Who Knew?

I remember when I was a kid and I found out that wintergreen LifeSavers spark when you bite into them. It is a little tricky to see because you have to bite but sort of keep your mouth open to see the spark. I thought it was cool.

I was reading a blog yesterday and there was a link on their sidebar entitled "Smoking Smarties". Of course, I was curious to know if it was talking about the candy or something else so I clicked the link. Remember those little Smarties candies? About 20 little circular disk type candies wrapped in a little plastic tube? Well, kids have figured out that if they crush them and inhale them they can blow smoke out of their mouths that looks exactly like cigarette smoke. I didn't believe it until I saw the video. I don't think it is harmful unless they inhale too much. It makes them cough and sort of burns their throat.

The video below shows some kids demonstrating how it's done along with a Fox & Friends interview. Incidentally, the interview itself could be a separate post entirely (wow, Jeremy could use a speech class). I also loved the "official statement" from the Smarties company. They're probably wondering why Smarties sales have skyrocketed.



So if you are bored this weekend, here's a fun activity for you to try.

Why We Aren't Always Sure Whether He Is Really Hurt Or Not

Now you know why it's a tough call. He's very convincing. The video was actually 4 minutes and 29 seconds long and he danced the entire time. I figured after a minute you'd get the picture. By the way, he picked out his pajamas. What he lacks in fashion, he makes up for in raw dancing talent.

Going Green

Most five year old boys love super heroes. Fletcher thinks Superman, Batman, Spiderman, etc are really cool.

I was reading another mom blog recently and she was talking about getting more veggies into her kids. She said she made them "Incredible Hulk Smoothies" which were - you guessed it - GREEN! The secret ingredient was spinach which is really good for you for tons of reasons.

So this week Fletcher helped me make Incredible Hulk smoothies for breakfast(recipe at the end). Both boys loved it. They did taste really good although I have to admit they looked kinda gross. Just perfect for boys though.


Here's the finished product (I told you it didn't look so great).Luke having a taste test.

Fletcher showing off his Incredible Hulk muscles and his green mustache.


Luke copying his big brother and showing off his muscles too.


Here's the "recipe". I use that term loosely because I just sort of threw in what we had and didn't measure anything.

Green Smoothie
1 large handful of spinach (probably around 1 1/2 cups loosely packed)
1 frozen banana
5 frozen large strawberries
handful of frozen blueberries
1 small container of yogurt (I think it was 6 oz berry flavor but any would work)
1/2 cup or more of apple juice/orange juice (we happened to have a little of both - you'll have to play with the amount to get the consistency your kids will drink. I had to make it thin enough so Luke could suck it through his sippy straw)
Blend in a blender. I put the spinach in last and next time I will put it in first. I kept having to scrape down the sides to get the spinach to blend completely.

We will definitely be adding this to our breakfast rotation.

Throwback Thursday / Happy Birthday, Allie!

The date: March 1995

The place: Katy, TX

The mood: These are my nieces Brittany and Allie. Allie is 19 years old today. Kids playing Tball is cute. Little girls playing Tball is hilarious! I remember going to watch them play. I think they were playing on an all girls team. Most of the girls including Allie were out in the field twirling around, skipping or picking weeds that looked like flowers. There were a few serious players like Brittany who ran all over the field after the ball then fought over who would get to pick it up. Fletcher starts Tball Friday night. I look forward to seeing whether he's one who daydreams in outfield or runs everywhere.

Happy Birthday, Allie! We love you and we miss you. Here's to new beginnings and fresh starts.

Happy Birthday, Traci!

March is a big birthday month for our family too.

