A JAS Life

Our Christmas Tree!

2010-12-12T20:11:00.003-06:00

Such a busy weekend! Jason and the kiddos got the tree Saturday while I was taking my final. Then we jetted over to the stake center to see the Nativity display. Which was beautiful as always but not as many this year for some reason.

So today we decorated the tree all up and it turned out beautifully! We even braved the cold to decorate up the porch with some Christmas lights. We let the kids talk us into using colors outside since we won and got to put white lights on the tree. We made hot chocolate and cookies to warm up with afterwards. :)

Happy Holidays everyone! It's beginning to feel like Christmas!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T23:24:00.000-05:00

Just thought I would share our Halloween pic's. We were a wizarding family. Jason was a death eater, Jessa & I were witches, and Jeffrey went as Harry Potter. Jackson went as Buzz Lightyear with a wand since he didn't like not having one when everyone else had one.. hehehe.

Jason and his friend Chris made us wands. They were really neat. :)

Left to Right:
Antique Mohagony (w/ a light stain to bring out the grains)
Brazillian Mahogony
Brazillian Mahogony
Antique Dogwood
*picture is after 1st coat of laquer, unpolished or recoated

Jack In the Tub

2010-10-05T19:38:00.001-05:00

What a cute old man.... All his beard is sooo long!

The Circus is in Town!

2010-10-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

We were right in front of the tigers when they performed.

All of Jeffrey's photos were very blurry.

The kids enjoyed riding the camel but honestly... It wasn't much of a ride. lol About 2 minutes in a very small circle.

We had a fun trip to the circus. Not as eventful as the one when I was a kid that the boys always talk about where the Elephant went on a rampage. :) But I thought of them and while we were there!

New Photos

2010-09-17T19:09:00.000-05:00

Just Hangin' around at home

2010-09-01T18:17:00.000-05:00

Jack Jack wanted to play in the tent so he could "camp" the way Jeffrey gets to with Boy Scouts. It was fun for an hour or too but much too hot. We played a game of Sorry and I thought I might melt.

Jeffrey Loves to fish off the pier. We haven't caught as much this year but I guess that is just as well with the oil spill and all.

All Dressed up....

2010-05-08T13:16:00.000-05:00

I love it when the kids all look nice and put together for church, but I never seem to think to grab the camera. Jeff got the kids dressed to meet me on Mother's day and took some pic's so I thought I would share. :) I know I am biased but I am so very grateful to have such wonderful children! :)

Jeffrey- Starbase Project

2010-03-23T17:54:00.007-05:00

Starbase Atlantis is a program for the 5th grade students in the county. The Students are invited up to Whiting Field for a series of field trips. They went several times over a two month period. The kids learn about physics, mechanics, and flight. The last trip, the kids launch a rocket. They got to play with flight simulators and all kinds of neat things. Jeffrey LOVED it!

Elementary School Dance = Indoor Recess for 3 hours

2010-03-19T00:42:00.002-05:00

The kid's elementary school had a "Spring Fling" (school family dance as a Fundraiser.) It was very entertaining. Loud but entertaining. The kids ran around and the occasional parent would dance and so the kids would stop and stare at the oddity. hehehe. It was funny. But Jack and Jessalyn had a great time running around to the music. Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber Are popular because I am sure they are adored by all these kids! I swear the DJ played each of their songs at least twice. And those kids cheered everytime!

Jack N Jessa

2009-12-17T00:18:00.000-06:00

Do you ever just look at your children and realize just how absolutely fabulous they are?

Bring them home

2009-12-16T22:35:00.002-06:00

Jeffrey's Solo in the Christmas Choir Program. :) He loves to sing and does such a wonderful job. We are so proud of him for being selected. (BTW Jeffrey sings the second verse not the first so you boys just hush.)

Santa Claus is on his way.....

2009-11-28T23:42:00.000-06:00

Santa made an appearance on base so we took the kiddos to see him.

There was also a Grinch Santa. Jack was soo funny because he REALLY liked the Grinch. Many of the kids his age were afraid of the green faced Grinch Santa but not Jack.

Destiny is Hiding.... Where did she go?

2009-11-27T23:13:00.003-06:00

Anyone seen Destiny?? Oh THERE she is! :) Isn't she adorable?

Thanksgiving! :)

2009-11-26T22:54:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving EVERYBODY! Just some random pics from the family get together.

No family gathering is complete unless a game of some sort is instituted.

Really? Nice look there Z...

Come On Jake... Don't look so excited. We don't start the real torture until much later in the day.

Sam, Always supporting the home team! :)

Mom is just glad to have most of us together.

Destiny didn't eat much... She just fed hers to Jessalyn.

Jack is ready. hehehe. Silly boy.

The Kid's Thanksgiving Table

Z and Natalie

2009-11-26T21:29:00.000-06:00

So I am sure I was just trying to get a good shot but this cracked me up, I won't upload all of them but I will a few. There were 7 total, Natalie only blinked in one. It just might kill Zack to take normal picture.

NIght Night Horsie's

2009-06-29T01:59:00.000-05:00

Snorkeling

2009-06-26T19:34:00.002-05:00

Allison

took the boys to a snorkeling activity offered at Battery Worth on Fort Pickens. They met the Rangers there and were given instructions and then allowed to snorkel and net the wildlife. The boys caught a collection of hermit crabs. Some of the other varieties of wildlife that was discovered by others today were shrimp, blue crab, minnows, ghost crabs, cone jellyfish, etc. Afterwards they had lunch @ Langdon Beach and then swam in the waves. The water was beautiful and they all had so much fun. It was a hot day. It was a definitely an activity to repeat. (And Yes, I totally stole this post from Allison's Blog. Thanks Girlie! hehehe)

Hiking and other Adventures

2009-06-23T15:38:00.000-05:00

I went to Utah... it was awesome possum.
I got to go hiking in Logan canyon and we went to this place they refer to as the Wall of China. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

The bottom of the trail

A little Climbing to make it more adventurous.

