Merry Christmas (a little late!)

I hope that you and yours had a great one! We sure did. It was a busy week, as well, and I thought I would share some of the highlights.

Monday (12/22) was Kyle's 13th birthday. Mom and Dad had a great time torturing him by making him wait until Dad got home from work to open his present! I did take him out to lunch, though, so I think that helped him to pass the time! At his request, we had chimichangas for dinner, followed by German Chocolate cake and Butter Crunch ice cream (vanilla ice cream with crushed up butterfingers... yummy!). Finally he got to open his present...


An Atlanta Falcons hoodie! He loves it, and even slept in it that night!
His Aunt Cari, though, gave him the best gift... a birthday buddy! A sweet cousin, Eden, made her appearance into this world on his birthday.

On Tuesday, Megan invited her friend, Meg, over to make cookies with her. The girls and I always bake cookies a few days before Christmas, and it was fun to include a friend this year. They helped me make sugar cookie dough, then together the two of them rolled it out, cut it out, bake it, and decorated them! They were very creative, and we sent Meg home with a plate full.


After we finished up with the cookies, we headed to the hospital to see Eden. What a cutie she is! She and Kayti weighed the same at birth, and both had a head full of dark hair. We are hoping that Eden takes after Kayti and doesn't lose any of it!


On Wednesday morning I got up early and headed into town to pick up a few last minute things. When I got home the kids reminded me that we had not drawn names this year, and they were really wanting to do it this year. (For several years now we have let the kids draw each other's names and they get to go shopping for them. They get a $5 limit, but they really enjoy seeing what they can come up with for each other.) So, we drew names, and I made 2 more trips back into town... once with the boys to buy for the girls, then for the girls to get for their brothers (honestly, it just worked out this way!). Once we had all the gifts wrapped and under the tree, we just spent the afternoon hanging out. It was pretty peaceful, and I was certainly feeling in the Christmas mood. I think seeing my kids want to do something nice for each other really helped that feeling! Barry made it home early from work, and once it was pretty dark outside we headed out to go look at Christmas lights. We have been doing this as a family for a very long time, and it's always fun to see how creative people get! After looking at lights, we made our annual visit to some dear friends, the Sparkman's. Barry and Mike started working together shortly after Barry got home from his mission. They worked together for several years (we both moved to Nashville at the same time), and a great friendship grew between our families. We visit him and his parents every year on Christmas Eve. His mom is Italian, and she makes Italian Sausage for dinner every year. Barry usually makes himself sick with them, but it's a fun tradition!

Another Christmas Eve tradition that we have is that the kids get to open a present when we get home from visiting. It's always new pj's... and they always love them!!


As soon as they are snuggled safely in bed, Barry and I set out the stockings so Santa can fill them. He did a pretty good job this year!


(In case you are wondering about the cereal in the stockings... this is another one of our traditions. Everyone gets his or her own box of cereal that they eat for breakfast. This makes it easier on mom to take care of any cooking that needs to be done for dinner, and not have to worry about breakfast.)

Christmas morning usually goes like this in our house... the kids wake up early and usually sneak downstairs, even though they are not supposed to come out of their rooms until 7:00. (To keep them "occupied" in their rooms, Mrs. Claus leaves them a new book in their rooms, all wrapped up. This is supposed to work, but never does!) Usually when they can't stand it anymore, they come pounce on Daddy to plead with him to wake up! Once everyone is awake and piled in Mom and Dad's bed, we read the Christmas Story from the scriptures together. (This year was much the same, except for the fact that everyone wanted to sleep in this year! It was close to 8:30 before the kids came in our room.) Finally, everyone is allowed downstairs after Mom has the camera out and ready to go! One of the kids gets to be "Santa" and hand out the gifts. The kids each take turns opening one present, then it's on to Mom and Dad. I usually can't stand to wait to see Barry's expression over all his loot, so I make him go first. Long ago, when Kayti and Josh were little we decided that the kids would each get 3 gifts... that was how many Baby Jesus got, so that was how we came upon that number. They usually each get one big Santa gift, then a couple of smaller gifts from Mom and Dad. This year we got the family one big Santa gift, so we wrapped it up instead of just having it under the tree. And, to top it all off, they had to wait and open it last! It about killed them, but it was great!! Before I reveal what that gift was, here is a run-down on what else they got:
Kayti got a gold necklace with a "K" initial charm on it, and a new purse. Inside the purse was an iTunes gift card. Josh drew her name and got her a big bag of peanut M&M's (her favorite!) and a set of mechanical pencils (the girl goes through them like crazy!!)