My niece Traci is 26 today. She and her husband Cade have an incredibly cute baby boy named Bear. She is a great wife and mom. I never dreamed my niece and I would have kids who are just nine months apart. I was in 9th grade when she was born. One of my favorite memories is when she and her brother (my nephew Thom) would come over to our house. They lived in the same town so we saw them alot. Every time they would leave Traci would ask my parents (their grandparents) if she could take home a bag of chips. Not just occasionally but every single time they came over. Of course, being the good MawMaw and PawPaw that they are, they would tell their sweet, spoiled first granddaughter "Yes" even though I registered my protests rather loudly! I tried to convince them to give her the ones I didn't like, but they let her choose whichever ones she wanted. So while Traci was in Cheetos heaven, I was stuck with plain boring Lays potato chips for my lunch throughout my high school years. But I'm not bitter.

Happy Birthday, Traci! We hope you have a wonderful day. We love you & we miss you! Hope to see you soon.

P.S. I thought about putting this picture on the blog but decided to do the rocking horse one instead. How are those Cheetos tasting now? :)

We're Back

We got back late Sunday night. We ended up doing the drive back in one day. It was hard for the boys until they fell asleep but I think they were glad to be back in their own bed. Monday was filled with laundry, suitcases, mail and two cranky, whiny boys but they both took 3 hour naps.

Here are a few thoughts from our trip --

The graveside services for Kevin's grandmother were very nice. I didn't get to hear most of it because I was walking Luke around the cemetary in the stroller. His hollering and requests for "kee-kas" (crackers) was a little disruptive. He finally fell asleep.

Fletcher was very curious about the entire experience. He boldly introduced himself by his FULL NAME to Kevin's grandfather because we told him Poppa Floyd might not remember him. He asked lots of questions, quoted some scripture to his Aunt Stacie and reminded his Papa Charlie that Grandma Daphne was in no more pain. Oh, and he wanted to see the big hole at the gravesite.

We were able to spend time with family and friends while we were there. We got to see a few of Graham's ball games including the one where he hit a homerun! And we spent alot of playtime at Aunt Stacie's house. Kevin had the wisdom to throw the boys' scooters in the back of the Pilot.

We also went to our old church on Sunday - Thomasville Road Baptist Church. They were having the grand opening of their new children and music buildings. When I was on staff there, those buildings were just ideas on blueprints. It was neat to see the real thing. It also felt good (and a little sad) to be loved and missed by so many people. Most asked if we were moving back. :)

One final story from our trip home. We were in a little town called Louisville, GA. We decided to stop at McDonalds for dinner because on the way to Florida I made the mistake of saying "let's wait until the next exit to eat" and there were no more food places for the next 50 miles. We didn't want to make that same mistake on the way home. The place looked iffy. I ordered two kids meals and got white milk for Luke and chocolate for Fletcher. I happened to check the expiration date on Luke's milk and it was 3/21. Sunday's date: 3/22. I went back to the counter and asked if I could have a different milk since this one was expired. She went to the little refrigerator and pulled the milk out one by one - at least ten of them -and not a single one had an unexpired date. She turned to me and said, "Would you like chocolate instead?" Instead of what??? Letting my child drink expired milk? Of course, I'll take chocolate! Which incidentally had not expired.

But here's the kicker. She put every single one of those expired milks back into the little refrigerator cooler and closed the door. Ready to give to the next customer.

I think I just threw up a little in my mouth when I typed that.

So I suppose if you went to the McDonalds in Louisville, GA Monday morning and had white milk with your breakfast chances are you weren't feeling so great Monday afternoon.

On a serious note I have heard "rumors" that since restaurant business is down because of this bleak economy some restaurants are doing what they can to stretch out the life of the food - like using stuff that they would normally throw out (like expired milk).

Shout Out To Chick Fil A

We've cut back on our fast food consumption, but we still love Chick Fil A. If you love Chick Fil A, you'll appreciate this.

More From the Firstborn

One of the reasons I started this blog was to record the funny things my children say so one day I don't forget them.

Here are a few recent ones.

Bedtime for Fletcher

Fletcher: Mom, does the Bible say that God never sleeps?
Mom: Yes, that's what the Bible says. He never sleeps.
Fletcher: Whew, man. He better get some rest!

Laundry Day. I bought some new undergarments courtesy of GapBody. I was taking the tags off of them before I washed them.