Just a Neat View

A really cool outcropping on the wall- it was almost a circle.

Happy 3th Birthday Jack-Jack!

2009-06-20T19:50:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Jack's "3th" birthday today. (Yeah we totally need to send a copy of the cake to Cake Wrecks.) Jack was thrilled with his presents especially his racetrack and new Cars storybook pillow. :) (Can you tell the child loves cars?) He is a boy through and through but we love him so much. We are so lucky to have him in our family! Where does the time go? Jack is growing up to quickly!

Dragonfly Art Gallery

2009-06-16T20:20:00.000-05:00

We went to the dragonfly Art Gallery to look at some local artists work. There were alot of different mediums there. They had woven art, watercolors, carvings, chalk, and photography. Jessalyn found a dolphin watercolor that she really liked. Jeffrey was very attracted to one of a camel caravan. The activity went right along with the boys Webelos artist badge. But we will definitely visit again as they typically change the display and feature room every month. What a neat find here in our little town.

Swim Lessons

2009-06-04T20:15:00.008-05:00

I signed the kids up for swim lessons at UWF. Jack Jack did a parent/ child class that was pretty fun and Jeffy and Jessa did regular swim lessons. On the last day, they went off the diving board in the deep end. Jessalyn went twice but Jeffrey was afraid to go and only went once after they relented and let him wear a life jacket. hehehe. But now he likes it and when we were at a friends pool he went off the diving board numerous times. It is weird for me because I don't ever remember NOT being able to swim. I was born part fish I suppose. :) Will said he doesn't remember either. It was always just something we did. But my kiddies are getting there.

Pool Party!!

2009-05-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

Our Friends the Cruz's had a bunch of people over for a BBQ and Homemade ICE CREAM! YUM! We finished off the day in The Fairbanks' Pool. Lots of Fun!

Our Friend's The Stuckey's.

Esteban, Rebecca, Jessalyn, and a friend.

Allison and Jack-Jack

Jack thinks he is an expert after those swim lessons and it is tough to keep him out of the deep end.

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-05-21T21:22:00.000-05:00

Jessalyn and her Teacher Mrs. Brainard

Today was Jessalyn's Kindergarten Graduation. :) We are so proud of how much she has learned and grown this year! Jessalyn is definitely off to a running start and will do very well in school. Jessalyn was not able to be in the program but she enjoyed watching all of her friends and talking with everyone afterwards. :)

Congratulations Jessalyn!

Golf Lessons

2009-05-15T12:37:00.004-05:00

Jeffrey has started Golf Lessons and he really likes them. He was selected by the coaches to receive a set of Acculength golf clubs because they felt he showed alot of potential and gave a good effort. These are really neat because they are the right length and adjust with your child as they grow. My understanding is that when Kids use clubs for adults that are cut down it effects the flexibility and can change the swing. Supposedly these change and fix that problem. We are very proud of Jeffrey and his new sport interest! Here is a video I made during one of his last practices.

More Sun and Fun

2009-05-14T22:21:00.003-05:00

So, I am sure you all get tired of the same ol beach photos over and over but we do have a great time at the beach. We went again and played in the surf. There were alot of surfers out. I had fun teaching the kids how to body surf and "catch the wave." It was a fun afternoon. I had to laugh though because afterwards, Jeffrey realized he had not gotten any sunscreen on his legs so they were tender and burnt. Myself, well, without another adult, I sprayed myself and let the children help. OOPS!!! I am one stripped momma. Seriously. I have striped legs, striped arms, and the top of my back was sprayed well. However, the bottom half of my back was not so fortunate. I will be nursing a burn for the next little while. Jessa could have used more sunscreen on her face but it wasn't bad. Jack was the lucky one. He came away without a burn.

Graduation.... Again

2009-05-02T20:57:00.000-05:00

Woot! Zack and I both graduated. So glad to have one more step completed.
Stacy also graduated with us. However, we didn't get to sit next to each other. Sniff. We got separated right before we walked in.
Due to concerns about the Swine Flu, they did not shake hands with the graduates during the ceremony. So silly if you ask me. But I really didn't need to shake their hands to make the day complete anyhow! :) Z and I were the only ones to throw our hats. Everyone else missed out on the fun, sorry for them! hehehe!

Jack's Flintstone Car

2009-04-20T22:41:00.002-05:00

JAck loves his new wheels.. hehehe. Too Cute. Many thanks to Maureen Stuckey. Jack LOVES it!

Jessalyn is 6!

2009-04-11T21:26:00.000-05:00

My sweet baby girl is 6! Can you believe it!?!
Wow.
She is still our cowgirl. She sure loves her horses. So for her birthday this year we took 5 of her friends and we on a trail ride up in the state forest. It was alot of fun. Jessalyn's horse Storm had a colt you will see in the pictures. It was named Squall.
At the end of the ride (about 45 minutes) Jessalyn's horse decided to follow her colt off onto the road instead of following the other horses back to the corral. That was a lil adventure for her. But she had a great time and was thrilled to be able to share it with her friends.

Birdhouses!

