all about...right? She had a great time. Lots of pizza, cake, gifts! Here is a picture of her opening the gift from me(and chris and the kids). It was a book (of course).

Indian River Homecoming

by teresa
Friday night was Homecoming night for Lauren's school. Of course the whole family went out to support the team. There was even a tailgate party before the game. Lots of food...which the boys enjoyed! I even got a shirt that says INDIAN RIVER CHEERING on the front and CHEER PARENT on the back. I love it...Chris joked me for getting it....whatever! I'm just proud of my baby. We played the Lake Taylor Titans (mom's old high school) and we won. It was chilly and no rain. Perfect football weather! Ben's favorite part was watching the cars drive the homecoming court around the track. Standing and pointing at each car. Look at that Mercedes.....Wow! See that




convertible Mustang! And so on and so on..... He also liked that Lauren was in the back of a big Ford pickup truck.
She was throwing footballs and candy to the crowd as they drove around. You can see her in the picture...she is the one throwing the football.



Nick most enjoys the food!! Nachos, pizza,hotdogs, chips and sodas. He brought his own money this week so he could buy what he wanted. He even shared with Ben. He also brought his binoculars to the game. I don't know what he was looking at, but everytime I looked over he was staring into them. Except for the twenty minutes in the fourth quarter when I didn't know where they were. Nick had said he was taking Ben to get some candy and never came back. I found them beside the bleachers with some other kids, playing with the little football the boys had got from the cheerleaders.
Lauren looked like she was having alot of fun. This is a good picture of one of the stunts her group did.











I really like the picture of her showing off her homecoming corsage.

College Football

By Chris
Strange as it may seem, a favorite pastime for the Green family has become college football watching on Saturday afternoon. None of us would have predicted this. But, Teresa and I have really gotten into it. Teresa gets hooked on a team when she sees one of those neat features on a player or coach with a heart-touching story. Lost his dad to a shooting - HIS TEAM NEEDS TO WIN! Feeding the hungry - THAT TEAM IS SO NICE, THEY NEED TO WIN! It's positive p.r. at work, and it's working on Teresa. So we watch several games a week now. Here are our favs:

• Va. Tech. I've always been a Hokie guy, and Teresa is on-board now that former Indian River High star Brandon Ore is coming on strong for them (we saw him Friday at our old high school at homecoming). The Hokies are undefeated and ranked #3 in the country.
• Univ. of Ga. After a neat story on several of there fun-loving linemen last year, Teresa has loved them. Pastor talks about them alot too, so we've adopted them. Their QB is fun to watch, and their on TV alot. They're undefeated too.
• UCLA. We saw a story on one of their receivers whose biggest fan - his grandfather - had a heart attack at one of his games this year, and died. Now, he points to heaven whenever he scores. So, we got onto them about two weeks ago, rooting for the poor kid. He's been awesome in the one game we watched, scoring the winning touchdown. Teresa was disappointed when I told her, since they are in LA, they would not be on TV much here. Guess what? They're undefeated too! This system is working pretty good.

Emails

by teresa
How often do you check your emails? I know if you go to work you probably check them several times a day. But, since I am at home, and out and about alot, I forget to check mine for weeks at a time. For me, when I do get a chance to sit down at the computer, I jump right on the blog or picasa(fiddling with my pictures). I usually log off and forgot to check my email. Well, today I checked it for the first time in almost a month. I felt sooooo bad. There were emails from mom and some from Jackie and other friends. And my uncle Jim and aunt Beth had sent me a gift certificate to Amazon for my birthday. It was sooooo sweet of them to think of me and I didn't even see it till 18 days after my birthday. So if you read this Jim and Beth......THANK YOU! IT WAS VERY THOUGHTFUL AND MUCH APPRECIATED! As a matter of fact....I already used it! Can you guess what I spent it on? Anybody? That's right....books! Three books (children's of course)....Mercy Watson to the rescue...by Kate DiCamillo, Flush...by Carl Hiaasen, and Fairy dust and the quest for the egg...by Gail Carson Levine(she wrote Ella enchanted and all the Princess Tales volumes). Happy Birthday to me!

The cello

by teresa
Nick has been enjoying his cello lessons very much (although when he plays it sounds like a dying whale). The other day he was going on and on about it and Lauren says....yeah Nick, you are a regular Ya Ya Mo. Huh? What she meant to say was Yo -Yo Ma (he is a world famous master cellist). This struck us as so funny...we all giggled about it for a few days.

3-1 Soccer

By Chris
Our soccer team, after the intense practice promised last week, played a
lot better this week. We won 3-1. Ben got a cramp from running so hard
and set up a goal with a zinger of a kick that dinged off the goal post to
a team mate who scored. Today was our first goals not scored by Ben.
Kristian played awesome, especially in goal again. She shut them out
during her quarter, including one stop that she caught mid-air, which never
happens in this age group.

Homecoming

By Chris
Last night was Homecoming at Indian River. Lauren was busy all week with
cheering practice, working on two floats for the parade (Junior Class
Council and Alpha) and more. The boys love Homecoming, because of the
halftime parade, especially the cool convertable cars that drive around the
homecoming court. As a varsity cheerleader, Lauren got to ride in the
parade and throw candy. Before the game, athlete and cheerleader families
had a tailgate party, which Teresa and the boys went to. Teresa came out
with a new shirt that reads CHEER PARENT real big on the back. The boys
and Teresa had tattoos on their faces and special ribbons and pins on their
shirt. Teresa loves that corny stuff. The football team won the game
against an undefeated Lake Taylor. Nick treated Ben to junk food and sodas
all night with his grass-cutting money. Teresa used up the camera battery
completely, so I'm sure there will be new pictures soon.

Sick and tired

by teresa
Well...it has finaly come around to me. I am sick. Fever(slight), aches, puking, the whole shebang! Chris was up and out alittle after 5:00am for a trip to Baltimore. So, I had to get up and get the kids off to school. Once I got in the shower I felt a little better. I think I will take it easy today. Eventhough there is much to do! Chris needs new shoes and pants(he has gone down a few sizes and his pants are starting to look a little clownish), Lauren needs a secret cheerleader gift, I need to get some photos printed at Target for my bulletin board on sunday, and I need to get Kristian's birthday present. But I think I will just curl up and finish my book. I can leave the shopping for tomorrow I guess.

Lauren

by teresa
This morning I ask Lauren if she would please take a trashbag aroung and empty all the trashcans in the bathroom. She grunted at me and got up from the computer. I guess that meant....okay mom....I 'll get right on that for you.
Well she went upstairs and emptied the trash can in her room and them came down stairs. Did you do the bathroom upstairs...I asked. Well...ummm....someone dumped something liquid in it and it poured out of the bag on the floor so I couldn't get that trash. It stinks and I might throw up....she said. So what did you do...I asked. Nothing...I just left it there. Arrrrgggghh! Lauren....go upstairs and clean it up and empty the trashcan. So she goes back up. A few minutes later Nick goes to brush his teeth in there........MOOOOOM! There is something wet all over the place up here. Lauren...did you clean it all up? I put a towel on top of it...she said. LOOOORD! Well...go up and take these Lysol wipes with you..... and scrub everywhere..... and check if it is on the rugs...and if it is bring them down to be washed if they are dirty. Actually...just bring EVERYTHING down...okay????? OKAY MOM! So she stomps upstairs...takes about 20 seconds and stomps back down with all the rugs. Did you wipe everywhere Lauren? YES!
Fine...I said. Afew minutes later, when I came in from Ben's bus stop...I smelled something awful. Lauren....what is that smell? I don't know? Did you clean everywhere? Yes! Where is the trashcan..I ask. Sitting in the bathroom..she says. Duh!! Good grief!! Sitting there..still filled with whatever was fermenting in it. Lauren....why would you leave it up there? Of course I didn't expect her to answer this question. Just bring it down and put it on the back porch so I can rinse it out and bleach it!!!!! All I asked was to empty 3 trashcans! 3 trashcans!! Was that too much to ask????

When pigs fly!

by teresa
Well...I checked outside and I didn't see any porkers gliding through the air...... But....Ben got himself up.....and got himself dressed......and was all smiles about it too!! I don't know if that is a miracle or just a sign that the end of the world must be at hand! Ben was in a great mood this morning. He came down and was eagerly awaiting the bus. I hope this continues on to tomorrow morning!

Homecoming

by teresa
Tomorrow night is the Indain River homecoming game. We will be playing Lake Taylor(they are good). It should be alot of fun. Katy, Kristian and Kai will be coming(mom is watching Kaden). Nick is also bringing a friend. The more the merrier! It is Ben's favorite game of the year because they drive CARS around the track with the homecoming court in them. He is facinated. They are also having a tailgate party for the football and cheerleader kids and parents before the game. The weather is going to be perfect football weather too! Chilly and clear skys! Lauren brought home Indian river ribbons and pins and tatoos for the kids to wear. They will think that is cool! If anyone else wants to join us....feel free to come. The game begins at 7:00pm.

Nick up at the crack

by teresa
Nick has been up since before 5:00am. I got up to use the bathroom and saw the tv on in the boys room. I peeked in and he was sitting up in his bed watching the disney channel. Hey mom...he said. Is it time for me to go to school yet? No Nick, not for 2 1/2 more hours. Okay...he said (all perky). Good grief! Ben.... on the other hand....came into our room around 4:00am....squeezed in between Chris, Shorty and myself(the dog had jumped in the bed around 3:00am and I was too tired to make him get up) His bus comes at 7:00am, so I will PRY him out of bed in a couple of minutes. He will fuss and whine all the way to the bus!

my car

by teresa
We picked up my car last night before soccer practice. So far...so good. The blinkers work and the doors lock. I sure hope that was the last time I ever have to step foot in Greenbrier Collision again!

uni-boob

by teresa
I couldn't find any of my good bras this morning. It was dark when I got dressed and I didn't want to cut the light on and wake Chris up. So I dug around and pulled the first one out I found. Then I got dressed and started my hectic day. Well...once I got out and about I realized which one I had chosen.....the UNI-BOOB bra. Do any of you have one like this? You know...the cups are too small, so they slide over the the side and push you out in the front. Making you look like you have one big boob! You keep having to reach in your shirt and separate the "sisters". But, after a minute...they just slide back together again. I hate that!

Halloween party

by teresa
I talked with Ben's teacher today about plans for his class party. I was really happy to hear that she wanted to have it on the Thursday before Halloween. She is going to be out of town on Friday so Thursday is best. I'm going to be running Nick's class party on Monday, so I was trying to figure out how I was going to be in both places at one time. We have alot of cool plans that I know Ben and his classmates will enjoy.

Ben's friend Emily

by teresa
Ben is in the other room talking on the phone to his new friend....Emily. She has called a few times now, inviting Ben to her birthday party. He keeps asking me if he can go...but I told him I need to see an invitation...time...place...date. Today when he got off the bus he told me emily was going to be calling as soon as she got home so her mom could talk to me and tell me about the party. Lord! Ya'll know how I just love talking to strangers on the phone. Well...she called and after a few minutes ben handed me the phone and said I needed to talk to her mom. AARRRGGG! Well...once I got on the phone I introduced myself and asked when emily's party was going to be(Kristian's is this weekend, and I didn't want to double book). It's not until DECEMBER she says. What? I told her that she had told Ben it was this weekend....her mom was like ...whatever! She's always doing dumb stuff like that! Okay? She sounds nice! But...she says...... she does like going over peoples house to play on the weekends. She does this with kids in her class and even some kids on her bus...she says. Sometimes she even spends the night too! Well...ummmm.....I'll be looking for that invitation in December...and I got off the phone quick before she had me signed up for one of these weekend adventures!

thrift store

by teresa
I went to the thrift store this morning before "work". I got Kristian a few Childrens Place outfits but there wasn't much for the other kids. I did hit the jackpot on underwear(they are new) for Ben though. They had spiderman, incredible hulk, scooby doo and a pair of black HUMMER boxer briefs! I showed him when he got home from school. I've never seen him so excited about underwear before. I have a feeling I will be washing them every night so he can wear them everyday to school.