Fletcher: Mom, are these new?
Mom: Yes. Why don't you go play with your brother.
Fletcher: Mom, I really like the blue ones and the red ones. They are pretty.
Mom: Thanks. Luke wants you to play with him. Run along.
Fletcher: Mom, your bottom is going to be so happy wearing these nice new soft comfy panties.

Sad Day

Kevin's Grandma Daphne (Charlie's mom) passed away on Wednesday morning. She was 89 years old. She was a very healthy woman up until her recent diagnosis of a brain tumor. We know she loved Jesus and we know she is in heaven with no more pain.

We'll be traveling to Tallahassee for graveside services on Friday.

Kevin's Poppa Floyd is in an assisted living facility in Tallahassee and is adjusting to a new life without his wife of many years. Please pray for our family.

Thanks, Addams Family

I'll go ahead and apologize in advance for getting this song stuck in your head.

Note to self: It is difficult for a 5 year old to sing and snap simultaneously.

I'll Take What I Can Get

I've been trying to get Luke on video saying some of his cute animal noises. Most attempts have been unsuccessful. This is about the best we could do for now in between wrestling matches.

He likes to do them all together and tries to anticipate what I am going to ask next which is why he threw in the "tweet tweet" bird sound. Also, realize that he's never really seen a live goat. I am not sure why he thinks they scrunch up their faces and say "ma ma ma ma" but it is probably my favorite animal noise that he does.

Happy Birthday, Graham!

It is hard to believe how quickly this little guy


has grown into this young man!
Graham is our nephew and Fletcher and Luke's cousin. Fletcher adores Graham and really looks up to him. Fletcher likes the Florida Gators because Graham likes them. Fletcher wants to play sports because Graham plays sports. Fletcher loves to play at Graham's house because he has cool action figures and usually ends up giving Fletcher one or several. :) Graham is super smart - especially in math - which makes his Aunt Rachel (a former math teacher) very proud! He has a kind heart and a great sense of humor!

We love you, Graham! We hope you have an awesome 11th birthday. We pray God will continue to lead you on a steadfast journey into becoming a strong godly young man. Wish we could be there to celebrate with you.

You Scratch My Back. . .

We have a denim sofa and a leather chair in our living room. We bought them P.C. (pre-children). The sofa is super comfortable with a high back. Great for watching TV or napping. The chair is called a "pressback" chair because the back reclines but it has an ottoman to go with it. It was our compromise because Kevin wanted a recliner but I didn't like the looks of any of the recliners we saw.

We've had the furniture for awhile now. A little over 7 years. I think about how nice it would be to get new stuff. But then I remember that we have children. Even though we don't let them have food in the living room, the sofa is still looking a little worn. And let's just say that with Luke's runny nose due to allergies, I am neither confirming or denying that he sometimes may or may not use the sofa as his personal Kleenex. Good thing the covers are washable.

Now on to the chair/ottoman. Sadie didn't get the memo that the chair is not for her. She may or may not have put a few scratches on it in the early days but she knows better now. The other day I happened to look at the back of it. This is what I found:

Why, yes, that is not one but two letter "F's" scratched into the leather. Can you guess who may or may not have done that?

Maybe new furniture is overrated.

Throwback Thursday

The date: around January 2006 - Fletcher was about two years old
The place: our house in Tallahassee, FL
The mood: I posted Luke's bubble bath pictures yesterday and then I remember that I had some bubble bath pictures from Fletcher too. Fletcher still loves bubble baths. We tried to make our own bubble bath the other day using grated castille soap, warm water, glycerin and tangerine essential oil but it didn't work. So it's back to Mr. Bubbles until I can find a better recipe.

Rubber Ducky, You're The One

Luke is really into bubble baths these days. I think he would stay in there all day if we would let him. He did learn that bubbles do not taste good.

Happy Birthday, Uncle David!

Today is my brother's birthday. He is almost three years older than me. Most of my childhood memories include him in some form or fashion. . .

