The King Family

Viv's Visit

2010-03-08T17:17:00.001-08:00

My SWEET grandma came to visit us this week. It was her 90th birthday on the day they arrived.

Mo Mo and Cadillac

Mo Mo and Ben having a battle.

Tball

2010-03-08T16:41:00.001-08:00

Tball season has begun! Ben had his first scrimmage last week and here he is leaving 1st base.

Mom, Dad and Mo Mo were here when he had to take his pictures. (yes, we took the pics at the mall)

Ben's 1st Lost Tooth

2010-03-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

2010 SNOW!

2010-02-18T16:09:00.001-08:00

Gatlinburg, February 2010

2010-02-18T15:57:00.003-08:00

Here is a fabulously random assortment of pictures from our trip to Gatlinburg, TN. We hit all of the Ripley's museums, snow tubed, played golf, went up the Space Needle---we had a GREAT time!

Christmas, 2009

2009-12-27T19:03:00.001-08:00

We had the BEST Christmas ever!!!! Santa came and delivered a few toys and then it was a fun filled day of putting a Lego train together!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

December 2009, Part 1

2009-12-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have added pictures. Here are a few from the past month.

Michael and Ben made a gingerbread house.

Cookie at school....

more cookies at home!!!!

Michael, Ben and Poppa at dinner in Columbus.

Ben, Brandon, Kayleigh and Mallory at Grandmas in Phenix City.

Ornaments that Ben made at the pottery place......

and ornaments that Ben made at school.

Halloween, '09

2009-10-31T19:34:00.001-07:00

Our little cowboy started his night in the rain.

Ben obviously only trick or treats for one thing...the candy. When he had a certain amount in his bag, he was done! He just rode in the wagon and let me pull him while the other kids got out and got candy.

WRAPPERS!

DINNER!

DESSERT!

Pirates and Tanks, October '09

2009-10-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

What a great day we had in Columbus! Our day began at the museum for a Pirate Day. Pirates were everywhere. They started the day by firing a cannon that we watched from afar...it was very loud.

Poppa, Ben, Natalie and Nana

This fine pirate was showing Ben his gun. Thanks to Ben's favorite show on the History Channel, Lock N Load, he knew all about this gun!

This was one spunky pirate couple. Ben could not take his eyes off of them.

What was I supposed to do...just stand there and smile??

Ben and Natalie loved the cannon...even though it was loud!

After seeing the pirates, we headed over to Fort Benning and went to see the army tanks. Again, because of all of the T. V. watching I let my kid do...he taught us some stuff about the tanks!

We found Little Ben!

Nana and two of her sweet babies!

We couldn't think of a better way to end our day than to get ice cream at DQ!

Fair, 2009

2009-10-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

Louisiana Trip, October '09

2009-10-18T12:21:00.001-07:00

We went to Jennings for a week recently. Seems like we cooked food over a fire quite often...3 times to be exact! I'm not sure what the flashlight was for that my dad is holding.

There is never a dull moment in the country. These little darlings dig up my mom's flowers, so my dad traps them.

When it rains, you just pull the bbq pit under the covering and roast your marshmallows that way. We had already roasted hotdogs..that was the entree. This is dessert!

Ben and I with our sweet grandma! He had made nametags for everyone earlier in the day and she is still wearing hers.

WAR EAGLE!!!

2009-09-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

Our Auburn Game this year was our first night game and my parent's first ever Auburn game! Everyone had a GREAT time!

Seeing Spirit the Eagle fly is my favorite part of the game. He is let go at the top of the stairs in the inzone and flys around and around the stadium until he lands in the middle of the field. He is also on the sideline during the game.

Mom, Dad and Ben after the game!

Mom, Ben and I waiting for the band!

We can't ever go to the campus and skip getting a picture in front of this sign! One day I will dig up all of the pictures we have like this and post them.

Fun Run, Aug. '09

2009-08-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

This week at Ben's school there was a Fun Run to raise money for the school. Ben ran and walked 35 laps...which is over 2 miles. I had one tired little boy that night!!!

First Day of Kindergarten, Aug. '09

2009-08-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

Ben is in Kindergarten now and LOVES his teachers!

I Am 5 Now!

2009-08-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

Braves Game, August '09

2009-08-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

We went to the Braves game in Atlanta. It was a night game which was really cool! Ben had a ball and got to eat all of the junk that he wanted to!

