Take me out to the ballgame!

One of our most favorite comments that Spencer has made while being in Mississippi is, "I love Mississippi because they have baseball!" From his view, no other place had baseball where he could play (he has been accustomed to hanging out in the dirt while his sisters play), but in realty, this was the first year he was eligible. Shhhh.....that's our secret.




"Look Mom! The ball is about to go in my "glub"!









Go get em' Buddy!







Mom and Sidney...happy spectators







Dreamin' of a big chilly slushee...ahhh...







The cutest t-ball player on the planet!







Off he goes, and with such speed! See the dust? You can't?







Ta da! Spencer's most current prized possession. Look at it sparkle! No, not the fingernails!







Our champ!

First Grade Birthdays in Mississippi

Yep, it's me again! Hey I'm really into this "blog" thing! And if you haven't sent your blog address to me....well, you're not welcome here! j/k

Anyway, onto the good stuff. You know, I really should be studying. I have a midterm tomorrow. Took a practice test. Scored...let's just say, not very good. But before I surrender to my Statistics textbook, I will take a minute to share an experience that Sidney and I had around her birthday in April, about a week after we arrived in Oxford.

Let's just start by saying that Mississippi....well, it's a different world here! And if any of you who may have sons or daughters that need a little straightening up, don't send them to one of those wilderness camps, just send them here!

Mrs. Palmertree was Sidney's teacher. She is a super friendly lady, very happy and excited about school and the children. Now, Mrs. Palmertree has been teaching for 20+ years, and has a birthday tradition that she has carried on during those years. She calls it, "birthday tickles and spanks". Yep, you heard it right. And there is no holding back. Well, when I heard about this, the moment when Mrs. Palmertree was putting Sidney over her lap, I thought, "This MUST be a set-up for, "Smile...You've been caught on hidden camera!" I mean, people...teachers...parents...etc. cannot even tap a child on the shoulder, in the states which I grew up and moved around to. And there Sidney was, lying over Mrs. Palmertree's lap! WHOAA! Things HAVE changed in the Telford world.
Ok. So first things first....tickles. Mrs. Palmertree gave her "7" tickles. Sidney was howling with laughter. I thought she was going to pee her pants...she probably should have.
And then....the target!

Right on her hiney! My eyes got big, and I subtley looked around to see the reaction. Oh boy, everyone was into this! Well, my eyes got even bigger when Mrs. Palmertree started swatting Sidney. One carefully calculated wallup at a time. Of course, this was all fun for the kids, Mrs. Palmertree and even Sidney. (Before you gasp..NOTE: This was a dramatized spanking, and all the children look forward to it.) I was just a wee bit surprised. Well Sidney, "Happy Birthday!" I bet you're looking forward to your next one! Regardless of the unexpected "tickles and spanks," Sidney really liked her teacher, and I did too. This is the world you call, MISSISSIPPI! And yes...we do like it here!

Sidney's 1st Grade class with Mrs. Palmertree

I know....but we LOVE pictures!

These pictures are for all of our family across the states! I know the rest of you are probably saying, "How many pictures do you need!" ALOT! Shawn and I LOVE taking and displaying pictures. The best part is looking back at these moments. They truly are "priceless". So, all you folk who don't own a good camera. Make an investment. It is better than any nice piece of furniture, summer of golf, year supply of "Big Gulps"...you get the idea. That is my opinion, of course.










Photos taken by Heather Ward in Portland, OR.

New visitor

As I mentioned before, we have this friendly frog (whom we named Toad Ranger), who comes to our front door every night. Well, Kenadee excited to see Toad Ranger again last night, stepped out side, crouched down by the planters and was greeted by....

Yes...your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a snake!
Who knows, our next guest may be a...

or a...

I know, this little guy is cute, and the kids would probably want to keep him.

Regardless of the occasional shriek, I mean scream, I think the kids are lovin' it!

Luckily, dad, our superhero (3 cheers for Pops!) grabbed that monsterous snake (I mean 3 feet- I know that is monsterous to some:)) with his hands (wait a minute...maybe it was a 10 foot long stick) and flung it with such force that it disappeared into the night sky (flung it, I know, but where...possibly in the neighbors yard. I know what you're thinking, but hey, they aren't that nice anyway). Yes, with such bravery and strength (although, I did catch a ting of jitteriness) our dad saved the day! And he looked just like this...

What? Yes, his muscles are that big! Back off ladies...he's taken!

