some Halloween pictures...

These are just the start!

Hannah and Scotty were characters from Narnia: Prince Caspian. Hannah was Queen Lucy, and Scotty was King Peter. I was just a red Queen of Hearts.

We also had twins - each one of us had someone dressed like us. I was actually surprised there weren't more, especially of the kids. My twin's mom bought an adult-sided dress and altered it, because it was the ONE her daughter wanted.










And yes - this is the FRONT of Westview Community Church - I have more pictures to share, but I have to resize them - the transformation was just AMAZING!

Wordless Wednesday

Really...there ARE no words required!

found this...

while cleaning up and got a kick out of it. I apparently cut it out of the Stars And Stripes newspaper in Germany, since it's dated 6/15/06! I am not sure how it managed to make it here with us, since we'd already packed up most of our stuff, but I guess I really wanted it...so here it is:



As a scrapbooker, I can truly appreciate this one!

We interrupt this Memory Monday...

For a little Forrest Gump. I love the movie...I truly do. I loved going to Savannah, GA and seeing the bench where a lot of that movie supposedly took place.

And do you know that Ft. Riley has a really COOL connection to the movie...RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE???? Michael Conner Humphreys, who played the young Forrest Gump, is in the Army, and is currently stationed HERE. Can't remember what rank he is, but they did an article on him recently in the Manhattan Mercury. Pretty cool, huh?

And what led me to think about Forrest Gump? Why...Benjamin Buford Blue. Otherwise known as Bubba. Of Bubba-Gump Shrimp Company fame....

Because I SWEAR, I met him today. The cable guy came out to try and resolve our "tiling" picture and loss of sound. He was a very nice black man, with a slight underbite and "big gums" (as Bubba called it). He SOUNDED like him, too. Now, I KNOW it wasn't him, or the actor that played him...but I felt like I fell into that movie. And he was from MISSISSIPPI...not far from Louisiana....

So...had to share.

And yes, he fixed my cable problems. And no, he did not "hook me up" with free HBO, Showtime, or Cinemax...or anything else, for that matter. I told him we lost channels, and he said we had to pay for them. When I told him we had extended digital cable, tier 1, with the Family Variety package, he knew that I was right, so he fixed that problem.

Uh...Live much?

I need a life. Really.

Why?

This: My son pulled the box of "stuffies" out from under his bed. There are about 20 or more stuffed animals in it. If he had his way, they would live on his bed, but he's already got about that many (if not more) living there, so we had to banish the less favorites to the under-bed box.

He pulled out a big grey bear...Baloo from The Jungle Book Movie.

"Mommy, where dis bear come from?"

"uh...Auntie Barbaralee sent you that when we were in Germany, bug" was my reply.

"Oh, okay. What about this one?" He holds up a creamy, long-furred bunny.

"That was in your Easter basket last year, sweetie"

"Ah...I 'member now...and dis one? Who gave me dis one?" He holds up a stuffed Woodstock.

"Uncle Kenny and Aunt Colleen gave you that. Hannah got the Snoopy one"


And this continued...until he'd pulled all of the bears and bunnies and other critters out from the box. And I was able to tell him where all of them came from...and how long he'd had them. Except for ONE. A small beanie-bear-type lion. I can't remember where it came from.

Now, can you tell me WHY I would have such a great memory for who gave the kids WHAT, but I can't remember the simplest of details in my every day life? Like, I have to honestly think HARD about what shirt I was wearing yesterday. Short of going to look in the laundry basket, I honestly can't remember. But I know when we got the cute stuffed snowman with the words "Lu's World" on the scarf...we got it on the Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to London in December of 2005. Hannah got a coloring kit.

I really need to get out more!

Easter Sunday....

is done. And it was a great day. We went to church as a family and it was nice. Hannah sang with the Children's Choir and she was HILARIOUS...she was enunciating the words SO well that we could see her clear up in the balcony!

MacDonald Family, Easter 2008

Scotty...well, he is in a class by himself at all times! My neighbor Shawn gave us a 3 piece suit for him. One of the blessings of having a neighbor with 2 sons, one of whom is a year older than Scotty. We get lots of GREAT clothing for him. This suit was NO exception. Grandma Linda had sent a great shirt with sweater vest and matching tie, and we tried to talk Scotty into wearing that part of it instead of the vest with the suit, but he insisted on the complete outfit. Luckily he wanted to wear the tie that Grandma sent (he wore it the day he got it, with his t-shirt!!!)