Summer Fun, 2009

2009-08-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

Mom and dad are here for 2 weeks and these are pictures from two short trips that we took. We just got home from a great day at the beach at Tybee Island and a tour of Fort Pulaski. Ben in front of the Tybee Island Lighthouse

This is Ben's first official beach trip. He went for 4 days when he was 10 mos old, but since Michael and I don't like the beach, we only went out on the sand to take a picture. Today he had a blast playing in the water and getting sand all over his body!

Fort Pulaski was great. They had a cannon firing demonstration that Ben and dad watched from the roof. Even though this was a military fort, it didn't matter to Ben because he is part Pirate and Pirates have cannons too! There were also musket firing demos that were very interesting!

Last week we went to Dauset Trails. Ben found this Brer Rabbit house in one of the gardens. He insisted he get a picture with it.

Dauset Trails has many animals, but most were sleeping since we were there so early in the morning. This coyote was running around so fast that I didn't think that I would ever get a picture of him! All of their animals are native to the area and many are injured and can't be released into the wild.

Disney, June '09

2009-07-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some of our favorite pictures from our trip to see Mickey Mouse in Disneyworld!

Ben's favorite ride was Splash Mountain and here is the proof that we all got soaked!!

Ben loved the pool that we never swam in. You can see Cinderella's castle behind the trees.

Michael and Ben were waiting for their race car.

First Monorail ride with dad.

The stars of the show at Animal Kingdom.

This is Ben on a lava rock outside of our building at the Polynesian.

Lego store in Downtown Disney--YES, we bought Legos!

This is the lobby of the hotel right after we checked in.

July 4th

2009-07-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

Ben can't get enough of these sparklers. Good thing we stocked up on them!! We were all in our neighbor's yard watching fireworks! It was a great evening!

4th of July Fireworks

2009-07-03T08:54:00.001-07:00

This is the second year in a row we went to the Warner Robins 4th of July Fireworks Show! We were prepared with sparklers, chairs and an ice chest!! Ben had a blast!!

My two favorite boys!!

June 2009

2009-07-01T04:34:00.000-07:00

June has flown by! Here is a look at the things that we have been up to in the past 3 weeks!

Our new 'sitting spot' in the corner of the backyard. That is our new garden that we just added to the yard with plants that I dug up from my grandma's yard in Louisiana.

We made a cake for Michael's 39th birthday. It was only fitting, being that he is in the car business that he have a car cake. Well, I now know why grocery stores have bakeries and I also know that I will never qualify for a job in one! Those are decorations around the column and the chair...we don't normally have crepe paper streamers taped all over the house. Ben did the decorating!

This was daddy's idea and the yard got watered at the same time!

We have hit the pool every weekday for the past 3 weeks. Padraig and Ben are having fun trying to stay cool!

Our new garden again. My grandma had some odd plants growing in her yard..one looks like a poinsettia and one looks like a hydrangea...I am sure they will take over my yard, but who cares! They are back in the corner in the shade by the cannas and daylilly that you can't really see.

We painted pottery (or a platter for daddy's pocket stuff) for daddy for Father's Day. It was fun...but mommy had to finish it. That is Ben's hand though and daddy loves it!

There is a blueberry patch near my friend's house, so we took the kids and picked for an hour...and that is our bucket full. Ben is wearing his new tie dyed shirt that we made with our friends the day before.

Wow...Ben and I love our huge sunflowers. Daddy, not so much. Sporting yet another tie dyed shirt. It kinda goes with the long, hippie hair.

Our Trip to Louisiana

2009-07-01T04:08:00.000-07:00

We spent a week in Jennings at my parents and here are some of our favorite pictures from our trip!
This crawfish has been in front of this restaurant for as long as I can remember.
Mo Mo, Mom, Ben and I at the Lorraine Bridge. It is an old wooden bridge that is still in use.

Who doesn't love sitting on a swing in the shade??

We spent a day out at the Laccassine National Wildlife Refuge. We got to see an alligator after I took this picture of my dad and Ben at the end of a pier that went out over the swamp.

Leave it to my dad to know where someone is emptying crawfish traps in the middle of nowhere. We got to get on the boat and motor through the flooded rice fields and empty traps that were full of live crawfish.

Ben was able to see if he could catch a crab at the Laccassine NWR...no luck though. Farther down the road he did get to watch a man catch some the same way...raw chicken at the end of string!

This was one of the many fires we built to roast marshmallows. It was Ben's first time and he loved them!

More crawfish--He was trying to peel them. He did a good job, but decided that it was easier to let me peel them and he would just stand there with his mouth wide open.

Ben's Last Day of PreK

2009-05-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

WOW!! A school year has never flown by as fast as Ben's PreK year! Today was the last day. For the past few weeks his teacher has been doing Pirate themed activities with them. Today they had Pirate centers set up outside. Ben's favorite was when he got to walk the plank!!