Several years ago, Shawn and I decided to make boating one of the traditions/activities that we would do to help bond our family. Each passing year, I am more convinced that "wholesome recreational activities" is a huge key to the unity of a family. It brings moments, when there are many days when these moments seem so few, of our children visibly loving and helping each other, big smiles and lots of laughter. However, there are other consequences...a sunburn here and there, plenty o' bruises, muscle aches where you didn't know you had muscles, premature aging due to gravity pull (I'll have to post some of these pictures...they are hilarious!), AND...being at the mercy of Shawn's driving (Boat+speed+zigzag = life flashing before your eyes, mightly plunge in the water and a serious wedgey). We call that FUN!!

Fun in the sun at Sardis Lake

We made our first venture out to the lakes of Mississippi on Saturday afternoon. The weather was beautiful- warm and sunny- perfect for a day of boating!

Creepy!

These, my friends, are the critters that you find in Mississippi! That, is no small spider ya'll hear! Toad Ranger, our friendly frog, greets us every night at our front door. He is probably the size of an adult palm. As you can see, Mr. Spider is not all that tiny! That's right....do the shaky, shaky thing. Are you feeling the hairs stand up on the back of your neck? If you lived here, you would.
CREEPY!!

Could it be...Snow White?

Here is our little man. Nope...Mom didn't make him do it either. I would say it was more of a challenge with Sidney. You can say that Spencer and Sidney will battle head to head for the rest of their lives. And it can get ugly! But, as for now...it gets my house clean! Cool!
I love this little guy! Blue nails, shimmery purple cape and all! We're just missing some dwarfs, friendly animals and a whistling tune (let's pass on the whistle). These are the days to remember, however, I think I'll try to forget the morning drama.
Check back to see how the saga continues. I bet Sidney is hiding a shiny red apple in her purse!

Cha-ching! Look who's making the bucks this week!

We were wondering if Sidney was ever going to loose her teeth. Well, we spoke too soon. This week was a great one for Sidney, as she lost her two front teeth- neither giving a whole lot of warning. At first, she resisted pulling them out because she didn't want to look "goofy". But who can say such a thing...she looks adorable!

Oh the pain....!

As many of you know, I have been slowly pursuing "finishing what I started at BYU," through BYU's Independent Study program. It has been difficult, to say the least!




Ten reasons for the pain (although there are more!)

1. I am not a "student" anymore.
2. It has been about 15 years since I last attended BYU. (Longer span of mushy brain = smaller brain power = 3 times the effort and time to do any intellectual task- no kidding!) Now, I'm taking Statistics right now, and could probably come up with a formula to prove that, but it would take me all week!
3. I have 4 little monkeys to manage.
4. I have that $115K job that I employ 24/7 called "motherhood/homemaker," which takes the remaining brain cells that I have!
5. Shawn and I have moved 3 states with our family, with no tangible support (babysitter) in tow.
6. The kids misplaced Shawn's rifle earmuffs, the only sound proofing device that we own.
7. I'm getting old and NEED, but don't often get, a nap every day and a bedtime of 9pm.
8. I kept my most challenging courses for last- what was I thinking! That could give you a glimpse into my personality: AVOIDANCE is safer, but not always smarter or more beneficial. See, I am learning life lessons as I tackle this beastly task.
9. I am a procrastinator at times.
10. I would rather surf the internet, clean my kitchen a dozen times, work out in the yard in a sweltering 90+ degrees plus humidity, go shopping with 4 whining, fighting, begging kids, unpack and sort 100 moving boxes...etc.....etc....

BUT, I'm doing it no matter the pain! Remember, NO PAIN..NO GAIN!

Kenadee last week told me, "Mom, I'm definately not going to do school like you...you seem so stressed!"

My goal: My kiddos will remember their Mom going to school. They will value and want to continue their education. They will want to finish in a timely manner, but regardless, they will strive to accomplish their goals. BECAUSE- it is NEVER too late, you are NEVER too old, and we ALL can do anything that we put our mind to! Some tasks we struggle to get through, but nothing is impossible.

Have FAITH and BELIEVE in YOURSELF!

The debate is over!

I was checking out my sister's blog today, and found this awesome little tool that she had used with her kids. I thought, "Here is my chance!" I could go on quite a nice little shopping spree if I had a dollar for every, "oh...he/she looks just like his/her daddy!" Now, I know this is not scientific, but hey it was fun and gave me a few smiles- 4 that is, to finally have something, although not human, say "hey...he/she looks just like her mommy!" I love it! So check it out...put an end to your family debate, or at least fix your curiosity. I know you are all itching to know!

Can you do this?!

Hey Layner! I had to put it on for you since you got such a kick outta the video!
Good reminder!... you should always learn your alphabet backwards just in case!!! I love you sis! :) :) :) Nat