Saturday, November 28, 2009
Lil' Monkey
You'd never know we just stuffed ourselves with Thanksgiving dinner and days of leftovers...at least not by the look of our lil' monkey climbing the pantry shelves. He is trying his best to see in the snack bucket!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
FLASHBACK: Fall Break Fun
Earlier this Fall both Ann Elise and Wes were out of school for Fall Break. YIPPEE!! Not only did we have a weekend, but two whole days to plan some fun! As the Break was coming to an end, we needed an outlet. We had never visited our state's Children's Museum, and with it being such an easy drive, we hit the road. After enjoying a quick lunch, we arrived and joined in on the fun!
Bankston Hays can spend HOURS at a train table!
They were able to pretend they were delivery truck drivers...loading, unloading, and steering the crane
Big smiles
At the front of the museum they have the coolest climbing-thing-a-ma-jig!
Pretending to be pilots
Practicing our brushing skills
Trying our turn at being a weatherman
Hosting our own cooking show
Experimenting with which ball will go faster - the straight shot or the hills?
Practicing lifting with a lever and pulley
Learning what life would be like with a mobility disability
Pretend shopping and working at a Grocery Store
and a Hotel Check-In Desk
playing in the treehouse to wrap up a super day!
Bankston Hays can spend HOURS at a train table!
They were able to pretend they were delivery truck drivers...loading, unloading, and steering the crane
Big smiles
At the front of the museum they have the coolest climbing-thing-a-ma-jig!
Pretending to be pilots
Practicing our brushing skills
Trying our turn at being a weatherman
Hosting our own cooking show
Experimenting with which ball will go faster - the straight shot or the hills?
Practicing lifting with a lever and pulley
Learning what life would be like with a mobility disability
Pretend shopping and working at a Grocery Store
and a Hotel Check-In Desk
playing in the treehouse to wrap up a super day!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
10 Things About Me
Last week I was tagged by Lindsey to write 10 things about me you may not know. Those of you who know me know how much I enjoy getting to know people...there is always a question in my head and I am always sincerely interested in the answer! So, in honor of this being something I would love to read I thought this sounded exactly like something I could do!
Here are the rules:
1. Say thanks and give a link to the one who gave you the award.
2. Share 10 honest things about yourself.
3. Present this award to 3 other fantastically brilliant blogs of content or design, or peeps that have encouraged you.
4. Tell those 3 people they've been awarded and make sure they're informed of these guidelines.
1. I went to a Metallica concert in 9th grade. I am probably one of the last people you would suspect of this adventure - except Kris! And guess what? He was there, too! We did not know each other at the time (we grew up in different towns). But, the story gets even better when you hear that Kris broke his glasses while head banging. Yes, my husband, Kris!
2. I love my major (Recreational Therapy) but never worked a day in it. My internship was in a Transitional Care Unit. I worked mostly with stroke patients, hip and knee replacement patients, and a few neck injury patients. I enjoyed that time greatly! As I mentioned above, I really like getting to know people. And in this case I was able to do that and make their life more rewarding.
3. I love traveling out of the country!!! I have been fortunate to spend time overseas in 5 different countries. A lot of these opportunities have been missions related. To list a few of my favorite experiences: serving food to impoverished children in Guatemala, taking a "bath" while standing in a bucket and using a pot to pour the water to rinse with while in the Philippines, touring the famous Iguassu Falls in Brazil with one of my best college friends, and walking through many Buddhist temples in the thickest humidity imaginable while serving in Taiwan.
4. I had prayed for years that if God's will was for me to marry, I wanted to know. Meaning, beyond a shadow of a doubt, "this is the person I created for you" kind of clarity. He answered my prayer the summer of '95. The very first time I saw Kris I knew that he was the one for me. I did not know his name. I did not know his heart. But, I did know from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet to the deepest corner of my soul that God was showing me His plan. Over the months that followed, we met and became friends. However, He was also telling me "not yet". I waited three years for His timing. The longest wait of my life...but by far the most worth it!!!
5. I love, love, love, giving birth!! I would do it over and over and over. The idea of creating a life in your womb and carrying that child is the most precious and honorable feeling. The experience of childbirth, though not necessarily enjoyable, is worth every second! Those first few moments with a newborn - hearing them catch their breath, their first cry, looking into their eyes for the first time, breathing in their newborn scent, meeting their every need - LOVE it!!
