We wear orange!

We ordered I Wear Orange shirts for November 2nd. The kids have the message, "I wear orange for my nana" and my shirt says "I wear orange for my mom." They didn't carry MIL shirts, so Guy is stuck with a regular polo for the day. One week from Monday, wear your orange!

Notice the welts all over Mabry's face. She had an allergic reaction that resulted in hives from head to toe. The only thing the doc can figure is it was a reaction to the flu shot! Even though Mabry will not be receiving the booster later this month, I am a firm believer in preventative measures--especially since the flu this year is a nasty one that has put many of my students out of school for a week or more at a time. Her new antihistamines are working well though, and she is on the mend!

Wherein we clean and get a slide

apparently, Gabe has been learning to pick up his messes and sing at the same time.

He also loves his new slide, which was supposed to be delivered in two weeks, but came VERY early!

Family News

Mom will probably be upset with me putting the news out here, but I am doing it anyway. Mom was diagnosed with kidney cancer this past week. That's right. The big C.
While we are all shocked, confused, and a little angry, the prognosis is excellent. Mom is in the capable hands of a great doctor. She is going to have a surgery that will remove the tumor, and she won't require chemo or radiation. Supposedly, if you have to have cancer--this is the one you want.
Mom opened a caringbridge website if you want to keep up with her through her journals or send her a message. She is very positive, but we still need lots of prayers and support. This is a scary disease, and no one likes looking into the future and not knowing what might happen. Anyway, that's it. The big news. We'll let you know when we have more.

In other news, we have a conundrum. Please answer the poll question at the very bottom of the page and help us!

video for you

very long time without an update

Grandpa Tom and Grandma Theresa sent Gabe lots of corvettes to play with. Gabe has a slight thing for cars, or cawas as he says. Notice they are in lines. He will put them in very, very straight lines as he plays.

Gabe will be the Tin Man for Halloween. He isn't really excited about his costume. Mabry will be Dorothy Gale from the Wizard of Oz for a matching pair. I can't wait to get both of them dressed and a picture together.

Gabe likes his bath a lot. We finally got rid of the toddler tub by buying a $5 bath mat for the bottom of the tub. It has Elmo on it, so Gabe spends lots of time looking for Elmo under the bubbles. After bath is over, Gabe tells the bubbles bye-bye, the bath bye-bye, and Elmo bye-bye. Then, he sings the Elmo song.

Our nephew, Ethan, turned a huge 4 this summer. He had a bouncy house at his party, and guess who had no problem bouncing and sliding? Mabry thought this was the best thing ever.

Mabry on her first day of second grade. She loves her teacher and school, but we are having some adjustment issues this year. Mabry is actually having to study for the first time ever and she has been getting into trouble for talking. Who would've predicted that? She also figured out that she could pass notes and not get into trouble for talking. She didn't realize that she would get into trouble for passing notes in class as well.

This summer we celebrated the Watermelon Carnival here in Water Valley with a cookout at Danielle and Chuck's house. Ethan fell in love with our friend, Beth, who kept calling him Issac. It was awesome and funny since Ethan kept answering and most of us kept looking around for a black bartender.

This is my son eating one of his favorite snacks--moon pies!

Gabe spends lots of time in the kitchen cabinets. Some would say he spends too much time in the cabinets. I can't tell you how often I open the door to get a pot and find hot wheels. I have also found leftover snacks that he has hidden. Gabe also likes to sit inside the cabinets if there is room.

Other things of note: Gabe throws everything in the garbage when he is done with it if it has to do with eating--wrappers, banana peels, silverware, bowls, cups. He likes to talk. he can sing the howl part of "Werewolves of London". He will tell everyone at daycare bye except me. He still refuses to call Guy "Daddy". Guy will be stuck with Guy-gui for a while.

Mabry is taking gymnastics and loves it! She rides her bike all over town. She isn't home enough on the weekends to get pictures of her. She leaves the house around ten, shows up for lunch and a snack and comes back around dinner time. She read Nancy Drew and is now reading the Boxcar Children series. She still loves Hannah Montana, but really loves Katy Perry.

Here should be your fill of lots of photos!