2009-04-05T05:52:00.003-05:00

This morning started out with a "quick run" to Walmart and then Home Depot to get some new paint for Grandma's bedroom. (There's a story for ya! 2 actually... ask us later)
ANyhow, So while at Home Depot a lady asked Jessalyn if she had made her birdhouse. Jessalyn said no. The lady said, "oh, well you better hurry before they run out. I think they still have some. You get to use tools!" (Everybody now.... ooooohhh!) So we hurried over and Jessalyn made a birdhouse. The cool people at Home Depot even let us bring one home for Jeffrey to make.
When we got home, Jeffrey made his and they both painted them up beautifully. It was a fun little project to get our Saturday going. This afternoon we headed over to the pool at the college and played around. Jackson was not happy at all when we 1st got there. He wanted to leave. He didn't want to be in the water at all, even with a lifejacket or me holding him. So we let him just toss us the ball for most of the day. Then, about 20 minutes before we were going to leave, he decided he wanted to get in. He hopped into the pool and hung onto the wall by himself. I let him be for the most part and in a few minutes he wanted to be held in the water and was ready to imitate Jeffrey and Jessalyn swimming in the water. When we got home he told papaw he "went swim like a fish."

FYI
Home Depot has a free kids workshop the first Saturday of every month (9a-12p). Next month the project is a wheelbarrel planter. My kids are hooked and want to go every month.

Exploreum!

2009-03-25T22:42:00.000-05:00

A Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe

2009-03-22T21:39:00.002-05:00

A boy and a girl (and a boy and a mom) in a little canoe with the sun setting all around. And they talked and the talked til the sun grew dim....

We took the canoe out on the lake and had a fun time. There were a couple of scary moments, like when we were focusing on getting to the ducks and not where we were going and we ran into some branches. And when Jackson decided to lean over the edge of the canoe to touch the water and we all but tipped into the water.

But we all survived without getting too wet and it was nice and peaceful out on the lake. It is so nice to have it right there and be able to just go when we get the urge. :)

And Thanks Papaw for letting use your canoe and for helping us get it up and down the hill to the water!!!

Splash and Play

2009-03-21T21:08:00.009-05:00

We had a relaxing and fun day at the beach. We met some friends at the National Seashore and played for awhile on the sound side but my kiddos are too used to the white sand and waves. They really wanted to visit the "real" beach. So we parted ways and had even more fun in the sand and in the waves. The water was too cold for mommy. I was a big disappointment for not diving right in. Maybe next time! :)

So, I was looking through my pictures and found this one. Cracked me up! How old is she going to be again? 16? hehehe.

We had some beautiful sunsets and the kids took some great pictures. I think we have some mini photographers here!

Lumberjack Festival... Kindof!

2009-03-07T18:10:00.008-06:00

So we saw a sign at the Junior College that said "Lumberjack Festival" and thought it would be kind of fun. Now, I am not sure about the rest of you but when you say Lumberjack Festival I have images of races to saw trees up into a cord of wood, cut down small trees quickly, and generally let manly men and women strut their stuff in a challenging and entertaining way. Welll... the version here did have a contest to chop down a sapling so that it fell along a string or as close as possible. But other than that, it was more of a forestry/ nature/ community open house. It was a fun activity for our Saturday though.

The Forestry helicopter was there, The boys are here pretending to scream as the copter comes crashing down since Jessa is piloting the craft.

Isn't Jack a cutie-patootie? Such a big guy now!

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This was the main thoroughfare, this local artisan made these way cool tire swings. Jessa especially liked the horse style one. Brandon and Jeffy look mighty comfy in theirs!

The Wildlife Sanctuary was here and had several birds that they brought out to show. It was cool to see them up so close.

There was a man there that made these baskets out of wood. He literally carved the thin pieces from a hunk of wood and created these very intricate baskets.The large carvings were completed before we got there.

There was bee keeper there and he taught us alot about pollination and bees and how the bees live and make honey. He was very interesting to listen to and you could tell he loved his bees!

Afterwards we went to have a picnic at Benny Russell Park. It was very fun. The Boys had a blast on the slide. They all piled up at the bottom along with some other friends they made. Kate was a big help as she followed the kids around the busy playground!

His first 3 Stitches

2009-03-06T23:34:00.004-06:00

Caution: Graphic Photos...

Jack-jack. My ever curious Jack-jack is the first of my children to need stitches. (I am sure it won't be the last time.) Jack Jack cut his finger over at Dad's house on Sunday (3/1). I tried to get a photo but he was not very willing. Jack is really favoring it. He can not bend it and it has been swollen but looks much better today. He is wearing a splint to keep it straight and I found some Cars medical tape to wrap it with. Jack likes the Cars tape but hates having his bandage changed twice a day.

All for me!?!??!??!

2009-03-02T22:13:00.001-06:00

Blue and Gold Banquet

2009-02-27T21:44:00.000-06:00

Jeffrey had his Blue and Gold Banquet. He completed his Bear Badge! Woot! WE are so very proud of you! Such a big guy now! He is starting his Webelos year. :)

The boys had a cake decorating contest. There were some VERY yummy cakes there. Jeffrey's cake was a dumptruck dirt-cake. Jeffrey added butterscotch chips, graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, and other yummy chocolate bites to look like "rocks." It was cute and he won Most- Rugged.

The Lil Mechanic

2009-02-26T19:42:00.004-06:00

Jack Jack loves to help Papaw tinker with his Corvette. Sometimes he will help get a dropped tool but mostly he supervises Papaw as he works. Many times this includes making sure the dirt in the driveway is just right as well. :)

Hair Stories..

2009-02-23T12:27:00.007-06:00

My dear daughter, whom I dearly love, has beautiful hair. The problem is that she does not like to have it brushed. This is completely foreign to me. I LOVE to have my hair brushed. I LOVE it when anyone wants to play with it. Even little kids. I just love it. A pet peeve of mine is to see a beautiful little girl with scraggly looking hair. Can't stand it when my daughter looks like she forgot to brush her hair for the day. (Forgot, more like didn't want to.)

