Guess who the newest Tupperware Lady is?

Yes, it is true. I am a Tupperware Lady! I am very excited too. I am sure my mother is proud, and my father is shaking his head saying, "Poor Paul." This is my first adventure in sales of any type. It really isn't my thing considering I have some social anxiety, but I have been thinking about this for well over a year and decided to go for it. I will be selling primarily through book sales. If someone wants to have a party, they will have to ask me because I am not going to volunteer for it. I am willing but not pushy (at least not regarding this). So, what do you think? Have you bought any Tupperware lately? You know, it doesn't contain those nasty toxic chemicals that leach into your food from other plastic containers. 

Leah is cashing in tonight!

As Leah devoured her spaghetti, cucumbers and bread tonight, Paul asked her, "Did you lose your tooth?" She said, "No." He then pointed out that her tooth was no longer in her mouth. She was quite surprised. She has been waiting on that tooth for a very long time (I think since Sarah lost her first tooth). Paul looked around her plate, and amazingly enough, there it was. She is looking forward to her cash reward.

I need to say that this whole losing-teeth business is a bit sad for me. I can't help but think I am losing my children. Yesterday it was Eliza and Sarah losing teeth, and today it is Leah. Tomorrow it's Luke's turn. Today (literally today), I signed Leah up for Kindergarten. I am going to have 3 kids at big school, and Luke will be in preschool in a few months. Their days as children are numbered. I guess I just need to embrace it and them. It goes so fast.

Spring time

I know everyone in the country isn't enjoy spring quite yet, but maybe these photos will bring hope to those of you who are still freezing. I love Alabama in the spring. It is like pleasant New England summers. Cool nights, warm days and fresh air blowing through the house. Ahhhh!

This is our home and our beautiful flowers. Photo booth didn't do the flowers justice. They are really very beautiful. (Yes, still without a camera. Note: Photo Booth flips the image, so the drive is actually on the left side of our home.)

Our garden. Isn't it the epitome of a bountiful garden? Okay, we haven't planted yet, but we have tilled it twice and added horse manure. Aren't you proud of me? We will plant cabbage, cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, green beans, purple hull peas, cucumbers, butternut squash, yellow squash and maybe zucchini. What are your favorite veggies to grow? Any tips for me? I need all the help I can get.

Relaxing Weekend

We had a wonderful get away this weekend. We drove an hour over to the Bankhead National Forest and camped out Friday night. We got together with our friends from the environmental group we were a part of in T-town. We see them about once a year, and now they all have kids too. There were 8 adults and 9 kids, including ours, and they ranged in ages from 6 months to Eliza at 9 years old. We went on several short hikes on Saturday with all the children as well. It was so fun.

The first hike was to a huge rock shelter.  You could easily fit several homes into the rock overhang. The kids loved it as much as we did. They were climbing on boulders and getting filthy in the dirt. There was also water trickling down, so they could get dripped on too. A fun part of this hike was its location at the bottom of a "canyon." We all climbed down a very challenging trail. Once Paul taught Luke to lean backward instead of forward, it was a lot easier for them.

The second hike was just off the road, but this was at a river. There were some falls to view and hundreds of butterflies all fluttering around. It was amazing. There was even a spot for the kids (and I) to take our shoes off and wade out into the water. Our feet were red when we got out, but it felt so good! There was also sand for the children to play in, and they again played in the dirt. What could be better, right?

The third hike was near another river. Actually, it could have been the same river for all I know, but it was in a different spot. We walked along a horse trail to view some beautiful wild flowers, and we found another spot on the edge of the river with more sand. This time there were lots of flat rocks to skip, and big rocks to make big splashes with. Luke particularly enjoyed the big rocks! Close by was a foot trail we hiked for a while as well, but by then it was approaching supper time. We hiked it for 20 minutes or so and then returned to the cabins for some yummy food. 

