Stomach Bug Unwelcome!

It's here! The nasty flu bug that Max dealt with Saturday....it has taken a hold of Bayleigh and doesn't seem to be letting go. Poor girl. Around 10ish last night she said, Mom, I think my tummy is going to be sick. I told her to go into the bathroom and nothing....whew! Well, then dad convinced her to head up to bed and almost instantly my bed was covered in vomit! UGH! I knew it was going to be a very long night. She was up all night long with it coming from both ends. Gross--I know. :( She was on the couch with the trash can beside her and even when she would doze off I could hear her stomach rumble and within minutes she was flying up off the couch with the trash can running to the bathroom. She was miserable. She was doubled over in pain from the stomach cramps. I felt so helpless. She finally fell asleep around 3:30 this morning. It was after 4 for me. I am and she is absolutely exhausted today. I was hoping to catch a nap with her and Trent, but the neighbor ended up staying here home from school too, so no nap for me. My head is starting to hurt and it is hard for me to focus on what I am doing and I know it is from lack of sleep. Needless to say, when Larry gets home I am going to crash.
Here is a picture of Bayleigh watching Alice in Wonderland this morning when she felt some better. The #2's are back full force, but luckily she is able to sleep as of now. I hope she wakes feeling even better. Thanks for checking in. Until next blog.
Love,
Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Forgot to blog about the circus...

Three blog entries in one day! WHEW! Well, this will be short. I forgot to blog these pictures. This is a great shot of how terrific our seats were. You can see the ring behind Bayleigh.

Check out this cute cup I got for Bayleigh too. She wanted a sno cone and then I ended up having to eat most of it because she didn't want it and it was messy! She also got, a DS game, lighted tiger ear (See above), cotton candy with a hat, and a picture on a plastic elephant with a frame. CUTE!

Love,

Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Santa 2010

Every year we go to the Greenwood Park Mall and see Santa. HE is the REAL deal! :) This year we went Sunday, December 5th, 2010 and we took Trent with us again because he tends to do much better with Larry than he does for Mamaw. He was so great all day. So was Bayleigh.
Check out this picture of Trent in line with his hands in his pockets waiting in line.

Below is Bayleigh with AG Doll Melissa. Matching. Waiting to meet Santa. LOL! They are cute!

Here it is! The official 2010 Santa pic!

And here is Trent! Santa was tickling him! :)

Holiday traditions have been fullfilled again! Thanks for checking in again!

Love,

Jenn
**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Puke, Circus, Wreck...In That Order!

"Jennifer, you need to wake up. Our nephew just puked everywhere". That's what I woke to on Saturday, December 4th, 2010. I thought GREAT! This day is going to be fuuuun. I had Max stay the night because for Bayleigh's 6th birthday her papa bought her 4 tickets to the Ringling Bros. Circus. Her friend from school was unable to go so we instantly thought to invite Max. Larry then said Rachel could have his ticket because he would rather go hunting--which he didn't end up doing. So, Friday night Larry went to get Max while Rachel worked. I told her that the problem was that I do NOT drive in the snow so Larry was going to take us up to Indy and then we would meet up with her and then after we eat Larry could pick Bayleigh and I up. She then offered to drive us home. So, that was the plan. Then Max ended up being sick so I texted Rachel and she came and picked him up. I waited for the yeah or neah as to whether or not they were going. I got the wonderful news that Max had gone home. Rested. Kept down his fluids and they were going to make it. Larry then dropped Bayleigh and I off at the designated spot for Rachel to drive us on into Indy. We are driving along and all of a sudden you hear the fun in the backseat begin....Max had gotten sick again. Poor guy. I told Rachel that we could totally scratch the day, but she said we were going. So, after a pitstop to clean Max up and a pitstop--record timing too--to buy new pants we were set. We get to Conseco and get through security, get our tickets scanned and OH! We have to go to the box office because our seats were blocked. GREAT! HOWEVER, it ended up being WONDERFUL! We got front row seats in the $90 section! YEAH! :) The show was amazing! Rachel and I both agree that the cost is so worth the money because the show is that good! :)

Me, Bayleigh and Max in our front row seats!
Bayleigh, Max and Rachel!