So in order to help out, I have found several "Hair Blogs" to get her excited about trying different ways to pull it up or back or whatever. So we have to take pictures so she can see the back. (She hasn't yet mastered the whole mirror/ mirrored image thing.)

Here are a few of her latest do's that we thought we would share with you!

PS. Grrr! I so wish it were easier to label your photos on Blogger!

Chili CookOff

2009-02-21T13:21:00.000-06:00

Yummmy Chili!

We had our Annual Chili Cookoff this Friday night. Dad's chili Won! Yea Dad! He won a cook book so he can learn to create more wonderful dishes!

Everyone had a great time. Jessalyn naturally was drawn towards the Coloring Corral.

Jackson on the other hand preferred to dance! So did many of the other toddlers. (Jeffrey wanted to join when he realized I was makin a video. Silly Boy!)

Mardi Gras Parade

2009-02-20T23:09:00.000-06:00

The Cub Scouts marched in the Mardi Gras Parade on Thursday night. Well... they didn't exactly march. We tried that during the Christmas parade and it wasn't fun. So we had a float the boys rode on. :) They had alot of fun and these boys sure can throw alot of beads! We had between 1100-1300 Beads and they threw ALL of them before the parade was 1/2 through the 1 mile route!

Science Fair Projects

2009-02-06T00:49:00.003-06:00

Jeffrey and Jessalyn have been busy at school preparing for the school wide science fair. Jeffrey's project is making batteries using lemons, potatos, a penny, a nail. His project won third place for 4th grade. but honestly, all bias aside, his project was way cooler than the one that got first prize! Plus I have seen it on MythBusters too!

Jessalyn's class did a group project about seeds and they grew plants and worked to figure out what it took to create an ideal place to grow plants. Jessalyn got to bring the plant she grew home with her. Jessalyn brought in a bunch of different kinds of seeds for the display. She brought in Peach seeds, apple seeds, sunflower seeds, a crocus bulb, smaller bird seed, and some wild flower seeds. It made the display very cool.

There were some really neat projects on display. One of them watched bread mold to discover which way it molded fastest. Jessalyn liked the one that used white carnations and placed them in colored water. The flowers drank the colored water and changed the petals to neon colors. There were so many it is hard to think of them all! It was neat neat neat. Afterwards the school had a spaghetti dinner that we all got to enjoy. Yum!

Today is Jeffrey's DAY!!!!

2009-02-01T15:34:00.006-06:00

Jeffrey is now a full Decade old!! Can you believe it!?!? I am soo glad he is a part of my life. He is sooo wonderful! Happy Birthday Big guy!

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Just Some Photos from his Party..

2009-02-01T11:56:00.003-06:00

We had a Super Birthday Superbowl Party- Since Jeffrey's Birthday fell on the day the Superbowl was played, he wanted to have that party be combined with his birthday party. We had enchilada's and lots of yummy snacks. We had a pinata for the kiddies. They enjoyed beating it up. :) So I am including some pics from the day. Enjoy!

Pinewood Derby Race

2009-01-24T23:39:00.002-06:00

This year the Gulf Coast Scout Council really went all out. They connected with the T.T. Wentworth Museum and each pack could have their race there on the "official track". This was great because it wasn't wood and so the lanes were more equal as far as straightness, and curve and all that. They had a fancy pants computer program as well! :) Jeffy's car did very well. He came in 3rd when we raced with 4 packs on our Raceday. (He would have gone to the district race anyhow since there are only 3 Bears in his pack.... But still!)

After the District Race in two weeks, The T.T. Wentworth Museum is going to have an entire display about pinewood derby cars. It will be neat to see. Jeffy is going to display his cars from this year and last year.

Dad is digging out some of the boys old cars so they can be placed on display as well.

Back to School

2009-01-05T09:47:00.000-06:00

It is that time again... Back to school for all the Stewart's. The kids were not QUITE ready to return. Jessalyn was more excited to return than Jeffrey. I am excited to be at the beginning of the end... At least this part of it!

Just this one more semester.... Yeeeehaaa!

Silly Hat Party

2009-01-01T20:05:00.003-06:00

For New Years Eve we had a Silly hat party, So here are a few of the highlights. I am happy to report that this year it was better than last as everyone made it to ring in the new year! We made Homemade Pizza's! Yummy!

And we had 2 craft Projects... One was to make "Lightning Bugs" using glow-in-the-dark paint and soda bottles and then to design/ decorate the craziest hats!

We also played some Wii while we waited for the magical first moments of the new year. And we had alot of fun with Sparklers!!!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T14:58:00.002-06:00

This is our Christmas card for this year. Don't be worried if you haven't got them yet. Chuckles... I uh.... have not exactly been on top of the mailing aspect. hehehe.

Merry Christmas to all!

Nativity Exhibit

2008-12-19T23:19:00.002-06:00

Today at the church the Stake Center in Pensacola there was a Nativity Exhibit and the Primary Choir sang. For some reason, I didn't take any pictures of the nativities this year. There were probably 50-75 there. Hopefully next year there will be more. This was the first year they have had one here.
Most of my videos of the choir did not turn out because of the lighting. This is the best one. Jessa is on the front second from the left Jeffrey is on the top row about 3 over from Jessalyn. Brandon is on the other side of the group in Green and Kate is conducting on the other side.

Jeffrey's School Christmas Program

2008-12-18T23:35:00.002-06:00

Just so You can find Jeffy in the video I am adding a pic.

