Breakfast with Santa

Early Saturday morning we visited the annual Breakfast with Santa event at the Rock Bridge High School here in Columbia.  It is an annual fund raiser held by the Senior class.  I have no doubt that it was a profitable morning as it brought smiles to many, many children!  Russ estimates a total of about 1,000 people were in attendance; adults and children.

It was very busy, and quite overwhelming when we first arrived, but once we got our tickets and got into the cafeteria area things were calmer.  Lawson wasn't so sure initially, but it didn't take him long to enjoy himself.  It was beautifully decorated and there was a sense of magic in the air!

We had just gotten in the door when we were greeted by this big teddy bear!  He was receiving lots of love from the children as they waited in line for their tickets.

After our breakfast of muffins and orange slices with milk, which was less than desirable, we made our way over to the craft area.  It was wild, shoulder to shoulder.  Russ waited at the front as the stroller was not going to make it through the crowd.  There were many nice options, however we chose to make food for Santa's reindeer.  Lawson loved it, and is very excited about leaving food for the reindeer on Christmas Eve.  So cute.

Here he is with one of the Senior students elves finishing up his reindeer food which consists of mixed bird seed, oats, and magical glitter!

Lawson waiting with Dad to see Santa Claus

Emmitt waiting with Dad to see Santa Claus

Emmitt was very patient as we were there for about 2.5 hours, and as you can see in his little eyes, he didn't feel so great.  He must have known that Santa was watching! ;)

Lawson showed a few of Santa's elves his reindeer food, and they assured him that it would make the reindeer really strong so that they could fly to his house on Christmas Eve! :)

These pretty elves were helping him write his letter to Santa... all he asked for was a yellow gun.  Over Thanksgiving my cousin's son, Colton (he is in the 4th grade), had a yellow gun and Lawson thoroughly enjoyed playing with it.  It was nothing fancy, it just made cool noises.  We've got to find something similar, designed for a two year old, since he specifically told Santa about this gun...

Showing Santa his wish list

Emmitt was so sweet while sitting with Santa and looked as though he knew exactly what to do!

I see you mom and dad!

Mrs. Claus was also there reading Christmas stories.

And this little Santa waited at the door telling all good-bye!

It was a lot of fun and we are thankful that we ventured out in the cold.  It was for a good cause and the $10 cost was well-spent... Lawson had a BALL!

We can hardly wait for Santa to visit!

Merry Christmas!

The Toboggan; a funny story!

To begin this post, I would like to say that it is very cold here in Columbia, Missouri.  I (we) had no idea that it would be so much colder here than it was in Evansville.  I have asked a few people if this is "normal", and they say, "yes, but not for December; more normal for January." Oh, ok.  Thank goodness we love cold weather.  The high today was 29, and the highest it has been in the last two weeks is 37.  It has been a great reminder of North Dakota, and those temps are quite "mild" for North Dakota.  Everything is relative, isn't it?

All that said, we've pulled out our parkas, scarves, and hats... AKA toboggans.

And that brings me to this toboggan memory... growing up in West Tennessee, we wore toboggans in the winter to cover our heads and ears during the winter so that we would stay warm.  They weren't guaranteed to be used frequently throughout the winter as it doesn't get that cold, but most of the time we had a toboggan and mittens or gloves for those cold, wintry days. 

Moving forward to Mandan, ND, 2004... While living in Mandan, I had the privilege of incorporating a 21st Century grant in an elementary school.  I worked in a K-6 school of ~225 students; very small and so cute. :)  I loved it there!  I actually enjoyed it just as much as teaching... it was very rewarding.  I was in charge of the after-school program, managing 5 employees with up to 48 students enrolled.  We had them every afternoon from 3:30-5:30, when their parents picked them up.  It was an awesome program with an awesome group of teachers.  The grant targeted under-privileged families, and presented many great opportunities for the students and their families allowing them to participate in many things they would not normally have been able to do.  In addition, academics were targeted and students received daily help on homework or specific areas of weakness.
One opportunity was ice skating.  We had scheduled a few trips over the winter to the skating rink and we would be transporting them by bus and would provide the skates, but students would need to bring/wear their normal winter attire.  The normal winter attire includes a coat, snow pants, snow boots, mittens/gloves, and a hat of some sort.  They wear this to school every day during the winter and are not allowed to play outside at recess without it.  Yes, they play outside in the winter until the temperature drops below -15.  I always felt sorry for those who had recess duty!  So back to ice skating... the afternoon before we were to go, I was greeting parents and passing out reminders of the field trip and letting them know that they would need their winter attire, blah, blah, blah.  Well, Carlos, Cheyanne's dad, and I were talking about his concerns as she had never ice skated and I was assuring him that she would be fine and that we would take good care of her.  I jokingly mentioned that if she had her toboggan it might protect her head a little more if she fell.  Thought nothing of this conversation once he left. 

