Say Hello to My Little Friend

Last year, during our Non-Traditional Teacher Training, our facilitators gave us flashdrives as a gift. I was appreciative to get anything, and I've used it daily since I received it.

This year, they told us they had a surprise for us on the last day and I immediately thought - oh - another flashdrive. I was pleasantly surprised when they passed out these little video cameras. Each participant received one. I was pumped.

It has a USB connector that connects to my computer and immediately downloads all of my videos. I have thoroughly enjoyed "playing" with it since I received it. I've posted a video of Rylee "reading" one of her favorite Elmo books. Please do NOT look at me in the background - I had just mowed the yard and look horrible, but the video of her "reading" her book is priceless.....and it shows what a good video this little gadget produces. I think they go for about $100.00 and I would say it's well worth the money!

Well, nevermind, I can't figure out how to move the video to my desktop so I can download it to this post......maybe another post........

Rylee's Favorite Mode of Transportation

Rylee Grace in her Cozy Coupe Car. She especially likes when Zach flies down the hall pushing her. She has learned to put her feet up on the steering wheel, so there is not obstruction to her fun!

Lots of Help!

I was getting things ready for my classroom this summer and I asked Brittany to write some names on popsicle sticks. Well, little miss Rylee would not even THINK of being left out of that. She had her pen and her sticks and she helped, too!

Home Sweet Home

We are thankfully home from the lake. We walked in and I told Roy our house looks like a mansion! I guess 2 days in that camper will make you appreciate your little 1600 square feet in our house! :) We had a minor mishap on the way home. We borrowed Uncle Mark's boat and innertube for the kids to enjoy. Well, on the way home, we (I) lost the innertube. I turned around, which was a major feat for me, since I was pulling the boat. I stopped every mile or so and walked the shoulder looking for that tube, but never found it. Roy says somebody picked it up. I think the people in that white house were enjoying my searching efforts knowing they probably had my tube in their back yard, but I won't go there! I was so mad that I nearly walked over and asked them where my tube was, but I thought better since I had Brittany, Kaycee and Rylee with me. If they had knocked me in the head, who would have driven the kids home? And - I should mention that Brittany's Uncle Mark (Cassady) drove by while we were on the side of the road and didn't even stop! LOL I'm sure he wondered who that fat woman was walking down the side of the road.....and he was probably thinking I needed to find somewhere else to pull over! Oh well, we made it home safe and sound and I have already ordered our Uncle Mark another innertube. (Holly, don't tell it, yet - I don't think Roy has told him)! Anyway - the kids are back in the pool and having a good time and I am washing lots of clothes and dishes! I have pictures of Brittany and Kaycee I need to download and post....will do that later.

Rylee Grace and Olivia Reese

Holly, Dustin and Olivia came in for a visit last weekend. Rylee and Olivia played in the water. They had a ball. Both spent a large part of the time drinking the water that the whale shoots out of his spout......go figure. They had a good time and we enjoyed visiting with them. Olivia is such a precious, pleasant baby. Roy says Uncle Mark will fret over that water bill! Thanks for letting them swim, Uncle Mark - it's worth the money! :)

The Davis' Blogspot

Okay - so Brandy decided to create a blog. That's about as far as she got! LOL I had to go online for her and enter her password to delete her mess and get her started. I checked a few minutes ago and she did manage to create a cute background. But that's it......maybe by the end of the summer, she'll get it figured out so I can keep updated with her little world! I've added it to my blog list for those who are interested in keeping up. It's rather void at this point, though, so don't waste your time. I love you, Brandy.

A day with Brandy and the Boys.......

And Nancy! Brandy, Logan and Hudson met Nancy in Dierks for a visit with Drew, so I told them to trek on over to Nashville for some ice cream and visitation! Luckily, they were happy to make the "trip". Brittany, Zach, Rylee and I met them at Starz and had ice cream. Kathy met us there for a few minutes on her break and we had a nice little visit with her, too. It was so fun to see all of them. After we left Starz, we took the kids to the park to play. It was a fun afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed the visit! We plan to meet at the water park in Murfreesboro before the end of summer! We can't wait!

We're At the Lake!

Colin and Zach fixed our "Carolina Fries" for us. You can tell by the looks on their faces that poses for a picture was a HUGE imposition!

