Snow Prep 101

Matt and I both LOVED snow days as kids. I'm sure his were more amazing than mine considering I was in SCHOOL for most of them. None the less, I did love it when we city folks got out. We'd make snow forts, have snow ball fights, make snow angels--we'd spend the day out in it. We probably appreciated it more than the Warren Countians =). I'm sure my mother made us come in--it certainly wasn't by choice. Matt equally loved snow days. He and his cousin Adam (who was also his next door neighbor) would go "exploring" looking for indian tracks and animal trails. Matt said snow completely transformed his world. Come to think of it, it transformed mine. Snow makes everything look different. I remember one snowy day going up to hospital hill with my family which landed us in the hospital. My dad and I rode down the hill (me on top) and dad on his stomach. I don't remember much of what happened except that I was thrown across the street and bumped my head pretty bad. My dad wound up in the hospital with a cracked kidney. Hospital Hill has sent many sledders to the hospital. One of my friends broke her back, and I heard about a guy yesterday breaking both his legs coming down the hill in a Kayak. Good times!

We didn't experience any broken bones yesterday and had a grand time in Richardsville. The kids spent Friday night over at Pap and Nana Deaton's. Matt and I spent Saturday morning trying to wrangle up some snow apparel for the kids. I do not invest in things of that nature simply because it's not practical. Matt and I have things for skiing, but our kids simply do not enjoy being in the snow. We thought they might have a good time sledding though so we went out on an adventure to find some snow gear. By adventure, I mean taking the van through the snowy streets of BG, and by snow gear, I mean rain boots, athletic (nylon/active) pants, and latex gloves. Yes, latex gloves. What is it about kids gloves? Who really wants those stretchy, cheap, non waterproof gloves. I want some nice, Gortex, rain repellant gloves for my kids which are IMPOSSIBLE to find. Last year, I came across some for Karson at Kohl's--a true miracle but have been unable to find any like it this year. So, my bright idea was to put latex gloves over the lousy stretch gloves to keep their hands dry. You can see how thrifty I am--all of my purchased items have more purposes than SNOW day gear.

We arrived in Richardsville at Daniel and Lisa's house around 1 p.m. all bundled up and ready for fun. Steve Maglinger had to drive down the treacherous driveway in his 4-wheel drive to pick us up. The old white van couldn't make it. We met up with everyone soon after and started our sledding adventure. Matt and I had spent over an hour preparing, gathering, stuffing, layering, "Randying Up" the kids for a time of fun in the snow which lasted a total of 1 minute. Miles and I went down on a snow disc much like Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation. The snow blew up in our faces the entire way down--Miles thought he was dying. He absolutely despises getting his hair washed and this was like a shower in the face. We were soaking wet. In the meantime, Matt and Isaac were also sledding their way down the hill. Isaac had tears streaming down his face afterwards and was immediately ready to go. Karson came down in a cattle trough (courtesy of Kirk Young) with Paul and Elizabeth. She liked it and was ready to go again. I think she only did it one more time though and was done. By that time, I was already back at the Garica's house peeling the boys and arranging pediatric counseling sessions for both.

Highlight on my day: getting to hold the Garica's adorable Abby Kate. She was born January 22. Isn't she just the sweetest! I can't wait to get back out there and hold her =).

All in all it was a great snow day. I'll take excellent company over freezing in the snow any day of the week. Thanks Garcia's and Maglinger's for the invite, entertainment and hospitality.

The Good Cousins

Kids have the most amazing hearts. My children have taught me a lot about the fruits of the Spirit. Joy-waking up each morning with a smile and excitement, Peace-well, my kids haven't learned much about this particular fruit, Patience-taking turns, Kindness-sharing, Goodness-being aware of the feelings of those around them, Faithfulness-believing Mom and Dad won't let them down (one day they'll learn, if they haven't already, that we are flawed human beings and will let them down but God never will), Gentleness-showing concern when someone is hurting or upset, and Self-Control-learning not to take action into their own hands, being the bigger person and not throwing fits (again, one they and WE need to work on more). Then, there's the most important fruit, the thing we're supposed to always do as people of God and that is to LOVE. I admire my daughter Karson because I feel she is especially good at this. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, she is beautiful inside. It's evident when she is creative and expresses herself on paper. She loves her cousin Elizabeth and came home with this paper last week.

There's about a two year age difference in Karson and Elizabeth, but they've developed a sisterly bond. It's important to have someone in your life to lean on and someone to lean on you. I was fortunate to have a sister. Shannon and I have spent countless hours talking, shopping, crying, hurting, arguing, you name it--that's a relationship. It takes a lot of work and forgiveness on both ends to make relationships work especially the one's that count. My hope is that Karson and Elizabeth will be that for each other--BFF's.