Fast forward to the next morning...

I had an office at my school, and my hours were 9:30 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.  I arrived to school, turned on my office light only to find a large pink sled leaned against my desk with a sticky note that said, "Cheyanne".  I thought hmmm... we are ice skating, not sledding... this is strange.  As I moved it out of the way and sat down, I saw it... the sticker on the front of the "sled"... in large, bright yellow letters, it said, "TOBOGGAN".  Once again, hmmm... never heard of such.  So, I picked it up and headed to the office where the secretary was used to my southern-isms.  I knew she was going to get a kick out of this.  It was so funny! 

So, this past Saturday morning as we were placing the boys' toboggans on their sweet little heads, my mind immediately went to Cheyanne and Carlos.  They went to Wal-Mart and bought a sled for the ice skating rink.  I felt so bad.  He was sweet and understanding... it caused him to laugh although I don't think he understood our toboggan-translation from the south. 

Little memories like these are so much fun!  Our West TN friends... I am guessing you've worn a toboggan on your head at some point in your life, and your children probably have, too. :)

For those of you who have worn beanie, hats, or stocking hats, you've learned a new term for a hat even if it's only understood in the south.  Our Lawson is already calling it his toboggan.  I plan to teach him and Emmitt the other names, too, so that they aren't embarrassed like their mama was.  :)

Below are pictures of them from Saturday...

Emmitt had just woken up and it was extremely cold outside, and he has a cold.  He looks pretty pitiful, but you gotta love that toboggan his grandmother knitted for Lawson his first winter... a good ol' hand-me-down! :)

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We shall enjoy our first winter in Columbia even if it's colder than we expected!  I do hope we get some snow!

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Back to school... in Columbia!

Yesterday was a big day for Lawson!

He was so excited to be going back to school, and it sounds as though he had a great first day!

He will be going to school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8:30-1:00.  It is a Mother's Morning Out program at a church here in Columbia.  It is in its 26th year and the same two ladies have been taking care of and teaching the children there for the past 26 years.  Isn't that impressive?  26 years!

 Their dedication and love for their work was evident the moment I stepped through the door and I am very excited about this opportunity.

We went for a visit on Tuesday as he was to start yesterday.  We arrived and as I was getting the boys out of the van another mom stopped to say hello, and she introduced herself and her little girl, telling me that we were going to love it there... an immediate feeling of comfort.  We finally got in the door, and I knew that she was correct... we were going to love it there!  Upon meeting his teachers, I knew immediately why they had been there for the past 26 years... they were bubbling over with excitement as they greeted the children!  Lawson also recognized it, and he didn't want to go home.  He told me to go home and come back to get him later.  I couldn't believe it!  His new teachers, Mrs. LeeAnn and Mrs. Glenna, scooped him up and loved on him making him feel welcome and that's all it took! 

He was very excited about the big day and had his lunchbox ready to go... they eat lunch together right before going home.  For lunch, he had ham, cheese, pretzels, and mandarin oranges... and juice to drink.  He chose a Buzz Lightyear lunch box.  He has grown to love Buzz and it cracks us up!

According to Mrs. Glenna, he had a great day... she told me that it seemed as though he had been with them for years, that he fit right in and went with the flow.  For that, I am thankful.  He has been out of school for almost three months, and I wasn't sure how he would do.  I am thankful that he had a good day.

He told me about his day, and here is what I got from him...

I raised my hand to say, "yes".

Mom, I didn't say "no" to my teacher. (Thank you, Lord!)

I didn't go to twime out, but that other girl did go to twime out because her wasn't listening.

Santa says "ho, ho, ho".

Did you sing songs?  No, mom, we don't sing songs at school! :)  (are you crazy, mom?! )

Did you read a book?  Yeah! And I raised my hand.

What did you have for snack?  crackers and juice

Who did you play with?  David

And I didn't get all of this from him at one time... I got it piece by piece throughout the afternoon.  I am glad he didn't go to time out, and I am glad he didn't say "no".  And as a teacher, I wish all children went to pre-school where they were taught to raise their hand... that would be a good piece of the dreamy classroom puzzle!

Below is his artwork from the day.  He DID wear clothes to school as seen before and he DID have them on when I got there to get him!  I promise he has clothes, however he rather go without them, and it isn't worth the fight.  I'm sure some of you understand! 

Before I close, I must say that I am extremely thankful he had a great 1st day at his new school.  I am, however, extremely embarrassed as I was late to pick him up.  I thought the program was from 8:30-1:30... I was 30 minutes late to pick him up, and I was not only embarrassed, but sad that he was there for 30 minutes as though he had been forgotten.  It took all I had not to cry as she continually told me not to worry about it.  Not just a few minutes late, but 30 MINUTES!!!!  Ugh.  No mom of the year award, for sure! 

I will be on time from now on... forever... I learned my lesson... always ASK what time to be back, even if you THINK you know!

More school memories to come, I am sure.

An Angel

One week ago today, Sweet Hailey became an angel.  She left her painful life on earth, and went to be with Jesus in Heaven... as her mother said, "she earned her angel wings".... and what better day to go to Heaven than on a Sunday morning, the Lord's day.

As her mother describes in her posting from this past week, she left this world peacefully without any struggle or pain... for that they are thankful, and so are we.  As broken as our hearts are for her entire family, whom we grew to love while living in the Indianapolis area, we can't begin to imagine their pain.  Their love for our Lord was as evident then as it is today, even amongst their pain and sorrow.  I have no doubt that God is pleased with their faith in Him, and is holding them tightly in the palm of His hand.  He understands the pain that goes with losing a child as He has endured it Himself, however He promises to grant them peace beyond understanding; we must trust that He will. 

This past week, they had a Celebration of Life to honor Hailey.  Her mother has posted pictures from the special day on her CaringBridge site.  It truly appeared to be special; I wish we could have been there.

The promise of Heaven is comforting, knowing that her broken body is now whole, and that she can run, walk, play, and be happy.  I am certain that God was waiting for her with open arms.  She is in a better place and we shall see her again someday.

In closing, we want to thank you for praying for Hailey and her family.  Cancer is an ugly and relentless beast.  May they find a cure as to prevent pain and heartache such as this.  Please continue to lift them up during the coming weeks, months, and years ahead for the road before them will be sad and difficult. 

Thank you, once again.

Love,

Selena

A future in football???

Although Lawson's future in football is unclear at this time, his interest and liking for the sport is very clear!  As mentioned before, neither Russ nor I possess any athletic ability or coordination, therefore watching him develop a love for sports continually blows our minds and even causes a few laughs from time to time.

These pictures were taken one crisp and clear morning... We had been outside playing for a little while when he wanted to go back inside to get his football.  At that time, Russ heard us and decided to take a break for some football fun... and I tell you what, Mr. Lawson had so much fun!

He was a little confused here... he lifted his foot before throwing the football as he does before pitching a baseball... when you're an all-sports-boy they all begin to run together!! : )

I love his little smile in this picture!

A football player?  Only time will tell. 

For now, we will continue to cheer him on as he "plays" football, baseball, soccer, golf, and most recently hockey! 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

It was a fun night!  On October 23, family and friends came together to surprise my mother and celebrate her 50th birthday!

I am not good at surprises.  I don't like them and am definitely not good at keeping them.  However, Julie Anne and I, along with my mom's friend Dawn, pulled this one off!  It went great!

Mom's birthday was actually on October 11, but due to schedules and the possibility of her expecting it, we waited until the 23rd to celebrate.  Invitations went out and the strategy began.

Much planning to do.  I wanted it to be a true surprise so with the help of my mom's friend, Dawn, and her husband, it was a surprise indeed.  Russ and I arrived in Martin on Thursday night - my sister came in from Nashville on Friday afternoon, and my mother had no clue!  It was fun, but sneaky.  We quickly realized that lying is NOT easy!!! 

My poor sister told my mother a long story about going to a haunted house in Nashville with her friends as we traveled to Jackson to eat dinner on Friday night.  And I explained the many things we were doing in Evansville to prepare for our last week there as I swept off her back patio.  She seemed to believe everything, however her questions seemed a little more pointed than normal.  We decided it was our guilty conscience.  Lying wasn't easy. 

Saturday morning she and Dawn headed to Jackson to shop and the fun began!  The party was planned to be at my mom's house, and fortunately, my mother is a good housekeeper so there was little work to be done with regard to housework.  We did, however, have lots of setting up to do.  The party was to start at 5:30 with my mom arriving around 5:45. 

Julie Anne gathered several clothing options with the matching accessories and took them to Dawn's house where she would "freshen up" before being taken to the party.  She was simply told that she needed to get ready for an event and was to ask no questions.  They did a great job with her.  They blindfolded her as they drove in a mysterious route to the party. 

In the mean time, many of her family and friends were gathered together awaiting her arrival!  We had 37 in attendance and we are very thankful that they joined us.  It was a windy, but pleasant night.  Our plans for candles on the table, and a warm fall fire in the fire-pit were scratched with the burn-ban.  The fire-pit was on the patio and I had decided it would be fine, but since the mayor was in attendance, I decided to follow the rules. ;)  It was nice, nonetheless. 

-Everyone is waiting for her to arrive-

-Lawson waiting with Aunt Julie-

-Emmitt waiting with Brittany-

SURPRISE!!!!!

Following the surprise, many hugs were shared. 

The traditional color for the 50th birthday is black, but how boring and sad is that?!  I found some party plates with black, purple, and turquoise, and they were a go!  We used all three colors.

Below is the food table.  For dinner we had BBQ sandwiches, potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans, and potato chips.  It was very good and enjoyed by all.  Above the table, pictures of my mom from the past 50 years were hung for her guests to see.  Thanks to my grandmother and granddaddy for digging those sweet pictures out! :) 

And then the cake... my favorite part of a birthday party... I love birthday cake!  It was another Jerry Joyner cake... Mr. Richard drove me and the boys to Paris on Friday afternoon to pick it up.  The trip from Martin to Paris is much shorter than the one from Evansville, but our little Emmitt is a terrible traveler so to ensure the normal travel time, he drove, and I rode... in the back. :)  Gotta love that baby!

Anyway, I picked it up and he had written me a note on top.  It said, "TRANSPORT THIS CAKE AS IF IT WERE A BOMB!"  I wasn't so sure it would make it as the party was 27 hours away.  Mr. Richard did a great job driving us home, and the cake was just perfect for the party!

Isn't it pretty?!  

And it was scrumptious just as expected!

The following pictures are various shots from the evening. 

A few gifts were given...

Julie, Mom, and Me

Me, Daddy Denton, Mama B, and Emmitt

Daddy Denton and Emmitt

{He loves this baby, I tell ya!}

All of us...

Lawson trying to keep Sophie from jumping into the drink tub

Me and Emmitt with Mrs. Sandy and baby Cadence

Me with Grandmother and Granddaddy

There was a birthday party going on, but tuning in to that TN/Bama game was a must!

Sleepy Emmitt and Ella with Julie Anne

-Baby Cadence-

Debbie with Emmitt, Dawn, and Gary in the background

Granddaddy, Julie Anne, and Emmitt

And a happy birthday night it was!  Thank you, Dawn and Julie Anne, for your help!

Mom...  I am happy that you enjoyed it; we love you!

Happy Halloween!

It was a fun, uneventful night...  we had plans of attending a nice Halloween party, but after a quick trip to Selmer to look at furniture (putting us late to the party), and Russ being out of town, we decided to play it low-key.

Mom helped me dress the boys and we were off!  Lawson is at a fun age with regard to getting into the excitement of events, holidays, etc. 

He wanted to be a baseball player which was an easy pleaser.  A pair of x-small baseball pants from Dick's, and a Cardinals "jersey" from the awesome Super Wal-Mart in Columbia made our Lawson a happy boy!  $14 pants + $15 jersey = $29... I was happy and so was he!  We purchased the pants several weeks ago, and he was less than enthused.  The jersey however, was a fave!  He wore it for approximately 48 hours straight before I washed it and hid it until tonight.  He slept in it and all.  He is sleeping in it right now. :)  Whatever works after a late night with Halloween candy.  He looked cute, and he was happy!

As to Mr. Emmitt... I had not planned to dress him up.  I didn't dress Lawson up for his first Halloween and felt quite guilty when I got to school to see all of his infant friends in costumes.  My practicality certainly did not "shine" as a mom that day and it almost got in the way this year.  Russ and I were at Macy's in Columbia SATURDAY when I spotted a sweet little puppy costume that was 60% off and Russ twisted my arm.  :)  Had the price checked and $9.99 sold me!  I am happy I went for it.  He was adorable and sooo happy!  Daddy Denton asked me at least three times if he was always so happy... not so much, but tonight was a "treat".  So, even though I waited until the very last minute, he was festive and sweet.

As to trick-or-treating, the party would have been a blast I am certain, but the time we spent with my grandparents was very relaxing and enjoyable for all.  We began at Grandmother and Granddaddy's where he scored lots of chocolate.  Reeses' cups were quite enjoyable for him and a Snickers bar for me.  Looking forward to supper at their house tomorrow night; will be delicious, no doubt.

Next was Mama B and Daddy Denton's where he enjoyed Gummi Life Savers, cheese ball and crackers, Hershey kisses, and Dr. Pepper (8 PM eeks!).  Emmitt rolled ALL OVER the living room floor as Lawson played a nice and noisy tune on the piano... fun times!

Mr. Emmitt, the puppy... I am convinced he was wanting me to scratch his belly.

He got stuck... I like this picture because of the wastebasket.  It has been beside Daddy Denton's chair for as long as I can remember.

And our baseball player... I thought he was cute and his happiness is certainly shining!

The Cardinals are #1, Mom!

Emmitt and Granddaddy

A shot with the two of them just wasn't happening and I finally gave up.  This was the best and is far from good, but a memory indeed.  Emmitt was so eager to grab  his pumpkin and you can notice Lawson's grip on his neck preventing him from doing so, as well as the serious look of concern on his face! 

Two pumpkins will be a must next year... and I expect it to be double fun.  Emmitt will be walking (and talking, I am sure!).

Hoping everyone else enjoyed a safe and happy Halloween!