After I dressed him (and we dressed him just like daddy, white underpants and t-shirt, white button shirt (dad's was blue), suit pants, vest (no vest for dad) tie and jacket.), he said to me, "mommy, I yook yike dose guys on the TB...the news guys!" (that would be: I look like those guys on the TV). And he surely did! I did a mini photo shoot before heading out to church and here's what I got:

I'm ready for my closeup

Strike a pose!

How's THIS? I'm awesome!Looking like the cat that ate the canary!

We came home, changed into our everyday duds, and got busy. We all had lunch and then I went out with my neighbors Shawn and Lori, and we put out a TON of eggs. All over the neighborhood. And then we gathered all the kids (7 between the 3 families!) and set them free to hunt. All kids ended up with FULL buckets. And it was nice, since we all put different things in our eggs, so we got a good variety of things! I let the kids stay out to play, and I headed in to make Easter dinner. Threw the ham in the oven, then realized that I didn't have any way to actually COOK all the stuff I wanted, since I needed at least TWO ovens! Shawn to the rescue! She let me make my macaroni and cheese, and pineapple stuffing in her oven. I'm so blessed to have good neighbors! (on a side note: Lori and her family will be moving away in June...we are ALL sad!)

The kids played outside until about 4:30 and then I called them in so that we could get cleaned up for our company. Our friend Shannon came over with her 3 girls (6, 3 and 11 months). Shannon's hubby is deployed right now, though he's coming back soon (and another side note: Shannon's leaving us in July...we are SAD for that too!). She brought a yummy salad and dessert. Her timing was impeccable, since every thing was just coming out of the oven. We sat almost immediately to eat. And it was GOOD. I tell ya, I'm not half bad to have around when it comes to cooking (of course, it doesn't hurt to have a few good recipes like mac and cheese and pineapple stuffing, both from Scott's mom). We ate, kids played, then they left, I finished cleaning the kitchen ('cept for the big stuff that needs hand washed, I'm doing that tomorrow a.m.) and now I'm blogging.

I hope that everyone else had a wonderful day....

He is Risen!
He is Risen, Indeed!!!

I am SOOO GLAD....

that Weight Watchers isn't like this anymore:

WW Recipe Cards


Be sure to click on the "start tour here" link at the bottom...and read, and laugh...do NOT have liquid or food in your mouth!

No School...

School is cancelled today due to snow. What a powerful storm system this storm came with! We had "thundersnow" yesterday a.m. There was snow, then sleet, then rain, with more sleet and then the snow came. It was actually not that bad last night; I went to Bunco and by the time we came home 2+ hours later, there was only about an inch. Somewhere in the late, dark hours, the snow CAME.

7 inches on the rail


the snow pattern....see below for WHERE this is!


this is the open door...I LOVE how the snow drifted into patterns!


snow laden pines in the back of the house....

Yes, we will go out and play in it....I must have fun once in a while!

We've been Elfed!

CLICK HERE!

The Name Game

Shakespeare once asked, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet...." Ah, yes, but would it still be as easy to spell...or pronounce?

When we chose our childrens' names, we picked names that we considered classic, simple, and timeless names. Names which would not necessarily be considered odd or extreme. We liked the simplicity of Hannah...the meaning behind the name (grace of God)...and later we found out it was also a middle name for one of Scott's relatives. A good, sturdy name. We didn't realize it was such a popular name at the time. Not that we'd consider changing it - we liked how it fit. Scotty's name is really Scott, middle name Alexander. He was named after his dad Wayne Scott, and his grandfather Wayne Alexander. Scotty's just his "little boy name" (though HE would argue, "I NOT Scott, I SCOTTY"). Nice simple, strong names.

Then I got to reading Suburban Turmoil when she posted a contest about BAD names. Worst Kid's Name Ever

For this, you MUST read the comments - and there are a LOT of them....I do mean a LOT. You might just want to skip right over to Bad Baby Names: The Finalists. There are some DOOZIES there. And here, you can find the WINNERS.

Now...go and read those, and then come back...or just keep reading and head to those links later on. There IS a reason for all of this.