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Karson sure does love her brothers and her cousins. Here is one of her more recent books:

The good Cousins

We are the good cousins are names are Evan, Isaac, Miles, Karson and Elizabeth

We like each other

We play with each other

We never leave anyone behinde

cause were cousins

don't get angry.

we love you.

We fight ulot

to have fun

We look into Friendship.

The End

My BIG Chicken

Isaac is five and my wild-haired little man is no longer little. We celebrated his birthday with a bash at Chick Fil A. Chick Fil A is hands down his favorite place to eat. I seriously believe if I ordered a party tray for him, he'd eat every piece of chicken on it. Saying he LOVES their food is an understatement, he could eat there every single day and every single meal for the rest of his life. When I asked him where he wanted to have his birthday, Chick Fil A was the choice. I figured since his birthday fell on a Monday, that would be PERFECT. Is there anyone who eats out on Monday nights??? I called Chick Fil A this morning to prepare them for the chaos this evening in which they politely replied--It's Briarwood Spirit Night. Oh my, my stressors sky rocketed and I had to call my mom and sister for resuscitation. They told me it would be fine and it was.

Spirit Night is actually the perfect night for a party because the Chick Fil A cow made an appearance. At one point, I had to tell Miles to stop harassing it =).

Everyone having some Chick Fil A fun!!!

Wal-Mart sure can make a tasty, cute cake. Chick Fil A gave all the kids free ice cream or ice DREAM as they like to call it. Our local Chick Fil A does not do birthday parties like McDonald's or Chuck E. Cheese's, but it is the perfect place for a party. I purchased all the kids meals for less than $3 which ended up being cheaper than the parties we've had at the other two resturants.

WE LOVE BIRTHDAY PARTIES, FAMILY, FRIENDS,

AND PRESENTS!!!

Me and my adorable 5 year old!!!

The manager took a family photo of us. Her name is Morgan, and she has to be one of the sweetest people/managers EVER. She catered to us the entire evening and was the perfect hostee. In fact, I will probably write her a thank you note this week for making the evening go so smoothly. Plus, she brought out chicken minis for everyone to sample and gave out free coupons for them =).

I love displaying all the birthday cards on our mantle. It's a nice reminder of how lucky we are to have so many people who love our children so very much. We love you Isaac!!!

HOARDERS

Those that know me well, know that HOARDER doesn't even touch the type of person I am. In fact, I will admit my biggest struggle is OCPD. I'm proud to be a person that struggles with OCPD--I personally like order and routine as part of my lifestyle (and function best in that type of environment). I don't struggle with every single level of OCPD, but if I'm going to be challenged by something, I would rather it be this than hoarding. I did, however, have some hoarder moments on Monday afternoon. We got new carpet in our living room and bedroom on Tuesday which meant we had to remove everything from both of those rooms Monday evening. We had stacks of stuff all over our house. It didn't make me uncomfortable in the least because I knew the end result (NEW CARPET) would be so worth the disorder of the house.

The kids had so much fun running around the empty living room and decided to stack all the pillows (couch cushions and all) in the middle of the floor to make a fort, wrestling arena, dance area, you name it =). Matt started tackling them in this picture which they always LOVE.

And, here are our new carpets. Okay, so I know you have no idea how they looked prior, but they were nasty. In fact, I'm no decorator, but most of our house needed updating when we moved in a few years ago. Everything in the house was white--white tile in the bathroom, white linoleum in the kitchen, white walls and worst of all white carpet. I've painted almost every wall, had the kitchen linoleum replaced immediately (kids + white kitchen = major disaster), we layed hardwood floors in the great room and hall, and now new carpet in two rooms. I'm itching to replace the carpets in the kids' rooms also but didn't want to do four floors at once. I know my mental limits =). Plus, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to replace them right now simply because of sickness, spills, etc. But, my desire might get the best of me--the new carpet looks and smells great. Come tax time, we may have to do theirs also =)!!!

Coach of the Year

Not sure how many people will read this post as it will be PICTURE-LESS. However, I did want to chronicle this MAJOR accomplishment. As many of you know, I coach Karson's basketball team the SPARKS. Prior to the season, we only had a couple of practices--meaning, there was NO WAY to cram all the fundamentals of basketball into three short hours. We covered the basics: passing, dribbling, shooting, defense, etc. I also took the girls to a Lady Topper basketball clinic. And, prior to each game, we practice for 30 minutes (which I use to review all the basic fundamentals). I knew we were in trouble yesterday playing the STARS. Not only were these girls enormous, they were running in-bounds plays, excellent defenders, shooters, ball handlers--no kidding these girls could easily hang with any high school girls team. We've only had three other games and were pretty well matched. In this league, you typically have one or two girls that actually KNOW what's going on. Every STAR player knew what was going on, and their coach was no-nonsense. I, on the other hand, am FULL of nonsense and really don't take coaching to seriously (however, I admit I have gotten on the referees at times) and make sure ALL the girls have a chance to bring the ball down the court, etc.. Anywho, our girls were whipped in a MIGHTY way. There was sadness all over their precious little faces. Even though we don't keep score, they knew we'd lost simply because the other team scored EVERY time they had the ball. We managed to score only ONE time, and guess who made their very first basket? My adorable Karson. I couldn't have been a prouder parent. She was just beaming with pride before being trampled by the other team while they inbounded the ball for their next major play =). It was a great day for her, and I felt like Coach of the Year!!!

A 2009 Year in Review

Last year, I decided to stop printing tons of digital pictures. I print only my favorites and display them on our fridge. Don't get me wrong, it's nice having albums and albums full of photos. But, I rarely get them out and look through them. In fact, many of them are in my attic. I think Karson had at least six photo albums by the time she was three years old (and so on when the boys were born). I decided, instead, to create a yearly photo book from Snapfish. The books are small, compact, fairly inexpensive and don't take up any room on a coffee table. AND, I look at them all the time. Since I kept up with three different baby books, manage this blog, and buy Plano yearbooks, the photobooks are a nice touch to our photo enjoyment =). I titled the book "A 2009 Deaton Family Year in Review." This blog is somewhat similar to what was in the book.

Here is our 2009 Deaton family year in review:

Isaac celebrated his 4th birthday with family and friends with a Hulk theme at Chuck E. Cheese's in January. He's the life of the party and never has a bad day. He played baseball in the spring for the Sidewinders with his best bud Mason. Isaac never seemed interested in playing but when he received his trophy at the end of the year, he could hardly wait to play again next year. He started his 4 year old preschool year at Greenwood Park EEP with Ms. Denise as his teacher. I was ECSTATIC that Denise returned. She is such a fabulous person and excellent teacher. Isaac is lucky to have her. Isaac has also become a fish this year swimming all over the place. He also started going underwater with googles. We joke that he needs to be adopted by Save the Children because he's so doggone skinny. Food is the last thing on his mind, but boogers are a healthy meal replacement =). Some of his favorite things are: LEGOS, playing Wii games, arts/crafts of any kind, and puzzles.

Miles celebrated his 3rd birthday with family and friends at McDonald's in October. He wasn't the least bit interested in anything that day but made the most of it. He's the kind of kid that just rolls with the punches. I know it can't be easy always tagging along to the next "older sibling" activity, but he happily goes. He and his brother are two peas in a pod. They got bunk beds this year and are enjoying them. Miles love dressing up and equally loves being in his underwear. We call he and Isaac the underwear brothers. Miles also loves being outside and would never come in if given the choice. He blows bubbles, rides his jeep, plays with his army guys, jumps on the trampoline, etc., etc. I'm looking forward to seeing him at EEP next year and how he interacts with his own peer group.

Karson celebrated her 7th birthday at OpryMills with me, my mom, aunt Shannon and cousin Elizabeth. We took her to Build-a-Bear where she assembled Autumn Hugs bear. Afterwards, we went to Rain Forest Cafe and then to Claire's. Karson talks about that trip all the time and how she can't wait to go again next year. I'm guessing that will become a yearly event =). She began 1st grade at Plano with Ms. Kolzow as her teacher. She continues to excel and amaze her teachers. She again qualified for the Primary Talent Pool and is taking the highest level classes among her peers. (I know I'm sounding braggy, but I sure am proud of her) She was able to participate in WKU's Super Saturday fall classes for the gifted. She took a class titled "Molding Magic with Monsters". We would have enrolled her in the winter term but chose to play basketball instead. I am COACHING--ahhh. Our team is the Sparks, and our only goal is to have FUN!!! Karson is a great big sister and example for her brothers.

We gained a new sister-in-law in June. Laura Blackburn became part of our family marrying John. Karson was a flower girl and Isaac was a ring bearer. My sweet friend Angie loaned me a tuxedo for Miles. He failed his practice run at the rehearsal pelting Isaac in the head repeatedly with a pillow. However, he did find true love with Laura's niece Avery Buser.

We'll also be adding another sister-in-law next September. MacKenzie White will marry Andrew, and I get to be a bridesmaid. YEAH. It's been a long time since I've been in a wedding. I'm looking forward to getting all spiffed up.

Matt and I celebrated 10 years of marital bliss in June. I mean, seriously, has it been that long. I guess so, I have the stretch marks, saggy belly, and baggy eyes to prove it. Matt, on the other hand, looks as young and handsome as ever. We started dating in college and his youngest brother Ben was five years old. Ben's a high school graduate and celebrated his 18th birthday this summer. Time sure does go by fast. Matt's my best friend and I love sharing my life with him. We were able to get away for a five day trip to Gatlinburg. We stayed at Beyond Paradise Mountain Cabin, went to Ripley's Wax Museum, rode the sky lift, hiked the killer Rainbow Falls, shopped and did the Dixie Stampede. It was the perfect way to celebrate our 10th!

May was probably the biggest highlight of 2009. We took our first trip to Disney World. We stayed at the All-Star Music resort and went ALL OUT. We flew there, purchased the meal plan, visited all the parks, and survived the entire ordeal. When we returned to reality, I felt like I had a Disney hangover for two weeks. It was the most magical place, and we can't wait to go back some day.

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We were able to return to our favorite beach DESTIN in October. We love going there, especially in the fall. The weather is perfect, the beach is spectacular, and the crowd is slim. This was our first vacation sans extended family. Fortunately, some of our dear friends, the Owens's stayed at the same resort we did. It was nice having their company. AND, they were able to snap some great family photos to help us remember the trip!

That was our year in a very small nutshell. We're looking forward to making many more great memories in 2010. Love to all!!!

What Christmas Means to Me

Last Wednesday night in class we were asked "What does Christmas mean to you?"

For me, it's summed up in one word:

My mom started collecting Hallmark ornaments in the early 70's and has grown quite a collection through the years. I looked forward to decorating our Christmas tree each year and playing with those ornaments. I bet my dad superglued every one of them at some point. When Shannon and I got married, my mom divided up her Hallmark collection between us. However, I didn't receive my FAVORITE ornament (I'm not sure if mom knew it was my favorite or not?) which was a Santa Claus with chocolate chip cookies in his belly. Not sure why, but I just LOVED this ornament. I decided to research online and find out the title of the ornament which was called A Santa-Full and luckily found it on eBay.

Every year when I decorate my Christmas tree, it's covered in Hallmark. My kids enjoy the ornaments and floods of memories and stories fill my mind with each one. I love shopping the day after Christmas so I can get lots of Hallmarks for half-price. Each year, I try to buy a few that represent the year and ones that I want to give to my children one day. This year, I bought lots of Disney since it was our first trip there in the spring. I also bought a lawnmower for Miles, a budding artist for Isaac, princesses for Karson, and smooching fish for Andrew and MacKenzie's engagement. The kids also have mini-Christmas trees with mini-Hallmarks.

I didn't take to many photos this Christmas but Matt got a couple.

Christmas Eve morning with my side of the family at my mom and dad's house.

Karson (and Elizabeth) putting on a Puppet show with her new finger puppet theater.

I love our expanding Deaton family and by this I mean, adding sister-in-laws, not waistlines or babies (ah-ump Heather R.).

Christmas Eve night at Mamaw Deaton's.

Karson and her cousin Duncan. Karson asked Santa for a Nintendo DS this Christmas. Duncan had his DS on Christmas Eve and Karson just hovered over him watching the whole time.

Christmas morning at our house. It looked like our house threw up toys =).

Karson got a DSi and some new games. She also loved her "science" things. My little smart girl wants to be a vet when she grows up.Isaac got LEGO's. It's a toss up which toy I despise more, Polly Pocket or LEGO??? As FUN as these toys are, they have so many teeny tiny pieces that flood every square inch of the house. You know me, organized me, I have all the LEGO instruction booklets in ziplock freezer bags. Polly, on the other hand, has been banished to the attic. Isaac got four huge LEGO sets this Christmas. Our dining room table is covered with the LEGO city line.

Miles got a new bike. Toys R Us had some incredible sales this season, and I was able to get his bike for a steal of a deal =). Miles, however, repeatedly asked Santa for "guys", and by this he means, PowerRangers, GI Joes, super heroes, etc. So, Santa delivered a pack of PowerRangers with his bike. I don't think he even noticed his bike and has played with those Rangers a TON. Hopefully, he'll get some good use of his bike this spring =).

We spent Christmas afternoon with Matt's granny and grandad's family and Christmas evening at his parents house. We're very fortunate being able to celebrate with so many people. Our kids sure are lucky to be loved so much.

Hope everyone had an extra special Christmas!!!