The pictures above, clearly, are of the contortionists. Their strength and steady was just phenominal! (As you can clearly see). They certainly were not the best acts of the show, but to watch them, you can't help but be in awwww.

What's a circus without a tightrope act. I personally was not blown away by this performance, but it was still great to watch. Their costumes were beautiful!

THIS! My friends was the coolest part of the show--hands down! Rachel and I were both holding our breaths and saying our prayers for these performers. Let me just tell you how many FULL sized bikes were in this ball of steel--Not 1, Not 2, Not 3, Not 4, 5, or 6! BUT 7! YES! 7! It was amazing! One of the 7 was even a girl! Way to go chick!

This tiger was HUGE!

The tigers were fun to watch. They did NOT look happy, but they did what they were supposed to do and were fun to watch!

Ever seen a dog walking an elephant???? Now you have! :)

The trapeze act was great as well. How I got this picture so far out of order I have no clue. LOL!

As you can see from the number of pictures included, the elephant acts were pretty spectacular! I was impressed with their abilities of standing on their two back legs and even on each others backs. As they walked in and out of the arena they would hold on to the tail of the elephant in front of them. So smart!

These men were amazing as well. They at one point were 5 high. They even had a man on a unistilt stand on a teeter totter and two men jumped off of a ladder, launched the man into the air. He did 3 or 4 back flips in the air and then stuck the landing on this huge pillow looking mat that was held in the air by a few other men. They were fun to watch. To get 5 high as well, they used the teether totter and flipped to the top of the awaiting shoulders. Crazy awesome!

Meet the circus's newest member--Barnum!

Pretty impressive huh?! Not even the half of it! At one point, while she was standing on her trapeze bar, dangling from this bike on a tightrope--they did a complete 360! Isn't that cool?!

So, as you can see--we had a great time at the circus! I highly recommend you go if you get the chance.

So, we make it through the circus with no more upset bellies and we are heading to Franklin so that Larry can pick Bayleigh and I up so that Rachel doesn't have to drive us all the way home because after her lack of sleep that morning and Max feeling so yucky I didn't want her to have to do that drive. We are no more than a block from Conseco and you hear screeching tires. Sadly we were in an accident. EVERYONE WAS FINE! Thank God for that, but Rachel has to get her fender fixed and the guy involved as well has to get his doors fixed. I believe the accident will be considered a no fault accident. To be honest Rachel and I both looked and the lane was clear. We think he might have pulled out of the stopped lane to go around and when he gunned it we were already there. :( It was so minor that I didn't even realize we had wrecked. I thought we got stopped in time, but we didn't. Rachel's day was just horrible. I feel so terrible for her. :( I know the plan for today was for her to stay in her jammies all day and just veg. I texted her earlier and have not heard back from her yet so I can't update you on how she or Max are feeling. I can tell you that after the accident her husband met us in Franklin as well and we all had dinner together and during dinner you could watch Rachel melt into a puddle of not feeling so great either. Her head hurt and she sounded terrible. I hope she went home and had her date with a bottle of Nyquil and feels better though. :)

So, that was our Saturday! Fun, Entertaining, and Not so fun--all at the same time. :)

Until next blog--which I am getting ready to post....

Love,

Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

It's SNOWING! 12.1.10

I am seriously probably the MOST conflicted and confusing person when it comes to snow. Me and snow--we have a love/hate relationship. (Weird, I just said I have a relationship with snow). LOL! My thinking is this. IF it HAS to be COLD, (HATE), I want it to snow. I HATE driving in snow and basically will ONLY go from my house to the school and back in it. I am TERRIFIED beyond TERRIFIED to drive in it. I don't even like riding in it with Larry. I trust him 100% and he loves it, but I am more concerned with other drivers around us.