I have stitches on my chin from an unfortunate see saw incident at my MawMaw's house. I'm not pointing any fingers.

I couldn't sit down comfortably for several weeks after I "fell" off his shoulders and either bruised or broke my tailbone. I was too scared to tell my parents so I lived in pain.

I remember watching TV after school and polishing off an entire brand new bag of BBQ chips with him and getting in trouble for it.

I laugh every time I put sheets on a bed because of him. We had to do this chore together as kids and like most people one of us would sort of throw/pop the sheet across the bed to the other person. He would always yank it out of my hand. Over. And. Over. Every. Single. Time. Or he would lay down on the bed underneath the sheet before it landed and act like he was dead. It is hard to explain. I guess you just had to be there. What can I say -- we lived in the country and we had to make our own fun. Let's just say normal people can make a bed in 7 minutes. With David, it took at least 30.

We watched WWF on Saturday mornings before it was even called WWF and perfected our wrestling moves like The Claw.

Speaking of fighting, when we did get into it like most brothers and sisters do, we were able to fight almost silently so Mom wouldn't hear us. We lived in a very small house. We usually stopped when I yelled, "Mom, David is hitting me." Worked almost every time.

Once we got sent to our rooms for fighting. Mom was in the kitchen. I was happily playing with my Barbies in my room minding my own business when David said, "Rachel, you better get back in your room. Mom told you to stay in your room." I was shocked. I WAS IN MY ROOM! Never left it. Mom came down the hall and I got in trouble AGAIN while David was saying, "I told her to go back to her room." That was just wrong.

While it wasn't the Heimlich, he did turn me upside down by my ankles and shake me when I choked on a peppermint candy. It worked and I didn't die.

We've played more board games than any siblings on the face of the earth. I won't go in to who cheated the most.

He drove me to school when I was a dorky freshman and he was a cool junior.

He wouldn't let any of his friends date me.

One of his smartest decisions was marrying his wife Monette.

He is great with computer stuff and helps us with computer questions although I am sure it annoys the heck out of him.

He makes a jaguar animal sound that terrifies most small children including mine. Yet they ask him to do it again and again.

He is a great dad even though he has more toys and DVDs than his all of his four children combined.

I wished we lived closer so we could see him more often.

Happy Birthday, David. We love you and we hope you have a wonderful day.

Garden Update

We had wonderful weather here this weekend. The boys spent most of the day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday outside. Fletcher even got a sunburn on his neck and cheeks. I didn't even think about putting sunblock on him. Oops!

I was certain that we had killed our garden. With the freezing temps and the snow, I was mentally prepared that all of our plants would be dead. We tried to cover the garden every night the temps went below freezing, but we forgot one night. So many people told us we planted too early even though we were following the dates that the "master gardener" had given us.

I took these pictures at dusk - that is why they aren't great. Well, that and the fact that I am not a very good photographer in general. We were so caught up visiting with neighbors and watching the kids play that I forgot to take them until it was almost too late.

This is our buttercrunch lettuce planted from seeds (upclose shot of the teeny tiny leaves sprouting out of the dirt). The tiny blue flecks are explained in the next paragraph:

These are our carrots also planted from seeds- can you see the tiny green sprouts or should I say the tiny blurry green sprouts at the top center of the pic? Also note the blue flecks in the dirt to the left of the green sprouts. We went to all this trouble to get organic compost and organic seeds and then the tarp we used to cover the plants flaked off into the dirt. There's no way to pick it out or rake it out without messing up the plants. So now we have an "organic garden" with toxic blue plastic in the soil. I suppose you win some, you lose some.

More carrots. Onions to the left.

These are the strawberries planted from plants, not seeds. They are only so-so. There's actually some new growth of a few of the original plants. The nice green ones you see sticking up are new. My friend planted some and gave me 4 of her leftovers so we put those in just in case ours don't produce.