Who doesn't love a Pirate Pinata??

Look at these cute cupcakes a mom made!!! My little cupcake was so happy that it was finally snack time!

Ben had a great PreK year, thanks to Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Farris. I got to spend a lot of time in his class because of my flexible schedule. We are really going to miss them. All I can say is that his Kindergarten teachers have BIG shoes to fill!!!

Braves Rainout!!

2009-05-17T18:25:00.001-07:00

We had tickets to the Braves game today and knowing that it was going to rain, we headed up there anyway. Ben loves the games and has just as much fun roaming around the stadium as he does watching the game. The game didn't happen today, but we had fun!!!

Thank goodness the fashion police was taking the day off because this was what everyone was wearing. We actually saw a few ponchos with Mickey Mouse on the back...just like Michael's from a previous Disney trip!

We were standing by the Chop House, trying to stay dry, and the man working there was handing out ice cream to the kids that would tell him 'Go Braves.'

Ben loves the batting and pitching cages. He doesn't care how long the line is, he patiently waits his turn and tries his best when he gets in there. He is very serious about baseball.

Every tunnel we saw, Ben would want to go check to see if it was still raining. It was...every time!!!

No event would ever be complete without cotton candy! He insists on holding it and tells me NO every time I look at him. He gets his love for cotton candy from his mama.

His daddy is a sucker for souvenirs. Here he is wiped out with his Braves Rally Monkey! Since a pitch wasn't thrown, we get to turn our tickets in for a free home game this season. Who knows if we will do that or not, but we did have a great time today roaming around Turner Field for 3 hours!!!

What We Have Been Up To!

2009-05-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

We have been SUPER BUSY!!! Who would have thought that a 4 year olds calendar could be so busy??

Ben finishes up soccer this week.

We went to the Air Show. It only comes every 2-3 years so we knew that we had to go. This is a picture of Ben in a JSTARS plane.

Pirates take over PreK! Ben's prek class is doing a Pirate theme and he loves it!

Mother's Day produced some very heavy thunderstorms around dinner time. After Ben had his bath we saw this beautiful rainbow!!

Prek went on a field trip to the Strawberry Patch in Reynolds, GA. It was a blast! The kids (and adults) could eat as they picked because they used lady bugs as pesticide and not chemicals. Each child got to get a basket full to bring home. Ours were eaten by dinner!

Field Day, 2009

2009-04-28T11:52:00.001-07:00

Today was Ben's Field Day at school. PreK had 2 hours of relay races and did a GREAT job!

Earth Day

2009-04-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

I am all about taking out the boring plants that the landscapers put in and adding color!! Michael finally caved in and let me get the Japanese Maple that I have been asking for. I think that he is tired of me pointing out the same ones in the neighborhood everytime we leave the house. When I told him that I stopped in two different neighbors yards to ask about THEIR Japanese Maple, he decided that he better get me one before I am arrested for trespassing.

It took more time to get the Indiana Hawthorne out of the ground. There were two Gardenia plants that were being smothered by the bigger plants.

Now we can see the Gardenias and the new tree looks great!! Thanks Ben and Michael!

Ben's FIRST Dentist Visit

2009-04-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Today was our first dentist visit and I was shocked!!! Ben did GREAT!! I never would have thought that Ben would have sat there for so long and let the hygienist clean his teeth. She explained everything as she did it. She let him play with the instruments before she started working on his teeth.
Look at his shiny teeth!!!

Of course...you have to get prizes. Not to mention the one that mom and dad got you at Target before your dentist appointment!

Ben was so excited when we left...he left with a total of 3 prizes out of the bucket, a new toothbrush and toothpaste, a pizza coupon and an ice cream coupon! The boy made out like a bandit! I do have to admit..we go to the gentle dentist. I remember the metal pick that they would scrape my teeth with for what seemed like an eternity. After I got my braces off it was even worse...you would think that they would take the cement that had been on my teeth for 2 years off when they took the braces. I guess they just left it as a souvenir. I used to dread the dentist. I am so glad that Ben will have a much better experience.

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T16:59:00.001-07:00

This year has been Ben's best as far as hitting the egg hunting circuit. Ben started his egg hunting season hunting eggs at school. We were off for Spring Break the week before Easter and Ben didn't miss a hunt! Here he is with his cousin Natalie hunting eggs at Nana and Poppa's house.
We planned a hunt for the kids on our street up at our playground. There were so many eggs!!

Every year Ben and Michael dye eggs. It used to be mostly Dad doing all of the work, but this year, Ben was big enough to do it all!

Ben was invited to another neighborhood hunt...this one where he was one of the youngest. There was tough competition...but he did a great job!!

The eggs that he and daddy dyed, along with the eggs he dyed with Nana, ended up hidden in the backyard. Luckily, Ben found them all--Or Cadillac would have in a few days.

Don't worry, Cadillac was not left out this egg hunting season. He found an EGGselent spot to lay on the sofa!

Painting with Dandelions

2009-04-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

I saw this cute activity and we tried it today. All you have to do is pick a bunch of dandelions from the yard. Voila!! They turn into paintbrushes in an instant. It was really fun to see Ben work fast because the flowers start to close up pretty quick. He designated each one to be a certain color.

Ben figured out different painting techniques. He would dab some and then swirl some.

We decided to see what happened when you mixed the colors and also dipped the cut end of the stem in the paint.

Fun Saturday Morning!

2009-04-04T08:41:00.001-07:00

It all started when Ben asked for some scissors to cut up some paper, then he decided to paint on the paper instead. Why is it every time he paints, he has to make a Christmas tree?? The rest of the masterpieces are drying on the island behind him. I highly recommend investing in these paints from Michael's or Hobby Lobby. They are washable and FUN!!!!!

In Ben's PreK class this week, they did two really cool science experiments. The first one is in the picture above. All you do is take 1/2 c. cornstarch and 1/4 c. water. Put it in a plastic bowl and mix it up. It turns into a STRANGE mixture that is a solid and a liquid at the same time. You can put your hands in it or stir it around with a spoon. The first time we made it was last night and I couldn't resist playing in it, too!

The other experiment was with m&m's and water. Put about an inch of water in a bowl. Drop about 4 m&m's into the water, leaving a space between each one. Watch what happens--the colors won't run together. If you put the candy m side up and leave it for a while, the m will float to the top. Don't tell your kids what will happen--let them discover as they go.

Snow Day!!

2009-03-01T16:58:00.001-08:00

We finally got some snow and didn't even complain that it was March!! Here is Ben's snow angel!

I have been waiting for years to have a picture of my house with snow on it. Now I have it!

Ben and his first snowman. Complete with a carrot nose and cranberry eyes.

Ben had a wonderful day today. Hopefully we won't have to wait so long for our next Snow Day!!

Soccer

2009-02-26T17:17:00.000-08:00

We haven't had much going on lately until now...Ben started soccer today. He seemed to like it and is excited about going back next week. He did tell me that he doesn't think that the coach knows what he is doing because he does all of the drills with them. I just want to know what this kid did that was so terrible that he had to coach a team of 3 and 4 year olds for 2 months.

When the coach, in the gray hoodie, says 'Red light' you have to stop and put your foot on the ball and wait for other instructions.

This is a great picture of Ben and his friend Megan moving the soccer balls around the field.

I am hoping that this is the first of many posts of Ben's soccer career.

Sticky Trap

2009-01-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

Ben made a sticky trap for mice....NO we don't have mice. He saw one at Michael's office and has been talking about it for a week. He took the bottom of a box of cheese, turned it upside down, put strips of tape on it and filled it with a slice of cheese. He is very proud of his 'invention' and we sill have it--it is in the fridge. He is still looking for the perfect place to put it to catch a mouse.

Christmas Day, 2008

2008-12-26T12:47:00.001-08:00

Christmas Day at our house was GREAT! Santa came and left Ben lots of fun toys. Legos seemed to be the most popular thing at our house this Christmas. That is what we were busy doing all day long. Luckily Ben took his nap so our eyes could get a break from putting the Lego firestation, police station and service station together.

Ben has a HUGE sweet tooth, no matter what the other flavor that you mix in with the sugar. This was a lemon bar that he discovered that he liked--right before lunch.

Nana and Poppa joined us for lunch. Ben is almost getting too big to pick up!

Rudolph with your nose so bright...

2008-12-24T15:35:00.001-08:00

It is Christmas Eve and we just put out the reindeer food for Rudolph and his buddies. Ben has had the jar of food sitting by the front door since he brought it home. We can't wait! The milk and cookies are next!

Christmas at Grandma's House

2008-12-21T17:45:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Grandma's house in Phenix City, Alabama. Ben was very excited to see his cousins. Here is a picture of Mallory, Brandon, Grandma, Ben and Kayleigh. Ben is into Legos and luckily he was surprised with a few new sets which have already been put together compliments of his daddy.

PreK Christmas Fun!

2008-12-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

This was our last week of school before the Christmas break. Ben had a busy schedule in his PreK classroom. On Monday they had Christmas Centers. This was the center that I helped at..we made Reindeer food. Ben is patiently waiting for the 'magic glitter' to put in his jar before he shakes it up.
On Thursday some special guests came to their class. Two of Santa's Elves came to visit and they brought Santa's dog with them. After 'Polar Express' was read to the class, the elves served hot chocolate and muffins. Earlier in the week, the class had made a special wish list for Santa. Ben's teacher sent the list home with the elves to give to Santa.

Finally, on Friday was the party. The kids had great snacks and some red fruit punch which Ben is proud to show off on is lips in the picture with Nanny.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of our decorations this year..they are actually the same as last year! I wish I would have invented the huge suction cups for the windows and those white 3M hooks with the sticky back!

Gingerbread House for the Fourth Little Pig

2008-12-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

This has been the best Christmas season. Ben has been into making all sorts of stuff. Today we made a Gingerbread House. From the start, Ben knew he was going to get to eat some candy. I wasn't so sure we would have enough candy for decorating it...but we did.

He started off by licking the icing off of the mixer.

I couldn't resist getting a picture with the 'evidence' on his face. This Gingerbread House will drive his daddy crazy...It will be in the trash on Dec. 26! We will enjoy it on the dining room table until then.

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer....

2008-12-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

Check out this snazzy little reindeer that Ben and I made...We actually made 11 of them. We would have had 12, but Ben ate one of the candy canes yesterday.

Earth to Ben King

2008-11-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

Ben has obsessions, some are short lived and some are not. He has always loved space and he got this idea from TV the other day. I will have to add aluminum foil to my shopping list!

Ben's Visit With Santa!

2008-11-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

Today was our much anticipated trip to see Santa! Ben was such a good boy. He sat with Santa and told him many things that he would like for Christmas. As soon as I got the picture home, I compared it to the years past.

This is his first visit with Santa in 2004. He was 4 months old. We visited Santa in Metairie, where we used to live.

He didn't brave the Santa picture line again until 2006. When he was 1 he screamed and screamed. It was torture for him. This is his visit with Santa when he was 2. He still wasn't very sure, but at least there were no tears.

This is his 2007 picture when he was 3.

You know it is Christmas when.....

2008-11-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

The wreath is hung!! Besides decorating the tree, my favorite part of our decorating tradition is to deck the porch with greenery and white lights! Ever since I was little, I knew that when I got big I wanted my front porch to look like this.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving day has come and gone. The food was great. My dad carved the turkey and ham. Ben knew that we were going to decorate the tree today so that was next on the agenda! Here are some pics from our happy day!

Happy Birthday Cadillac

2008-11-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

Today Cadillac is 6 years old!!!!

TGIF!

2008-11-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

Today was the last day of school before the Thanksgiving holidays. Ben had PACTime in his class today. He made his own butter and dressed like a Pilgrim.

We had a death in the family last night. Our fish died. We had him for 2 1/2 years. His name was Fish. After school today Ben and I went to the pet store to get another fish. Ben was in charge of naming the fish (as you can tell, he named the last fish) and the new fish is named Glass. I have tried to get an explanation as to why he has an odd name. The only thing that Ben tells me is that he named him that because he didn't have a name.

Here he is....Glass. He will happily live on the desk in the kitchen. He was preceeded in death by Fish, Jared, Plaxico and Rudi. Michael and I have always had a beta fish.

Football Sunday!

2008-11-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

The Saints are playing the Falcons today, so of course we have that game on TV. You don't know how excited I was to see what other two teams were playing later in the day..first the Colts and then the Giants. Ben has a jersey for each of those teams so at some point today he has put them on for me to take a picture. We love Peyton Manning. He posed in front of the Peyton Manning fathead with his Eli Manning jersey on.

We pulled the Peyton Manning jersey out of the pile of clothes that are too small. He got this one when he was 1 and the Colts were in the playoffs in 2006. They lost the next playoff game. Luckily we got our Superbowl win in January 2007!

We happened to be in New Orleans when the Reggie Bush jerseys went on sale 2 years ago. This is the first year that it hasn't looked like a dress on him.

Sleeping Angel

2008-11-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

Look at him! Ben NEVER falls asleep on the sofa. It is Friday evening, about an hour before his regular bedtime of 7:30 and he is out!! That is what a week of PreK can do to you. Thanks Mrs. Brown!!

2008-11-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.
jerry garcia

Proud Mom and Dad!!

2008-11-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

This is a note that Ben brought home from school today. It was from his teacher saying what a good leader he is in class. She also said that he knows the rules and follows them well. We are so proud of him!!!

Yummy Chicken Tacos

2008-11-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on a blog and it sounded good to me....We made it tonight and Michael gave it 2 thumbs up!! For the record---he is VERY picky!!! I just copied the recipe from the blog...but I cheated. I put the chicken on high and cut the time in half. I followed the rest of the directions just like they are posted.

Lime Chicken Tacos
1 1/2lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chunky salsa
12 flour tortillas (6 in) warmed
Sour Cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and lettuce (optional).
Place chicken in 3 quart slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.
Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred and return to slow cooker. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve tortillas with sour cream, cheese, and lettuce, if desired.

Yee Haw!!

2008-10-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

This is Ben in his costume on Thursday night. We went to the fall festival at the church. I realized that there wasn't a great shot of the boots in the other post. The boots will now be retired. If I don't...do you know how many black marks will be on my wood floor?? Those boots may have cured him of ever wanting to be a cowboy. I never should have bought boots at K-Mart!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

We had a great time trick-or-treating in our neighborhood tonight. It was nice and bright outside when we began. Ben thought that he had to eat the candy as fast as he got it. His bag stayed pretty empty for a while. As the night progressed, we hit more and more houses and his tummy couldn't keep up. I kept telling myself...it is only once a year, it is only once a year!!

As the night wore on and the darker it got, the boys opted for a ride in the wagon!! Easton was a giraffe.

This is what the wagon looked like at the end of the night. I also found some empty candy wrappers in his bag!! Tummy Ache!!

I discovered a way to get a lot of candy....tell a Georgia Fan 'War Eagle' BEFORE they give your kid candy. They will load them up with sugar in hopes that they never go to bed that night.

Look at what my crafty neighbor made!

2008-10-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

Creepy!!

2008-10-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

This was the art du jour at our house tonight! There were a total of 6 spiders. Since it was Ben and his daddy's job to hang them up, these made it to the kitchen. The other 3 are randomly spread throughout the house. They sorta go with the theme that I keep all year long....cobwebs. Maybe I can just leave these lovely critters out all year and the cobwebs won't be as obvious.

Cute Craft

2008-10-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Look at these cute decorations that Ben and I made this afternoon when he came home from school. They were super easy. I had a string of Christmas lights under them, but Mr. Safety, Jr. thought it may be a fire hazard. He is only 4, but so much like his daddy. We decided to save the lights for the tree and let our new friends rest on a bed of pine straw.

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today we carved pumpkins. This is my 'pirate' pumpkin.

Michael carved this scary one. He did a pretty good job!

Happy Birthday Poncho!!

2008-10-24T19:30:00.001-07:00

Saturday is Poncho's birthday!! We love you!!

How much do you throw away??

2008-10-23T18:39:00.001-07:00

I used to laugh at my friend Amy for walking out of work with the boxes that the Capri Sun juice pouches come in. Then I noticed a plastic bag hanging on a hook in her class with scrap paper in it. Don't get me wrong, we recycled cans, paper and plastic in New Orleans because we had the blue bin to put by the street with our trash can every week. Well, Amy was actually taking this stuff home and putting it with her household recycling and bringing it to the recycling place. That seemed like a lot of work for me, so I just gave her my stuff from my class so she could bring it too. I know that Amy is a smart girl so I decided to try it. Let me just tell you. We have one of those big, rolling trash cans that is so big a riding lawnmower could fit in. I started with everything--milk jugs, milk cartons, newspaper, plastic bottles, cans, cereal boxes. We were averaging a bag of trash from the kitchen can everyday, sometimes more. That is at least seven bags a week. Now, we only have about three bags of garbage in our can at the end of the week. Oh no, it didn't all just disappear. Now, it is all in my garage. (Thanks Amy) Now, about every other week, Ben and I load up the plastic containers that are set up to keep everything separated into the car and go to the recyclers. I have to admit, I look forward to going to the recyclers. I feel like I am doing something for the Earth. If you don't recycle already, START!! (or you can bring your stuff to Amy and she will recycle it for you)

By the way, the picture is of the recycling that I accumulated in one day in our house. After I took the picture, I added an olive jar. It adds up very fast!!

Pizza Time

2008-10-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

We have always loved thin crust pizza, but have a hard time finding a place that makes it just like we like it. We can thank Tower Pizza in Metairie, LA for spoiling us!! I know my new secret weapon has always been on the shelf at the grocery store--it just took me a long time to realize that great crust can be 'instant' and not have to rise for hours on the cabinet. I have discovered Martha White crust mix. It is super-cheap (66 cents) and only calls for one ingredient..water. I can get 3 pizzas that are about 12 inches round out of each pouch of mix...we like it paper thin. This is my pizza. I like a little sauce, sliced tomatoes, feta cheese and a little sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Michael likes meat and peppers on his. I make Ben one with cheese and pepperoni. It is actually the most crisp one because it only has two toppings beside the sauce. The crust is great for kids. You can cut it in slices and it holds its shape so their little hands can pick up the whole piece. I figured out that if you use the least amount of water, the crispier the crust. So, don't even use the full amount called for on the package. Give it a try and let me know how fast your family devours it!!

Welcome Poncho!!

2008-10-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

I have talked my partner in crime into starting a blog!! You can visit his blog too!!

Ben's Boots

2008-10-20T15:06:00.001-07:00

By looking at these boots anyone will be able to tell what Ben is going to be on Halloween. Yee Haw!!

Sunday Gumbo

2008-10-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

Seeing the picture of Ben sitting behind the pot of gumbo prompted me to get out my big pot and make a gumbo yesterday. I was able to get all of my ingredients ready while the roux and juice were boiling. I make chicken and sausage gumbo...even though for every bowl of c&s gumbo he eats, Michael will ask me to make a seafood gumbo. Maybe one day. My gramdma makes gumbo just like this!!
After the gumbo was made and the Saints lost their game, Ben woke up from his nap and we made cookies. These are the cookies out of the book by Jessica Seinfeld, Deceptively Delicious. I make them often. They are a very healthy version of chocolate chip cookies...there are chicpeas in them. Also, there isn't as much sugar and no egg yolks, only the egg whites. Another great thing about these cookies is that they keep their shape when you bake them. I use a little ice cream scooper and they are perfectly round on top and flat on the bottom. I put them in the freezer (notice the ziploc bag) and put a few in Ben's lunch everyday. I don't have to feel guilty about him getting junk...and they have lots of fiber because I also add raisins and oatmeal!!

If you have this cookbook and kids, get it out and look and see if there are things in it that your little one wouldn't eat when you got it but would eat now. Ben has discovered that he likes cheesesticks just recently and there is a healthy version in it. Next I am going to try the chocolate dip for fruit. Ben eats an apple almost everyday. I need to jazz those apples up soon or he is going to get tired of them, just like he did broccoli.

The Snack Bar!

2008-10-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

I was looking on my mom's card in her camera and I found this picture that I forgot that I had taken. Every one of the grandchildren has sat at the snack bar at my grandmas and watched her cook. This has got to be where I learned how to make good food. Mo Mo makes everyone their favorite..some like peas, some like pork-n-beans, some like cabbage. She knows what every grandchild, great-grandchild and great-great-grandchild likes and makes sure to have it all cooked when it is time to eat. It looks like we were having gumbo in the picture of Ben sitting at the snack bar. Of course, some don't like okra in the gumbo, so it is always on the side. I personally like gizzards in my gumbo. Mo Mo is still cooking on that old stove in Louisiana.

Sunday at Our House!

2008-10-13T05:10:00.000-07:00

I can't say that I am crafty like one of my blogger buddies. I am so far behind on my scrapbooking that I am scared to open the cabinet where I keep my unfinished projects. I don't bake either like my friend Amy. Since I am a Cajun from Louisiana, cooking is what I do best. Mom and dad brought some shrimp when they came. I decided to cook them on Sunday. I started peeling them and saw that I had enough to keep the peel on some and boil them up. As I was working on the shrimp, Michael fried some green tomatoes. It wasn't easy to get this picture. Michael and my dad were wondering why I was taking their treats. You always think that you have enough of this cajun delight, but you never do. We put some remoulade sauce on the side for dipping. We weren't done when these goodies were devoured. I used the peeled shrimp to make shrimp creole! I even made my roux from scratch! C'est Bon!!

The Rock Ranch

2008-10-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

We are keeping Nanny and Paw Paw busy while they are in Georgia. Today we drove about an hour northwest to the Rock Ranch. There are lots of activities for children spread out over about 15 acres. There is a corn maze there and I have always wanted to go through one. Upon entering, we were given this stick with a flag on one end. If we were to get lost, we just hold up the flag and there are people sitting on deer stands and they will guide us back on track. I wouldn't say that we were lost, but we surely didn't have the patience to find the exit. Apparently we were some of the first visitors and all of the workers weren't there yet because the 'guides' were not in place. Luckily, we found the entrance and used it as an exit. When we came out of the maze we made a big deal about being out of it so Ben thought that the 20 minutes that we were in the maze was all it took to really find the exit. I didn't realize that corn is such a complex plant!
The REAL reason for our trip was to see the 'Pumpkin Cannon.' It is this redneck creation that shoots pumpkins a very, very long way. Since we were cannon 'groupies' Ben was picked to help aim the cannon for the first firing. The pumpkins go so far that they had to drive a four-wheeler into the field on the other side of the pond to get the cows to move out of the way!