6. I learned I was highly allergic to cats while a 10th grader. I will never forget it. We were at a guy's house for a Student Council Christmas Party. I was not there long before my eyes were itching uncontrollably. Then my throat became itchy and my nose stopped up. The more I sat there I began to wheeze and could not get comfortable. My friends began to talk about how red my eyes were. I felt like the walls were closing in on me so I went and stood on the front porch in the cold. Just getting outside helped relieve me. My first few years of college I lived with a girl who had cats at home. When she would return from the weekend, I would have an "attack" just from her having been home. CRAZY!
7. My mom, myself, and my daughter all share the name "Ann". My mom's given name was Paula Ann, my given name was Presley Ann, and my daughter's name is Ann Elise. I love the idea of passing down family names! Even our boys share some family history - Wes' middle name, Robert, is from men on both sides of our family, and Bankston Hays gets both his names from his fraternal great-great-grandmothers' maiden names.
8. I can go days without leaving our house. I am perfectly content to stay home, get my house in order and cleaned, do a few projects, read/play with the kids, cook meals, etc. Having a list of errands to run and places to be can get me "out of whack" and stress me a little. If I have had two days or more of that in my week - I am ready to be home!! (Typing this makes me feel like I have a split personality because I do love people and love to travel. Am I crazy?)
9. The only bone I have ever broken was my arm in 2nd grade while roller skating. The funny thing? I was roller skating in my front yard! I "rolled" over a magnolia tree's root, tripped, and caught myself with my left arm. My parents thought I had just sprained my wrist so I went days doctoring it at home. Once we realized the pain was not improving, we went to the Dr. to find out it was fractured. I was pretty excited to wear a cast for a few weeks!
10. My first car was a silver, 1984 Honda Accord with PRSLEY on the license plate. I loved that car. It even had a moon roof - of course, it started leaking not long after I got it and we had to keep it "rigged" so water would not come in! I then promoted a little and got a white Mitsubishi Mirage (cannot remember the year) to take to college. Two or three months before we got married we let my mom have that car back and Kris and I shared a vehicle for almost a year. We shared Kris' mint green, 1992 Honda Civic (my sister always called it the "Thin Mint"). We worked very hard at saving so we could buy a second car. For the most part that was fine - until the car we shared needed some work! We borrowed my father-in-law's work truck until our car was ready. This story is funny because the truck had been a former garbage truck. It had green and silver striped reflective tape on the back, the words "Please Recycle" on it, and no air conditioning! I would drive to the BSU, bouncing along in the garbage truck with the windows down, drop Kris off, and head to my workplace a little sweaty and with windblown hair. I was NOT laughing a the time, but it is pretty funny now!
Thank you, Lindsey, for the opportunity to share some of my finer qualities and moments. I hope you enjoyed getting to know me better!
I would like to get to know Kelly at Keeping Up with Kelly, Margie at Marge in Charge, and Anna at The Newlyweds better. So, consider yourself tagged!
Here are the rules:
1. Say thanks and give a link to the one who gave you the award.
2. Share 10 honest things about yourself.
3. Present this award to 3 other fantastically brilliant blogs of content or design, or peeps that have encouraged you.
4. Tell those 3 people they've been awarded and make sure they're informed of these guidelines.
1. I went to a Metallica concert in 9th grade. I am probably one of the last people you would suspect of this adventure - except Kris! And guess what? He was there, too! We did not know each other at the time (we grew up in different towns). But, the story gets even better when you hear that Kris broke his glasses while head banging. Yes, my husband, Kris!
2. I love my major (Recreational Therapy) but never worked a day in it. My internship was in a Transitional Care Unit. I worked mostly with stroke patients, hip and knee replacement patients, and a few neck injury patients. I enjoyed that time greatly! As I mentioned above, I really like getting to know people. And in this case I was able to do that and make their life more rewarding.
3. I love traveling out of the country!!! I have been fortunate to spend time overseas in 5 different countries. A lot of these opportunities have been missions related. To list a few of my favorite experiences: serving food to impoverished children in Guatemala, taking a "bath" while standing in a bucket and using a pot to pour the water to rinse with while in the Philippines, touring the famous Iguassu Falls in Brazil with one of my best college friends, and walking through many Buddhist temples in the thickest humidity imaginable while serving in Taiwan.