A Visit with Santa

2008-12-13T23:01:00.000-06:00

Jeffrey Totally didn't want to sit on Santa's Lap so I promised him it was the last year. Jack was sooo Cute. Jessalyn got up there and couldn't think of a single thing she wanted. Chuckle... This is the girl with list 5 miles long

Ward Christmas Party

2008-12-13T22:14:00.005-06:00

This same day... I took Jack to get his hair cut. The woman went to use the clippers and a comb to get it a Little shorter. Right about this time, Jack (who had been good as gold and sitting still) Screamed NO! and threw his head down and forward causing the clippers to gouge a HUge chunk out of the top of his head Right is front too! The only option was to trim the rest of it up. It was too big of a swath to hide. So I have a bald baby again. snifff.. Reminds me of when he was 6 months old... What do you think? He may have had more hair THEN!

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Jessalyn enjoyed the Milk and Cookies we had at the party for Santa. Check out the Milk Mustache.

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Jack Loved the Gingerbread men. They were just his size. He was a real ham this night and really played it up for the camera. He is not usually quite so ready to pose for a decent photo. Jeffrey is conspicuously absent from these photos because he was way too busy playing with his friend Brandon.

So much to do... So lil time....

2008-12-05T15:03:00.001-06:00

So now everything is super Hectic. Lots of papers and projects due. And thanks to all my super teachers that decided to move ALL but 1 of my finals to dead week to make finals easier.
Uh.... Folks... It doesn't exactly work very well if ALL of you move your finals to the week before!

Christmas W/ Jon's Family

2008-11-29T14:25:00.002-06:00

Since Jon is headed off to Afghanistan and Jenny and Destiny are going to Germany for the time that he is gone, we celebrated Christmas with them while we were there for Thanksgiving. Destiny's favorite present was the paper. She loved it. hehehe and since it was her first Christmas, you know Grandma Nori spoiled her rotten with lots of presents.

I am including a little video of the organized Chaos for your enjoyment. Yep that is about how it goes when we are all together.

I am Thankful!

2008-11-27T21:55:00.003-06:00

I am Thankful for having such a full life and having fabulous people in it! just some pics from Hanging out at Jon's for Thanksgiving weekend.

Cousins Playing together! Jeffrey, Jessa, Destiny, and Jack-Jack

Jonny Chillin' playing cards.

Sam- Caught in the act of raiding the leftovers from that yummy Turkey Dinner!

Mom holding an excited lil Destiny.

Jeffy was VERY interested in Joey's IPOD and it's many tricks. Ut-oh! I am not ready for that yet!

Introducing... Jessalyn's Directorial Debut

2008-11-09T23:32:00.004-06:00

Jessalyn decided she wanted to make a Video introducing some of her horses. So Please enjoy her video. The stage was set by our beautiful, aspiring director. That video will be an extra feature on the DVD edition. hehehe

It's Finally Over....

2008-11-05T17:09:00.004-06:00

Barack Hussein Obama

Obama is now OUR President, the man that will lead OUR country. And regardless of your views, or what side you stand on, AMERICA, as a whole, MUST come together as ONE.

He may not be the one that I voted for and I may not agree with ALL (let's face it, many) of his views, but as an American I congratulate him on the election and hope and pray that he will stand by his word to OUR America.

And May God Continue to Bless and watch over our country. Good luck Mr. Obama!

Picture stolen from Britannica.com

Spooktacular Hair

2008-10-31T09:05:00.004-05:00

In the spirit of Halloween, today we dressed up Jessalyn's hair as a spiderweb complete with 3 spiders. She was soo excited. She loved it. Happy Halloween! :)

Trunk or Treat!

2008-10-25T22:13:00.007-05:00

Tonight we had the trunk or treat for the church. Jeffrey wanted to be from StarWars and we finally settled on the young Obe Wan Kanobi- Jessalyn found her Halloween costume on a website we were searching on for ideas for how to make Jeffrey's. She is "raining Cats and Dogs" She loved it. But the Umbrella was lookin' kinda rough by the end of the night. But what do you want from the dollar store? Jack Jack was an adorable Puppy as the Pick of the Litter. However, he wouldn't leave his cute lil ears on. Although he did well wearing the box while he needed to.

The kids had a great time. We went on a hayride, enjoyed a bonfire, and of course, Trunk of Treating!

Oh and here is our Trunk!

Fun at the Beach!

2008-10-16T23:23:00.008-05:00

Allison invited Jeffy and the rest of us (well, not exactly but we sometimes come as a package!) to hang at the beach with them while the kids were out of school for a fw days. So while we were there I made several clips of Jack Jack. He made me laugh so much! And I didn't even start to get the ones of him in the sand. hehehe... we'll save that for another day.

While there, the boys had the chance to play around with a 2 person Kayak. It was a real hoot.

2008 Christmas Exchange! :)

2008-10-13T21:44:00.008-05:00

Person------Buys For---->
Josh------------------->Jacob
Deborah--------------->Sam
Jenna------------------>Deborah
Jonny------------------>Joey
Jenny------------------>Zack
Joey------------------->Josh
Jacob------------------>Jenny
Sam------------------->Jenna
Zack------------------->Jonny

New Glasses For the Family!

2008-10-04T21:01:00.000-05:00

We found out not too long ago, that Jeffrey and Jessalyn both needed glasses. Jeffrey wears his all the time. Jessalyn has bi-focals, but she only HAS to wear them while working up close, like school work or coloring. The Dr. Said that if she will wear them then her eyes will likely correct themselves in a year or two. She forgets alot, but she does try.
They both look so sweet and grown up, don't they!
Jeffrey really looks so smart and comfortable in his glasses. And he loves being able to read the board in school and all the street signs!

Just a Memo I thought was funny.

