Spring on the Farm

Signs of Spring are everywhere at the farm! The kids and I enjoyed a few days of relaxation this week while we visited Grandma and Grandpa at the farm.


And of course, you can't talk about the farm without mentioning the animals!


A couple of cows got out, and were driving poor mom crazy by being in the yard!
One of the kittens got nosy while I was out taking some pictures.

The kids are welcoming the newest addition, a cute puppy (and yes, she is still a puppy!) named Bear. She is a mix between a Great Pyrenees and a Rottweiler, and is going to be HUGE when she is full grown. The kids instantly fell in love with her, even though she did destroy some shoes, jeans, and a t-shirt while we were there!

These two have birthdays a week apart, and usually get stuck having one family party together. Luckily, neither of them mind at all! Their cake this year was a yummy ice-cream cake that Kris has started making/selling at the shop. Boy was it good!!


Hope you had a great spring break... we did!!

Playing catch-up

To start off... Kyle and I had a fun time at his Beta Club convention. The bus ride wasn't the best for my back, but the rest of the trip was good. I can remember going to Beta convention when I was in high school, and we had such a fun time, and I was excited for Kyle to experience that for himself. I don't think he had as much fun as I did since none of his friends went, but he learned a lot, and was able to figure some things out for next year's convention. Hopefully he can convince some of his friends to come along next year, too. Several of our members placed in various competitions they competed in, and got invitations to Nationals. Congrats to them!

It's been a big week of tests for Josh. On Monday and Friday he took the math and biology portions of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam. He wasn't all that excited about it, but they are necessary. He also had a big test on Thursday... he took the test to get his driver's permit!!! And he passed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is so excited. He talked his dad into taking him driving on Saturday. Overall he did a great job, although he was convinced that he blew hid dad's engine and brakes. Barry is teaching him to drive in his car, which is a stick-shift, so not only does he have the actual driving to worry about, but also learning the gears. He actually talked his dad into going out twice... the first time was better than the second for him, and he came home very upset. We reassured him that he did great for a beginner, and not to give up. He is determined to get his license before Kayti, who still won't get behind the wheel, so he has some good motivation.

This week is spring break... and Barry gave me a great gift. I always take the kids to the farm for a few days during spring break, and Barry thought that he would see if his parents wanted to spend a little bit of time with the kids this week, and give me some "alone" time. They took him up on his offer, and we headed to off to the Weatherly Ward yesterday to attend church with them, then take the kids to their house. The kids are looking forward to spending time with their grandparents, as well as their cousins who live next door. I will pick them up tomorrow, then we will head to Tennessee for a few days. We have to be back in town by Thursday night, so we can attend an Optimist Club dinner. Why, you ask? So we can see Kayti honored by them for winning second place in an essay contest they sponsored. She gets a free dinner, a medal, and cash award. She is the most excited about the steak dinner! She is so related to her mother!! The rest of the week we plan on just hanging out. I teach on Sunday, so sometime during this week I need to finish up my lesson. Today, though, while I have his whole day to myself, I am going to go shopping!!! Then I plan in meeting Barry after he gets off work and he is taking me out to dinner.

Megan has a big milestone coming up next week. She turns 12!!!! I can't believe it. Where has the time gone?

My back finally started feeling better last week and I was able to start using my wiifit! I've been doing yoga and working on my balance. I'm actually surprised how much fun it is! I am really enjoying it, and look forward to "playing" each day!

I've been really lazy so far today, so I guess that I had better get off of here and get busy shopping while I can!

Birthday... and snow!!

It's been a while since I last posted, and I thought that I should show everyone what I got for my birthday! Barry and the kids got me...:


It is actually my combined Valentine/Birthday present. When they went shopping for it, all of the stores around here were sold out, so they had to order it. It came in a bit after my birthday, and before I could actually use it for the first time, I pinched a nerve in my back. I am still recovering from that (it's taken a while, and I am ready to be over it!!), but hopefully I will be ready to "play" soon. I am really excited about the yoga and aerobics.

And, yes, unbelievably, it snowed in the Tennessee Valley this morning! I didn't think it would actually happen, but we were all excited by it!! Barry had to work last night, and he called me early this morning to tell me to look out the window. Of course I woke the kids up to go and play in it while they could. Kyle and Megan made this cute snowman, which they lovingly named "Cyclops":


And they were all prepared for their dad as soon as he got home from work:


Kyle and I are getting ready to head out of town for a couple of days. He is a member of the Junior Beta Club, and they are having their state convention in Montgomery starting tomorrow. I have been asked to go as a chaperone, and we leave late this afternoon to travel down. I'm making sure I pack my heating pad and muscle relaxers, because I am sure that I am going to need them after being on a bus for 4 hours.

Where are we headed?

Every once in a while, our family likes to pile everyone in van and take off driving. No where in particular to go... just going and exploring. Once we started out exploring small backroads close to where we live. As we explored, we kept finding oursevles always heading west. Barry laughed and wondered if we could get to Mississippi if we kept heading west on all these different backroads. Megan thought it would be great to go and tell her class that she had gone to Mississippi. Barry gave me a wink, and off we headed. We decided not to just stick to backroads, and hit the major highway that did indeed take us to Mississippi. What did we do when we got there? Filled up on gas and snacks, and headed back home.

A few weeks ago we all were feeling a bit cooped up, so we all jumped in the van and decided to go for another drive somewhere. Barry turned the GPS on, picked a random spot, and off we headed... to North Carolina! We had a great time together, and I was very thankful that I remembered to bring my camera along. The kids got along great, we laughed and talked the whole way there, and we just enjoyed the country side. We ended up going to Chatanooga, then to the Cherokee National Forest and the Ocoee River (this is the river that was used for the white-water rafting in the 1996 Olympics). It was a chilly day, but we stopped at several spots along the way. There are several TVA Dams along the river, and we were amazed by those. We were a little sad that the water was so low on the river, but maybe we will actually take a white water rafting trip there in the future when the water will be highter.

Here are a few pics from our day:


The kids at one of the TVA dams


We made it to North Carolina!


These are the Ocoee River, at the spot where the rafting took place. I remember when they were getting this site ready for the Olympics there was a lot of controversy over part of this course being man-made. The first picture really shows some of the work that was done.


Barry and the kiddos.


I asked Barry to sit there on the rocks with the boys so I could get a nice picture of them together... this is what I got instead! Gotta love him!

Who knows where we will head the next time we get the urge to get out of the house!

Happy Valentine's Day

For several years now our family has observed Valentine's Day together with a special family dinner. I can't even remember when we first started doing this, but it is something that we all look forward to. We always have a "red" food... spaghetti, baked ziti, red beans and rice... you get the idea! Barry's favorite meal is chili dogs, and we have had those a few times. Last night we had lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and individual chocolate heart cakes. We always decorate the table up as well; nice tablecloth, candles, hearts, chocolates. The kids always jump in and help, too, which is really fun.

Last year Barry got called in to work at the last minute on V-Day, and none of us had the heart to celebrate without him. We were all very thankful that he didn't have to go in this year, and we enjoyed our yummy dinner together.

Here are some quick pictures of our decorated table:


We hope all of you had a great day, and were able to celebrate it with the one(s) you love!

Pay it Forward

This is how it works..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. BUT, in order for you to leave a comment on my blog, you have to post this on your blog first. (That means that sometime during this year you will send a gift to 3 people as well.) Get it? So, the first 3 people to comment on this post will be the lucky ones. Good luck!

Anyone else sick and tired of being tired and sick?

This Mayfield family has been dealing with sickies all week. YUCK!!!

Last Friday Kyle woke up with a sore throat. I made him go to school anyway, and when he kept complaining about it, I had the nurse look at it. Guess what she saw... white spots, a sure indicator of strep. Thankfully Barry was home to come and get him. He has been on antibiotics since Friday, and was feeling better, but then on Sunday he developed a cold. He spent Sunday and Monday in bed, and finally headed back to school on Tuesday.

On Sunday Josh woke up and told me that he wasn't feeling well. Now, I should probably defend myself a bit by saying that Josh never feels well when he wakes up in the morning. He takes after his Daddy and is NOT a morning person. Plus, he does not enjoy sitting through long meetings at church (He also takes that after his Daddy, but that is another story!), so I ignored him and made him go anyway! Once we got home and ate dinner, he headed up to his room and fell asleep. That should have been a sign to me that he really wasn't up to par, because he never takes a nap during the day. I won't gross you out with details here... let's just say that he was suffering from the stomach bug that has been going around and spent the next two days in bed.

Barry had to work Saturday night, and didn't get home until 9:30 Sunday morning. He was supposed to go back to work on Monday morning, but he took the day off to stay home with the boys. By Tuesday he had a touch of yuckiness himself and took another day off. I have been really run-down feeling, and I woke up Tuesday morning feeling awful. My throat was killing me, and I just felt generally yucky, so I spent the day in bed.

Thankfully, by Wednesday morning, everyone was feeling better and went back to work and school. My throat was still sore, but Advil was taking care of the pain for the most part, so I didn't let it bother me. Yesterday it was still hurting, but once again, nothing major. By the end of school, though, I had almost completely lost my voice. I decided to go ahead and take today off and get myself a sub. I hated to miss another day, but I wasn't going to do anyone any good being there. Today I still can't talk, although I am feeling ok otherwise. I guess I'll make myself clean house today. Heaven knows it needs it!

As a funny side note, I have to share a funny on the kids. As I was whispering to them both yesterday and today, they would whisper back! Kayti finally stopped, looked around, and said, "Wait, why am I whispering?!" It was pretty funny. I may have to remember this trick, though, when I want some peace and quiet in the house!