I was so proud of my kids. They all walked without complaint the entire time. Well, almost. Paul carried Luke for about 100-200 yards on the last hike. I encouraged him at the end by singing "Go Luke Go! Vamos Luke Vamos!" (For those of you who don't watch Nick, it is part of Diego's theme song.) The singing worked, and he made it back to the van. He is still feeling the effects though. Eliza and Sarah were quite the trail blazers. Being the oldest of the children gave them an added measure of confidence too. Leah surprised me at every turn. She was willing to work through lots of her fears (she has plenty). Once she saw that she could handle herself on the trail, she remained independent. 

I cannot express how much I love camping. I love the smell of the tent. I love being outside and feeling the earth around me. It just makes me happy! I will post pictures when I get them. We still don't have a functioning camera, and I decided not to go hiking with my Mac.

I did it!

I finally got Luke's song put on the first post. Check it out.

Saying hi!

Luke and I just got home from his speech session at the big school, and we wanted to say hi. He loves Photo Booth. I'm not sure what I said to get him to keep his tongue in his mouth during this photo, but amazingly enough he did. 

Luke has made a lot of progress with his speech. He has countless words in his spoken vocabulary (by word I mean a sound that represents something), and he even tries to speak in sentences. Sometimes we understand, sometimes not, but at least he is trying. He has fairly good control over the consonants P, B, M, R, D & W. Today he worked on F. He only has one 30 minute session of speech per week, but we work with him constantly. Considering he only said Mama about 6 months ago, he is doing great.

Oh and yes . . . it's a hat day again. It usually is for me. I'm not into getting up before the children. I'm a lot better at staying up late after the children go to sleep. 

Here Come the ABCs

A: ATTACHED OR SINGLE

attached like a somethin' to a somethin'

(Sorry, I tried to think of some Southern saying. Any suggestions?)

B: BEST FRIEND

my long legged guitar pickin' man

C: CAKE OR PIE?

a medium slice of both. How could I choose?

D: DAY OF CHOICE

Thursday.

E: ESSENTIAL ITEMS

t-shirt and blue jeans. 

I don't carry them with me anywhere, but I do wear them everyday.

F: FAVORITE COLORS

green, blue, brown and white

G: GUMMY WORMS OR BEARS?

neither. Yuck!

H: HOMETOWN

(Mayberry), Alabama

I: FAVORITE INDULGENCE

ice cream - Blue Bell when it's 2/$7  

(Ben & Jerry's if I could afford it)

J: JANUARY OR JULY?

January - jeans (not having to shave my legs constantly; sorry Paul) , long-sleeved shirts, hoodies, and being roastie toastie under a blanket 

K: KIDS?

yes. Four of the very best.

L: LIFE ISN'T COMPLETE WITHOUT. . .

family

M: MARRIAGE DATE

June 28th

N: NUMBER OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS

2 sisters, 3 brothers, 3 sisters-in-law, 2 brothers-in-law

O: ORANGES OR APPLES

apples- Macintosh if they aren't bruised up yet or yummy Gala

P: PHOBIA OR FEARS?

heights and offending someone

Q: QUOTE

Nephi's Psalm

"And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? . . .

Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. . . . 

Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say; O Lord I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation. . . .

O Lord, I have trusted in Thee, and I will trust in Thee forever." 

2 Nephi 4: 27, 28, 30 & 34

R: REASON TO SMILE

my kids walking in the room 

(I really need to do this more often)

S: SUPERMAN OR WONDER WOMAN?

wonder woman!

T: TAG 5 PEOPLE

Mom, Kate, Minnie, Mandy, Tracy

U: UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT ME

I want to live in a tree house like Swiss Family Robinson.

V: VEGETABLE

raw - cauliflower, lettuce, tomatoes (yes, I'm counting them), celery, cucumbers in that order.

cooked - cabbage, rutabagas, okra, mustard & turnip greens, broccoli, green beans

W: WORST HABIT

ignoring my children

X: X-RAY OR ULTRASOUND?

I've had an ultrasound, but I wouldn't choose to have either.

Y: YOUR FAVORITE FOOD

Bread! Yum! Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Southern . . . baked goods . . . 

Z: ZODIAC SIGN

It was Leo when I last checked at age 11.