2008-10-04T13:05:00.000-05:00

Why I am voting for John McCain

by Dr. M. Sidney Wallace

In the first presidential debate on Friday evening, I was totally unimpressed with each of the two presidential candidates. On one side of the screen there was a tall dark babbling idiot that looked and spoke more like Alfred E. Newman than a leading candidate. What was even worse was the number of times that he kept saying, I agree with John on this issue. He had absolutely no original ideas on anything happening on the face of planet Earth.

On the other side of the stage was an experienced senior individual who wanted to reach out to the other side to form a consensus and move the nation forward. In my younger days I studied a lot of natural sciences, especially physics. One of the first rules of motion is that a body will go in the direction determined by the force being applied to it. If you kick a ball to the left it will move to the left. If you kick a ball to the right, it will move to the right. However, when you kick a ball equally from the left and right at the same time, the ball will not move and you will fall on your ass.

So now, we as a nation are left trying to determine who will lead the United States for the next four years and beyond. Do we vote for a blithering idiot that wants to turn America into a socialist state where everything belongs to the government and not the individual? Or do we vote for an honorable old man that wants to make everyone happy by letting the socialist make the laws of the land.

Well here is the way I have made up my mind. I cannot vote for Obama because he goes against everything I have been taught from birth. He wants to totally destroy the United States from within. He wants a United States like his father’s homeland of Kenya. He wants every individual to have his own thatched roof hut to sleep in. He wants every village to have a whole gaggle of witch doctors to dance around camp fires to ward off evil spirits. He believes that his government bureaucrats can best determine what each individual needs.

I will vote for John McCain for one single reason. That reason is his age. Now on the surface your might assume that I am impressed with his over seventy years in age with a store house of knowledge and experiences stored away. He has been all around the world and knows almost every world leader on a first name basis. But that is not why I am voting for McCain. I can tell you why I am voting for McCain because of his age in two words. Sarah Palin.

If you wish to send a comment or ask a question of Dr. Wallace please use: msw@gulf1.com

If you wish to read other columns by Dr. Wallace please see: http://www.gulf1.com/columns/msw/mswframe.htm

Jumping for distance

2008-09-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

I think these videos are too funny. I could not decide which ones to post. Amy came over to play and we went down to the lake. The kids had a fun time just being kids. It reminded me alot of messing around with my brothers while growing up. We had splash contests and Jumping contests and pretended to be fierce creatures from the water.

I- Yi- Yi! Ike

2008-09-13T15:02:00.002-05:00

These are some awesome images of Ike from Space. Isn't that just awe inspiring? Nature is soo perfectly formed. It's amazing to me.

Ike and wrecked and left behind alot of damage to those individuals in Texas. Our thoughts are with all those people as they deal with the debri and destruction left by Ike.

Scuppernong/ Muscadine Grapes

2008-08-31T19:50:00.005-05:00

Years ago, Mom wanted a grape arbor, she planted 2 different kinds of grapes. Only one kind took root. They grow very easily here in the Florida dirt/sand. hehehe. They are very thick skinned but sweeter on the innards. Today we all went out to pick off the ripe ones. We filled 3 bowls full and there are many more left on the arbor. Here are some great pics we took today!

Rotten Babies??

2008-08-31T00:25:00.001-05:00

So my friend Jen used to call her daughter Lydia a "rotten Baby" and it always shocked me and made me wanna cuddle Lydia more. But see, Lydia was always getting into things and making messes and then being just too cute to lecture.

Well now there's Jack and I must say. Jen, I fully understand Rotten Babies now. LOL I have one. He is too funny! But man is he a handful!

Football Jamboree

2008-08-30T19:00:00.001-05:00

Jeffrey and his buddy Brandon are playing Football this year. Their Team is the Jaguars. Today was a Jamboree. Just two 25 minute scrimmages. It was super Hot but a fun afternoon. It was good for the boys to see how the game really goes. They loved the chance to try out all their "real" jerseys and stuff!

Which way will it go and HOW big?

2008-08-30T17:45:00.000-05:00

Gustave is Headed for the Gulf Coast... The only questions are where it will land for sure and How hard will he be hitting when he gets there! Right now it looks like Louisiana will get the worst of it while avoiding New Orleans (the weak point) we shall see!

And speaking of what is to come... Take a look at what is lining up in the Atlantic... 1 is not very well formed but 2 should really be a whopper!

I WANT ONE!!!

2008-08-24T13:44:00.002-05:00

Check this out, is this not totally awesome?!!

1st Day of School!

2008-08-18T09:57:00.005-05:00

First day of school for the kiddies! :) Jessalyn is starting Kindergarten! Can you believe it? She really didn't want to go at first but as it came to the day she was caught up in the excitement. It is exciting for her to go to the same school as Jeffrey though! Jeffy was so helpful and he was excited to see all his old friends again.

Summer Grades

2008-08-08T09:22:00.000-05:00

Just So ya know....

Pack Meeting Aug 2008

2008-08-06T10:56:00.003-05:00

Jeffrey got 9 new beltloops at his latest Pack meeting. The boys also showed off some of their collection interests. It was very cool. We are so proud of Jeffrey! :)

Vacuum It up!

2008-07-20T23:19:00.001-05:00

Jack Jack Loves the vacuum. He doesn't run from it like some kids. Be he runs to it. It is hard to get the vacuuming finished when he is around. He likes to push it and do it himself. Sorry the video is sideways. I wasn't aware I couldn't flip it the way you can a photo. Or maybe you can but my limited expertise did not include that info.

