Gage Kennedy

My 2 little boys (Gage and Toby) go to Lola's house each day while I teach school. Lola is a gift to me sent from Heaven above...no lie! This woman is amazing and I can't say enough good things about her. He loves my 2 boys (really all 3 of them) like they are her grandkids...we love her too! Yesterday I picked the 2 little boys up from Lola's and Gage had this sticker on his arm. Lola said...yesterday she was putting stamps on letters to mail and Gage wanted a "sticker" too...well all of the stamps were gone and all that was left was that large sticker on the end of the stamp set. Lola put it on Gage's arm early that morning and he did not take it off until we were in the middle of mission friend's last night. He is a mess...

Oh and we rapped up our unit on Texas last night at Mission Friends and we made the Texas Flag. We have special friends that winter in Texas and I took a picture of Gage and his Texas Flag last night and we mailed it to them this morning...I'm sure that they will love it! We love and miss you Gayle and Becky!

Ball Practice

For Easter remember that Nana and Slick gave Carson and Gage baseball gloves and balls. Well, now Bradley said that they needed a real bat and some (soft) t-balls...so that is what I ventured off to Wal-Mart for yesterday (b/c remember Wal-Mart has everything according to Carson). So when we all got home from school, we had ball practice and it was fun!

I took several pictures of Carson and the face shots were TOO funny. He is so serious with all of this ball stuff and wants to hit it perfect each time. We have explained to him many time you must practice to be a "winner." Also we are teaching him not to be a poor sport...if you don't hit it perfect...don't throw a fit! Parenting...so much fun!

Yep...Gage is our lefty batter! His Slick is most excited because he is also a lefty. But Gage throws with his right. Oh and after we took these pics of him hitting the ball...he found a mud puddle and proceeded to strip naked as a jaybird and play in the mud!

Sweet Stinkin' Toby! (oh and he is walking much more now)

Chicken...well, Rooster

We have 8 (what I call) Mail-Order birds...they are really speckled susex chickens. They were born on Toby's birthday (February 23) so that makes them about 2 months old. Last week 5 of the 8 got the chicken pox...no it's not the same kind as humans get. So Bradley and I have been doctoring them with antibiotics in their water and saline solution and terrimiason (eye antibiotic cream) in their eyes daily...they were slowly getting better. Then a week later I was not satisfied with their progress so I went and got La200 a medicine you give cattle and pigs...that was FUN trying to figure out how much to give a bird that weighs less than 1lb. I had to give them 1/10 of a cc (actually Bradley did) in the back of their necks while I held the bird. Today they seem to be doing a bit better...we will re-give the shots tomorrow. But since we have had to hold them so much lately they have become very tame. I'll keep you updated...Oh and that is barn in the background that is being built for our chickens. They plan to work on it some more on Saturday I think...I'll keep you posted on that too!

More crawfish fun...

Another fun night of crawfish...this batch was so much better! Crawfish, potatoes, corn, yummy onions, mushrooms, jalopeno peppers, lemons, oh and of course the crawfish spice. The guys made the girls the first batch (just perfect) and the next more spicey batch was theirs.

Crawfish Carson

Crawfish Gage

Crawfish Toby

Lots of kids came...yep all boys. We have 3, Shannon and Meshay have 3, and Jack and Katie have 1 with 1 on the way (yep another boy too) They ate Meshay's yummy chicken and homemade fries and kool-aid koolers to drink. Toby stole 2 of their drinks and we were all just laughing and watching him drink...he was so very proud of himself!

Bradley and Shannon

Katie, Meshay, Toby, and Me

Tornado Shelter

We have horrible weather during tornado season in our area. Brad has always had fear about bad weather. His dad told me that Brad gets it from his grand-dad that was always terrified of bad weather. When the latest episodes of tornadoes came thru, Brad said that was it and we were getting a tornado shelter. We signed up for the MEMA tornado shelter program over 1 1/2 years ago but did nothing about it. You have to put all the money upfront for the shelter and then MEMA will reimburse you 75% percent up to $3500. They have extended it for our county until the end of June (or possible September)...so if you are interested...get intouch with me! I've got the information.