Let's observe a moment of silence for the broccoli and the onions which started as plants, not seeds (overhead shot). I don't think we can resurrect them. We'll see how they do, but let's just say I'm not counting on making chicken broccoli stir fry anytime soon. Even though we had the stakes up, the wind shifted some and part of the tarp fell on the onions crushing them.

Lest Ye Forget

Fletcher was coming home with several papers from preschool that were just scribble coloring. I know he can color better than that when he concentrates. But we found out that he tries to hurry through his work so he can play with his friends instead. So we've talked alot recently about how 5 year olds don't "scribble scrabble". They take their time and do their best blah blah blah. Using the "5 year olds do this or that" speech seems to work for now.

Fletcher and I were coloring at the table Thursday night. We were working on a picture together and he was having fun. He even wrote his name and my name "Mom" at the top of the paper since we were doing it together.

Fletcher: This is gonna look like a picture that a 5 year old and a 20 year old colored.
Mom: (I'll take a compliment when I can get it so I didn't say anything)
Fletcher: Wait. I meant this is gonna look like a picture that a 5 year old and a 40 year old colored.

Cue the Bryan Adams "Love Cuts Like a Knife" music.

Throwback Thursday

The date: Yesterday (I know. I know I need to work on scanning more old pics.)

The place: Our house getting ready to go to Fletcher's preschool

The mood: Yesterday was Wacky Wednesday at preschool in honor of Dr. Seuss. After some coaching from Mom, Fletcher put together his outfit and said, "Hey, let's take some pictures of me and put them on the blog." So here they are. Little did he know that his outfit turned out more "ganster thug" than "wacky." Oh well.

His shirt says "Goats On The Roof" - a little place he visited when he went to see Grandma and Papa Charlie this summer. And yes, there really are goats that live on a roof. Ask Fletcher about them someday and he'll tell you all about them.

page 2

Paul Harvey died this weekend. He was 90 years old.

I remember growing up hearing his voice on the radio.

"Hello, Americans. This is Paul Harvey."

"Page 2"

"And now you know. . .the rest of the story."

"I'm Paul Harvey.(super long pause) Good day."

I always wondered if his little stories were true.

He later became the spokesperson for several products. I can't think of a Craftmatic Adjustable Bed without hearing his voice talk about it. Same thing for a Bose Wave Radio.

Radio will not be the same without his voice.

Snow Day!

Here are a few pictures and a video from our fun Snow Day. Please note that no children were harmed in the making of the video and I did not have a heart attack. But I almost did. Next time, I'll probably make them wear helmets.

For the record -- before the first clip Kevin and I BOTH said to Fletcher, "Catch your brother."

We're Off To See The Wizard

Side Note: It started snowing Sunday night - alot. So chances are when you read this Monday morning, we will be outside sledding down a hill in our neighborhood. This is a banner day because the is the FIRST TIME since we've lived here that Kevin has been at home when it snowed. The other three times he was out of town for work. I still can't believe we got snow in March!

A local area theater group was performing The Wizard Of Oz so Fletcher and I went on a "date" to see it Friday night while Kevin and Luke stayed home. This was Fletcher's first theater event and he loved it. He had seen the movie awhile back so he knew the basic storyline. I was a little worried that the witch might scare him. She still scares me! Those monkeys are a little creepy too. He did sit on my lap for the parts with the witch. I'm not sure how it happened, but we ended up with front row seats so we had a perfect view and no one in front of us. All of the actors were area high school students and they did a great job. The Munchkins were elementary age children who also did a great job. The show started at 7:30 and ended at 10:30. I thought for sure that Fletcher would be tired and want to leave at the intermission, but he wanted to stay and see the end. So we did!

The only downside is that Fletcher spent all of Saturday and Sunday walking around chanting "Oh-we-oh. Weee-oh" which is what the witch's Winkies (guards) said. Of course, now that is in our heads too. It got so annoying that Luke started putting his hands over his ears and running away every time Fletcher would say it. Ah, brotherly love.

And just in case you've forgotten about those Winkies, here's what they sound like: