Cotton Candy! October 29, 2009

Today, Eric and I rented the cotton candy machine for the festival our church is hosting this weekend.  We needed to pre-make all of it.  This afternoon, with Grammy here to help man the children, we started spinning cotton candy in our dining room

Someone told Eric to wear long sleeves and gloves and I am so glad that they did.  He was covered in pink and blue sugar by the end of the day.  We are so thankful that a friend came to help when we called.  Anna brought her baby over and helped us for 2 hours.

At 25 cents each, these are going to be going fast!

I think I will head to the shower!

oh yeah- costumes! October 28, 2009

In the midst of all the preparation for the Reformation Day Festival, I have put the kids’ costumes on the back burner.  Thankfully their Aunt Bethie has provided lots of wonderful, amazing costumes over the years and the girls are going to wear some from that pile.  Olivia is going to be Tinkerbell in one of the most authentic looking fairy costumes I have ever seen.  The shoes even light up!  Emma is going to be Dorothy, but I am still missing the ruby red slippers.  Cord and Lucy are going as thing one and thing two from Dr Suess’s Cat in the Hat.  I have the shirts (thanks to Aunt Bethie!), but I have been wondering what to do about that blue hair.  Yesterday I found two blue boas at Hancock Fabrics for $2 each.  I plan on wrapping them around a toboggan that we alreay have.  I hope it looks right.  If you have a better idea, let me know!

I am going as the Cat in the Hat.  I am still waiting on the hat and gloves to arrive.  I think when I look at that picture with the Cat juggling all that stuff and thing one and thing two making such a mess everywhere they go (even though it is a happy mess!), I can totally relate! Have a great weekend!

 

Reformation Day Festival October 23, 2009

Our youth group asked if they could put on a Reformation Day Festival this year.  So on October 31st from 2-5 pm at our church we will be hosting a festival.  Free Games~ Crafts~ Candy~ Hayrides~ Inflatables and an original musical entitled “My Fair Luther”.  The kids have been working since the summer.  Senior High youth group served as team leaders for areas such as Games, Food, Publicity, and Tshirts. I have been AMAZED at what our teens and their families have accomplished.  They have made a big Goliath to be knocked out by a baseball, fruits of the spirit that have to be found, crafts that remind us that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone.  I can’t wait to post pictures from the big day!

Here are some of the kids working hard:

We had 40 people working on the games Wednesday night- parents, teens, and children all working together.  Our church members donated candy, drinks, and little debbies (for the Happy 500th Birthday Bash Calvin Cake Walk) What a blessing!  I’ll post a complete list of the games after the big event! Hope you can come next weekend!!

Western day at MMO October 21, 2009

Lucy and Cord had their first dress up day for school.  Their Mother’s Morning Out had Western Day.  We had plaid and jeans and horses for everyone!

 Lucy thought she was the biggest girl!

As the picture taking went on, Cord got more shy and Lucy got more excited!

I think Lucy was the only baby in the baby room to be dressed up and have a toy with her. She was kind of dangerous with that thing- so I think the horse had time out the rest of her morning there

Baby Gene Chizik, II October 21, 2009

Olivia got a new stuffed animal while we were at the beach.  Her Grammy had given her $5 to “buy a little something” while we were on Fall Break.  After MUCH discussion, she decided to buy a travel size Etch a Sketch and a small stuffed tiger.  I knew she would love the etch a sketch on the beach and in the car, but the surprise hit was the small tiger.  She decided to name it “Baby Gene Chizik, II” .  That’s right. Baby Gene Chizik the second.  She loved the name and said it over and over throughout the week.  When we got home, she wanted to write Coach Chizik and tell him what she had done and include a photo.

 So here is the photo and she has her hand written note to go with it.  She really is hoping Coach Chizik writes back! I so hope he does, for her sake.

End of the Race October 21, 2009

I have had no time, but wanted to post a picture from the race last Saturday.

 My friend and trainer, Bertha, ran beside me the whole way and has since July, when I asked her to be my helper and accountability!  She is a steadfast friend and a person of her word.  One thing long runs give you is time to talk, and it has been a blessing to have a friend like her to talk to.

Here we are after the finish- in the rain and cold.  Thank you Bertha!

Next stop: the Boulevard Bolt 5 mile in Nashville on Thanksgiving morning!

last night of NOBO October 13, 2009

Tonight is the last night that No Boundaries (NOBO) meets at Fleet Feet before our Big Race on Saturday morning.  Before I left for Fall Break, my running partner met me and ran the course with me.  She had run the race before and had prepared me that there were big hills.  I am thankful to say that she had me scared to death so that when the real hills showed up, I thought that they were smaller than I expected.  Tonight we complete our 3 mile run with the teams we are on and then we have a party at the store.  We get our fun jackets (pictures to come!)  and have food and drinks in the store. 

I have been so impressed with the program.  The leadership sends emails throughout the week and they really work to make sure that you have someone to train with if you want that.  They will do another NOBO program to help those who want to run the Cotton Row Run in the Spring.  I think that training begins in February.  I wish I didn’t desperately need to be back at home on Tuesday nights again, or I would love to volunteer coach for the next program.  That will have to be another season of life.

Much thanks to the husband who has been pulling the load on Tuesday nights so that I could reach one of my personal goals.  Love that man.

Fall Break October 10, 2009

The Huntsville Botanical Gardens had an opportunity for families to camp out in the gardens.  Olivia and Emma have been begging to go camping and we thought this would be a good introduction.  They used a tent and sleeping bags.  They definitely look like novice campers with their school backpacks and their pillows   They had a great time roasting marshmallows and hot dogs with their Daddy.  They took a hay ride and a nature walk. 

 

 

 

 

The next morning we headed to Birmingham for the Bluff Park Art Show.  I try to go every year.  I grew up in Bluff Park and it was an annual event in our home.  We would walk to the park and stroll through all the exhibits.  Times have changed! We took all 4 kids and basically saw the playground  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After spending the night in Birmingham, figuring out how to get into the beach condo since we left the key in Huntsville, and repacking all our stuff, we headed to the beach!

   

The weather was better than we expected and the kids loved the beach and the pool~

I won’t say it was all fun and roses.  There were six of us in a two bedroom condo, filled with two pack-n-plays, a stubborn two year old and a fussy one year old.  But we did have a great time outdoors.  ALL the kids love the beach which is a blessing in and of itself!  We did go out to eat one night too. 

I am so thankful for a chance to play in the sun, for a sandbar that the kids played on all by themselves, for time away, for a good book to read while the children slept, for sweet parents and in-laws who share what they have with us.  Now time to get back to work!

ADPi’s October 1, 2009

I just got back from a weekend with my college friends and 5 of the 6 of us were ADPi’s at Auburn.  The night I got home, our family was eating dinner and Eric noticed that Cord was staring at a magazine. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He was “reading” The Adelphean, which is my sorority’s magazine.  Too funny!