4. I had prayed for years that if God's will was for me to marry, I wanted to know. Meaning, beyond a shadow of a doubt, "this is the person I created for you" kind of clarity. He answered my prayer the summer of '95. The very first time I saw Kris I knew that he was the one for me. I did not know his name. I did not know his heart. But, I did know from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet to the deepest corner of my soul that God was showing me His plan. Over the months that followed, we met and became friends. However, He was also telling me "not yet". I waited three years for His timing. The longest wait of my life...but by far the most worth it!!!
5. I love, love, love, giving birth!! I would do it over and over and over. The idea of creating a life in your womb and carrying that child is the most precious and honorable feeling. The experience of childbirth, though not necessarily enjoyable, is worth every second! Those first few moments with a newborn - hearing them catch their breath, their first cry, looking into their eyes for the first time, breathing in their newborn scent, meeting their every need - LOVE it!!
6. I learned I was highly allergic to cats while a 10th grader. I will never forget it. We were at a guy's house for a Student Council Christmas Party. I was not there long before my eyes were itching uncontrollably. Then my throat became itchy and my nose stopped up. The more I sat there I began to wheeze and could not get comfortable. My friends began to talk about how red my eyes were. I felt like the walls were closing in on me so I went and stood on the front porch in the cold. Just getting outside helped relieve me. My first few years of college I lived with a girl who had cats at home. When she would return from the weekend, I would have an "attack" just from her having been home. CRAZY!
7. My mom, myself, and my daughter all share the name "Ann". My mom's given name was Paula Ann, my given name was Presley Ann, and my daughter's name is Ann Elise. I love the idea of passing down family names! Even our boys share some family history - Wes' middle name, Robert, is from men on both sides of our family, and Bankston Hays gets both his names from his fraternal great-great-grandmothers' maiden names.
8. I can go days without leaving our house. I am perfectly content to stay home, get my house in order and cleaned, do a few projects, read/play with the kids, cook meals, etc. Having a list of errands to run and places to be can get me "out of whack" and stress me a little. If I have had two days or more of that in my week - I am ready to be home!! (Typing this makes me feel like I have a split personality because I do love people and love to travel. Am I crazy?)
9. The only bone I have ever broken was my arm in 2nd grade while roller skating. The funny thing? I was roller skating in my front yard! I "rolled" over a magnolia tree's root, tripped, and caught myself with my left arm. My parents thought I had just sprained my wrist so I went days doctoring it at home. Once we realized the pain was not improving, we went to the Dr. to find out it was fractured. I was pretty excited to wear a cast for a few weeks!
10. My first car was a silver, 1984 Honda Accord with PRSLEY on the license plate. I loved that car. It even had a moon roof - of course, it started leaking not long after I got it and we had to keep it "rigged" so water would not come in! I then promoted a little and got a white Mitsubishi Mirage (cannot remember the year) to take to college. Two or three months before we got married we let my mom have that car back and Kris and I shared a vehicle for almost a year. We shared Kris' mint green, 1992 Honda Civic (my sister always called it the "Thin Mint"). We worked very hard at saving so we could buy a second car. For the most part that was fine - until the car we shared needed some work! We borrowed my father-in-law's work truck until our car was ready. This story is funny because the truck had been a former garbage truck. It had green and silver striped reflective tape on the back, the words "Please Recycle" on it, and no air conditioning! I would drive to the BSU, bouncing along in the garbage truck with the windows down, drop Kris off, and head to my workplace a little sweaty and with windblown hair. I was NOT laughing a the time, but it is pretty funny now!
Thank you, Lindsey, for the opportunity to share some of my finer qualities and moments. I hope you enjoyed getting to know me better!
I would like to get to know Kelly at Keeping Up with Kelly, Margie at Marge in Charge, and Anna at The Newlyweds better. So, consider yourself tagged!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Bankston Hays turns 2
Bankston Hays celebrated his second birthday surrounded by two of his favorite things: family and dinosaurs!
My sister's mother-in-law owns a cake shop and has always graciously given my children their birthday cake. She always does such a great job of matching our invitations!
The goody bags - only my children and my two nephews attended, but you can't have a party without a favor, right?!?
The Stegosaurus pinata
The yummy lunch of pulled pork sandwiches, hot potato salad, and baked beans
Bankston Hays is such a cutie!