Josh got a new mp3 player and an Auburn hoodie. Kayti drew his name and got him a movie.


Kyle got a Nike soccer bag, and a new sterling silver CTR ring (he lost his months ago, and picked this one out when we went to the bookstore in Atlanta. The middle spins, and he LOVES it!). Megan drew his name and got him a poster of the Falcon's QB.


Megan also got a new mp3 player with an "iFlops" (a cute stuffed pig that acts as an amplifier), and a portable art station. Kyle drew her name and got her earrings.


It finally came time for them to open the "biggie", and Barry made them all gather around it so they could all rip the paper:


They tore the top of the box off and...


So, what was inside this box?


An XBox 360! It came with two game and one controller, but Barry got them 3 more games and an extra controller. They were all beside themselves, and the boys both took turns jumping in their Daddy's lap to show their appreciation!

After breakfast and some "play time" we loaded up and headed out to see a movie. This is the first time that we have ever done that on Christmas Day. We went to see "Bedtime Stories" and loved it! It was a great family movie. After the movie we headed over to Granny and Grandpa Mayfield's to visit with them for a bit, then we all headed to the Callahan's for Christmas Dinner. It was great being their with family and we enjoyed the visit and yummy food.

On Friday morning Barry had to go into work, so the kids and I went to visit my family. We had a yummy brunch at the farm. We had fun visiting, eating and playing! We spent the night, but had to head home the next day so I could finish up my RS lesson for Sunday.
Megan is spending this week at the farm, and is loving it! She calls me every day to fill me in on all of her adventures! The weather has cooperated, and the kids have been exploring all over place.
The other kiddo's and I have been very lazy!! We have slept in, and stayed up late. I really feel guilty about it, though, because Barry has to head to work each morning. I have to go back to work on Friday, so I am trying not to get too used to sleeping in! Barry will have to work on New Year's Eve, which we hate, so we aren't doing anything huge. The kids and I will watch some movies, eat some treats, and watch the ball drop on TV. We will all sleep in on New Year's Day, and I plan on making a big breakfast around lunch time!
Kyle will be heading off Friday morning on a camp out with his Deacon's quorum. Kayti and Josh have a winter youth conference on Saturday, and I will go pick up Megan then. Starting this Sunday we will be switching time for Church to start, so we will have to get up bright and early. I guess that will get us back in the swing of things for the rest of the week when everyone heads back to school, and life gets back to "normal".

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, and has a wonderful New Year!!

Happy Birthday, Kyle!

This cutie turned 13 last week. I now officially have 3 teenagers in the house... it's a good thing this one is so sweet!!

2nd Annual Blog Christmas Newsletter

Wow! It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone. What a busy one it has been, too. Here is a brief update on our family:

Kayti

Kayti turned 16 this year, and she is currently a Junior in high school. She has learned to play the guitar this year, and has been serenading us with Chirstmas songs over the past few weeks. She loves Seminary, and is serving as the second counselor in her Laurel class presidency at church. She is such a helper around the house, and there are times that I don't know what I would do without her. For youth conference this year, our youth went on a pioneer trek, which Kayti loved! The youth had to either make or buy pioneer clothing, and Kayti helped to make her clothes. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, the trek had to be cut short by a day, but Kayti came away from it with an increased testimony of the Savior, and a better understanding of the hardships that the early pioneer saints experienced. On a slightly scary note (for me) she has started looking into colleges. I can't believe that she is old enough to start thinking about that yet!! She still wants to be a writer, but plans on being a secondary English teacher to acually support herself. She always has her nose stuck in a book (even at the beach!), and loves to write as well.

Josh

Josh just turned 15, and thinks he is 21! He will be getting his driving permit soon, and can't wait to get behind the wheel. He teases Kayti that he will be getting his license before she does (as she is too afraid to drive). He is a Freshman in high school now, and stands a good head taller than his mother! He took a drama class last year in school, and really fell in love with it. He played an old man in his class play, and did a great job. His teacher raved that he was the best one out of all the classes. He plans on taking more drama classes soon as his schedule allows it. Josh decided that he wanted to go back to playing soccer this year, and he did a great job! He was very upset when a bruised kidney kept him out of both regional and area championship games. He plays defender, and loves it. He also went on the pioneer trek with Kayti, although he did not enjoy it as much as Kayti did! I was proud of him for going, though. He loves spending time with his younger cousins, and he does a great job keeping them entertained. He went skiing for the first time at the beginning of the year with a group of YM from church. They drove to North Carolina, and set up camp in the snow. They actually did tent camping to keep the cost down. He loved to ski, although he did run into lots of people and trees! Thankfully he didn't break any bones.