mom

by teresa
My mom had to go out of town on business for 2 days. I don't know how my dad or sister will survive. I guess I will be cooking for 10!

my car

by teresa
We picked up my car from the collision center on friday. Thank goodness! But....once we got home we realized the power locks and front blinkers were not working. Good grief! Come on people! I have to drop it off at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Then I will take Chris to work and pick him up at the end of the day. I guess he will be brown bagging it again. I sure hope they will be able to fix it in one day.

sorry

by teresa
Sorry I haven't blooged in awhile. Things have been hectic around here. Ben, Nick, Lauren and Chris have been sick this past week.....Fun! I haven't been sick but I have sure been tired. I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe I need some vitamins or something.

Praise Ye the Lord...Hallelujah!

by teresa
Greenbrier collision center just called. They said my car will be ready for pick up at 5:30 today! Yes Lord..Yes Lord..Yes..Yes..Lord! Amen! I am so happy! My poor car has been there for 37 days!

Ben's phone call

by teresa
Yesterday the phone rang and I answered it. Hello. Is this Ben's mommy? Yes . My name is Emily and Ben is in my class. Can I speak to him? Excuse me! Six years old and already having girls call him! I don't know if I like this.

Sicky Nicky

by teresa
Yesterday Nick was home from school sick. He woke up....ran to the bathroom...Lauren was showering and screamed at him when he entered.....he ran out...and threw up in the floor in his room! Good grief! Poor baby. I cleaned him up and put him back to bed. He was very upset when I told him he would not be going to school. It will mess up my perfect attendance....he said. He spent the entire day in his bed. Summoning me every 10 minutes. Can I have some more water? Can you cut my tv on? Can you cut my tv off? Can you give me the sleep mask? Can you bring Shorty in here to lay with me? He finally felt ok enough to come down around 5:00pm. This morning he felt a little better. He ate his breakfast and kept it down. So I sent him to school. But.......now Lauren is feeling bad. She is such a trooper though. With a class council meeting at 8:00am, PSAT registration, football game, and a party in Spanish which she was signed up to bring something all going on today.....she went to school. I hope she feels better once she gets there. I told them both to call me at anytime and I would come pick them up.

Soccer game

by teresa
Last night we played our second soccer game. It was against a team called the Allstars. Kristian was the goalie in the first quarter. The girl was unbelievable! She saved 8 goals! Running, diving, grabbing, shoving! 8 times! Nothing could get past her! We couldn't have been more proud of her. Unfortunately.....she couldn't play goalie the entire game. We lost 5 to nothing. Although...once again.....our own players scored 3 of those goals! It was hilarious. Remember....these are 5 and 6 yr. olds. They were just happy to score. They hardly realized it was against their own team. Our next game is Saturday(weather permitting) at 10:30am at Sparrow Road. It should be interesting :)

Kaden update

by teresa
Kaden Eliza Vasconcellos is now two months old. She has changed so much since my last update. She can now follow you around the room with her eyes. She also smiles if you smile and talk to her. She is much more content now. Not as much crying when she is put down. And the more noise going on the better. She will go right to sleep. Noise isn't a problem at her house with brother Kai around. The most precious thing is her "talking". If you talk to her....she coos back at you. It is soooo cute! She went to the doctor yesterday and got her two month shots. four of them! Katy said she screamed bloody murder! Poor Kaden! She now weighs 11lbs 14oz. and she is 22inches long. They said she is in the 50% for her age. Sounds good to me. Here are some pictures I took this afternoon in her Halloween inspired outfit.

19 Years

By Chris
This week marks the 19th anniversary of my first date with Teresa. It was probably 10/3 or 10/4. She turned 16 on Sept. 29, a Monday, so we had a date the following weekend, but I just can't remember if it was a Fri. or Sat.. I had to wait for her to be 16, because her mom wasn't bending on that. It's been great!