Thie birthday boy screaming throughout the whole birthday song - mad because he wanted to eat the cake, not sing to it!!!
All the cousins enjoying one of the surprises from the goody bag - a dinosaur fossil buried in an egg. They had the best time digging and carving to remove the bones...kept them occupied for a long time!
My sister's mother-in-law owns a cake shop and has always graciously given my children their birthday cake. She always does such a great job of matching our invitations!
The goody bags - only my children and my two nephews attended, but you can't have a party without a favor, right?!?
The Stegosaurus pinata
The yummy lunch of pulled pork sandwiches, hot potato salad, and baked beans
Bankston Hays is such a cutie!
Thie birthday boy screaming throughout the whole birthday song - mad because he wanted to eat the cake, not sing to it!!!
All the cousins enjoying one of the surprises from the goody bag - a dinosaur fossil buried in an egg. They had the best time digging and carving to remove the bones...kept them occupied for a long time!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Wes' Wacky Olympics Birthday
Do you remember when I posted about Wes turning 7? About how he wanted a "relay games" birthday party? We had the party at the BSU since they have such a wide, open space indoor and out. Here are a few pictures:
The food/goody bag/presents tables
The cupcakes
The cake to blow out the candle (and to celebrate with as a family on his actual birthday)
The table of supplies for the games and the scoreboard
We divided the kids into two teams, keeping a tally of which team won each race. Here they are playing Bucket Fill-Up
Getting ready to play Noodle Knee
Playing Noodle Knee
Ann Elise and my nephew, Mac, competing in the Three Legged Race
Playing the Toilet Paper Roll
The birthday boy about to blow out his candles
By the looks of these faces, I'd say the party was a success!
If anyone is interested in the games we played, here is a run down of each relay and how they are played. These games are a collaboration from my Recreational Therapy classes, my summer working Centrifuge, and years of Wacky Olympics with BSU. They promise to not let you down :)
Crab Crawl (down on all fours like a crab - down, around the cone, and back - one at a time)
Ping Pong Balance (balance a ping pong ball on a spoon - down, around the cone, and back - one at a time)
Bucket Fill Up (stand in line, fist person gets sponge and they pass it through the line, last person squeezes it into bucket, repeat until bucket is full)
Wheelbarrow Race (one person holds the legs of another - down, around the cone, and back - one "team" at a time)
Noodle Knee (first person puts noodle in between knees and runs down, around the cone, and back - picks up another person and repeats - then the next two go until all have been)
Over-Under Pumpkin (standing in a line they pass the pumpkin over and under until the last person)
Soccer Ball Dribble (each person dribbles the soccer ball around the cones - down and back)
3 Legged Race (two put one leg each into the pillow case and run down, around the cone, and back)
Straddle Tunnel (standing in a line in a straddle position - the first person goes onto their knees and "through the tunnel" - then sits down and the next person repeats until all are seated)
Early Bird Gets the Worm/Bear Lick (these will be alternating - gummy worm covered in flour, every other child runs down, gets the worm with his mouth without using hands/every other child runs down and licks Cheerio off peanut butter without using his hands)
**Take shoes off at this point and put in the team laundry basket**
Big Foot (put on Kris' shoes - down, around cone, and back - one at a time)
Tennis Shoe Round-Up (laundry basket of shoes is emptied near the team's cone - all the children run at one time, find their shoes, put them back on and run back)
Amoeba (one child in the middle with all other children holding hands in a circle around them - run down, around the cone, and back)
Dizzy Izzy (each child runs down to cone, picks up bat, puts forehead on bat and makes 5 circles, drops bat and runs back to team)
Toilet Paper Roll (the team runs down to the cone, gets in a tight circle, one child remains out and "rolls" their team until roll is empty, runs back)
Thread the Needle (team stands in a line and holds hands, they must pass the hula hoop down the line without breaking hands - down the line and back)
Wacky Team Picture (each team poses for a "wacky" picture)
The food/goody bag/presents tables
The cupcakes
The cake to blow out the candle (and to celebrate with as a family on his actual birthday)
The table of supplies for the games and the scoreboard
We divided the kids into two teams, keeping a tally of which team won each race. Here they are playing Bucket Fill-Up
Getting ready to play Noodle Knee
Playing Noodle Knee
Ann Elise and my nephew, Mac, competing in the Three Legged Race
Playing the Toilet Paper Roll
The birthday boy about to blow out his candles
By the looks of these faces, I'd say the party was a success!