I got to talking with friends recently about some of the weird names we'd heard in our lives. They shared in emails with me and I HAD to post them. They have jobs where they encounter many names on a regular basis (think newspaper, teacher, banker, etc). I've promised to protect their identities...but here are some of the names shared, and the comments that came with them. The comments are what make the emails so good!

Since I've been there, I've seen the following: Precious, Flossie, Princess, Caress, Parquasia, Shaniqual (pronouced Sha-nee-kwa), Cartavious, Deontay, Devonte, Divante, Devontay (basically, every phonetic spelling imaginable!), Jalen/Jaylen/Jaden/Jadon/Jaron/Peyton/Jason (yes, Jason is normal, BUT THEY WERE ALL IN THE SAME FRICKIN' GROUP OF PEOPLE!!!!), (a flash from the past here--->) first name JAZZY middle name JEFF, Justin Case, Justice (boy), Justus (girl), Spencer (GIRL!!!!), Sydnei, Damarus (boy), Sylvanna, Deandre, Deondra, Ro'Khaun, Cha-ron (pronounced sha-RON. go figure), Beaunc'A (no typo!), Mar'Keen, Mon'Nique, Don'Ye, Shy'Asia, (yay! It's a game called "FUN WITH APOSTROPHES!"), Tylonda, Kemony, Krystena, Kaylin, Ryne, Starleena, Tymarlis, Kavasea (pronounced Kah-VAH-see-ay), Raylyn (a BOY!), Deja, Alaza (pronounced AL-uh-zay), Dreshawn, Tyler-Kae (a girl!), Lawyer (but goes by his middle name: Dequan. go figure.), Keshawna, Tyrian (goes by Ty), Eries (pronounced AIR-ee-us), Ainexia (but pronounced more like uh-NEE-shuh.), Memphis, Delvon, Zane (a girl, pronounced Zhan-NAY. And she gets really upset when people mispronounce her name. stupid us, what were we thinking?), Tedeychia (a girl.), Arinda, Zateya, Kyree (a boy), Kaycee (also a boy), Dominique (ALSO A BOY! And pronounced like you would for a girl!), Askia (as-KEE-uh. a boy), Keymiya, Kei-Mia, Anfernee (think a mispronunciation of Anthony. how sad.), Trayvond, Daquante, Tyhae, Melyssa, Maggi, Brooklyne, Brooklynne, and every possible spelling of Brianna INCLUDING this: Briyuana!

Then there's: Cadee, Kei'Anna, Joton, ChaNesia, Siris, Mercedez, Camree, Lexus (must like cars), Dekella, Kenyon, Ednel, Keishla (pronounced KAISH-luh), Xena, Katharina, Jensine, Asian, Excell, Solomon, Ciera (and various other spellings), Xanare (ZAN-uh-ray), Zan (pronounced like it looks, not like Zane.), Sequille (pronounced SHA-keel), Tatyana, Keely, Yana, Jerah, Zaina, Jamee-Dawn, Jhade, Ta'Shayla, Ajia (like Asia), Daijana (day-ON-uh), Khadijah, Khadde (like Chad), Crashawn (like anyone wants the word CRASH in their name), or Jaileen, or Risk. Jawan, Tyriq, Sharnell, Trenesha, Ja'chin, Zanikwa, Jachob (no typo), Tymen, Cireya, Lakesha, Zeppelin, Champange (no typo!), Jawohn, Keon (pronounced KEE-un), Soontorn, Dant'e, Traivon, Keywana (pronounced without the "w"), Tairha, Evergreen (her sister's name is Condoleezza. no joke!), E'Mon, Shondreka, Quinceola (goes by "ola"), Tra'Sheen (more fun with ' !), Valgean (val-jeen, I think. and it's a boy), Valissa, Kayland (a boy), Aolani, Aeleena (goes by her middle name: Kayli), Lataija, Deromian, Jimeya, Jalisa, Arkeya, Tyleek, Ta'Shan, Tra'Shaun (are we having fun with apostrophes yet???), Ezio (EH-zee-oh), Patience, Lisa-Marie (and her sister is Selina. somebody liked female singers!), Reshawn, Shaquan, Shavaughn, Tavaughn, Adonis (that's quite a reputation to live up to, but so is his middle name: LeBron!)

I have a head'ach'e n'ow. I thinque I shy'all goe twoo bhede!
Ghoud'e naighte!
O
ahnde
H'ape'
Thangx'kiveengge!