Dolphin Cruise

2008-07-17T22:41:00.000-05:00

Jeffrey and Jessa are going to this summer program that they really enjoy. Jeffrey is in the older group and they go on 3 field trips a week and get to do alot of fun activities. The facility has an arcade, a computer study hall, a pool, and lots of fun stuff to do. Both of them really enjoy going. This week, both Jessa and Jeffrey were able to go on a Dolphin Cruise. It was alot of fun. Jeffrey even got to drive the boat. SCARY!

The captain told the kids to yell loud to encourage the dolphins to show off. So of course, those kids did it quite well! You might want to turn the volume down prior to watching the video! :)

Sweet Boy

2008-07-09T00:56:00.001-05:00

Sleeping pictures of children are sooo sweet. They look so innocent and precious in sleep. The other night mom took these pictures of Jack when she found him sleeping.

Riverwalk 4th of July

2008-07-05T00:22:00.000-05:00

We spent the afternoon and evening at the Riverwalk. There were tons of activities. First Pirates attacked and tried to steal the town's treasure! Luckily the kids of the town rescued the treasure before the pirates got it. They came on their boats with their cannons. It was lots of fun.

Then we watched the Rubber Duck Race... They dumped 3,000 ducks off the bridge and they drifted to the end of the path until one reached the finish line. Jessa and Jeffy quacked like ducks and won prizes! :)

Afterwards we watched a play at the Imogene Theatre called "We the People" We then found a spot to play in the water and cool off. Yea! Soon... It was time for FIREWORKS! And what a terrific show it was. They were Huge! And right over our heads! Very Awesome! (Not this is not them... Just Some cool ones!)

Happy Birthday America!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-05T00:12:00.000-05:00

4th of July started out with the Pancake Breakfast as always and was definitely a run run run- Fun fun fun kind of day!

Dr. Will at Work and Showing Off!

2008-07-03T21:12:00.001-05:00

News from the Big Dr.! :) Joey made the front page (see there is still small town America!)
Joey called today and said that he made front page news in The Daily Home, the daily local newspaper. He said Talladega is the nearest bigger town. Anyways......He said the actual newspaper has 2 or 3 pictures, the on line version does not show the photos though. Course, he is sending some copies of the real thing home. But, I thought that everyone might enjoy reading the article at least. Here is the link:

http://www.dailyhome.com/news/2008/dh-sylacauga-0703-acole-8g02v1921.htm

Joey says he had just delivered his 4th baby this week. (He has only been there for 4 days mind you!) So he is averaging one baby a day at this point. He seemed quite excited about it!! Nope, he is not shadowing a gynecologist either! Dr. Swearingen is suppose to be a general practitioner! Joey is loving it, so far, I have only heard him complain about the long hours.

Bubbles Bubble Bubbles Bubbles!

2008-06-21T23:17:00.001-05:00

Like most little ones (and let's be honest, big ones too!) Jack Jack loves bubbles! For his birthday he got a bubble machine. He loves it. Tooo cute!

Happy Jack Birthday!

2008-06-20T22:53:00.001-05:00

JACK IS 2!!! Such a big guy now! Jackson got a shirt that talks for his birthday and then had little interest in opening his other gifts. He was very cute.

The Circus Comes to Town

2008-06-20T01:15:00.000-05:00

Circus Time! We had a great time. Photos didn't take out very well but here are a few. There was a preshow where you got to go down among the circus stars and be up close. I wish we had been there longer for that part of it. It was fun. :) Jessa was so excited to meet all the "fancy ladies."

Kindergarten 4 Graduation-

2008-05-30T16:00:00.001-05:00

Jessalyn graduated from PreK 4. It was a cute little program. I am including a clip of one of the songs in the program. Yea Peanut! We are so proud of you!

A Beach Day

2008-04-19T17:28:00.001-05:00

Just a fun relaxing day at the beach. Jack was too funny with his little car. He wanted to put it at the top of the dune and let it roll down until it was engulfed by the waves.

Jeffy's Game of rolling down the hill into the surf.

Horseback Riding Lessons

2008-04-16T16:13:00.001-05:00

For Jessalyn's Birthday she has gotten to take some riding lessons. Which of course she LOVES. Attached you will find some different Pictures.

Jessalyn leading the horse (Shadow).

Here is Jessalyn showing off her new pink riding helmet.

This is called a hoof pick. Jessalyn uses it to make sure there are no clumps of dirt or rocks stuck in the horse shoe.

Rodeo

2008-04-13T19:18:00.000-05:00

So for Jessalyn's birthday we went to the rodeo. (Flat-Maddie came along as well.) Jessalyn enjoyed seeing all the horses. She really liked the barrel racing. The kids were able to take part as well. They had an event in which all the kids got into the arena and chased 2 calves. The goal was to grab a ribbon out of their tails. Jeffrey came VERY close to one of them but his grab missed the ribbon. They had a terrific time. It was a long eventful day! but full of fun! :)

(It was difficult to take pictures in there because we were above the arena and it was dark but the lights were low enough to be in the scenes. The camera didn't like it very well. But here are some of the best I could get.)

Jessa's Big Hair cut!

2008-04-12T17:44:00.001-05:00

Jessalyn took a big step and got her hair cut off! Jessa is donating her hair to WIgs4Kids.org
She looks Really different with such short hair. But Still just as beautiful as before. Jessalyn misses her princess hair but knows that she helped a sick kid and that her hair can grow again.

The Adventures of Flat-Maddie in Florida for Jessalyn's Birthday!

2008-04-11T18:35:00.001-05:00

Maddie did a project with school Where she drew her outline and created Flat Maddie. She then mailed Flat Maddie to Florida to go on an adventure with her Cousin Jessalyn. Flat-Maddie made it in time to go to Jessalyn's birthday breakfast at Ihop and she got to eat Green Eggs and Ham and Whoo-cakes. :)

Then she went to Jessalyn's school and met Jessalyn's classmates and She hung out with Jessalyn's flat classmates for awhile.

