WOW it's been a while! I can't believe it's the holidays already! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The DH's uncle has a farm in Oklahoma and every year most of the family decends on him and his sweet wife. It's just perfect, no TV, lots and lots of open space for the kids to play, lots and lots of cousins to play with, and no worries about cars, drwoing, kidnapping, all the usual thing I worry about at home! ;)

This year it had the added bonus of a fallen tree needing to be burned! The wonderful husband always says that was one of his favorite times times while growing up, burning brush at the farm. Well, this year our kids got to experience it.Very fun, although I'm still not sure how it doesn't catch onto the surrounding grass and just go!!

We always do the early morning black friday shopping trip at Wal-Mart. So there we were at 5am. People were NOT nice this year! =( Usually it's friendly, other customers are joking, helping others out, answering where they found such and such... and it's very "spirit of Christmas-y".

NOT this year!!My brother-in -law was knocked repeatedly in the back if the legs by other shopping carts. I passed a mother YELLING at her little girl (about 7) to "shut up, I said shut up and come on, now tie your shoe and shut up!!" Really? REALLY...what you need is SO important it's worth ruining a Christmas shopping trip and quite possibly your child? I often wonder with parents who behave like that, if that's how they are in public, what are they like behind closed doors?

Well, I've digressed to a not very happy place!

So that long and short of it is, we had a wonderful time! Riley enjoyed being with the other girls and a stray cat she named Fluffy (until it bit and scratched her) at which point she cried inconsolably because "Fluffly hated" her and she loved him. Reid and Rudd loved being with their cousins and Rory was our birthday boy.

Eleven years old! Goodness, I can;t believe it! Happy birthday sweetie! we love you SO much and are so grateful God chose us as your parents!

who I'm praying for...

Souls:

~Grandmother Smith
~Grandfather Smith
~G.G.
~Papa
~Row-Row
~Uncle Bill
~Aunt Sue
~Uncle David
~Leah's Dad
~Gaby's Grandmother

People:
~My kids!
~My DH
~My mom & dad
~My sister & her family
~My sweet MIL
~All my inlaws
~My students
~My former students

Except for two lines...

So, I actually agree with most of this.

Then they pledge allegience to Barack Obama.

Then they pledge to be of SERVICE to Barack Obama. I know it's late and it's been a loooong weekend of traveling but I really thought he served US. Ya know, call me crazy...

Anyway, here it is, worth watching.

So funny if it weren't so true...

Stephen Kruiser is so right on and clever while he's doing it! Here are two articles from his blog. The first is hysterical but so close to the truth while the second is just plain true which is even scarier!

On that note we did get an email from our kids Catholic school entitled "Answers to questions we've been asked" The first answer was NO they will NOT be showing Big O's speech. WHEW!! Thought I was gonna loose one of my newly free mornings for a sec there!

(Gotta protect our princess and her peas!)

http://www.stephenkruiser.com/2009/09/02/advance-copy-of-obamas-school-year-kick-off-speech/

http://www.stephenkruiser.com/2009/09/03/what-indoctrination-speech/

Steven Crowder makes me laugh...

Steven Crowder... I so look forward to his postings every week. Thanks Goodness for PJTV! (and just for the record I was a SC fan waay before PJTV picked him up)

What is the Question...

I absolutely love Andrew Klavin! SO much so that I went out and bought his new book "The Last Thing I Remember" a book for young adults and finished it a a day! (glad I can say that about a book for young people, although the Harry Potters & Twilights took much longer)

Here is a GREAT clip for all those "war is not the answer" bumper stickers you see

Check it out...

http://www.pjtv.com/v/2011

Oh my Miss "P"

soooo, it's not too often that the princess goes to visit my parents after school but Monday was my three year old niece's first day of pre-K three so Grandmel asked if Miss "P" could help pick her up and go for ice cream. After it was over and they were headed home Miss"P" asked if she could go back to G&G's house to swim because "she needed a little more time away from her mom." hmmmmm...

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday...

Alright, here we go. The first post in blog of a mom with four kids, a job working for her mom teaching dancing to amazing kids and wife tothe best guy. So, the princess and the peas huh? A pretty apt title to sum up the kiddos. One girl (age four) who has got the three boys ages 8,9, and 10 wrapped around her finger. I'm really just planning to use this as a way to remember things, things I need to do, things that have happened, kinda a scrapbook for our family, etc. Hopefully just a lot of fun!