My fears even carried over to Christmas gifts last year for my family members. I purchased small laundry baskets that included throw blankets, small snow removal shovels that the handles extend on, small bags of kitty litter to pour under tires for traction, hand warmers, I THINK candles and matches, emergency contact cards, small first aid kits, and flashlights.

My thinking about cold and snow is this....IF it MUST be cold then I want it to snow. BUT not just enough snow to make the roads yucky and slick. I am talking SNOW--SEVERAL inches of snow that requires schools and businesses to close. Snow emergencies to keep my family home with me so we are safe and can go PLAY! :)

Every year we go with the Burris Family to a cabin to just relax one last time before the Christmas holiday is upon us and just do NOTHING. And EVERY year I hope that once we get down there that we will have a blizzard. LOL! I want to get stuck down there. Our cabin has a big bay window over looking the lake and it is BEAUTIFUL! I don't want a blizzard that knocks the electricity out, but I do want SEVERAL inches of snow Friday and Saturday night. When we are there we always see an array of wildlife and my favorite is probaby seeing the cardinals and blue jays frequent the bird feeders on the deck. The red and blue of their feathers is always so pretty against the white of the snow.

This post started because of the first snow this morning. It did snow on Thanksgiving night on our way to Kim's, but this is one where it is sticking on the ground. Bayleigh woke up and said MOM, you are NOT driving in this....it's on the roads. LOL! That cracks me up that she is only 6 and knows me so well! She quickly bundled up and headed out to get her first taste of the flakes. I attempted to capture her adventure on camera and at the time the flakes were so tiny they didn't show up in the picture. You'll be able to see in the picture below her coat is up over her mouth--I point this out because every now and again you could see her little tongue peek out over her straps in an attempt at a taste testing. LOL!

Below is another picture of our Christmas tree as well. This isn't a great picture, but you can get a better look since it isn't so dark.
I will close by saying this...1. Happy December--it is finally here. And 2. IF you must be out in the cold temperatures and snowy slick roads then please be safe. Always say a prayer before you pull away from your spot and ask God if he will tag along in your travels to protect you on your way. (I do that even when it isn't snowing). Until next blog...
Love,
Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Also, you can bookmark this page to your favorites and check back often for updates without having to look up the blog address. Feel free to post comments too!**

Just a Tuesday

Not too much has been going on since my last post. Yesterday, Bayleigh came home from school with her first Math worksheet--adding by zeros. Today she came home with a worksheet adding by ones. Bayleigh LOVES Math. She is constantly asking her daddy to write her out Math problems to practice. Her love stems from Colin learning last year in Kindergarten himself. I can't tell you how proud Larry and I are that her love for learning just seems to keep growing. I have noticed that she struggles and even seems to be getting worse, with writing her numbers backwards. Like the actual number backwards and then with her "teenagers" she tends to write 21, 31, 41, etc. That I can kind of understant because to say the word--fifteen for instance, you are thinking the five first. SOOOO, I kind of get that, but to write the five in fifteen backwards is driving me nuts. :) We have been practicing, practicing, practicing. That's all we know to do. It will click. She will get it. My good friend bought her a crayola dry erase board and it has been WONDERFUL in our quest to get the numbers right. It is fun for her to write on and she wants to do the work. Because--paper is boring, don't ya know. :) Other than that, not too much is up. It is "K" week as well--coming up with "K" words in the car proved to be a bit of a struggle as well, but she did it. She came up with 10 words for her collage. Now we just have to find the clipart on the computer so she can glue it all together.
That is pretty much it. All is well here. We are all happy, healthy, and doing great. One really can't ask for much more than that. Hope you are all doing well too! Thanks for checking in.
Love,
Jenn
**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Feel free to post comments too!**