Rylee's first boat ride! She loved it! AND - more importantly, she is sleeping in her little bed. She woke up a few times last night because she was all up in the wall and very disoriented. LOl It was pure pitiful. But as soon as I got her back in the middle of the bed and covered her up, she was snoozin' again! She's been the best little ol' thing! Today, I'll have to get some pics of Brittany and Kacey. They tend to spend all of their time at the swimming area and I don't get many chances to get their picture! I don't THINK their are any boys down there. Roy has scoped it out pretty well! Our day started out a little wild. We learned (Roy and I) that there were two escaped prisoners from Pike County Jail and one was a Capital Murder suspect. We knew not to tell the kids - especially Brittany and Colin because we knew we would have to turn around and go to the house! As we were entering Murfreesboro, we went thru a road block of State Troopers. I explained that we were going through a DWI checkpoint and all was well. THEN - we went past a field where several officers and dogs and a helicopter were hovering and Roy explained to Zach and Colin that someone had shot a HUGE 12 Point buck and they were trying to find it. That seemed to satisfy them. As the night went on, Brittany learned of the escape and Roy threatened her with her life if she said a word about it to Zach and Colin. As far as I know, the two prisoners are still on the loose, but they are obviously not at Cowhide Cove! AND - Colin slept all night, so he must not know about it yet! He just wants to know if they found that 12-point buck! LOL Oh - the innocence of children!

Summertime means Trot Lines

Zach and Roy have been running trot lines this summer. Here are a few of their catches......

More Sandbox Pictures....

Notice the fan beside the sandbox.......

Lovin' Life!

Sand Surf and Sun!

No - we're not in Florida, we're in the backyard! Roy, Brittany, Zach and Lindsey (neighbor) worked hard a few Saturdays ago to make Rylee Grace a new sandbox. They worked so hard and sweated lots of sweat, but the end result is wonderful! Rylee (and Zach, and Brittany, and Lindsey) LOVES the sandbox. They put cinderblocks up with 2x6 boards laid on them and filled it up with sand. Then Roy drilled a hole in the middle and we dropped a patio umbrella in the center to give her some shade. It has been well worth the sweat! .....easy for me to say - I was taking pictures and directing traffic! :)

Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson

Poor Michael Jackson. Poor Chad. My brother, Chad, is a super fan and I called him yesterday to get his reaction on news of his (Jackson's) death. Chad said he was in such a deep state of depression he thought he was going to have to call in sick today. I think he was kidding. RIP Michael Jackson.....I HOPE he was kidding!

Trip to Camp Albert

Last Friday, Roy, the kids and I met mom, Brooke Ellen (Bowden), Chad, Colin, Uncle Fred, Chloe and Hannah at Albert Pike. We had a ball. When we first arrived, we had no more gotten the bikes out of the truck and it began to rain, thunder, and lightening. I thought we had made a trip for nothin', but in true Camp Albert fashion, the sun came out and ended up being a pretty day! We had such a good time that we are planning to take the camper back and stay a few days this summer! I just hate that we do not have the cabin anymore. I'm working on mom to buy it back, so maybe she will!

OnStar and the Elderly.....

.....do not jee-haw! I am out of school and Roy has had inservice this week so Rylee and I made an appointment to visit Momo Frances this morning. You know - she's 80 and you have to make an appointment with her because she is constantly on the go - SkipBo Games, Fitness Workouts, Knee Rehab, church visitation, etc. Anyway - I made my appointment and she's excited because she says while I'm there, I can renew her OnStar subscription. I call and renew for her and she's yelling at me to tell them that she can't hear that lady in the car. I say - okay - now she's a little hard of hearing and has trouble hearing the lady in the car - is there something you can tell me that will increase the volume in the car? She says - NO - I CAN HEAR HER I JUST CAN'T UNDERSTAND HER. I said thankyou to the lady helping us and I hang up. I said - Momo - there's nothing you can do about the lady in the car - she's a recording - you can't ask her to speak more English-esque. We have a good laugh and she says - well, come out here and listen to what I'm talking about. So - we sit in the car - me, Momo and Rylee all in the front seat and Rylee is already anxious about why we are all sitting in the front seat. Momo pushes the button and "the lady" comes on. Well, Rylee frieks out - can't understand what's going on. So at this point, she's asking for a command and Rylee is screaming and I'm about to pee in my pants. I tell Momo to get Rylee out of the car so I can determine what they are asking her to say when she places a call. Well, apparently they are saying "dial" and you have to enunciate the phone number you wish to call. So - I say outloud the post office phone number to try to get Dad on the phone. We get him on the phone and now Rylee is insterested because she hears her "Nan" coming thru the radio. We hang up with Dad and Rylee get right up in the radio controls and hollars "NAN"! Now we have to peel her hands off the steering wheel to get her out of the car because she thinks Nan is in the radio. I just pray that nobody has that on a recording somewhere! I told Momo that she just needs to forget about that stupid OnStar and buy a cellphone. So we load her up and go to WalMart and purchase a cellphone. What a day! Poor Rylee is worn out!

Summer Fun!

Rylee eating her CornFlakes and taking a break!
Ride 'em Cowgirl! She was terrified of this Zebra for the longest and all of a sudden, she's riding it? Notice she has a water gun - quite comical!

Zach, Lindsey, Rylee and Brittany

Rylee gettin' a kiss from her "Sissy".....she is all about her "Sissy"!

Rylee saying "cheese" for the camara - she has this down!

Master's in Education:Theory and Practice

WHAT was I thinking? LOL We had a representative from ASU Jonesboro meet with our school district this past Feb/March. They have a new Master's Program and it's an academic partnership between ASU and school districts - Ashdown being one of them. If you signed up by a certain date, you could take the May or June course for FREE. It's ALL online, the classes are 5 weeks in length - you can finish in 15 months! So I'm thinkin' - Heck to the Yeah! I'll take their free course and that'll give me incintive to go on and finish my Master's. HOLY CRAP - what was I thinking?! Last Tuesday was the first day - we were assigned a Research Action Plan to begin this week and finish by the end of the course - June 26, I think. AND - had a four page paper on a Reflective Assessment of which learning theory I utilize most in my classroom. Dear Lord. The fact that Ashdown pays for 12 hours per year on your Masters is not incentive enough for me, I don't think - not with a 19 month old who demands my attention. Okay - maybe the $4000 pay increase at the end of the program will be incentive? I just don't know.......this is sounding like more than I bargained for!

Landscaping and Chlorine

Roy and I were out of school Memorial Day. We spent the day dividing monkey grass that has overtaken a flower bed and transplanted it into our small beds along the pool. Our neighbors gave us some Hibiscus plants last year and as you can see, they have grown. I just hope they bloom this year!

Roy thought the pump to the pool was "burnt up", but turns out he took it apart and gave it a good turn and we were back in business - without having to spend any money! That's what I"M talkin' 'bout!!!!

We (or Roy would say HE) worked on it that weekend and it's almost there. We still have some pH levels to contend with, but the kids are enjoying it anyway!

Although it takes a lot of work, it really is nice to have and the kids really enjoy it. We've rigged up our stereo so we can have some tunes while we are outside. Rylee loves being outside so it's nice to get it to where we will enjoy spending our time out there. She'll have us living out there all summer anyway! By the way, you can see a small rose bush in one of the pictures - that is the rose bush Rylee gave me last year for Mother's Day. It's so pretty. We moved it to another place in the flower bed so I could add some herbs. I hope we didn't mess up by moving it.

Kristi, You have LOST your mind!

I couldn't find a way to comment BACK to Kristi's comment on losing weight so I thought I would just make a new post! I love my Rylee Grace with all of my heart, and wouldn't trade it for the WORLD, but I'm FINISHED!!!! She's all I can handle!

The "Horsies" at the Erwin's

This morning, Roy wanted to go get some manure for his garden at one of his coaching buddy's farm (Tim and Kim Erwin). They have lots and lots of horses so wehe carried Rylee and I with him. She was a little nervous at first, but warmed up to them later. In fact, she got a little too close for MY comfort. Those are just some big ol' animals! At one point, there were about seven horses in front of us and apparently 3 were not supposed to be in with the other four and those four knew it and got a little "attitude" as Tim called it. I nearly peed my panttsIt also made Roy and I realize how badly we want to get out of town and into the country. Rylee was right at home outside in the dirt and manure and of course, who can forget the rocks. HA!