Kyle

Kyle is 13, and loves life! He is a 7th grader now, and gets to ride to and from school with mom each day! He is a great student, and loves to learn and figure things out. He attended scout camp for the first time this year, and loved it! He was also able to attend Space Camp this past year with his 6th grade class. They went each day during school hours, which helped to keep the cost down. He was a mission specialist within his group, and loved the simulated mission to Mars. His highlight of the year, though, was going to the Georgia Dome, the home his favorite NFL team the Atlanta Falcons. He played soccer again this year, but as a midfielder instead of goalie. He liked playing midfield, but really prefers being in the goal. He has enjoyed being involved with his Deacon's quorum, and served as 2nd counselor for a short time. He has enjoyed being able to attend the temple during youth temple trips. He is the best big brother to Megan, and the two of them are best friends.

Megan

Megan is 11, and a little chatterbox! She is in the 6th grade, and the only one left in elementary school. She loves her teachers, and is doing well in school. In the early part of this year, she and her 2 best friends entered the school science fair, and won 3rd place. They were able to go on to the regional fair, and took 3rd place there as well. They were too young to go on to the state level, but they did a great job, and learned a lot. She loves to spend time with her Grandpa up on the farm. She is his right-hand girl, and helps him feed, milk, and herd the cows. She loves to ride his horse, too, and is great with all the animals. She played soccer this year, too, but decided to play on an all girls team instead of co-ed. She loved it, and played as goalie most of the year. Her team came in second in the region, thanks mostly to some fantastic saves on her part. She will be turning 12 in a few months, and can't wait to move on to YW. She is almost as tall as mom, and loves to help out in the kitchen.

Barry and I stay busy working and running kids around. Barry still works at the credit union, and I am still at the middle school. Barry works in the IT dept. as a supervisor, and I am the school secretary. I really enjoy my job and the people I work with. They make it fun to be there everyday. In August I was released as the Laurel Advisor and called to teach Relief Society. I still miss my girls, but I am growing to enjoy being in RS as well. We have enjoyed a few tips this year... some not as long as others, but fun nonetheless. We loved going back to Destin this past October, and spending time on the beach! Our day trip to Nashville this Christmas was a fun way to fill up on Holiday cheer! We have enjoyed visits from both Nicki this summer, and Kari and Rob this past Thanksgiving. We had a family wedding in July, and welcomed a new sister into the family. It's been a full and busy year; one blessed with health and happiness. And for that we are grateful. We are looking forward to 2009 and all that comes with it.

We hope you have had a good year! Please leave us a comment, and let us know how you are doing!!

Christmas at the Opry

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was feeling very grinchish a few weeks ago. I was really having a hard time getting in the Christmas spirit. I mentioned to Barry that I felt that we needed to make a "Christmas Road Trip": The Christmas Place in Gatlinburg (the ULTIMATE Christmas store!), then on to Nashville to visit the Opryland Hotel. He laughed off my suggestion, then surprised me a few days later and asked me if this weekend would be a good one for us to go! I of course said it would be and started planning!! I thought the trip from Gatlinburg to Nashville wouldn't be too long, but I was shocked when I saw that it was almost 4 hours! So, not wanting to spend the entire day in the car, I decided to just head to Nashville... spend some time at the Opry Mills Mall, then head over to the hotel at dark. We headed out around noon yesterday (which gave us time to sleep in, too!), and as we travelled further north we were surprised to see this:


SNOW!!!

We were so excited... even though there wasn't much of it, and we couldn't get out and play in it, it was fun to see.

Traffic around the mall and hotel was awful!! It took us probably 45 minutes to get through it all and finally find a parking space. But, thankfully, everyone stayed positive about it. Opry Mills Mall is HUGE! And it was packed, too. We walked through the mall, and went in several stores. Barry is not a shopper, and he HATES crowds, but through it all he was a trooper! Around 4:00 everyone was starving and tired. The lines at the food court were huge, so Barry had the fun idea of taking the kids to a movie; we could grab some snacks and sit and rest for a while. So, we headed to the theater in the mall and went to see Bolt! It was so cute, and it was just what everyone needed! We actually got in to be seated just as the earlier showing was ending, so we were able to get great seats. When the cleaning crew turned the lights on, I grabbed a quick picture of the kids:


After the movie we walked over to the hotel. When Barry and I lived in Nashville we went to the hotel every year to see the lights. We always went on a week night, which is probably the best time to go, because last night it was packed!! We haven't been in years, and they have made lots of changes since we were there last. We were completely lost, and a little overwhelmed by the sheer size of it! We were a bit disappointed as well... it just wasn't as we remembered it. The outside was brightly lit (every tree covered in lights) and the nativity was beautiful, but a lot of the inside attractions that we remembered are now behind closed doors, and you have to pay to see them. They were even charging for a "self-guided" tour. Oh well, what we did see was fun, and festive. We got home around 10:30 last night, and everyone quickly fell into bed and was fast asleep in no time... myself included! I plan on making the weekend complete by going to the concert at the Christmas Festival at the Stake Center tonight. That is always one of the highlights of the season for me.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from last night:


This is the front of the hotel


Trees outside


A couple of the nativity


The one Christmas tree we saw inside... and it was HUGE!


A few of the kids inside the hotel

Happy Birthday, Josh!!

Little Boys

Author: Unknown

Little boys come in all shapes and sizes,
Shy and adventurous, full of surprises,
With misshapen halos and mischievous grins,
Small dirty faces, and sweet, sticky chins.

They'll keep you so busy, and yet all the while
Nothing can brighten the world like their smile.
And no greater treasure has brought homes more joy
Than a curious, active, and lovable boy!

Yesterday this sweet boy turned 15. Where did the time go?

School Calendar

Just in case anyone is interested, MCS has posted it's adopted 2009-2010 calendar. It is on the website now.

It's not ideal, but it was the best of the three that they had to choose from. We will lose most of fall break, but we are keeping all of Thanksgiving Break, and we get out the week before Christmas instead of a couple of days before. Kids don't start back until Aug. 10, and they are out the end of May (the 25th). All in all, not bad, I guess.

Weekly Recap

We've had a fairly busy couple of weeks around our house this week... or maybe it was just me.

The kids and I went up to the farm on Wednesday, and we spent Thanksgiving this year with my family. My niece, Kari, and her husband, Rob, drove down from Minnesota to join us. We had a great time with them. This is the first time that Rob has been to Tennessee, and met all of the family here. He is a great addition to our family, and we really enjoyed having both of them here. Barry had to work Wednesday and Friday, so he drove up for the day on Thursday. We had great food and ate way too much!

Kari and I got up super early on Friday morning and headed out shopping! We found some great bagains, and actually enjoyed being out among the crowds.

The kids and I headed home that evening, and enjoyed just hanging out with Barry in front of the tv. We got up Saturday morning, cleaned the house, then put up the Christmas tree. I came down with a cold earlier in the week, and by Saturday afternoon I was a total beast. I felt awful, and my mood was even worse. I finally realized that I was ruining the afternoon for everyone, so I turned the whole tree over to the kids, and went upstairs and took a nap. When I got up, the tree was up, the lights and garland were on, and it was ready for the ornaments. I unpacked them and the kids put them on the tree. I finished up the "Charlie Brown" trees on the front porch, and we called our decorating done!

By Sunday I was exhausted. My cold had caught up with me, and I felt even worse than I had all week. I spent the day either in bed, or on the couch. I was still feeling like a big ole Grinch, but we watched some Christmas movies and that helped some. I made comfort food for dinner, tucked in early, and thankfully work up Monday morning feeling tons better.

On Tuesday morning our school bookkeeper and I headed to Birmingham to attend the Secretary and Bookkeeper Conference. This was our second year going, and we had a great time. We stayed in the Wynfrey Hotel in the Riverchase Galleria, where the conference took place. What more could a girl ask for... a luxary hotel connected to a fabulous mall?! We shopped, attended some great workshops, shopped, went out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory, shopped, attended some more great workshops, and then, oh yeah, we shopped!

We made it back home around 3:30 on Wednesday afternoon... just in time to run around picking up kids from after school activities, and getting them to their church activities for the night. 

Thursday and Friday were pretty busy days at work. I guess that is what happens when you are gone for 2 days... you spend the next 2 playing catch-up. Last night the boys spent the night with Uncle Dave, so the girls and I (on Daddy's suggestion) went out for a girls night. Megan begged to go see Twilight, Kayti was more than willing to jump on that, so we headed to the movies. I think that I actually enjoyed it more the second time around than the first. I wasn't so critical, and could just sit back and relax! Megan loved it, too.

Today has been a lazy day... catching up on laundry and a bit of light house cleaning. I got started with my Christmas cards, and I hope to have them finished soon. I plan on doing better this year than last with getting them actually sent out! With that being said, I guess I should go get busy working on them!