Flat Maddie was there for Jessalyn's Birthday Celebration as well. They have a little ceremony the kids do. Jessalyn walks in a circle as they chanted the months of the year. When they came back around to April they said, "Jessalyn is 1. When Jessa turned 1 she... ___ " "When Jessa turned 2 she.______" etc. It was very cute. Jessalyn held a globe to show how the world goes around the sun (a candle) each year.

Hockey Game

2008-04-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

Papaw received some free tickets to the last Ice Pilots game of the season. Since he had to be out of town Grandma, Jeffrey, Jessalyn, and Mom got to go. We had alot of fun. Jeffrey got up to dance with the cheerleaders. Jessalyn stood in the aisle and imitated them a bit although she wasn't ready to stand in front of everyone. Jessalyn and Jeffrey both enjoyed the cotton candy and pizza while watching the game. Jessalyn did not like when the guys fought. She thought it was mean! But really it was a super tame evening with only 2 scuffles both in the last period. The Pilots lost 0-4 to the Mississippi Sea Wolves. But it was a fun time anyhow! :)

Amarylis

2008-04-03T18:30:00.000-05:00

Isn't this Amarylis Beautiful! The blooms are just soo Pretty and even the harsh rain storm didn't damage them. Love it. So perfect It almost looks fake!

Side? Ow-Side?

2008-03-30T18:22:00.001-05:00

Please Please can we go outside some more????

Jack Just LOVES to go outside. He has learned how to open doors and can even undo the deadbolts now. So we are constantly watching out that he doesn't escape. He is too cute. He knows he isn't supposed to be going out but you know.... Nature calls.... LOL

Easter Day!

2008-03-23T23:13:00.000-05:00

We had a beautiful Easter. Jeffrey sang with the choir and did a solo of the Song, "Did Jesus Really Live Again?" His sweet voice was wonderful to hear as he sang about the Savior.

Attached are a few pic's of the kids from Sunday.

Eggs Eggs And More Eggs!

2008-03-23T00:26:00.000-05:00

We had a great time at the Easter Egg Hunt. There were alot of people and plenty of fun for the kiddies.

They played Bunny Hop musical Chairs. And Regular Musical Chairs, a ring toss,
.
An Egg Relay, (Jeffrey was too fast for the camera!)

And of Course an Easter Egg Hunt!
Jeffrey gathered ALOT of Eggs VERY quickly!

Jessalyn gathered 36 Eggs which she promptly counted in Japanese much to the amazement of several people watching.

Jack was SOOO cute! He really got into gathering the eggs. Dad and I had seen when we pulled in that there were alot of eggs right along the driveway and nearly where you would park. So he took Jack over there to look. He was pointing out an Egg that was near the tire when Jackson dove UNDER the car! We laughed out loud when we realized that he had spied an egg way under there and he belly crawled under to get it! He had a terrific time at his first egg hunt!

Trying to act older....

2008-03-10T22:19:00.001-05:00

Jack Jack has decided to act like a two year old just a lil bit early. He has been making some real messes lately. You can't let him out of your sight for a second because he is into something. He likes to take ALL the toilet paper off the roll... Especially if it is a new roll AND he can drag it around the whole bathroom.
Yesterday at nap time when I went in to get him he had taken off his pants, and his diaper and thrown them out of the crib. There he is with yuck everywhere. The second time was not as bad. He took it off in the kitchen. We have been sitting him on the potty and I don't want to discourage him but eeeeeew, Jack!

Ahhh... Remember Jessalyn? The laundry soap, that was a much cleaner mess. I will take that anytime! Silly boy!

Solar System

2008-03-01T00:55:00.000-06:00

So Jeffrey had a parent/ child project to do for school and we needed to recreate the solar System. We used Ballo0ns that we blew up to different sizes for the different planets and suspended them from a wire hanger. It was awesome. We hope we got a 100%. We get 30 pts for creativity and Jeffrey said NO one else used balloons!

Destiny Smiles

2008-02-21T14:28:00.000-06:00

Jon and Jenny had their lil girl. Isn't she sweet! :)

She was born weighing 9lbs 4oz and 20 1/2'' long.

Silver Beaver Ceremony

2008-02-09T23:16:00.000-06:00

Dad received a very special award from the Gulf Coast Boy Scout Council. It is awarded for outstanding volunteer services over the years. Dad was nominated and selected. They had a dinner and a ceremony. It was really neat. We are so proud of him. Congratulations Dad!

Oh and mom got one too because that means she had to be without him all that time. Her Beaver looked more like a rat though. hehehe. .

Hey, What's the world like up there?

2008-02-02T00:07:00.000-06:00

Aren't my Blue eyed boys cute?

Wyatt's Arrival

2008-01-30T14:37:00.000-06:00

Wyatt has decided to make his entrance into the world! Welcome Baby Wyatt!

Congratulations Josh and Deborah!

Jack and Grampa

2008-01-29T00:25:00.001-06:00

Jack and Grampa understand each other. Jack likes to follow grandpa outside or to just cuddle on the couch. Jack still loves toys that make a lot of noise. So here Grandpa is entertaining a very tired Jack Jack with Jeffrey's addition toy.

Horsalyn

2008-01-27T00:11:00.000-06:00

So, Jessalyn tells me: I am going to change my name.

Me: Oh? You want to be called Bacon again?

Jessalyn: : NOOOOO!

Me: Peanut Nutter?

Jessalyn: No, a real name.

Me: Like what?

Jessalyn: Hmmmm..... I know, Horsalyn! Cuz I like horses!