The trick is...

can they handle all the TREATS?????

Halloween was a BLAST! Scotty had to try on his pants (I had just finished making them) and once he had THOSE on, he wanted to go all out and wear the entire thing...so I took him to WalMart dressed like this! We had to get some REAL rope to hold his pants up - the small twine I was using didn't cut it. On the way home, he was too pooped to Pirate anymore...notice the white stick in front of the seatbelt on his lap - he fell asleep with his lollipop in his mouth!!!! (they gave it to him at Wallyworld).

We were ready to go by 6:00 p.m.


Perfect Pirate and Sweet Angel



Arrrrrgh-en't I CUTE????



Angelic....only for Halloween!!!
(overheard at a door whilst T or T'ing....a woman asked Hannah if she was ALWAYS such an angel, and the answer was an EMPHATIC, "NO WAY!")


Mom got into the spirit and dressed as a doctor!


We managed to hit a LOT of houses. Those buckets were FILLED to the top. We had to make a stop back at the car after doing one street up and back because the "pre-bagged" things (given by our neighbors and friends) were taking up too much room!!!! By this time, it had gotten dark and we were really having fun. We didn't even finish up the neighborhood we were at, because Scotty was tired. Hannah wanted to keep going, but she didn't have space in the bucket. I'm not one of those parents who gives in to the greed of children by giving them pillowcases, nor do I carry a big plastic bag to dump buckets into so they can get more junk! I think there's more than enough in those buckets to keep them happy till EASTER!

My only complaint? The parents who didn't keep an eye on their kids. I saw kids running through yards and flowers, not caring. I saw them darting across the streets. I know that drivers are usually extra careful on this night, but still. Some of the bigger kids (mostly boys) were pushy and a few times Scotty got pushed aside. But he was pretty decent, didn't complain at all. HE was ALL about ringing the bell and saying TWICK OR TWEET!!! and when they would offer him the bowl to pick, he'd only take ONE piece...and even if they offered 2, he would have to be COAXED to take more than one. He was also good at houses where they left the bowl out for kids to "take 3 or 4". (when did THAT become a custom, anyway? I mean, honestly...can't SOMEONE be home to hand candy out?).

My neighbor Lori gave the kids a really neat goodie bag filled not only with candy, but toys! Here's one of them:


All our other "new" neighbors (new to the neighborhood since last Halloween) were disappointed with the "turnout". We came to most of their houses last, since many weren't home when we left. They said we were only the 3rd or 4th kids to come...the others being the kids who live here. No one else comes here, since it's a small duplex circle with no other homes at ALL nearby (but hey, we have Panera, Arby's, Target, and Pier 1). I suppose we could have warned them!

Here's the final shots of the evening...all the loot gathered!

Angel Sweets.....


Pirate Booty

Thriller!

How many of you remember this song, from the pinnacle of Michael Jackson's success?

My niece, Alex is 16...wasn't even around when this song came out. Heck, I think I was close to 16 at that time!!! But her high school in PA did the song as part of their 80's Show. And someone was kind enough to YouTube it....this is FANTASTIC! Oh...did I mention that Alex is one of the twirlers for her school? She's REALLY good!

Although we can't really find Alex in the "ghoul line", I think at the very beginning when the girls running across the field, she is one of the very first. Very tall, long blonde/brown hair.

I have to say, they did a GREAT job with the choreography on this. Watch it. Share it. Enjoy!

time to share again...

Okay, my friends have told me it's time to post again, so I'll share some of what we did last weekend. We went to Ft. Riley "Apple Days" celebration.


Awwww, look, they're holding hands! (and for those
who are into details-they are also walking "in step"!)


There was a GWOT Ceremony (Global War on Terrorism) where the names of all Ft. Riley soldiers killed during the war were read. The band was there to play as well.

The 1ID Band plays at the GWOT Ceremony
(no, that's not a bad exposure, there was a camp
fire burning in the background)


TANKS!!!!!
They had lots of heavy equipment for the kids to check out...Scotty's most favorite was the tank that looked just like his transformer. He waited PATIENTLY in line to be able to see this thing inside and out. He loved it.


When Scotty saw this tank, he said "OOOOOOH,
it's my TWANSFOAMER!"""""

Probably the only time you'll see Scott
on a tank!