Thanksgiving & Weekend After

Thanksgiving came and was the typical Thanksgiving. The Burris Family was late as always LOL--hey, the way I look at it--it's sort of become a tradition. LOL! We ate, we tore into our Black Friday fliers, and then we were quickly exhausted from the turkey. :) The company was great. My mom, Larry's dad, Uncle Danny, Steve, Kim, Whitney, Kaitlynn, Chuck, Cruz, and Katie all came over for dinner.
It was really hard to get into the spirit and "jolliness" of Thanksgiving knowing that I single handedly ruined this Thanksgiving and every single holiday to follow for my mother. Most of you already know that I have made the choice to not have a relationship with my sister. Please don't ask. And please don't leave comments of How could you? Life's Too Short. Please don't leave comments in support of my decision and or not in support of my decision, because even though I feel it is what is best for me at this time, the loss of anyone by choice is not necessarily a good thing. It's just what is right for me. I already know all of this and I still stand by my decision. The ONLY part of this choice that bothers me is that I have ripped my moms family apart. That's not something I am proud of and believe me, I know my mom is not happy with my choice. For that I am sorry.
I do have to say though that our Thanksgiving Day was a good one. I think we all enjoyed each others company and differences were set aside to enjoy the day. For that I am very thankful.
BLACK FRIDAY! After eating dinner we tore out our newspapers and started searching for the best Black Friday deals so that some Christmas shopping could be knocked out of the way. I think I, of course, "needed" to go to the most stores for my gift ideas. Wal-Mart is always our first stop. They changed things up a bit and started some sales at 12:01AM. I don't think I am a fan of this new change. Bayleigh and I always go to Kim's house and catch a couple hours sleep before heading to Wal-Mart in the wee hours of the morning. Not this year with the changes though. Bayleigh and I got to Kim's house and due to a terrible miscommunication between the two of us we spent the next hour and a half in the truck waiting for her to arrive at home. OOOPS! No worries though. Once she got there we changed our clothes and headed into town with no sleep--Not a first for Kim and I! LOL! I know I personally was able to get everything I went to get and then some. I would call that a success. :) I had a lady yell at me in the Target line to take my "baby" home. Let me just set the record straight here...First, My 6 year old is NOT a baby to ANYONE but ME! Second, My 6 year old has NEVER missed a Black Friday shopping experience since she has been in this world--yes, she was 2 weeks old her first shopping trip. and Third, if you are a stranger--DO NOT yell at me and tell me how to parent MY child because I will clearly yell back at you what I think. :) Thanks! (If you can't tell, that small section of my morning did not go over well with a sleep deprived momma)

This is Bayleigh in the mall running on no sleep. She was such a trooper! She did mention to my mom that she does not like Black Friday shopping. LOL! (To be 100% honest, Bayleigh doesn't like shopping anyways).
Saturday morning Larry, Bayleigh, and I loaded up and headed south to meet our two different friends new babies both born within 1 week of each other. It is so funny to see them and hold them knowing that Bayleigh was even smaller than them at one point in her life. It just doesn't seem possible. Both mommies are doing wonderfully and both babies are cute as ever!!!

First came Drew's house. Meet Nolan--I think he looks like his daddy. You can see the pride on Stacia and Drew's faces when they look at him and talk about him. Congrats to you both!

Next came going down the road to Drew's sister's house to meet her new baby. Jennifer was still a little sore. I can't blame her--she didn't even get to come home from the hospital until Thanksgiving day.

Meet Baby Ethan (TINY), and this is his big brother Benjamin. He is such a cutie as well. I of course got the honor of bringing Ben a sucker--Goob always did the same for Bayleigh when she was little too. :) He LOVED it!!! I did give him his bath after getting him all sticky--I'm not that mean. :)

Today, we used our last day of our weekend to get our Christmas tree put up. It was fun--and glittery!
This is Bayleigh putting her 2010 ornament on the tree in the perfect place! CUTE!

This is a close up of the 2010 ornament!

And this is our finished product all lit up at night! :) We are officially ready for Christmas!

As you can see from this blog we have had a very busy last four days, but many memories were made and that is what the holidays are all about! I hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving as well! Thanks for checking in!

Love,

Jenn

**On the RIGHT hand side of this page ABOVE the OWL you will find older posts if you are interested in checking them out. They are listed by month. Just click on a month and the posts will expand and you can click on each post individually or if you double click the month they will all pop up. Feel free to post comments too!**