We had a great day. After we left the Rock Ranch, we drove through Barnesville and Nanny spotted a restaurant that looked like it might be good. She was right! With our tummies full of fried squash, ribs, fried chicken, veggies, and a little dessert, we drove up to the outlet mall in Locust Grove.

The Fair!!

2008-10-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the fair. Ben has been talking about it for a year. It wasn't the rides or the food that he didn't want to miss, it was the baby chickens. Nanny and Paw Paw are in town from Louisiana and they wouldn't miss the fair.

Can you see Ben and his daddy in the pink bucket? Last year he wouldn't get near the sky buckets. This year he rode them twice.

Here they are with the famous baby chickens. Poultry World is always our first stop and usually our last.

The bumper cars and the racing car roller coaster were Ben's two favorites! Daddy was a good sport....fair rides aren't the smoothest rides.
The weather wasn't the best but we had a great day! It was a wonderful way to kick off our Fall Break from school. We can enjoy our days off and our visit with Nanny and Paw Paw.

Geaux Saints!!!

2008-09-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist getting the camera out on Sunday to get this picture. I didn't think that the dog would actually stay on Michael's lap long enough, but he did. Getting him to look at the camera is another story. Ben is starting to turn into a little football fan. He lets us watch football (instead of Curious George) in the living room when it is on. What you can't see is the pirate village on the floor and the lego creations from earlier in the day!

Our First PreK Field Trip

2008-09-26T16:58:00.001-07:00

Today we went on our much anticipated field trip with Ben's class. I don't know if he was more excited to ride the big yellow school bus or to go to the park to play. He told me that I would need to take my car. I informed him that I wouldn't sit with him on the bus so he agreed that I could ride the bus with him. The weather was great and all of the kids, teachers and parents enjoyed the day.

Football Season is Here!!

2008-09-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

I had Michael's work polo ready for him to put on this morning. When I saw him come into the kitchen to get his coffee something hit me...it is Football Season. Ben has been wearing his Reggie Bush and Eli Manning jerseys for the past two Sundays. He has also been wearing his Auburn shirts on Saturdays for a few weeks. It was not until I saw that Michael had gotten the Auburn tie off of the rack and realized that he means buisiness today. Auburn plays LSU tonight..War Eagle!!!

WAR EAGLE!!!

2008-09-06T17:41:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the Auburn football game with Poppa and Nana. It was a beautiful day in Auburn. We arrived early to see the band march in...along with Ben's favorite mascot, Aubie. We knew our seats were in the upper deck, but you couldn't get much higher than we were. There was only one row behind us. We all made it up there (way up there) and stayed for the first half. Poppa was thankful for the elevator and the golfcart ride! Ben was itching to get his souvenirs that we had promised him. We headed to Tiger Rags for our 'merch' and headed home. It was a great day!!!

One of the BEST sights was seeing the Eagle fly from the top of the upper deck and circle a bunch of times until he landed on the 50 yard line on the field!!!

The Storm is Over!!!

2008-09-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

Mom and dad (along with the rest of the family) made it through Hurricane Gustav without much excitement. Mom and dad don't have electricity. They will just stay at my grandmas!! Looks like it will be an active season...more storms brewing out there. I'll keep everyone updated!!!

Hurricane Gustav!

2008-08-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Be thinking about mom and dad. They are thinking about staying in Jennings for the hurricane. I will keep everyone posted.

This is a pic of my dad and Ben. Ben thinks we should burn things in our yard like this. This is a great example of 'country life.' Let's hope the trees are still standing after the storm has passed!

Today is my dad's birthday! Happy Birthday!!

First Day of Pre K

2008-08-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

Look at Ben. This is for all to see that he does sit still at school!!! He loves Pre k.

Go Tigers!!!

2008-08-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is just a taste of what is to come! We went to an Auburn Baseball game in May. Football season is just around the corner....Watch out!!

WAR EAGLE!!!

Our Garden

2008-08-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

We grew enormous sunflowers in our garden this year. The birds enjoyed eating the seeds and we enjoyed watching them grow!!

I am 4!!!

2008-08-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

This is Ben on his 4th birthday! He had a pool party with a cowboy theme.