Messy Ben

by teresa
Yesterday I sent my son to school in a nice white shirt. Big mistake! What was I thinking? Well, actually, Ben is our neatest child when it comes to eating. Lauren and Nick leave a trail of what they ate and where they ate it. Food on the counter....hanging out of the refridgerator.....on the floor on the way to the table.....on the table cloth and chair they were sitting in....all over the shirt and pants they were wearing....and all over the sink. But Ben on the other hand rarely makes a mess. So that is why I was so shocked when Ben came off the bus yesterday looking like he is raised by some white trash parents. You know the kind. The kind that let their kids walk around in public wearing only a diaper (no shirt, and especially NO SHOES, EVER). Or the ones who let their kids run around with dirt on their faces (at least 2/3 of the surface area of their faces should be covered in dirt, mud, or fudgesicle).

My son's hair was sticking up and full of sand......he had huge grass stains on his knees.....shoelaces untied and frayed on the end....and his nice white shirt was covered in some dark red, sticky substance. So either he was in a gang fight at recess...or a ketchup bottle exploded beside him. Gross! BEN....I said. What did you do to yourself? Nothing mom....I just put too much ketchup on my steakum at lunch. And I was playing in the sand at recess. It'a no big deal...he says. I don't think there is enough Tide with bleach in the world to get these stains out. It was on his shoulder, all down the front and even some on his back! My goodness!

Fleas!!!

by teresa
Our dog Shorty has.....fleas! I can't stand it. I got my first flea bite last night. this means war!! I went out today and bought flea shampoo, house spray,carpet powder, dog spray and a flea collar. I just shampooed the dog for an hour. At least 10 fleas came off in the tub. This stuff better work!

Must have books

by teresa
If you have been reading our blog for awhile, then you are aware that I have a passion for books. All books really. But my greatest love is childrens litereature. I literally have hundreds and hundreds of childrens books. If it is on your kids accelerated reader list (K-12), then I probably have it! If it has been on the new york times childrens top 10 list in the past few years, then I definitly have it! Well...I thought I would put together my top 15 must have book list for ages birth-8yrs old. These books are great for the parent and child. some will make you laugh and some will defintly make you moms out there cry! These books are PERFECT gifts for soon to be moms too. It is a treasure to be kept and handed down through the ages. Some of my kids favorite books are the ones from mine and Chris' childhood. Anyway...he is the list.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (all of his books are wonderful)
Hachiko by Pamela Turner (everyone will enjoy this story)
Let Me Hold You Longer by Karen Kingsbury (need tissues)
Miss Fannie's Hat by Jan Karon (reminds me of my nanny)
Don't Need Friend by Carolyn Crimi (The boys love this)
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes (helped Nick with his anxiousness at school, we read it over and over)
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (This is Ben's favorite book, great for reading aloud)
I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch (you need 2 boxes of kleenex for this one ladies)
I Promise I'll Find You by Heather Ward (A great message for your kids!!!)
Little Whistle by Cynthis Rylant ( I love these stories)
Mr. Peabodys Apples by Madonna (yes...Madonna. ALL of her childrens books are MUST HAVES)
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco (timeless classic)
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg(this books is wonderful)
Walter the Farting Dog by Audrey Colman( there are many in this series...they are hilarious read alouds)
My Monster Mama Loves me So by Laura Leuck(a favorite of mine to read to the kids)


ALL OF US love our children more than anything in the world. In their first years we feed them so they grow. We bring them to the doctor so they are healthy. We strap them in car seats so they are safe.But the most important thing in the first years of life is the growth of the mind and spirit. This is when a child learns to love and trust, to speak and listen.
After a child turns two years old, these things are very difficult to learn or teach ever again. Trusting, singing, laughing, and language are the most important things in a young child’s life.
And so they must come first for mothers and fathers, too. Because we can never have those years over again.
Every day, make a quiet, restful place for twenty minutes. Put your child in your lap and read a book aloud. In the pages of the book you will find a tiny vacation of privacy and intense love. It costs nothing but twenty minutes and a library card.
I will be creating a list of must reads for ages 8yrs to 13yrs soon.

busy busy

by teresa
In addition to the numerous things Lauren has going on.....next week she has to meet after cheering practice for Alpha. They will be constructing their float for the homecoming game next friday night. Also...play practices for church began this week. Lauren is in it again this year. Nick is also going to be in it. He will be a newsie. He is VERY excited about this. He was told you had to be in the sixth grade or up to be in the play. But, then he got a rehearsal schedule in the mail this week. They must have remembered how good I was last year...he said. He was Elvis in the childrens christmas play last year(that's right I said elvis). But this, he says, is a much bigger deal. We have three performances...he says. They better get his dressing room ready!