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Three Down Forty-Seven to Go!

Very frustrating at this point. Roy is walking with me, which helps tremendously! He is acting as my Coach, which comes natural to him, but he's about to wear me out! LOL I haven't been exercising in quite some time so I've had to get back into it. He hears NO excuses......not only are we walking, but we are walking in the reverse way of what I normally walk because, according to him, there is more of an incline the opposite way. Who knows, but my legs are burning. I could barely get up off the toilet last Monday morning - now, it's not so bad. As long as he goes and pushes me, I'll keep it up. Hopefully I'll hit my goal by the end of the summer?

More Pictures from the May 2009 Flood

The kids waded over to the Cottenshed sign, which was about ankle deep, but about thigh deep (for them) in the ditches.....Of course - they had a ball......but then, as we were leaving.......This lovely creature was crossing the road, so I was having major flashbacks about letting them walk into the ditches and wade in the water. What was I thinking?????

This is the road into Cottenshed Park where the park attendent stays. As you can see, the water is up to the Speed Limit sign.

And this is the shed where the Park Attendent stays. They obviously got their camper and left before the water got too high.

Zach helps in the Garden

Roy borrowed the neighbor's "thing" (I don't know what it's called) to help till up his garden. HOWEVER - it would not go down in the dirt enough to till it up. SOLUTION: Zach Backus! Zach sat on it and it turned out to be a fun ride for him!

Daddy's Reading Time

Rylee has gotten into reading her little books before bedtime. She will read them for hours, if we let her. This night, she wanted Daddy to read!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!!!!

Rylee Grace getting good use out of her rubber boots.....she wanted to wear them EVERY morning.....

A swollen ditch on the way to Cottonshed

The fishing bridge at Cottonshed


The dirt road to the Saline River.....WOW! Kristi, if you're having flashbacks, this IS the road to the 4-wheeling adventure many moons ago!

Roy took Rylee and I out to look at the flooding this past weekend. Here are some pictures from the Mineral Springs area......

Spring Spectacular

Two Saturdays ago, we had a Spring Spectacular at our school, which is basically a fundraiser for the schools. Here are a couple of pictures to enjoy. We arrived at 7:30 that morning and didn't leave till 2:00 that afternoon.

One of the 3rd grade teachers who teaches with me and would absolutely KILL ME if she knew this was on my blog! I don't think she knows this exists (my blog) so I should be safe! It was too funny NOT to post! I won't mention any names, Mrs. Hamburg! LOL

Rylee playing in the rocks

Today is the day!

Okay - so I've been wanting to get my weight back to where it should be. When I had Rylee, I had been on a gestational diabetes diet and weighed less the week after I had her than I had in a LOOOOONG time! It has slowly crept back up and I am not happy with myself. SO.....today, I'm starting to get back to my healthy eating and I figured I would make myself more accountable by posting it to my blog. Maybe this will help me stay focused.....we'll see!

On another note......I came to Little Rock yesterday for a 3 day Reading conference for work. I'm rooming with my bestest teaching buddy, Ashton. Last summer, when Ashton and I met, we were on a Reading First Conference, we knew each other all of about 3 hours and were informed that they messed up our rooms and we would have to be sharing a bed together! We both nearly died, but made the best of it. We've been good buddies ever since.....go figure! We definately had to bond and had to bond quickly last year! :)

We were both pleasantly surprised when we got in our room last night and found TWO beds! We just laughed!

When I left Rylee and Roy yesterday, it was very hard for me. I didn't realize I would have a meltdown on the way to AShdown after leaving them. It made me realize how much I love my husband and my sweet angel of a daughter. They are bonding with each other a little this week, and she's also staying with Bec-Bec and Nan a couple of nights. I don't think she even realizes I'm gone, but I sure miss the little toot. I can't wait to get home Wednesday!

Until then......

Little Rock Zoo

We made a trip to the Little Rock Zoo last month - on free day, none the less. We will not do THAT again! I've been to lots of Razorback games and I've NEVER seen so many cars lined up on the interstate waiting to get into the Zoo! It was insane, but the kids had a good time. I guess that's what matters.