We marked where we wanted it to go after the One Call people came out and marked most of our lines. We wanted it outside out bathroom door so we could all just run out to the edge of the deck and go down into it. They dig a hole 8x14 and 7ft deep...it's a BIG hole.

Toby supervised the operation from his pack and play! I got tired of holding him because he did not want to follow the rules set for the older 2 boys about not crossing a certain line because the backhoe might get him...so he got sent to the pack and play...and was quite happy with his new place!

Mr. Larry made the boys a huge dirt pile to play on while it was being installed. We were all just laughing at them because they were having so much fun. They used most of this dirt to fill it back in but some was left over so when the shelter and dirt settled around it we would have more dirt to fill in over the next several months.

Mr. Tom down in the big hole leveling the ground so that the shelter would be level when installed. They used a laser leveler. Oh and Maggie and Sherpa were also supervising the operation.

After the hole was dug and leveled, Benny the Backhoe (Bob the Builder's backhoe's name) picked up the shelter with the help of Mr. Larry. It is 6x8 and 6 1/2 feet tall. Just perfect that Brad doesn't have to stoop over when he is inside!

Mr. Tom is the one that designed this special shelter and he guided it into place to put it in the perfect spot. There are lots of great things about this special shelter that others do not have. I feel very safe and proud to own one that was designed and installed by these to guys. Gage referred to Mr. Tom as "PawPaw" all day long...it was too funny!

We had to examine it when it was set down in the ground before they filled in the hole to make sure it was level inside. It was perfectly level. Carson was the first down there!

Gage was NOT to thrilled about going down in the shelter at first so he and Sherpa observed us from the top!

The last step was the fill in the rest of the hole with dirt. They wanted to fill it up to the white line. There is an air hole that is towards the back...see it sticking up?

The finished product! The door is very heavy but I'm able to open and close it if I really put my muscles into it. It closes and opens slow once you get it unlatched. You can open and close it easily (with muscles) from the inside or the outside. It will seat 12 people. It is lined with benches inside. We are going to come up with a way to sleep in it. That way on bad weather nights we can just sleep down there instead of climbing in and out all night long. It stays 70 degrees inside all year around.

Seriously it's the best shelter that is made...if you want information...let me know!

Boomerang Express

Me and Sharon
We went to VBS training tonight and had a good time and learned alot. My favorite part was in the worship rally when we got to sing all of the FUN songs and learn all of the motions to them. I hope I can remember some of the motions so I can teach them to Carson and Gage so they will be one up on learning them the week of VBS. It is all about the Australian Outback hence the name Boomerang Express. Sharon is our director of VBS at the church and she asked me to be her assistant. It has been lots of fun...God has taught me things I would not have learned otherwise. It should be lots of fun to teach this year and we pray it will bring lots of children to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

Can we build it...yes we can!

About a month ago I was checking my junk mail box and came across a Bob the Builder email about a new DVD. I clicked on it and it has a tour schedule. I thought just maybe it would come to a neighboring state and we could make a show...but no...even better it came to our state! I called Bradley immediately and said "we have gotta go!" He did not give me any grief about it and said "get the tickets." I was not happy with the tickets that Ticketmaster was trying to give me...so I made a trip to Bebop and selected my own tickets with the help of a lovely worker there. I was more excited than anyone I think! We told Carson and Gage about a week ahead of time and they were pumped!

Our crew before the show started. Bradley was such a good daddy to get this group pic with the family. He knows how much I crave pictures so I know he did this only for me! I was so glad he tagged along so he could see the reaction on the boys faces when they finally got to meet the REAL Bob the Builder.


During the show...Scoop, Bob, Lofty, Wendy, Scrambler, and Dizzy. It was such a cute show and all of the construction characters moved on their own...so they were very real for the boys.

Can you imagine what is going thru his head? THIS is why I wanted Bradley to go with me and THIS is why I paid whatever I needed to get us to see this Bob the Builder...PRICELESS!

Our family favorites...Scoop and Bob!