Gratitude

"May we be found among those who give our thanks to our Heavenly Father. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed."  ~Thomas S. Monson

This weekend I am very thankful to my Heavenly Father for all my many blessings, especially family - husband, children, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, and in-laws, too. They are the "things" which matter most to me, and I want them to all know how much I love them. I hope they know by my deeds the truth of my words.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!

Twilight... the movie

The Mayfield girls went to see Twilight on Friday night. We had a great time, and really enjoyed the movie. The theater was packed with teenage girls, and those of us who used to be teenage girls! I think there were only 2 men in the theater... both I'm sure where drug there by their significant others. I have to admit, that I was being way too critical of the movie at the beginning. I would lean over and complain about something to Kayti, and she would poke me and tell me to shut up! Once I finally relaxed I was able to have fun and enjoy it.

I bought the movie soundtrack last weekend, and it has really grown on me. Kayti and I had fun trying to guess which scene each song should go with, and I only got one right!

Thanks, girls, for a fun night! We need to not wait so long for another night out!

beautiful fall

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I thought that I would let the pictures do the talking here:

Looks like a "no-go"

No word from any of Josh's coaches, so it looks like his team will not be going to state this weekend. I'm so relieved... the weather is going to be nasty. He insists that he is not giving up until Saturday morning, and I hate to see his disappointment.

It's all over now... maybe

The kids' soccer season officially ended yesterday. At least Kyle and Megan's did... Josh's may not have.

Kyle's season was supposed to be over 2 weekends ago. His team came in 4th in the regional tournament, keeping them out of the area tournemant. He was pretty bummed that he was the only one of his siblings not going on to area. He had his team party last week, said goodbye to his teammates, and asked to play indoor soccer this winter (that is still under consideration:/ ). Fast forward to Wednesday night, and we get a call from his coach... another team has had to bow out of the tournament, and we had been extended an invitation to play. Kyle was so stinkin' excited! His team played 2 games yesterday, and unfortunately, they lost both. Kyle was excited, though, that he finally got to play in the goal for the last game. They knew that there was no chance of going forward since they lost the first game, so the second one was all for fun. And he did have a fun time, so I was happy for him!

Megan's area tournament was yesterday as well. They also had 2 games scheduled. They tied their first game, and lost the second. She played very well, though, and only let 2 balls get by her the whole tournament. The girls were thrown a bit of a curve ball... they had to play on a much smaller field, and believe it or not, that can really throw you. The girls were all stacked on top of each other, and couldn't really make anything happen. She is sad because her season is over, and now she is also asking to play indoor soccer.

Josh's area tournement was last weekend. He was unable to play due to his kidney, and was really ticked about the whole thing. His team came in third place, ending their hopes of going to state, and their season as well. Last night was his team party, and after his coach tells everyone how wonderful they were, and how much he enjoyed being their coach, he made the following statement: "I may not should say anything, but I am going to anyway. There is a very small possibility that we will be going to state! Our regional directors are very impressed with y'all, and they are working hard to try and get y'all in. If for any reason another team isn't able to make it to state, we are in."

WHAT???

Josh is thrilled, and praying that he will get to play one more weekend. We will know something by Tuesday. So, our weekend plans for next weekend are on hold... not that we really had any plans, but I was looking a little bit forward to having a weekend with NOTHING to do!!

I'm thankful that each of the kids had a fun season. They had great coaches, were able to learn new skills, they were challenged in new positions, and made new friends. What more could I ask for?

Got your ticket yet?

We just got our tickets online... so excited!!!

New Best Friend...

Ahhh... I love this stuff!

yucky...

The head cold that I have been running from has finally caught up with me today. I guess being out in the night air 2 nights in a row didn't help me at all. :(

More Halloween

Years ago the Mayfield family started doing "Cousin Parties" several times a year. We always did one on Halloween, and after a few games and dinner together, we would all head out trick-or-treating. Now days we don't really party as much, but we do get together for dinner and trick-or-treating. I hope that is one tradition that doesn't end... even though my kids are really getting too old to trick-or-treat.

Last night we all gathered at James and Sarah's and had a yummy dinner of homemade chili and hotdogs. After the we ate, we got the kids all dressed up and ready to go. We all grabbed our cameras to take pictures of the cuteness... only to find out that most of us had DEAD batteries! I thought I had charged ones in my bag, only to find out that they were dead as well! Sarah and Debbie thankfully had charged batteries and were able to get some picutes for us. Before my batteries died, I did take a handful of pictures, one of which I posted last night.

The kids had fun coming up with their costumes. Megan went through our costume box and decided on a a cute witch. Kayti wanted to be an "ex-girlfriend"! She enjoyed being sulky all night. Her dad and uncles joked that she shoud have used an empty ice-cream container as her candy bucket. Kyle's costume we came found a week ago, and we had to get it. About a month ago, Barry gave Kyle the nickname "Pooter", for reasons that you can easily guess. When we saw the whoopie cushion in the store, it was a perfect fit for him! Josh didn't think that he was going to get to go at all because he was supposed to have practice last night. The two of us started looking up idea online for a quick and easy last minute costume, and Josh found one for a SWAT team member... SWAT as in fly-swatter! It was pretty cute, but before the end of the night he ditched the fly swatter, borrowed his cousin's skateboard, and became a skater.

The best costume of the night belonged to Christian... he was a toilet!! He came up with the idea himself, and he made the costume himself as well. It was brilliant! He also had the best comment of the night when he asked Emma, who was the cutest poodle that you have ever seen, if she wanted to drink out of his bowl during dinner!! He had us all laughing! We got a picture of Kyle and Christian together on Debbie's camera, so hopefully I can get it from her soon and post it.

We hope everyone had a great night... we sure did!!

Happy Halloween!

From all our monsters to you...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!

Update to the Update..

The doctor's office called today with the ultrasound results. Everything looks good except for the bruising, which is mild. Thankfully there is no other damage. It will still knock him out of his tournament this weekend, and believe me, he is TICKED about that! At least he can harass his uncles during the game on Saturday morning! :)

Update

I took Josh in to see our family doctor today. He has still been complaining of pain, and since our doctor is back in town, I thought that I would let her check him out. Turns out today that he had blood in his urine, and he is still very tender, so she sent him for an ultrasound. We won't hear back from it for a day or two. She did tell him no soccer for another week, which is killing him. He was able to pacify himself with missing last weekend because he knew that he had Area Tournaments this weekend, but now that he still can't play, he is pretty upset. It's not helping matters that the first game his team plays on Saturday is against his uncles' team!

I'll update once we hear back from the ultrasound.

Someone Turn the Heat On!!

I am such a wimp! I HATE cold weather. And it's not like 52 is that cold, either, but I've been FREEZING all day. I don't think that I could live any further north. I'd never survive!

Recap of the day

Today was the last day of Soccer Regional Tournaments. All 3 kiddos had games today... 2 were playing for championships, one was playing to stay alive.

Kyle had the first game. They had to win their game, and have another team in their division lose in order to capture 3rd place and move on to the Area Tournament. It wasn't looking too good for the Titans at half-time... they were down 2-0. Thankfully they came back, though, and won the game 3-2!! We were so excited for them. Now they wait until tonight to hear how the other team did. No matter what happens, they played a great season, and Kyle was challenged in a new position (midfielder) and has done well.

Megan had the next game of the day. They went up against a team that they lost to pretty badly earlier in the year. (And may I just say, they had REALLY annoying parents! It really felt like there was a mob-mentality going on on the sidelines. Made me really uncomfortable for our girls.) Megan played in goal the whole game, and even though her team lost 2-0, she did a great job. The goals scored on her were just flat-out good goals, and there wasn't really anything she could have done to stop them. She had a lot of fantastic saves, though, so that is something for her to be really proud of. The Sea Turtles finished 2nd in the Region, and they will move on to the Area Tournament in 2 weeks.

Josh's team had our last game of the day, and he was really steamed that he couldn't be out on the field playing with his teammates. He did his fair share of begging and pleading, but to no avail... I stayed strong and wouldn't give in. He did get to sit on the sidelines with his team, and he was their sub monitor for the game. This one didn't turn out in their favor, they lost 2-1, their second loss of the season. They knew that they would be going on to Area, win or lose, so Josh is taking consolation in the fact that he will be playing next weekend. He is also looking forward to the possibility of facing his uncles again on the soccer field.

So, we have at least 2 more weekends of soccer... maybe more if someone happens to move on to State. I'm very thankful that the weather turned out to be nicer than I expected it to. The sun helped to warm things up very well, even if the wind still had a chill to it. Hopefully we will be blessed with great weather the next few weekends!

Mixed Emotions

Have you ever been so happy and so sad all at the same time? That is how I am feeling tonight. At 4:45 PM tonight, my oldest went out on her very first date!!! I am so happy for her, because her first date is with exactly who she wanted it to be with; but so sad because she is growing up way too fast! How can she be old enough for this already? NO!!!! I want time to rewind, and her to be that little girl again who wouldn't let go of my hand when we walked out of the house. She has grown into such a beautiful, smart, funny, and dependable young woman. I can't stand the thoughts of her leaving home in another 2 years. That is just not enough time to spend with her!!!

Ok... so even though she is going to be mad at me, I have to post this picture. What kind of mom would I be if I didn't document this occassion with a picture (and a blog post!)?


They went to see High School Musical 3 tonight, so they both had to wear red! :)

Homecoming

One quick picture of Kayti before the Homecoming dance.

Great time for the doc to be out of town...

Isn't it just my luck, when I need our doctor, she is out of town?! Not only did I need to see her once this week, but twice!

Kyle started not feeling too well on Sunday. Very tired, headache, sore throat. By the end of the day he was running a fever, and his throat was killing him. I called the doc on Monday morning, only to have her nurse tell me that she was out of the office for the week. I asked if she was referring to anyone this week, and was politely told I could take him to the walk-in clinic. I HATE the walk-in clinic... it takes FOREVER to be seen. We have 2 clinics close by, so I chose one that I thought might get me in and out quickly, and headed over there. Truthfully, it didn't take as long as I thought it would, even though we were there for an hour and a half. Turns out Kyle has strep throat, and was instructed to be out of school for 2 days, and no soccer until the end of the week. Today he was more than ready to go back to school... he was pretty bored just sitting at home. He is finishing up on his make-up work now, and we are very thankful that he is feeling better. But, I do have just one questions... can anyone tell me why, when you have a throat so sore you can hardly swallow, is the medicne that they give you the size of horse pills?

Our second trip to the walk-in clinic happened today, and I have a VERY disappointed boy on my hands tonight. Josh has been having some issues that were getting the best of him today, so I took him in. The diagnosis: A Bruised Kidney! He had a collision during his game on Saturday morning, and took a pretty good lick to his kidney. It turns out that it is bruised, and he probably has had some blood settle in his UT, which is causing lower abdominal pain. He has been ordered to take a week off of soccer to rest and heal. He is so upset about this because his team is playing for the Regional Championship this upcoming Saturday. The good news is that win or lose, the team advances to the Area Championship next weekend, so his soccer season is not yet over. I told him that he can still go to the game on Saturday and cheer his team on, and be there for the medal presentation. He is ok with that, but still really bummed.

I hope that I don't need a walk-in clinic twice in one week again, but if it does, I know where I will go. And for those of you in the area, may I suggest you try American Family Care instead of Horizon? I found it much cleaner, we got in much faster, and over all everyone seemed much friendlier.

Family Photo Session

The whole Mayfield Clan had family portraits taken this past weekend with the very talented Kim G. She has posted a few of the many pictures on her blog: http://agreenfieldphotography.blogspot.com/

Not that I am partial or anything, but the 8th picture down on "M Clan Installment 1" just happens to be my favorite... it took my breath away!

Thanks, Kim, for being so patient with all of us. I hope we didn't scare you too badly!

I've become a victim...

and a HUGE fan of the Twilight series! I read all 4 books over the past week and a half, and I LOVED them!!! I now can't wait for the movie, and I hope to goodness that they don't screw it up!

Kayti has been urging me to read them for a long time, convinced that I would love them. I wasn't so sure, and put it off. I finally decided that I needed to see what all the hype was about, and grabbed the first book as one of my "beach reads". (I also grabbed Nights in Rodanthe by N. Sparks... LOVE him!... and read it first, which was probably a good thing. It may still be sitting around waiting for me to get to it if I had started with Twilight!) As soon as I finished the first one, I ran to the store and grabbed the second one. I finished it on the Friday before we left Destin, and thought about going and grabbing the 3rd to read on the way home. I was afraid that reading it in the car would make me car-sick, though, so I didn't. I borrowed the 3rd one from a friend, and started reading it last Sunday. I have to say that I honestly have been in a horrid mood all week... a little because I was sad that Fall Break was over and had to get back to the grind of "real life", but mostly because I haven't been able to just sit and read!! I was finally able to finish reading both the 3rd and 4th books this week. (So, tell me how horrible of a mother I am, bringing a book with me to the kids' soccer games this weekend! I would read before the game started, or during breaks in the games!! At least I was good, and put the book down when play began/resumed so I could cheer the kids on.)

I guess that we will be planning a girls' night out in November!

Funny

On our trip I asked the family a simple question:

"If you could drive a convertible anywhere, where would you go?"

I immediately got responses such as the beach or New England. The one answer no one expected came from Josh. He enthusiastically yelled, "McDonald's!"

Gotta love a hungry teenage boy!!

Soccer

Our regular soccer season has ended, and we are now headed into tournaments. I thought that I would finally post a few pics of the boys. I love these two "knuckle-heads" (as my dad would call them!)!!

Josh:


Kyle:


The "photo shoot" quickly went down hill and ended pretty much like it always does:


Can't you just feel the brotherly love?

Vacation blues

I'm suffering from a very bad case of vacation blues today! I don't want to be home... I still want to be sitting on the beach, book in front of me, toes buried in the sand, listening to the sounds of my children and husband lauging above the roar of the waves. It was such a fun and relaxing week!

We actually left out of town early. Barry had to go into work in the middle of the night on a Thursday night, but he only had to work for a couple of hours before he was off for vacation. So, we decided to let the kids skip school (something that they have NEVER done before!) on Friday so we could leave early. We headed to Atlanta that morning. We surprised Kyle, our Atlanat Falcon's Football Fanatic with a tour of the Georgia Dome, their home stadium. I don't know if I have ever seen him so happy! The tour was fun... it was just our family, and we got to go from the highest point in the dome (the observation deck) to the locker rooms (including the shower area!) and finally to the field. Here are a few of my favorite pix:


We got up early Saturday morning and headed down to Destin. We made great time, and by 11:00 that morning, we were looking at the ocean! It was still a little early for us to go to the house, so we hit a bookstore so everyone could grab a "beach read", walked around the outdoor mall, then grabbed some lunch. In no time at all we were at the house, unloaded, dressed in swimwear, and in the water!! The ocean was beautiful, the waves were high (and fun!), the sun was warm, and everyone was happy!! It stayed that way for a few days, then it rained for 2 days straight. We took advantage of those days to go shopping at the outlet mall (right across the street from us... that was probably not such a great thing for many bank accounts!). Our last 2 days there were cool and cloudy in the morning, but the afternoons were sunny and warm. On the morning we had to leave, wouldn't you know it, the sun was out and shining early! That was a bit maddening, but typical! While there, we also took the kids out to eat several times, and went to their favorite place on earth... The Track! This is THE place to go for go-carts, arcade games, putt-putt golf, and kiddie rides. We usually skip that part, and head straight for the go-carts. Kayti hates this place, and has managed to escape going the past few years, but we made her come along this time. She got to hold cameras, cell phones, and babies, though, so that made it worth it! We also took a night for just the adults to go out and eat. It was great to just sit back and socialize with everyone, and not have to stress over the clock, and running kids somewhere. I managed to read 3 books while we were there... Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (my favorite romantic author... and Barry's nighmare!), and I broke down and started reading the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyers. Kayti has been trying to get me to read it for a long time, and I finally decided to go ahead and do it. I am so hooked on these books! I love them!!!

Here are some of my favorite pics from the beach:


Sunday was a funny day. After the morning session of conference (we went to the tiny Destin Branch to watch it. I think the Mayfield clan took up about a fourth of the chapel!) and a big Sunday dinner (roast, mashed potatoes, salad, carrots, rolls), most of the adults went to take naps. Barry and I were restless, and walked down to the beach. Barry could actually hear the waves crashing from the house, and wanted to go take a look. Several of the kids followed us down to the beach and were trying very hard to NOT get wet... hee hee. Moms and Dads of said kiddos... you cannot get mad at these cuties now that you are seeing these pictures. Really, they tried hard! :)


Can you tell what this is a picture of?


Those are dolphins! They were out pretty far, and it was hard to get a great shot of them, but it was fun watching them "play" together. There were two of them, side by side. The kids were so excited to see them.

Here are a couple more shots... one is of Megan and her cousin, Savannah. These two were inseperable, and you could always either find them at the beach, or in the swimming pool. The last one is of the beach house. I love the leaning palm tree in the foreground!


Barry was home today, so he got one more day of vacation time. He has needed a long break for a very long time, now, and I hate for him to have to go back to work and get all stressed out again. He has taken the kids to soccer practice for me tonight, and let me take a quick nap. Thanks, hon! Kayti is busy making dinner (frozen pizzas... yummy!), and I'm feeling a bit guilty for being lazy here in front of the computer. But, truthfully, reliving all these fun memories has brightened up my disposition!

So, here is to vacations!

Only 6 more weeks until Thanksgiving Break, and 10 more weeks 'til Christmas Break! Whoohoo!!!