If anyone is interested in the games we played, here is a run down of each relay and how they are played. These games are a collaboration from my Recreational Therapy classes, my summer working Centrifuge, and years of Wacky Olympics with BSU. They promise to not let you down :)
Crab Crawl (down on all fours like a crab - down, around the cone, and back - one at a time)
Ping Pong Balance (balance a ping pong ball on a spoon - down, around the cone, and back - one at a time)
Bucket Fill Up (stand in line, fist person gets sponge and they pass it through the line, last person squeezes it into bucket, repeat until bucket is full)
Wheelbarrow Race (one person holds the legs of another - down, around the cone, and back - one "team" at a time)
Noodle Knee (first person puts noodle in between knees and runs down, around the cone, and back - picks up another person and repeats - then the next two go until all have been)
Over-Under Pumpkin (standing in a line they pass the pumpkin over and under until the last person)
Soccer Ball Dribble (each person dribbles the soccer ball around the cones - down and back)
3 Legged Race (two put one leg each into the pillow case and run down, around the cone, and back)
Straddle Tunnel (standing in a line in a straddle position - the first person goes onto their knees and "through the tunnel" - then sits down and the next person repeats until all are seated)
Early Bird Gets the Worm/Bear Lick (these will be alternating - gummy worm covered in flour, every other child runs down, gets the worm with his mouth without using hands/every other child runs down and licks Cheerio off peanut butter without using his hands)
**Take shoes off at this point and put in the team laundry basket**
Big Foot (put on Kris' shoes - down, around cone, and back - one at a time)
Tennis Shoe Round-Up (laundry basket of shoes is emptied near the team's cone - all the children run at one time, find their shoes, put them back on and run back)
Amoeba (one child in the middle with all other children holding hands in a circle around them - run down, around the cone, and back)
Dizzy Izzy (each child runs down to cone, picks up bat, puts forehead on bat and makes 5 circles, drops bat and runs back to team)
Toilet Paper Roll (the team runs down to the cone, gets in a tight circle, one child remains out and "rolls" their team until roll is empty, runs back)
Thread the Needle (team stands in a line and holds hands, they must pass the hula hoop down the line without breaking hands - down the line and back)
Wacky Team Picture (each team poses for a "wacky" picture)
Friday, November 13, 2009
I am coming back!
The past two weeks have been full around our house. We have been celebrating a birthday, hosting family, packing shoeboxes, preparing our Fantastic Reader and enjoying the company of a great friend. I have several things to post and hope to get back to it over the weekend. Don't give up on me, yet!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Halloween Recap
Each year we carve a pumpkin a few days before Halloween - mainly because I like the tradition. But the kids seem to enjoy the end result. They would probably really like the carving tradition if I would let them hold the knife! Last year I learned about this book and ordered it after the holiday season. This year I was excited to incorporate the book into our carving. As the years pass and with each pumpkin we carve, my prayer is that our kids will understand more and more about sin and what it does to us. And most importantly how Jesus saves us!
Meet pumpkin...
Meet Jack O'...
We have three different personalities when it comes to "dressing up":
*One absolutely loves it, the more to the costume the better, dreams of possibilities.
*One who likes for others to dress up, will dress up but doesn't want to be too far out there, and it must not be scratchy!
*And yet another who has no interest whatsoever in looking different than normal.
So with my psychotic tendencies, I knew this year would be interesting. We were able to pull it together and everyone seemed pleased! The result?
A boxer (with a black eye, no doubt)...
An olympic gymnast...
And a future NBA star...
Can you guess who fits each characteristic?
Meet pumpkin...
Meet Jack O'...
We have three different personalities when it comes to "dressing up":
*One absolutely loves it, the more to the costume the better, dreams of possibilities.
*One who likes for others to dress up, will dress up but doesn't want to be too far out there, and it must not be scratchy!
*And yet another who has no interest whatsoever in looking different than normal.
So with my psychotic tendencies, I knew this year would be interesting. We were able to pull it together and everyone seemed pleased! The result?
A boxer (with a black eye, no doubt)...
An olympic gymnast...
And a future NBA star...
Can you guess who fits each characteristic?
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