Norfolk Highlands

by teresa
Today I had the priviledge of working at Ben's school again. I look forward to tuesdays and thursdays so much. I know I'm only cutting out construction paper animals(still working on camels), but it feels like I am doing something important. The staff is constantly thanking me(if I wasn't there they would have to work the desk), everyone knows my name(which is important at your childs school), and Ben smiles so big when he walks by me for lunch. That's my mom...he says. The kids all smile and say....hi Ben's mommy. I am very thankful to Chris for working the long and hard hours that make it possible for me to do these things. To not have to get a "real" job ..... just hang out at my kids schools. I am really blessed!

Thrift store

by teresa
Went to the thrift store today. I didn't have much time to browse since I had to take Chris to work this morning and I had to be at Ben's school by 10:00am. But, I did get some cute onsies for Kaden and a Disney store sweatshirt for Ben.
I also found three Limited too shirts for Kristian. I know Katy appreciates it and I love helping out. Especially since her daddy promised her he would take her back to school shopping and of course NEVER did! He is so special! This is the same guy who payed his car payment(a new excursion) and his hunt club fees. Which left him no money for child support last month. Nice huh? Anyway........I also got some books and a pair of church shoes for Ben. He has been squeezing into his old ones for a month now.

Pastor Trueblood Day

By Chris
Sunday was Pastor Trueblood Day at church. Pastor T. was the shepherd of our church for 41 years, retiring a few years ago. Until then, he was the only Pastor Teresa and I ever had . . . from birth to mid-30's. Family emergencies . . . he was there. Family funerals . . . he did them (very well). He, and his wife, married us, counseled us, dedicated our children and, to a large degree, helped shape who we are. It's really hard to overstate his impact on our lives. He returns every October for a sermon. It's a bitter-sweet time, Teresa and I agree. We're incredibly happy to see him. To hear his familiar, comforting voice full of wisdom. But, at these times, we are also reminded how much we miss him. Not because things are bad without him. Sort of like you hope your kids will miss you when they move on to adulthood. It's easy to fall into longing for a past that you loved, to live in secured happy memories. After all, memories are safe and guarenteed endeavors. They already happened, the outcome definite. Living in memories, essentially, takes no faith. Pastor T. gave a challenging and prophetic message to us . Lots of good stuff was crammed into his only 40 minutes with us for the whole year. A big takeaway for us, though only a minor point of the day (paraphrased): honor the past; but, yesterday is gone . . . over, don't live in it. Do what God wants you to do today. Pretty salient stuff coming from someone who shaped our past so significantly. Life lessons are his specialty, and I have a pad full of things he's said that I live by. So, we take away this lesson, challenged to honor the past but not to live in it. To aggressively pursue today, according to a higher calling. So, goodbye yesterday! Onward!

Thanks Pastor!

Another Car Please!!

By Chris
It's been a long time since my car accident, which put our van into the shop. The rental ran out a couple of weeks ago. And we have been living on one car. One car for five very busy people. Too cheap to spring for more rental time. One car to get Teresa to her volunteer job, me to work, Lauren to EVERYTHING, Ben to school, soccer, karate; Nick to school and karate. Birthday parties, baby showers, church functions. ONE CAR. Particularly funny is the fact that several days I have to be driven to work. This morning, Teresa dropped me at the door with several co-workers in the parking lot. I hopped out with my brown bag lunch in hand. I looked like a 6th grader. Now I'm stuck here until around 6:00. That's a long time to sit still. Longer than I ever sit still really. I had to load up on Diet Coke from 7-11 before being dropped off. It's made me thankful that I have a job that keeps me moving alot. I would absolutely go crazy if I had to sit in my office all day, every day.