While they were waiting in line (Hannah wanted to see it too), I headed over to the Custer House (it is believed that General Custer lived there at one time) and bought a pie. The recipe for this pie is a HUGE secret. The Historic and Archaelogical Society of Ft. Riley (HASFR from now on) recruits people to help make these pies. They put up signs and take pre-orders for weeks prior. They make TONS of pies. One group put up 475 pies in a day. They freeze these pies in a DEEP FREEZE truck...then you come and pick it up. I bought one frozen pie only, because no one in my house likes apple pie but me, and I didn't want to eat it all by myself! The members of HASFR dress in period costumes, too...it's lots of fun to see.

So, I carried this pie around for several hours as we made our way around all the different tanks and things. We saw Darren the D.A.R.E. dog...the kids loved him. We ate cotton candy (first time for Scotty!) and we wandered through the "junk tent"...you know, the place where everyone is giving away pens and keychains and stuff. Yeah...I LOVE pens! One place gave Scott a really nice thermos! I got a nice leather bound day planner (purse size), and lots of other goodies. We saw all the kitties that were up for adoption from the post Vet office, too.

About 3 hours into all of this, I'd had enough of carrying the pie and everyone's "junk". So we headed home. We didn't get to experience any of the Cavalry competition, the helicopters (Black Hawks, I think) and the "jumpers" for the kids. There was also a free shooting range down by the General's house. I would have loved to shoot off a machine gun or two!

We came home and rested (Scotty actually fell asleep!). I baked the pie because it had thawed. The house smelled WONDERFUL! We then headed to Council Grove to eat at the Hays House and do some touristy things.


Hannah and Scott in front of the Historic Hays House

The Hays House is a restaurant that has housed many other things. It was built by Seth Hays, the great-grandson of Daniel Boone. It sits on the original Santa Fe Trail. The building caught fire in the late 1800's, but was immediately rebuilt. On the 2nd floor, you can still see burned rafter beams! It's quite an experience just to visit this place. The kids' favorite thing was "Old Joe" the White Buffalo. He hangs above the stairs.


Old Joe


Authentic Covered Wagon, one of 14 historic sites
to visit in Council Grove.


Farmers and Drovers Bank - a unique building.

Scott asked what a Drover was, and my best guess was that it was someone who "drove cattle" or something. (I just looked it up, and I was right!) The main portion of the building is dated 1892, and the back half has 1902 on it. I thought it was quite an interesting building.


There was a BEAUTIFUL sunset, but we were unable to pull off and get a good shot of it...oh well. There are tons of sunsets that I'll catch, I'm sure.



My attempt - the picture doesn't do the colors justice!!!

First of the First

First day of FIRST GRADE!!!! I actually was a bit teary-eyed today. Last year I was all about the "Go girl, go! Have FUN!"...but this year choked me up a bit...don't know why!

Anyway! LOTS OF PHOTOS:


The HAIRSTYLE


The NEW SHOES


yes,, they ARE Tink...what ELSE?


The BACKPACK (once again, TINK)


Official "First Day" picture


The Bus Stop Gang: Hannah, Will, Tre, Ty


The "New Shoe Review" (those of you old enough will recognize the play on words from an OLD TV program...anyone?)


Patiently waiting for the bus


BYE, MOMMY!!!!

Kid fun

Well, we've had our 2nd week of swimming lessons. Hannah has taken to water wonderfully! I remember her balking about going. "I won't go." This was replaced by "I'll go, but I won't put my face under water."

After being one of 3 kids assigned to "station 1" (the very beginner, where she had to d0 10 relaxed bobs, head fully under), she was determined to get her face under water. She managed to get her head wet the next day. And she worked and worked...and by the end of the first week, she was in "station 2" (being able to front float and back float for 5 seconds without sinking). Yesterday, she passed to "station 3" (front glide, back glide, front kick, back kick, dolphin kick). What an amazing improvement from 2 weeks ago. She went from a kid who was afraid to jump into the pool to the kid who FELL BACKWARDS...deliberately!

last week's front float and kick

front float and kick two weeks later

another front float and kick today

Cannonball!!!!

BELLY FLOP!!!!

Scotty, on the other hand, has decided he wants nothing to do with swim lessons. But that's okay...we'll try again next session, I think. I want him to not be afraid, but to have respect for water as well.

And here's one last shot of the kids playing "karate". They are wearing headbands made of leftover edges from my rag-tie blankets!!!