Toby really enjoyed himself too. He was quite good for a 14 month old between the hours of 6:00 and 7:45...supper time and night-night time! I kept him occupied with crackers and juice plus he really did enjoy himself for the majority of the program. Such a great night...it met all of my expectations...It was magical...like Disney is to other people I guess. That is how special Bob is to our crew...reduce, reuse, recycle.

Zoo Field Trip (and animals facts)

I love to take pictures (obviously) and I love interesting animal facts and I love going on field trips. So yesterday was a super fun day for me! I can't go to the zoo with our thinking of God...the Creator of Everything! God has quite a sense of humor...did you know that? If you did not know that...go on a field trip to the zoo with a kid and look at all of the animals!

The orangatangs were eating breakfast when we got there. It consisted of lots of fruit. I want to point out an interesting fact...they peel their bananas from the opposite end that we peel them. If you peel them that way you don't get those stringy things attached to your banana that you have to pick off with your finger. Did you know that?

Class picture in front of the elephants. Julie and Suzanne are amazing teachers. Can't say enough good things about these 2 ladies. They have mounds of patience and love for these 6 boys. I appreciate all that they do for Carson...he has come leaps and bounds since he started to school here in August 2007. (kids are Nick, Demarrius, Jonathan, John Carl, Cameron, and Carson)

Such a regal tiger! There are 3 of them there and a new exhibit is being built for them. The area will be much bigger. Their swimming area will be 600 sq. feet and the cage they are living in now is 800 sq. feet. They will be much happier come the end of the year when they can move to their new home.

Julie is a teacher of 6 boys. There is a running joke that she spends all of her time in the boys bathroom. So it was very appropriate yesterday for me to snap a shot of her exiting the boys bathroom!

The giraffes were so pretty and very curious while we were there. Th giraffe's heart has to pump really hard to get blood all the way up to it head due to its long next. So when the giraffe bends its head down to drink water there is a one way shut off valve in its heart to stop blood flow for the moment because if not all of the blood would be force down to its head and the giraffe would not survive. Interesting huh?

Train ride at the zoo...Carson told me he wanted me to ride with him on the caboose...so that is exactly what we did!

These chimpanzees were too interested in something else going on to pay attention to us. Chimpanzees are apes...apes don't have tails...monkeys do! So don't insult an ape by calling him a monkey like I did yesterday to a gibeon (a small ape.)

5 kid pile up!

This ostrich was about 4 feet from us drinking water and when he would raise his head up he would be eye level with us and very curious about us. One ostrich egg weighs as much as 25-30 chicken eggs and takes 2 1/2 hours to hard boil it. But who eggs hard boiled ostrich eggs and I wonder how many 1 egg could feed?

Three Great-Grandsons...

We decided to make a trip up to my grandparents (so they are my kids GREAT grandparents) house to visit. How cool is that to have great grandparents. I had a great grandmother until I was 27...I just think it so neat to have that many people in your family alive at one time!

Carson of course had to take his bike so he could show them how well he could ride now. They were very impressed of course as all grandparents always are!

Toby and Papa John

Gage reached down to pick up these flowers (roots and all) and said "these are for Meme"

He was very proud of his bitterweed flowers he picked for Meme. Meme was too of course and we immediately cut off the roots and put them in a vase and set them in the window so she could enjoy them this week.

The boys behaved at their house. I always get nervous when I take them there because there are TONS of things you can touch and play with that are NOT for kids. Indian artifacts, guns, medicine...you know...the usual. But they played outside and with toys that Meme has saved from when we were little...old fisher price toys...they love them!

Crawfish Fun

Yummy Yummy Crawfish!

We went to the Pucketts on Saturday to cook our first batch of crawfish. At first the kids would not even touch them...they said they were scared. But eventually they had a great time playing with them before they were cooked. Kalli even started naming them.

Colt and Gage filling the bucket up with water...and the found out that crawfish can swim.

Carson and Kalli holding their crawfish. Kalli would make Carson get it out of the bucket and put it on the deck then she would pick it up.

Brad and Phil

Alicia and me

Gage was cruising Toby around the subdivision...Toby thinks he is so big now!