Yesterday I got the car, and Teresa and the Kids were stranded. Nick walked home from school. Seeing that he was carrying his huge Cello, a thoughtful neighbor, who works at the school, took the Cello to our house for him. Norfolk Highlands isn't the fanciest neighborhood, but that type of stuff happens all the time here. We know a bunch of people at the schools who live nearby, and they are . . . well . . . neighborly.

We hear the car may be done this weekend.

Snake

by teresa
Came home from the soccer game the other day and this is what we saw beside the porch.










A snake just sunning itself on our bushes. I don't like snakes as much as I don't like spiders! Grossss! It fell down in the bush before my dad could come take care of it. We couldn't find it after that. Maybe it just crawled next door to the neighbors :)

Bark in the Park

by teresa
Yesterday we took the kids and dog to chesapeake park. It was the annual Bark in the Park. It is put on by the humane society and the parks and rec. You bring your dogs and they have hundreds of tents set up with "doggie" related stuff. A free dog wash, watering stations, free treats, obstacle course and fetch contests. This was our first time going. The boys entered Shorty in the obstacle course. It was pretty funny. Ben ran out in front of Nick(who had the leash) and Shorty and he jumped over all the hurdles and hoops, then Shorty followed. They even had a costume contest. You should have seen some of these dogs. Leather coats and hat.....tutus....army fatigues...etc. Pretty funny! One lady even had a stroller for her little dog. They also had an "animal communicator" set up to tell you what is bothering your dog. Coo coo for cocoa puffs! Coo coo for cocoa puffs!
Yeah...Ok....! I don't need a pet psychic to know what my dog wants. I can read his mind! He wants a lifetime supply of cheese and his butt scratched 24/7!

Mt. Trashmore

by teresa
Saturday afternoon Chris took me and the kids(Ben, Kristian, Nick) to Mt. Trashmore to play. Or as Ben says...Mountain Trashmore. The kids love going there. The skate park....the play ground ....and......THE HILL! They shoot up the hill and are at the top before Chris and I are barely out of the parking lot. Good grief! I am OLD! I used to run up and down the hill with no problem. Now my knees are popping with each old lady step I take. We brought a soccer ball for them to play with. They rolled it down and kicked it up.....rolled it down and kicked it up. Again and again and again. They were also doing handstands. This is pretty hard on that steep mountain. We got tired just watching. Chris and I just sat at the top in a soft spot of grass. Taking pictures and watching the people flying kites and driving their RC cars. The kids went on the playground for awhile. Then we left and went to Golden Corral. After that we took Kristian home......chilled at Katys apartment a little while......and went home. It was a great afternoon.

Strikers vs. Super tigers

by teresa
Saturday was our first soccer game. We(the kids and us) were really excited for it. Within the first 10 seconds Ben had scored a goal. He kicked it off......dribbled down....passed to another kid.....the kid passed back to him....and he kicked it in the goal! We were all thrilled! This was the only time we scored during the game. Well....if you don't count the goal one of our kids scored against our own team! There were alot of almosts though. Ben and Kristian ded extremly well! They really go after the ball. Kristian even stole the ball a few times and took it down the field. There is no official score kept in our tiny tots league but, it was 4 to 1. This one kid on their team scored the other three they got. He was a good foot taller than all the other kids. He only played one quarter(it is a rule that all kids must play 2 quarters) and he had another teams jersey under his uniform. After the game...he walked over to the older kids field with the coach. Hmmmmm....this was a little fishy! Anyway...the kids had a blast. We play again on thursday night at 6:00pm.

Indian River vs. Hickory

by teresa
Friday night Chris, Katy(mom watched the kids), Nick and I went to Hickory high school to watch them play Indian River in football. Are family really enjoys going to these games each friday. I also think it important to show our support for Lauren too. She works very hard all week getting ready for the games and competition. Three and a half hours a day after school and six hours on saturdays. So we should be there to cheer her on too. Since Indian River is Chris, Katy and my alma mater....we love to see them win. And win they did. I can't remember the exact score....but it was a good trouncing! GO BRAVES!